MikeM wrote:
Gearhead do you recon there's a volume balance or something and both sets run all the time?
I reckon they use a stereo pot with the one side having reverse taper, but there might be a cheaper way of doing the split. In any case I am willing to put serious dough on them using both tubes all the time, if only to avoid the Mesa switching patent.
You make a good point on the drive: if you put the mix in the middle, you are not driving either tube nearly enough. Unless they don't really care about volume (there is some power-eater thing as well, right?) and have both tubes fully open at 50:50.
Personally I don't think 'somewhere in the middle' will sound better than either end, unless you crank lightning out of both pairs. In heavy overdrive conditions, the brash of the EL84 should cancel out the flabbyness of the 6V6. But then, why not just crank either one a bit less and retain sonic character? I like milk in the morning and beer in the evening, but I don't drink them mixed down in the afternoon...
Then there is the issue of changing settings between songs. Even if you find the perfect setting, will you find it back and better yet, find all other pedal settings that go with it for that one song?
