My high school setup was a Studio pre into the power amp of my dad's Peavey VT Classic 410. Sounded absolutely insane. Loved showing up to gigs playing an Epiphone Alleykat (DiMarzio Evo bridge) and that old ass 410 with the mesa hidden behind it. Definitely got some funny reactions from the other bands when they saw that setup giving that tone.
SICK sounds! I agree with you on the Black Album. Production wise, it all came together with that album. The guitars aren't as saturated I guess, but Bob Rock really made it sound HEAVY, not just the guitars alone, but all the instruments working in synergy with each other.
This is so insane. Love it!! I saw a comment on the cover video that said he’d pay by the minute to play through this rig. I second that! And yes master of puppets should be your next tone match project!
I recall diggin' the Justice tones with Bgelais' IR's. I used my Squier Strat with SSS conf. and it worked just fine. For dialing it without an IR, i would go on cutting bass and mids in the Boogie pre, a perfect V Shape in the GEQ, and boosting a good amount the amplifier in the front end. That was pretty much what Flemming Rasmussen intended in the Justice notes, that i think they are available btw online in a pdf or stuff. Best wishes
this was awesome my brother!!! i have a mark IV, absolutely love it...but the studio pre sounds pretty bad-ass!!! and yes, state of mercury does some pretty impressive shit, love the re-works!!!
Hey Brother!!, as a switchable Mark IIC+/IIC++ DRG (6L6 loaded) + Aphex 4b1 box with 2x EQFs and 2x Cx1 compressor units + Explorer guitar EMG 81/60 loaded owner here i have to admit you got even closer than me to the justice tone i think, as i dont have any IR nor the 1960b loaded 75s cab. However i can honestly tell you that those ``phase feedback`` elements in the upper harmonics of the justice guitar tone when chugging that you mentioned it is actually the combination of the IIC++ (its extra saturation) WITH the double CX1 compression and yes its also the cranked power section as the settings online on Rasmussen`s page notes say 9 on VOL often lol, the IIC++ has those extra harmonics and saturation not present on the IIC+ itself or its varients, while they are basically the same tone, the IIC++ is like IIC+ extra layered. Very Cool actually :) Btw gratz on your achievement man! Your tone is the closest i have ever heard anyone get! I myself am saving to buy the 1960b and ill maybe swap the Chinese 75s to a vintage UK ones. I hope i get as close as you at least! :D The real challenge and mystery is what setting did they use on the boogies for the Black Album Guitar tone and we`ll probably never know since montyjay`s website was taken off years ago 😭😭😭
@@RDamps OMG yes!, And dude if you ever get in contact with montyjay please bribe the mofo to release the pictures of them boogies black album settings!! 😋
@@oyvey8526 Bob Rock is very adamant that it was a MkIV which wouldn't surprise me. In the "Year and a Half in the Life of" movie when the move studios you can see Zach carrying a MkIV head out of the studio, when the were "moving studio's" so that does jive with what he's saying. Although they clearly never use just one amp.
Great Vid mate .....I love these Studio pre's .....got one and never will let it go \-/ great explanation and show of the tone subtleties of this awesome piece of gear....My approach to any tone including that Pre is " As Much Gain as Necessary & As Little as Possible " :) .....keep up with these tonez :) .....I got Pod Go as well so cant wait to see the Tone Match Vid :) ...CHeers
The other project I am working on is studio preamp with Simul 395. I had both cabs plugged into it. Marshall 1960 with vintage 30th and another Marshall 412 cab with mixed speakers Texas Heat and Vintage 30s. It sounds very similar to your version of "Shortest Straw" with deep switch on both tracks.
