Dialing out the Bark

[HomespunEffects]

You know that bark that high headroom amps have, especially with a clean tone? It’s on the pick attack. It really tears your head off when you turn up.

What do you do to dial it out? Pulling the presence back helps but doesn’t eliminate it. A compressor helps and can eliminate it but then you get that “thwwwppp” Instead of a proper pick attack.

What do?

 

[HomespunEffects]

This doesn’t happen on any Marshall. Not even on a clean channel.

It does happen no matter what speaker cabinet I’ve tried (all closed back).

 

[Life Eats Life]

My true & tried answer??

Play the living sh*t outta of all the gear invivolved on your set-up, I mean put it on it
Install a strong RFT 12ax7 in all the pre-amp positions including a strong balanced one
for the phase inverter.
Get some Greenbacks in the signal chain.
They ruled with the Landau Hot Tod Deluxe.
When this bogus from the start issue surfaced for me, I screamed from my rooftop for it to go away and came to the conclusion that the designers of this non-master volume amps by default always have a full band mix in the equation,
-so they expect the other instruments to cover thise artifacts of annoyance,-in the mix.

For me, it’s def a buzzkill right outta the cannon.
An OCD in the lower gain mode with a hue of break-off, can smear that artifact of juggernaut
over, feather it in with the Tone adjuster on the pedal and it will really help the feel also.
I don’t really like Fulltone but the OCD worked rad for that with my Landau HotRod Deluxe 2X12.
I liked it a lot with the OCD pictured on my pedalboard-more for that bridging over the crusties at pick attack & tall volumes..

The Landau HRD is all non-master volume.
Sweet amp fellas!!
IBSANELY good cleans to highly musical
edge of break-off tones-sonic shattering.
That’s it on the bottom right.
Cheers!!

 

[HomespunEffects]

Thanks @Life Eats Life

I guess I could put a J. Rockett Blue Note in front. That’s really low gain. I’m trying to keep it clean and bright without that harsh pick attack.

 

[la szum]

I often wonder if a lot of anomalies and niggling tonal issues that we can experience
while playing in an isolated setting, while over-analyzing every nuance of tone, simply
cease to exist in a full mix. I'd even go so far as to say that the bark and the sizzle,
the thwump and the thwack can all be vital in one way or another. Eliminating them
often results in a sterile and bland tone.

What @Life Eats Life said.

The speaker can often determine damn near close to everything. Some speakers
compress and give and others are stiff and immediate. Lots of things to consider.

 

[HomespunEffects]

I wonder if replacing the 12ax7s with some 5751s would do any good.

 

[norminal]

Limiter?

 

[FuzzyAce]

A compressor or limiter could help. But for big cleans turn the bass waaaay down, even to zero on some amps. Set mids to a comfortable level (depends on the cab) and dial in the highs as needed. Bypassing the bright cap can help too, just depends how hard you're pushing the gain.

I wonder if replacing the 12ax7s with some 5751s would do any good.

It could soften the attack slightly, and worth a try if you have them laying around? I've used them in my Twin on occasion.

 

[HomespunEffects]

A compressor or limiter could help. But for big cleans turn the bass waaaay down, even to zero on some amps. Set mids to a comfortable level (depends on the cab) and dial in the highs as needed. Bypassing the bright cap can help too, just depends how hard you're pushing the gain.


It could soften the attack slightly, and worth a try if you have them laying around? I've used them in my Twin on occasion.

I may give it a try.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I may give it a try.

Cool. What's the amp in question? Or is this generally speaking with loud cleans?

 

[HomespunEffects]

Any in general but I’m working with my Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mark 2 at the moment. I can get a great tone out of the clean but it’s way loud at that setting.