Meathead Dark!

For the explorer in the realms of distortion generation.

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therealzeke
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Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:49 pm

Post by therealzeke »

I got an Orange Rockerverb 50 combo, looking forward to getting the meathead to play through it :)
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i love sharin foo
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Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by i love sharin foo »

I use a Meathead Dark through a couple different Oranges and a Matamp all the time. It sounds HUGE! Make sure you have your low frequency control on the amp dialed up to take advantage of the lows. I use a few different Orange 4x12 cabs and an Orange 2x12. I use a '90s Green Matamp Classic 120 most of the time. I run it with the preamp gain up about 3/4 of the way and the master up to 1 or 2 o'clock. So it's safe to say it is pretty dirty before any gain boxes come into play. With this setup, I'll usually be tuned to about B standard or less. The thick, sludgy tone of the Green works perfect with the Dark. They meld together and cease to sound like an added effect and more like a core tone together. But, at higher gain, the Dark is so loaded down and saturated that it tends to sputter a bit and fights to sustain. I use a couple old Roland tape delays to keep it chugging along better. Only an issue with really long sustained stuff though. I tend to use the Dark the most with a p90 SG with Duncan Antiquities. It works great with either pickup.

I also use a '76 Orange Overdrive 120, set similarly to the Green... except gain up full. The Orange has less gain than the Matamp. Overall, the Dark works just as well with it too. The difference in gain (and less lows that the Orange has compared to the Matamp) focuses the sound a little more and makes it sound more crisp and articulate. It isn't as synthy sounding or disgustingly sludgy as the Matamp though.

My other Orange is a '72 Pix only OR80. That amp is CLEAN!! It sounds more like a Hiwatt than an Orange until the volume is so high that you can't get anywhere near it. Also, it has a lot of highs.. a LOT. Combined with the huge headroom it has, the Dark can be a dangerous proposition. There is enough volume on tap that you can easily lose hearing. I much prefer the Dark (and other single knob Meatheads) with master volume amps with preamps that are already run hot. You minimize the gigantic volume boost that you otherwise get.
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The Captain
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Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by The Captain »

You're taste in amplification is indeed most excellent :badteeth:
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chev
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 12:11 am

Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by chev »

Hey my 1st post on this forum!

I wish to get one for my loud & clean Sunn Amps...!
I'm into doom, sludge, stoner and dark black metal...

this pedal mate with a Sonic Titan to fire up some KT-88 must be killer! doooom! :freakout:

my amps tend to be bright at loud volume so the darker the better in my case I guess...?
3 Sunn Amps Sonaro/Solarus 80w KT-88 1969/1971
Sunn 2x12, 1x15, 1x15, 2x15, Avatar 2x12 Eminence all around!
Epiphone LesPaul Baritone GFS Mean 90 drop A
Catalinbread SFT & SCOD, EHX FX
wish to get a M-25 & ST-07!
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DexSmart
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Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by DexSmart »

Indeed its really big, but i hope its worth the $ :crackjam:
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elmorst
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Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by elmorst »

the dark and the 27 are my next 2 purchases definitely
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Doveholes
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Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:11 pm

Re: Meathead Dark!

Post by Doveholes »

I've been researching Meatheads as I try to decide which version is best suited to my needs. One question I had is; does a Meathead Dark with an LED exist?
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