Mama Bear + California Blonde + Takamine...any tips?

[Lewguitar]

That's my set up: SWR Cali Blonde + Takamine EF341SC + DTAR Mama Bear

I've been experimenting with various settings and to be honest...this combo isn't sounding as great as I'd hoped. It's good...but not great. Not as natural and woody as I'd hoped.

I like the Grand Auditorium setting on the Mama Bear best. But the highs on the Cali Blonde sound to sizzly and the bass to woofy. And when playing in the first position the harmonics at the fourth fret of the Tak are to loud.

For example, when playing an open G chord the harmonic at the fourth fret of the open D string (a F#) rings so loudly that it makes the chord sound like a major 7th! That harmonic doesn't jump out like that when the Mama Bear is bypassed or set to dry.

I really need some help with how to set the controls on all three pieces: The volume and tone controls on the Takamine...the volume and tone controls on the Cali Blonde...and the controls on the Mama Bear.

Many thanks! Lew

[guitaniac]

Lew,

You have so many variables to work with that I can see how it could be daunting.

With respect to EQ, my own preference is to EQ pre Mama. That would mean EQing at the the guitar and leaving the amp EQ flat. (I'm presuming that the guitar EQ is just as sophisticated as the amp EQ. My guess is that they both have only the basic bass, mid and treble controls - no fancy stuff like the PADI's frequency tuneable mid controls and frequency tuneable, depth adjustable notch. A depth-adjustable notch, BTW, would be helpful with the woofiness problem.)

In addition to EQ, some other variables you'll need to deal with are target guitar selection, input selection and Mama Bear effect blend. Input #3 would be a likely candidate for your guitar, but I'd also check out #16 (neutral input) and others if you have time.

Here's one orgainized way to approach experimenting with your setup. Set the EQ flat on both the guitar and amp. Set the target guitar selection for #8 (Grand Auditorium, which you like) and set the effect blend for about 45% (12:30 o'clock position). Then try all the flat (non smiley face) input choices to see which sounds best. Once you've selected a favorite input choice, EQ your guitar for the best possible tone. Once you've settled on your preferred EQ settings, then select another variable (the effect blend, perhaps) to tweak while keeping the other variables constant.

That's just one way to go about it, and the drawback is that the variables tend to interact in such a way that changing one variable (the effect blend, for instance) may require an adjustment of another variable or variables (the EQ, for instance) to achieve the best possible results. One has to start experimenting somewhere, however. I've had my own Mama Bear since they first came out, and I'm still making discoveries about it. The education never seems to end.

Gary

[Lewguitar]

Thanks! I do like the #3 and the neutral setting...the #4 isn't to bad either.

I have been tending to set the blend control at 12:00 or a little to the wet or dry side.

The Tak has volume, treble, mid and bass. Even with the treble on the Cali Blonde set to the 9:00 position, I have to have the treble almost off on the Tak to avoid that awful sizzley treble that sounds like crinkling cellophane.

The bass on the Tak I've been setting at almost off, as well as the treble. Setting them at the midpoint just gives me to much of both.

The volume on the Tak I've been setting at about halfway up, as per the instructions in the Mama Bear manual.

The bass on the Cali Blonde is set at the 9:00 oclock position as is the treble.

I don't know what to do with that "aural enhancer" control on the Cali Blonde...sometimes it sounds best turned all the way up as it tames the sizzley treble. But sometimes it's set at 12:00 or a little up or down from that.

I'll try your suggestions though.

Many thanks!
Lew

[Bluelew]

Lew, I have the blonde, have you adjusted the level on the back of the amp? If not turn it all the way counter clockwise & bring up the amount of "sizzle" desired, most of it should disapear at the lower settings.

[Lewguitar]

Originally Posted by Bluelew

Lew, I have the blonde, have you adjusted the level on the back of the amp? If not turn it all the way counter clockwise & bring up the amount of "sizzle" desired, most of it should disapear at the lower settings.

