Question:
I'm looking to warm up my current rig - Samick Ultramatic into a Boss ME-50 into an Ashton Amp (100 watts, solid state) and am looking to warm up the sound tube-wise for a minimun cost. I don't want to have to invest in a new amp, since a new guitar comes first, but would love some suggestions. I have 3 questions:
1. Can you bypass the preamp on an amp by just using the effects return input on the amp? Someone who seems to know about it said it was an option.
2. Would investing in a Behringer Ultragain MIC100 or MIC200 be wise? They are a tube DI. My preferred option is to mic the amp, not go direct.
3. Are there any other tube options? I just want to warm the sound, not use any tube overdriving if possible.
Thanks for all help!
Dr. Rybags.
Answer:
1) if your amp has an effects loop i do believe it would be possible to use an tube pre-amp and the solid state power amp through the effects return plug.
3) with a decent SS amp (i don't know much about the one you're using) a warm sound can be found with proper EQing and reverb to flavor. at least that's what i've done with my Acoustic 150 head. i'm sure there's some other options too, but this early in the morning i tend to forget things.
Answer:
You may be in the market for a tube preamp. A tube DI is more for the acoustic crowd, IMO, but it wouldn't hurt to try one out at the store.
For my acoustic rig, I use a SansAmp preamp, and I know they make a version more designed around the needs of the electric guitar. It will have a knob that allows you to dial in "warmth" (on mine, the knob is actually called "blend").
And yes, any preamp you might choose can be plugged into the effects return of your amp, which will then just drive the power amp. Check your amp schematic, though, because on most amps if you do this you'll also be bypassing just about every controlled feature on the amp except master volume. You might still have reverb, but maybe not. Most likely you won't have EQ. So you'll need to budget that into the operation.... You may find that it's more worth it to go amp shopping...
Nate
Answer:
Not sure what you mean by "warm up". When I hear "warm" I always associate that with lacking high end - its a buzzword used by pickup, speaker and other gear mfr's to describe their products that have less high end than other products. If you don't like the sound of the amp's voice - maybe the distortion is buzzy or whatever, you can bypass your amp's preamp and use the FX return to inject a signal from something else like a modeler. As far as those Behringers - those are mic preamps, not sure what you intend to do with them. If you are asking "would a microphone preamp with a tube improve my amp's tone?" Hmmm, probably not if its the amp's OD/distortion voice you don't like - those mic preamps are designed to faithfully reproduce the signal fed to it. You could put it in the FX loop and try it, it might give it a little different character, but I really doubt it will be a panacea.
If you could be more specific in your description of what you don't like about the amp, that would help.
Answer:
Are you trying to warm up your clean sound or dirty sound?
Answer:
You can do a lot with a graphic equalizer to shape your sound.
Answer:
Stick a Behringer MIC100 in between your guitar and amp, set the gain at about 11:00 O'Clock position and adjust the volume as desired. You'll notice an improvement. You can play around with the gain to your taste. What you want is to work the tube fairly hard, but not too hard to go into saturation. It'll sweeten up your signal.
Answer:
If its dirty that you want... there are means of doing so as well.