Electra Dyne Discussion

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Hollis

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I'm a huge Electra Dyne fan and I'd like to bring this sub forum back from the brink of death. Tell us about your experiences with the amp. Tell us about your likes/dislikes or maybe how you've coped with the shared controls. I never hear of anyone playing this amp. It seems it's fading into obscurity. Anyone still playing this amp that loves it like I do?

I have the 27" 1x12 combo, in standard black tolex, and I love it. It is VERY heavy, but I love it so much that I lug this beast all over the place to gigs, and even unnecessarily to rehearsals and such. I have a Deluxe Reverb and some nice dirt pedals that I could use for rehearsals, but this thing just kicks ***! I rarely even plug in my Deluxe any more. This is a thick sounding amp. At rehearsal it makes the other guy's amp sound like a toy.

The Electra Dyne is two amps in one: an American clean amp, and a British-inspired gained up amp. A lot of people don't care for amps like this because it sounds like switching between two different amps - they sound completely different. And I agree somewhat. But I use the amp like this: American cleans with dirt pedals for gain, OR British gain with a TS-9 boost for higher gain. The Hi mode with a boost is a fire-breather, but still open and not very compressed. For compressed, liquid solos I use the Clean mode with dirt pedals. Sometimes I kick on my Compressor pedal with boosted Vintage Hi for some cool modded old-school leads. With a song that has, for instance, a clean verse/dirty chorus, I just use the Clean mode with pedals for the overdriven parts. We play "When I Come Around" by Green Day, and the Electra Dyne set to Vintage Lo with a TS-9 boost in front sounds amazing!

I had some trouble balancing the volume levels with my low output single coils at first, but now I have that figured out. The taper of the volume pot is different when in Clean mode than it is in Lo/Hi, we all know this. But, you can use this to your advantage. With high output pickups, there's not as much of a volume jump when you add gain as there is with singles. For instance: with single coils, your overdrive pedal can give you massive volume boost when the level is cranked. With singles, running moderate gain settings on your dirt pedal requires a low setting of the level pot to achieve unity gain with the pedal bypassed. ANYWAYS, my point is that you can adjust the Electra Dyne's Volume knob to achieve close volume levels across all three modes. With my low output singles(Lindy Fralin Blues Specials), I keep the Volume set around 2:00 - 2:30. With my moderate output bridge humbucker(Dimarzio AT-1), I set the volume lower, around 1:00-1:30. Therefore, the HOTTER your pickups the LOWER the Volume must be set to achieve unity volume across all three modes. LOW OUTPUT pickups need the Volume set HIGHER. (All this is with the Clean Level control maxed and Gain Trim switch set to Normal).

How do you guys use the Electra Dyne?
Is it too Heavy?
Do the shared controls ruin it for you?
Anyone got some custom tolex Electra Dynes out there? Anyone got one with white knobs?
Anyone modded an Electra Dyne?

I'm gonna go play it now.

 
Good thread idea.

I have a 23" 1x12 combo. Love it !
I have no issues with any settings I use, in any mode.
I've had 3 versions of the ED...2x12, head, and now my 1x12.
Done some tube rolling...EL34s didn't really do it for me.
Running a mix of TungSol preamps along with stock Boogie 6L6s...best mix for me.

I'm with you 100% about this amp not being more popular.
People ***** about this amp being too dark or boomy or muddy. I've never had an issue with that problem(s).
I only use a Bad Monkey up front as far a boost/distortion pedal goes....and I hardly use it at all as the blue channel sounds
stellar to me. I use a DD3 and trem pedal in the loop.
I play mostly CCR and Tom Petty and Social Distortion. I've seen Social D 4 times and am totally happy with my Mike Ness "Bassman tone"
that I get. I've owned black and blonde Bassmans and Marshall 4x12 cabs/greenbacks but just don't have the real estate to own them anymore.

