Amptone.com

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If you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard knowledge throughout the industry – the result will be new, cool kinds of gear for you to use.

Copyright Notice -- why it benefits you to mention Amptone.com. Comments about the guitar-gear industry and changing the paradigm.

Newest Items Added (Aug. 8, 2006)

Beaver Bottoms - isolation cabinets (ext) - 12" or 10" speaker, Illinois

Paul Lenders Guitar Systems - ISOCAB (ext) - 120 W, 725 euros, 12" Eminence speaker, Netherlands

Cicognani - Brutus (ext) - isolation cabinet, Italy - search

Mr. Fastfinger, re-amped 4MB .mp3; right-click, Save. Improved version. This is Mr. Fastfinger, of GuitarShredShow.com, burning up the fretboard, re-amped by me through an EQ pedal driving a completely cranked Fender Blues Junior tube amp, pushing a Celestion Blue speaker in a double-layer speaker isolation box.

When Cesar Diaz first heard Stevie Ray, Cesar knew he could help the sound reach its potential. I thought the same regarding Mr. Fastfinger; his mastery of the guitar was not coming through to its complete potential, using such a preamp-distortion centered tone. But gear is easy to provide.

I'm hoping that Mr. Fastfinger is amenable to providing some dry-guitar files to make available to everyone such as at my site. Meanwhile, could you please email me some unprocessed dry-guitar mp3 files, recorded straight to disk via buffer? You'll be able to hear your own guitar played through other people's gear, by online collaboration.

Thanks
Contact

Blankenship – Variplex (ext) – Variac with head combination. Edited mp3 demo clips of playing various Van Halen passages, dry and with reverb. "The different tones sound really great all the way from 10 to 120 volts." 1 W output at 10 V supply, reputedly. Amp cloned from a good-sounding 1968 Plexi of Dave Friendman of Rack Systems. Direct link to the mp3 that has with reverb in right channel quietly

Wikipedia Amptone Contributions - I contributed to guitar-gear related Wikipedia articles: concise summaries about power attenuators, pre-dist eq for dist voicing, types of Volume/Gain controls and how they affect distortion shaping.

The Gear Page (ext) – good moderated discussion area for amps, effects, and recording

Key Approaches for Typical Goals - new summary table, Aug. 2, 2006. Table of scenarios and tricks/solutions, such as when it makes sense to use an isocab vs. power attenuation, or when to use the Reamp technique.

7 Approaches to Power Tube Saturation at Low Room Noise Levels - updated Aug. 2, 2006

The Amptone Reamp Project: Collective Dry and Amp-Processed Guitar Files - Aug. 2006 new page

Books about Getting Guitar Sounds - added latest amp tone books and videos, Aug. 2, 2006, including the new circuit-design book on Power Scaling, which is power-supply-based power attenuation that enables power tube distortion at a truly quiet level.

Stephenson Amplification - LJ-15 (ext) - Power Scaling, "2-channel" power amp; 2 Scale controls
Stephenson Amplification - LJ-10 (ext) - Power Scaling
Stephenson Amplification - Stage Hog (ext) - Power Scaling, 12AX7 power amp pedal
Stephenson Amplification - Bass Hog (ext) - Power Scaling, 12AX7 power amp pedal
Stephenson Amplification - Harmonica Combo - Power Scaling, ported cab, 2x8" spks, reverb
Reeves Amplification - Custom 30 - Power Scaling, Hiwatt-type amp, by Dave Reeves
Soultone Amps - Revolution 45 (ext) – Power Scaling, Plexi-style amp, by Michael Corrieri
Suhr Amps - Badger (ext) - Power Scaling, Plexi-style, by John Suhr
Lehnert Amps - Rambler (ext) – Built-to-order amps with Power Scaling option for around $165. Sweden.

What do guitarists need for amp rig consulting? - new page, Aug. 2, 2006

Fatback's stompbox tone online videos -- the Amptone Reamp Project needs dry-guitar mp3 files from players like this. He chains the demo od/dist pedals into the Valveboy 2 preamp-tube od/distortion pedal. Uses the built-in camera mic.

