M
ODELED
A
MPS
& C
ABS
:
W
HICH
A
MPS
AND
C
ABS
A
RE
M
ODELED
?
4 • 4
this Amp Model’s
Drive
is changed; clean settings are crisp and present, while
more driven settings will mellow the high end. This is typical of what you get from
a Deluxe, and is nicely captured here.
The Deluxe itself has only Bass and Treble controls. Leaving us, once again, with
the prospect of a knob with nothing to say for itself. But fear not; in this case,
we’ve set up POD’s
Middle
knob so you can add some post-Amp Model Midrange
contouring for a little more flexibility. Once again, set the
Middle
knob to its
“neutral” 12 o’clock position for the classic Deluxe sound. Tweaked up right, this
tone will cut through and sing.
Modern Class A -
The ’96 Matchless Chieftain, which was studied for the
Modern Class A selection, is a very expensive handmade amp. The Matchless has
an EL34-powered “modern class A” design – hence this model’s name – and a
unique tone (largely due to the complicated EQ scheme). The sound is sort of
“future retro.” Its soft clipping is typical of Class A amplifiers; almost a “hi-fi”
sound in a great rock n’ roll amplifier.
Brit Class A -
Music was changing in the early 60’s and guitarists were asking
for more brilliance & twang. So the Jennings Company, makers of Vox amps,
decided to add Treble and Bass controls (and an extra 12AX7 gain stage,
incidentally); this additional circuit became known as Top Boost. The AC 30 with
Top Boost was the amp made famous by many British invasion bands. Much of the
unique character of the Vox sound can be attributed to the fact that Class A amps
overdrive in a very different way than Class AB. Brian May of Queen, Mike
Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, and The Edge of U2 have also used classic
AC 30s to make their music. On this Amp Model, POD’s
Middle
control acts like
the Cut knob on the AC 30. Although usually played fairly clean, a cranked
AC 30 has a great saturated lead tone, a la Brian May on the early Queen albums.
A non-Top Boost AC 30 is modeled for POD’s Brit Class A #2 Amp Model, which
comes up in a few more pages.
