advice on tone

[skeprico]

Hello there. I just finished my 50 watt build and I have some questions for anyone who would care to indulge me. I powered it up and all went well with testing. Voltages look good. Bias was low, so I swapped out the resistor to get it in range. Now it's at about 37mV. My question is regarding tone. I'll put it out there that I'm a complete newbie to the classic Marshall world. I grew up a metal head and until I got older I had no use for classic tone. If it wasn't a Mesa it was useless to me. Now I'm starting to see what I'd missed all those years. My point being I don't know what I should expect from the amp I've just built. I've always heard that a classic Marshall is to be run with all knobs on 11. When I do that the treble is so piercing that it feels as though my brain is about to fall out of my ears. Also a feedback that is very far from pleasant. I'm using a Les Paul with StewMac Parsons Street humbuckers. The cab is a P.O.S. no name 4x12 with vintage 30s. I started with the exact “Lead Specs” from the Metropoulos instructions. I did some research on the forum here and decided I'd change the bright cap from the original 500pf to a 100pf. Seemed to make it less unruly. Then I changed the .022 cap to .0022 that looks to be after v1 on the normal channel? Per the “70's and up lead spec”. I didn't change any of the other components on the board that the “70's and up lead spec” diagram shows to be different. Looks like the double axial cap is different and one of the 2 watts. Anyway. I did that to remove some of the bass but now the treble is back. Should I swap the other components to the “70's spec”? This is amp sounds gorgeous if I dial in a sound I like. Something other than “all knobs on 11”. I'm just concerned that I've done something wrong. Thanks in advance for any input.

[danman]

Don't feel bad because I don't much care for the sound with everything at 11 either. My amp would be much to bright and farty if set that way. I actually changed my lead spec build over to more of a bass spec circuit to cut a bit of the brightness. I did leave the split cathodes on v1 though. Keep in mind that every Marshall is different...some may sound good set a certain way while others will sound terrible. Your amp should soften up a bit also as it ages.

[skeprico]

Awesome. I had my suspicions that there was a certain amount of hype to the full crank thing. I built a BYOC Tweed Royal and that thing sounds spectacular when cranked. Of course it doesn't have anywhere near the gain. This amp is making me see the beauty of modification. Finding a sweet spot I like and calling it my own. Thanks for the advice danman.

[syscokid]

Hello there. ...I've always heard that a classic Marshall is to be run with all knobs on 11...

Are you also running the volume at max, too?

Did you add a Master Volume to the circuit?

What type of "Bright" cap are you using? Ceramic... Silver Mica?

[skeprico]

Hello syscokid. Thanks for chiming in.

Yes. Volume at max. That's the question. As folklore suggests that a classic Marshall sounds best at full volume.

No master volume. I built it from the ValveStorm suggested parts list to be stock to the Metro build instructions.

Both bright caps were from the ValveStorm small components kit. Silver mica.

Thanks again

[Littlewyan]

Try different speakers. These amps sound best with G12Ms or G12H Speakers, not Vintage 30s. I don't think Vintage 30s are right for these amps at all. Never under estimate how much speakers change tone . Then it will sound good whether its 67 or 72 spec. They all sound similar in a way.

Maybe even consider basketweave or checkerboard cloth. Basketweave is good for taking a bit of treble off if need be.

[skeprico]

Good point Littlewyan. I haven't had the pleasure of being able to try out different speakers. I'd wondered about how it would effect things. I was planning to get a better cab to go along with the new head and thought I should research speakers. There are so many options just within the Celestion brand it's hard to even know where to start.

[Littlewyan]

The best advice I can give is to find a cab maker that will let you try out different cabinets with different speakers. That's what I did and that's how I ended up with a 2x12 with Celestion Heritage G12Ms. I've tried buying speakers in the past by reading reviews online but you end up out of pocket when you don't like them and end up selling them.