Bluesbreaker, cant get the bluesy tone :(

Started by muras, August 07, 2007, 11:45:43 AM

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muras

Hi everyone!
I´ve built a bluesbreaker.I´m using the shcematic from tonepad: http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=75
For wiring I use the "first wrapper" from geofex as you can see here:http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/wrapper/wrapper.htm (I´ve a mono and a stereo jack but I´m using mine like 2 mono jacks)
I plugged the guitar to the efect board and out to the amp, till here everything goes right, the 3 potenciometers (gain, volume, tone) are working. I really can see the diference in gain and volume pots as they boost the sound from the amp. My problem is the Tone, it´s working but I can´t get that bluesy tone that I was expecting :'(
What could be the problem? I´ve a portable amplifier(5W) does it have any influence in this? Could be the wiring, as i´m not using a DPDT or a 3PDT?

Any suggestions would be very aprecciated

Thank you all guys ;)

Krinor

Are you using a solid state amp or a tube amp ?
In my experience no matter how much mojo the pedal has it just won't give you the blues unless its driving some 12ax7's into nice overdrive.  :icon_cool:

muras

Quote from: Krinor on August 07, 2007, 12:07:07 PM
Are you using a solid state amp or a tube amp ?
In my experience no matter how much mojo the pedal has it just won't give you the blues unless its driving some 12ax7's into nice overdrive.  :icon_cool:

I think is a solid state amp
The one I use you can see it here:http://cgi.ebay.com/MINI-3W-HALF-STACK-GUITAR-AMP-amplifier-bass-keyboard_W0QQitemZ320143695407QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10171QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
it also as an "OD"(overdriven,I think)state

So what you say is that I have to bought another amp to get the blues tone?

Thanks

GibsonGM

IMO, nothing can replace a tube amp for real bluesy tone!!  That goes for everything from BB King to early Aerosmith.  Some modeling amps can come close (Line 6, etc)...I'm not sure how they react to being driven, though.  Best equipment move I ever made was to get away from solid state, in terms of tone.    Words like "raunchy", "Fat", "warm" "Full" come to mind.  I just didn't feel any of those things over solid state.
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MartyMart

Well Valve amps are hard to beat, but I recently made a 30watt amp with a TA2050 chip and with
a decent Jfet emu in front such as an "English Channel" or the Dr Boogey it does sound VERY nice :-) !
Keeping the TDA2050 within its limits and driving a preamp works very well, NOT tubes but not a million miles away.

MM.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
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GREEN FUZ

There`s also the question of unrealistic expectations, like buying a pedal with Jimi Hendrix`s name on it and expecting to sound just like Jimi. The sound is a combination of room ambience, instrument + numerous other factors not least of which is the skill of the player. It`s all in the fingers is a platitude one hears a lot but there is some truth in it. If there is a particular Blues player you are trying to emulate you might do well to do some research on how He/She gets their sound. I`m not saying you can`t get a good sound out of a small solid state amp but you might have to settle for a different tone than the one you hear in your head.

Barcode80

"bluesy" can be subjective too. i just built a new bluesbreaker, and you have to bear in mind that it really seems geared for a medium sized tube amp, as the pedal creates very little low end, which i presume to be to compensate for the slight high end attenuation that takes place (IME) with tube amps. I've built 2 of them, and both have sounded a little lackluster on my 30 watt marshall solid state, but through my friend's dr. z tube amp, they sound KILLER!

Krinor

#7
Well... Muras: that amp there is very small. It probably sounds a bit tinny ? I have just built a Ruby and put it in a plywood cabinet (you can see a picture of it in the Pictures thread page 153). With my Tonebender mk2 replica in front it sounds as bluesy as a Jimmy Page in a cupboard  :icon_rolleyes:. It's really nice, and it dosen't cost anything (almost) to build. I would build one of these if I were you, and try your bluesbreaker through it. If that doesn't do it for you then I'd save up some money and buy one of those extremely nice small Fender Amps or maby even an Epiphone Valve Junior. Those are really cheap amps. In terms of tone an Epiphone Valve Junior is a steal in my opinion.