Just another idea: Could you try nailing the Justice tone without the Impulse Responses? Could be pretty hard but i'd love to see that. I've seen vids like so, where they pretty much copy the amp settings (Huge mid scoop around 800Hz and heavily pumped up lows and highs, the guitars in this record are compensating the lack of bass, maybe some boosting with a TS, graphic EQ or stuff since it's almost a MOP sound with a heavier scoop, more low end and high frequencies) and get a very similar sound... Greetings from Mexico
It can actually work by cutting bass and mids as much as possible in the amp, getting a hot signal to drive the power, boosting the front end. As would be done back in the day hehe. Greetings and i hope you are well @@RDamps
You can show someone how to get the hardware tone,.. but getting that right hand technique doesn't come so easy, and is just as much a part of the sound,... if not more. You've really nailed it pretty good. I've been playing that stuff for over thirty years and still can't do it. I gave up trying to get it right and just started double picking their stuff a LONG time ago.
probably the best recreation of the tone ever..let me know something,did you tune your guitar at 432 Hz or it is the IR that makes the guitar sound like that?because i'm trying to make my tone as close as much i can like yours but it sounds out of tune at 440 Hz
Omg sounds so fricken amazing!! I have a Mesa boogie mark iv and I want to get a hx stomp and use these IRs but I’m not sure how to go about it. Do i do the signal chain, Guitar, HX stomp, Then amp and then simply use an IR block in the HELIX? I haven’t really found any other videos on UA-cam. Thanks
Gubbins is definitely the word! Kidding man, but what's the Hx for? Effects, IRs? I only fully comprehend the pre and power amps, all the hardware is quite confusing though needed for what you do for sure. I had to replay the signal chain recap 4-5 times to have an idea of each element's function!
Hi RD. Really enjoyed this video and the cover as well. I was just wondering if you know how the quad preamp compares to the studio pre. In an ideal world I'd have access to all the classic Mesa Boogie stuff, but sadly out here in the real world, I've only got so much money and access to whatever comes up for sale in the UK. I'm considering this quad, but wondering whether I should hold out for a MKiv or studio pre. Random question, but be cool to hear your thoughts.. cheers!
The Quad is great, the top half is a 2c and the bottom is channel 2 and 3 of a MkIII. I had one many moons ago but always preferred the top channel anyway. The Studio is the top half of a quad. It’s a win win. If I had the choice between that and a MKIV though... I think I would take the MKIV. Studio Pre for the money though is crazy good.
@@RDamps thanks so much for the reply. Hard choice about whether to open the can if worms and start getting into rack mounted stuff. Could eventually get a rack mount simul class power amp.. or just hold out and see if a mkiv head comes up. There's a mkiv combo out there. And a combo-converted head... Coming in at almost twice the price though..🥴. Anyway enough thinking out loud. Thanks so much for your advice. Really enjoyed the Metallica tone search and all amp service content. Keep up the good work! If you have contact details for the amp service stuff. I have a 50W Randall tube combo with a minor issue.
@@johnwardle9667 , It's a rabbit hole for sure!! In the video description there's a link to my facebook page. From there you can get my contact details. I would be happy to help! Look forward to hearing from you.
Hey! Nice tones!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻 Am not Well known in IR’s. At All!! How does the tone Sound out of your cabinet? I have a studio preamp like your’s. And i have a quad. Am searching for the ajfa tone. But i want to use only guitar gear, not any computer program. Want it straight out of the speakers.?
To get that tone out of guitar speakers would be difficult as there is so much studio processing happening. But a Mark Series Mesa, a parametric eq and a Marshall cabinet with G12-65 speakers would be a great start.
do i NEED a power amp to run one of these into my PC?? i was under the impression that i could just run a cable from the back of the studio from the "recording out" straight into my interface for recording purposes
You could do that, but you would get a better result using the normal outputs and then using two notes Wall of Sound plug in. This plugin has power amp emulation as well as the cabinet Sims.
So I do have a question, I achieved a similar tone using the same ir pack, I have a boss katana and a Gibson explorer with passive pickups. The one thing that’s missing is that high end fuzz that you say sounds like poweramp compression, besides that it’s perfect. What would you say needs to be dialed in, or is it too hard to explain without hearing what it sounds like?
@@RDamps well I’d hate to bother you with this bro, but if you get a chance to check it out and let me know that’d be great. Just the first few seconds of this clip www.dropbox.com/s/51g5svnq5l33mw2/Justice%20a%20billion.wav?dl=0
Just one question, you say output level is slightly past 2 towards the poweramp, and that "is actually quite loud" making the poweramp work very hard, how could that be if output is only on 2? do you refer that signal is low and poweramp need to push a lot to reach level?
