For Crunch Rhythm sounds in the Lead Mode, the added wideness and low-end “chug,” top-end “grind,” and
high harmonics spread in the classic “V Curve” allows for 4x12-like performance out of cabinets much smaller
and with fewer speakers. It can even help open-back combos sound giant and menacing! The “V Curve” applied
to our cascading gain is a signature sound etched in rock for so many recording artists from the 70s when we
first introduced it, through the 80s and 90s when high gain ruled the airwaves, and on through today – as one
of the biggest, widest guitar sounds ever captured.
NOTE: EQ Hangover! Going abruptly back to a sound that is “flatter” and devoid of the mid dip/scoop, added
low end and boosted upper harmonics this classic “V” setting creates, will sound flat, lifeless, nasal, and even
“broken” until your ears readjust to the “normal” midrange content the amplifier has when not scooped out
with the Graphic EQ.
This is an EQ Hangover and something we deal with all the time in R&D. It is no cause for alarm, but it can be
unnerving the first couple of times you experience it.
When this happens, and it will if you explore the Graphic EQ like we hope you will, simply give your ears some
time, perhaps even stop playing for a few minutes or longer and come back after a period of “recovery” time,
and your perspective will return to a more balanced one.
Engaging the 5-BAND EQ
Controlling the EQ is done in the following ways:
With the Front Panel EQ Toggle (Left of the 3 Toggles), which provides these 3 choices:
• EQ OUT = Center position – bypassed.
• EQ IN = Lower position – EQ engaged all the time.
• EQ AUTO = Upper position – engages the EQ for Lead Mode ONLY every time the Lead Mode is
selected.
With the EQ button on the EQ/REVERB Footswitch. This (included) separate footswitch plugs into the ¼” Stereo
jack on the underneath/bottom of the chassis in the middle behind the power tubes.
Should you ever need more finite control over the sound, you can always insert an external EQ into the EFFECTS
LOOP – a Graphic style with more and narrower gaps between Bands, or a Parametric–style with overlapping
sweepable bands and adjustable Q (bandwidth) for even more surgical control over the frequencies. We highly
doubt you will ever need to, though, as thousands of players worldwide over the last 50 years have turned to
our Five Band EQ for its flexibility, guitar-centric accuracy, musicality, and ease of operation.
The FREQUENCY BANDS (Slider Pots)
80 Hz focuses on the sub-low end and can provide sub-air and richness for clean sounds and low-end “chug”
for high gain chording or bass lines. It works well with open-back cabinets to add some of the character and
low end that closed-back cabinets bring to the mix, obviously not physically, but rather electronically. This
low end comes late in the signal path, so often it is the place to look for extra low end that will stay tight and
focused, especially for the IIC+ high gain sounds in the Lead Mode. Remember that the 80 Hz slider carries a
lot of power and has the potential to damage speakers if they are not rated for the power the IIC+ has on tap.
240 Hz handles the region from the higher low end through the low midrange, bringing in and out fullness and
richness for clean sounds and chesty thump for gain sounds. This band often plays a supportive role rather than
a dominant one and fills in the gaps, nooks and crannies. By itself, 240 Hz is not the most instantly gratifying
frequency range, but its role is important nonetheless in arriving at a balanced sound. Remember there is also
ample power in the 240 Hz slider’s higher low end to do some damage to speakers not rated to handle the 75-
watt power section. While not as potentially damaging perhaps as the 80 Hz slider, it DOES carry low-end and
midrange frequencies that can be tough on drivers not designed to handle them at higher power/volume levels.
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