Hotcake: clean boost vs. in pedal gain

[malevolentsparkle]

Hey,
I have been using my hotcake to add some dirt to my otherwise pretty clean sound for years, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to use it as a clean boost to push my amp into overdrive. The problem I can foresee is that I go from clean to dirty a lot, and I don't want a massive volume change between the two. the Hotcake does this well when using the onboard overdrive but when using it as a clean boost it will of course make my overdriven sound much louder than my clean.

is there an easy solution to this problem? I probably should experiment a bit more to see just how much louder it is, but I thought someone might have some bright ideas. Setup as below.

[Hot_Grits]

No easy answer, I'm afraid.

For 'same-ish volume' clean to dirty your choices are a pedal or a channel-switching amp.

If you have a good amount of right-hand control you could try cranking the jansen and regulating the amount of overdrive by how hard/soft you pick. Some non-master amps react very well this way and others don't. Worth a try, though chances are you'll be quite loud at that point.

Another tried and true clean to dirty trick with non-master amps is to ride your guitar's volume knob. Easier on your Ibanez than your epi.

[Single coil]

No easy answer, I'm afraid.

For 'same-ish volume' clean to dirty your choices are a pedal or a channel-switching amp.

If you have a good amount of right-hand control you could try cranking the jansen and regulating the amount of overdrive by how hard/soft you pick. Some non-master amps react very well this way and others don't. Worth a try, though chances are you'll be quite loud at that point.

Another tried and true clean to dirty trick with non-master amps is to ride your guitar's volume knob. Easier on your Ibanez than your epi.

This.

[malevolentsparkle]

ok. it might be time to A/B the two inputs on the bassman then. Pedals-> A-> input 1 amp
B-> hotcake clean boost -> input 2 amp

that sound like it will work?

[MogwaiBoy]

Which era Bassman50 is it? Alot of them have a gain adjustment (master vol) on the back panel which do exactly what you need it to do - you can set it so it'll still be clean when you play but when boosted (low gain, high volume with the Hotcake) it'll run out of headroom really quick and the preamp will overdrive. I did this with my Bassman50 - it's a little noisy depending on what you have in V1 and V2 but does the trick.

Poweramp overdrive isn't going to happen without cranking (or an attenuator), but Bassman50s sound really ballsy straight clean and cranked so you have to try it! Find a mate who lives out in the country somewhere and have a jam and give it a whirl atleast once in your life

Otherwise.... your search for the perfect dirtbox begins here

[mitch.twentyfive]

Otherwise.... your search for the perfect dirtbox begins here

[MogwaiBoy]

Yah huh. Welcome to the darkside . Rule #1: Only handpainted pedals remove blankets

[AmpShop]

Which era Bassman50 is it? Alot of them have a gain adjustment (master vol) on the back panel which do exactly what you need it to do - you can set it so it'll still be clean when you play but when boosted (low gain, high volume with the Hotcake) it'll run out of headroom really quick and the preamp will overdrive. I did this with my Bassman50 - it's a little noisy depending on what you have in V1 and V2 but does the trick.

This is a good suggestion! Most people are afraid to touch that control, as it appears as a trimpot labelled Gain, but it's actually a master volume control, and adjusting it will definitely change the way the amp responds.

For using the HC as a boost, I would suggest getting your clean sound by setting the amp as close to the point of break-up/overdrive as possible - that way there should be less jump in volume when the HC is engaged.

[MogwaiBoy]

Yeah, that's I mean. With the gain adjustment on the back set so it's clean when playing softly but a slightly gritty when picking hard... means that you're already on the edge of available headroom. Then you can boost the fark out of it with the Hotcake on low gain/high vol.. and it'll get dirtier but the jump in volume won't be outrageous.

It's a little tricky to find a sweet spot between volume on the front panel and gain adjustment on the back... but seriously, if you've never played with the gain on the back panel of a Bassman50 (because you have to adjust it with a pick or screwdriver - so it's not super obvious)... you're missing out on a whole other side of what a Bassman50 can do.. the dirty side

Do it!

[mitch.twentyfive]

double hotcake? LOL

[badmotor]

Otherwise.... your search for the perfect dirtbox begins here

My cat found the perfect dirtbox.

[MogwaiBoy]

Oh FFS now you're just taking the (cat) piss (in the dirtbox)

[malevolentsparkle]

I have used the 'master volume' control at the back to make it quieter generally, but I hadn't thought about turning it right down to get more overdrive, I will try that, it sounds like it will be awesome!

[Single coil]

I hadn't thought about turning it right down to get more overdrive, I will try that, it sounds like it will be awesome!

>post results

[Conway]

double hotcake? LOL

There happens to be one on trademe at this very moment. Bit pricey though.