17
Amp models and effects
In this section we’re going to talk about the eleven amp models and effects.
A
MP
MODELS
hich amps did we painstakingly model for our selection of eleven? Believe me
when I say it wasn’t easy ’cos, as I’m sure you know, there’s a plethora of great-
sounding amps out there. After countless hours of soul searching, earnest dis-
cussions (not to mention the occasional friendly argument!), calls to tone-wise friends
(some professional players, some not ... but all blessed with great ears) plus, of course,
listening and playing, a top eleven list was finally drawn up. As you’re about to discover,
the ones we went with are not only the cream of the crop but also offer up the widest pos-
sible array of the greatest guitar tones known to man — from pristine clean to outrageous
overdrive and all points in-between.
C
ONTROLLING
F
ACTORS
As already touched on in this manual “Guitarist’s Guide” although the top panel of your
Valvetronix amp houses controls for TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS, GAIN, VOLUME, and
MASTER, not all of the amps we’ve modeled have as many controls. In such cases,
rather than leave you with knobs that do nothing, we’ve made full use of all five Val-
vetronix amp controls without compromising the accuracy of any of our models. This
means you’ll be able to mimic the full tonal spectrum of each and every one of the origi-
nals we’ve modeled ... and then some, thanks to the extra flexibility and additional control
the five Valvetronix amp controls give you.
For example, if an original doesn’t have a Gain Control (AC15, AC30TB, UK ’70S,
BLACK 2x12, and TWEED 4x10), the Valvetronix’s GAIN control will mimic the original’s
Volume control. This, of course leaves you with three volume controls to use; VOLUME,
GAIN, and MASTER. As you already know, MASTER is a universal, non-programmable
control that allows you to set the overall volume of the amp. So, the programmable VOL-
UME control (the knob right next to GAIN) effectively acts as a second “Master Volume,”
allowing you to ensure that the volume of each of your programs compliments the rest.
Cool stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree ...
Also, if an original amp doesn’t have a complete 3 band EQ network then we’ll set
up the “missing” tone controls on our model to be “neutral” (i.e. as the original) when set
at 12 o’clock — thus giving you extra tonal flexibility in those EQ areas, if you so wish.
Just so you know, the amps we modeled that don’t have individual controls for Treble,
Middle and Bass are:
Amp
Original tone controls
AC15
Bass Cut switch
AC30TB
Treble and Bass controls
W