I’ll try to explain as best I can, on that particular power amp there is no volume control. There is a sensitivity control which I leave set to Max. So the outputs on the Studio Pre act as the masters. From experience, if I were to unplug the reactive load, and connect the Cabinet, even at 2 on those outputs it’s a loud gig volume, and the power amp starts to drive. Also, having the sensitivity high on the power amp I’m getting the phase inverter tube to clip.
@@RDamps thanks a lot for your fast answer! more or less what I understand is that your poweramp acts as if it is always at 10. mmm but if the outputs on the mesa preamp were set to let's say...8 or 10..would that be even louder and cranked? or maybe the fact that the pre is delivering a lower volume forces the poweramp to drive higher? also, did you put eq or drive on the Hx stomp? mmm I think the IR is playing a big game here, by itself, Studio Preamp is in no way delivering such distortion. and yours is not even modified!!!!!!! finally.. when you showed your preamp settings at the start of the video..these settings are different than the ones you used to record right? oh, and what about lead fat and bright switches? changed them depending on song? sorry for writing all these questions haha
@@davidochandoblasco1546 , no boosts or EQ are being used in the helix. The Studio Pre really does have that amount of gain!!! The IR is doing the majority of the tone shaping but not providing any gain whatsoever.
This is super good! I'm currently obsessed with justice album and everything Mesa Boogie mark series.. great playing as well. All those riffs are hard to pull off convincingly. Random question. I'd love a mark series head. But do you think a studio pre running through the power amp section of a 1992 Peavey 5150 would bring me close to the justice tones? I have a boss TAE as well. But I'm mostly just a player looking for in the room tones, I don't really record or use computers (yet)..
How close would you say Studio preamp gets to the original IIC+? I've read on some forums that master section of the Studio is completely different when compared to C+ and it also lacks bass and treble shift. From what I also heard from few of the videos the C+ has a more "fluid" lead channel. Is it possible at all to mod the preamp to IIC+ specs?
Harvester of sorrow? More like harvester of awesome tones. Excellent video my friend
This is the first time I've heard it matched and it doesn't sound digital af. Good amp distortion is still key 🤘
Amazing! You should try master of puppets next
Its on the "To Do" list my friend!!
@@RDamps do it bro
@@RDampswhen bro 😢😢😢😢
My high school setup was a Studio pre into the power amp of my dad's Peavey VT Classic 410. Sounded absolutely insane. Loved showing up to gigs playing an Epiphone Alleykat (DiMarzio Evo bridge) and that old ass 410 with the mesa hidden behind it. Definitely got some funny reactions from the other bands when they saw that setup giving that tone.
🤣👍
7:25 such a savage guitar tone, I love me some justice
Justice guitar tone is my favorite
Man you have the real Justice tone!! Love it!!
That was perfect. Wow! Can't wait for Black Album tones...
SICK sounds! I agree with you on the Black Album. Production wise, it all came together with that album. The guitars aren't as saturated I guess, but Bob Rock really made it sound HEAVY, not just the guitars alone, but all the instruments working in synergy with each other.
This is so insane. Love it!! I saw a comment on the cover video that said he’d pay by the minute to play through this rig. I second that! And yes master of puppets should be your next tone match project!
I recall diggin' the Justice tones with Bgelais' IR's. I used my Squier Strat with SSS conf. and it worked just fine.
For dialing it without an IR, i would go on cutting bass and mids in the Boogie pre, a perfect V Shape in the GEQ, and boosting a good amount the amplifier in the front end. That was pretty much what Flemming Rasmussen intended in the Justice notes, that i think they are available btw online in a pdf or stuff. Best wishes
Yessssss. You're back!
this was awesome my brother!!! i have a mark IV, absolutely love it...but the studio pre sounds pretty bad-ass!!! and yes, state of mercury does some pretty impressive shit, love the re-works!!!
glad that my IRs match well the original hardware! :)
I’ve tried many others but I still think your originals are the best ones! Thank you sir 🙏
This is insanely accurate. Thanks dude
Hey Brother!!, as a switchable Mark IIC+/IIC++ DRG (6L6 loaded) + Aphex 4b1 box with 2x EQFs and 2x Cx1 compressor units + Explorer guitar EMG 81/60 loaded owner here i have to admit you got even closer than me to the justice tone i think, as i dont have any IR nor the 1960b loaded 75s cab.
