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Kevin Shaw Amps
- Thread starter Mike Arnopol
- Start date
I'm just about 3 feet taller.... He's like my mini-me!
I made these quick clips back in June but didn't post them because of the aforementioned buzz I was getting. The amp came up today in conversation with another TBer and I shared these clips with him. Despite the buzz (later isolated to that one, problem tube), I really like the tone here, so I'm sharing. Headphones or good speakers recommended. Not sure exactly how the amp is set, but it sounds like the pull-bright is engaged -- I'd guess that the pull-boost is as well ("roughs up" the sound just a bit). Six position mid switch probably in position 4 (maybe 5? I think 4, though), with a slight bass boost.
Recorded via the amp's D.I. --> interface --> Garage Band; no effects, no EQ.
Two tracks (melody over a chordal background) in the first clip, one (just the chordal background) in the second. Maybe not an appropriate tone for every context -- and I probably could have rolled my tone knob back a hair -- but I find that open top end and slight rawness in the mids compelling.
Recorded via the amp's D.I. --> interface --> Garage Band; no effects, no EQ.
Two tracks (melody over a chordal background) in the first clip, one (just the chordal background) in the second. Maybe not an appropriate tone for every context -- and I probably could have rolled my tone knob back a hair -- but I find that open top end and slight rawness in the mids compelling.
Danke.
As I said, I wasn't sure whether to post because of the buzz -- I found that it's more apparent (and the sound much brighter in general) when listening on my phone or laptop, as there's no low end to balance things out.
The amp will do rounder, more rolled-off and bluesy -- or even huge and dubby -- sounds no problem with the pull-bright disengaged and some more bass rolled-in, depending.
Pull Boost referred to earlier is actually labeled pull *Shift*, btw. There is definitely a gain boost when it's engaged -- not sure if there's anything else going on as well.
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Even with the hum, your clips sound really good! Definitely a different tone than I use, but that just kind of highlights the versatility of it. I'm a mids junkie, so for live work, I've been running lately with the mid set at 5, pull shift engaged, pull bright disengaged, bass at 5.5 and treble at 4.5.
The di is really good. We've been recording some of our latest writing sessions off the board, and I'm smitten with the tone. All the grunt I like is coming through wonderfully! And it's quiet.... No noise at all.
The 115 cab Kevin built for me has been the biggest surprise. Super simple, no frills.... Just impeccable craftsmanship. The tone is incredible though. Not the most efficient of cabs out there, but the tone is perfect for me. It has all the punch of a sealed cab (although it is ported), but with more clarity than my Heritage 810. I look for excuses to take the 115 instead of the 810!
The di is really good. We've been recording some of our latest writing sessions off the board, and I'm smitten with the tone. All the grunt I like is coming through wonderfully! And it's quiet.... No noise at all.
The 115 cab Kevin built for me has been the biggest surprise. Super simple, no frills.... Just impeccable craftsmanship. The tone is incredible though. Not the most efficient of cabs out there, but the tone is perfect for me. It has all the punch of a sealed cab (although it is ported), but with more clarity than my Heritage 810. I look for excuses to take the 115 instead of the 810!
Thanks!
When I was a kid in high-school, I never played with the neck pickup on my P/J (actually a reverse-P/J) soloed, but now I find that I use it a bunch. In Blues and Rock settings, it's become my default. I'll often find myself using it with acoustic musicians (guitars, fiddles) and sometimes for older-school Funk sounds, as well. I lose some of the percussive front and the treble content that I get from having the bridge pickup up along with the neck pickup, but I gain some midrange detail, presence, and harmonics that get cancelled out when both pickups are up (why I usually have one backed-off at least a little) and (coming back to the amp) I find that the Shaw renders that really beautifully -- not only the slightly hollow grind of the P but that bit of sweetness that seems to get lost with some setups... I even find myself liking it (the soloed P) for solos and melodic lines. In less subjective terms, the amp has a coherent, detailed sound that lets a lot of subtleties come across.
In a live setting I might use different amp settings (just depends on the mix and the room) or use similar settings and roll the passive tone on my bass back a bit to taste. The settings you mention sound similar to what my friend with the '79 P-bass ended up using at the jam -- mid switch set at 5, shift engaged, etc. -- though I think he had the bass up higher. He said that he was going for (and he achieved) a really "barky" sound. Funny thing is, he usually plays an active six string -- and is usually playing on a cruise ship somewhere -- serendipitous that he, the P-bass (think he said it was his dad's), and the Shaw all came together on the same night.
As far as your 15" cab goes, if you're digging it that much (and it's not super-efficient), might a second make sense? Perhaps that territory is covered by the 810, though.
I should apologize -- it's easy to spend other people's money on TB!
The 810 works great for larger stuff..... And luckily, we don't play with a lot of stage volume, so the 115 works great for most everything.
I got tired of waiting for Dingwall strings to show up in my mailbox and actually found some nickel strings (DR Pure Blues) that I like on my precision at a music store. The first run with the Shaw/Flex/Bodai was good. The Boda is so clear and easy to hear, it made things a lot easier with my temporarily funky hearing. What I did hear was inspiring - full, sweet, and articulate! I had the 'Shift' engaged, bass @ 7, mid @ 6, treble between 5 & 6...
The 'pedestal' supporting the Bodai is a 7.5 gallon plastic trash can...
The 'pedestal' supporting the Bodai is a 7.5 gallon plastic trash can...
We are in the middle of writing at the moment, so with the exception of our regular blues jam, we're not gigging for a while. Normally, I'll just set up my zoom and use the internal mics to capture what we're doing. This time around were running a line in to the Zoom from our board. It sounds pretty good. The bass tone killer. The tap off of the OT through the Jensen transformer sounds killer.
I love my rig. The CS '59 P and Sadowsky Blue Label Flats through the Shaw is magical!
I love my rig. The CS '59 P and Sadowsky Blue Label Flats through the Shaw is magical!
Here's a cell phone video from a gig we did on a riverboat last year. Not bad for a cell phone, and the tune ain't too fancy, but it gives you a taste of what the Shaws sound like.
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