ToneStack real-life counterparts

mmp

There's a lot of stuff in ToneStack and the naming can be confusing. An expert might be able to decipher all, but even the descriptions are cryptic. Some are obvious (Gerbil=Rat) but then again I thought the 'DualVerb' amp would be a Fender Dual Reverb but in the description it turns out to be an amp from the 'Father of Loud', so, it's a Marshall (JTM45?) after all!

Perhaps we could use this thread to figure out the real-life counterparts of the ToneStack amp and effect models?

kgmessier

That's a good idea. Going only by the name, I would have guessed DualVerb to be a Fender Twin Reverb because it's so common. I'll have to look at the interface to get a better idea. I can only help with the base pack (for now!).

mmp

Same here, base pack only so I have to go on images and descriptions for most models-yes, for now...

I'm under the impression that some of the units are generic rather than specific brand models, like the SupraPawn amp (generic small 50's/60's amp?).

The 'Silver Trembler' would be a Fender Silverface unit and is referred to as a deLuxe model in the description, but that one had apparently had a single 12" speaker and the included cab has twin 10" speakers modelled, as in the VibroLux. So, rather confusing they may have mixed up features from different models or maybe just in the description blurb. And there seem to be so many different models and re-issues floating about in the amp business too...

Not sure if they modelled all the controls faithfully in all the models although that appears to be better than in JamUp or even BIAS.

SuperNiCd

Not specific to TS, as I've barely had a chance to play with it yet. But over the years I've had more software and hardware guitar amp/FX modeling gizmos than I'd care to count, and here are a couple of my personal observations.

1. A lot of the models, I've never owned personally, so I don't know exactly what they should sound like or how they behave as you adjust their controls, or how they interact with another piece of hardware.

2. The ones I have owned, the algorithms rarely sound EXACTLY like their hardware counterparts, nor do they behave exactly the same as you adjust their parameters.

I'm not saying that trying to identify the models is necessarily a bad thing, but in a way, doing so, and trying to recreate a particular hardware chain can be putting yourself inside of a box, and it happens to be the wrong box. I found it liberating when I finally stopped trying to use modelers to try to dial in some exact tone that a particular combination of hardware makes, and instead started judging each algorithm for what it does to the sound, and using that to create tones that please me. And when I do that, something like TS becomes a very powerful creature.

Food for thought. Identify away. :-)

mmp

@SuperNiCd,
I think you're right about that but still it would be nice to have a ballpark idea about what a particular amp or effect is supposed to represent prior to buying...unless you go for the motherload, in which case one could just try things out in that way.

kgmessier

Here are my preliminary guesses:

AMPS

The '59 = Fender Tweed Bassman

'65 Verbmaker = Fender Super Reverb

Britannia = Marshall Super Lead 1959

Bristol City = Vox AC15

Leeds = Hiwatt CP103

Bear Republic = Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier

STOMPS

The Gerbil = Pro Co RAT

GreenTube 99 = Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Pepper & Vinegar =

PurpleFace = Arbiter Fuzz Face

Wah 1970 = Vox V846 Wah

Magellan Filter =

Guitar EQ6 =

Analog Chorus =

Flanger Stranger =

Phase Pi2 = MXR Phase 90 (vintage)

Big Tremor =

Analog Vibrato =

OctaveMaker =

Wagner = DigiTech WH-1 Whammy

EvilTwin =

EchoRex = Binson Echorec

ZoneVerb =

Spring Forward =

Opti-Vibe = Shin-ei Uni-Vibe

More to come, but I have to head to the office. I think some of these are pretty easy to figure out.

BTW, anyone else notice the knobs on the amps go to 11?

EDIT: Looks like the text editor got rid of my carriage returns. Do I need to use Markdown or HTML to force it? Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!

mmp

This forum software seems to require two carriage returns for a line feed...

Thanks.

I have figured our some more as well:

Reverb Torpedo: Ampeg Reverberocket

Tall Bass: Ampeg SVT

The Boar: Marshall 200 or Major or...'the Pig'...

StormJH1

Was hoping somebody would start this idea. I think several of them are generic software creations by Yonac (like the Pepper & Vinegar boost), but there are a few more I can fill in:

Analog Chorus - Boss CE-2 Chorus

Classic Distortion (yellow) - MXR Distortion+

Orange Juice - Boss DS-1 Distortion

Green Tube Classic - Ibanez TS-808 Tubescreamer

Yes M'Lud - Marshall GV-1 Guv'nor (I think)

Metal Monger &
Hotel Seattle - (Believe these are Yonac creations or combinations of various pedals)

Compulsive OD - Fulltone OCD Overdrive

Austin Strangemaster - Dallas Rangemaster Treblebooster

Clean Boost - MXR Micro Amp Plus (note the dual tone control)

Fuzzy Maze - Dunlop Fuzz Face (Germanium)

Fuzz Bender - VOX Tone Bender Fuzz

Muffin Pie - SovTek Big Muff Fuzz

OcterFuzz - (Possibly) Dunlop Hendrix Octavio Fuzz Reissue

Blue Furr - MXR Blue Box

That takes care of most of the dirt pedals. I was going to do the IAP amps, but I'm not a touring/gigging musician, so someone with more real-life experience with those amps is probably better suited to do the list! The descriptions are pretty heavy-handed, though, in tipping off what the clones are supposed to be.

I do agree with the comment above (@SuperNiCd) that obsessing over how close these are to the real thing these pedals are is somewhat of a fool's errand. Reason being, I own probably 4 real-life variations of the Fulltone OCD (while selling back my actual OCD!). Some are darker, some are louder, some can be smoother or more aggressive. It's really tough to say that any of them are "better" than the others because it really depends on the application. Same goes for these effects - YMMV.

mmp

Bluesmaker: Marshall 1962 'Bluesbreaker' (btw 1962 is model#, not the year)
Bristol City: VOX AC30
Citrus Peel: Orange OR120
Tiny Tweed: Fender Narrow Panel Tweed Champ
Tommy: VOX AC4

Not sure if 'Bear Republic' is a Mesa rectifier model, the description hints it's a more modern model.
The Super Gain would be a better match for the Mesa Boogie double rectifier.

I think the 'Verbmaker' probably is a kind of amalgam of the early blackface Fenders rather than a particular model and that may be true of other TS amps as well, especially where the originals were combos with different sizes and numbers of speakers (and power), since they have been split up into heads and cabs in TS.

So perhaps you might make the Verbmaker into either a deLuxe or a Super or a Twin Reverb by adding the appropriate cab. As it stands in the base pack with the single speaker cab it's closest to a deLuxe. Don't have the extra units yet so not sure about if that would actually work like that (providing the proper differences in sound; power doesn't really make sense in a modeling environment, where a 4W practice amp will sound just as loud as a 300W stadium backline)

tentillum

Great work on the list!

@mmp I'm pretty sure the SupraPawn is based on a Supro Super, probably the 1606.

StormJH1

As mentioned above, "The Boar" is definitely a reference to the Marshall Major 200w amp, which was often called "the Pig". I even did an image search and came up with one with the red tolex!

Everything about the "Brownswood" tells me that is a Marshall JCM 900.

I made the executive decision that the '67 Anglia is a Marshall Plexi. Could be wrong but it seems right.

mmp

Thanks StormJH1! The Brownswood had me stumped...
They really do love their Marshalls at Yonac, apparently!

mmp

Albert: Hiwatt DR201 ?

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