Sopht.ca – various milliwatt-level DIY amps (ext). The limited guitar-playing ability here shows the benefit of dry-guitar files per the Amptone Reamp Project, useful for amp builders, power-tube circuit designers, and preamp distortion circuit designers.

PS Systems - EB100S - Digitally controlled all-tube guitar amp from 1992. The H&K Switchblade amp isn't the first programmable tube amp.

Songworks - Little Lanilei 1/4 watt Tube Recording Amplifier (ext) - 1/4 watt 12AX7 power amp in compact combo package

Songworks - 3350LT (ext) - 1/4 watt 12AX7 power amp, dummy load, and solid-state 33-50 Watt amp in compact combo package. I'd like to reamp files through an EL84 version of this, A/B'ing the power tube distortion quality versus the 12AX7 design.

Grailtone.com (ext) – guitar gear info site, includes Tone Settings and Tone Articles sections.

Mike Ralph's DIY speaker cabinet isolation box -- fits a 2x12 cab. Added July 29, 2006.

Jeff Strong – DIY amp isolator box (ext) – shown in his book Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies, so that makes isocabs now "mainstream" (link added Aug. 2006)

UralTone Hot Mama (search) - power attenuator kit – search-link added July 30, 2006

Antelope - Morning Dew (ext) - 3-band eq pedal

Sequis - Richter Control (ext) - power attenuator

Ultimate Attenuator (ext) - dummyload>solid-state final amp, positioned and packaged as a "power attenuator". Link added July 29, 2006.   Emailed: "I want to place a 10-band EQ pedal, Flanger pedal, and Reverb between my amp's power tubes and my guitar speaker, as used for Van Halen I. Do you offer an FX loop option in the Ultimate Attenuator placed between the dummy load and the solid-state amp?"

Eddie Van Halen's rig and Tone techniques -- Updated July 29, 2006. Added note about preamp-centric vs. power-tube-centric distortion voicing, and a more relevant analysis of the Script button on the MXR Phase 90 than any review I've seen.

VOX - Valvetronix AD60VT, AD120VT -- Updated July 29, 2006. Added a summary of how the Valvetronix amp needs to be improved for next-generation valve-based modelling technology.  Added criticism of the power-tube distortion sound resulting from a 12AX7 preamp tube.

Amptone.com Excellent Design Awards -- moved to separate page (need an icon)

New pages and links

Objectives of Amptone.com for 2006

The overarching objective of this website for Fall 2006 is to break-through the guitar industry slumber and get everyone to understand distortion voicing, power attenuation including Power Scaling, speaker isolation cabinets, and re-amping. These need to stop remaining "new" and "esoteric subjects"; they need to become routinely familiar concepts for everyone, including gear designers, columnists and gear reviewers, guitarists, and book authors.

I am dissatisfied with the take-up speed of the ideas at this site – we need to accelerate and get on with spreading this information that so many individuals have found useful. I'm also disappointed to see Amptone.com rarely mentioned in print, where these "esoteric" subjects are being discussed and this site has by far the greatest concentration of information – and in various cases is the only concentration of systematic information on the subject, including techniques and products available so far; it would've been so much more helpful for the reader had the author pointed to Amptone.com.

It's safe to mention Amptone.com in print media; my information has been developing online since 1998 and this particular domain name has been going since early 2000 – Amptone.com has been a stable and very popular online resource for 6 to 8 years – I just wish this website were more explicitly influential across the industry, rather than just giving individuals ideas to use in isolation.

This is why I wrote encyclopedia entries about these should-be basic topics. So if you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard basic knowledge throughout the industry.

Citing Amptone.com will result in the following, the end of the Dark Ages for guitar gear. This change will include the end of the half-baked "Master Volume/Power Soak" era and the beginning of the integrated "Power Scaling" era.

• Power attenuation will become a standard feature on guitar amps, demanded by guitarists just like preamp distortion has been demanded ever since Marshall's master volume amps. For example, the Mad Professor amp with PowerSuck switch, and especially amps with integrated power-supply-based power attenuation, which avoids burning-out the tubes and OT, such as amps with London Power's Power Scale and Sustain controls or Maven Peal's equivalent (but loud) Wattage and Sag controls.

