Getting good clean setting HT 40

[Corkers78]

Hi all,

I'm having a love/ hate relationship with my Ht 40 (and ext cab). I've had it a few months and have been constantly tweaking. Overall I'm happy with it just can't figure out what clean tone to settle on. My question to HT 40 users is what clean setting have you settled on ? Boutiques or the fender type? Channel vol up, master down etc...

One thing I have come to realise is that the 40 is very guitar dependant. I use an Epi LP, which can sound huge. I use an EQ in the loop to reduce the bass for the cleans and this works well. Have tried single coil guitars and they give the amp a different tone again.

My problem is I do like a very clean fendery tone but find dirt pedals aren't sounding to crash hot on this setting, they end up all having a similar modern edge and a bit to compressed. Now running the boutique setting with a bit of hair gives very different results..., my dirt pedals sound better and much more natural( for lack of a better word) Obviously running the amp this way I loose my "clean" clean. I use a Way Huge Green Rhino, joyo vintage and others at times. I use the amp OD for a thick lead and the occasional bit of chunky rhythm

What clean setting do you think the 40 does best??

[dsmmrm]

In my opinion the boutique clean with a bit of drive is one of the best sounds in the amp. The problem is that occasionally one needs a cleaner sound and need to use the fenderish setting for that. I settled on using the cleaner setting and finding an OD pedal that sounds good to me. I begged and borrowed a few and ended up digging out an old Digitech Bad Monkey from the closet and that seems to make the fender channel sound like the boutique channel with just a bit of gain dialed in. It has independent bass and treble so you can get a variety of tones out it to suit your taste.

[darthchadius]

Switching the voice on the clean channel from class A/B setting (Fenderish) to class A (Boutique) also changes the power amp dampening. I personally find the openness of the class A setting to be more pleasing to hear and play. With the volume at about 1 o'clock I can have really clean to AC/DC crunch depending on the guitar volume setting. My JB SH4 is a hot pickup so it can drive the amp when needed.

To pick between pre volume up, master down or the opposite would depend on your poison. Pres up and you are going to get early preamp breakup, if you want really clean then turn the pre down 9 o'clock then you have more head room.

I have also heard guys putting the OD pedals in the effects loop. You may want to give that at try if your issue is just how your ODs sound. I do believe that OD on HT-40 sounds better in the class A voice. Consider getting control of the voice switches down at your feet.