Thanks! I have an older model and it doesn't have the adjustment control you mention. Wish it did! How do you set the aural enhancer control on yours? And what do you hear that control as doing? Thanks! Lew

[Lewguitar]

Originally Posted by Bluelew

Lew, I have the blonde, have you adjusted the level on the back of the amp? If not turn it all the way counter clockwise & bring up the amount of "sizzle" desired, most of it should disapear at the lower settings.

Thanks! I have an older model and it doesn't have the adjustment control you mention. Wish it did! How do you set the aural enhancer control on yours? And what do you hear that control as doing? Thanks! Lew

[Rick Turner]

That control on the back of the amp is basically a volume control for the tweeter which is indeed a bit of a sizzler. In my shop, we just turn the tweeter off on our early Cali Blonde. I keep meaning to put in a smoother sounding tweeter and then put an "L Pad" (that's the type of control to use on a tweeter) on it, and I just haven't gotten around to it.

[Bluelew]

I thought mine was older too, it has a very large dial/pot on the rear. I use different guitars & multiple settings.

Rick, what would you recommend as a better tweeter? sounds like a good idea.

[Lewguitar]

Originally Posted by Rick Turner

That control on the back of the amp is basically a volume control for the tweeter which is indeed a bit of a sizzler. In my shop, we just turn the tweeter off on our early Cali Blonde. I keep meaning to put in a smoother sounding tweeter and then put an "L Pad" (that's the type of control to use on a tweeter) on it, and I just haven't gotten around to it.

Hey Rick! We met at NAMM last year which is where I tried the Mama Bear out. Evan introduced us. I was really knocked out by the Mama Bear at NAMM, and we tried it with an Ovation and also a Strat with Piezo's in the saddles. Had to have one for myself. But I can't quite get it to happen with my Takamine. Love to chat with you a bit sometime and get some tips. I'm a Duncan dealer. My email is [email protected].

Thanks! Lew

[guitaniac]

Lew,

Looking at the Takamine website, I couldn't find any info on your particular model, since its been discontinued. I did notice, however, that the bass, mid and treble controls on most of their preamps have only 5db of available cut or boost. That's possibly why your EQ adjustments at the guitar may seem more radical than they really are - and why you're needing some extra treble cut at the amp to deal with the sizzling tweeter.

Gary

[Lewguitar]

Thanks to the advice I got here, I've been getting a much better sound the last couple of days and I'm starting to get this thing figured out.

Biggest thing is the INPUT EQ on the Mama Bear. With my Taks, it sounds best set to the position which is ZERO EQ. Any of the other settings makes the guitar to sizzley.

And I took the advice above and set the EQ on the SRW at 12:00 and do most of the EQ on the guitar.

The BLEND I like at about 12:00 or 1:00 most of the time now.

I do find that the guitar's volume needs to be a half way up or more....and the output on the Mama Bear seems to need to be at 2:00 or 3:00.

The thing with the Mama Bear is that it isn't really a device to make my guitar sound like 16 other guitars. What it seems to do best is add a little of the acoustic quality and "breath" of 16 other guitars to the acoustic/electric sound of my Tak.

I originally saw it as a device that would allow my Tak to sound like a vintage D-28 or Vintage National Tricone or the like and it won't really do that. It'll impart a bit of the breath or depth or acoustic presence of those instruments to my Taks sound and make the Tak sound alot better and more natural. But it won't make it sound a like a D-28 or L-5 or whatever.

It's a very cool unit now that I understand what it really does.

I like it...and it does improve the tone.

The biggest thing I'm doing differantly now is NOT using any of the INPUT EQ settings on the Mama Bear and also setting the blend at 12 or 1:00 O'Clock. That's what seems to work best with my guitar.

Lew

[Yoder]

I thought it was a riddle!

Mama Bear + California Blond + Takamine = Goldilocks in a bikini eating a soy burger!