Joining the ED Club

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djw

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INCOMING!

I'm thrilled, I am finally going to be joining the Electra Dyne club shortly. Been wanting one since they came out. Long time Lone Star evangelist, which I remain, but I cannot wait to fire up my new beast when it arrives. I have a medium head en route. Probably in next week. First assignment will be with a classic rock/tribute band I just joined. I think it will fit right in.

In my recent lurking, I've gathered that people tend to like 6L6s more than EL34s in this amp. I guess I am not too surprised, Boogies seem to fire on all cylinders with 6L6s, and seem to lose a little steam with the EL34s. Any other opinions on this?

What about preamp tubes? Any advice?

Favorite speakers?

Any other fun things?

Glad to be here! Feeling a little bit geeked-out about it! Woo hoo!
 
Hmmm. Advice: People generally like 6L6s for the most versatile performance and to preserve the epic clean tone. I've heard that the EL 34s really add a nice snarl and zing to Vintage Lo and Hi but at the expense of the Clean more.

RE: Pickups. The shared EQ is a particularly annoying compromise. The best workaround I have found was to customize the pickups in all my guitars. I chose pickups that are optimized to cover the most tonal range with a single EQ setting. A slightly hotter bridge pickup to drive the front end helps add gain when necessary; and a slightly more vintage and crisp neck pickup controls the lows when switching pickups and is dynamic enough to take advantage of the expressive nature of this amp. This allows for a good range of tones on Vintage Lo alone but it does not compromise clean.

Also, I chose pickups to give a balanced tonal result with the guitar. i.e. the frequencies are consistent from low to high. The result is that extreme EQ settings are not required which doesn't result in a situation where either the clean mode or Vintage Lo and Hi are are compromised. |

This was not an insignificant monetary investment but it has allowed me to get the most out of this unique, quirky, and wonderful amplifier.

[edit] Pickups can do a lot of heavy lifting tonally speaking, so using a super strat with super powerful passives is good for balls heavy tones while a LP with PAF style pickups will pick up the blues and classic rock. If you set your guitars up correctly, you can simply swap instruments to cop different tones.



Other ideas / advice. 27" 1 x 12 extension cab is great for 'lower' volume situations. If you can find one, you'll be miles ahead. I think the c90 with the Electra Dyne gives a somewhat unique tone which is cool. But v30s bring the crunch.

My advice RE: Cabs. Don't use a cab designed to enhance lows. The 'Dyne already has plenty so something like a Thiele causes the bottom to rapidly become overpowering.
 
djw said:
In my recent lurking, I've gathered that people tend to like 6L6s more than EL34s in this amp. I guess I am not too surprised, Boogies seem to fire on all cylinders with 6L6s, and seem to lose a little steam with the EL34s. Any other opinions on this?

I liked both, but switched back to 6L6s for some reason. Honestly, it's been so long I can't remember why.

What about preamp tubes? Any advice?

Favorite speakers?

Any other fun things?

Glad to be here! Feeling a little bit geeked-out about it! Woo hoo!

The only thing I changed was I swapped the stock MC90 in my combo for a V30. This isn't a knock against the MC90 as it sounds great with the ED, but I prefer V30s so that's what's in there.

I generally prefer the ED on 45w mode. Less low end, more compression.
 
Thanks guys! I hadn't thought about tailoring my pickups for the amp... but I will likely be using a different combination of guitars with my ED (i.e., Les Paul w/57s, SG w/36ths, maybe a Tele) than what I generally play with my Lone Stars (my main Tele, 335). Mostly going to be using this for more classic rock than anything too heavy. Except when I get lucky. 8)

Speaker-wise, I have some cabs to play with. I suppose I'll have to try re-loading one of my idle C90s into one of them... I actually have a THD 2x12 that I could swap a couple into. My 23" 1x12 Lone Star cab currently has a WGS ET90 (which is ironically not that different from a C90), and my 27" 1x12 has a Blackhawk HP in it. I have some other options too. I might have to get a cab dedicated to the ED.

Any strong preference re: open vs. closed back cabs with the ED? I know the combo is sort of ported, and I actually haven't seen anything about this distinction yet.
 
I have tried my Dyne with a bunch of cabs. It does great with most, but not so much with Thiele/Widebody Closed cabs, as it already has tons of low-end.

I really like the tone of the combo with C90 and also the head with recto 2x12.

I wouldn't say you should swap pickups to suit the amp. I would say the amp is much more transparent than a lot of other amps, so the tone of the guitar and pickups really comes through. So if you don't like the tone, the dominant factor may not be the amp.
 
elvis said:
I wouldn't say you should swap pickups to suit the amp. .