It's a simple amp to dial in, once you understand the EQ curve. I think the only change I would have made would be a 5 or 10w setting along with the 45/90,
but it's not a big deal for me. I play it pretty loud sometimes and am still amazed at the tone.
I'm planning on getting some good NOS 6L6s and Telefunken preamps for my ED and having it "American" voiced.
Also going to gt a second 23" 1x12 and run some NOS EL34s and Mullard pre tubes along with a Scumback speaker for a more "British " tone.
I tried EL34s in the past when I had my ED head, but I'd like to give it another shot. Run the 2 combos with a Radial amp switcher...might be kinda cool.

Comparatively speaking....I like my ED a lot more than my Mark V (which I sold).
It's a great, simple amp.

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It's an utterly amazing amp in terms of tone and feel. There is a plethora of subtle colours available in both dirt modes and the clean mode just shimmers and bounces with joy.

It's my favourite amp for just about everything except for Metal, and now I play in a Metal band my old recto is getting much more attention.

I generally use Vintage Lo 90% of the time and Vintage Hi is really a gain / compression boost for lead work and scorching solos. Clean happens on occasion but not very often. As you can imagine, this is a crying shame since the cleans on this amp are so amazing!

I have the tan long head and the 27" 1 x 12 extension cab. 40lbs x 2 is a bit more walking but much lighter than an 80+lb combo!!

The shared EQ is a bit of a pain but I have basically customized the pickups in my guitars to optimize the situation as much as possible. I generally prefer a combination of a somewhat more vintage neck pickup with a hotter bridge pickup. This gives a beefier, and more aggressive drive tone as well as a woody and dynamic lead and lower gain sort of rhythm tone. I usually play poppy stuff or rock on the Electra Dyne and it excels at this. I particularly enjoy the subtle and musical breakup on vintage lo.

[EDIT] I had the Les Paul / Electra Dyne rig out today. In a word, epic. Just absolutely epic. Such a great classic rock tone with such an awesome feel. The Electra Dyne is truly inspiring!!!
 
I have the long head version. I run Tung-Sol EL34s in the power section and Tung-Sol 12AX7 in V1, V2, and V3. I have 5751s in V4 and V5. V6 and V7 have Sovtex LPS tubes. Because of the 5751s, I have no issues at all with volume changes between clean and dirty, as well as no gain issues. I have never had any problems with the shared EQ. I love the tone I get no matter which mode I am in. I tend to use Vintage LO for all my drive tones but couple that with an Xotic BB for increased gain. Using my BB in clean mode gives me some awesome blues tones. Master volume sensitivity was my biggest hurdle. I solved that for myself by using my effects loop with my rack. I cranked down the output volume on my rack and that allows me more headroom with the master volume. However, the Dyne really blooms when cranked, the tone is unbelievable. I pretty much use all Duncan pickups, and no other amp I currently own can compare. Granted, my RK1 has more versatility, but the Dyne delivers more of what I like. And, for what I play, the Dyne offers plenty of versatility. This was my first Boogie, and is still my favorite amp of all time.
 
Im a huge fan as well.. I have the head and run it into a 2x12 Vintage 30 cab and a 1x12 Black Shadow open back.

The blue channel is what made me fall in love. Love the clean. Dont really use the red channel. I run Tung Sol's in the pre amp as well. Std Mesa 6L6 tubes in the power. Tung Sol's are really pleasing to my ears.

I haven't had great luck with a dirty boost for the ED.. Flux Drive is off my board now, use my OCD on the clean channel only as an alternative dirty channel to the blue. Have a Bogner Red for my metal tone. Love it but thats a whole different animal..

Great amp! Kinda glad its not more popular. I can say I own an amazing amp that is a hidden gem.. :D
 
I had the Electra Dyne out again today. Talk about mojo!!!!!!!

I was using the Les Paul today. Primarily use vintage lo for rhythm mostly with the neck pickup but also with the bridge PUP for a tune. I use vintage hi generally for a solo boost and I found myself using clean as well today. The clean tone is so bell like and with the LP, it makes acoustic guitars nervous.

Such a great tool for anyone who needs good rock tones with plenty of grease and grit. The solution for great overdriven tones (I've found) has been a BKP Alnico Nailbomb HMB. It has enough hair, output, and grime to give that edge that the Electra Dyne inevitably needs so it doesn't sound too polite. It's now a badass MOFO and I love it!!!

