Jerry preamp shootout
PostPosted:Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:47 pm
We rustled up some Gearheads tonight to put a few guitars and Jerry-style amps through their paces. Ned and Keir from Gearheads came by, and Bob (Emoto) was there as well. Andrew (Capt. Rosebuddy) and Mike Young couldn't make it.
We had two of my cabinets, both by Hard Truckers:
2X12 with JBL E-120s
2X10 with JBL K-110s
We had:
Brad Sarno's new Classic SMS, which he was kind enough to loan us.
My Egnater M4 modular preamp with the Twin/Deluxe module.
My Fender Vibrolux reissue.
My super-secret new live rig (which I refuse to reveal until you can hear it first ... LOL)
We also had:
My Resurrection Tiger guitar with DiMarzio Super II's and Waldo's buffer
Bob's Fender Strat with DiMarzio DualSounds and Waldo's buffer
Keir's Phil Gawen Eagle guitar with DiMarzio Super II's and no buffer
Ned's Jackson with a Super II, a minihumbucker and something else that escapes me.
The preamps were played through the power section of my Acoustic Image Focus 2R head. The Vibrolux used its tube power section. My super-secret rig used ... well, I can't really reveal that, can I?
It was really interesting to hear all these amps; someone would plug in and start playing, and I would just pull the cords and switch preamps as we went.
The end result? Everything sounded really good, and really different. At one point, Keir looked around and said, "I wouldn't be unhappy with any of these as my setup."
He also said, "I think everything sounds better than my setup," but that's his problem
Hopefully, everybody else will chip in, but here are my impressions:
1) Brad's SMS: This preamp does a great Jerry-style Twin. It's as bright as you want it to be, you can dial in a little grit if you like, the tone controls are flexible, and the onboard digital reverb sounds nice. Played through the E-120s, to my ears, this absolutely knocks Jerry's tone from 76-78. There's something about the treble and the midrange and reverb, that immediately made me think of Jerry's tone from those great Winterland 10-78 soundboards. Dead-on. Really nice preamp, Brad. And, it's very lightweight and simple to use.
2) Egnater M4: I'm partial to and most familiar with this preamp, as it's been my live stage rig for a while now. Speaking only for the Twin/Deluxe module, the Twin side is all clean and headroom, although if you crank the gain it will compress a little bit. The Deluxe allows you to dial in a little bit of overdrive, which is where I like to play it. It's a little less trebly than Brad's SMS. More of a late 70s - early 80s vibe to it. Somewhere between a Twin and maybe the Boogie that Jerry used on that JGB release from Keane College from Feb. 1980.
3) Fender Vibrolux: This was the real surprise of the group; I only pulled it out because Ned couldn't bring his Trio and Andrew didn't make it with his Twin. I haven't used this amp much at all since 2004. But it was instantly the most "Fendery" of the bunch, that great, warm Fender sound. Clean and delicate, with a lot of sparkle to it. Sounds most like Jerry circa 1993, when he went to the Trio but before his tone thinned out so much. I always loved this amp, particularly through the K110s, and used it live in the beginning. It is probably the most pleasing heard on its own, but from experience, it's not that effective in the context of the band or mix, it tends to sound thin. This is, I think, because there's no dirt or "hair" to the tone, so it doesn't cut. Brad's preamp and the Egnater, they cut very well.
4) My new rig ... well. We won't go there just yet. Soon, though. I'm gigging with it Friday and next weekend. If it sounds like I think it will, I have a winner.
Another big surprise was the speakers ... the K110s sounded so sweet and warm compared to the E120s, which were a little bit harsh in comparison. The E120s didn't sound bad, it's just that the K110s sounded so damn gooooood. I never use them live, because they don't handle much power, and they are rare. I don't want to blow one. But they are just magical speakers. And, as I pointed out tonight, Jerry actually played through mine. Kind of (they were used as mid range drivers in the sound system at the US Festival in 82, that the Dead played at).
To sum up:
1) Brad's preamp is lightweight, and does the Jerry Twin vibe very nicely. It's priced very attractively, a snap to dial in, and it's nice that it has the onboard reverb. It's a great choice for a Jerry rig.
2) The Egnater, by virtue of its other modules, is very versatile, does a good Twin and gives you the ability to push the drive up on there if you want to. However, it's more than three times the price of Brad's preamp, and if you're just going after the Twin sound, it's more than you'd need. But if you want to do more than just Jerry with your rig, you can dial in about any Fender, Vox, Marshall or high-gain tone you can think of.
3) The Vibrolux has a beautiful tone, but doesn't cut well in a band situation, based on my personal experience.
If you blindfolded me, I would probably choose the Vibrolux through the K110s. And regret it when I played live with it.
