Synergy Module for Clean and Mid gain?

[0rimus]

Hello!

So I upgraded from a Syn1 to a Syn2 rack and a rack power amp last year. The only 2 modules I've owned or used are the Engl Powerball and the Fryette Pittbull UL.

Both of these modules are based on amps that I idolized since a teenager. Thought my poor ass would never be able to afford them; ya know, dream level gear.

While both of them actually exceeded (can't stress this enough) the tones, legacy, hype, whatever that made me want them so much to begin with...

Being able to run them side by side the Pittbull absolutely wrecks the Powerball for the high gain tones I use. It literally just sounds like an improved version of the Powerball. I tried to tweak the Powerball to at least give me a different flavor of high gain tone.

But really the Pittbull just kinda trounces the Powerball.

TL;DR
So I kinda wanna replace the Powerball with a different module that can give me more options.

#1 Nice clean tone. I'm personally not into spanky twangy cleans, more the opposite. Kinda dark mellow clean tones.

#2 And maybe something to give me a gain sound that isn't full-out modern brutality as the Pittbull.

Something that can go more in the vein of like Chevelle, Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters-ish direction.

Like a more modern rock, post grunge kinda deal?

I bought the little 30w BAD Bogner Ecstasy amp head and I was pretty shocked by how much I liked it.

I know Synergy has a Bogner Ecstasy module and it'd do the things I'm looking for. Just kinda fishing for other experiences and suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Steinmetzify]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

 

[MetalDaze]

A lot of people like the cleans on the IICP. It would be a good complement to the UL.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Agreed with the IICP. The Bogner XTC pre is based on the Blue and Red channel of the XTC, so it's more gain-focused with not as much clean headroom on board for clean sounds.

 

[0rimus]

Huh, wasn't even considering the IICP honestly. I'll have to look into that. Would be pretty dope to have matching lit up tiny graphic EQ's.

Didn't Steve Fryette design that module? Dude just owns my whole guitar tone now lol.

 

[Hollowway]

Yeah, Steve did the IICP IIRC.

Btw, what power amp are you using?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Didn't Steve Fryette design that module? Dude just owns my whole guitar tone now lol.

Yeah, he had a looooot of experience with Mark-series amps due to his time working as an amp tech for Valley Arts around the same time Mesa released the Mark II and it's several revisions.

 

[0rimus]

Yeah, Steve did the IICP IIRC.

Btw, what power amp are you using?

Oh god, I hoped nobody would ask. It's a Palmer Macht 402 from Gear4Music.

Bought it back when the Euro to Usd was dismally low. Think I paid like $206 for it.

I know it's probably blasphemy to run these expensive tube preamps into a nasty cheap soild state power section. But that's my vibe I guess.

It does run stereo and has faux presence/resonance controls though.

The whole rack amp, head... thing I cobbled together is a hideous monstrosity.

 

[Hollowway]

Oh god, I hoped nobody would ask. It's a Palmer Macht 402 from Gear4Music.

Bought it back when the Euro to Usd was dismally low. Think I paid like $206 for it.

I know it's probably blasphemy to run these expensive tube preamps into a nasty cheap soild state power section. But that's my vibe I guess.

It does run stereo and has faux presence/resonance controls though.

The whole rack amp, head... thing I cobbled together is a hideous monstrosity.

Your secret's safe with me. I mean, for high gain, you don't want tube distortion anway, so there's something to be said for SS. The only difference would be tube EQ differences between EL34/KT88/6L6.

Anyone know if there are any devices designed to eq the output of an SS power amp to mimic the EQ curve of a particular power amp tube? @MaxOfMetal do you know? (I figure if anyone knows, it's you.)

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Your secret's safe with me. I mean, for high gain, you don't want tube distortion anway, so there's something to be said for SS. The only difference would be tube EQ differences between EL34/KT88/6L6.

Anyone know if there are any devices designed to eq the output of an SS power amp to mimic the EQ curve of a particular power amp tube? @MaxOfMetal do you know? (I figure if anyone knows, it's you.)

Isn't that the secret sauce that Matrix amps supposedly have?

That said, if you want big toob you need big toob, while there's tons on the modeling side, there isn't really anything analog solid state that nails the response into a cab in the room. Even the more expensive, guitar oriented stuff doesn't quite nail it, which is why that's mostly dead now. Everything is going digital.

Which is sort of why the Synergy stuff is dead end hardware.

I know this post wasn't that helpful, especially to @0rimus, sorry.

 

[0rimus]

Yer good. I'm a heathen who prefers solid state power to tube anyway, so for me it's fine.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Yer good. I'm a heathen who prefers solid state power to tube anyway, so for me it's fine.

All my rigs that I play regularly are tube free, only I'm more of a modeling guy these days than anything else.

My back and shoulders thank me...until I go to move a 15" 3-way tower.

 

[Hollowway]

I’ve got it completely backwards. When I played live I always used a modeler. Now that I just play at home I have 100W heads and a 412.

 

[Elric]

Bassman is a really good clean to crunch module.
The clean (BB) side of the BB/BE is one the warmer side and the BE can do the Friedman take on Marshallish crunch.