Mark, your tone is ridiculously good. Thanks for putting out such great content! I played a Bloomfield Drive for the first time today and was blown away. It's now at the top of my list of gear to get my hands on.
I got a Bloomfield Drive around the same time you did, and I run it in a completely different way! I love having the clean channel gain quite hot (around 3 o’clock) and then back off the lead gain (around 10 o’clock). What you get is a great transition from a dynamic clean tone that breaks up a little bit to a lead sound that is an extension of the clean sound! As soon as I found these settings, I knew this would be how I’d run the amp forever!
I've tried it this way and for me Mark's way is so much more natural and responsive to guitar volume pot changes. And as a plus it works better at minimum master volume levels aka. bedroom levels. This is so sick! Thanks so much for posting this video. I've had mine for almost two years, now I can finally enjoy it like never before! 😊 ☺️
You'e not kidding, you have got things DIALLED IN. You always sound great but I have a hunch that people are really going to start watching some of these videos and getting seriously inspired. I don't think I would change a single thing about what you've got going on right there!
Great vid & playing mate. Studio sig player currently and got my Bloomfield turning up in a couple weeks. Hearing this made me even more excited. Are you running all pedals into the front of the amp or mod & time in the fix loop? Cheers 🤙
@@markhopkinsmusic nah that’s the exact answer I was hoping for, awesome man! So good to know! Haha Was worried if I wanted to use my board with the lead channel I’d be falling down the fx loop rabbit hole. If my delay & trem still sounds half as good as yours in the front, I’ll be stoked! Cheers legend.
Thanks for some good advice on dialing in the Bloomfield. I have a Two Rock Bloomfield 40/20 combo and I found this tip on TheGearPage forum works best for me. “The overdrive on the BD is very different from most other (amp overdrive that is) amps I’ve owned. If you want to turn the master down low and crank the gain at lower volumes for saturation I would not recommend it. It’s going to get too bright. This amp is designed to cut and it is loud. It really needs to be pushed to get what’s intended from it on the lead channel IMO. I find that opening up the master volume then dialing gain back a bit and adjusting the lead master volume is the best recipe for smoother tones. “ Following this tip I dialed back the Gain almost all the way down. Then I was able to crank my master all the way. Then adjusted the Lead Gain and Lead Master. This opens up and pushes the amp. I use the Two Rock pedal to turn the gain on/off. I also use the 40 watt setting.
I'm digging these tones! I have an old 50 watt Custom Reverb Signature, which I understand is somewhere in the same ballpark as the BFD. I find that the key to good dirty tones is to run the amp loud, and with the gain control at noon or above. I have yet to find a drive pedal as dynamic and touch sensitive as what you get from a high quality valve amp (whether it's preamp or power amp drive.) Btw, I always find lightly distorted tones to be the most expressive. Sometimes I want a high headroom clean for the punch, but my favourite 'base tone' is something similar to what you have dialed in here.
Hey Mark, I bought a Two-Rock CRS about a year ago. I went back and forth over getting a 2 channel like the Bloomfield but went with the 1 channel CRS. Since then I always questioned myself wondering if I made a mistake. Right now I’m running the CRS the way you’re talking about, edge of breakup. Maybe I made the right choice after all? What do you think?
Oh man, whatever you feel your ears dig my friend. I really struggled with this amp for two years until literally two weeks ago and now I love it! The CRS is a killer amp and I think as long as your getting the lead sounds you dig, you picked the right one 🤘
for me it was talking to a couple friends who had more experience with the Flagship TR amps. Plus when I spoke to Eli at TR we came to the conclusion that this amp fit me well. @@mikelambert5592
Hey Mark, sounds really wonderful! Can you tell me, after owning the Bloomfield for quite some time, if you think that it is far superior than the Studio Signature, or just different? I’m planning a house makeover and maybe I can throw in a new amp (as a midlife crisis gift) if the wife agrees 😂. The Studio Signature, although expensive, would fit the budget a little better… cheers!
Honestly the gap in price is large enough that I think you’d be extremely happy with the Studio Signature! I love them equally if I’m completely honest. Plus, if you love your pedal board the SS is THE perfect pedal platform.
2 channel amps are an Abomination - it's like changing clothes in the middle of something ?? - I'm looking for a Single channel amp where you can roll the volume down and clean up the sound and then roll up for breakup / lead - a tone stack on off is cool but the tone changes - - If Two rock mod and perfect a bloomfield Drive single channel amp I'll but it without even trying it
