2 channel DR not loud enough

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dbsens03

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I'm being blown away by a Marshall 2205 being run through a mesa cab. I"m stuck using a 1960A cab. EQ suggestions?
 
Mids, mids and more Mids...

Marshalls are very mid orientated amps and as such cut through really well, much better than Boogies IMHO.
 
Marshall's tend to be fairly mid heavy amps that cut through easily, and the Mesa cab is loaded with V30s, which also produce a lot of midrange

Rectos are capable of sounding fatter and when dialled in to sound fat they don't cut through the mix. Combine that with a set of scooped sounding G12T-75s and you're pretty much f*cked.

If you want a Recto to cut through you need to lean out the bottom end and make the amp brighter than you would typically dial it in on it's own. The presence knob is your friend.

And see if you can talk the other dude into swapping cabs.
 
What screamingdaisy said - it's the cab. The speakers in the Mesa cab will be either V30s or C90s, which are both 100dB speakers with strong midrange (higher mids for the V30, lower mids for the C90). The speakers in the 1960 will be G12T-75s which are 97dB speakers with a hollow midrange. That means that the 100W Mesa amp has its power effectively halved and the 50W Marshall has its power effectively doubled, relative to each other in the mix.

You need a better cab, or to change the speakers in that one... if you can't persuade the other guitarist that his Marshall belongs with a Marshall cab and his Mesa cab belongs with your Mesa amp :).
 
Both these amps need a divorce from their cabs. Swap them.

I laughed when I read that the Marshall is with the Mesa cab and a the Mesa with a Marshall cab. It's just ironic. It like a wife swap thing. :lol:
 
Mesa's to play alone are fun and ****!ng heavy but when it comes down to integrate the sound in a mix and it haves to cut through the all instrumental... More mids, less bass, less gain, overdrive pedal... But when we can do it, nothing sounds like it!
 
The issue you are having is masking, not volume. The other amp is masking yours. Your amp could be putting out twice the volume, but if it's full of bass and low mids, you still won't be heard, especially with a bass guitar in the mix as well.

Try turning down the bass on your amp, turning up the treble and mids a bit, and maybe presence. It may not sound as full as you want my itself, but it will work better along with other guitars. Definitely do this before buying new speakers, it may work for you. if you don't use your FX loop for anything, you could also get an EQ to put in the loop, which would allow for a more detailed adjustment of the sound to help it cut through more.
 
I turned the bass down to about 10 o'clock. mids and treble are between 1 and 2 o'clock. presence was about none and gain goes between noon and 3. But it was set to vacuum tubes. When I switched it to diodes it got way louder. I know it needs to be ran thru a mesa cab. And i'll be getting one but at least I can hear myself clearly now. As for the tubes. I'm not positive how old they are. I picked it up last year through a trade on craigslist for a nomad. He said he hadn't been using it too much though and that the tubes were fairly new. I think I may just put new tubes in before long anyway though. What are some favored el34's for the 2 channel DR's?
 
Hi!,

Cab-wise, a good step forward and with a relative small investment would be to replace 2 of your cab's G12T-75s with V30s, in an X pattern. Just be sure the impedance of your new speakers is the same as your old ones, they are 16 Ohm most likely if it's 4x12 1960A.

Best,
Marcelo
 
dbsens03 said:
What are some favored el34's for the 2 channel DR's?

SED Winged =C= seem is a favourite, but they doubled the price of them a year or so ago and I don't think they're worth it anymore. I find them a little brighter and skinnier than the stock Mesa EL34s, which I believe are still Electro-Harmonix. Call me weird, but I have a quad of Winged =C=s sitting on my shelf as spares because I like sound of the stock Mesas better.

That said, when it comes to Rectifiers I really like the JJ E34L. It gives you much of what is good about an EL34 without giving up quite as much bottom end in the process. I prefer 6L6s in my Recto, so my opinion is going to be slightly skewed towards that tone.
 
I have ran JJ's and SED. JJ's are really pretty good for the $.

For practice I like more thump. Jamming needs less bass, less gain, and more punchy mids.

The bass player has the low end covered. IMO, if the guitar player does not bring the pain in the mids, things lack clarity and punch.

YMMV
 
In bass/low-mid heavy amps like the Recto the EL34L's will get really loose and flubby. Try the Ruby EL34BHT out. They are cheaper than the SED's and have great clarity and are very durable.
 
NOWAYBACK said:
Hi!,

Cab-wise, a good step forward and with a relative small investment would be to replace 2 of your cab's G12T-75s with V30s, in an X pattern. Just be sure the impedance of your new speakers is the same as your old ones, they are 16 Ohm most likely if it's 4x12 1960A.

Best,
Marcelo

Great suggestion. It wouldn't be hard to brace and seal the Marshall cab so that it would produce much more thump and articulation. Swapping two G12T 75s for v30s and then flipping the G12T 75s would make this an extremely cost effective and awesome mod! Look into Hellatone 60s from Avatarspeakers.com. If you are in the USA, this should help out the wallet even further. Of course you could simply track down a Mesa 4 x 12 but if money is a problem, these suggestions will be extremely beneficial!

J.J said:
dbsens03 said:
When I switched it to diodes it got way louder.

Sounds like you need to look at the two rectifier tubes too, one may well have failed.

No kidding. Usually, one does not get such a HUGE boost in volume switching to diodes. Is it possible that one of the two rectifier tubes has died or is not functioning correctly?
 

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