Post by frank9310 on Oct 25, 2007 8:51:45 GMT -7
First off all, I LOVE my Route 66! I especially like what gtrman3 wrote in the "What it sounds like" thread. He hit the nail on the head about the differences between the 66 and a Marshall, Vox, Fender, etc.
Two things I'd like to comment on. First, using pedals. Like any tone freak, I like to keep my tone as transparent as possible while getting the most killer tones possible. That said, I've been experimenting with a combination of one and or all of the following gain type pedals. I won't include the time based ones like delays. Deja Vibes etc. which I also use because those just add icing to the cake after the tone is established.
My main OD pedals are
Fulltone '70s (silicon transistor fuzz)
Fulltone Soul Bender (3 germanium transistors stacked like Sola Sound Tone Bender)
Fulltone '69 (Original '66 style Jimi Fuzz Face 2 Germanium Transistors)
Fulltone GT-500 (One side Fat Boost - Other side singing sustain)
Keeley Java Boost (Treble Booster with upgraded OC76 military spec transistor - Rangemaster Orange Boost clone)
Fulltone OCD
Ok now using all of the above in various combinations yields an incredible array of sounds, each with their own unique characteristics that greatly change the dynamics of pick attack and how the sounds hit your ear using combinations front or back of each other. The '70s into the Keeley Java Boost nails Jimi's Machine Gun to the wall when used with the Deja Vibe.
The Keeley Java by itself gives a Fender type tone similar to Wind Cries Mary. Hey Joe where Jimi used a Marshall tweaked for Fender sound.
Now add the OCD to the Keeley Java Boost and you have the ultimate Rock Hot rodded Marshall signature sound that can be shaped to Beano - Hendrix - Trower, you name it. For the best overall transparent rock sounds these 2 pedals in combination are it!
Want Satriani? Kick on the GT-500 Overdrive side with the Fat Boost side of it boosted and you have endless sustain. Run it into the Line 6 MM4 modular set of Tri-Chorus and you have the smoothest sounding singing sustaining sounds straight from heaven where even Frank Marino would drop his rig and says what the *&%^?!
Gilmour? GT-500 Boost side and Soul Bender.
Now turn the Fulltone '69 on, crank all 4 controls to 10 (Volume,Bias,Contour, Fuzz) Set the 66 to 3/4 with treble at 2 o'clock, bass at noon and you are all set to rip into Jimi's Monterey intro to Wild Thing just before sacrificed his beloved Strat to the flames. For extra effect, plug the 66 info a Marshall Mode 4 x12 extra tall cabinet with 4 x G12K-100 (400 watt) speakers and the bass rumble causes the ground to open up and you and all your gear begin to soar into the sky until that cracks wide open as well. We're talking the same exact tone in all it's majestic sag note swells for dive bombs and cascading harmonic climbs not of this world.
The same can be done using the '70s pedal with the Keeley with a different edge flavored more to Machine Gun. Want the smoothest Trower tones from back in his early days? Kick on the Soul Bender with the Keeley in front and you could be paid big bucks and fill a stadium just for having this tone let alone being able to play! For more giggles, run the '70s into the Keeley Java into the Soul Bender or the '69 for the ultimate blend of silicon and germanium warmth. Remember that unending note Jimi hit playing Machine Gun at Berkley? This is how it's done! You can use overdrive pedals to simulate it but those usually sound harsh and fake. Using the '70s into Java into '69 , volume set at 8-9 yields transparent smooth sustain for days with the amp cranked above noon, you've now entered the realm of Berkley!
Want Trower's super fat/clean Plexi tone dimed? Dime the 66 on clean, set treble to 2 o'clock, bass to 3 o'clock, turn Strat to 8-10 on neck pickup, into L6 or any light analog delay set on 300ms or longer and you're in vintage Plexi heaven!
