The Tone Geek

I’m currently in the lab capturing some of my favorite tube heads, and I wanted to share why this specific signal chain is the key to unlocking the most authentic digital versions of these amps possible.

The Secret Sauce: The Reactive Load
Most people capture an amp using a standard load box or a mic'ed cab. I’m doing it differently. I’m running my heads directly into the Boss Tube Amp Expander (TAE).

Why? Because a tube amp is a "living" thing. It needs to "feel" a speaker to behave correctly. Unlike a standard resistive load that just turns power into heat, the TAE provides a Reactive Load. This means it accurately mimics the:

Inductance: How the speaker coil resists changes in current.

Capacitance: How the system stores energy.

Resonant Impedance: The way the amp'ed signal actually "pushes back" against the output transformer.

The Result? By capturing the raw amp signal through the TAE into the Quad Cortex, I am capturing the true DNA of the amplifier's power section without the "baked-in" coloration of a specific microphone or speaker cabinet. This gives you the purest, most dynamic amp profile that you can then pair with any IR or cab sim you choose.

The QC Standard
To ensure these captures feel as good as they sound, I’m monitoring everything through studio-grade Audio Technica headphones. For the "fingers-to-tone" test, I’m using my PRS Silver Sky—if the capture can translate the nuanced glassiness of those 635JM pickups and Alembic Blaster.

Precision matters. Tone is science. Getting geeky with it.

#TheToneGeek #QuadCortex #TubeAmp #GuitarGear #ToneChaser BossTAE SilverSky GuitarPhysics AmpCapture DumbleTone DIYGuitar

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 17

The Tone Geek

Update from my last video. It looks like John Mayer has the Space Box reverb now at max mix with the GD60 outdoor venue. I am wondering if this is simply because of indoor vs outdoor sounds. When I had the space box and not copying johns settings, I had mine around the same and enjoyed the balance with the mix on max settings. Whatever the case, the streams sound great and hearing the soundboard audio finally after a few years is a treat! That PRS Dead Spec sound still wins for me! Adds depth and presence.

5 months ago | [YT] | 8

The Tone Geek

Had a lot of fun joining Jonathan and Frank on ‪@TL_Toneworks‬ podcast this week! Looking forward to part 2!

11 months ago | [YT] | 3

The Tone Geek

New TS10 replacement control boards arrived and fit like a glove! The design accommodates 16mm and 9mm pots which means it's the builder's choice (and whatever might be in stock at the time.) Next up is main signal board so we can have a brand new TS10! @ibanez_tube_screamer

Question for the group: Do you use the battery? Do you want selectable clipping and bass options hidden away under the footswitch in the existing holes? Last question.. do you want a pot controlled bass or do you want a selectable switch like my standard VS10?

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5

1 year ago | [YT] | 11

The Tone Geek

Sound clips of the UltraPhonix over at youtube.com/shorts/-Ez4kjGxiu...

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

The Tone Geek

Great demo! 🎉

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

The Tone Geek

New blog post up! www.thetonegeek.com/single-post/crafting-the-ultim…

1 year ago | [YT] | 3

The Tone Geek

Project complete ✅ A tribute to the Dumble UltraPhonix Bandmaster that was used by @johnmayer during the majority of the Dead & Company Sphere shows. Lots of planning, research, and educated guesses went into this one. There are versions of the UltraPhonix circuit that are dirty, there are some that are clean, and this one is a clean machine! To be clear, I don't know what is inside of the real Sphere amp, but I'm fairly certain it's along these lines that I took based on what I've learned from John's taste in amps and being a part of the Dumble information sharing community.

It took a while to track down the exact Gator tolex and a few sacrificial purchases. The logo was made by @droplightind and the headshell was made by @guitarcabinetsdirect . A few mods for "tour duty" reliability and my own preferences. For example, I removed the outlet and added an IEC connector instead of having a long cord, I added a HT fuse in place of the original cord location, added external mid pots for each channel in the input 2 location, an extra bias capacitor to keep noise down, sealed mil-spec style potentiometers, I personally designed a PCB so that I can take advantage of FR4 boards for quiet operation, chose to use carbon film (instead of carbon comp) and metal film resistors in similar placement as the Dumble, enhanced the power supply reservoir for headroom, and a NOS ClassicTone Bassman output transformer for increased headroom, and a separate 8 ohm and 4 ohm speaker outputs for different cab configurations. For Tubes, I chose TAD Red base across the board. I'm unsure if the original uses a 12ax7 or a 12at7 in the phase inverter so I grabbed one of each for testing. Currently, I have the 12at7 for cleaner power amping which is very enjoyable.

I'll be taking some time to get to know the amp before posting clips.. sorry for blue balling some of you. 😜

🌹💀⚡NFA

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5

1 year ago | [YT] | 20

The Tone Geek

The more you know 🌈

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

The Tone Geek

Presenting.... The FX rack! Can confirm Seymour Duncan PowerStage 700. For a preamp-out of the Twin Reverb? 😱#johnmayer #deadandcompany #sphere @johnmayergear

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

1 year ago | [YT] | 4