long distance from amp = ugly tone

don't know if I'm on the right place or not but..the question is...
I'm noticing a disappointing difference among the tone on the stage, at two meters from the amp, and at a longer distance.
When I'm next to the amp the sound is full with a rich harmonics texture but if I stand about 5 meters away, the tone is poor and crappy with cutting highs and a total loss of medium and bass frequencies.
Even if I cut the highs with the eq. the overall tone remains acid and fuzzy.
The only solution seems to be to set the amp at a low volume and, with a mic, go into the PA system. So people hear my guitar only from the PA and not from the amp.
Other guitarists seems to haven't this problem...
What are your opinion, any experience like this?

I was forgetting... The amp is a mesa mk2 B head + 1x12 cab (eminence black widow loaded).

I find quite the opposite myself. I like to be at least 3-4 meters away from my amp even when practicing. I prefer a 4x12 cabinet but I'm usually using a 1x12 open back cabinet due to space problems when playing small clubs. Most sound engineers prefer a low stage volume and like to send a signal back to me and the others through the monitors so I usually only turn my amp's master volume past 1 outdoors. I've had the best sound ever at outdoor shows, where the amp is sooooo responsive and tight! :x

High end is more directional than bass. The more off axis you are from the speaker the smoother, darker and bassier the cab tends to sound. The more on axis you are the brighter and harsher it'll sound.

At 2m the cab is typically blasting into your feet and your feet can't hear all the high end you have dialed in while the lows will be more exaggerated relative to the highs. It's a recipe for using too much treble and too little bass.

At 5m you're more on axis and can better hear how much high end you've dialed in, and because the low end is no longer as exaggerated you can hear how thin you've dialed in your amp.

Long story short, try dialing in your amp with it pointing at your head and if possible stand back as far as is reasonable as some sound waves take a bit of distance to coalesce and that's what the audience will hear from your cab. Alternatively, put an SM57 on the speaker and dial it in through (good) headphones or a PA as that is the sound the audience will hear through the PA (or talk to the soundman and get his input).

Well...these are more or less my conclusion..
The problem is that I set the amp standing at the audience, not on the stage...so usually my settings are presence at 2 and a heavy cut on the high frequencies, with gain around at 3.

Presence on 2 seems odd. I used to run my presence on 7.

What are your settings (both rotary and graphic if it has one)?

1x12 combo? What speaker?

As I mentioned the amp is a mk2 b head paired with an open back cab loaded with an eminence Black widow.
The settings are:
Presence 2 to 4
V1: 8-9
T B M: 7, 2, 5
Master: 2
Gain: 3
Lead volume: 2

Nothing is pulled. Only the pot for the lead.
I'm writing on memory because I haven't the amp with me now..

Your settings look pretty normal.

The only Black Widow speakers I've heard of are Peavey. Is it a Peavey? Or is it an Eminence Black Shadow?

I don't remember exactly where I read it, but someone have called this speaker Black Widow..
Maybe I had found the only wrong article on the whole internet.
If you take a look at the link below, my speaker is like the first ones in the 4x12 cab.
The speaker have no marks exept a green stamped serial number.
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64952

At this point I'm pretty sure that the correct name is MS-12.

Until recently, Mesa OEM speakers are generally called "Black Shadows", regardless of whether it's made by Eminence, Celestion or Electro-Voice. The Eminence MS-12 was one of them.



Anyway, I don't know much about the MS-12 and have never seen one in person so I can't offer much advice. If I remember correctly it was the base model speaker back then, and was kind of similar to the EVM-12L (which was offered as an upgrade).

The only two suggestions I can make is to try pushing the presence up and dial back the treble as an experiment, or roll off the tone on your guitar a bit if you're running a bright pickups or PAF.

Sorry I can't be of more help... That's all I've got.

And...what about a closed back cab? Actually mine is half open. Anyone have a 1x12 closed back? Does they exists with Black shadows speakers?