@@Da_Publick Amps have two 'stages' where 'cranked' tones come from, if that makes sense. The preamp is the amplification at the input and the power amp is the amplification at the output (for layman's terms), and they have different sounds when 'pushed'. Preamp distortion is a lot like high-gain amps, its a little thinner sounding and lacks in girth and harmonics, but it sounds decent at low SPL (real-life volume). Power amp distortion is much more favored, and is more often what's being referred to when you say a 'cranked' amp, because it generates some really nice low end and has a much more pleasing distortion. Power amp distortion also has the tendency to cause harmonic feedback, where a note is feeding into itself, making a feedback in the correct pitch of the note - whereas preamp distortion will maybe feedback, but it'll be more of a stressed and unpleasant feedback, varying in pitch. Amps with a single volume control (per channel) have both preamp and power amp tied to the same control, like Fender and Marshall reissues. 'Gain' is synonymous with preamp gain particularly, where 'Master Volume' is power amp gain. It takes a very high SPL to achieve power amp distortion, and the bigger and badder your power tubes are - the higher that SPL will be.
I wonder if a Power Station would make my Friedman Plex sound better than it already does currently with a master control volume. It sounds pretty good already but it's so loud i can't really turn it more than like 2 or 3 in my house without things rattling off the walls. I want one because i'm curious about that, and for the built in effects loop.
I'm not sure, I have a feeling Dave does master volumes pretty well (I think I recall him saying its a post phase inverter master volume??) Anyway, I can report that I have a Vox AC15 which sounds better when I turn up the master volume past noon, and I run it through the powerstation so I can hear it in all it's glory. If you have the means, see if you can record the Plex loud vs quiet and see if you hear much difference. I'm sure that thing gets loud, lol
Exactly, I just kept it on Brite and Warm because it sounded most like the amp when I wasn't running it through the powerstation. I don't really change it much; I only have the presence and depth up a little bit, and keep it that way for recording too. They don't change the tone drastically so I feel like you could probably compensate with your amp tone controls and get similar results. I've toyed with the idea of going to 'flat' for the high end control on the Vox AC15 because it can get kind of brrriiighhtt, but also, I can just use the tone cut on the amp to decrease the presence.
@@TheBasementMusician Yes. It rolls off the low end keeping your high end in tact. It's a very easy mod. If you have a dedicated pedal taking up real estate just to "gain down" your dirt, treble bleed would make more sense. All of my guitars have them.
My friend was debating using an orange head with the amp gain (it's a single channel amp) so one of the alternatives I presented him was something like this, but I hadn't thought of a drive pedal for the occasion. Sending it to him right now!
I have a similar setup w the mini Silver Jubilee and the 100 watt Fryette a lot of fun and a lot of killer tones to be had.! Not sure if I could get those cleans that you r getting with that plexi though, phenomenal!👍🏻
Thanks Mark- yeah the fryette has been a game changer, it’s so nice to be able to crank the amp at a lower volume. The silver jubilee is such a rocker 🤌
Yeah, I think it's very transparent - I recently did a video about the Fryette comparing it bypassed and then at different volumes if you wanna hear for yourself: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fQ4FykKjKJU.html Hope that helps!
Nice video, very helpful. I'm trying to choose between the 2a and the 100 version of powerstation. I'm going to be switching between different amps to acheive a variety of clean, crunch and heavy tones and using the PS to attenuate loud amps at home. I don't need the extra wattage of the 100, but I am interested in the 2 channels - other than for solo volume boost, do you think that being able to tweak the presence and depth for different amps and tones would be worth the extra expense?
Hey Alex - yeah, the ability to have the volume boost is what pushed me towards getting the 100 version. I actually bought the 2a, and then returned it for the 100. I have not actually needed the extra features on the 100 yet (and it's been a year) but for an extra 100 bucks it was worth it to me in case I play live. Having different channels for presence and depth would also nice if you go between different amps could be a time saver as well. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is, I think it's worth the extra money to just get the 100
Dude, I loved this breakdown of Santeria’s solo. I find it really cool that you aren’t afraid to show your mistakes but simply move on from them, as opposed to the almost perfect covers posted by other creators. Would love to see you post more of this kind of deep dives!
Thanks man, glad you liked it - I'll post more stuff like this because I'm learning a bunch of stuff for some gigs. If you have anything you wanna hear in particular, lemme know!
That's a great sounding tone! I saw your reply to a comment asking about the Freyette tonal change. I would be very interested in seeing your thoughts on using it both in a live playing sense and recording sense. I have a PRS HDRX20 (Very similar circuit to the plexi) and use a Tone King Attenuator and have noticed some some tonal changes using it. One thing I also find very interesting is how sensitive this circuit is to using pedals vs not using pedals. You get a lot moer detail out of the guitar and amp without pedals. And it seems to react differently too.
Thanks Tom! Yeah, I'm working on a Freyette Powerstation video as we speak. I should have it up in a couple days. I haven't used the Powerstation for a live gig yet, although I have for some band practices. I mainly use it for home use so my wife and kids (and my ears) don't explode from the loud volume. When you say you get more detail out of the guitar / amp without pedals are you speaking about the Tone King Attenuator? I haven't noticed that with the Freyette, but maybe I'll check that too
@@TheBasementMusician yeah like when I bypass the pedals and just plug directly into the amp from the guitar, I get so much more detail from the pickups and I notice that difference with the Toneking or if I bypass it. That detail will probably get lost in a live gig with everyone else playing but just being in the room with it, I can hear so much more from it.
@@TheBasementMusician I was responding to the OP, he mentioned the difference between a "real" plexi and the SV20 and I just reminded him that "real" plexis generally are played through a closed back 4x12 cab, and that sounds very different, but your video sounds good too IMO! Generally I play my SV20 through a 1960BHW cab (4x12 Heritage G12H30s) but sounds good also with my AC30 cab and other combinations, it's just different.
SV20h is 100% a real Plexi, just as much as a 1987x is a plexi, just as a 1974x is a Plexi. All of them are slightly different flavors and wattages of Plexi, but they are all ultimately Plexis. Of course it's going to feel different because a 100watt amp takes up a lot more sound room than a 20 watt amp, but it's got the perfect scaled down Plexi tone.
This question deserves a deep dive video comparing Freyette / no Freyette. The quick answer is I believe there is some tonal changes with the Freyette, but not drastic for me not to use it. Especially with this amp which doesn't really have a master volume. I have noticed a huge difference in what is recorded with the mic and what I hear in the room (the mic sounds way better if you place it right). When I turn the amp lower with the Freyette I feel like I'm losing a lot of bass, however, when I hear it recorded it sounds good. Anyway, yeah, I'd like to capture this with a deep dive video because it's something I find interesting...
This was the first time I set this amp to be so clean (I was doing some pedal demos) and I was really surprised how great it sounded. I just got lost in the tone. I'm really happy with this amp
Hey thanks! Those are the original pickups on the guitar, Seymour Duncan '59 for the neck and Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates for the bridge. I agree, I think the neck pickup is my favorite for this solo
