what mod to do?

[mikeosoft]

Hi,
I got a RM50 with a Treadplate and a Top Boost modules. I like them both but would like to know if they can sound better.

First of all, I don't see the Treadplate module in this forum mentionned very often. Is this a good module? I also look for a Grail tone which I never heard but many people who know my tastes says I would like it. Should I sell the Treadplate to buy a Grail or the two sounds would not overlap on each others?

The Top Boost is very cool but the gain need to be very low to get a good clean. Also I would like to know if there's a mod to make it better sounding.

So what mods are you suggesting me?
Can I do the mods myself or they need to be done by a professional?

Thank you

 

[Hamner1]

GrailTone & Grail are 2 different mods. GrailTone is a modded module by Rob at Jaded Faith to capture/emulate early EVH tone. The Grail is a stock Randall module that is in the Mesa territory of tone. So 1st would be to determine which tone you were referring to, EVH/Marshall/80's metal or the modern metal tone along the lines of the Mesa?

If you are handy with soldering on circut boards, you could mod the modules yourself. Part of the benefit of having the pro modders do the work, is they have spent countless hours testing various circuits & values to get the mod to sound the way they or the cusomer intended. However if you are happy with the tone of the stock mod & just need a little tweak, there are documented mods to add/reduce gain or tweak the tone stack. The other option, if you are happy with the stock tone, would be to have the modder do the standard Base Mod.

 

[mikeosoft]

I was refering to the modern mesa sound.

 

[Mattfig]

There are some great options from our modders...

Salvation Dreadplate, Mamba, MambaSE, DeadPlate, and certain Salvado Dlxs (with extra voicing toggle) + MarkUS
Jaded Faith Erect, Snakebite, Venom + MarkX
Egnater ERECT
Voodoo Amps does a cool recto
Sacred Groove has the Diablo

What did I miss?

 

[SacredGroove]

Hi,
I got a RM50 with a Treadplate and a Top Boost modules. I like them both but would like to know if they can sound better.

First of all, I don't see the Treadplate module in this forum mentionned very often. Is this a good module? I also look for a Grail tone which I never heard but many people who know my tastes says I would like it. Should I sell the Treadplate to buy a Grail or the two sounds would not overlap on each others?

The Top Boost is very cool but the gain need to be very low to get a good clean. Also I would like to know if there's a mod to make it better sounding.

So what mods are you suggesting me?
Can I do the mods myself or they need to be done by a professional?

Thank you

The Grail has a slight mid boost compared to the TreadPlate. You can cure that with a 500pF cap at C14.

The Top Boost can be gained down by populating R7. The documented mod calls for a 100k resistor (1/4W or 1/2W). If it's still too much gain then try a lower value, like 56k or somewhere in between.

These mods are fairly simple, but much caution should be taken to not damage any part of the board or other components, otherwise, you could be sending to someone else to fix it and do the mod. :wink:

 

[Whoopysnorp]

That can't be the only difference between the Grail and the Treadplate, can it? When I had the opportunity to try both, they sounded very different to me.

 

[SacredGroove]

That can't be the only difference between the Grail and the Treadplate, can it? When I had the opportunity to try both, they sounded very different to me.

C14 is the biggest difference between the TreadPlate and Grail. C14 is the Treble cap in the tone stack. If both modules had the same Treble cap they would sound nearly identical. I just modded one of each and it's still kinda fresh in my mind. :wink:

 

[ricky]

I had my treadplate modded by JF into the Mark X....lots of cool Mesa tones there. It oringiannly sounded kind of "hollow."
I highly recommend his VoxLess also. It turns the Top Boost into Vox AC30 AND a Matchless DC30.
Someone mentioned a base mod. I have had a few of them done and Rob is definitely my fave for those. He takes modules that sound kind of OK and then makes them kick ***. All for around $100

 

[mikeosoft]

There's some cool suggestions out here.
I read in here that Treadplates users find the sound somewhat unprecise in the lows. I thought the Grail was the response to the problem but if changing only one component is producing the same sound, it's not worth buying the Grail then.

Also, I'm kind of new to modding modules. What base mod means?

Ricky, what mod from Rob do you think I should get?

It's a lot of options! How guys do you know if the mod will suit your tastes before doing it?

Thank you

 

[Mattfig]

There's a Deadplate in the classifieds for 280....

I've had most of Rob's and Anthony's Mesa mods and you can't go wrong with any of them....Nor Scott's or Trace's....

 

[ricky]

I would suggest going to Rob's web page

http://jadedfaithmods.com/ and look and listen

Remember that he can turn your two modules into most anything else. I don't know what styles you play so I don't know which mods woould be best for you. I have my favorites of course, but they may be different than yours. What I like is to be able to think about my all time favorite amps in my life, and then be able to have them.
My favorite is the JF RVerb (Orange Rocker Verb0 but even though I think it is the coolest sound, I rarely am in a situation where I can use it. Sometimes I just play it all by myself. I have mods that are much more practical for me like the base modded Tweed or his Dumble Overdrive. But I do get calls where I get to use the Mesa mods, etc. and it is great to have them on hand.

 

[mikeosoft]

The best would be the most versatile the better, because most of what I play is metal, rock and alternative. You can think of red, disciple, jesus culture, chris tomlin and the modern christian worship so I need to have some crunchy tones.
I also have some folks occasionally who comes at home to record their songs, so having a lot of different tones would be great.
With the top boost, I am able to get a clean, a crunch and a good rock distorted tones that completes the treadplate with a more distorted and compressed tone. I would like to keep this versatility but gain more precision, especially for the treadplate. The top boost is good but if it can be better, it's'all good.
Ah another thing, I was searching a tone like a fender twin amp on the crunch channel but all I find is modules for clean fender. I never heard a sound like that with plenty of bass and tight precision. What you suggest?
Thank you all!

 

[ricky]

The Fender Twin was known to be super clean and not break up. I Have an old one in the garage and it is loud as hell but no distortion what so ever. If you want a Fender that breaks up, get a base modded Deluxe or Tweed. I also have Robs Vybe and it is a killer. I hear great things about Rob's Plexi/Tweed mod, but do not own one. When you say versatile, do you mean one that can go from clean to full on gain?

 

[Whoopysnorp]

I think he's probably referring to one of the modern Twin reissues that includes a gain channel. I've never heard how the gain channel sounds on one of those amps, so I can't comment on that, but my Voodoo Twin will get real crunchy if you want it to, and sound great doing it.

 

[ricky]

I also have a VooDoo Twin from Trace and it does have a crunch to it, but it never sounded like a real twin. It is missing that high end really warm spank and sparkle that the real deal has. I am thinking of sending it on to Rob and see if he can do something with it. At any rate, I would never consider a twin a versatile amp or mod.

 

[mikeosoft]

This amp has another channel giving a great crunch overdrive rock sound.

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/top40powertrio/DSCN6981_zps5584a2fd.jpg

When I say versatile, I mean to be able to play a lot of music styles and having the right tone for it. It was not intended to be only on one module.

Thank you

 

[Ulf]

I'd say... if you can get your hand on a cheap Grail, get it. I think it is a good stocker, add a tight switch and it is even better. Cheapest solution.