I just recently acquired a used MT15 and I've been disappointed with the lead channel. I made a quick post in the main MT15 thread, but wanted to solicit some more specific feedback as to my issues/concerns.
First, I wanted to establish that the clean channel is beyond expectations. Beautiful cleans and takes drive pedals better than any Boogie I've owned in the past. Both my Strat and PRS Tremonti sound great.
My experience lead channel however has been disappointing and has lead me to believe there's an issue with the tubes or amp. I had viewed numerous videos online from various players with various guitars and the MT15 always sounded great. Aggressive and thick, but harmonically rich. The same was true when I heard Tremonti play it in person backstage at an Alter Bridge show 6 weeks ago. My amp doesn't sound like that. The gain is over the top and fizzy. There is almost no perceptible change in gain over the entire sweep of the lead channel gain knob. 8:00 sounds essentially the same as 3:00. Both of my guitars sound like ****. My initial experience was with my PRS 2x12 with V30s. To determine if it was just a cab/speaker "compatibility" issue, I plugged it in to my UAD Ox and have since played it through a variety of cabs and speakers. Same outcome. Overly fizzy and lifeless. Again, contrast this with the clean channel and overdrive via the Ox which sound glorious.
So, what is the most likely cause of my issue? I've read several threads of members replacing the V1-V3 preamp tubes with various 12AX7, 5751 and 12AT7 tubes stating success. Should I try that?
Thanks in advance.
First, I wanted to establish that the clean channel is beyond expectations. Beautiful cleans and takes drive pedals better than any Boogie I've owned in the past. Both my Strat and PRS Tremonti sound great.
My experience lead channel however has been disappointing and has lead me to believe there's an issue with the tubes or amp. I had viewed numerous videos online from various players with various guitars and the MT15 always sounded great. Aggressive and thick, but harmonically rich. The same was true when I heard Tremonti play it in person backstage at an Alter Bridge show 6 weeks ago. My amp doesn't sound like that. The gain is over the top and fizzy. There is almost no perceptible change in gain over the entire sweep of the lead channel gain knob. 8:00 sounds essentially the same as 3:00. Both of my guitars sound like ****. My initial experience was with my PRS 2x12 with V30s. To determine if it was just a cab/speaker "compatibility" issue, I plugged it in to my UAD Ox and have since played it through a variety of cabs and speakers. Same outcome. Overly fizzy and lifeless. Again, contrast this with the clean channel and overdrive via the Ox which sound glorious.
So, what is the most likely cause of my issue? I've read several threads of members replacing the V1-V3 preamp tubes with various 12AX7, 5751 and 12AT7 tubes stating success. Should I try that?
Thanks in advance.