I did look at that boost, yes. I think a compressor may be better, as like I said the amp is already working pretty hard so even the cleanest boost is going to make it distort more.
That's going to be the case with a compressor as well if I'm adding makeup gain above the original peak levels but I think it will be a bit smoother and more controllable and the increase in perceived loudness will make cranking the output a little less necessary.
I'm doing the three piece thing now, so it's more about getting the guitar to sit in the mix right than cutting through.
That helps a lot now I understand that you dealing with .
1st I would ask is are you happy with your tone?
If so I have also learned the preferred thing to do is ask your drummer very politely to play softer or with lighter sticks and the bass player to turn down. Wow what concept!
The volume on stage is almost always set buy the drummer.
If the bass player or you cant hear yourselves you have no choice but to turn up till you can. Too loud of stage volume causes feedback & a multitude of other problems like getting fired or never being asked back. Oh yea and hearing damage.
Seasoned players understand controlling volume & dynamics to match each other & the room is job # 1! Nothing pisses off staff and patrons more than bands that are too damn loud!
It is always better to be asked to turn up than down.
I have played with more players and seen more bands than I can count that simply cant grasp this basic concept.
1st hint if everyone in the audience is standing at the back of the room & no one is siting or standing/dancing close to the stage…Your too f*cking loud!
2nd will changing your amps tone setting help you sit in the mix better?
What sounds great at home by yourself doesn’t always work in a band setting.
Often rolling off some bass on your guitar to leave those frequencies for the bass player to cover & the bass player cutting some of his highs to make room for you cleans up the mix because the 2 instruments are not competing with each other & creating phase issues resulting in mud. Try EQ’ing to make space for each other in the mix.
If your’e playing with the type of players who think “If its too loud you’re too old” & that isn’t an option.
The cheapest and easiest thing to do IMHO is dial in your amp right where you like it and simply mic it with a Sennheiser e 609 ($100) or e906 ($189) draped over your amp .
If you need “More Me” on stage run it thru your monitors for each member & to the FOH as needed
No chasing tone, going through pedal after pedal & endlessly rolling tubes or swapping out speakers.
The VHT Special 6 like most low wattage amps are really designed to be played at smaller venues & studio work & to break up at low volume levels. That is the point of low watt amps. Tube saturation at manageable volume.
Adding breakup is easy but adding more clean is very hard.
Headroom is the reason I run a Princeton (Stays clean to 10 like a Twin) verses a Princeton Reverb that breaks up around 3.5 -5 depending on tubes/speaker installed.
I have a 78 Fender Twin Reverb loaded with JBL E-120’s that has the ultra-liner transformer 135 watts of pure tube point to point Fender clean! Takes pedals wonderfully too.
But I can only use it one or twice a year because it will melt your face off and make you deaf before it ever breaks up.
Other options are..
A) Try a more efficient speaker that gives you more output & has less speaker cry. I replaced the stock speaker in my Fender Excelsior with an Eminence legend and gained almost 10db !
B) Use an extension cab. Generally +3db for each speaker added (I bet if you plug that VHT into a 4x12 cab you will have enough headroom)
C)Try different tubes
D) Use an amp with more headroom if all else fails.
Good luck I have been in your shoes many times..Often the answer isn’t more or different gear but actually each member making adjustments to accommodate each other that make the band as whole not each individual sound its best.
PQ
