Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: littleredguitars2 on December 03, 2014, 04:12:23 PM

Title: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: littleredguitars2 on December 03, 2014, 04:12:23 PM
My friend just picked up a 50 watt Marshall jcm900 and it sounds great but it's having some trouble keeping up with the rest of the band volume wise.  Is there any sort of boost pedal he could use to give him some more volume and help tighten up his tone a bit and get rid of some flub? He doesn't have a ton of money either so cheaper options are preferred
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: bucketshred on December 03, 2014, 04:55:14 PM
DigiTech Bad Monkey will do all of the above.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: littleredguitars2 on December 03, 2014, 06:15:14 PM
Cool I'll take a look.  More suggestions are welcome !
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Kiichi on December 03, 2014, 07:02:38 PM
Well in terms of a lot for little money bucketshred is righ on with the Monkey. It is a TS type pedal and delivers a big freaking load of value for the money. Boosts, tightens things up through the TS mid hump, and cheap.

If one of you is handy with a soldering iron building a Zves Super Hard On clone might be another option. That is purely a boost, and a very clean and tranparent one at that, but it also somehow seems to draw out more of pickups. A pure boost also does tighten up things a bit, but in a different way than a TS type. It is super cheap and easy to build and is just amazing.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Telerocker on December 03, 2014, 11:31:37 PM
Bad Monkey, any Tubescreamer, Boss BD-2, those will do.
I'm surprised a 50 watt tubeamp can't hold up with the rest. How loud you guys play?
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Elliot on December 04, 2014, 12:01:31 AM
I second (third, fourth?) the Bad Monkey.  Great pedal for little cash.

Another cheapo alternative - Danelectro Cool Cat V2 Transparent Overdrive - has dip switches to make it a pure clean boost.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Dave Sloven on December 04, 2014, 12:17:36 AM
I'm surprised a 50 watt tubeamp can't hold up with the rest. How loud you guys play?

This is what I'm thinking.  Are you sure it hasn't got bad capacitors?  They can take a while to die altogether.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: littleredguitars2 on December 04, 2014, 12:38:38 AM
we practice in a tiny room and the drummer is loud as hell. his amp is plenty loud but it needs just a hair more
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Dave Sloven on December 04, 2014, 03:00:45 AM
You can't hear him over an unamplified drum kit?  In my band the drummer is the only thing that seems to keep a lid on the volume of our bassist
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: MrBump on December 04, 2014, 06:44:15 AM
Crikey - I used to play with a very loud punk drummer with my Egnater Renegade and I never turned about 9 o'clock!  If you're in a tiny room running 50 watt Marshalls flat out, make sure you're all wearing good quality ear protection!!!
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Alex on December 04, 2014, 10:20:54 PM
What cab is he using it with? A 1960A?
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: gwEm on December 04, 2014, 11:09:33 PM
A 50w amp is a 50w amp.. No pedal will change that :/
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: littleredguitars2 on December 05, 2014, 12:15:08 AM
Crikey - I used to play with a very loud punk drummer with my Egnater Renegade and I never turned about 9 o'clock!  If you're in a tiny room running 50 watt Marshalls flat out, make sure you're all wearing good quality ear protection!!!

yeah we all definitely protect our ears.

What cab is he using it with? A 1960A?

he's actually using some compact 4x12. i think crate made it but he said he upgraded some of the speakers? not even sure if he upgraded them all.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Kiichi on December 05, 2014, 12:31:16 AM
What cab is he using it with? A 1960A?

he's actually using some compact 4x12. i think crate made it but he said he upgraded some of the speakers? not even sure if he upgraded them all.
[/quote]
Maybe he put in very unefficiant speakers? That can soak out a lot. Have you tried another cabinet to compare?
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Alex on December 05, 2014, 10:39:47 PM
What cab is he using it with? A 1960A?

he's actually using some compact 4x12. i think crate made it but he said he upgraded some of the speakers? not even sure if he upgraded them all.
Maybe he put in very unefficiant speakers? That can soak out a lot. Have you tried another cabinet to compare?
[/quote]

That's where I'm coming from as well. Maybe it's not the amp, but the cab/speakers that's the weak link in his sound chain.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Plenum n Heather on December 05, 2014, 11:13:47 PM
A 50w amp is a 50w amp.. No pedal will change that :/
This is true, but a clean boost in the fx loop can give you a massive volume jump. Putting a boost in front of the amp will only add more gain.