What I did -and what I meant by this- is that having pickups in one guitar that have a compatible EQ contribution with one another helps accommodate the limitations of the shared EQ on the Electra Dyne. By extension, setting up guitars this way would make them work better with ALL amps, not just this one.

For example: My Gibson LP Standard stock had a huge issue with a boomy neck pickup and a thin bridge pickups. This issue was compounded by the Electra Dyne's powerful low end. So, I installed a BKP set instead but then ended up swapping the bridge pickup for something slightly phatter and higher output which allows me to swap between my bridge and neck pickup at will, giving me access to many tones.

Of course, the pickups I chose are really high end and they positively shine with the Electra Dyne. I have 3 guitars, all of which work exceptionally well with that amp. It's a lot of fun!

Also, there is nothing wrong with tuning pickup selection beyond this. Having a very powerful / contemporary bridge humbucker can really coax a lot heavier tones out of the 'Dyne, so it is a question of what one really wants to do with the amp. There is nothing that is 'off limits' lol.
 
I've been reading the manual, and it sounds like the higher gain settings benefit from having higher output pickups. So there's definitely some credence to the idea. As for my purposes, I'm guessing I won't be needing that much firepower most of the time, and if I need to really push things I'll likely just kick on a booster or something.

Wow, I might have to rethink my pedalboard. :) I do generally keep an EP Booster and a Gain Changer aboard, but it seems like I could probably lose my Direct Drive...

Also, just an update: I found a Royal Atlantic 27" 1x12 on Reverb and figured, wtf. I'm splurging. All should be here by the end of the week I think. \m/
 
elvis said:
Did you get a 1x12 speaker cab or a RA combo?

The speaker cab is great, it is exactly the same as the Dyne 1x12, and sounds amazing.

Oh whoops, that was totally vague -- I got the 27" 1x12 RA speaker cabinet.

When all is said and done, I'll have the ED medium head and matching 27" 1x12 cab to go along with my LSC head and matching 27" 1x12 cab. I'll have to take a picture. Ridiculous and waaaay more that I can professionally rationalize these days, but since I am no longer really a professional I don't have to rationalize it. :lol:

I'm glad to hear it's the right cab for the amp, I didn't have a good non-open back Mesa cab. I'll probably sell my THD, it's sort of overkill for me at this point.

The two 27" 1x12's will make a great looking stack too! OMG.
 
djw said:
elvis said:
Did you get a 1x12 speaker cab or a RA combo?

The speaker cab is great, it is exactly the same as the Dyne 1x12, and sounds amazing.

Oh whoops, that was totally vague -- I got the 27" 1x12 RA speaker cabinet.

When all is said and done, I'll have the ED medium head and matching 27" 1x12 cab to go along with my LSC head and matching 27" 1x12 cab. I'll have to take a picture. Ridiculous and waaaay more that I can professionally rationalize these days, but since I am no longer really a professional I don't have to rationalize it. :lol:

I'm glad to hear it's the right cab for the amp, I didn't have a good non-open back Mesa cab. I'll probably sell my THD, it's sort of overkill for me at this point.

The two 27" 1x12's will make a great looking stack too! OMG.

Practice until you can justify it. That's what I have done... mostly :shock:
 
Well, the amp seems to be on the slow boat. But the cab showed up today, and it sounds AMAZING. Holy crap.

My neighbors are going to hate me...
 
Believe me the 1x12 black shadow cabinet is the best. Or combo. 2x12 sux all unless you play power chords whit humbuckers but I would also go with 1x12 even that case. 2x12 always kill your original.
If i want more power i use an extra 1x12 mesa cab with my dyne combo of course black shadow. 1x12 is always the best. Or 4x12 if needed, but 2x12 sux. 2x12 only might work with vintage greenbacks. Imho
 
I agree, the 27" RA cab with C90 will absolutely sing! I have the 1x12 combo and I love it. The amp is so powerful, a 4x12 isn't needed. At the venues we play, with the small stages, it would just take up too much space. We mic up everything, so we try to keep stage volume to a minimum. It sounds stellar! Once we played a gig where the vocals only were in the P.A., and we were using wedge monitors (no in-ears) and I was able to let the 'Dyne roar. It was so awesome!
Congrats on your purchase! You'll love it!
A small tip: if your clean channel volume is too loud, use the clean channel volume knob on the back of the amp. If your clean volume is too low, turn up the volume (gain) on the front. You'll figure it out.
This amp's tone is so pure. You know how pure a blackface Fender amp sounds and feels, but then looses that magic when you step on an overdrive pedal? This amp retains all that magic and mojo, even in the Vintage Lo and Hi modes! I could go on and on lol! Have fun!
 
Thanks for the tips, info and encouragement you guys. While waiting for my ED, I have been playing the cab with my LSC and a Barber Direct Drive Super Sport (for the British vibe) and the thing just ROARS. Not that I am surprised, I am a huge fan of Mesa cabs in general, and I also totally get the magic of the 27" 1x12 design. I'm pretty thrilled, actually, I have two discontinued models now.

