Bogner Duende - Hints and Tips???

[DamianL]

Morning all,

I am the proud owner of a new Duende and am loving the thing...:RoCkIn

However, things at the minute are pretty bare...

Its just strat-wah-duende...but i have some spare cash to play with and am casting my eye around at pedals, things to go in the loop and the like...

And, seeing how much useful advice i have got from the gear page in the past -

So,what are other folks running with theirs?

What do you think of the combined channels?
Any favourite settings?
Any tricks and tips?

Come on Duende owners, lets hear from you!

[Marty McFly]

I bought one only a few weeks ago, so I'm still making minor tweaks here and there to find my ideal settings for home/practice use. I compared it to several other amps such as the Fuchs ODS 30 and Blackjack 21, a few amps by Dr. Z and Bad Cat, and ended up with the Duende.

I love the amp, and here are my observations so far:

- Still using stock tubes. I swapped in some JJ ECC83s and 6V6S tubes to try out, but didn't feel they made the tone any better, so put the original tubes back in.

- In my Bogner 2x12 small Shiva-size open back cabinet, I'm using a G12H30/V30 speaker combination, and like that better than the 2 x V30's that came with it.

- I bought it primarily for the great clean channel tone, as well as how well it takes pedals for OD and distortion. The mixing of channels is a neat feature and has a decent tone. I won't use the gain channel alone too much, because I prefer the pedals I have (see below).

- Pedals I use: Picture Wah, Keeley-RAT, OCD, Eternity, (and Timmy soon to come). It takes all those pedals extremely well!

[Mikey Likes It]

Definitely likes the OCD (try running at least 14 volts through the OCD) and a good clean boost (I have a Keeley Katana).

[Jim Gilmore]

I've got one of the orig Duende heads with the "swamp" switch on the back. The clean channel of mine responds very well to the Tim/Timmy pedals, I have an OCD that sounds good with the gain below noon (I don't get all that overdriven) and for a pedal that gives the clean channel just a nice bit 'o light breakup, the original Bluesbreaker pedal (in black metal case) came off the shelf and into service for me. I play primarially humbucker guitars so I tend to favor the pedals with out much of a mid-hump. If I'm going to throw a strat into the mix, I'll use a FD2 with the vintage/FM swithch, as a bit of mid hump/TS sound for single coils is nice. I was able to dial in the second channel to match the OCD very closely, so for simplicity, I use the overdrive channel of the amp and limit the OD pedals to the lighter side of the Bluesbreaker and a Timmy when I use my Duende head adn Bogner 1X12 open back cab.

[digthosetubes]

Am familiar with both Duende's. Have had an original one for a year now and had an opportunity to play a new unit for more than two months. The new Duende is a punchier/tighter amp (especially at higher volumes) with a much heftier power supply -- and more mids forward. The B channel is voiced so that it is clearly different from channel A -- and with a bit of a likeable nasal sound. I liked this channel of the new Duende QUITE a bit. The tremolo on the new Duende had a different sound that took me some time but I came to like also. The reverb on channel A was a bit overdone for my taste and style of play. The only pedals I have used with the Duendes are an Xotic RC, a Barber Tone Press, and a Diamond Memory Lane Analog Delay. The later pedal is pricey and sounds BEAUTIFUL in the effects loop. The Tone Press and RC boost work beautifully through the front end.

There are so many, many, many sounds (unlimited by design) you can get out of this amp. And then when you think you've exhausted the tonal palette, you will find other sweets spot that you didn't think were sweet at first. This amp satisfies at low volume and is just great for home playing. I tend to prefer the older Duende because it's a little looser and softer and sweeter. But the new Duende was tough to let go. I enjoyed the B channel gain down low with the volume up. Sort of sounded Voxy to me. This channel was also great with the gain up and the volume down. Such an articulate OD.

You've got yourself a really great amp. It was designed to sound great with the tubes it came with. Period. What could be simpler.

The new Duende is built even more like a tank than the first Duendes. And that is saying a lot. It's one of the best looking and sounding small 6V6 combo amps around. Metropolis 15 RTD is on deck if I ever have a bad gas attack. That's a killer amp.

Enjoy your Duende.

[Marty McFly]

Great write-up, DigThoseTubes.

Inspires me to keep tweaking knobs to continue exploring the gain channel of the amp.

[DamianL]

Great advice guys, thanks...really lovin this amp...

Tried it with a THD Hotplate today - was a bit suspcious of these things but - sounds much better than i imagined it would...really sweet, able to crank the OD channel right up and that's a great sound!

Gonna try the memory lane for the loop soon - i don't think i'll be able to resist that one !

Damian

[matte]

my new duende. check the settings.

[matte]

Originally Posted by DamianL

Great advice guys, thanks...really lovin this amp...

Tried it with a THD Hotplate today - was a bit suspcious of these things but - sounds much better than i imagined it would...really sweet, able to crank the OD channel right up and that's a great sound!

Gonna try the memory lane for the loop soon - i don't think i'll be able to resist that one !

Damian

hotplate is the way to go. i use my duende with an uberkab (which is mic'd up in my attic). devastating. the duende has quickly proven itself to be an essential part of my recording rig. it's vast palate can address a multitude of sonic demands and environments.

[DamianL]

Couldn't agree more...Hotplate + Duende = Rock...big time!

But only because of the deep and bright switches which make a huge difference!

And as for your amp settings they're pretty close to what i am digging...
but your body is up higher than i ever get it....its just so sensitive, loads of bass on tap!

Makes a change from amps where you turn the EQ knobs and can't tell if anything has happened...

Damian

[digthosetubes]

Another thing I liked about the new Duende, which I am reminded of from the posts, was the (LOTS OF) extra bass on tap. And I also seemed to notice that the tone controls were more sensitive and effective than on the older Duende.

The new Duende weighs quite a bit more than the old Duende. I think that is significant. One part of that weight increase is the larger power transformer. Another part is a whole bunch of washers used in cabinet assembly.

That Diamond Memory Lane really is a super pedal. It has a modulation section that can make it sound a lot like a tape delay (wow and flutter effects). It was mighty expensive for me on my budget. But I use that pedal darn near every time I fire up the Duende. And it sounds way sweet.

I wish I could have kept both Duendes. In the end I went for the older one -- a sound I fell hard and fast for. Sort of like the difference between the original Marshall amps (JTM45) and the later ones (50s). One was looser and softer -- sort of better for blues. The later was tighter and I would think better for modern stuff, rock, whatever. Hard to saw which is better. All the clips on the website were done on an older Duende. No doubt that the new unit could make some awesome clips, as well.

Glad to see some folks are digging their Duendes. I've been digging mine now for a bit more than a year. The honeymoon is still on.