However, my first port of call would be to suggest more efficient loudspeakers; every 3dB of efficiency doubles your effective wattage. Clean boost in the fx loop would be my second stop...
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Dave Sloven on December 06, 2014, 01:44:00 AM
a clean boost in the fx loop can give you a massive volume jump. Putting a boost in front of the amp will only add more gain.

This is true.  I have one of these in the loop powered by 18V and it does provide a big boost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKRCyP56hNc
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: juansolo on December 06, 2014, 09:15:40 AM
A 50w amp is a 50w amp.. No pedal will change that :/
This is true, but a clean boost in the fx loop can give you a massive volume jump. Putting a boost in front of the amp will only add more gain.

However, my first port of call would be to suggest more efficient loudspeakers; every 3dB of efficiency doubles your effective wattage. Clean boost in the fx loop would be my second stop...

Yup, 50W should be easily loud enough to be heard. There's an issue somewhere and it's likely the speakers.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Toe-Knee on December 06, 2014, 02:00:43 PM
My friend just picked up a 50 watt Marshall jcm900 and it sounds great but it's having some trouble keeping up with the rest of the band volume wise.  Is there any sort of boost pedal he could use to give him some more volume and help tighten up his tone a bit and get rid of some flub? He doesn't have a ton of money either so cheaper options are preferred

This amp should be insanely loud & Cutting. It sounds like there is some kind of issue with the amp to me.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: littleredguitars2 on December 07, 2014, 03:14:24 AM
i really dont think theres an issue with the head at all. like i said the room is really bizarre. super small and completely and i mean completely covered in wood paneling. so sounds work a little weird in there too. but yeah, maybe theres a quality issue when it comes to his cab. unfortunately i doubt he'll have the funds for a while to be able to afford a new cab.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Telerocker on December 07, 2014, 03:22:53 AM
Maybe the rest can play a little less loud.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: juansolo on December 07, 2014, 08:39:36 AM
Maybe the rest can play a little less loud.

I tried this logic once with a friend at a rehearsal where the PA wasn't loud enough. They all looked at me as if I was mental and instead suggested we re-convene and they'd bring a louder PA...
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: richard on December 07, 2014, 12:32:53 PM
I've used a few 50 watt JCM 900's, both combos and heads and I've always thought they are the quietest 50w amps I've ever come across. I had a Laney VC50 that seemed about twice as loud and the 30w Cornford I use now can easily out-volume them. If the amp is flat out there's nowhere else to go. It sound like you're playing way too loud for a small room.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Alex on December 07, 2014, 10:12:01 PM
I've used a few 50 watt JCM 900's, both combos and heads and I've always thought they are the quietest 50w amps I've ever come across. I had a Laney VC50 that seemed about twice as loud and the 30w Cornford I use now can easily out-volume them. If the amp is flat out there's nowhere else to go. It sound like you're playing way too loud for a small room.
True, I had one and it isn't the loudest amp, but it's a bit of a mid-range saw so it shouldn't be the root of the problem. It's still plenty loud.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: Telerocker on December 08, 2014, 12:56:38 AM
Maybe the rest can play a little less loud.

I tried this logic once with a friend at a rehearsal where the PA wasn't loud enough. They all looked at me as if I was mental and instead suggested we re-convene and they'd bring a louder PA...

With a PA it's hard to mix a balanced bandsound when everybody plays loud like hell. It's also a learning process to keep a reasonable volume on stage, but it sounds so much better for the audience.
Title: Re: looking for the right pedal. help?
Post by: MrBump on December 08, 2014, 07:46:47 AM
Just out of interest, can you damage a modern amp by sticking a boot pedal with a lot of gain in the FX loop?