However i can honestly tell you that those ``phase feedback`` elements in the upper harmonics of the justice guitar tone when chugging that you mentioned it is actually the combination of the IIC++ (its extra saturation) WITH the double CX1 compression and yes its also the cranked power section as the settings online on Rasmussen`s page notes say 9 on VOL often lol, the IIC++ has those extra harmonics and saturation not present on the IIC+ itself or its varients, while they are basically the same tone, the IIC++ is like IIC+ extra layered. Very Cool actually :)
Btw gratz on your achievement man! Your tone is the closest i have ever heard anyone get! I myself am saving to buy the 1960b and ill maybe swap the Chinese 75s to a vintage UK ones. I hope i get as close as you at least! :D
The real challenge and mystery is what setting did they use on the boogies for the Black Album Guitar tone and we`ll probably never know since montyjay`s website was taken off years ago 😭😭😭
Cheers my man! Black Album next!!!
@@RDamps OMG yes!, And dude if you ever get in contact with montyjay please bribe the mofo to release the pictures of them boogies black album settings!! 😋
@@oyvey8526 Bob Rock is very adamant that it was a MkIV which wouldn't surprise me. In the "Year and a Half in the Life of" movie when the move studios you can see Zach carrying a MkIV head out of the studio, when the were "moving studio's" so that does jive with what he's saying. Although they clearly never use just one amp.
damn that is AJFA!!!!
Great Vid mate .....I love these Studio pre's .....got one and never will let it go \-/ great explanation and show of the tone subtleties of this awesome piece of gear....My approach to any tone including that Pre is " As Much Gain as Necessary & As Little as Possible " :) .....keep up with these tonez :) .....I got Pod Go as well so cant wait to see the Tone Match Vid :) ...CHeers
Thanks for watching!
Got similar set up. Marshall 1960b custom with vintage 30s, Mesa studio preamp with old 50/50.
The other project I am working on is studio preamp with Simul 395. I had both cabs plugged into it. Marshall 1960 with vintage 30th and another Marshall 412 cab with mixed speakers Texas Heat and Vintage 30s. It sounds very similar to your version of "Shortest Straw" with deep switch on both tracks.
Awesome..great job
Thank you! Cheers!
so damn crunchy
Just another idea: Could you try nailing the Justice tone without the Impulse Responses? Could be pretty hard but i'd love to see that. I've seen vids like so, where they pretty much copy the amp settings (Huge mid scoop around 800Hz and heavily pumped up lows and highs, the guitars in this record are compensating the lack of bass, maybe some boosting with a TS, graphic EQ or stuff since it's almost a MOP sound with a heavier scoop, more low end and high frequencies) and get a very similar sound... Greetings from Mexico
I was thinking of doing that.
@@RDamps I also think that the justice tone relies more on preamp gain... Rather than MOP that relies on some poweramp Marshall distortion...
It can actually work by cutting bass and mids as much as possible in the amp, getting a hot signal to drive the power, boosting the front end. As would be done back in the day hehe. Greetings and i hope you are well @@RDamps
You can show someone how to get the hardware tone,.. but getting that right hand technique doesn't come so easy, and is just as much a part of the sound,... if not more.
You've really nailed it pretty good. I've been playing that stuff for over thirty years and still can't do it. I gave up trying to get it right and just started double picking their stuff a LONG time ago.
Thank you sir!!
I just subs to your channel about an hour ago. This is great 👏🤘
Thank you 🙏. Annnd you’re welcome 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Waiting for the Justice cleans! ;)
Check out my latest vid. Towards the end I get a pretty cool clean
Again holy fuckin shit
probably the best recreation of the tone ever..let me know something,did you tune your guitar at 432 Hz or it is the IR that makes the guitar sound like that?because i'm trying to make my tone as close as much i can like yours but it sounds out of tune at 440 Hz
animal sound. Could you let me know or even leave a GO link for Axé fxll MKll by METALLICA . Beautiful work . Big hug 🤜.