Unblindfolded, you can't go wrong with any of the above, and Brad's preamp would make a worthy addition to anyone's rack.
We had two of my cabinets, both by Hard Truckers:
2X12 with JBL E-120s
2X10 with JBL K-110s
We had:
Brad Sarno's new Classic SMS, which he was kind enough to loan us.
My Egnater M4 modular preamp with the Twin/Deluxe module.
My Fender Vibrolux reissue.
My super-secret new live rig (which I refuse to reveal until you can hear it first ... LOL)
We also had:
My Resurrection Tiger guitar with DiMarzio Super II's and Waldo's buffer
Bob's Fender Strat with DiMarzio DualSounds and Waldo's buffer
Keir's Phil Gawen Eagle guitar with DiMarzio Super II's and no buffer
Ned's Jackson with a Super II, a minihumbucker and something else that escapes me.
The preamps were played through the power section of my Acoustic Image Focus 2R head. The Vibrolux used its tube power section. My super-secret rig used ... well, I can't really reveal that, can I?
It was really interesting to hear all these amps; someone would plug in and start playing, and I would just pull the cords and switch preamps as we went.
The end result? Everything sounded really good, and really different. At one point, Keir looked around and said, "I wouldn't be unhappy with any of these as my setup."
He also said, "I think everything sounds better than my setup," but that's his problem
Hopefully, everybody else will chip in, but here are my impressions:
1) Brad's SMS: This preamp does a great Jerry-style Twin. It's as bright as you want it to be, you can dial in a little grit if you like, the tone controls are flexible, and the onboard digital reverb sounds nice. Played through the E-120s, to my ears, this absolutely knocks Jerry's tone from 76-78. There's something about the treble and the midrange and reverb, that immediately made me think of Jerry's tone from those great Winterland 10-78 soundboards. Dead-on. Really nice preamp, Brad. And, it's very lightweight and simple to use.
2) Egnater M4: I'm partial to and most familiar with this preamp, as it's been my live stage rig for a while now. Speaking only for the Twin/Deluxe module, the Twin side is all clean and headroom, although if you crank the gain it will compress a little bit. The Deluxe allows you to dial in a little bit of overdrive, which is where I like to play it. It's a little less trebly than Brad's SMS. More of a late 70s - early 80s vibe to it. Somewhere between a Twin and maybe the Boogie that Jerry used on that JGB release from Keane College from Feb. 1980.
3) Fender Vibrolux: This was the real surprise of the group; I only pulled it out because Ned couldn't bring his Trio and Andrew didn't make it with his Twin. I haven't used this amp much at all since 2004. But it was instantly the most "Fendery" of the bunch, that great, warm Fender sound. Clean and delicate, with a lot of sparkle to it. Sounds most like Jerry circa 1993, when he went to the Trio but before his tone thinned out so much. I always loved this amp, particularly through the K110s, and used it live in the beginning. It is probably the most pleasing heard on its own, but from experience, it's not that effective in the context of the band or mix, it tends to sound thin. This is, I think, because there's no dirt or "hair" to the tone, so it doesn't cut. Brad's preamp and the Egnater, they cut very well.
4) My new rig ... well. We won't go there just yet. Soon, though. I'm gigging with it Friday and next weekend. If it sounds like I think it will, I have a winner.
Another big surprise was the speakers ... the K110s sounded so sweet and warm compared to the E120s, which were a little bit harsh in comparison. The E120s didn't sound bad, it's just that the K110s sounded so damn gooooood. I never use them live, because they don't handle much power, and they are rare. I don't want to blow one. But they are just magical speakers. And, as I pointed out tonight, Jerry actually played through mine. Kind of (they were used as mid range drivers in the sound system at the US Festival in 82, that the Dead played at).
To sum up:
1) Brad's preamp is lightweight, and does the Jerry Twin vibe very nicely. It's priced very attractively, a snap to dial in, and it's nice that it has the onboard reverb. It's a great choice for a Jerry rig.
2) The Egnater, by virtue of its other modules, is very versatile, does a good Twin and gives you the ability to push the drive up on there if you want to. However, it's more than three times the price of Brad's preamp, and if you're just going after the Twin sound, it's more than you'd need. But if you want to do more than just Jerry with your rig, you can dial in about any Fender, Vox, Marshall or high-gain tone you can think of.
3) The Vibrolux has a beautiful tone, but doesn't cut well in a band situation, based on my personal experience.
If you blindfolded me, I would probably choose the Vibrolux through the K110s. And regret it when I played live with it.
Unblindfolded, you can't go wrong with any of the above, and Brad's preamp would make a worthy addition to anyone's rack.
