RUDE MOOD Amplifiers

[randelli]

If you give a mouse a cookie......

You are going to have so much fun playing with settings, and tubes, and guitars. Each new thing will be the best ever! At least that is how it is at my house

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by randelli

If you give a mouse a cookie......

You are going to have so much fun playing with settings, and tubes, and guitars. Each new thing will be the best ever! At least that is how it is at my house

Before I forget: Love the new avatar and motto!

The EL34 is going back into the box. Credit where credit is due, those JJs are pretty nice sounding tubes! Good call for your OEM supplier.

Right now, I've got a high-gain Bassman and a Deluxe/Super going at the same time. Pretty freakin' stoked right now, just sayin'.

[River]

I beat you to the 6L6 by a couple of hours. I don't have to vocabulary or experience to describe the difference, but it's staying.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by River

I beat you to the 6L6 by a couple of hours. I don't have to vocabulary or experience to describe the difference, but it's staying.

Might be a relevant time to point out that Marshalls are hot-rodded Bassmans. Might also be relevant to note that Supers and Bassmans came stock with 4x10 cabinets, and I'm realizing that those 10" speakers played a big role in creating the legendary status of both those amps. I fired up the DR for a bit tonight, just to clear my ears, and immediately missed the frequency response of those 10" baskets.

[tag2]

Now don't you guys go and break them amps. Randy will freak out on ya!

[randelli]

Actually, I think it is pretty cool that it can be so versatile. A lot of people love the vintage marshall plexi/bluesbreaker sound. Probably an equal amount do not - hence the Fender & Marshall camps.

Now we know that if the Marshall sound is not your favorite you can easily swap a tube and get a different feel.

Have you tried the EL34 in the MOOD side?

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by randelli

Actually, I think it is pretty cool that it can be so versatile. A lot of people love the vintage marshall plexi/bluesbreaker sound. Probably an equal amount do not - hence the Fender & Marshall camps.

Now we know that if the Marshall sound is not your favorite you can easily swap a tube and get a different feel.

Have you tried the EL34 in the MOOD side?

Haven't, no. My plan at this point is to leave well enough alone( ), and roll tubes through the Rude amp. I can easily imagine getting just a little bit more loveliness from the Mood with old tubes, but I don't want to mess with it too much, as good as it already sounds.

Going to play with V1 today. Prolly all day today. Most likely, for a few days, even.

EDIT: It does bear mentioning again, how versatile this amp is in terms of allowing the player to reset the Rude's voice for a high-gain "British" or "American" sound, with a simple tube swap; the difference is clearly audible, and it even changes how the amp responds to touch. It's a really sweet feature.

[mudfinger]

Having some fun with tubes!

I swapped out the JJ rectifier tube with a cokebottle 5U4G, and even (temporarily) scavenged a couple 7025 from the DR for the Rude's pre-amp.





I've also tried out a couple of old 12AX7s in V1 and V2, which sounded great, and even an old 12AU7 in V1, which sounded great at low settings, but squealed when I cranked the preamp gain. Eh, they can't all be a perfect fit.

I love this amp!

[River]

I'm running a 12AU7 in V1 right now, and I think it's going to stay there. It quite changed the cranked nature of the Rude, in a way that suits my style. It's not squealing at all.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by River

I'm running a 12AU7 in V1 right now, and I think it's going to stay there. It quite changed the cranked nature of the Rude, in a way that suits my style. It's not squealing at all.

I might try another, but I'm so smitten with the sound of the 7025s, I'm going to give all the 12AX7 substitutes a try first.

Boxed up the JJ 6L6 I was using in the Rude, and the JJ 5U4GB; gonna keep the JJ ECC83s out for some comparison clips in the RM and DR.

[River]

Handsome couple, ain't they?

[frollo]

i personally think they would be even more handsome in a video showcasing some sweet communication between the two.

[River]

Originally Posted by frollo

i personally think they would be even more handsome in a video showcasing some sweet communication between the two.

Here's some audio - a raw, single-mic room recording of a practice session with no post-processing, not a "tone sample".