  Guitarists will quit buying amps lacking power scaling. Reeves amps describes this feature as "extras that will be useful to the bedroom player as well as the pro-player. Power Scaling...the ultimate master volume control ..." and finally eliminate the fundamental reason for the deeply entrenched product category distinction of "bedroom vs. pro". Clips of Power Scaling demonstrating that it works: Vintage Vibe, Bruce Clement: installing a kit in a Plexi

• Power tubes and dummy loads will be integrated into preamp/processors
• Isocab products, isobox kits, and isolation booth construction will be common knowledge and truly common practice; it will be routinely discussed in all books on amp tone how to use an isocab or construct a cab isolation box.
• The grandma amp: finally, a small, $175 combo guitar amp with power tube (not 12AX7) and power attenuation allowing volume-independent power-tube distortion, as well as headphone jack, suitable for staying at grandma's house or for at work, yet also with jacks to be scalable to pro live performance.  There is no reason for the existence of solid-state "beginner" amps or "kids' amps".
• Modelling amps will be properly built around actual power-tube distortion, not just preamp distortion or preamp tube misuse.
• Pre-distortion EQ voicing (pickup voicing) will no longer be considered an "advanced trick" that's understood only by Eddie Van Halen and Slash. Books will finally start talking *systematically* about eq *placement* and how it affects and enables *distortion voicing*. 
• Libraries of dry guitar playing will be available and routinely used to help dial-in tone, and will help prove that digital amp modelling by itself or a 12AX7 misused as a power tube fails to sound like power tube distortion. The reamp technique will be used to find and attain the limits of all the approaches and types of setup, as well as comparing power tube distortion character; it will so speed up exploration and experimentation, alternative power tube types and circuits will be found.
• In general, the entire guitar-gear industry must undergo a revolutionary paradigm change along the lines of this site, that will eliminate the entire category of solid-state kids' amps/beginners' amps; essentially, solid-state guitar amps will stop being made, replaced by properly feature-configured power tubes with power scaling/built-in attenuation down to the 1mW level.

-- Michael Hoffman, BSEE, Amptone.com -- a revolutionary activist designer out to change not only product design, but the entire paradigm of "good tone is hard to obtain".

To do (really):

• Create dry-guitar files with Sustainiac Acoustic Sustainer B, then C. Upload to Reamp page.
• Write manufacturers asking them to make Power Scaling a new industry-wide standard like Master Volume has been.
• Write guitarists to email me dry-guitar mp3 files for the Amptone Reamp Project.
• Update pages per 3 years of manufacturer request emails and new product notification emails (around 50 emails).

To do (don't hold your breath):

• Upload photos: double-layer isobox, Paul Frank tshirt of halfstack soundwave danger zone, swirlpainted large stompbox case for a power-tube saturation pedal, EQ pedal collection, amp tone book collection, tiny mp3 player feeding dry-guitar tracks to reamp through a guitar rig, Marshall Capri small combo tube amp, Jim Marshall autographed Power Brake, stock Ibanez Blazer guitar held by Bill Webb as the Clockwork Orange guy in October 1982, lamps that look like power tubes and the clear 60W halogen bulbs, "woman's waist/hips/thighs" power-tube envelope shape.
• Write a new, condensed amp tone summary article: state of the art; what everyone needs to know about using today's gear; what's wrong with today's gear paradigm; what changes in gear and common knowledge are needed.
• Finish my list of what exactly I want in the industry.
• When have a Reamp library, create mp3 demo of how the distortion sounds from 12AX7 as power tube in the VOX Valvetronix AD120VT combo amp.
• Write-up my planned isobooth design such as a 4' isocage that can fit a 4x12 cab and 4 mics.
• For each isobox product, list the number of layers and their materials, speaker size, innermost damping material, access hinge design, and whether it integrates a power attenuator or hits the speaker with the full input wattage, and number of mics supported.
• Make a local page for each product, not just an external hyperlink.

Basic Tone

If you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard knowledge throughout the industry.

Key Approaches for Typical Goals - new summary table, Aug. 2, 2006

True "Secret" of Amp Tone - EQ>Dist and Power Attenuators - Jan. 2003

Using 2 EQ Pedals and a Power Attenuator with an Amp or Processor - new page 10/3/03

Amp tone MP3s

Amp Tone MP3 Samples

The Reamp Project - Direct/dry guitar samples and amp Tone reference library. Original idea page.

