Question for Brad
Moderator: Dave Mudgett
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Randy Cook
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- Joined: 28 Nov 2003 1:01 am
- Location: Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA
- State/Province: West Virginia
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Question for Brad
You have mentioned mid-range dip in a number of threads recently. Can you elaborate on this? I have found that with my Nashville 400 I have to roll off all of the mids to get the sound I like. It also seems that most steel players tend to cut back on the mids? I have just purchased a mod kit but it has not been installed. Any comments?
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Brad Sarno
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- Joined: 18 Dec 2000 1:01 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO USA
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Well pretty much all guitar amps have a midrange dip. It's part of the amp's voicing. Electric guitar pickups are very midrangy and if your EQ is just flat, the sound may be too nasaly or barky. By dipping the midrange, you clear out the harsh stuff and bring out the fullness of the low end and the clarity of the high end. All amps have different approaches to achieving this mid dip. Modern Fenders (after the mid '50s or so) have a very strong mid dip that kind of moves around depending on where the treble knob is set. Marshalls are just Fender copies so they have a vintage Fender dip. Webbs have a GIGANTIC dip at 550Hz which is their signature sound (tone selector knob set at #2). Evans amps vary a bit, but they generally have a dip around 500Hz but if you add more "depth" the mid dip scoots on up to around 800Hz or so. Vintage Peaveys like the Session or LTD have a dip around 800Hz if you set the knobs at noon, but you can sweep it around to taste. Modern Peaveys, I believe, are flat at noon, but you can cut mids at a whole range of frequencies as well. The new Fender Steel King also has a wide range of control.
The circuits used to achieve the "dip" vary widely. The Fender tonestack is very popular in amp design. Many of the old Sho-Bud amps used the Fender tonestack. Webb is different in that it has a circuit that creates the dip, and then a whole other section that gives you bass, mid, and treble control. The Webb is unique in that the dip stays put at 550hz. The Evans achieves the sweeping of the mid frequency by having the "depth" control. This is actually a boost at 250Hz or so. By adding that to the Bass control, it thickens up the lower range and that mid dip rolls on up higher. Very cool design.
People seem to prefer the sound of the passive circuits like the Webb, Sho-Bud, vintage Fender, vintage Peavey, and Evans. The modern amps with active EQ circuits are more flexible, but they sacrifice a tonal purity that you hear in the classic circuits. The modern active circuits involve far more components and clutter and by the time your signal has passed thru it all, you've lost a bit of detail and dimension for the sake of flexibility. For my taste, it's really hard to beat the classic Fender tonestack like that found in a Twin or Showman or Bassman.
Brad Sarno www.steelguitarblackbox.com
St. Louis, MO
The circuits used to achieve the "dip" vary widely. The Fender tonestack is very popular in amp design. Many of the old Sho-Bud amps used the Fender tonestack. Webb is different in that it has a circuit that creates the dip, and then a whole other section that gives you bass, mid, and treble control. The Webb is unique in that the dip stays put at 550hz. The Evans achieves the sweeping of the mid frequency by having the "depth" control. This is actually a boost at 250Hz or so. By adding that to the Bass control, it thickens up the lower range and that mid dip rolls on up higher. Very cool design.
People seem to prefer the sound of the passive circuits like the Webb, Sho-Bud, vintage Fender, vintage Peavey, and Evans. The modern amps with active EQ circuits are more flexible, but they sacrifice a tonal purity that you hear in the classic circuits. The modern active circuits involve far more components and clutter and by the time your signal has passed thru it all, you've lost a bit of detail and dimension for the sake of flexibility. For my taste, it's really hard to beat the classic Fender tonestack like that found in a Twin or Showman or Bassman.
Brad Sarno www.steelguitarblackbox.com
St. Louis, MO