The crazy thing is that this is mostly church playing these days and the volume is never an issue!!! (I use my Recto for the metal band since that with the super strat is a more appropriate setup for that application)
 
YellowJacket said:
I had the Electra Dyne out again today. Talk about mojo!!!!!!!

I was using the Les Paul today. Primarily use vintage lo for rhythm mostly with the neck pickup but also with the bridge PUP for a tune. I use vintage hi generally for a solo boost and I found myself using clean as well today. The clean tone is so bell like and with the LP, it makes acoustic guitars nervous.

Such a great tool for anyone who needs good rock tones with plenty of grease and grit. The solution for great overdriven tones (I've found) has been a BKP Alnico Nailbomb HMB. It has enough hair, output, and grime to give that edge that the Electra Dyne inevitably needs so it doesn't sound too polite. It's now a badass MOFO and I love it!!!

The crazy thing is that this is mostly church playing these days and the volume is never an issue!!! (I use my Recto for the metal band since that with the super strat is a more appropriate setup for that application)

Cool beans YJ 8)

I'm locked into Vin-Lo as I type this. Such a great amp !
 
Anyone have problems soloing with the ultra-uncompressed Vintage Hi mode? It can be a little stiff, especially if you're not used to it. There's a simple remedy. I think it says this in the manual, but I recently stumbled upon this: don't bypass the reverb. Leave it on and turn the level down if you don't want reverb in your high gain. That's it. It softens the attack and makes Vintage Hi more forgiving to play. Normally I would have the reverb set to bypass the Hi mode. I set it this way when I first got the amp and just never changed it. I'm a "set it and forget it" kind of player. The only thing I ever change is the Master volume. Hope this helps you!
 
Yes, the Electra Dyne has a huge low end, but:
I played a gig this weekend at fairly large venue and was running the Master around 10:30 in 45 watt mode. Once you get the amp up to gigging volume, the tone really smooths out. The low end isn't prominent, it's just a well-balanced rock machine. So if you are worried about the wall rattling low end you have in your bedroom, just realize that it really balances out at stage volume.
 
Hollis said:
Yes, the Electra Dyne has a huge low end, but:
I played a gig this weekend at fairly large venue and was running the Master around 10:30 in 45 watt mode. Once you get the amp up to gigging volume, the tone really smooths out. The low end isn't prominent, it's just a well-balanced rock machine. So if you are worried about the wall rattling low end you have in your bedroom, just realize that it really balances out at stage volume.


+1

I played an outdoor gig with my 1x12 combo in 90 watt mode and it sounded great through the PA mains. My sound guy and drummer thought it was killer!
 
Hollis said:
Anyone have problems soloing with the ultra-uncompressed Vintage Hi mode? It can be a little stiff, especially if you're not used to it. There's a simple remedy. I think it says this in the manual, but I recently stumbled upon this: don't bypass the reverb. Leave it on and turn the level down if you don't want reverb in your high gain. That's it. It softens the attack and makes Vintage Hi more forgiving to play. Normally I would have the reverb set to bypass the Hi mode. I set it this way when I first got the amp and just never changed it. I'm a "set it and forget it" kind of player. The only thing I ever change is the Master volume. Hope this helps you!

The amp is definitely finicky. It's not 2 dimensional and robotic / processed sounding like a JCM2000 is. I find that both Vintage Lo and Hi are very exposed and not flattering at all, but the incredibly responsiveness and depth of colour available more than makes up for it. I spent two years in the jamspace just getting used to the amp and bringing my technique up to a level that I deem to be acceptable. (I should extend thanks to the community here for challenging me as a player, but that is a whole other topic) Seriously though, it's really REALLY worth it. Doing the technique drudgery with clean, Vintage Lo, and Vintage Hi all dry will really help. Sequences, scales, arpeggios, etc., all with a metronome really helps.

Then, just practice playing with your feel while doing improv. Don't wank, just 'feel' how the amp responds to your pick attack. Learn how to alter the angle of attack, hand position, and pressure to achieve the desired result. The 'uneven' or 'unpredictable' sort of feeling is, in this case, a result of an exceptional musical instrument. The amp will give what you put into it and these results can be replicated. The problem is that when you are having an 'off' day it really shows, which is kind of scary. But, people who play 'symphonic instruments' go through this very thing. It's all part of the craft!!!

