Clean options

I've got a stock clean module. I play clean a good bit with picked, palm muted chords but no blues solos. I figured the Texas Special was the mod for me, but the Vybe Deluxe is getting a lot of praise. I have a VoxLess which has a bit to much gain to be my clean-clean, I use it for DC30 crunch. Would I be in a similar situation with the Vybe or can it stay clean pretty high on the gain dial like the stock clean?

Dude if your looking for a pure clean as pure as clean can get the JF Superclean is your module.. although if you dial it right it can get a little over driven but with 90% of the settings anyone could use its a pure sparkling clean.. I have Loved it since i got it and have never even thought about anything else for clean it does it and you'll find nothing cleaner!
-mp-

JF Superclean is the best. I'm constantly getting compliments on how good my clean tone is when I play out and that's coming from guys who are some of the best players in my town.
Loves pedals too.

The Super Clean is certainly going to be a fantastic "pure" clean with just a little hair if you try. The Vybe Deluxe is a classic warm, big Fender clean. It has sag and roundness to all the notes and two modes that add varying degrees of hair to it. Far more clean headroom than a Voxless. The Texas Special is going to be closer to the Vybe than the Super Clean, but a little cleaner, much bolder, and strident. Think Fender Twin or Mesa Lonestar.

All three would impress I'm sure. They got a TON of love and attention all weekend at the NY Amp Show. Regardless of the player, everyone from metal-heads to insanely good jazz/fusion/blues players loved those three.

Hope that helps!
Rob

I had the rare opportunity to play a Texas Special and Super Clean side by side and, while both are stellar modules with tons of variety, chose the RVerb.

Many discount this module because they aren't quite sure what it is. What it is is AWESOME!

Now, I will admit, I'm not much of a clean guy, but I do appreciate great clean tone as much as any great tone. What I love about the RVerb is that the clean tone rivals the best clean tone out there, but it can also get very dirty and has a very unique eq voicing that makes it one of a kind.

Rob can feel free to chime in

I just thought I'd add some confusion to your decision making process LOL

Good Luck, you can't go wrong either way

H

If you're having a hard time getting a clean sound our of the Voxless, I would say the Vybe is probably not going to be your thing. I love it, but really prefer the edge of breakup tones I'm getting from it. You can get a great clean tone out of it, but I find I have to tweak the rest of my rig to much to make it work just right, and that screws with the mods in the other slots.

I also have a Texas special, and Rob's description is 100% accurate. It's just a BOLDER, less scooped, more in your face kind of sound. It seems to really like my Strat for some reason, it's my go to mod for cleanish "in between" tones.

I think what you really want is a Super Clean, I've developed a whole new level of appreciation for mine lately. The switches really offer a lot of useable options, as far as tone, and more importantly....FEEL. It also takes pedals exceedingly well if that's your thing, a TS type pedal with the mid bump is a really great combo with it.

You really can't go wrong with any of them, but if "pure clean" is what you're after...Super Clean all the way.

Thanks for all the input! I've also got a Brit based donor I'm weighing options for and thought I'd ask a related question. I use an RM4 feeding a couple different power sections. My Clean, Mr Scary, Mark X and Grail mods use a Mesa Simul-Class 395 power amp with four 6L6s per channel (lots of headroom.) My Voxless, SL+ and XTC mods feed my Sound City L120 head's power section with it's Mullard EL34s and Partridge transformers.
The Sound City's preamp is a noisy active design, but I was thinking Rob's HW-103 mod feeding the power section would comprise a pretty authentic Hiwatt rig. Can the HW-103 stay clean running up the gain, or is it more similar to the Voxless gain range I already have in that rig? I consider Hiwatts kind of the British version of a Twin Reverb if you don't drive it with something, but less scooped and better for the palm muted "Run Like Hell" stuff.

Personally, I think the stock Clean is a great module. I have lots of modded clean modules and the Clean is still among the best. Put a 5751 in the first position and it is even better.
A lot of clean modules break up quickly - the clean doesn't. Plus it has a good deep bass. I find the Super Clean great for a Strat.

A 5751 in V1 of the Voxless will also tame the gain making it easier to get clean tones. My Voxless is COMPLETELY clean the way I set it up and I use it for the clean channel in my EL34 amp.
I use a Texas Special for my 6L6 clean channel. Again, completely clean.
The Super Clean didn't have any mojo for me. Kind of like a Roland JC-120.
Very clean, but no character.
I really need to try out a Vybe Deluxe.

I have the VoxLess and the SuperClean (Plus the Texas Special, Twin, Legacy) and all have different flavors of clean. I personally love the SuperClean b/c it sounds like the old Roland JC-120 with a really nice tube warmth to it. If I need a Chorused clean sound, that is my number one choice. When I hear someone talking about "clean" I am not sure what they mean anymore as every era has a different kind of clean sound