Crayon Sky Music

How can I get my amp to sound the same in different venues?

I run a clapton signature strat through my fender 65′ reissue twin reverb and my main pedal is a tube screamer which the distortion is always cranked along with the tone. The volume is usually at 10 O’clock. The bass is up all the way on my amp middle at 8 and treble at 5. I have the mid boost on my guitar at 10 when using the tube screamer. Basically when I practice at home or at my buddies everything sounds good. They are both carpeted small rooms. But when I take my rig to band practice on a hard basement floor a little bigger than the other rooms my overall sound and bass just suck. Is there a way to make the sound stay the same where ever I go or what should I change no the amp or tube screamer? The clean and distortion sound good at home but not at practice. Any suggestions?

Hi, Louie! Although there are certainly factors based on the rooms involved, the reissue Fender Twin is a notoriously bright amplifier. Essentially, you are compensating for the inherent lack of mid and low range by settings on the guitar and pedal. It sounds okay in your small carpeted room because the higher frequencies are being dampened instead of reflected. When you play with the whole band in the reflective basement, the natural highs are bouncing all over the place, and the other band instruments are dominating the mid and low-range frequency spectrum. You need to find your sonic space in the upper-mid frequency range, so you can not only be heard, but sound good in the process. The Tube Screamer pedal is a very mid-range oriented pedal, so I would recommend that you adjust the tone control a bit brighter, an bring the distortion down to about 50%. Set the pedal level to 60 to 80%. Increase the amplifier mid level to 100%, and adjust the volume level to mix well with the band. Turn off the mid-boost on your guitar or at least keep it very low, and make sure the volume and tone controls are adjusted to maximum. I should warn you that once you end up with a tone that sounds perfect with the band, it may sound terrible in your room. Don’t worry, it will grow on you! Best regards, Dana

Boss Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb Pedal NAMM 2007