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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Mar 19, 2017 1:22:32 GMT -7
I'm curious..........in just about all the videos I've listened to, the variable boost sounds like it increases Miss and OD/Gain, but not volume so much..........would that be your experience?
I was hoping for a noticeable volume boost, not just Gain. Not a huge boost in volume, but enough to act as a solo boost. My amps are always set just over the edge, and I use the GV a lot!
Your thoughts on this, Cure owners, please?
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Post by digs57 on Mar 19, 2017 5:34:06 GMT -7
It gives me enough of a jump out in front...depending your amp settings...im liking the "standard" clean setting (frankies videos)...I find it has enough volume/booost at a 7-9 guitar vol...works for me.
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Post by mudman on Mar 19, 2017 5:59:25 GMT -7
Not a cure owner, but the maz does the same thing. Depends on where your eq settings are. The closer they are to max, the less gain and volume boost the bypass gives you. Same goes for the volume control; closer to max, less boost and saturation. Having said that it should give a nice bump for solos, but it will increase your saturation.
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Post by Faze on Mar 19, 2017 9:18:56 GMT -7
Pete no worries it does give a boost in volume from about half way up and then when it's all the way up it opens up even more. I was having a blast the other day. I had the volume and master dimed. Set my treble and mids at 11 and bass at 1. Level control was set at about 10-11. Bedroom level overdrive and crunch. Then I would roll back for clean tone. I recently sold my boost pedal which I now regret because I would have liked to hear how that would have effected my clean tone when rolling back. But still I can't tell you how much fun and cool this amp is to play. It has some of the best overdrive tones I have heard in a z amp. The mids are pretty dominant in this amp. You can get that tweed tone easily or scoop the mids and get that blackface tone.
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Post by doctorice on Mar 19, 2017 13:30:29 GMT -7
Pete, I went to the "lab" today. The Cure's Level control let me dime every other knob and still keep the output low. I stuck a meter a couple feet away. When set this way the amp just doesn't have more to give. With the VB foot switch at 100% there might be a 1 db increase in sound pressure, maybe. The tone gets a little woolier and perhaps has a little more in the lower mids. It would not be enough for a solo boost, but of course nothing would since the amp is running totally saturated, i.e., there is no more headroom in any of the gain stages. My experience indicates that to have an effective boost you have to leave some headroom (duh!) from dialing back the Volume and/or eq knobs. (The Master will also have an effect but it's not as pronounced.) In randy's example, because he does not have the eq full on, there's still headroom so the boost is able to affect both volume and tone.
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 19, 2017 13:54:29 GMT -7
I'm waiting on my Cure from Humbucker right now and reading all of these posts with interest; terrific information, gents.
Just a general comment "amplifying" doctorice's post (that I may have made previously somewhere else): I feel like whenever you dime a control, on amp or guitar, in large part you're taking it out of the tone equation.
Just saying...
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Post by doctorice on Mar 19, 2017 14:40:25 GMT -7
I'm waiting on my Cure from Humbucker right now and reading all of these posts with interest; terrific information, gents. Just a general comment "amplifying" doctorice's post (that I may have made previously somewhere else): I feel like whenever you dime a control, on amp or guitar, in large part you're taking it out of the tone equation. Just saying... Yes, in a sense that's exactly what's happening with Doc's MAZ-based front ends. The tone controls are passive / subtractive. They reduce the level of frequencies being passed along the signal path in their respective operating ranges. So when dimed they're almost, but not quite out of the circuit. The bypass (to ground I believe) further reduces any effect they might still have on the signal.
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Post by Faze on Mar 19, 2017 14:57:24 GMT -7
Pete, I went to the "lab" today. The Cure's Level control let me dime every other knob and still keep the output low. I stuck a meter a couple feet away. When set this way the amp just doesn't have more to give. With the VB foot switch at 100% there might be a 1 db increase in sound pressure, maybe. The tone gets a little woolier and perhaps has a little more in the lower mids. It would not be enough for a solo boost, but of course nothing would since the amp is running totally saturated, i.e., there is no more headroom in any of the gain stages. My experience indicates that to have an effective boost you have to leave some headroom (duh!) from dialing back the Volume and/or eq knobs. (The Master will also have an effect but it's not as pronounced.) In randy's example, because he does not have the eq full on, there's still headroom so the boost is able to affect both volume and tone. Thanks for explaining this better. When I had the variable boost fully engaged all the way up and rolled my guitar volume back I felt like a lost some volume so that's why I wished I still had my archer icon to get some boost in that clean tone. But unfortunately I sold it. I generally keep the variable boost at half way and you covered that it gives a slight boost thanks.
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Post by mustachio on Mar 19, 2017 17:08:53 GMT -7
I dial the variable level way down, just enough to bring out the the amp in a mix for solos. I don't like the boost wide open. It's too wooly for my tastes and my guitars. It is better than an EP boost, but it doesn't sustain. For sustain I'm using a Greer Southland. The variable boost has simplified things for sure though. I love this amp.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Mar 21, 2017 0:26:33 GMT -7
Pete, I went to the "lab" today. The Cure's Level control let me dime every other knob and still keep the output low. I stuck a meter a couple feet away. When set this way the amp just doesn't have more to give. With the VB foot switch at 100% there might be a 1 db increase in sound pressure, maybe. The tone gets a little woolier and perhaps has a little more in the lower mids. It would not be enough for a solo boost, but of course nothing would since the amp is running totally saturated, i.e., there is no more headroom in any of the gain stages. My experience indicates that to have an effective boost you have to leave some headroom (duh!) from dialing back the Volume and/or eq knobs. (The Master will also have an effect but it's not as pronounced.) In randy's example, because he does not have the eq full on, there's still headroom so the boost is able to affect both volume and tone. Hi Mike, I think I may have been unclear when I said "over the edge"..............not over the top! Listening to what some folks call "clean, but with some hair on it" I tend to go a bit further, but not much, certainly I never dime any control on anything. An example would be my Therapy..........TMB would be 2, 3, noon, V-noon, MV to taste...........that's hair enough for me. Now the real question is, as the Boost is a tone stack bypass, is the Cure bright enough to not need the T&M set high without the Boost engaged? Do you see what I mean?