Omg sounds so fricken amazing!! I have a Mesa boogie mark iv and I want to get a hx stomp and use these IRs but I’m not sure how to go about it. Do i do the signal chain, Guitar, HX stomp, Then amp and then simply use an IR block in the HELIX? I haven’t really found any other videos on UA-cam. Thanks
Gubbins is definitely the word! Kidding man, but what's the Hx for? Effects, IRs?
I only fully comprehend the pre and power amps, all the hardware is quite confusing though needed for what you do for sure. I had to replay the signal chain recap 4-5 times to have an idea of each element's function!
Yes, I’m using the HXStomp for loading the IR’s and Reverbs
can you upload these irs please? on new Metallica 3.0 pack of BGelais there are not all.For example the shortest straw ir...thanks
Hi Nick, if you DM me on Facebook I can send them to you.
I'm new to this. The sound you are listening while playing is coming through studio speakers or your amp's cabinet?
I’m listening to my Studio speaker
Awesome just subbed
Awesome thank you!
Hi RD. Really enjoyed this video and the cover as well. I was just wondering if you know how the quad preamp compares to the studio pre. In an ideal world I'd have access to all the classic Mesa Boogie stuff, but sadly out here in the real world, I've only got so much money and access to whatever comes up for sale in the UK. I'm considering this quad, but wondering whether I should hold out for a MKiv or studio pre. Random question, but be cool to hear your thoughts.. cheers!
The Quad is great, the top half is a 2c and the bottom is channel 2 and 3 of a MkIII. I had one many moons ago but always preferred the top channel anyway. The Studio is the top half of a quad. It’s a win win. If I had the choice between that and a MKIV though... I think I would take the MKIV. Studio Pre for the money though is crazy good.
@@RDamps thanks so much for the reply. Hard choice about whether to open the can if worms and start getting into rack mounted stuff. Could eventually get a rack mount simul class power amp.. or just hold out and see if a mkiv head comes up. There's a mkiv combo out there. And a combo-converted head... Coming in at almost twice the price though..🥴. Anyway enough thinking out loud. Thanks so much for your advice. Really enjoyed the Metallica tone search and all amp service content. Keep up the good work! If you have contact details for the amp service stuff. I have a 50W Randall tube combo with a minor issue.
@@johnwardle9667 , It's a rabbit hole for sure!! In the video description there's a link to my facebook page. From there you can get my contact details. I would be happy to help!
Look forward to hearing from you.
8:07
Hey! Nice tones!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Am not Well known in IR’s. At All!! How does the tone Sound out of your cabinet?
I have a studio preamp like your’s. And i have a quad. Am searching for the ajfa tone. But i want to use only guitar gear, not any computer program. Want it straight out of the speakers.?
To get that tone out of guitar speakers would be difficult as there is so much studio processing happening. But a Mark Series Mesa, a parametric eq and a Marshall cabinet with G12-65 speakers would be a great start.
So, a dual rectifier doesn't do it?
Not really, the rectifier came out in the early 90’s. Also it’s a totally different architecture to the Mark series boogies.
How's it sound without the I.R and mic'd on that Marshall cab?
Not to far off. But a lot of the Justice tone is studio sculpting. That tone would never work live.
do i NEED a power amp to run one of these into my PC?? i was under the impression that i could just run a cable from the back of the studio from the "recording out" straight into my interface for recording purposes
You could do that, but you would get a better result using the normal outputs and then using two notes Wall of Sound plug in. This plugin has power amp emulation as well as the cabinet Sims.
Can I get this tone without plug it into a pc?
yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh
So I do have a question, I achieved a similar tone using the same ir pack, I have a boss katana and a Gibson explorer with passive pickups. The one thing that’s missing is that high end fuzz that you say sounds like poweramp compression, besides that it’s perfect. What would you say needs to be dialed in, or is it too hard to explain without hearing what it sounds like?
