Amps Tone Stack Calculator

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
We're always having lively discussions about amp tone.
Personally, I find it challenging to describe tone and equally difficult to interpret descriptions provided by others.
This is a wonderful tool to help depict amp tone.
For amp builders, an DIY folks this also provides a precise depiction of how a modification will effect amp tone.

I'm not likely to be doing any amp mods myself but, for those that do ........
Here's Duncan's Amp Tone Calculator:

http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/download.html

Here's a quick peek of a Marshal tone stack circuit and resulting frequency curve:

upload_2020-5-30_10-19-20.png
 
Last edited:

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Personally, I find it challenging to describe tone and equally difficult to interpret descriptions provided by others.
Trying to accurately convey tone with words is a lost cause because it is literally impossible. Words like warm, hot, mellow, gnarly, biting, smooth, etc. are all vague with different meanings/interpretations to different people. You can't even do it by sending a sound clip because then they question your recording technique/setup, the compression of the file, the quality of the sound card / monitors in the receiver's machine, on and on, it never ends.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
Trying to accurately convey tone with words is a lost cause because it is literally impossible. Words like warm, hot, mellow, gnarly, biting, smooth, etc. are all vague with different meanings/interpretations to different people. You can't even do it by sending a sound clip because then they question your recording technique/setup, the compression of the file, the quality of the sound card / monitors in the receiver's machine, on and on, it never ends.
I don't know of anyone who picked up a guitar for the first time and plugged into whatever rig you can imagine and sounded like a guitar God, so the fingers and touch have something to do with it, I'll agree not all, but it is the first link in the chain
 
Last edited by a moderator:

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
I am a believer in "everything effects everything".

By that I mean, every component of the guitar has some effect on the final tone.

When you factor in all the variables of wood, joint type, fret board, hardware, strings coils, magnets, wire, wraps, pots and more...every guitar is gonna produce a slightly different tone.

Then pass that through a variety of cables and connectors, it's gonna effect something on the way to the amp.

When the signal gets to the amp the variables increase with cab construction, speakers tone stacks tubes or transistors.

The player has the most effect.
I'v never heard a great player sound bad on any instrument but, I have heard mediocre players sound better on a good a instrument.

If you start adding pedals well...........................on and on it goes.
 

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
Back to the tool:

Here's three comparisons of Marshall, Fender & Vox:

Marshall
upload_2020-5-30_20-51-17.png



Fender
upload_2020-5-30_20-49-47.png

Vox
upload_2020-5-30_20-52-56.png

Note how the Marshall is hotter with more gain.
The Fender and Vox are closer but the mid range dip occurs slightly higher in the EQ band on the Vox.

The dip on the Marshall is negligible when compared to the other two.
 

CapnDenny1

Student Of The Blues
That calculator is pretty cool.

I’ve used Pspice to analyze tone stacks before.

A lot of amps use the same or similar circuits, but with different values of components.
 

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
That calculator is pretty cool.

I’ve used Pspice to analyze tone stacks before.

A lot of amps use the same or similar circuits, but with different values of components.
I'll never mod my amp but, It's nice to understand what effect various components will have on the tone.
I'd guess having a toll like this would be beneficial not only as a guide to builders but also to amp repair guys like yourself so you can have an informed discussion with a customer requesting a mod.
 
Top