SoundClick artist: River Bottom Blues Band - Goin' To Mexico

My archaic Internet connection makes uploading video a royal pain.

[frollo]

what happened to mudfinger? i thought he was supposed to be putting up some videos as well. apparently he played till his fingers bled, and continued to play until he bled to death.

[River]

Originally Posted by frollo

what happened to mudfinger? i thought he was supposed to be putting up some videos as well. apparently he played till his fingers bled, and continued to play until he bled to death.

He's waiting for speaker break-in.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by frollo

what happened to mudfinger? i thought he was supposed to be putting up some videos as well. apparently he played till his fingers bled, and continued to play until he bled to death.

I bet that would please a few people!

One of, if not the very, first video clips I'm going to make will be using my vintage DR, with vintage tubes and fully-softened speakers, as a reference point for comparison with the Mood.

As nice as the JJs are (and they are nice, nice enough for me to keep on hand, which says something, I think, given how many old tubes I have...), they don't sound as sweet and harmonically detailed as the vintage tubes I've been rolling through the Rude. That process will take a few days; haven't even gotten to playing with the Mood's tubes yet.

By the time I'm done with that fun, the speakers should be softened up well enough to give all yall a proper demonstration of what the Rude Mood can really do. It IS epic; as nice as each amp sounds on its own, the moment I twist up the volume on the 2nd amp, the sound becomes fuller, richer, and more detailed.

I'm also building a guitar, going to school full-time, and separating my studio apartment into living quarters and a music room. We'll have vids to ogle and study pretty soon all the same.

[randelli]

Originally Posted by River

Here's some audio - a raw, single-mic room recording of a practice session with no post-processing, not a "tone sample".

SoundClick artist: River Bottom Blues Band - Goin' To Mexico

My archaic Internet connection makes uploading video a royal pain.

I really like how the noted section is clean and the chord-ed section is crunchy in the verses! Nice phrasing! That is what it is all about. Not just having both sides present; but learning how to work the pressure and attack to get each side to be just where you need them to be.

You almost have to learn how to play the amp - and you figured it out pretty darn quick

Thanks for sharing

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by randelli

I really like how the noted section is clean and the chord-ed section is crunchy in the verses! Nice phrasing! That is what it is all about. Not just having both sides present; but learning how to work the pressure and attack to get each side to be just where you need them to be.

You almost have to learn how to play the amp - and you figured it out pretty darn quick

Thanks for sharing

He does do some clever stuff in there that shows off how each side can be induced to dominate the other simply through dynamic control of the guitar.

But it's the latter point you made that really got my attention. For ANY tube amp, learning to play it, by which I mean to say, learning to work the guitar as a voltage generator instead of as an (illusionary) sound source, is a key aspect of using one's amp to the fullest. It never fails to amuse me when I see players with really expensive guitars using an inferior amp, especially when they complain about how they're not getting good tonez.

[JMV]

Originally Posted by randelli

RUDE MOOD: The nastiest clean tone you ever heard!



Ah yes, SRV, another great that used multiple amps to get his signature sound. Believe it or not; I did not think about SRV when I was naming the amp. I was looking for a name that was two words, would rhyme, and describe each side. Mean & Clean, Fire & Rain, Red & Blue, and multiple other rotten names. RUDE MOOD fit on so many levels.

I remember when Premier Guitar interviewed me at the LA Amp Show. He says, "So, with a name like RUDE MOOD, one would ask if it conjures up any voodoo from a certain guitar player". I blinked. There was a long pregnant pause while I suddenly realized what I had done. Totally caught me off guard and ruined my whole train of thought.

Luckily Mudfinger came in right after the interview and things have not been the same since!

I remember you saying the name was completely unintentional - what a funny coincidence! Name aside, I still have to image he would have really loved playing with this amp, with the Rude side slinging gain-filled tones and the Mood side throwing out blistering cleans.

At some point, I really do want one of these amps. It'll be a long time coming since we have a baby on the way and we're moving to my wife being a stay-at-home mom, but it'll happen at some point. After playing the amp at the Houston MLP meet and just scratching the surface of it being used as an instrument itself, I was hooked. Those tones haven't disappeared from my mind yet, and that really says something.