So I guess for comparison when you start playing at 7:20 or so is what I have more or less, just a bit muddier due to my passive pickups I believe
Maybe..I would need to hear an example of where you’re at with your equipment to really say where it needs to be adjusted.
@@RDamps well I’d hate to bother you with this bro, but if you get a chance to check it out and let me know that’d be great. Just the first few seconds of this clip www.dropbox.com/s/51g5svnq5l33mw2/Justice%20a%20billion.wav?dl=0
How you recording the katana?
@@ryangreene50 in Logic through usb connection.
Is the hx stomp required for this setup?
No my friend, just something capable of running an impulse response
Just one question, you say output level is slightly past 2 towards the poweramp, and that "is actually quite loud" making the poweramp work very hard, how could that be if output is only on 2? do you refer that signal is low and poweramp need to push a lot to reach level?
I’ll try to explain as best I can, on that particular power amp there is no volume control. There is a sensitivity control which I leave set to Max. So the outputs on the Studio Pre act as the masters. From experience, if I were to unplug the reactive load, and connect the Cabinet, even at 2 on those outputs it’s a loud gig volume, and the power amp starts to drive. Also, having the sensitivity high on the power amp I’m getting the phase inverter tube to clip.
@@RDamps thanks a lot for your fast answer! more or less what I understand is that your poweramp acts as if it is always at 10. mmm but if the outputs on the mesa preamp were set to let's say...8 or 10..would that be even louder and cranked? or maybe the fact that the pre is delivering a lower volume forces the poweramp to drive higher? also, did you put eq or drive on the Hx stomp? mmm I think the IR is playing a big game here, by itself, Studio Preamp is in no way delivering such distortion. and yours is not even modified!!!!!!! finally.. when you showed your preamp settings at the start of the video..these settings are different than the ones you used to record right? oh, and what about lead fat and bright switches? changed them depending on song? sorry for writing all these questions haha
@@davidochandoblasco1546 , no boosts or EQ are being used in the helix. The Studio Pre really does have that amount of gain!!! The IR is doing the majority of the tone shaping but not providing any gain whatsoever.
Can you tell me how u even got the pre amp?
Checking every online sale site daily for about a month! lol
@@RDamps I swear I hate that they don’t make them anymore
Grooooooooowwwwwwlllllll!!!!
Hi Whats the year of your preamp? Thanks
1990
I tried with my Mesa Dual Caliber DC5, but it's quite impossible to match ajfa tone 😭
You may need an extra EQ in the effects loop
This is super good! I'm currently obsessed with justice album and everything Mesa Boogie mark series.. great playing as well. All those riffs are hard to pull off convincingly. Random question. I'd love a mark series head. But do you think a studio pre running through the power amp section of a 1992 Peavey 5150 would bring me close to the justice tones? I have a boss TAE as well. But I'm mostly just a player looking for in the room tones, I don't really record or use computers (yet)..
Yep the studio pre will do it! with TAE you can load the impulse responses right in there too!
А какой толщины струны использовали?
10-46 Ernie ball
What's your monitor speakers?
JBL 308 LSR’s
08:00
why would anyone want the ajfa tone
OK!
tooo much bass 😂
He fockin...
@@oyvey8526 left the band!
Orgasm. It's the best ugly tone ever
How close would you say Studio preamp gets to the original IIC+? I've read on some forums that master section of the Studio is completely different when compared to C+ and it also lacks bass and treble shift. From what I also heard from few of the videos the C+ has a more "fluid" lead channel. Is it possible at all to mod the preamp to IIC+ specs?
I have downloaded a schematic with the 2C+ mod, but it sounds good now so I'm reluctant to do it.
@@RDamps care to share that schematic :) ? I saw a few of them on some forums but I'm not sure which one is correct.
@@coldbastard6859 , I believe it’s the one floating around on the grain tone forum. If you have no joy happy to send a copy.
Hey Mat you might wanna take look at my comment in the above section.
@@RDamps nvm, just got myself a C+ DRGX and fuck me! The tone is there without even trying, with a parametric eq it's like 99% THAT tone.
8:11
do you find it to be articulate with down tuned guitars? (drop g)