Grateful Dead Music Forum

Tacosauce wrote: ↑Wed Apr 09, 2025 5:02 pm Sorry man, I think you’re still misunderstanding- the spectrum works fine. It’s the mesa boogie that I’m having issues with when I run it through the McIntosh. Only get a signal out of one channel, even though I have speaker cabs hooked up to both.

Yes, I understand you have no problem with the Spectrum. Brad has tons of experience with Jerry rigs and might be able to help with the Boogie issue as well. Maybe some quirk with the Mac he has seen before.

Yea, I’ll reach out and see if he has any suggestions.

Finally got around to taking some pics of the spectrum guts. Had to switch reverb tanks- I bought one of those Waldo spec’d ones and traded it out with the tank that came with the Spectrum but decided to go back to the original tank. Feel like I get more of a sweep with the one Brad included.

mkaufman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 10, 2025 5:06 am

Tacosauce wrote: ↑Wed Apr 09, 2025 5:02 pm Sorry man, I think you’re still misunderstanding- the spectrum works fine. It’s the mesa boogie that I’m having issues with when I run it through the McIntosh. Only get a signal out of one channel, even though I have speaker cabs hooked up to both.

Do both Boogie speaker outputs work independently (ie: one at a time)?

ace

Yea, when I run the Boogie by itself (using the pre and power amp), I can get a signal out of any of the speaker outputs. But if I use it with the MC2300 for the power amp, then the speakers are connected to the McIntosh (but I still have to connect a cab to the Boogie for a dummy load).

Maybe the dummy load is knocking out a channel?

ace

mkaufman wrote: ↑Tue Apr 15, 2025 5:18 pm Maybe the dummy load is knocking out a channel?

ace

Yea, that might be it. But —- and I am no wiz when it comes to this sort of stuff — if I’m using the pre amp tap on the Boogie, wouldn’t the signal not even make it to the power amp/output jack on the Boogie?

Next time I’m able to mess around with the set up I’m going to try and use the other pre amp tap, the one that’s on the underside of the chassis.

Using dummy loads isn’t my area of expertise for sure, so if anyone has ideas for this, please speak up. The back of the amp has one 8ohm and two 4ohm output jacks.

Thanks for the photos. Every wire, connection and part is thought out to the nth degree, a work of art.

I’m thinking about the latest comments to make sure I understand them. The pre amp out under the chassis should fix one problem. I checked the manual and using it will interrupt the signal between the pre amp and power amp. Matches my experience. The back panel pre amp out/ power amp in does not cut signal to the power amp. Of course, you still need a speaker or dummy load connected to the speaker jack.

Can’t see how this will solve the one sided Mac issue, hope it might. Maybe the signal level has something to do with it. The pre amp out signal is very hot and is not the same as a guitar effects signal. The Spectrum output should be standard.

Another option if the under chassis jack does not fix the one side issue. If you haven’t already tried it. Use one connection into the Mac, not stereo. Per the MC2300 manual, put signal to the right/mono input the push the stereo/mono switch up. Both channels should be driven by the right input.

Are the same speakers used for both preamps?

Tacosauce wrote: ↑Tue Apr 15, 2025 12:21 pm Yea, I’ll reach out and see if he has any suggestions.

Had to switch reverb tanks- I bought one of those Waldo spec’d ones and traded it out with the tank that came with the Spectrum but decided to go back to the original tank. Feel like I get more of a sweep with the one Brad included.

"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"

Sweet photos! Here's a BYOC Fender "clone" of a switchable Champ/Deluxe I built from their kit about 15 years ago:

How do you like the BYOC amp? Do they provide all the parts? Is it mounted as a head or combo?

tx,
ace

TI4-1009 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 1:00 pm

Tacosauce wrote: ↑Tue Apr 15, 2025 12:21 pm Yea, I’ll reach out and see if he has any suggestions.

