Your Fireball settings

[Jopop]

Post here please

 

Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong..

 

These are mine:

 

Gain: 2.5 with blackouts actives, 5-6 with stock ibanez pickups

Bass 6-7 ish

Mids 6

Treble 5.5

Presence 7

Depth off

Bright button depending on guitar

 

And i kinda like the tone but it's just not magic

It sounds especially lame tuned to D, but it might be the guitar (mahogany with blackouts pickups). I have another guitar tuned BEADGBE (Ibanez 7421) with stock Ibanez pickups and i think it sounds a little fatter.. better maybe even. It might be due to the {censored}ing abnormal amount of output in the blackouts? I need to run gain around 2.5 in order to get some clarity, it's just getting way over saturated at 3 and just gets muddier and muddier as i go up..

 

 

I like tones like the newer Kreator, newer Immortal/I, older Suffocation (Effigy), Ghoul / Impaled, Carcass on Heartwork, stuff like that.. Maybe i just need a 5150 again

[bridrive55]

I use less treble. It gets too harsh. The actives pickups shouldn't matter too much.

My settings:

 

Depth on for 7 string, off for 6 string

Gain 11-12 o'clock (12 o'clock for EMG's, 11 o'clock with JEM and RG7)

Bass 1 o'clock

Mids 10 o'clock

Treble 12 o'clock

Presence 11 o'clock

 

Make sure the dial on the effects loop is all the way off!

 

You have to dial back on the presence a little to remove harshness, but go too far and the sound is distant and hollow. I roll the mids back because the mids are so brutally harsh on this amp. It's true that the 5150 is much fuller and warmer, but it has a lot less definition.

 

With the Fireball, you either love it or it's not for you at all. You'll know immediately too. This isn't a Mark IV: there aren't sonic vistas of varying tonal color hidden in the knobs. There is basically one sound right there. If it's not for you, let the amp go, I say. If you liked the 5150, I would get another one and work with mods, or get a 5150-esque amp like the Soldano SLO! You know what you like, work from there. The Fireball is a radical departure from the 5150. I know this because I currently have a 5150 sitting right on top of my Fireball.

 

Pretty soon this same 5150 is going to be sitting on top of your Fireball, however.

[Jopop]

Radical departure from the 5150? From what i can remember, the 5150 was a little fizzier on top but had a lot more going on in the low mids. The Fireball has a way clearer high end and clearer mids i think? Also the 5150 is "saggier" and has slower attack, this might make it sound a little heavier.

 

Well i need both side-by-side to decide, as i said, i can go with the tone, but there's something about the feel of playing it and stuff. Also it sounds lame in D tuning, not evil enough on chords and kinda thin on the plain strings (I use D tuning a lot, D and BEADGBE). I'll try decreasing the presence and mids a little. Actually i used to run the mids on full and the treble around 3, with presence up around 6 when i only used my "D standard" axe.. Maybe I'll give that a spin (i agree on the mids being kind of harsh sounding when you turn them up loud, but try decreasing treble as a remedy).

 

What cab are you using? I'm using a rear loaded Engl XXL.

[chrispsullivan]

you guys need to crank the mids more

[bridrive55]

I tried it through several cabs before deciding on the V30 G12T75 mix. All V30's kind of accentuates the harsh mids on this amp, but all G12T75s makes the treble kind of piercing. It's a good combo. Never tried an ENGL cab.

My Avatar is the cab I use on this amp.

 

5150 sounds way different from the Fireball. They are voiced very differently. Have you ever tried a Soldano? The 5150 was modeled after the SLO. I've heard that 5150 people are often pleased by the SLO or Avenger a lot.

 

Tonight I may make a video of the differences between Fireball and 5150. I'll play the same thing and leave the camera in the same place. I'm not having tons of luck using a microphone with my camera, so the internal camera mic it must be. Tonight is Halloween in Madison (one of the biggest parties in the U.S.) so I might just be too drunk to play guitar

[bridrive55]

 

you guys need to crank the mids more

 

 

No, not with the Fireball. Mids are agressive and sharp on this amp. It sounds worse on the lead tone with the mids up past 12 o'clock. When I get my recording setup complete I can record clips.

[Jopop]

 

you guys need to crank the mids more

 

 

I guess that depends on the tone you want? Anyway I've done it, and i think it sounds okay.

