Fryette's new load/reamping device

[Roe]

OK
Maybe a question I shoulda asked BEFORE I made the drunk impulse buy...

Is anyone getting natural "feedback" through this thing???

as in Jimi Hendrix induced normal rolling into feedback thing??
Or is it dead as Elvis in this dept???
..:

I've gotten a slight feedback and very nice dynamics (esp with 335) at low volume. But will test more at higher volume when time allows

[eljodon]

I used to have a problem with a squeal noise when using my Aracom Dual Rox DRX attenuator asa dummy load and I ended up using a DI box and a re amp box together. the 1/4" line out from my attenuator went into a DI box then the xlr out into the reamp box then the 1/4 " into an eq then to a RJM mixer then to an amp. What helped was the ground switch in the DI box. I wonder if that would solve the issue with the Fryette's load box's loop?
I'm happy with my Aracom attenuator, but I need a second one to record 2 amps at the same time and perhaps this one might be better than the Torpedo reloaded, which I returned because the SS power amp was really wimpy.

[dirtycooter]

I don't think I will use the loop but for maybe one certain thing and thats a real "maybe". Probably the only thing I would have a desire to place in the loop is a really good quality EQ because I wonder how much tonal manipulation can be had here voicing wise. Here you could change the voice without changing overdrive at all.
EQ before amp adds gain and certain frequencies will distort more as they are being driven harder.
Post amp though you can deepen, brighten, maybe only push the mids up more withoit any extra gain happening. So this has me really curious. I wish to not really do any of those things those though to my tone and just get it down to a safe level.

[eljodon]

Using an eq in the fx loop of my high gain amps or using it on my Metro/Friedman and Scumback Plexi, (both no master volume) when slaved, has helped a great deal in sculpting a better tone. Even if I record my NMV Plexis straight into the cab(non slave) I still eq the amps with my SSL eq's lowering certain frequencies instead of adding.So although the Fryette attenuator is basically slaving an amp, I'm curious if it's sound better than my Aracom attenuator and the Fx loop would be nice if it works without squealing.. But I think NVM Plexi squeal because your cranking the amp all the way up which does not happen with my high gain amps.

But I do recommend eqing and amp post distortion because I think it improves your tone without affecting your gain or feel of the amp.You'll definitely like your tone better, I believe. When you record an amp, most likely you'll be eqing the amp so it fits with the rest of instruments during mixing. I rarely boost any frequency though, I usually just scalp out the nasty stuff.

[echoplexi1974]

eljodon wrote:

Using an eq in the fx loop of my high gain amps or using it on my Metro/Friedman and Scumback Plexi, (both no master volume) when slaved, has helped a great deal in sculpting a better tone. Even if I record my NMV Plexis straight into the cab(non slave) I still eq the amps with my SSL eq's lowering certain frequencies instead of adding.So although the Fryette attenuator is basically slaving an amp, I'm curious if it's sound better than my Aracom attenuator and the Fx loop would be nice if it works without squealing.. But I think NVM Plexi squeal because your cranking the amp all the way up which does not happen with my high gain amps.

But I do recommend eqing and amp post distortion because I think it improves your tone without affecting your gain or feel of the amp.You'll definitely like your tone better, I believe. When you record an amp, most likely you'll be eqing the amp so it fits with the rest of instruments during mixing. I rarely boost any frequency though, I usually just scalp out the nasty stuff.

Yep, that's how I do it too. Turns a AM radio tone to a FM tone. The MXR blue 6-band works great as an post eq. In front of the amp imo, nasty....

[dirtycooter]

Boogie added graphic e.q. for a reason on some of their amps.
Bein a Metallica fan, especially of Hetfields work, it offered something majorly different.
Although scooping things out with the big V shape made a really really powerful tone, as I grew more tonally so did James and company. Later on Load and Relaod (what I consider their peak) they really actually had changd so much since the super scoop of "Justice". While Justice was the record that put rythm in my bones and a guitat in hand later I realized there is so much more besides chuggin on the low E string for guitar. And so did they. Suddenly Metallica had mids and body and ..... tone. Only after they began on kill 'em all with marshalls. So when it comes to EQ I am not so Rah Rah Rah lets get it on. Nowdays less is more for me.
Butt we will see. It means nothing really what I just said-its all dependant. In the end its the gear and user.
What they want to convey. But EQ can polish things up in ways no other device can.
And just like a chick it depends on "where you put it" that makes it/them do what they do lmmfao!
Hmmm.. in the front? Or the rear?