Had to switch reverb tanks- I bought one of those Waldo spec’d ones and traded it out with the tank that came with the Spectrum but decided to go back to the original tank. Feel like I get more of a sweep with the one Brad included.

"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"

Sweet photos! Here's a BYOC Fender "clone" of a switchable Champ/Deluxe I built from their kit about 15 years ago:

Yea, lol. Brad knows what the hell he’s doing, shouldn’t have doubted his choice.

And that’s a cool build. I wish I had the knowledge (and the tools) to do something like that.

Finally got an email from Brad that I'm at the top of list and he needs to know from me soon. Have never used rack mount stuff, that's why I didn't ever get a SMS classic pre. Then the Spectrum came along...

Questions for @cyrusj83 & @Tacosauce or anyone who has the Spectrum and has/had the SMS pre. Is the tone that much different between the two, how would you describe it? Is the Spectrum really clean/hifi? I like a nice clean platform, then let the pedals & hands do the rest of the shaping. But I don't want something too clean if that makes sense. Any other info anyone wants to share would be appreciated. Thanks

I think it's got more sizzle than the SMS CTP (I don't like calling the "CTP" then "SMS" because both the CTP and the Spec are SMS but I digress).

The story I always tell is that I got the CTP, then a few weeks later I played my buddy's vintage 65 TR with gray D-120's and I'd never heard that sound before. Better than my Twin reissue (even when plugged into JBL's), better than my FYD TRP, and better than the CTP. It had character to the tone, some sizzle, but was so clean. And I don't mean "clean" like "it doesn't overdrive at all;" I mean "clean" like it was clear, airy, assertive, etc. Therefore I took a chance on the Spectrum.

Then when I got the Spec, I got that sound again. It definitely overdrives around 7 but it's clear, hi-fi, etc. I don't have enough superlatives in my vocabulary for it.

I think the high voltage and the spring reverb make a huge difference over the CTP. Like, HUGE. I sold my CTP basically immediately after I got my Spec, and I finally sold my FYD a month or so ago. The Spec is everything I need.

franklins_timmy wrote: ↑Mon May 12, 2025 12:14 pm Finally got an email from Brad that I'm at the top of list and he needs to know from me soon. Have never used rack mount stuff, that's why I didn't ever get a SMS classic pre. Then the Spectrum came along...

Questions for @cyrusj83 & @Tacosauce or anyone who has the Spectrum and has/had the SMS pre. Is the tone that much different between the two, how would you describe it? Is the Spectrum really clean/hifi? I like a nice clean platform, then let the pedals & hands do the rest of the shaping. But I don't want something too clean if that makes sense. Any other info anyone wants to share would be appreciated. Thanks

I was using the CTP w/Jerry mods before switching to the Spectrum. Main reasons for the change (other than the sheer awesomeness of this amp) were the spring reverb and the master and gain knobs. I never used the digital reverb on the CTP — I put a Surfy Bear tank in front of it, but got tired of having to lug that extra piece of gear to gigs, and the space it took.

And the master and gain knobs allow for greater tone shaping. You can still dial in as much clean as needed, or add grit easily without pedals.

My advice- buy the Spectrum if you can afford it, and if you don’t like it you can easily resell it. I’ve seen one come up for sale on Reverb since they’ve been available and it lasted all of like 2 days if I remember correctly.

Sean

I've been eyeing the Spectrum. I am on the hunt for one preamp that can be used for bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. The V8 was the one I thought I'd get, until I saw the Spectrum.

Any idea how this would work for instruments other than just electric guitar?

jackevorkian wrote: ↑Wed May 14, 2025 6:18 pm I've been eyeing the Spectrum. I am on the hunt for one preamp that can be used for bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. The V8 was the one I thought I'd get, until I saw the Spectrum.

Any idea how this would work for instruments other than just electric guitar?

Can’t speak to how it sounds with a bass, but I play my acoustics through the Spectrum on occasion and it sounds fantastic.