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Post by barneyhead on Feb 6, 2022 2:26:42 GMT -7
Hi guys, I’ve just recently got the wreck jr and found it to be dark sounding at low volume? Is this normal?
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Post by redtele on Feb 6, 2022 6:53:23 GMT -7
Hi barneyhead and firstly welcome to the club! Now as to your ‘sounds dark’ comment: How low is your ‘low volume’? Not ‘blasting out the windows’ loud or TV volume? Are you trying for a clean, edge of break up, or full on rock sound? What bands/songs/guitarist tones are you looking to emulate? What amps have you got/owned that you’re comparing this to? Where are your amp controls currently set? Are you using any kind of attenuator? Pedals? Do you have the combo or head version? If the head, then what speaker are you running it through? What guitar are you using, and importantly, what type of pickups does it have? Many of these answered questions above will help us understand and diagnose your issues, as you can see, there’s a huge amount of variables! I use a tele with my Wreck and when I’m playing at super low volume then I have the tone rolled wide open, but would always have it rolled back at higher volume, so think about setting your tone control where it sounds best for the present moment and not where you’re just used to. Try running the cut open at low volumes, and push the treble higher than you normally would, as our ears perceive fewer higher at low volumes so this will help to compensate. I sometimes use an attenuator at home when wanting amp distortion at very low volumes, and my tone controls on the amp are set very differently to when there’s no attenuation and I’m playing at loud volumes with my band. When using my Les Paul I really cut the bass on the amp, much more than my eyes like to see, but it sounds better to my ears! I tried a Celestion Blue speaker in my Wreck a while ago and that made the amp sound darker, and going back to the Greenback gave me all the lively treble that I missed, so maybe the speaker could be partly contributing if you’re using a cab with a darker sounding speaker. There’s a lot here to think about, and this isn’t compulsory to answer, but the more we know then the more we can hopefully help you get the most out of your amp, as I’m guessing there’s nothing electrical wrong with your amp causing this, so fingers crossed we can get you to a happy place with your tone.
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Post by barneyhead on Feb 7, 2022 15:17:11 GMT -7
Thankyou for taking the time to answer my question, at the moment I’m very low on the master volume so thinking of getting an attenuator, I did suspect that maybe that was the case in what you mentioned! I’ve being doing pretty much what you said about the treble and cut, obviously the amp needs to be wound up to sound right! Just trying to decide whether to use it with pedals or just ride the volume knob?
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Post by telejas on Feb 7, 2022 19:53:28 GMT -7
Just curious, what your settings are on your amp and what guitar you're using?
I tend to like fairly bright amps and find the Z-Wreck Jr. to fit right in that wheelhouse.
I run mine like this: Treble: about noon, maybe touch higher Bass: 2:00 Cut: Noon Volume: 10:00 Master: To taste
Guitar: *Mostly* Telecaster's with single coil pickups.
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Post by DRZ on Feb 8, 2022 4:08:22 GMT -7
Lets drive a Porsche Turbo threw a School Zone and evaluate its performance.
Z
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Post by barneyhead on Feb 8, 2022 15:15:02 GMT -7
I hear ya doc! It’s something I haven’t had a chance to do yet, think I’ll get the brakelite 🤣🤣
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Post by redtele on Feb 9, 2022 7:39:04 GMT -7
barneyhead I tried my Brakelite in the zwreck junior but it didn’t really allow me to crank the master up by much, as full attenuation seemed to only allow the master volume to go from 9 o’clock to maybe 10 o’clock before it was too loud again for home use in a house with thin walls. For some reason it works much more effectively in my Vox AC30 and I can use the master volume in conjunction with the Brakelite and get excellent natural amp distortion at low home volumes, which is not easy with an AC30! I originally bought the ToneKing Iron Man Mini attenuator* for a Tweed Deluxe type amp and decided to try it with my Wreck, and to my pleasant surprise this can take the amp down by at least -18db without sacrificing any sound quality, although as previously mentioned it does require a trebly guitar and the amp controls to be set slightly differently, and now I can get full on amp distortion through the zwreck at proper low volumes. You may only wish to bring the volume down by a touch, so the Brakelite might work for you in a live/gigging situation, but my suspicions is that you may need to look at something with more attenuation if you’re only going to be using the amp at home and real low volumes are needed. * other attenuators are available:-)
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Post by barneyhead on Feb 9, 2022 10:22:22 GMT -7
Ok thanks for the sound advice much appreciated! I’ll look into it a bit more, think the iron man is more expensive though? I’m hoping to start playing in a band again this year so hopefully I’ll be able to use it more to it’s full potential?
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Feb 9, 2022 10:24:13 GMT -7
The Air Brake will definitely get you there.
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Post by jhen86 (jordan) on Feb 9, 2022 14:20:00 GMT -7
Just a perspective thing....I believe the master on the jr is like the RXJR. Which at noon is pretty close to full volume. So if you’re thinking I’m leaving way too much meat on the bone at 11 o clock, “I wish I could crank it louder and get more out of it”. You actually not far off from full volume. Same the other way, if you’re feeling like it’s still SO loud around 10-11 o clock, it’s because you’re not far off from full volume. At least that’s how it is on the RXJR most of the travel is from Off-Noon. After that it doesn’t get much louder, just more power amp distortion.
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Post by redtele on Feb 9, 2022 14:59:20 GMT -7
Just a perspective thing....I believe the master on the jr is like the RXJR. Which at noon is pretty close to full volume……After that it doesn’t get much louder, just more power amp distortion. I experienced exactly this when I played with a covers band in a giant warehouse last year, which was great to get the chance to unleash all what this amp has to offer, but after noon on the master volume dial there wasn’t much increase in overall volume and like jhen86 (jordan) describes, it was mainly just adding thicker sounding power tube distortion. The pre and power tubes distorting together made my Tele sound almost like a Les Paul with the thickness and singing sustain when set like this, which is partly the reason why I bought the junior as I wanted to play an amp on the verge of melt down without getting kicked out of the band, and it was so much fun to experience these sounds from my tele and the fact that it thickens up as opposed to just getting louder further up the dial is what I love so much about my Wreck!
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