Help me re-engineer my rig !

riffpowers

For years and years I've been using a jcm800 with a ts9 in front set for clean boost . 

It's definitely my favourite amp , but I struggle for a lead boost (currently using an Mxr eq) and I'm not getting it turned up much past 2 .

My sound is everything on half , gain on about 6 and volume to suit .

I play a les Paul , I like everything old fashioned and plugged in the front end .

I don't use much fx , just a Wah sometimes , I have the ts9 ok all the time and kick the Mxr eq (set with volume and mids up ) for a lead boost . 

So , anyone wanna help me re-engineer my rig ?!

Simpler is better for me , I'm old fashioned so no fancy fx loops or mods or anything please !

Different pedals ? Hot plate ?

Sassafras

I'd use the TS 9 as a lead boost or get a Marshall Power Brake.

TTBZ

Doesn't really sound like it needs an overhaul tbh! Although my suggestion would be modding the amp for a loop to put the EQ in for leads but I can see why you wouldn't want to mod an old Marshall. I've seen footswitchable attenuators mentioned before. I've used a hotplate in the past and it worked well - didn't affect the tone too much apart from very extreme settings. The Weber minimass I used prior to the hotplate wasn't great, noticeably made everything duller.

ICBM

Set the amp, MXR and TS up for your lead sound, and turn the pedals off for rhythm - roll of the guitar volume slightly as well if it's not clean enough. If it's too much of a faff to do that all at once, you need a looper pedal with a volume control for the loop, like the Boss LS-2 - that will let you turn on both pedals and boost the volume with one switdch.

If you want an attenuator, the Powerbrake is the best for this amp as Sassafras said. It's not footswitchable, but it will let you turn the amp up a bit further. Don't really crank it or you'll lose the ability to have different rhythm and lead volumes again.

riffpowers

I find that the amp plus pretty flat at lower volumes without the ts9, which is why I have it on all the time .

riffpowers

ICBM said:

Set the amp, MXR and TS up for your lead sound, and turn the pedals off for rhythm - roll of the guitar volume slightly as well if it's not clean enough. If it's too much of a faff to do that all at once, you need a looper pedal with a volume control for the loop, like the Boss LS-2 - that will let you turn on both pedals and boost the volume with one switdch.

If you want an attenuator, the Powerbrake is the best for this amp as Sassafras said. It's not footswitchable, but it will let you turn the amp up a bit further. Don't really crank it or you'll lose the ability to have different rhythm and lead volumes again.

I find that the amp sounds and feels much better with the ts9 at the volumes I play it at , I've heard other people say the same about theirs. That's the problem I've got !

ICBM

riffpowers said:

I find that the amp sounds and feels much better with the ts9 at the volumes I play it at , I've heard other people say the same about theirs. That's the problem I've got !

Another TS? One always-on, the other as a lead boost.

You'd be in good company...

professorben

ICBM said:

Set the amp, MXR and TS up for your lead sound, and turn the pedals off for rhythm - roll of the guitar volume slightly as well if it's not clean enough. If it's too much of a faff to do that all at once, you need a looper pedal with a volume control for the loop, like the Boss LS-2 - that will let you turn on both pedals and boost the volume with one switdch.

If you want an attenuator, the Powerbrake is the best for this amp as Sassafras said. It's not footswitchable, but it will let you turn the amp up a bit further. Don't really crank it or you'll lose the ability to have different rhythm and lead volumes again.

This, I used to use the LS-2 for my jcm800, but I used it just as a massive boost into the front end on one loop and a volume cut on the other loop.

riffpowers

ICBM said:

riffpowers said:

I find that the amp sounds and feels much better with the ts9 at the volumes I play it at , I've heard other people say the same about theirs. That's the problem I've got !

Another TS? One always-on, the other as a lead boost.

You'd be in good company...

I would LOVE that ! I actually have 2 to test it !

riffpowers

professorben said:

ICBM said:

Set the amp, MXR and TS up for your lead sound, and turn the pedals off for rhythm - roll of the guitar volume slightly as well if it's not clean enough. If it's too much of a faff to do that all at once, you need a looper pedal with a volume control for the loop, like the Boss LS-2 - that will let you turn on both pedals and boost the volume with one switdch.

If you want an attenuator, the Powerbrake is the best for this amp as Sassafras said. It's not footswitchable, but it will let you turn the amp up a bit further. Don't really crank it or you'll lose the ability to have different rhythm and lead volumes again.

This, I used to use the LS-2 for my jcm800, but I used it just as a massive boost into the front end on one loop and a volume cut on the other loop.

Did it work ok for you ? Did the quieter / rythmn sound lose much of the feel and sound ??

professorben

riffpowers said:

professorben said:

ICBM said:

Set the amp, MXR and TS up for your lead sound, and turn the pedals off for rhythm - roll of the guitar volume slightly as well if it's not clean enough. If it's too much of a faff to do that all at once, you need a looper pedal with a volume control for the loop, like the Boss LS-2 - that will let you turn on both pedals and boost the volume with one switdch.

If you want an attenuator, the Powerbrake is the best for this amp as Sassafras said. It's not footswitchable, but it will let you turn the amp up a bit further. Don't really crank it or you'll lose the ability to have different rhythm and lead volumes again.

This, I used to use the LS-2 for my jcm800, but I used it just as a massive boost into the front end on one loop and a volume cut on the other loop.

Did it work ok for you ? Did the quieter / rythmn sound lose much of the feel and sound ??

Not really, although I found in a two guitar band it wasn't enough volume boost to cut through still, and my rhythm tone was a light crunch, so I started to link a DS-1 in one loop set quiet but high gain and an SD-1 set low gain but high volume.

so it was 

LS-2 bypass = cleanish tone amp gain on 7/10
LS-2 loop one = DS-1 heavy rhythm tone
LS-2 loop two = SD-1 high output lead tone. 

That worked but to get the rhythm and lead tones I wanted I had to sacrifice A decent clean tone, in the end I bought a Blackstar HT-Dual. 

riffpowers

I don't need a clean tone so do you think that could work for me ?

bbill335

Are you sure you want to change your rig and you're not just showing off? 

Moltisanti

Metro Zero Loss FX loop is a must have for me on a JCM800 - totally transparent, works perfectly.
The way I run my JCM800 it's like having a 3 channel amp with volume boosts on all channels.