DIgital Modeling Help Please - Eleven Rack Discontinued - Clapton's tone

Tayport

Blues Newbie
Spark amp has a JM45 based on the Marshall JTM45 in the Crunch section. However I have not played with it yet.
 

Terry B

Humble student of the blues
In addition to the beano tone he achieved with the JTM-45 and allegedly a Rangemaster treble booster, and the Cream era "woman tone", there is also the Layla sessions tone (my favorite) which he used a Fender Champ.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Not much different to a multi channel amp. Depends how you use one. I generally use one or two patches mostly so if I did gig no biggy. Many users run a graphic equaliser post modeller or use a power amp with EQ like the
Seymour Duncan Power Stage 170.
Also the giging scene has changed so much since you were giging. A lot of places won't allow big rigs any more. Direct to desk and iem's are common. If I was giging I would probably change my rig. Though that could be to a Atomic Amplifirebox that works just like a 2 channel amp, with real knobs. Or into an amp with EQ. The basic patches wouldn't need to change as the eq changes needed should basically be the same for all patches. What I do know trying to use amps at home the modellers can get a great consistent tone whatever volume you play at. The real amps can't (still wishing I could crank that real JTM45 at home). Some of you guys over there may not have a neighbour for miles. Our houses are a little closer together. A good sound at family friendly volumes is what is needed.

cheers

Al.
Well, that makes sense I guess ... as far as the amp goes. Effects are a different story, all of those need to be just as quickly / easily tweakable as the amp, so if they are buried in a patch somewhere, they are not.

My rig cannot be called a "Big rig", and if it is called that by a venue, that venue can go straight to you know where. :) It is fully capable of going direct to a PA with an XLR out specifically for that. But even so, if the venue will not allow me to hear my amp behind me, once again that venue can go straight to you know where and I will not play there.

My Quilter sounds just as good at bedroom levels as it does cranking out a full 100 watts.
 

Iheartbacon

Blues Junior
I don’t use a lot of effects and most that I do use, I have pedals outside the modeler for exactly the reasons Rancid implies.

I am also not into switching patches around. Besides coming from the tube amp world, mostly without even any channel switching, NONE of the artists I have been into over the years changed amps between songs. The controls on the guitar and maybe a couple pedals gets me all the tones I need whether going into an Atomic Amplifire or a tube combo. I treat them almost exactly the same.

I also don’t chase original album tone with every song change. Again, all the artists I have been into play or played their songs with the gear they were using that night, and not necessarily matching the tone and gear they originally recorded with. Clapton is the perfect example. Whether it was humbuckers into Marshalls, or a midboosted Strat into a Soldano, he sounds different through the years, but still plays old songs.
 

Iheartbacon

Blues Junior
In addition to the beano tone he achieved with the JTM-45 and allegedly a Rangemaster treble booster, and the Cream era "woman tone", there is also the Layla sessions tone (my favorite) which he used a Fender Champ.

My understanding is the Rangemaster was simply a rumor and an attempt to explain the brighter sound that people couldn’t get out of a stock model 1962 “Bluesbreaker”. I believe the real reason for the tonal difference is Clapton’s late 1965 amp still had the Alnico speakers which have that bite, whereas the later production amps had the greenbacks. If you ever get a chance to compare a Bluesbreaker with greenbacks and a Rangemaster (or clone) and a Bluesbreaker with Alnicos, you will quickly hear the latter sounds much closer to the Beano tone.
 

Terry B

Humble student of the blues
My understanding is the Rangemaster was simply a rumor and an attempt to explain the brighter sound that people couldn’t get out of a stock model 1962 “Bluesbreaker”. I believe the real reason for the tonal difference is Clapton’s late 1965 amp still had the Alnico speakers which have that bite, whereas the later production amps had the greenbacks. If you ever get a chance to compare a Bluesbreaker with greenbacks and a Rangemaster (or clone) and a Bluesbreaker with Alnicos, you will quickly hear the latter sounds much closer to the Beano tone.

Yeah its unconfirmed, but Analogman still called their clone the "beano boost" and it sounds pretty good through my Bluesbreaker to my ears anyway. Mine has Marshall G-12C speakers in it. Only one I've had the opportunity to play but I'm more than happy with it even without the beano.

And when I'm trying to play Steppin' Out, I figure any problems with the tone come from me, not the amp.
 
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Iheartbacon

Blues Junior
They definitely sound darn good! Back to the original point, Clapton played Steppin out on the Bluesbreaker with alnicos, then he played it with 100 w heads and greenbacks. Sounded different, but still sounded good and still sounded like Clapton. Us mere mortals get WAY too hung up on gear.
 
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Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
There's a video with a guy getting a decent approximation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X00qnvGFwY

He's using the Deluxe, and pushing it a little with stomps, but the basic idea is the same. In particular the mic and cab settings might help you get closer to the tone you're looking for. Those make a huge difference.
 

Slofinger

Blues Junior
I watched Joe Bonamassa’s British Blues Explosion show on YouTube last nite, and whatever Joe was using, each Eric Clapton song sounded like Eric Clapton.
 
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