tbonesullivan

Does it bark? Yes, yes it does indeed, and it is full of KERRRAAAANNNGG. Classic Marshall tones from the 70s and 80s, done right. I had been thinking about a Friedman, particularly the JEL-20, for a long time, before this one was announced. As I have a good stock of SED EL34s, and wanted a bit more "thump", i decided to go for the larger wattage example. There were a bunch of pretty much brand new returns, so I saved a bit and picked one up. Cabinet is an Avatar contemporary closed back with two Avatar M65 speakers by FANE. I did not expect to bright switches to have such a huge impact on the sound, especially at lower gain levels. Gonna get to know it a bit better, and then swap in some old production glass into V1 and V2. Also gotta change the strings on the guitar to 9.5 or 10 gauge, as 9s feel like noodles to me. As it is, channel 1 is pure plexi style, and it's got the three way bright switch, which is almost like a gain control at lower gain levels. With it to the right I think it's the same as an OG Plexi, which is quite bright, though I don't have confirmation on that. In that setting it's hard to even get a clean sound, but with the bright switch in the left, or the center where it's the least bright, it's got a great clean sound. As you up the drive you get more dirt, and I think even near the highest gain levels you still get a good amount of extra bite with the bright switch to the right. With the gain fully dimed you're definitely a bit past AC/DC level gain, but if you want the real "plexi" sound you do need to get the master up above 5. However per Pete Thorn, Dave Friedman designed the amp so it isn't as woofy at lower master volume levels, so it still sounds good. Channel 2 is the JCM 800 style channel, and serves that up just right. The bright switch is also quite useful at lower gain settings, but once you get above 7 or so you can barely tell it's on. I'm not sure if it even makes a difference when you pull out the boost on the lead gain, but I think I can hear a change. The gain is usable throughout the entire range, and pulled and pushed are kinda like two different voicings, so there's a lot of ability to customize the sound using the pull gain and the bright switches. The presence and thump in the back are great as well, though they are more something I would set depending on the room I'm in, or the cabinet I'm using. And speaking of that, this is the first time I REALLY got to put some volume through the Avatar cabinet with the M65 speakers as well, and I can say they are definitely some really nice speakers. I'm fairly certain that Avatar pretty much asked Fane to make some Creamback style speakers, but they definitely have their own voice. Nice and crunchy with a lot of definition. I'm going to make that my standard cab for a while, and hopefully break them in a bit more.

One of these days, I'll actually put together a Guitar pedalboard based around the Plethora X5. Just trying to decide if I want to get an outboard Noise SUpressor, or to use the "Sentry" that is part of the pedal. Also gotta get a pedalboard that can handle a Bad Horsie Wah.

I've got a DC-5 which I played a lot for a while, but since I got a Mark V combo, it pretty much hasn't gotten any love, so I'll have to move that along. Mesa also just announced a "Reissue" of the "90s Dual Rectifier", the two channel version that doesn't really have any of the "modes" the current ones do. I already have a tremoverb combo, which aside from weighing like 80lbs, also sounds incredible. They make good amps, but they are not the easiest to service due to how complex a lot of their recent offerings have been, with the Fillmore being a notable exception due to the simple design.

First I heard that the OG Rev F or Rev G Two Channel Dual Rectifier Solo Heads were making a return, and that preorders were being taken. Never saw any official. Then I heard the same thing about the vaunted Mark IIC+, which over the course of the pandemic suddenly became an amp worth over 10K USD depending on the load out. Well, it appears that at least one of those rumors is true. Do I have any interest? Probably not. Paying $3500 for an amp that is very lacking in features that I like, and probably not made at all in the way the originals were? When I already have a Mark V? Nope. But I'm sure these will be sold out everywhere.

I found that the Plethora X5 was more manageable if I used up slots with things like noise suppressors and a switchable loop for an overdrive pedal or wah. I also like it because it is somewhat limited in what you can do, and comes with some great presets. I however also have watched some videos on people who have massive pedal boards and effects setups, and I don't know how they do it. I have enough trouble dialing in a nice tone for just overdrive sometimes.

Well, just got this in the old email. I guess the prayers have been answered, though I kinda miss the "limed mahogany" color, but I guess people really want TV Yellow to look like an old TV yellow guitar. https://heritageguitars.com/pages/core-collection-h-137

What kind of music do you play? Are you more of a clean player? The SD 59's are nice, but they are definitely a bit "rude" sounding, designed to sound good for rock and roll. Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF pickups aren't super expensive, and are really REALLY nice sounding. Not as crystal clear as say the Schaller Golden 50s that Heritage used for years, but very balanced and just really nice sounding pickups.

Man, what a streak of bad luck. I'm glad it just turned out to be a viral infection. Last friend I had who developed vertigo unfortunately won't be with us for much longer. As for the bandmates wife, mental illness is something that never really goes away. Especially after a very emotional time, like a wedding, they can be all over the place emotionally. Hopefully she can get the help she needs, either through therapy or medication, or both.