Tubemeister 36 use and strong points

I love the features and the weight of the Tubemeister 36 but am having a hard time incorporating into my rig. I play mostly 80's rock (Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, GnR; Marshall I know, but Marshalls are too heavy). I find the Crunch channel to be like a really nice fuzz, not real distortion channel, but that is not appropriate for what I play. I *think* I can get what I need from the Lead channel but I was hoping to save that for solos only because I need to volume boost for solos.

Am I using the wrong tool for the job or can someone help me make better use of the amp?

Thanks a bunch.

I'm a GM guy - but I started with a TM36.  Your initial approach is great, but why not add a tube screamer er whatever for solos?   All those guys you are covering did - and that's what is done with other amps.  I did that with my old JCM800.  I hit my TM/GM with an overdrive and it responds nicely...  And yes, the TM and GM are WAY more convenient than hauling a DSL/TSL or whatever...

namklak wrote:I'm a GM guy - but I started with a TM36.  Your initial approach is great, but why not add a tube screamer er whatever for solos?   All those guys you are covering did - and that's what is done with other amps.  I did that with my old JCM800.  I hit my TM/GM with an overdrive and it responds nicely...  And yes, the TM and GM are WAY more convenient than hauling a DSL/TSL or whatever...

After posting I realized I should try this, so thanks for the suggestion. Right now I can't decide if I should pick up a TS, SL Drive, MXR Distortion+, or even Boss DS-1.

When i use my TM, I use the power soak as a volume boost. I haven't needed more than 18 watts in a long time. So I use 18 for my rhythms and 36 for my solos.

As it's on use and strong points this thread seems a sensible place to ask another question.  Do any of you find your TMs bass light?

I'm a Les Paul user, a Traditional (unrelieved weight and humbuckers) and Junior Special doublecut (P90s) both much as standard.  I've a TM36 played through two 1x12" Harley Benton cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30s in them.  Not the best cabs in the world but good drivers and solid woodwork at a very cheap price.  These cabs were open back and definitely leaned towards the upper end.  So I did a simple replacement on the backs and closed them.  Voila!  I got a much better sound with my amp leading me to believe I was right when I thought that it was the speakers not the amp which were dropping the bottom end out.

Now however, a couple of months down the line, I'm finding that for a few numbers I would like a more bass heavy sound and it still isn't there even with the bass turned full up on the amp.  That's not something extreme I want, just a kind of classic rock weight which isn't available.  Sure I can use an EQ pedal but that seems to be overkill to me to get something which I would have thought would have been dialed into the amp as standard.

I have read a reference elsewhere that said the tone controls for the H&Ks need to be viewed differently to others.  The advice was to think in reverse, not full up with tweaking to remove what you don't want but full down with tweaking to add what you do want.  I always seem to end up with the bass full up, middle around 2 o'clock and treble around 10 o'clock but still not enough low down at times.

I will say that I usually use the amp in 18W mode as the volume and degree of overdrive I need are available there, but maybe I could get what I want if I tried to use the power soak and run sometimes at lower settings on the full 36W. Is this a universal issue in playing through the TM36 or is it something I have missing in my setup elsewhere?

bordonbert wrote:As it's on use and strong points this thread seems a sensible place to ask another question.  Do any of you find your TMs bass light?

I'm a Les Paul user, a Traditional (unrelieved weight and humbuckers) and Junior Special doublecut (P90s) both much as standard.  I've a TM36 played through two 1x12" Harley Benton cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30s in them.  Not the best cabs in the world but good drivers and solid woodwork at a very cheap price.  These cabs were open back and definitely leaned towards the upper end.  So I did a simple replacement on the backs and closed them.  Voila!  I got a much better sound with my amp leading me to believe I was right when I thought that it was the speakers not the amp which were dropping the bottom end out.

Now however, a couple of months down the line, I'm finding that for a few numbers I would like a more bass heavy sound and it still isn't there even with the bass turned full up on the amp.  That's not something extreme I want, just a kind of classic rock weight which isn't available.  Sure I can use an EQ pedal but that seems to be overkill to me to get something which I would have thought would have been dialed into the amp as standard.

I have read a reference elsewhere that said the tone controls for the H&Ks need to be viewed differently to others.  The advice was to think in reverse, not full up with tweaking to remove what you don't want but full down with tweaking to add what you do want.  I always seem to end up with the bass full up, middle around 2 o'clock and treble around 10 o'clock but still not enough low down at times.

I will say that I usually use the amp in 18W mode as the volume and degree of overdrive I need are available there, but maybe I could get what I want if I tried to use the power soak and run sometimes at lower settings on the full 36W.   Is this a universal issue in playing through the TM36 or is it something I have missing in my setup elsewhere?

I got the TB36 only recently and my band has been unable to practice so I can't speak directly about the TB36 bass response. However, no matter what techno-babble marketing companies use, in order to make an amp this light you *have* to give up something in the tonal arena, usually due to the way the transformers were designed to make the amp light. Often bass response is sacrificed. Otherwise all amps would be 20lbs now. There's a reason Marshall's only amp under 20lbs is like 5 Watts.

I run my TM36 through a Mesa Recto 2x12, which is a bit larger than regular 2x12 boxes. When I'm using humbuckers I usually keep the bass between noon and 3. When I run it into a Recto 4x12 the bass may get to noon max. With a 1x12, it's just not the same. Even putting 2 1x12s together still doesn't give the same response. I use my 1x12 when I have to, but I prefer the 2x12 for more body.

I haven't found that it lacks enough bass...but I don't go for the detuned, scooped, bass guitar frequency range sound.

I got it today, that less biting creamier bass inclusive sound I was looking for.  And it was so stupidly simple it was untrue.

I am amazed at the way the TM36 brings the guitar tone controls to life like no other amp I have used.  Usually my Les Paul Trad tone controls are a bit digital, full up until about 1/4 down then quickly full off.  With the H&K this is not the case and I had not really explored this simple aspect properly.  Somehow the tone controls seem to be much more gradual and make a genuine difference right through their range of travel.  (It proves Gibson get it right too under the right circumstances.  I get fed up with threads on other forums where Gibson are roasted as idiots who cannot design a decent RC filter!)

I switched to both pickups and dialed back on both tone controls and voila, a sort of boutique creaminess with the top end drifted off.  It isn't bass heavy but it now seems that the bass comes through a little more and stays clear.  And the neck pickup has now become less boomy with real woman tone.  How simple was that, (or maybe how simple am I)?  

bordonbert wrote:
I have read a reference elsewhere that said the tone controls for the H&Ks need to be viewed differently to others.  The advice was to think in reverse, not full up with tweaking to remove what you don't want but full down with tweaking to add what you do want.  I always seem to end up with the bass full up, middle around 2 o'clock and treble around 10 o'clock but still not enough low down at times.

Also a Les Paul user (love this amp with the Gibson) but I have my crunch/lead channel tone set almost exactly like you do. It is true that the more your goose the treble knob the less bass you get - seems odd, but that is definitely how it works. I think you'll have to experiment with speaker cabinets to find your bass nirvana, I have the combo and the 1X12 Vintage 30 is nice but it doesn't expand the bottom end.

Many people here, including myself, agree with you that the V30 is not the ideal speaker for the TM36. I think that Vintage 30 in your combo will be better than the ones you buy over the counter. H&K have confirmed they have theirs specially voiced by Celestion, hence your feeling that it's not so bad. I started with a pair of standard V30s and they were dire!