TGF’s Original White Meat: Badlander thread

[spawnofthesith]

Ok…. GEQ in the loop already bigly cancelled

Spent a bunch more time with the ear down to the speaker and pretty much just ended up with the settings I had been at before lol.

Really I just need to get this amp back to the jam room stat and stop going insane over my settings at home on one of the simplest mesas ever

 

[Desertdweller]

It sounds even less like a recto though too imo… I actually have no idea what to compare it to. Definitely a very unique sounding amp. Lots of people say Marshall, I’m willing to believe it, my Marshall experience is fairly limited outside of JVM and a dsl401 that exploded in less than an hour

Over on the Boogie Board there was a thread last year about this. I can’t verify, but someone took the design apart and described it as a Mark preamp section into a Marshall-style power amp.

For me it was very similar to my EVH 5150 III and it caused me to play the EVH quite a bit less. The EVH had substantially more gain, but the Badlander felt better and had a better overall sound. Plus I could swap 6L6s for EL34s without having to bias or buy an entire second amp. The Badlander can work in a recto-ish fashion when boosted and on the Crush channel, but I prefer a true Dual Rectifier for those types of sounds.

I see no similarity between the Badlander and the VII mode on the VII. The VII mode is my least favorite mode right now on the Mark VII. It’s good boosted, but why bother when I have so many other great modes to use?

 

[Desertdweller]

If I were to have it modded; I would have the sort of surgical eq it seems to have baked in up front removed and maybe add another gain stage so crush mode name fit. That's nitpicking and perfect world stuff though. I like it better than the Stealth but obviously; I don't have one currently.

I agree with this 100%.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Over on the Boogie Board there was a thread last year about this. I can’t verify, but someone took the design apart and described it as a Mark preamp section into a Marshall-style power amp.

For me it was very similar to my EVH 5150 III and it caused me to play the EVH quite a bit less. The EVH had substantially more gain, but the Badlander felt better and had a better overall sound. Plus I could swap 6L6s for EL34s without having to bias or buy an entire second amp. The Badlander can work in a recto-ish fashion when boosted and on the Crush channel, but I prefer a true Dual Rectifier for those types of sounds.

I see no similarity between the Badlander and the VII mode on the VII. The VII mode is my least favorite mode right now on the Mark VII. It’s good boosted, but why bother when I have so many other great modes to use?

Interesting, I have a 50 watt 6l6 5153 too but It doesn't strike me as all that similar to my badlander. Obviously a lot more gain available on the evh like you mentioned, but I also feel like the mid focus is fairly different

 

[spawnofthesith]

I wonder if a mod would be possible to add an overall master volume after the channel masters

 

[Desertdweller]

I wonder if a mod would be possible to add an overall master volume after the channel masters

Would you just buy a Dual Rectifier already

 

[spawnofthesith]

Would you just buy a Dual Rectifier already

I do want to bring a Roadster back into the equation at some point, I loved that amp. but I also had other nitpicky things for my weird hyperspecific looping needs with that one too

On the BL I feel like I'd be able to maximize my clean tones a bit more with an overall master, because as it stands now I'm required to have both channel masters in the exact same position at all times

But I think I have it sorted... maybe lol. It's coming to band practice tonight, I've only used it with the band one other time so far

 

[Desertdweller]

Found the link talking about the tone stacks on the Boogie forum for anyone interested.

https://boogieforum.com/threads/can-the-badlander-sound-like-a-mk5-35-or.88080/post-541829

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

It sounds even less like a recto

The Badlander is a RINO. Recto In Name Only. The last thing this amp sounds like is your typical recto.

 

[spawnofthesith]

So second time using the badlander with the band tonight. Performed excellently! Last time I was using it with the thiele and I’m not really sure I like the BL with the EVM. I felt like the c90 widebody sounded better with this amp and miced up easier too.

I guess I’m pretty much over the complaints I had about the post fx loop master volumes. Honestly balanced just fine with matching volumes with the settings I had dialed. Also for whatever reason, I feel like the cleans sound more clear and less gritty with more power/volume behind them… lower volumes at home I swear it sounds more broken up on the cleans. I actually noticed this on my old roadster too, but that was more at -super- low volumes

After accepting that for high gain sounds I need to not judge what the knobs look like, even if the settings might resemble what a a 14 year old just discovering insane mode on a spider III might dial in

Crush mode absolutely crushing and this amp sits in a mix incredibly well. That might be another part of the “problems” I’ve had… I feel like wherever the mid focus of the amp sits is definitely made more to play well with others than by itself lol. Did a long chug and doom jam in one of our songs tonight and it was just punishing for that. I know many feel like this amp doesn’t have enough gain on I it’s for the heavies but I didn’t even think to try boosting. Gain on 10 in crush mode at band volumes seemed to performed fine lol

Brought my III back home and think the BL is going to have a tenure for at least a few weeks at my drummers

 

[JiveTurkey]

So second time using the badlander with the band tonight. Performed excellently! Last time I was using it with the thiele and I’m not really sure I like the BL with the EVM. I felt like the c90 widebody sounded better with this amp and miced up easier too.