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Post by doctorice on Mar 21, 2017 11:43:18 GMT -7
Now the real question is, as the Boost is a tone stack bypass, is the Cure bright enough to not need the T&M set high without the Boost engaged? Do you see what I mean? I'll get back to the lab, Pete Added: I'd say "yes" to your question, Pete. I set T and Mid like you have your Therapy and found the Cure to be brighter than I would generally want it. V was at noon, Master cranked as Level was used to set room volume. A useful way to think about the VB is that it's a mixer: all the way down and you have 100% amp's tone setting; all the way up, full bypass tone In addition, of course, one is ranging from zero boost to maximum boost simultaneously. With V at noon, I felt there was plenty of boost with the foot switch pot at 25% to 50%. (Having Volume at noon gives the VB pot a wider volume sweep than if Volume were maxed.) So with a bright tone setting, you'll lose a little of the trebly edge but for leads that's likely a good thing much of the time. Crunchy rhythm with gtr vol up, clean with gtr vol rolled back, pushed / more gain with bypass on. As it's a Z, pick attack alone can create a range of clean to hairy.
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Post by lowbudget on Mar 21, 2017 13:48:34 GMT -7
Now the real question is, as the Boost is a tone stack bypass, is the Cure bright enough to not need the T&M set high without the Boost engaged? Do you see what I mean? I'll get back to the lab, Pete Added: I'd say "yes" to your question, Pete. I set T and Mid like you have your Therapy and found the Cure to be brighter than I would generally want it. V was at noon, Master cranked as Level was used to set room volume. A useful way to think about the VB is that it's a mixer: all the way down and you have 100% amp's tone setting; all the way up, full bypass tone In addition, of course, one is ranging from zero boost to maximum boost simultaneously. With V at noon, I felt there was plenty of boost with the foot switch pot at 25% to 50%. (Having Volume at noon gives the VB pot a wider volume sweep than if Volume were maxed.) So with a bright tone setting, you'll lose a little of the trebly edge but for leads that's likely a good thing much of the time. Crunchy rhythm with gtr vol up, clean with gtr vol rolled back, pushed / more gain with bypass on. As it's a Z, pick attack alone can create a range of clean to hairy. Mike, at the risk of being simplistic (OK, I am) if you have the TMB controls all dimed then the boost/bypass would have no effect, right?
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Post by doctorice on Mar 21, 2017 13:58:17 GMT -7
I'll get back to the lab, Pete Added: I'd say "yes" to your question, Pete. I set T and Mid like you have your Therapy and found the Cure to be brighter than I would generally want it. V was at noon, Master cranked as Level was used to set room volume. A useful way to think about the VB is that it's a mixer: all the way down and you have 100% amp's tone setting; all the way up, full bypass tone In addition, of course, one is ranging from zero boost to maximum boost simultaneously. With V at noon, I felt there was plenty of boost with the foot switch pot at 25% to 50%. (Having Volume at noon gives the VB pot a wider volume sweep than if Volume were maxed.) So with a bright tone setting, you'll lose a little of the trebly edge but for leads that's likely a good thing much of the time. Crunchy rhythm with gtr vol up, clean with gtr vol rolled back, pushed / more gain with bypass on. As it's a Z, pick attack alone can create a range of clean to hairy. Mike, at the risk of being simplistic (OK, I am) if you have the TMB controls all dimed then the boost/bypass would have no effect, right? There's actually a bit more to be had via the bypass. My understanding is that even when dimed the mere presence of the controls in the circuit saps some "current". By taking them out of circuit one picks up that little bit of extra juice.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Mar 22, 2017 0:36:14 GMT -7
Now the real question is, as the Boost is a tone stack bypass, is the Cure bright enough to not need the T&M set high without the Boost engaged? Do you see what I mean? I'll get back to the lab, Pete Added: I'd say "yes" to your question, Pete. I set T and Mid like you have your Therapy and found the Cure to be brighter than I would generally want it. V was at noon, Master cranked as Level was used to set room volume. A useful way to think about the VB is that it's a mixer: all the way down and you have 100% amp's tone setting; all the way up, full bypass tone In addition, of course, one is ranging from zero boost to maximum boost simultaneously. With V at noon, I felt there was plenty of boost with the foot switch pot at 25% to 50%. (Having Volume at noon gives the VB pot a wider volume sweep than if Volume were maxed.) So with a bright tone setting, you'll lose a little of the trebly edge but for leads that's likely a good thing much of the time. Crunchy rhythm with gtr vol up, clean with gtr vol rolled back, pushed / more gain with bypass on. As it's a Z, pick attack alone can create a range of clean to hairy. Thank you Mike! Just what I needed to understand.................now to plan my trip to John's new shop when he has one back in stock to try!
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