Vesperado
Active Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 339
- Reaction score
- 156
These last few days I've had the opportunity to pull out every stompbox I own to put them in front of the TSL, so see if I could better ascertain what works and what doesn't.
In short, the best results were had with boosts and EQs, only particular stompboxes played nice with the amp.
During the winter break I re-voiced the Clean Channel using a quad of H75s and a T75 UK. However, having reverted back to the UK T75s and acquiring a C12NH 75, the clean is more "finicky". Although it can take stompboxes, to my taste they get colored too much, leaving the sound rather compressed and "picky". I might go back in and re-voice the channel afresh, but aside from this the channel sounds fine on its own. So I have decided to not employ any stompboxes over the Clean.
What seems to work best is setting up the drives with the Gain set on a light to moderate crunch and then, depending on the guitar pickup, either employing a boost, an EQ, or a stompbox. The TSL is rather particular to what you put before it, at volume one buffer has a different signature than that of another. Likewise, one stomp may blend better than another. I do not have an elaborate collection of dirt, but what I have found to work best were these:
ASAT Classic USA -
Crunch, Low-Gain: Ibanez TS9 with 33n, Maxon ST9Pro+ on 18V and Modern, Maxon VOP9 on 9V, Yamaha GE-100 @ 15V, Biyang EQ7 @ 15V
Lead: none, MFDs are too noisy
PRS SC-250 USA w/ Musiclily Ceramics -
Crunch, High-Gain: GMR Spares BC Dallas with a 7-11n input, Biyang EQ7 @ 15V, Barber Launch Pad
Lead: Biyang EQ7 @ 15V, Barber Launch Pad
A Buffered Boost provides the most saturated tone through the amp (think fuzzy and big bottom), an EQ a "hot crunch" tone (strings are more controlled and tight), a Treble Booster a "rock tone" (nasty mids), and a Tube Screamer type the notorious Tube Screamer tone (go figure).
Any other combination doesn't work very well or doesn't blend with the amp's character. The TSL is pure Marshall tone!
There are (3) options for dialing in a clean for those who really want to get their favorite pedals to play as best as they can on this amp, there is Clean Normal, Clean Mid Boost (disengages Mid control), and the Crunch with the Gain set low. This affords the user three separate tone stacks. But what I have determined is this amp likes to be *blasted* from the front and cannot be used as a pedal-platform. I have pedals which are great and work with ease on my BH15H, but do not, simply do not work well with the TSL. It is what it is. Be that as it may, I can get any sound I desire from the Drives, either dry or boosted, so there really is no need to fret over my pedal collection which is reserved for my pedal-platform amp anyways.
BTW, a stock TSL is a different story altogether. I would advise getting that resolved.
In short, the best results were had with boosts and EQs, only particular stompboxes played nice with the amp.
During the winter break I re-voiced the Clean Channel using a quad of H75s and a T75 UK. However, having reverted back to the UK T75s and acquiring a C12NH 75, the clean is more "finicky". Although it can take stompboxes, to my taste they get colored too much, leaving the sound rather compressed and "picky". I might go back in and re-voice the channel afresh, but aside from this the channel sounds fine on its own. So I have decided to not employ any stompboxes over the Clean.
What seems to work best is setting up the drives with the Gain set on a light to moderate crunch and then, depending on the guitar pickup, either employing a boost, an EQ, or a stompbox. The TSL is rather particular to what you put before it, at volume one buffer has a different signature than that of another. Likewise, one stomp may blend better than another. I do not have an elaborate collection of dirt, but what I have found to work best were these:
ASAT Classic USA -
Crunch, Low-Gain: Ibanez TS9 with 33n, Maxon ST9Pro+ on 18V and Modern, Maxon VOP9 on 9V, Yamaha GE-100 @ 15V, Biyang EQ7 @ 15V
Lead: none, MFDs are too noisy
PRS SC-250 USA w/ Musiclily Ceramics -
Crunch, High-Gain: GMR Spares BC Dallas with a 7-11n input, Biyang EQ7 @ 15V, Barber Launch Pad
Lead: Biyang EQ7 @ 15V, Barber Launch Pad
A Buffered Boost provides the most saturated tone through the amp (think fuzzy and big bottom), an EQ a "hot crunch" tone (strings are more controlled and tight), a Treble Booster a "rock tone" (nasty mids), and a Tube Screamer type the notorious Tube Screamer tone (go figure).
Any other combination doesn't work very well or doesn't blend with the amp's character. The TSL is pure Marshall tone!
There are (3) options for dialing in a clean for those who really want to get their favorite pedals to play as best as they can on this amp, there is Clean Normal, Clean Mid Boost (disengages Mid control), and the Crunch with the Gain set low. This affords the user three separate tone stacks. But what I have determined is this amp likes to be *blasted* from the front and cannot be used as a pedal-platform. I have pedals which are great and work with ease on my BH15H, but do not, simply do not work well with the TSL. It is what it is. Be that as it may, I can get any sound I desire from the Drives, either dry or boosted, so there really is no need to fret over my pedal collection which is reserved for my pedal-platform amp anyways.
BTW, a stock TSL is a different story altogether. I would advise getting that resolved.
And with different cabs you get different signatures, too!
