The Doom Room: ILF Edition

[Ancient Astronaught]

This is basically what I want? Two KT88's is 50 watts..? I know basically nothing about how amps work.

Unrelated, my V4 died? I was playing the other day and reasonable practice volumes, realized the switch was on two ohms, turned the amp off, flipped it to 8 for the cab I was using, it hummed a bunch when I turned it back on, I hit one note, there was a pop, and it died. Any idea what may have happened/where to take it in NoVA/MD/DC to get fixed..?

Two KT88's puts out around 100w in class A/B mode.

As far as the repair: P.M. Sound Technology in old town Alexandria gets the best reviews around here.

[AngryGoldfish]

You can lower the wattage on two KT88's further than that. The Fryette Deliverance is rated at 60 watts clean using two and 120 using four. To be honest, the volume difference between them is negligible, but the impact of the 120 is certainly greater.

Also, Splawn amps are rated at 100W with 4xKT88.

[conky]

When you guys play around with different dirt pedals are you trying to get them all to sound exactly like the tone in your head (as in your main tone) or do you just see what nice sounds are in there and go with that? Seems like when I first has a Badascan I dug it, but I really didn't use it because I was into more amp distortion that was tight and chuggy at the time. I eventually sold it because I felt like there was a ton of overlap with it and the Pharaoh and I wasn't even using my Pharaoh that much. Just got assface's Badascan in the mail and noticed myself trying to immediately dial in the tone I have with my Quantum Mystic. Anyway, it got me wondering what everyone's approach to trying out new dirt pedals is.

[D.o.S.]

'Splawn' sounds like some kind of afterbirth byproduct.

When you guys play around with different dirt pedals are you trying to get them all to sound exactly like the tone in your head (as in your main tone) or do you just see what nice sounds are in there and go with that? Seems like when I first has a Badascan I dug it, but I really didn't use it because I was into more amp distortion that was tight and chuggy at the time. I eventually sold it because I felt like there was a ton of overlap with it and the Pharaoh and I wasn't even using my Pharaoh that much. Just got assface's Badascan in the mail and noticed myself trying to immediately dial in the tone I have with my Quantum Mystic. Anyway, it got me wondering what everyone's approach to trying out new dirt pedals is.

I think it depends on how much I know about the circuit and textures going in. If it's something I don't have any experience with (The Blower Box was like that) I just twist knobs until it sounds good, but if it's any kind of Muff-related anything I get obnoxiously particular about the sonics I want out of it. Then there are pedals that I love on guitar (like the Ritual) that just don't quite nail what I want on bass, but I keep them around so I can force them upon people.

[whiskey_face]

#1 dime everything
#2 stand back
#3 with guitar volume down hit open chug in a dropped tuning
#4 one hand cups balls other unleashes the volume knob

you can ask dr poop I test EVERYTHING in this fashion.

[conky]

[pelliott]

I almost always subconsciously make my dirt pedals sound samey at first and then try to figure out a variety of new sounds later. If I can't find a more unique function for it then usually I sell or trade the pedal.

[samzadgan]

When you guys play around with different dirt pedals are you trying to get them all to sound exactly like the tone in your head (as in your main tone) or do you just see what nice sounds are in there and go with that? Seems like when I first has a Badascan I dug it, but I really didn't use it because I was into more amp distortion that was tight and chuggy at the time. I eventually sold it because I felt like there was a ton of overlap with it and the Pharaoh and I wasn't even using my Pharaoh that much. Just got assface's Badascan in the mail and noticed myself trying to immediately dial in the tone I have with my Quantum Mystic. Anyway, it got me wondering what everyone's approach to trying out new dirt pedals is.

i've thought about this recently, which is why i stopped buying dirt pedals and wondering about other dirt pedals. The QM is it for me...for now anyway.

I always try and get the sound in my head out of a pedal. When I listen back to recordings from over a year ago, my guitar tone sounds very similar to now...but my current set up actually nails it.

which is a shame, because i've had some really good dirt pedals in the past few years, but none of them have really got a fair working out as i was trying to get a sound out them that they didnt have...if i was more open minded I may have come up with a completely different tone. A few examples that come to mind are the Wampler SLOstrotion, Way Huge Fat Sandwich and the MXR Super Badass Dist, all great pedals that if i tried to get a good tone out of them, a tone that were built for, I may have held on to them and had a very different sound now.

[Ancient Astronaught]

Depends on the type of dirt that it is, I do kinda have an idea of what I like about each type of dirt pedal that i aim for and then check out how it compares to what I've had before or what I'm hearing in my head that I'm trying to attain. I've just come to the conclusion that its gotta have crunch and be chuggable or I won't end up using it.

[D.o.S.]

I've just come to the conclusion that its gotta have crunch and be chuggable or I won't end up using it.

Likewise, if I can't get that "lightning rattling in a glass bottle" tone, it doesn't get much play on my board.