Re: huge bottom. That's what the bass knob is for!!!
 
Hello, after having played with blackfaces,marshalls, even a studio22 that was disgusting, 3 years ago i tried the ed combo in my ROME favorite guitar shop, with me was one of the guys that were working in, and i really could't believe what i was listening.Of course i got it and 4 months ago i was able to buy another one brand new, so i can play in stereo now. Believe me fellas, it was pretty difficult to find the second, as you said is not very popular, especially in Italy,and to be onest i don't understand why. The sound is amazing, the tone is epic and the controls ARE controls, so you can play whatever.
Enjoy it
 
Seems like any amp introduced at the same time as the MKV was doomed to suffer... Just makes it all the better for us lucky ones.
 
Well for the past 2 years I have been OBSESSED with tone. All I can say is that for me, the ElectraDynes clean tone is exactly what I was looking for. I dont even use the other channels... at all. It takes my pedals incredibly well, takes the feedback of my gretsch incredibly well and for me its just bad ***. I recently upgraded the pickups in my 5120 to the TV Jones Brian Setzer signitures and when I played it through the ElectraDyne I found what I was looking for. Some people think this thing doesnt cut through a mix but I disagree with that... This clean sound makes the mix IMO. So big, full, articulate and best of all very dynamic. I dont know why other people didnt hear what some of us heard but that is the beauty of music and especially tone. I have heard that Kurt Cobain is not a good guitar player, or that Lynrd Skynrds tone sucked because they used Peaveys? But come on, those were two of the most successful artists to ever influence a genre.

The "problem" with tone is that it is most of the time so specific to what the player has heard over the years and not enough a craft of what the player themselves want to hear. It seems to me that the best players, tonally, get the sound They want to hear out of whatever they are playing through...regardless what they have heard on recordings or live shows growing up. This reason this is, is because we ALL play differently. We all hit the strings differently, use dynamics differently, have different ears. Mostly I am a vocalist, a singer songwriter, and I have been influenced by lots of different music growing up, but I am more about songs than anything, and guitar for me is an accompaniment to the vocal. I love dynamics when I sing so it makes sense that I would love my guitar to be as dynamic. This ElectraDyne put the most full, beautiful tone out, crystal clear but with my drive pedal it was even better and then in the moments where the song is very impactual, this amp handles my distortion pedal with tonal bliss... especially after I just boost it a little with my cusak.

As I said pretty much for the past two years I have been obsessed. Went from lots of different Fenders (deluxe reverb was my fav but didnt have the punch I was looking for like a Marshall did), to a few different Marshalls, from V30s to green backs, to creme and golds... EL84s-EL34s to 6L6s ect... Crate Palomino was a pretty cool amp belive it or not, but nothing as good as the electra dyne... yes I said Crate... also tried VOX, Orange, Tone King (very impressive amp BTW) and so many **** pedals I just lost count... I read and read and watched youtube video after video... researched and researched some more. Then I found this mesa. I should point out that i wanted a 1x12 and yes this thing is heavy, but as the OP stated... totally worth it, and I am not a big guy at all... im a little frail dude. But whatever, it has casters for a reason guys, and it certainly aint no BASS amp. I actually dont mind the weight at all because I know I get to bring my tone with me wherever I go, and its still a combo amp, so weight point holds no "weight" with me, pun intended... its a moot point when I hear those dynamic sparkling cleans. Im not a real big fan of too bright on my cleans, probably because I play indie rock with a hollowbody gretcsh... I just wont give up my hollowbody... I love the FEEDBACK way too much, and its alot easier to control than everyone seems to think... you can actually control it very nicely by just letting off the offending string a bit...

