Salvation LoneClean and JF Blackface mods

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audiomidijace

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I have (2) RM50 combs that I play in stereo. Amp 1 has 6L6s and Amp 2 has EL-34s. I purchased a Salvation LoneClean a while back and I'd been using it in the 6L6 amp as it sounded better to me. Just this week I received a JF Blackface mod as well. So I've been moving them around and such. I'm such an idiot that I hadn't even noticed the very well labeled Warm/Crystal switch on the inside of the LoneClean module! :roll: It was a whole different module when I switched it to warm! Then I moved it to the EL-34 amp where it has found its home. SO much nicer. I still think the LoneClean breaks up a little too easy though. I can never seem to get the hair off of the top of the tone.
The JF Blackface mod has a push/pull for Bassman tone. This one now lives in the 6L6 amp in Bassman mode with very low gain settings for clean sounds. It is MUCH fuller sounding then my old stock TWEED or Blackface modules. But again, too much gain!
I've tried every clean module available and I still can't get a really "Solid" clean sound. I have many guitars with low, med and high output pickups, but I'm still not feeling it in my guts. It's nice. In stereo it sounds pretty **** good, but I just can't get a solid OD-100 style clean tone.
 
This might sound completely obvious, but for max headroom peg the master volumes on the module and poweramp section and use the pre-gain to control your output.

There could also be distortion contributors downstream in the poweramp and speakers. The density/presence controls are VERY powerful on these amps. Great for giving some thump/sparkle to low-volume tones, but should be dialed out at high volumes or else you can send too much highs/lows to the speaker.

Are your power tubes properly biased?

Finally, a speaker geared to cleaner sounds can be a critical component. EV's are really loud and add quite a bit of headroom while still handling distorted sounds well. Heavy suckers, though. Jensen Alnico-style speakers can sound fantastic clean but not so great distorted. The Classic Lead 80 is a good neutral sounding speaker that handles both well and I think is what Egnater uses in his Mod combos.

I'm considering getting one of these clean mods myself. Mind telling me if you have a preference for one over the other, and pros/cons of each?

Thanks!
Scott
 
KH1 is getting the clean for me. I run the gain at 10:00 and the channel vol at 2:00, but I'm also running a compressor in the loop. It does breakup with Duncan Blackouts and pretty hard too. But it's fine with my Gibson SG on the 490R (neck) and my Strat. Very clean with those. Very clean with my Mustang.

Nothing beats my Fender amp for cleans though.
 
..yeah I hear you on the LoneClean. I have had mine for a few months..and its a very good module but I will say this...it STILL distorts more than id like..and I wish it had more low end.
I do have it set up correctly for active pickups..and I send it active emg single coils..so I have taken alot of care in that regard.
But having owned some beautiful 1965 deluxe reverbs...I have been forever spoiled for THAT clean tone. I do have an excellent clean tone with the LoneClean..but maybe in future revisions maybe Anthony (salvation) can find a way to give us more low end at 160hz and more RANGE when it comes to the overdrive aspect.
GtrGeorge
 
scottro123 said:
This might sound completely obvious, but for max headroom peg the master volumes on the module and poweramp section and use the pre-gain to control your output.

There could also be distortion contributors downstream in the poweramp and speakers. The density/presence controls are VERY powerful on these amps. Great for giving some thump/sparkle to low-volume tones, but should be dialed out at high volumes or else you can send too much highs/lows to the speaker.

Are your power tubes properly biased?

Finally, a speaker geared to cleaner sounds can be a critical component. EV's are really loud and add quite a bit of headroom while still handling distorted sounds well. Heavy suckers, though. Jensen Alnico-style speakers can sound fantastic clean but not so great distorted. The Classic Lead 80 is a good neutral sounding speaker that handles both well and I think is what Egnater uses in his Mod combos.

I'm considering getting one of these clean mods myself. Mind telling me if you have a preference for one over the other, and pros/cons of each?

Thanks!
Scott

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! The LoneClean certainly has tons of tone options. Everyone should be able to get something they like out of it. It has a bit more midrange tone and gain then I'd like, but it's good. The JF Blackface mod was made specifically as a request for the original owner. It has the standard bright switch, but other then that it just has the push/pull on the gain knob for Blackface or Tweed. I actually prefer this module. The stock Blackface module is hands down my favorite stock , clean module so it's no surprise to me. Personally I think the rest of my issues lie with the power amp section and the speakers.
I'm considering just getting an OD-100SE+ or a Cameron and calling it a day.
Cheers,
Jace
 
That module was a specific request for it's original owner and is a little dirtier than I would normally make a straight up clean module. If you are in need of a sparkling clean tone hit me up and we can get you into something that meets your needs. A often overlooked module is the Clean, which can be a really beautiful clean tone with a little work. Plus they are dirt cheap!
 
Thanks for the info. I hope my previous post didn't read like I thought Salvation and Jadded Faith did bad mods. I think they both do great work!
 
scottro123 said:
This might sound completely obvious, but for max headroom peg the master volumes on the module and poweramp section and use the pre-gain to control your output.

There could also be distortion contributors downstream in the poweramp and speakers. The density/presence controls are VERY powerful on these amps. Great for giving some thump/sparkle to low-volume tones, but should be dialed out at high volumes or else you can send too much highs/lows to the speaker.

Are your power tubes properly biased?

Finally, a speaker geared to cleaner sounds can be a critical component. EV's are really loud and add quite a bit of headroom while still handling distorted sounds well. Heavy suckers, though. Jensen Alnico-style speakers can sound fantastic clean but not so great distorted. The Classic Lead 80 is a good neutral sounding speaker that handles both well and I think is what Egnater uses in his Mod combos.

I'm considering getting one of these clean mods myself. Mind telling me if you have a preference for one over the other, and pros/cons of each?

Thanks!
Scott
Scott,
I wanted to thank you for making me think about trying different things. After changing my gain structure and trying different modes I've become pretty happy with my clean sound. I've also found a preamp tube issue with the tubes inside my 6L6 combo. I have 3 new tubes on the way to replace them. After that I think everything will be fine. Thanks for all the comments everyone.
Cheers,
Jace
 
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