The Amptone Reamp Project: Collective Dry and Amp-Processed Guitar Files - Aug. 2006 new page

Featured amp tone clips: Danny Russell (ext)

MP3 amp tone samples to merge

Tube amp Tone

Featured site: GM Arts guitar amp intro pages (ext)
The need for a detailed systematization of Tone
Principles of Rock Guitar Tone
Amp tone, general concepts
Factors shaping Basic Tone
Tone spectrums: crusty vs. liquidy, hard vs. soft power tubes, preamp vs. power tube
Power transistor vs. power tube saturation
Getting the best amp tone even with solid-state power amps
Rigs of big guitarists

Preamp tube distortion vs. power tube saturation

You should specifically say "preamp tubes" or "power tubes"
Character of preamp, power tube, and power transistor distortion
Touch-sensitivity of power tubes
Power-tube saturation is essential for rock Tone
How to bypass preamp clipping and hit the power tubes directly, with a strong signal
Hybrid amps are a scam; tubes are needed in power amp, not preamp
Tube types
Did Hendrix like EL34's, 6550's, or 6L6's?

Compression

Compression as part of Basic Tone
Peavey VC/L-2 Valve Compressor with EL84

Rectifiers

Tube vs. solid state rectifiers

Distortion voicing; alternating eq and saturation stages

Distortion and power-tube saturation voicing: using the eq->dist->eq sequence
Overdrive through a mixture of clean and clipped signals, tube amps warm up effects
Examples of amp tone and distortion types: songs and artists
Metal tone
Using a home stereo as a guitar amp, and other advice for new electric guitarists
Guitar amp evolution (ext) - Must-read article about preamp architecture in amps

EQ concepts and pre-distortion EQ

John Murphy, chief engineer for Carvin Corp., wrote "the pre-clipping frequency equalization and post-clipping EQ are absolutely critical adjustments. Once you have a well-behaved clipper -- even if it's just simple diodes, as in the stomp boxes -- it is the precise combination of pre- and post-clipping EQ that mostly determines how an amp sounds. The 'secret' of the best sounding guitar amps lies in the pre-clipping EQ response curve."

Van Halen's guitar tech recommends an EQ pedal above all, as the most valuable pedal, in his book Guitar Gear 411: Guitar Tech to the Stars Answers Your Gear Questions, pp. 75-76.

Pre-distortion equalization
Controlling guitar EQ, central EQ, and cabinet EQ
Getting more treble in the post-amp stage via speakers Tone control circuits
Table of parametric-EQ settings to produce various EQ curves
3-band eq needed on electric guitars, pickup response curves needed
Selecting Pickups
Distortion voicing

EQ products

MXR - M-108 Ten Band EQ (ext) - 10-band EQ pedal, now with bypass footswitch and Gain control. MXR108, M108. Search Web. - new link 10/2/03.

BOSS - EQ-20 Advanced EQ - Jan 2001
List of EQs, products for controlling EQ before distortion
Parametric EQ Pedals for Pre-Distortion EQ
MIDI rackmount EQs
Digitech - MEQ - MIDI EQ
Peavey - Autograph II - MIDI EQ
Yamaha - YDG2030, YDP2006 - MIDI parametric EQs
TC Electronics - 1128 - MIDI EQ

Musician's Friend catalog ad for MXR 6-band EQ pedal: "Carve, scoop, rumble, and shriek all at the touch of a switch!" -- but the reason I don't much like the MXR is, just as the picture clearly shows, it has no switch (or overall Level control, either).

Distortion and amp simulation

If you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard knowledge throughout the industry.

