What makes a “pedal platform”? (Specifically with Solid State)

[tleeitsme]

So we’ve all heard a million times that the more clean headroom you have the better pedal platform an amp is, and wattage more or less has a direct correlation with overall headroom.

Now comparing 2 very similar (power wise) SS heads I am getting very different results:

I have an ACC model 120 rated 100w @ 4 ohms and a Marshall 2195 rated 100w @ 4 ohms. The ACC is a lot cleaner naturally than the Marshall, which is pretty inclined to break up but can be tamed by keeping the channel volume low and cranking the master volume instead.

The ACC sounds fine with pedals, specifically fuzz/OD. Kind of the Sunn Beta tone, so really fantastic if you’re into that sort of thing.

This Marshall on the other-hand doesn’t seem to care for effects. Boosts, distortions and fuzz boxes all sound gross and sloppy without any note distinction. Even reverb or phaser seem to be too big of an ask, as that gets muddy with more than 1 note being played.

It’s really got nothing to do with the pre amp. People have been putting muffs in front of JCMs for as long as both have existed. What gives on this power amp situation that it can’t do what the ACC does?

(PS if you’ve got a single coil bass and are looking for Lemmy tone on a budget, the 2195 is a pretty freaking sweet and inexpensive one-trick-pony)

 

[Analogeezer]

So we’ve all heard a million times that the more clean headroom you have the better pedal platform an amp is, and wattage more or less has a direct correlation with overall headroom.

Now comparing 2 very similar (power wise) SS heads I am getting very different results:

I have an ACC model 120 rated 100w @ 4 ohms and a Marshall 2195 rated 100w @ 4 ohms. The ACC is a lot cleaner naturally than the Marshall, which is pretty inclined to break up but can be tamed by keeping the channel volume low and cranking the master volume instead.

The ACC sounds fine with pedals, specifically fuzz/OD. Kind of the Sunn Beta tone, so really fantastic if you’re into that sort of thing.

This Marshall on the other-hand doesn’t seem to care for effects. Boosts, distortions and fuzz boxes all sound gross and sloppy without any note distinction. Even reverb or phaser seem to be too big of an ask, as that gets muddy with more than 1 note being played.

It’s really got nothing to do with the pre amp. People have been putting muffs in front of JCMs for as long as both have existed. What gives on this power amp situation that it can’t do what the ACC does?

(PS if you’ve got a single coil bass and are looking for Lemmy tone on a budget, the 2195 is a pretty freaking sweet and inexpensive one-trick-pony)

If you mean the old 120 I believe the preamp/front end is just like the 220 (which I own).

These amps have 0 and -10 inputs; which input are you using with the pedal(s)?

If you are using the -10 input (which I use with an active bass or my Classic Vibe P-Bass which has a very high output Seymour Duncan pickup in it) that could be your answer.

I don't know the Marshall model you reference but if it does not have a padded input or a way to pad the input it could be the pedal(s) are overdriving the input.

Analogeezer