The Ground Wire Podcast

Super Bass vs JCM 800

Marshall amplifiers. The sound of Rock n’ Roll? At the very least, we can certainly say that Marshall has played an important role in defining the sound of the electric guitar, and especially rock guitar.  In this episode, we are looking at two of Marshall’s most classic amplifiers, from about a decade apart. The first captured the sound of classic rock in the late 60’s and 70’s. The second helped spawn the next generation of 80’s hard rock, metal, and beyond.   The first is the towering titan that is the “plexi” amp. In this case, it’s a Metal Panel Super Bass 100 from 1973. Generally, a “plexi” Marshall is considered to be Non-Master Volume amp with 4 bridgeable inputs.  The second amp is the venerable JCM 800. This one is the Single Channel 50 Watt Model from 1984. In head form it is called the Model 2204. This one is a combo Model 4010.  The general understanding is that the earlier amps were lower gain and were a bit more versatile, while the later JCM800’s were higher gain and a bit of a one-trick pony. We put these notions, and others to the test, sampling everything from clean tones, to crunch, to cranked up devastation. We think you will find the results interesting.  Gear Used: 1973 Marshall Superbass 100 1984 Marshall JCM800 4010 Late 70’s Marshall 4x12 Cabinet with original Celestion G12H30 Blackback Speakers Custom Built “Tele” Smitty Custom Classic “Strat” Gibson SG Subscribe in your podcast app of choice to be notified of new episodes and follow us at the links below! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/]

Feedback Loop: the Loud Lounge, the Supernatural sound, and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness!

It's another Feedback Loop episode! This time around we touch on the drawbacks of the Loud Lounge, a secret weapon for getting that Supernatural sound , the mid-90's rock opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and much more!

Tweed vs Brownface vs Blackface

What is more classic than a Blackface Fender Amp? A Tweed Fender Amp perhaps? What about the Brown Fenders, which are experiencing a renaissance in popularity?   Few amp companies have more than one classic amplifier design. Incredibly, Fender has at least a dozen classic amps, and three entirely distinct era’s; each unique both sonically and aesthetically. Today we are diving deep into each of these classic amplifier eras (with apologies to the Silverface era, which we consider to be mostly similar sonically to the Blackface amps- see our Blackface vs Silverface Episode), to discover what makes each one distinctive, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of each. We have a low/mid powered example from each era, and a lot of ground to cover.  Think Tweed amps can only do raunchy overdrive? Think Blackface amps are scooped and overly bright? Press play and prepare to open your ears and your mind.  Gear Used: 1954 Fender 5D3 Deluxe- Original Jensen P12R 1962 Fender Princeton-  Celestion G10 Greenback 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb- Jupiter 12LC Custom Built “Tele”  Custom Built “Strat”  Gibson SG  Gibson ES-335 Subscribe in your podcast app of choice to be notified of new episodes and follow us at the links below! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/] Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@groundwirepod [http://www.twitter.com/@groundwirepod] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groundwirepodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groundwirepodcast]

Feedback Loop: the importance of speaker choice, tiny setup changes for maximum playability, Revolver, and more!

Put down that soldering iron - it's a new Ground Wire Feedback Loop episode! This time around we chat about the surprising difference a speaker change can make, the benefits of even the smallest of setup tweaks, and a little-known release from a British Invasion band!

Amp vs Speaker

How many amps do you need to own to get all the sounds in your head? For some of us, that answer could be many. But what if the biggest difference between amps was not in fact the amps themselves, but the types of speakers and cabinets that were used? Also, if you own a bunch of amp heads, but run them all through the same speaker cabinet, will they end up sounding quite similar? Well, these are the questions we are tackling today. We will compare 3 classic combo amps, each through their own cab/speaker, and then start swapping cabs/speakers to see whether it is in fact the amp itself, or the cabinet that makes the most difference.  To be clear, you cannot make a high gain metal amp sound like a 70’s Silverface by swapping speakers. We are talking about relatively similar styles of amps here, however, this is especially useful if you have ever wondered if you need a Deluxe Reverb and an AC15, or a Marshall and an Orange. Speakers are probably one of the most overlooked elements of the tonal signal path (at least here at the Ground Wire). Many guitarists will change pickups, overdrive pedals, and even cables, before considering a speaker swap. Have a listen, and let us know what you think. We found the results to be rather surprising.  Gear Used: 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb- Jupiter 12LC 1983 Marshall JCM800 4010 Combo- Original Celestion G1265 1962 Fender Princeton-  Celestion G10 Greenback “Control Cab”- Mesa/Boogie 1x12 Thiele Ported Cab with EVM12L Custom Built “Tele” Custom Built “Strat” Gibson SG Subscribe in your podcast app of choice to be notified of new episodes and follow us at the links below! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkc8WaTJZBRr-o6WCx0hFg] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/groundwirepodcast/] Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@groundwirepod [http://www.twitter.com/@groundwirepod] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groundwirepodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groundwirepodcast]