[eljodon]

To me the usual frequencies that can make a difference are between 250 Hz to 2kHz. By decreasing 500 Hz and 1 kHz even by -2 db can add more clarity to the tone.I use the Boss GE 10 or a TC electronic 4 band parametric eq which is more accurate.

[dirtycooter]

I installed a Duncan Custom today. That brought in some soooo needed mid range push compared to the DSD. And it cleans up much better and has some spanky clean. Jnew and Efraser is right on about this pickup. It makes dsd sound messy as hell and harsh in comparison. Solid twangy clean to balls out drive. More body. Tight. Drives like crazy but sounds smooth and unlike a hot pickup to me.
I found it kinda bright. Almost too bright. Thats was the only thing.
So I turned the amp and variac off-hooked up the Frybaby and dialed the variac up so the pilot light on the head just blinked as I hit the strings hard. Like Suhr's account of Ed in his shop with #1.
I cracked up the frybaby volume and wow! Wawazat!! So much closer than I was before. Big good long step actually.
I set the fryette flat on highs and flat on bottom-depth knob off and used the presence knob to fine tune the high end.
Here I was able to just dial in the top end-like a slave head would have done and dummy load IF Ed ever slaved.
Damn!
I was able to blur that line and dial in that top end thats just enough to sound like part of the overdrive sizzle but just cut only enough.Even my fx weren't too shrill and the phaser and flanger sounded more "in the zone" by quite a margin.
I am amazed. The feel instantly took on another realm using the frybaby. Its weird but good

[dirtycooter]

While I nudged closer yet I still gotta get some 6ca7's and my amp is not on spec really at all. But the gear with the pickup the head jacked up balls out, the variac, and this slave amp really make me think this is how Ed was doin it.
There is something that happens slaving. Now the frybaby is no 2nd marshall head's power amp, but it certainly puts that somethin somethin in the sound.
Its like if you pick soft? That comes out louder than if you just did it regular setup normal.
Kinda like that soft purr of the opening riff to "you're no good". Its like it lets you hear the distortiin texture dynamics change but not the dynamics of volume fluctuation. You pick quiet and the amp gets quieter-but not when slaving. That feels and works way better slaving. Its seperates seemingly the distortion changing from the volume dynamics when normally those two things go hand in hand.
And the compression of the pick attack and the bloom seems like its there in spades with the slave and not there just head and variac alone. It gives a feel of more sustain here. Again its got alot to do with dynamics mentioned above giving that sustain feel. Soft doesn't mean lower volume and dying off fast. It just purrs less at the same level.
This could be one reason its been hard to get just one amp to do the sound. And also a reason Ed got tired of draggin it all around. I got a slave amp on my head then I got slave amp for wet cabs-rack-miles of cable strung, speaker line city!
What a mess but its so fun.

[eljodon]

I run a pretty standard vintage EVH chain:
MXR Flanger -> MXR Phaser -> Echoplex -> Plexi -> Cab

When I tried to do this:
MXR Flanger -> MXR Phaser -> Echoplex -> Plexi -> PS (with reverb unit in loop) -> Cab
The plexi would squeal like a pig if you turned it past 5

Turned out this went away if I took the MXR Flanger and the Echoplex out from in front of the amp.
This also went away if I took the reverb out of the PS loop.

I would be curious to know if anyone else can reproduce this problem.

I have a rack full of pedals with an RJM fx gizmo and the squealing is horrible. I wonder if they only test it with just an amp and no pedal. With my Aracom dual rox DRX I don't have any issues but the Aracom doesn't use a power amp. When I slave my Plexi's using the Aracom as a dummy load I used a DI box and a re amp box together so I can use the ground switch which helps a great deal to control the squeal but with the PS is more intense.
I'm going to try different things and see if I can solve the issue because this is a deal breaker!

