| Author | Message | ||
| slej |
What are the "flat" tone control settings for this amp? I hear tell that they aren't always at '5'. | ||
| Steve Kennedy |
I don't even know if there IS a position of the tone controls that will result in a "flat" frequency response! Guitar amps are "voiced" for use with typical guitar pickups and speakers. That is, they have their tone adjusted to compensate for all the parts in the system so it sounds good. There are too many things in the signal path (including Deep & Bright switches as well as the standard tone controls) to allow the amp to be perfectly flat like a hi-fi amp. The best position for the tone knobs would be the position where the amp sounds the best with the particular input signal and speaker you happen to have at the time. Steve | ||
| slej |
Steve: I read some book about tube amps, maybe by Pittman, and it mentioned that Fender amps are not necessarily 'flat' at the 5's on the tone controls. I thought maybe the same is the case for the MM for the obvious reason. I think the tone controls are not active, so they really can't have a 'center' position, can they? Let's pursue this, OK? | ||
| Steve Kennedy |
The tone controls are like a Fender's in that they are a "Tone Stack" configuration and they are passive. What this means is that the tone controls are guaranteed to be interactive with each other so it is almost impossible to specify a "flat" position you can always return to that will work on all amplifiers of the same model. In order to know what "flat" means on your amp, you would have to bypass the tone stack, plot a frequency response curve for the amp with bypassed tone circuits. Then reconnect the tone stack and try to find settings that would best duplicate the same frequency response curve. Without the right test equipment (Real-Time Audio Frequency Analyzer or Audio Spectrum Analyzer) you have to plot these curves point by point by hand and it could take DAYS just to characterize one amplifier! Why is it so important that you explore this? It is a little like finding just the "right" setting of a light dimmer. Doing it by eyeball (or ear) is usually close enough! | ||
| slej |
I'm thinking of using the amp with a modeler device, so I'm interested to know the "flat" tone position for the tone controls. I read--Pittman, I think--and it was acknowledged that there is an approximation of this (on Fenders), but it isn't at '5' on each control. Should they all be on '10'? | ||
| Barry Marie |
Go to the Duncan Amps page via the link below and download the Tone Stack Calculator program. I found it very useful as it demonstrates the "interactivity" mentioned by Steve in his post. There are tone stacks for a number of different amps (the Fender stack might be closest to Musicman). If the program is any guide, it's not that easy to achieve a dead flat respone. (www.duncanamps.com/tsc/index.html) | ||
| Steve Kennedy |
To get only the sound of the emulator, it should be fed directly to a recording console, headphones or neutral power amp. An emulator is trying to mimic another amp (and can also include loudpeaker emulation). If you run through yet another guitar amp and its speakers, you will ALWAYS get a composite sound... the emulator output "colored" by the actual guitar amp & speakers (regardless of tone control settings). In order to attempt to "cancel out" the contribution of the amp AND speakers, you might have the the tone controls far FROM the "flat" position anyway (although you probably don't have that much tone control range). This is why it is better to use your ears in setting any amp up. Know what your emulator sounds like in headphones, then adjust the amp to approximate the same qualities. I'll have to check out that Tone Stack Calculator! |
Tue, 03/25/2014 - 09:48
#1