[NixerX]

Start with all knobs at noon. Roll back the presence to about 10oclock and start working the treble back. You might need to do the JAN5751 in V2 trick but as far back as you have rolled the gain back you might be able to put an rft12AT7 in v1 or to lower the input stage and warm stuff up a bit. Carcass used a Marshall with a Guvnor pedal so you probably have a hard time getting that boosted marshall sag.

[bridrive55]

 

Start with all knobs at noon. Roll back the presence to about 10oclock and start working the treble back. You might need to do the JAN5751 in V2 trick but as far back as you have rolled the gain back you might be able to put an rft12AT7 in v1 or to lower the input stage and warm stuff up a bit. Carcass used a Marshall with a Guvnor pedal so you probably have a hard time getting that boosted marshall sag.

 

I've got a JP 5751. What does it do in V1 or V2?

[Jopop]

 

Start with all knobs at noon. Roll back the presence to about 10oclock and start working the treble back. You might need to do the JAN5751 in V2 trick but as far back as you have rolled the gain back you might be able to put an rft12AT7 in v1 or to lower the input stage and warm stuff up a bit. Carcass used a Marshall with a Guvnor pedal so you probably have a hard time getting that boosted marshall sag.

 

 

Less presence, more treble.. ?

 

About the t00b stuff; yeah, i could put a 5751 in V2, but no 12at7's in V1. I like to crank the gain on the clean chan.

[Jopop]

 

I've got a JP 5751. What does it do in V1 or V2?

 

 

It lowers the gain a fraction but it has this really cool oldscool dirty tone when you overdrive it. I think the new Mullard Reissue 12ax7's also have a similar kind of breakup, real gritty and dirty, never harsh.

 

My tube setup is V1: China 12ax7 - V2: Mullard RI 12ax7 - V3: Tung-sol 12ax7 - V4: Sovtek LPS and then the power tubes are JJ 6L6GC's.

 

Anyway I've stopped with the tube swap mania a long time ago, it just doesn't make that much of a difference unless the tubes are broken IMO

[bridrive55]

 

It lowers the gain a fraction but it has this really cool oldscool dirty tone when you overdrive it. I think the new Mullard Reissue 12ax7's also have a similar kind of breakup, real gritty and dirty, never harsh. My tube setup is V1: China 12ax7 - V2: Mullard RI 12ax7 - V3: Tung-sol 12ax7 - V4: Sovtek LPS and then the power tubes are JJ 6L6GC's. Anyway I've stopped with the tube swap mania a long time ago, it just doesn't make that much of a difference unless the tubes are broken IMO

 

 

How did you get the right bias when changing power tubes? I know ENGL tells you to use their power tubes and all that BS. I just have stock ENGL tubes in there now, but I might try my 5751 in V2 later tonight. Try to eliminate some harshness!

[Jopop]

 

How did you get the right bias when changing power tubes? I know ENGL tells you to use their power tubes and all that BS. I just have stock ENGL tubes in there now, but I might try my 5751 in V2 later tonight. Try to eliminate some harshness!

 

Well Horst told me to measure the voltage on the OT secondaries when the amp was fully on with the master on 0 and adjust the bias pot until the voltage is around 2.3-2.7 volts on both sides. My tubes were probably matched by a monkey though, they maxed out at 1.9 volts one side and 2.4 volts on the other. I got a new set of tubes when i bought it so i dunno who sold me these..

 

 

Anyway i think my tube setup may be rather dark/smooth compared to you guys? Maybe that's why i "overdo" the treble/presence.. either that or you have not witnessed the skull crushing maniac that is the Engl XXL cab it's all about punchy tight bass, tons and tons of cutting vocal-like mids and a really (REEEALY) smooth upper end.. it's pretty cool

[bridrive55]

 

Well Horst told me to measure the voltage on the OT secondaries when the amp was fully on with the master on 0 and adjust the bias pot until the voltage is around 2.3-2.7 volts on both sides. My tubes were probably matched by a monkey though, they maxed out at 1.9 volts one side and 2.4 volts on the other. I got a new set of tubes when i bought it so i dunno who sold me these.. Anyway i think my tube setup may be rather dark/smooth compared to you guys? Maybe that's why i "overdo" the treble/presence.. either that or you have not witnessed the skull crushing maniac that is the Engl XXL cab it's all about punchy tight bass, tons and tons of cutting vocal-like mids and a really (REEEALY) smooth upper end.. it's pretty cool

 

 

Yeah, I've heard those cabs are badass! You're lucky to have such an asskicking cabinet. You play death metal?