[dirtycooter]

I have a feeling the loop is simply too hot for pedals from the complaints I am hearing. Is there a way you can try something with in and out gain adjustment like an mpx1 or something? This will let you trim the in/out gain levels. I haven't even bothered with my loop whatsoever since I got mine. I got other avenues and haven't really a use for it myself. But it seems like they woulda addressed this and put in two simple level adjustment pots or switches.
If I get time I will try and test it out. But usually these type of loops are a set at predetermined certain send and return level and they are expecting low impedence fx with gain adjustment and not high impedence pedals really.
I can use pedals post amp but I turn the send level way down before doin it and its a -10dBv or less feed to begin with.

[eljodon]

I tried the PS last night again quite extensively, this time with my cabinet miked listening through my Dynaudio Bm6a and Bm9s sub and it sounded good but not better than my Aracom Dual Rox DRX. The PS sounds darker(David Friedman confirmed this) and I don't like the way the Presence knob is voiced. Also, the resonance knob is not as effective as I would like it to be.It supposed to compensate for playing at lower volume, but it doesn't. I would like the presence knob to be more like my Metro/Friedman Plexi,BE100, PT100 or even my Mesa 2 90. It seems like the PS presence knob is voiced at a lower frequency.

I managed to make the fx loop of the PS work with an eq, but it's not very clean( as pointed out by Dirtycooter) , regardless if I use the Fx level switch.
I kept switching back and forth between the Aracom and the PS and I liked the Aracom's top end better. To me, the PS feels like there's a low pass filter in the circuit because when I roll down my guitar's volume is not as bright as the Aracom or the amp without an Attenuator.

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it, after hearing many people calling it a "game changer" in my 30 years of using countless of attenuators from the days of Altair and power soak to the many new ones available now, is not a game changer. It could've been but I get better results using my Aracom Dual Rox DRX as a dummy load or a custom one built for my by Jeff(from Aracom) and slaving my amps into the power amps section of another amp or my Mesa 2 90 with less squeal which is practically the same thing. I'll do some more testing before I make my decision if I'm going to keep it.

[jape88]

Thanks eljodon, you've saved me some money as I run a an Aracom too thanks for doing the ground work.

[eljodon]

Thanks eljodon, you've saved me some money as I run a an Aracom too thanks for doing the ground work.

Lol! I saved you some $$! I'll have to sell mine on ebay! I was very excited about the PS because I read so many posts in different forums of people raving about it. So either I'm deaf or my needs are very different from other guitar players. If people are raving about the PS,but they haven't tried the newer Aracom dual rox DRX attenuator. I had the older one(PRX) and it was also too dark for me.
I'm going to try the new Suhr load box because I need a simpler solution for slaving amps which I sometimes when I'm recording I'll be able to free up the Aracom and just use it as an attenuator. I just hope it sounds good.

The PS is very popular so I should be able to get a good price for it, hopefully!

[dirtycooter]

I am gettin along with this really good now. As far as comparing other attenuators I dunno as you kinda have to spend a bit of time with each one then have thise solid references in mind when A/B'ing.
I think the PS isn't a brain melting innovatiin but its a nice neat package for re-amping.
Was lookin at Al Estrada's demo of the crop circles guitar.
Loaded into hotplate then reamped through a jcm800 power section. Same concept but different power amp and tubes. And that itself can make quite a bit of difference. Also the jape is added post mic he will go on to say.
But for me so far its been settin the thing flat and just usin the presence knob like you would on a 2nd head.
And there is part of the sound I think. Double presence adjustment. I can see Ed doin this back then as its not rocket science when you have two heads-an fx return in one-and dummy loads occupying every techs bench even back then. Adding any other voicing hoopla seems to suck mids downward and caves it in. Opposite of what you want. Which is fat mids and that perfect slice on top.
If your tryin to probably stick fx where Ed never probably did then you'll probably run into issues.
I think the fx loop on this is just an added feature that doesn't really function as well as it could have and maybe an after thought. But if you use it for plain reamping then its been pretty damn square. Those lookin for full wet dry kinda fx need to realize-this isn't gonna do both of those duties. This part you gotta get out the wallet and do it right-no shortcuts and think about it. I cannot see gettin any or much more out of the fx loop on this thing than maybe what you would get on a cascaded master volume head with the same loop and the power section runnin cleaner utilizing preamp gain for the main show.