Using Two Amps - Dry / Wet Setup

So I decided to put a very simple pedal board together to use two amps at the same time.
Of course there are several ways to go about this but I wanted a dry / wet setup.
Since the stack on the left has more clean headroom it would be my "effects amp",
the smaller combo on the right would be the dry amp.

With a small pedal board I am able to get my basic sound ideas covered.

It's just an overdrive pedal with two variations, a delay pedal, a tuner, and a splitter box which isolates the two signals going to the amps and takes care of phase issues.

The white coil cable goes to the effects amp, the red one goes to the dry amp.

Now to recap my signal chain:

Guitar goes into the Jekyll & Hyde for overdriven sounds; 

into the Silvertone guitar splitter box;

from there one signal goes to the dry amp;

the second signal goes to the Double Deca delay;

out of the delay into the wet amp;

(the tuner is connected to the splitter box too via a separate output);


Both amps are set to a clean sound but just the wet amp gets the effect from the delay pedal.
When I use the overdrive pedal, both amps get driven, but again, only the wet amp gets the delay added on top.

Very useful for running time - based effects or any kind of modulation pedals way "wetter" than usual because there's always the essential sound coming from the dry amp to provide a clear and responsive foundation.

Looper used as A/B Switch

Small problem and a simple solution: How to switch between two amps on the fly?
I was already looking to buy an A/B switch when I remembered my old passive looper.

I got this true bypass looper years ago and it works in a lot of situations.
Here I'm switching between a Palmer "Eins" and a Randall "Diavlo RD 5" - the Palmer does clean, the Randall does distortion.
Guitar goes into the looper and the signal is passed through to the Randall.
When Loop 1 is engaged, the signal goes to the Palmer amp instead. Only the send connection is used.
Loop 2 remains unused but one could easily connect a tuner in the same fashion and use Loop 2 for silent tuning.
I had to post this just to remember myself not to buy new stuff but use the tools I already own!

Electro Harmonix Double Muff & Soul Preacher - The Chain Gang #6

Many people are left irritated and confused by the Double Muff. Me too.
It is one of those very sensitive effects and its sound is highly dependant on where you put it and what you choose to put into it.
It likes to be first in the signal chain, getting a high impedance signal (1 Mohm) from your guitar.
So there seems to be only one way of using it - as an overdrive in front of your already dirty amp, giving you more drive (Works nicely with some bass guitars actually).
And that's pretty much what it was intended for too.
Not very versatile.
I like to combine it with a compressor - and behold - the classic compressor into overdrive combination opens new doors.
Let's see:

I set my amp to slightly dirty, the volume of the guitar drives the preamp. With the Crate Palomino I use the Overdrive channel, setting the gain knob and the volume knob of the guitar so that I hear some crunch and setting the master volume as loud as I dare.
One might use the clean channel too but the Double muff gives such a huge volume boost when engaged that my amp simply gets too loud before I can reach the tone I am looking for.

Settings on the B.C.Rich Mockingbird - I like it with the neck pickup, the middle and bridge position gives me more treble if I want it. Tones are rolled back slightly, volume is set so that the pure guitar signal pushes the amp into overdrive. When I find "the spot" I prefer to leave it where it is at.

On to the pedals.
Setting the Double Muff is simple - just switch it to "single" and turn the "Muff 1" knob all the way up.
With that your amp receives additional volume and clipping and gets pushed further into overdrive.

Putting the Soul Preacher in front of the Double muff enables you to "overdrive the overdrive", tricking the double muff into thinking it's a distortion pedal.
The sustain knob of the compressor is all the way down, I just need the volume boost of the Soul Preacher to push the input of the Double Muff.

So with just two pedals I am able to cover the "core sounds" I am after:

Switch on the Soul Preacher into the dirty amp and play kind of clean.
Switch on the Double Muff without the Soul Preacher into the dirty amp and play crunchy rhythm.
Switch on both the Double Muff and the Soul Preacher for distorted lead sounds.

As I like to keep unity gain between my switching options, the hardest thing was to get the volumes at an even level.
The treble changes too when switching things on and off but once I found the right balance between amp, guitar and pedals, I was very happy.
As always, this is a mere reminder for myself, I tend to forget things and settings, so don't take this as a guarantee for great tone.

Electro Harmonix Soul Food & Soul Preacher - The Chain Gang #5

Praise the healer!
EHX allowed me to enhane the sound of my old Vietnamese amp so much, I might never switch off those two pedals anymore. Soul Preacher into Soul Food, what a lovely combination.

I have to post this "Chain Gang", lest I forget.
But keep in mind - these aren't any kind of recommended settings, just what sounds best with my setup.