I'll try swapping the V2 tube later with the 5751.

[Jopop]

I don't play death metal that much, not the very brutal/modern kind anyway (but i listen to it alot). I usually play thrash/death-thrash/black-thrash/oldschool death.. but i do play both lighter and heavier variants of metal, but i enjoy playing those four the most.

[bridrive55]

Woot. Are you in a band at all?

As long as this thread became bridrive55 + jopop, did you have to do civil service in Norway when you were 18? What's your stance on that? How the hell can everything in your country be so expensive?

Are you older, with a real job and stuff? I'm in college.

[Jopop]

No, I'm not in a band right now, but I'll be soon i hope. The scene is pretty much nonexistant in my city though, and forget gigs .

 

I've been on some band practices with other bands and stuff and i could join them but i feel they've all been a dead end or not really my thing.. It's either the 80's-thing, or the hardcore/metalcore stuff, or the "idiot" Drop-D chugg-chugg nu metal type bands.. I could do the 80's stuff but I'm not much of a lead player (but I'm getting there) so it gets boring pretty fast.

 

I'm 18 right now actually.. I don't have to do civil service though since I'm a diabetic (actually I can't do civil service). I would like to do some stuff related to the military though but i don't qualify. Plus I'm not much of a traveler. I think the obligatory military service thing is great, most kids (well, teens) nowadays really need a little discipline and to learn a little about duties, responsibility, independence and life in general. They've been babied since they were born..

 

Everything in my country is expensive because.. well.. i dunno It's expensive if you do straight dollar conversion, but it's not THAT bad if you factor in the (comparatively) higher pay we get compared to US people. The real crooks are the importers / distributors.. It's not rare to see a 50-70% price gain from the importer vs. buying at the factory. Stuff produced in Norway and stuff that are more common isn't that bad pricewise.

 

I have a "real" job.. I'm an electrician.. or so to speak. I don't like it though, but i don't mind it that much either. The last 4-5 months all I've been doing is changing flourescent lights and related capacitors and it can drag on a bit. I have huge possibilities for a good career though in my company (I'm sure you've heard of them, It's a rather large corp. called Siemens), but i don't know if being a chairman kind of guy in a corporation is what I'd like to do. Right now i manage the interns and some project economy and it's really not that great. I've been offered a job as a division manager in my father's electrical installation company but that job is pretty much a nightmare.. I'd do it if i got some stock though (being a manager in your own company seems a little more interesting), but currently he's not willing to give up more than a few percent, and I'd like at least 30%..

 

I'd like to start my own business but i don't have the experience yet.. I'd like a college degree first in electric/electronic engineering and maybe some time in the business to build some trade experience. I have the finances, but the experience and knowledge is lacking.. Ideally I'd own and operate a company developing solutions for "smart" houses (i.e. remote controlled houses with lots of integrated electronics and stuff).. i think that is a market that's gonna take off in the next 10 years or so.

 

I might be too ambitious.. but you only live once

 

What are you studying?

[bridrive55]

Wow, sounds interesting. A bright side of your ineligibility for civil service is that you can get a jump ahead in your business. I'm sure you could make a greater contribution to society through your work and not through military service. It's cool that still have the time and money to do music, too. I find it very hard to get enough time to practice, let alone record or make music with other musicians. I record every once in a while with some 80's metal people, but I play a lot of death metal / thrash metal on my own, as well as shred music and neoclassical, that cliche sort of thing. I practice a lot more in the summers than I can when there are classes. I have one more year of undergraduate college, then I go on to grad school.

I'm majoring in microbiology, genetics, and biochemistry. I plan to do a professional research career. I'll be applying to graduate school next fall for a PhD track in research science. Someday I'll be able to own all the Bogners and ENGL's I want, eh? For now though, I have to scrape by. I had to dip into my investments to get the ENGL Fireball, but the 5150 sale will recoup part of the expense. I plan to toss that money back into investments, which are now doing better because of the rebounding international economy.

Be careful about owning too much Norwegian domestic stock! Balances of trade will not be in Norway's favor for much longer I recommend Latin America for quick financial ass-kicking.

I got my PayPal account set up and the bank account confirmation process is pending. Once that is set up, we can do the 5150 sale.