Another cool thing about this amp is that it is a dark amp, the clean tone is pretty dark, but that only fits better into a mix when you have a guitar player who likes to be in the higher mid registers... gives the bass a nice spot, and this sound a bit higher than the bass and the lead guitar fits nicely in... just cascades very nicely in the band. Anyway, I just wanted to add my two cents for anyone else considering this amp. It is discontinued and getting harder to find, but man I totally understand what some of you understand about it... the cleans are just amazing to me for the style I play and for the gear im playing through. Finally the search is over... for now. Until of course my ears fall in love with something else... but hey thats the game... buy, sell, trade, spend unecessarily (only those who know what im talking about will understand this)... hunt it down at all costs.. cause when you finally find your tone it will be all worth it. Its like a piece of you left for awhile and has come home, like being reunited with your true sound. So if you ask me about the electa dyne... I say buy it immediately if you ressonate with anything I said... obviously its not for everyone and thank goodness for that.
 
I have been chasing my tone for as long as I've been playing guitar. I pondered for months between a Lone Star and the ED before finally settling on the ED. After I finally purchased my head, made some tube decisions, and coupled the head with a WGS British Lead speaker, I finally found the tone I heard in my head for as long as I can remember. Even though it's a fairly heavy amp, it's still my first "go-to" rig for any gig. The cleans are pristine, and the 2 vintage overdrive modes are perfection. I hope I will be able to acquire another as a backup in case mine dies. Even after getting a RK1, I always go back to the ED. It simply gives me exactly what I want to hear.
 
I have nothing but the highest praises to sing for the Electra-Dyne. It is a terrible shame that this amp was discontinued.

I play in a pop punk band, and this amp provides me the absolute perfect tone. It's extremely clear and can actually get surprisingly heavy.

The shared EQ doesn't even bother me - they somehow made it so that a good setting for high gain also works for the clean mode. I love it. The only other amp that I would ever consider getting is the Orange Rockerverb, and only in the event that my Electra-Dyne died and I wasn't able to get my hands on another.

I use it with a 2x12 Recto cab with Vintage 30's. I have never heard a more perfect tone in my life. Paired with my Les Paul, the tone makes me smile every time.
 
slysendice said:
I have nothing but the highest praises to sing for the Electra-Dyne. It is a terrible shame that this amp was discontinued.

I play in a pop punk band, and this amp provides me the absolute perfect tone. It's extremely clear and can actually get surprisingly heavy.

The shared EQ doesn't even bother me - they somehow made it so that a good setting for high gain also works for the clean mode. I love it. The only other amp that I would ever consider getting is the Orange Rockerverb, and only in the event that my Electra-Dyne died and I wasn't able to get my hands on another.

I use it with a 2x12 Recto cab with Vintage 30's. I have never heard a more perfect tone in my life. Paired with my Les Paul, the tone makes me smile every time.

Ya, it's a killer, smooth crunch. With a Les Paul, this amp has mojo like crazy. In addition to pop punk, it also does classic rock, blues, funk, country, etc, like a boss.
 
I have compared my Electra Dyne to my Deluxe Reverb in the past, but today I ran them both through the same cab. Based on results from previous comparisons, I thought the Fender had the slightly better clean tones and sounded a bit better with dirt pedals. But after today I realize that the clean channel of the Electra Dyne is identical to a blackface Fender amp. The difference was so slight, it was almost imperceptible. The difference between the amps is almost entirely speaker/cab.
Just thought I'd share my observations.
 
I've been eying this Electra Dyne at my local guitar store for about 2 years. It has a small tear in the grill cloth so they took a couple of hundred bucks off it. Every time i visit it just sits in the corner and collects more dust. I went in last Friday and they had reduced it considerably since they are discontinued. I made them an offer and they took it, So now I'm the proud owner of a brand new Electra Dyne. I have owned 3 other boogies in the past. A Mark V, Express 5:50 2x12 and an Express 5:50 Plus. I got rid of them all for for other amps but I'm thinking the Electra Dyne is here to stay. I've only had it for 2 days but i'm liking what i'm hearing out of his amp. I have been comparing it side by side with my current amp and the Electra Dyne is able to get very close to its sound. I like having an FX loop again and the reverb is just excellent on this amp. I can get a broader range of tone through this amp than my current setup. I've always wanted the Fender clean and the Marshall growl in one amp and i think the Electra Dyne encompasses those qualities perfectly.
Very cool amp so far but I'm still in the honeymoon stage so i will update this post in a few weeks and share more thoughts on this amp.
 
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