I could go on for days but my point is, the Route 66 has the base potential to make you soar using any and or all of the above for different applications. What makes this the best amp for a one trick pony is that it can be tweaked to get convincing Fender, Vox & Marshall sounds not to mention that it has it's own kick arse flavor that to my ears sounds better than all 3 of those in many ways. Before, I would just use one or two pedals like the OCD plus a Fat Boost etc. Now, I'm going to keep all of the above on my board and begin to utilize them all for different sounds. With this amp being so simply made with nothing to dirty up the tone stack, it gives you much more leeway to add pedals to get the best out of the amp (make sure they're good pedals though with true bypass). If you're on a budget then the 2 to get are the Keeley Java Boost as this is what Clapton used on his KT66 Bluesbreaker amp and the Fulltone OCD will give you the Marshall sound, both in varying combinations will get you wherever you need to go even if you have to fake some fuzz sounds it will do it convincingly with the OCD set at 2 o'clock or higher.
Now for the Frightening part!
When you have a Fuzz or any of the above pedals set to compress somewhat heavily, for example when you get it just right for a song like Foxey Lady where Jimi rips up and down the 6th bass string, you have this velvet smooth fuzz compression that puts you right back into the '60s! However! when you go to play anything from the first to the 3rd string after just playing the compressed bass lines, the separation is incredible! Those strings just cut though like a knife after playing those heavily fuzz compressed bass notes! Not in an ice picky way, but a highly musical singing way that is super articulate! Compared to a Marshall JCM 900 or 800 where if you have all that compression going on on those bass strings and go to play some lead notes, they usually are velvety but dirtied up similar to the bass strings with a muddied up loss of definition. Not the 66! You have these heavy velveteen rich bass fuzz and then these lead notes almost sound like 2 separate guitars playing at the same time there's so much note separation in such a beautiful way like my tonal palette has just expanded x PI. It's like Foxy Lady meets Satriani! THIS is what some of the folks on that other thread where referring to that you need to learn how to play this amp. Never and I mean NEVER have I had this much control and definition in any amp. I usually either get too much mud or too clean and not enough sustain. I feel like I've already died and gone to heaven!
If you're into classic rock, Hendrix, Trower, Blues, Satriani or just the most absolute warm, harmonically rich and complex tones that never fall flat or short in any area then look no further than the Route 66!
Two things I'd like to comment on. First, using pedals. Like any tone freak, I like to keep my tone as transparent as possible while getting the most killer tones possible. That said, I've been experimenting with a combination of one and or all of the following gain type pedals. I won't include the time based ones like delays. Deja Vibes etc. which I also use because those just add icing to the cake after the tone is established.
My main OD pedals are
Fulltone '70s (silicon transistor fuzz)
Fulltone Soul Bender (3 germanium transistors stacked like Sola Sound Tone Bender)
Fulltone '69 (Original '66 style Jimi Fuzz Face 2 Germanium Transistors)
Fulltone GT-500 (One side Fat Boost - Other side singing sustain)
Keeley Java Boost (Treble Booster with upgraded OC76 military spec transistor - Rangemaster Orange Boost clone)
Fulltone OCD
Ok now using all of the above in various combinations yields an incredible array of sounds, each with their own unique characteristics that greatly change the dynamics of pick attack and how the sounds hit your ear using combinations front or back of each other. The '70s into the Keeley Java Boost nails Jimi's Machine Gun to the wall when used with the Deja Vibe.
The Keeley Java by itself gives a Fender type tone similar to Wind Cries Mary. Hey Joe where Jimi used a Marshall tweaked for Fender sound.
Now add the OCD to the Keeley Java Boost and you have the ultimate Rock Hot rodded Marshall signature sound that can be shaped to Beano - Hendrix - Trower, you name it. For the best overall transparent rock sounds these 2 pedals in combination are it!
Want Satriani? Kick on the GT-500 Overdrive side with the Fat Boost side of it boosted and you have endless sustain. Run it into the Line 6 MM4 modular set of Tri-Chorus and you have the smoothest sounding singing sustaining sounds straight from heaven where even Frank Marino would drop his rig and says what the *&%^?!
Gilmour? GT-500 Boost side and Soul Bender.