I guess I’m pretty much over the complaints I had about the post fx loop master volumes. Honestly balanced just fine with matching volumes with the settings I had dialed. Also for whatever reason, I feel like the cleans sound more clear and less gritty with more power/volume behind them… lower volumes at home I swear it sounds more broken up on the cleans. I actually noticed this on my old roadster too, but that was more at -super- low volumes

After accepting that for high gain sounds I need to not judge what the knobs look like, even if the settings might resemble what a a 14 year old just discovering insane mode on a spider III might dial in

Crush mode absolutely crushing and this amp sits in a mix incredibly well. That might be another part of the “problems” I’ve had… I feel like wherever the mid focus of the amp sits is definitely made more to play well with others than by itself lol. Did a long chug and doom jam in one of our songs tonight and it was just punishing for that. I know many feel like this amp doesn’t have enough gain on I it’s for the heavies but I didn’t even think to try boosting. Gain on 10 in crush mode at band volumes seemed to performed fine lol

Brought my III back home and think the BL is going to have a tenure for at least a few weeks at my drummers

The amp has more gain it feels like as you crank it \m/

 

[Desertdweller]

The amp has more gain it feels like as you crank it \m/

You’re also hitting speaker compression as well.

 

[2dor]

The amp has more gain it feels like as you crank it \m/

Yeah and saturation becomes more apparent the more high-end is in the signal.

 

[spawnofthesith]

So I gotta say… I think the Redback is THE ULTIMATE speaker for the badlander

I had a feeling this might be the case at lower volume but tonight was the first time I had that combo cranked in a mix and miced up for the IEMs (I’m constantly shuffling different pieces of gear around in different scenarios)

Best the BL has ever sounded to me. When setting up was immediately blown away, I did move the mic over to the creamback for due diligence but the redback was just head and shoulders a better sound for the high gain BL goodnes

 

[EOengineer]

You guys are wasting your time nobody likes these amps. If you wanna pack them up and send them to me I can dispose of them properly for you.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I do tend to see some hate on forums that aren’t TGF

I think this amp is voiced to sound its best in a band mix (something with the kids I think, which still cut like a hot knife even 0ed out) rather than playin by yourself. For me at least I’ve enjoyed it a lot more with the band than playing it at home

And yeah, I kind of feel like the tone controls are almost more like all the way up or all the way off lol

 

[EOengineer]

I think this amp is voiced to sound its best in a band mix (something with the kids I think, which still cut like a hot knife even 0ed out) rather than playin by yourself. For me at least I’ve enjoyed it a lot more with the band than playing it at home

I’m of the opinion that most Mesa’s are voiced for a live, loud band. Their amps are not always my favorite at home, but they do this transformation that seats them right where you want them once drums, bass, and vocals are happening.

I consider this part of what makes Mesa brilliant. I’ve had some transcendental experiences playing Rectifiers and Marks with a band in a live environment.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I’m of the opinion that most Mesa’s are voiced for a live, loud band. Their amps are not always my favorite at home, but they do this transformation that seats them right where you want them once drums, bass, and vocals are happening.

I consider this part of what makes Mesa brilliant. I’ve had some transcendental experiences playing Rectifiers and Marks with a band in a live environment.

I will say with my Marks I can be playing by myself at home and still be grinning from ear to ear “in the room” but then putting it in a mix whether a load box and IRs or Mic’ed up still sounds killer with the same settings in a band mix. But ironically just playing through headphones And an IR alone by myself I don’t like it as much as “ITR” at all in comparison

 

[Desertdweller]

I do tend to see some hate on forums that aren’t TGF

I think this amp is voiced to sound its best in a band mix (something with the kids I think, which still cut like a hot knife even 0ed out) rather than playin by yourself. For me at least I’ve enjoyed it a lot more with the band than playing it at home

And yeah, I kind of feel like the tone controls are almost more like all the way up or all the way off lol

I used the Badlander extensively on my last album. Ola Englund did too on his last solo album. It's an amazing amp either live with a band or in a mix. I think some people expect a recto or old peavey 5150 type sound in the room and it's just a different beast.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I used the Badlander extensively on my last album. Ola Englund did too on his last solo album. It's an amazing amp either live with a band or in a mix. I think some people expect a recto or old peavey 5150 type sound in the room and it's just a different beast.

I was particularly blown away with my lead tones last night

My sole complaint now is channel balancing for my live looping stuff….I wonder how possible/difficult it would be to mod in an additional overall master after the channel masters……..