So guitar goes into the Preacher, which goes into the Soul Food, which goes into the amp's intput.
The levels of the pedals are set at about unity gain, the pedals are both on all the time.
The Preacher gives me an even signal from the guitar, the different strings and pickup combinations.
The Soul Food provides a little bit of drive for the slighty dirty clean channel of the amp.

The amp is not set totally clean, the level is high enough to make the clean channel brake up when hit hard by the guitar signal alone.

Settings on the B.C.Rich Mockingbird, playing in the middle position, master volume rolled off a bit, as well as the two tone controls.
Now, if I changed to another guitar, the settings on the rest of the signal chain will of course change accordingly.

But as it is now, this combination just works great for me.

What to do with my amp's EQ - The Chain Gang #2

Depending on where you're at your sound is going change - change rooms, change position - Captain obvious strikes again...

I like to set my amp's EQ like thus:

Play the open low e and a string - set your bassknob.
Play the open d and g string - set your middle knob.
Play the open b and high e srting - set your treble knob.

Now that won't work all the time, but for me it is a good starting point.

Crate Palomino V32 - The Chain Gang #1

I'm still using it as a kind of practise amp.
30watts valve amp, 1x12 Celestion 70/80 speaker, spring reverb, FX loop, footswitch for the channels and the boost function.

Concerning channel switching: There's "clean" and "overdrive" and if I'm not mistaken, switching to the "overdrive channel" basically adds two clipping diodes (LED) to the existing circuit.

So in my eyes, the Palomino is essentially a one channel amp with two built - in pedals: A diode overdrive and a +10db mid boost, both accesible per the foot switch that comes with it.
There's no master volume but you could work around that by putting a volume pedal into the FX loop.

I tend to stay on "clean" which actually stays clean up to three or four on the volume knob, then it starts to break up and you get overdrive.

Since my guitars (luckily!) all sound quite different, I like to have this amp set rather "neutral" to check the "character" of an instrument. The Palomino reacts nicely to the guitars volume and tone pots (as a valve amp should) and it also takes pedals well.

As a bedroom amp it is actually way overpowered, it could easily hold its own at band rehearsals or small venues but I suppose it would not survive the hardship of everyday gigging and if I were a working musician I would never rely on it as my main amp.
Yet it still lives after all this years so that must say at least something about its built quality.

The bass response is very boomy - so you have to dial the bass EQ down quite a bit.
All other settings depend on the instrument and gear you put in front of it.

Two settings:

V32 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

OUTPUT POWER RATING 30Watts RMS @ 6 % THD, 8 ohm load, 120VACSIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO 71dB TypicalGAIN Clean 56dB, Overdrive 101dBTREBLE 12dB range @ 6kHzBOOST +10dB @ 900HzMID 10dB range @ 1kHzBASS 8dB range @ 150Hz
PRESENCE +8dB @ 10kHz
INTERNAL SPEAKER 12”, 80W Celestion, 8 ohm, 1.75” voice coil dia, 30oz magnet
PREAMP TUBES (3) 12AX7A
POWER AMP TUBES (4) EL84
POWER REQUIREMENTS 120VAC, 60 Hz, 35VA
100/115 VAC, 50/60Hz, 35VA
230 VAC, 50/60Hz, 35VA
SIZE AND WEIGHT 21” H x 17-1/2” W x 10” D, 44 lbs.

"The Chain Gang" - amps, pedals, gear

There will be some posts that will cover topics besides guitars, concerning the gear guitarists like to spend so much time with (instead of practising their instrument...).

It will cover stuff I tend to forget like gear specs, signal chains, settings etc. so I don't have to look things up everytime details might escape me.

I don't intend to give advice by posting my personal preferences - this is no guide to achive the "ultimate guitar tone", no "buyer's guide" or tutorial.
It's just what works for me - for my purposes, for my combinations of gear, for my budget, for my ideas... please keep that in mind while reading (whilst probably shaking your head over my foolishness...).

I will say this though: There is a considerable amount of research and reasoning behind the decisions I make and if you are interested in the thought process, feel free to ask or kindly provide your own point of view.

Regards, Bart Bowles.

Crate Palomino - Use it, abuse it

Palomino 32, class-A/B all tube amp by Crate.
Now, I'm aware of the fact that this isn't quite top of the shelf.

But I am unwilling to blow amps for daily practise which cost a fortune and require special trained "nannies" to stroke and cherish them to work properly.

The combo always works and you might as well take it to a barn dance without worrying about insurance issues.

Sounds rather good, by the way, so reconsider this: go for boutique or go for practicability?