Amp for IR-X w/‘68 Lion in loop.

[KingsXJJ]

Gonna be my table top Marshall tone experiment. Friedman covers clean, crunch and high gain. The Lion handles Plexi. Chose this to amplify. Like the fact it has Aux on for practicing with backing tracks and learning songs by ear. Headphone out for when I need to be silent. Interested in the “Thrust” compressor to see it I can emulate tube compression and sag. Can be completely turned off if needed unlike the BAM. Few extra watts are nice too. Especially at less than a 4ohm load. Good reviews on Amazon. Pretty cheap too. I might add delay/reverb on loop too. Four band EQ seems usable seems usable for tuning beyond the tone controls on the IR-X and Lion.

TC Electronic | Product | THRUST BQ250

www.tcelectronic.com

 

[KingsXJJ]

Gonna be my table top Marshall tone experiment. Friedman covers clean, crunch and high gain. The Lion handles Plexi. Chose this to amplify. Like the fact it has Aux on for practicing with backing tracks and learning songs by ear. Headphone out for when I need to be silent. Interested in the “Thrust” compressor to see it I can emulate tube compression and sag. Can be completely turned off if needed unlike the BAM. Few extra watts are nice too. Especially at less than a 4ohm load. Good reviews on Amazon. Pretty cheap too. I might add delay/reverb on loop too. Four band EQ seems usable seems usable for tuning beyond the tone controls on the IR-X and Lion.

TC Electronic | Product | THRUST BQ250

www.tcelectronic.com

No thoughts on this approach? I’d love some input. I know some folks have tried the BAM underneath it in the TC Electronics product line. Some complaints about BAM was that the Thrust compressor was unadjustable and non-switchable and posed a problem to consistent sound. I like that on this unit it can be defeated and is adjustable. I dig the aux in too. Another difference. BAM users please chime in as well.

Thanks.

 

[Antipodes]

The IR-X has no bypass as far as I can see - you select one channel or the other. Switches are for Boost on/off and Ch1/Ch2. So if you want to run another amp pedal you will need a loop switcher so that you can run your signal chain through the IR-X OR through the other amp pedal but not both in series.

 

[KingsXJJ]

The IR-X has no bypass as far as I can see - you select one channel or the other. Switches are for Boost on/off and Ch1/Ch2. So if you want to run another amp pedal you will need a loop switcher so that you can run your signal chain through the IR-X OR through the other amp pedal but not both in series.

I plan to put the lion in the IR-X loop. But I see what you mean, I’d have to run channel one very clean. Then I’d have clean, Plexi and lead. I do have a fender loop switcher though. Thanks for the input!

 

[Antipodes]

I plan to put the lion in the IR-X loop. But I see what you mean, I’d have to run channel one very clean. Then I’d have clean, Plexi and lead. I do have a fender loop switcher though. Thanks for the input!

Loop switcher would be the way to go I think - esp if you want to be able to do extra processing/FX on one amp channel rather than all the amp channels.

 

[Jarick]

IMO I'd probably go with a Plexi flavored boost for the clean channel of the IR-X to simplify the setup.

I haven't used the BAM but I've been using a Blackstar Amped 1 solid state amp for the last few weeks and LOVE it. It sounds great and is really flexible, you can use it as a single channel amp with pedals in front, you can use it as a flat amp for a modeler, and in between.

I haven't plugged my IR-X into the Blackstar or honestly used it in a long time. I'd actually be more interested in running the Lion as a single channel amp with a couple pedals out front to boost into crunch and higher gain.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Some complaints about BAM was that the Thrust compressor was unadjustable and non-switchable and posed a problem to consistent sound

Wut? I have a BAM200 and have no idea about this?

 

[Enchilada Jones]

The Blackstar Amped1 is a good candidate. The only thing I tried that was better for me was the Fryette LXii.

The Lion I’ve always used as a direct to DAW or studio monitors. Not saying it can’t work into a guitar power amp section but I never felt the Friedman needed any help, it covers so much range of the Marshall Plexi universe that I like so I never felt a need to combine them.
I sold the Blackstar Amped 1 and the Fryette and the Friedman IR-X in my gear purge attempt to reduce my options so I’d play more tweak less.
Keeping the Lion because it makes me want to just play. If I was going to play live the Lion into Fryette power amp with a delay/reverb pedal would be perfect for my needs.

 

[KingsXJJ]

The Blackstar Amped1 is a good candidate. The only thing I tried that was better for me was the Fryette LXii.

The Lion I’ve always used as a direct to DAW or studio monitors. Not saying it can’t work into a guitar power amp section but I never felt the Friedman needed any help, it covers so much range of the Marshall Plexi universe that I like so I never felt a need to combine them.
I sold the Blackstar Amped 1 and the Fryette and the Friedman IR-X in my gear purge attempt to reduce my options so I’d play more tweak less.
Keeping the Lion because it makes me want to just play. If I was going to play live the Lion into Fryette power amp with a delay/reverb pedal would be perfect for my needs.

You feel the IR-X covers the Plexi sound as well as the Lion? I haven’t played with it yet so I don’t know. Everything I have read said it was “Plexi-ish”

 

[Jarick]

You feel the IR-X covers the Plexi sound as well as the Lion? I haven’t played with it yet so I don’t know. Everything I have read said it was “Plexi-ish”

Channel 1 of the IR-X won't get nearly as gainy and snarly as a cranked Plexi, but it can do a low gain kind of JTM 45 sound to my ears. Channel 2 is going to be more refined and smooth and maybe compressed compared to again the raw Plexi tone. That's the Friedman sound I think.

A couple years ago I ran an Iridium and tried a few boosts in front of it. I used the Iridium at lower gain on the Plexi channel, and with a good boost/OD it sounded awesome, and you could go from cleanish to higher gain with maybe a couple OD gain stages. I could see the Lion being the same way.

That's where I wonder if either the IR-X with a boost pedal out front (just because I don't like how the current boost works) or the Lion with a boost or a couple gain stages out front would be easier to work with.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

You feel the IR-X covers the Plexi sound as well as the Lion? I haven’t played with it yet so I don’t know. Everything I have read said it was “Plexi-ish”

The Lion is best for the more traditional gain/drive kind of Plexi sounds and the IR-X channel 1 does the clean- roll off the guitar volume knob stuff perfect for my taste. Channel 2 is modern Plexi territory.
Actually didn’t use the IR-X much at all after getting the Lion though because the Lion has great cab sims and takes pedals just like I hoped so if I wanted more-heavy or tight I would just put a pedal into the Lion.
Also because I saw the IR-X as a way to add a pair of Friedman channels to a real amp where the Lion was, to me, best for direct to DAW or monitors. Since I spend so much more time in DAW now and I have a Soldano Astro 20 for those times I get to use a real amp the IR-X was just not worth keeping around. Money better used elsewhere…