I just got a used 2466 head and I am actually wondering if maybe the tubes need replacing or something...

i know volume is a relative concept but i am actually surpised by how reasonable the volume is at home.

I am running into a 1960bx cab, in the LDR...MV is at 5 (noon), detail at 7 (2 o'clock) and body at 3 (10 o'clock).

The level could certainly annoy someone in the next room but it definitely isn't uncomfortable for me to play at this level in a fairly small room.  I am actually rocking out with it:)

so, i just wanted to confirm that there isnt something going on?  I would have thought a marshall with MV @5 is gonna blow me out of the room (yeah, i know I am on LDR but still...).

are your VM's reasonable home volumes at these settings?

thanks!

Sounds normal to me. The VM is not a very loud amp, especially in low range. The speakers you are using will effect volume also.

First off the VM is a smooth amplifier with deceptive volume... especially if you are jamming in a room with Carpet, and then standing above the cab you won't feel what its really putting out.

I suggest trying the amplifier with your ear next to the cab with it the master at least on 5 for a few minutes and let me know if your ears start to ring. I have a high volume tollerence and even at 5 with my head bending over in front of the cab 4 feet away I get an ear ringing no more than 10 seconds in. High Dynamic Range at that Distance would get you the effect almost as soon as you put your head down in front of the amp.

Worn Power tubes can deffinitly play a role in volume loss or gain but I honestly think its a deceptive volume you are expirencing due to the room your in probably being carpeted. jam in a basement with the same settings and its another world...hell a gig at a ballroom even being at 2 on the master volume can be very very very loud and appear louder than jamming at 7 in your living room with the same rig!. in a carpeted living room your volume will probably be at its weakest sounding in all of your possible jam locations.

Solutions to that are: raise your mids and highs and play with the eq a bit and presence and then see where you stand for volume.

I'm not super human by any standards and I've made people who own 3000 watt car stereos beg me to turn the Vintage Modern down. Cabs make the difference too! I have a 240watt half stack Celestion G12F60 loaded 4x12 cab and its much louder than probably 90% of the 4x12 cabs I've tested.

I've come home from many jams with my right ear that faces the VM being very bland in hearing and one time even hurting. The one time it hurt I was using a 2x12 Fender Bandmaster cab with the amp on 6.

hey thanks a lot guys!

slash, ill try your 'position' test tomorrow (a little too late now:)).

dont get me wrong, i have no concerns about the VM getting loud enough - just since i bought it used, have never had any amp other than fender combos, and wasnt sure what to expect from the VM and a 4x12 I was just pleasantly surprised by how manageable the volume was.

one of the reasons i got the VM in the first place was hoping i would be able to get great sounds at moderate volume levels...and, so far, i am (just hope its not because of shoddy tubes!:))

there are a couple of other factors that are probably working in my favor.  the cab is a straight cab so nothing is pointed right at my head AND im using a strat, which obviously is going to have a lot less output.

i get my jimmy page #2 LP in a couple days and i expect that to rock with this set-up!!

Welcome to the Forum. The VM will not blow your head off like other Marshalls in LDR, but it will be plenty loud  going through a 1960AX (great Cab)

Whenever I buy a used amp it goes right to my amp tech to check the tubes and the bias. You never know if the previous owner put his old tired tubes in there, mismatched shit, or if your bias is way out of whack. It would be a good idea simply to have this check out as any of those things will really effect its performance, also to have peace of mind that the amp is performing as its best as designed. Let us know how it goes.

surf,

im almost too embarassed to admit that your most logical suggestion never even occured to me for some reason. i will get the head checked out!

That's cool, what is important when you get a new 100 watt Marshall is to look at and make man grunt sounds. ( think Tool Time Tim) But best to check it out, I have the same cabinet and there is nothing that is as sweet as those two paired up.

Surf, makes sense. Same logic as buying a used car off someone. Ya wanna take a look at some stuff, change the oil, tension the belts, rotate the tires

I really wish I would have been more of an amp guru back when I first got my VM last March, I most certainly would have checked the bias! I guess I'm glad things turned out the way they did I may have electrocuted myself if I would have just dove into it back then lol!.

This is most definitely true with the VM volume levels.  I had teh same exact experience with my Yamaha/Soldano T-100 head... even after the mods taking it back to Soldano-spec I could still sit in front of the 4x12 cab with the head over half-way up   Just the way the amp was designed.

The VM is probably one of the more polite 100-watters you'll meet and won't rattle your jeans until you get the power section to break a sweat and get it past half way or more on the master volume.  I have to take my 2466 up to '7' on the master just to match up to my JCM 800 on '2-3' if that's any indication.  They're not made so much for blast power but will get the job done when you open 'em up!

well, the head definitely had problems.  I A/B'd it with a new VM head thru the same cab and my head was a fraction of the volume.  the new head was louder on 5 than mine on 10, for example.  I got such a good deal offered on the new head, that i took that one home with me and returned the used head.

Soooooo, i am now a first time owner of the 2466!:)

Only issue now is, when plugging the full powered head into the 1960bx used cab i had purchased with the used head, there was a little too much bottom end for my tastes.  i suspect this is due to the straight cab?  i tried the head thru a 1960AHW (g12h stock i think).  the bottom end was much nicer to my ears but the cab was just a little too nasaly or something for me....plus, it really seemed like at lower volume levels (ill be using this a lot at home so this is a consideration) the sound got very 'buzzy/fizzy' with the g12h.  I wonder if this is because those speakers are a more efficient 30w vs the greenback 25w?

so, in terms of cabs its either going to be 425A or 1960AX, i think...any confirmation on my speaker thoughts?  i am a little scared with the fizz i heard...i dont remember the 425A cab i tried at the store doing that....but the 1960bx has essentially the same speaker so why would it be getting fizz???

The fizz will go away once the speakers get broken in...usually a few months or a good week of jamming at above 6 on the master volume. New speakers usually sound like total shit when you first buy them then they drift into spec after a good romp.

only problem is the 1960bx im running is a used cab - from 1999.  those speakers have got to be broken in by now?

is it possible that the buzz is happening because the MV is too low.  it was at home at night that i was trying it out (i.e. MV around 2-3)

That's a definite possibility. It can get pretty buzzy with the preamps set high and the MV low.

Honestly it depends on how loud,how long and what kind of amplifier was driving it before... I had a new extra cab that had 2 years of use on my fender bandmaster and the speakers sounded too bright and midi sounding and the sound never changed untill 2 weeks of having the Vintage Modern dimed on that cab and it finally made those speakers open up with such beautiful clarity that even shines true when its in use on the Bandmaster now.

Theres also a possibility those speakers/voice coils might be blown (I doubt it tho). Out of the 6 different cabs I've tried with my VM I've never noticed any fizz at any volume.

Speakers/cabs I've used are...

Vox Grenadier 2 4x12 200watt cab
H&K Vortex 4x12 with Celestion G12F60s 240 Watt cab
Home Made 2x12 with Jensen Mod 12-50s. 100watt cab
1966 Fender Bandmaster Jensen C12n 2x12 100watt cab
Marshall 4x12 1960 With Vintage 30s.
Randall V2 4x12 Cab

I would try a few different cabs and I would also check the bias on the amplifier to confirm where its at so you can narrow things down better.

Also what settings are you using? so I may try them on my cabs and test out and record a clip for you? Depending on the cab and guitar the body control knob does odd things and if set about 7 with a Solid Body guitar it may get muddy on the lowend and make things sound flabby with a low Volume. Also check all of your cords and and effect pedals (if any) for loose connections or wear.

Keep us posted :)