Clean and Crunch on SAME channel ! Can I reconfigure ?

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Minstrel

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Recently bought a used 5:25, and I'm new to Mesa, so it took me a while to find that satisfyingly fat and gritty sound that gets me ripping, and I just it by cranking the gain on the crunch. Yeah, baby, that's the spot! :D But, UH-OH, it's on the same channel as the clean, which is pretty much why I had to get a new amp in the first place! :( But I'm way into clean, too, and while it's not hard to find a really nice clean sound on this amp, I obviously need my two favorite sounds on two separate channels.

So my big question is this : is there some way to get crunch and clean on separate channels ? I imagine it's not a matter of pre-amp tubes, but rather the hardwired circuitry and therefore unmodifiable, but if any one has a solution... I don't really care if it means doubling the clean-crunch circuitry, even if this meant losing "blues and burn" because, because neither of these channels work for me, anyways, and I've been working them pretty hard.

THis is SO close to a dream amp, but one switch away from Craig's list. I do NOT want to have to mess with separate effects pedals (even though I have them).

Thank you very much with help, thoughts or advice.
 
OK, so I'll comment on my own post here : a friend just came buy and showed me that there is great stuff to be had in the burn zone, but it's still not quite the crunch. So hmmm.... I guess nothing's perfect. It's still a fantastic amp, even if I'll probably end up plugging extra pedals in to it...

Still very interested in solutions or approaches to the question.
 
I sometimes use the Blues channel for my cleans, and Crunch for leads and crunchy rhythms. I also will use the clean channel for cleans, burn for solos, and a Zendrive 2 and Mythical OD for solos and crunchy rhythms. Just depends on my mood and the gig. I think if you work with it a while you'll find all sorts of possibilities within that amp.

Al
 
Guitar volume... Interesting you mention turning the guitar volume down. I found some really sweet cleans last night with the guitar down at 4 or 5, differences I just didn't hear on my Super Champ XD (still a fantastic and inexpensive little amp by the way). I'd been told to experiment with this but it's the first time I really hear it. So that is definitely a new parameter to play with. Thank you !

Blues channel... OK, I'll see what I can do with the blues channel, but not sure how "clean" I can get it. I'm rather new to this, but I would think that the only or best real "clean" will always be via the "clean" channel. I mean, for anything approaching a smooth gold jazzy sound... But I'll keep at it. All suggested experiments are definitely appreciated and worth trying just to find out what I can do.

As for pedals, if we plug a pedal into this - or any - amp, it's going to work best on the clean channel, otherwise we're layering sounds and textures and going to start getting mud.

Just curious about reverb : If I'm going to end up using pedals, I'd consider adding a good reverb pedal, as there are some very good digital variations out there. I have a nice one on my multi-effects pedeal (Boss ME 50), but it cannot be clicked on and off via the footswitch, so... RECOMMENDATIONS ? Guess that should be a separate thread.
 
amrose57 said:
I sometimes use the Blues channel for my cleans, and Crunch for leads and crunchy rhythms.

This is as close as I could get my 5:50 to work for me.
 
I downloaded the manual and they actully talk about that clean blues as an option, and I tried setting it accordingly. The results fit the bill technically, but I just couldn't get that nice, fat, warm sound I can get with the clean channel, gain at 12:00.

That said, I'm discovering all sorts of nice new sounds I can get out of a saturated burn, so maybe I'll find a satisfying config. Moreover, I find that a good crunch setting on channel 1 is actually not that different from a nice warm clean on channel 1, so if the footswitch won't do it for me, my fingers will :)
 
There was a past post that described mods to add a relay fit a clean/crunch switch. Still might be hard to have the same settings work. Playing with the EQ and Burn for clean soundsounds like it is helping.
 
Couldn't find that using search on that added clean switch, but if you find the thread I'd be interested to read it. I think my best bet will probably invove getting the best out of that burn channel. And probably getting into pedals a bit.
 
Try this link
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=67234&hilit=Switch

Search for - Channel switching mod for 5:25 Express Plus?
 
Hey that's a very pertinent set of links ! Thanks !

Funny, as the first ones describing the foot-switch modification are in French, and I live in France, and can actually understand it. Eh oui !

In any case, I can see that a lot of people encounter the same frustration, but nobody has the perfect solution, so far as I can tell. I wish I could assign "crunch" to channel 2, since - as remarked on that link - you have to tweak the other settings as well, so you end up having to mess with the amp, regardless.

I will follow out reading the rest of those threads shortly.

Thanks again
 
Setting gain down low on the Blues will get you REAL close to the clean and as you turn it up to about 9-10 just start to warm it up a little bit without getting overdriven. It's my normal "clean" and where I use my OD pedals. I set the Crunch about 1-2 and no pedals and it beats most of my OD pedals!
 
OK, thanks for the tip, I'll try that. When you say 9-10 and 1-2, are you talking clock-face dial positions ?
 
Minstrel said:
OK, thanks for the tip, I'll try that. When you say 9-10 and 1-2, are you talking clock-face dial positions ?

He is....My settings on the Blues channel are about the same as well.

Al
 
Minstrel said:
OK, thanks for the tip, I'll try that. When you say 9-10 and 1-2, are you talking clock-face dial positions ?
Yes exactly.

I do wish you could access all four as the clean channel is really good as you say with gain around 12 o'clock but then you have to compromise. Playing live I had two songs I wouldn't reach back and manually flip it to the clean side and turn that gain down a bit then boosted the level with my compressor pedal.
 
Try this. Use the crunch channel as normal. Then set the burn channel with the master high and the gain low. I can do a passable imitation of my AC30 with that setup. With the gain at 9:00, it's pretty clean. By 10:00 you are quickly leaving "clean" and getting into crunchy. So there is a very narrow window to get this tone, but man it sounds fantastic.

I love Fender cleans, and I love the clean channel. But this Vox-like tone on the burn channel sounds great to my ears. I like it better than the blues setting.
 
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