Not totally sure I love the MC90. I have long had mixed feelings about it. Kind of wondering if I should try a recently acquired WGS ET90 in there instead. Maybe I should give it some time to break in? Something in the mids is feeling sort of stiff in there. I guess I can at LEAST wait until I get the amp to make that decision... :roll:
 
Amp landed today. Gave it a spin for about 20 minutes.

If it's going to be like this, I am not going to be needing any more amps, ever. Holy smokes, it's even better than I remember it.

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I am one of the EL34 users. I bought mine used and it had some EH 6L6 power tubes in it. I already had ordered a quad of Tung-Sol EL34Bs, so I put those in it. Then I put all Tung-Sol preamp tubes in...I was done. Nothing has ever sounded this good to me. I did try some Mullard EL34s, but yanked them as soon as they cooled after my first test run with them...went right back to Tung-Sol. I may want to try some KT-77s, but haven't really found the need to try those yet.

For speakers, I primarily use WGS British Lead speakers in an open-back 2x12 cab. Pure creamy smoothness. My ears have never been happier.

As you can see from my sig, I primarily use Duncan pups. I don't have any issues with the clean channel losing sparkle. My volumes stay consistent across all 3 modes. It took some tweaking, but no where near as much as my Road King required. That's what I love the most about this amp (and the thing so many complain about) - it's simple. Pure and simple.
 
Yeah, mine came (used) with a set of Mesa EL34s, which actually sounded pretty good. I'd already decided I was going to use 6L6s and ordered a set of Rubys from Doug's, along with a preamp tone kit. I like everything I've heard so far, so I guess I'll probably leave the set I ordered in there for a while. But I did like the EL34s too. When I first tried an ED at Guitar Center long ago, I was amazed at how Marshally it sounded with the stock 6L6s and thought it might sound even better with EL34s... but so much of that is in the design of the amp itself.

My pedalboard is going to need to change up a bit though. My Gain Changer and Compact Direct Drive sound a little bit brittle going into the Clean mode (Gain at about 1:00). Not that I really need EITHER of those pedals anymore, but I do like having the light OD option for certain things, which the GC is so good for. I am probably going to try a Timmy or POT instead of the GC. And I may swap a fuzz in place of the CDD, just for variety's sake.

I do really like how my EP Booster sounds so far. It's going to be a couple of weeks before I get a chance to open this up with a band, so I'm hoping things don't change drastically at volume.

Speaking of which, I remember how incredibly powerful the amp is, but I am impressed at how good the Master Volume is on the ED. So far I haven't experienced any of the "jumpy" volume thing. Seems very user-friendly so far.
 
djw said:
Amp landed today. Gave it a spin for about 20 minutes.

If it's going to be like this, I am not going to be needing any more amps, ever. Holy smokes, it's even better than I remember it.

qyIcnCTYiOLtA6HuSC2RWtSC1essXcy7zFvfBkbIJDRLbLHEsBKFdYO7HRSCEAuNGksNA1PYBr7hIzka2neaClnQdIwQGVVd6z8pJ0OB2AofIhALGQPLt5ktRplwSWhKqRtQa9kf_zkqvUrsaAVP7XGddKVOdSRU9va4Mf1WMmLMR1rBjAzslQIxLPT2_RvsNf59c16prJDsUzuDOBr4Izvz6Hbu1Af-tM7ZYZdapEfrph1Mtc7OXO5yzjBgQPNvpFCuWSnQNOeyXT6SdDJbI_xWoESeGfuBcH6ezPvOMZAudmPnd_5D_NzpEswGP2ZAtVrasdQlirvmXDrhPYWxo_AkwXhMIkT9-TsKpDBXuzZ922cxUeAabkPP4aSXwfQt53QO5TycZysokSYw25Ha0xsiSVVTVUJJy_9e_4Grm8LFo5nKv2_VG9ttfjj8FZMDMO9FbPSoN2vDF3fbeI3Bq06wb_wsdvAzDtLscQGXN2UHo8I0vIkHsWeK7O2yyNhz-m0GLGJ-us2ceUB9oTz2VAI6lmlBCviH20n1Uy2VSd3DFUePVsPPAbVjP_xLcr7h=w941-h530-no

Wow, that is almost identical to the setup I have. Mine is the long tan head with a matching tan 27" 1 x 12.



Yes, the amp definitely crunches well and I think it really likes Les Pauls and Teles. Although I've gotten some really cool tones out of it with my super strat!!

Also, RE the jumpy volume. Somehow that mc90 in that 1 x 12 just co-operates well with the amp head. It's pretty neat!
 
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