Mesa Dual Rec tone help

[AdamB]

 you may find it counterproductive to the tone you want with an amp as gainy as the DR (imo).

 :twisted:

why's this?

[HTH AMPS]

In my experience, amps with alot of gain don't benefit from attenuators since most of the tone comes from the preamp.  Amps such as the DR sound better as you turn them up for sure but this is more of a cumalative effect of the 'whole' amp being driven harder (the speakers too).

Give it a try in a shop and if it works for you then great.  Just trying to give some advice based on what I've found when trying this stuff myself.  I'm personally not a fan of the attenuators I've tried so my view may be a little biased.

To counter the effects of an amp sounding weak at lower volumes you're much better off putting an EQ in the effects loop and tweaking your tone from there.

 :twisted:

[AdamB]

Thanks :)

I'll try and find somewhere that sells them within 100miles, worth the drive if it means buying something for £200 that i won't like/use

[screamingdaisy]

To counter the effects of an amp sounding weak at lower volumes you're much better off putting an EQ in the effects loop and tweaking your tone from there.

 :twisted:

+1.

With my Recto I used an attenuator in order to get it into it's "sweet spot" volume wise.  I tried the EQ in the loop, but it wasn't working for me.

On the other hand I tried the same attenuator with a Mesa MkIII and I didn't like it.  I thought the graphic EQ did a much better job of making it sound right at lower volumes.

In the end it comes down to using whatever works for you.

If it's just for band practice, consider throwing a blanket over your cab.  It'll eat up alot of highs, but it's cheap and it'll save everyone's ears.

[AdamB]

Sorry to sound stupid

but....

why will a eq pedal in the effects loop help it at sound better at lower volume?

[Kilby]

Ermm,

I'm chipping in because I have found much of the content interesting.

BUT things are getting a little heated.

I think what everybody is trying to say is buy decent quality valves.

For those with technical ability (not technical knowledge as thats completely different) or a local reliable (& affordable) amp tech that can be acheived wothout really paying a price premium on the valves.

However for others it's more cost effective (or comforting) to buy the branded versions which are closest to the original values used when it left the factory.

Neither method is wrong, but one solution may be better for an individual than the other.

I'm chipping in because of the volume issue, at home I cannot even  get to play my Blues Jr (15 Watt) cooking because of volume issues (plus my sh1te playing contributes to this too).

Rob...

[HTH AMPS]

Sorry to sound stupid

but....

why will a eq pedal in the effects loop help it at sound better at lower volume?

Ask yourself what your tone loses at low volume? - bass (mostly).  Get an MXR 10-band EQ and tweak your tone to taste.

In the end it comes down to using whatever works for you.

Exactly, couldn't agree more.  

You can ask us all on this board for advice and most likely get a dozen different/conflicting answers.  The only way to tell for sure is to try it yourself.  I personally found my (metal) tone inside a solid state Randall head so what do I know (heh)  :lol:

 :twisted:

[AdamB]

Spoke to Mark at Hotrox, might just save up for a THD hotplate, it seem like it'll be worth it! Unless i can steal one from the BBC.....