Getting a little more bass from the Marshall 1974x

[joemotu]

Does anybody have any ideas on how to get a little more bass (not the sub-woofer stomach turning lows) from a stock 1974x? Even with my 58RI Les Paul this particular one is still a bit on the thin sounding side.

[sub]

Replace the speaker > G12H30
IMHO

[Wicksy]

yeah, G12h30s will do it...also, what tubes are you running? The brand of power tube can affect bass response considerably.

[joemotu]

I'm looking into a g12H30 from Dave at Avatar right now. I just got the amp and it has the original Marshall label preamp tubes, but the post and rec tubes are Groove Tubes. Does anyone know what brand of EL84 make for a better bass response than GT's. I play in a 3 piece, so I want to get the sound as nice and full as possible without too much sacrificing of the good things about this amp and why I chose it in the first place. I am a recovering 100watt-aholic who just sold his last 70's JMP.

[SoK66]

I'm a total noob re: 18 watters, but thought I'd offer my 2 cents. I built a Mojo kit awhile back and tossed the supplied 8 ohm Mojo British Vintage speaker for a 16 ohm Celestion G12M Heritage greenback. Seems to be perfect for this amp, meaty and fat w/ very little mud. The kit came with JJ EL84s that I figured were going to be crap, but they actually sound great and have been taking a beating. Same goes for the supplied JJ 12AX7s.

[kleuck]

Does anyone know what brand of EL84 make for a better bass response than GT's.

NOS RFT, JJ are good.But we don't know who manufactured the GT.
You will probably think i'm nuts, but i wax all my cones with paraffin, and it makes an improvement in the lows.

[zaphod_phil]

Does anybody have any ideas on how to get a little more bass (not the sub-woofer stomach turning lows) from a stock 1974x?

I would guess that putting in a clone vintage style output transformer (eg from GDS, Trinity, Dockery, Brownnote, Ceriatone or MM), might give you better low end response. The OT Marshall use in the 1974X RI is different from the kind of OT used in the original 18W amps, and I know from my own experience that the 18W vintage clone OTs have a pretty beefy bass response. I've never had the chance to do an A/B comparison but I suspect that RI's OT might not have the cajones of the vintage style ones.

Also +1 on the G12H30. That's one serious speaker. My favourite in an 18W.

[drake]

I've never had the chance to do an A/B comparison but I suspect that RI's OT might not have the cajones of the vintage style ones.

Don´t worry joemotu, your output transformer is just fine, the whole amp is just fine as it is
Swappin the original G12M for a G12H, will make the amp slightly louder and the bass tighter, but it won´t give you more bass. However, adding the 1974CX cab will
I use the new EH EL84´s in my 1974X/CX set-up, and I prefer them over the stock JJ´s. They have a more fuller sound IMO. I wouldn´t bother with NOS.

Take Care
drake

[Ian27]

You might not want to modify your original marshall amp, but change the transformer. I'm sure that marshall's transformers aren't as good as brown note, GDS, and mercury. Output transformers are a huge factor in overall tone, much more than tubes in my opinion. I personally use brown note transformers in my 18 with a 4x12 cab and the lows are huge. But as I say this I realize the transformer is only part of the equation. Good lows are a combination of awesome transformers and a good speaker and cab. I guess I mean to tell you to try some different cabs and speakers before you change anything in your amp.

[drake]

Good lows are a combination of awesome transformers and a good speaker and cab. I guess I mean to tell you to try some different cabs and speakers before you change anything in your amp.

Exactly.
However, unless one has the oppurtunity to do an A/B test, to compare things like transformers; like I did, you will never know for sure. (I A/B´ed my 1974X against a clone that someone local made, of parts and plans from this forum; and IMHO, they sounded equally as good as each other; not better or worse, just a little different from each other).
That´s why I say to leave the transformers alone; it´s just fine. Don´t waste your time and money tearing apart your new amp, try an extra cab, preferably the 1974CX, at least then, you can try before you buy!

Take Care
drake