Distortion pedals

Distortion-related pedal categories
Overdrive/booster products
Fuzz products
Distortion products
Metal and grunge products
Power-tube saturation pedals
Design for a power-tube saturation pedal - new Jan 2001

Guitar preamps (no amp sim, few effects)

Tubester - tube distortion pedal
Egnater - IE-4 Preamp
Morley - Matchbox
Marshall JMP-1

Multi-voiced distortion pedals

Line 6 - DM-4 Distortion Modeller
C-Tech - Sonny Boy - overdrive, single-coil open-back sounds
C-Tech - Red Rooster - distortion, humbucker closed-back sounds
Yamaha - DG-Stomp
Tonebone - tube distortion pedals w/ voicing control
The QuadraFuzz project for guitar

Akai G-Drive D2G distortion box with full pre- and post-distortion EQ (ext) - great design concept. Jan 31, 2002

DI preamps and amp simulators (some amp sim, few effects)

Marshall Direct-Recording Preamp DRP-1
Morley - JD-10
Hughes & Kettner Tubeman Plus - tube preamp with speaker simulation
PAiA - Stack-In-A-Box - tube preamp with speaker simulation
LXH2 amp and cabinet simulator - schematic
Replicator - general gear sampler/emulator

Preamp/processors (a few distortions, some amp sim)

DigiTech 2120 (2101, 2112) preamp/fx-processor with speaker simulator
Peavey and Rocktron preamp/processors support eq before distortion
Rocktron - Prophecy
Rocktron - Taboo
Rocktron - VooDu Valve
Rocktron - Chameleon
Rocktron - GAP1 and Pro-GAP
Zoom - 505 Guitar MultiFX, 510 Dual Power Driver OD/Dist
Zoom - 505 MKII
Zoom - 506 MK II - bass processor

Amp emulators (dial-an-amp, few effects)

Tech 21 - SansAmp
Zoom - GM-200 Guitar Amp Modeler
Zoom - 503 Amp Simulator
CB Labs - PRX-902 Amp Emulator
Ibanez - VA3 Virtual Amp

Amp-modelling processors (dial-an-amp, heavy effects)

Amp-modelling processors
These products should be redesigned to integrate a power tube and load, for even better sound
Categorizing preamps, distortion pedals, and amp-modelling processors
BOSS - GP-20 Amp Factory - Jan 2001
DigiTech - Genesis3 - Jan 2001
DigiTech - GNX1 - Jan 2001
Line 6 - POD Processor - GUI-programmable
Line 6 - Bass POD Pro
Johnson - J-Station Guitar Amp Modeller - GUI-programmable
Yamaha - DG-1000
Digitech - RP14D amp modelling fx processor
Digitech - RP2000 amp modelling fx processor
Digitech - RP100
Zoom - GFX-8 - GUI-programmable floor unit
Zoom - GFX-4 - floor processor with VAMS, new 1/2001
Korg - AX1000G modelling processor
Korg - AX100G modelling processor (ext)
DOD - GS30 and Bass30 amp modelling processors
Roland - COSM amp modelling (VG-8, GP-100, VS-880, BOSS GT-5)
Roland - GP-100
BOSS - GT-5
Additional preamps or multiFX claiming amp or speaker simulation, other products

Modelling amps

If you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard knowledge throughout the industry.

Modelling amps
Online research page for "amp modelling" or "modelling amps"

Analog controlled, discrete solid-state modelling amps:
Tech 21 - Trademark 60, Trademark 10

Digitally controlled discrete solid-state modelling amps:
Peavey - Transformer solid-state modelling amp
Fender - Cyber-Twin

Digitally controlled DSP-algorithm modelling amps:
Line 6 - AX2, AxSys
Line 6 - Flextone
Johnson - Millennium - button-based interface
Johnson - Marquis - easier, less expensive, knob-based interface
Johnson - Mirage - easiest, least expensive, knob-based interface
Crate - DX112/DXJ112, DX212
Hughes & Kettner - Zentera
Rocktron - RepliTone
Yamaha - DG100
Roland VGA-7 V-Guitar

Digitally controlled, power-tube signal-processing modelling amps:

Designers should incorporate an actual power tube (not 12AX7) and dummy load in the signal processing stage, perhaps using Power Scaling to run the tube cool.

VOX - Valvetronix AD60VT, AD120VT -- Product announced around July 2001.   Page created Aug. 22, 2001, updated July 29, 2006: Added a summary of how the Valvetronix amp needs to be improved for next-generation valve-based modelling technology.   Added criticism of the power-tube distortion sound resulting from a 12AX7 preamp tube.