[AngryGoldfish]

When you guys play around with different dirt pedals are you trying to get them all to sound exactly like the tone in your head (as in your main tone) or do you just see what nice sounds are in there and go with that? Seems like when I first has a Badascan I dug it, but I really didn't use it because I was into more amp distortion that was tight and chuggy at the time. I eventually sold it because I felt like there was a ton of overlap with it and the Pharaoh and I wasn't even using my Pharaoh that much. Just got assface's Badascan in the mail and noticed myself trying to immediately dial in the tone I have with my Quantum Mystic. Anyway, it got me wondering what everyone's approach to trying out new dirt pedals is.

I think it depends on how versatile the pedal is. The Dr. Scientist Elements gives me a ton of very different sounds, as does the Empress Multidrive, and I would use them all. But if I had to pick one sound from the pedal, it would be the tone I hear in my head, which is also found in the Fuck Overdrive, Manifold Drive, Sonic Titan, Revelation and the RAT. So to answer your question, both. I go with wherever the pedal wants me to go, but ultimately it has to at least go near my individual tone or else I probably won't keep it. One dirt pedal that is very far away from 'my tone' that I use all the time and love to death is the Crystal Dagger. I'm not normally a huge fan of that kind of hugely scooped and aggressive tone, but it's just so perfect.

[odontophobia]

I feel like I'm twisting knobs on my dirt almost daily. Probably because I'm not gigging/practicing with a band regularly right now and I'm just writing in my basement and sometimes when I get an idea I suddenly have like 8 pedals turned on writing some intro and then the next day I'm playing some other song and don't like how something interacts and since everything is just main course without veggies and starch I don't know what I want everything to sound like just quite yet. Leaves me lots of room for experimentation though.

The guy I've been writing stuff with is going to be headed out west for about three months with the potential to stay out there longer. I'm beginning to feel doomed (heh) in the band department. The other dudes I normally play with are about 3 hours away but at least they have a practice space. Puts us down to a power trio though unless we find some other folks.

[whiskey_face]

im like that with modulation.

my bluebeard could've been a 1 knobber. volume to unity tone to 10:00 gain at 3:00

modulation? fuck it. im twisting knobs and never happy with the outcome everytime I fuck with them.

[Kacey Y]

Insofar as to whether or not I would take a Hovercraft Falcon over pretty much any coveted vintage amp, I absolutely would. Let me be more clear as to not upset anyone that may think I'm being disingenuous. I've owned a great deal of what are certainly regarded as desirable vintage amps—because I'm 40 and have had GAS since the mid-90s. So if I were to belt out a list it might seem like, 1. I'm bragging or 2. I'm lying. And don't even get me started on guitars. I'm truly a sick person.

That being said, I've got a great deal of firsthand experience making heavy music with a wide variety of gear. So I'm not just basing my comments on others' opinions or info I've gleaned off the innernets.

But at the same time, please don't take my opinions as an affront to your tried and true vintage powerhouses. I'm never going to stop loving the 70s OR80, the '68 Plexi Superbass, or the tweed Twins of the world. I've just decided that I'm going to chase this dragon, too.

After seeing your rig photos for years and getting some of your hand-me-downs Jake, I'll take your totally subjective opinion on an amp sounding cool in good faith. It doesn't hurt that Laurie from Acid King and Tad are into them also.

Fun amp party at the show tonight. Black Cobra and Wolvhammer rocking Hiwatts while I my Sound City. Show was a banger, and I just finished this stupid fucking essay. Sleeping for a couple hours until class in the morning.

I really wish I could have gone to that show, Black Cobra always kills live. I'm dead broke after seeing Orange Goblin and Down on Sunday and I was running off something like 3.5 hours sleep last night. Glad it went well and you got your homework done dude.

When you guys play around with different dirt pedals are you trying to get them all to sound exactly like the tone in your head (as in your main tone) or do you just see what nice sounds are in there and go with that? Seems like when I first has a Badascan I dug it, but I really didn't use it because I was into more amp distortion that was tight and chuggy at the time. I eventually sold it because I felt like there was a ton of overlap with it and the Pharaoh and I wasn't even using my Pharaoh that much. Just got assface's Badascan in the mail and noticed myself trying to immediately dial in the tone I have with my Quantum Mystic. Anyway, it got me wondering what everyone's approach to trying out new dirt pedals is.

I used to do that, play with pedals trying to recreate a tone in my head. Now I do the opposite, I check out pedals and see what they're good at and try building up tones around that. I usually try to dial in pedals to sound like what they do the most uniquely. Then if there's a lot of overlap, I get rid of stuff and keep the one I like the best (or use the most, fits a specific need, whatever). I like that approach way better. At least I feel way more satisfied with my tone than I used to, which sort of felt like aiming at a moving target (while constantly switching weapons).

[new05002]

2 88s can be 1-100W (at 670V plate and 410-430V screens), also depends on the OT bandwidth (what power at what frequency) and phase inverter design.

For example: Model T: ~65-75W per pair of 88, DR201: ~100W per pair of 88, Shannon's Metro: ~40W per pair of 88.