[frollo]

Originally Posted by mudfinger

I bet that would please a few people!

One of, if not the very, first video clips I'm going to make will be using my vintage DR, with vintage tubes and fully-softened speakers, as a reference point for comparison with the Mood.

As nice as the JJs are (and they are nice, nice enough for me to keep on hand, which says something, I think, given how many old tubes I have...), they don't sound as sweet and harmonically detailed as the vintage tubes I've been rolling through the Rude. That process will take a few days; haven't even gotten to playing with the Mood's tubes yet.

By the time I'm done with that fun, the speakers should be softened up well enough to give all yall a proper demonstration of what the Rude Mood can really do. It IS epic; as nice as each amp sounds on its own, the moment I twist up the volume on the 2nd amp, the sound becomes fuller, richer, and more detailed.

I'm also building a guitar, going to school full-time, and separating my studio apartment into living quarters and a music room. We'll have vids to ogle and study pretty soon all the same.

i hear you on that one brother. Work full time, going back to school full time to finish my degree, building two acoustics at the moment, designing and starting an electric build after i finish building my thickness sander, designing and defining the tone i want to create for the pickups in said electric, and also building an amp for said electric. To top it all off i'm having my first child in june!

Needless to say i enjoy hobbies / projects which is why i'm so interested in this amp, and the amazing persona it has (it is beyond tone, and sound for me), it is magical. I will fully admit i'm not even close to a good player, but i have listened to a great many amps, players, and this one caught my ear within the first few seconds of the videos i have seen.

[River]

Originally Posted by frollo

To top it all off i'm having my first child in june!

This piece is a bit more dynamic, if also one I'm in an earlier stage of learning: SoundClick artist: River Bottom Blues Band - What Is And What Should Never Be

[frollo]

can't these darn speakers burnthemselves in, they are holding up progress!

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by frollo

can't these darn speakers burnthemselves in, they are holding up progress!

Speakers are coming along nicely, it's the tubes I'm having fun with, and it's the best kinda progress.

[randelli]

NOTE TO SELF: Buy some funner tubes!

[River]

Giggin' the RM:



Warming up, I treated the audience to some Rude-heavy riffage a la Communication Breakdown, Whole Lotta Love, and Livin', Lovin' Maid. That went over gratifyingly well, and one highly appreciative audience member shouted out: "Hey, aren't you wearing the wrong hat to be playing that kind of stuff?" I laughed and replied "Yeah, that's kind of the point!".

Good times.

[mudfinger]

Got mah tubez all sorted out, at least until I snag some nice old 7025s and 6L6GCs.



V1 has a GE 5814, V2 has a Westinghouse 12AX7, V3 has a Baldwin 12AX7, and V4 has a Sovtek 12AX7. Rude has a Sylvania 6L6GB, and Mood has the stock JJ. Rectifier is also stock JJ for now; all of my good 5U4 type specimens have cokebottle glass.

Anyways, working on getting a good sound with my videocam right now.

[randelli]

I can't wait!!!!!!

[randelli]

Originally Posted by River

Giggin' the RM:



Good times.

I think your photographer had one drink too many.....

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by randelli

I think your photographer had one drink too many.....

What seems to be the trouble? Pic looks just fine to me...

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by JMV

I remember you saying the name was completely unintentional - what a funny coincidence! Name aside, I still have to image he would have really loved playing with this amp, with the Rude side slinging gain-filled tones and the Mood side throwing out blistering cleans.

At some point, I really do want one of these amps. It'll be a long time coming since we have a baby on the way and we're moving to my wife being a stay-at-home mom, but it'll happen at some point. After playing the amp at the Houston MLP meet and just scratching the surface of it being used as an instrument itself, I was hooked. Those tones haven't disappeared from my mind yet, and that really says something.

Had you ever played with a multi-amp setup before trying the Rude Mood?

Also, grats on the upcoming New Baby Day.