Flat amps for amp-modelling processors

Tech21 - Power Engine
Budda - Slavemaster - rack format, built-in attenuator, DI out, fx loop, hi-power In jack and inst-level In

Quiet cranked-amp tone

If you find this information useful, please mention Amptone.com so other people learn this information and it becomes standard knowledge throughout the industry.

Practical ways to get authentic, authoritative cranked-amp tone with minimal noise leakage

The ideal approach is to create a permanent setup of a double-layered guitar speaker isolation cabinet in another room, or a super-insulated closet in another room.  The most ideal would be a small massive concrete or brick room with inner insulation on the surfaces.  Purchase one or two guitar speakers dedicated to this isolation booth and one or two guitar-cab mics dedicated to this isolation booth.   The ideal is a booth large enough to roll in a 4x12 cab and mic setups, with breathing room for the speakers.   Run permanent cables between your control room/performance space and the remote isolation booth: one speaker cable and two mic cables.

When using a remote multimiked speaker isolation cab, which is the only way to get authoritative cranked-amp Rock guitar tone quietly, you end up with three cables running off into the distance, from the control room/performance area.  These form an abstract transducer processing module, converting a high-power signal as the input signal, to a complexly smoothed and complexly distorted multimiked output signal which you can then blend and equalize at the mixer.

Be sure to put an equalizer on either side of this speaker-mic transducer processing module: one equalizer (such as a guitar amp's bass, mid, and treble controls) before the power amplifier that's driving the guitar speaker, and one equalizer (such as the mixer's bass, mid, and treble controls) after the mics -- just as you should bracket *any* major distortion stage with equalizers, one before and one after.

A minimal approach is to place an isolation box over a miked combo amp in the same room or put the miked combo or cab in a closet as a makeshift iso booth. Best is a many-layer isolation booth in a distant room.

It is a practical idea to keep a good power attenuator such as the THD Hot Plate in between whatever amplifier you use to drive the guitar speaker, and the guitar speaker.  This can be used to incrementally reduce the volume late at night (alas, reducing the amount of highly desirable, even though subtle, speaker distortion).   A power attenuator also enables using a 100-watt amp to drive a 25-watt guitar speaker without blowing up the speaker too soon.

You should purchase extra guitar speakers, because speakers are like tubes and guitar strings: they regularly break when pushed into their interesting, nonlinear range.

You can also use a muffled guitar speaker without a cab or mics, or in a face-down cab, just to load the amp -- but the Weber MASS may be a less expensive and more ergonomic solution; it's a power attenuator using an actual guitar speaker, without surface, as the dummy load component.   It has tone controls on the line-level Out jack.

For a further tonal compromise, using no actual guitar speakers, but still obtaining power-tube saturation, use a dummy load then a guitar speaker cab simulator.  Power attenuators always have a dummy load component, and typically *don't* have a built-in guitar speaker cab simulator.

Problem of loudness being tied to Tone

5-watt tube amps are still as loud as a trumpet! 50 mW is needed for 1/8 the volume of 50 W
A 15 watt combo amp is not "low power"; it's very loud when driving a full-sized cabinet
Power tube wattage
"Just turn up the amp" is an impractical way of getting great Tone
Plugging straight into the amp is simple but too loud
Champ mods, Kendrick attenuator, Tone Pump, why 5 watt amp is ideal

Approaches

Pros and cons of various approaches to cranked tube amp tone
7 Approaches to Power Tube Saturation at Low Room Noise Levels - updated Aug. 2, 2006
A good setup for bell-like power tube tone at low volume

Product ideas

Amptone.com Virtual Store
Designers and product managers, read this feedback about new equipment needs
Innovative combinations of gear; keeping the gear industry thriving and innovative
Product ideas for quiet cranked-amp tone; inductive loads
Quiet cranked amp tone; product ideas; post-amp effects
Guitar stores: lack of awareness and promotion of products for quiet cranked-amp tone
The huge market for low-watt power tube products
Programmable Rig Design: eq/distFX->tubeamp->iso.cab->timeFX
1999 NAMM wish-list for quiet cranked-amp tone
A gear-design mentality for guitarists

Adding a low-wattage power tube

Circuit using a preamp tube as a low-watt power tube
Amp modelling is an advance but need to integrate a power tube in