Now turn the Fulltone '69 on, crank all 4 controls to 10 (Volume,Bias,Contour, Fuzz) Set the 66 to 3/4 with treble at 2 o'clock, bass at noon and you are all set to rip into Jimi's Monterey intro to Wild Thing just before sacrificed his beloved Strat to the flames. For extra effect, plug the 66 info a Marshall Mode 4 x12 extra tall cabinet with 4 x G12K-100 (400 watt) speakers and the bass rumble causes the ground to open up and you and all your gear begin to soar into the sky until that cracks wide open as well. We're talking the same exact tone in all it's majestic sag note swells for dive bombs and cascading harmonic climbs not of this world.
The same can be done using the '70s pedal with the Keeley with a different edge flavored more to Machine Gun. Want the smoothest Trower tones from back in his early days? Kick on the Soul Bender with the Keeley in front and you could be paid big bucks and fill a stadium just for having this tone let alone being able to play! For more giggles, run the '70s into the Keeley Java into the Soul Bender or the '69 for the ultimate blend of silicon and germanium warmth. Remember that unending note Jimi hit playing Machine Gun at Berkley? This is how it's done! You can use overdrive pedals to simulate it but those usually sound harsh and fake. Using the '70s into Java into '69 , volume set at 8-9 yields transparent smooth sustain for days with the amp cranked above noon, you've now entered the realm of Berkley!
Want Trower's super fat/clean Plexi tone dimed? Dime the 66 on clean, set treble to 2 o'clock, bass to 3 o'clock, turn Strat to 8-10 on neck pickup, into L6 or any light analog delay set on 300ms or longer and you're in vintage Plexi heaven!
I could go on for days but my point is, the Route 66 has the base potential to make you soar using any and or all of the above for different applications. What makes this the best amp for a one trick pony is that it can be tweaked to get convincing Fender, Vox & Marshall sounds not to mention that it has it's own kick arse flavor that to my ears sounds better than all 3 of those in many ways. Before, I would just use one or two pedals like the OCD plus a Fat Boost etc. Now, I'm going to keep all of the above on my board and begin to utilize them all for different sounds. With this amp being so simply made with nothing to dirty up the tone stack, it gives you much more leeway to add pedals to get the best out of the amp (make sure they're good pedals though with true bypass). If you're on a budget then the 2 to get are the Keeley Java Boost as this is what Clapton used on his KT66 Bluesbreaker amp and the Fulltone OCD will give you the Marshall sound, both in varying combinations will get you wherever you need to go even if you have to fake some fuzz sounds it will do it convincingly with the OCD set at 2 o'clock or higher.
Now for the Frightening part!
When you have a Fuzz or any of the above pedals set to compress somewhat heavily, for example when you get it just right for a song like Foxey Lady where Jimi rips up and down the 6th bass string, you have this velvet smooth fuzz compression that puts you right back into the '60s! However! when you go to play anything from the first to the 3rd string after just playing the compressed bass lines, the separation is incredible! Those strings just cut though like a knife after playing those heavily fuzz compressed bass notes! Not in an ice picky way, but a highly musical singing way that is super articulate! Compared to a Marshall JCM 900 or 800 where if you have all that compression going on on those bass strings and go to play some lead notes, they usually are velvety but dirtied up similar to the bass strings with a muddied up loss of definition. Not the 66! You have these heavy velveteen rich bass fuzz and then these lead notes almost sound like 2 separate guitars playing at the same time there's so much note separation in such a beautiful way like my tonal palette has just expanded x PI. It's like Foxy Lady meets Satriani! THIS is what some of the folks on that other thread where referring to that you need to learn how to play this amp. Never and I mean NEVER have I had this much control and definition in any amp. I usually either get too much mud or too clean and not enough sustain. I feel like I've already died and gone to heaven!
If you're into classic rock, Hendrix, Trower, Blues, Satriani or just the most absolute warm, harmonically rich and complex tones that never fall flat or short in any area then look no further than the Route 66!