MOD THOSE ROCKERS!
For years, I have used the clean channel on my trusty [Marshall] TSL601 combo and have employed overdrives/distortions/boosters, etc, to colour the sound as necessary. Until, that is, the covers band I’m in (Harris Tweed & The Mystery Machine) did a gig at Ferryhill in County Durham in October to say a big ‘thank you’ to the NHS. There was a punk band
(The Fused) on after us and as I heard the guitarist tune up, I saw a Stoneham amp. I was amazed and, as my trusted Marshall was overdue for a pit-stop, I called Martin Ballinger at Stoneham to book it in and ask if he could make it sound like one of his. ‘Yes to everything,’ he said. ‘Bring it in.’ When I got it back, I had a totally new and radically revoiced amplifier. I then removed all but one of my many dirt pedals from my ’board and started to tinker with the new and reimagined channels on the amp instead.
The new sounds I’m hearing can only be described as pristine, sublime and luscious. I have discovered rich harmonics and overtones I have never heard in my playing – all because I took the leap and had my amp modded by a guy who is passionate about the Holy Grail that is tone. A mod and total re-valve was only £200.
The lesson here is this: examine what your amp can do. It’s probably got most of the sounds you will ever need already available to you. I sold some of my war-torn effects for far more than I paid Stoneham for this simple mod. So start experimenting, your amp will probably surprise you.
Douglas Mummery, via email
Thanks, Douglas. While we’re big fans of pedals here at the mag, there’s a wealth of tone within any good amp, much as there is a wealth of sounds within a good guitar. You’re right to suggest that the standard route to getting drive tones dialled in these days is often overdrive pedals – but when you consider that most of the really great drive tones from the 60s and 70s were achieved without much more than a treble booster pedal or fuzz at most, it opens your eyes to the power of working with the amp to get those girthy, three-dimensional gain tones going. Now, with the advent of sophisticated attenuators, you don’t have to bust your eardrums to get the amp working in its sweet spot, either. Great tip about Stoneham amps. We’ve featured them on our YouTube channel before – but we promise to look into them for our review pages now, too.