you guys and the pics...
I got the orange one, just like on the website above.
OK...
1st... NOW I KNOW WHY MY TV JONES NEVER SOUND LIKE BRIAN'S!! It's that damn preamp. The preamp lends some kind of a midrange sweetness, hard to describe, makes everything sound slightly less scooped, a little more beefy. But still retains all that clarity. It's something I've never really been able to accomplish with the amp's EQ section. This is definitely something I have noticed in Brian's live sound for awhile now, but could never get it... tried overdrives, tried the Timmy, everything seemed to "touch" the tone too much, or sound like an overdrive. The Nocturne adds that cool mids presence without boosting gain (unless you want it to).
2nd... THANK YOU FOR THE BASS ROLLOFF! It works GREAT for those of us dealing with open-back combos. It really helps alot.
3rd... you want that pinstriped Hot Rod "Ignition" sound once in awhile? No problem... and no OD pedal needed. Just turn the gain up on the Nocturne, and there's more mids & more drive at your command. To me, kinda' sounds like putting Supertrons in your axe! Very cool!
4th... it cleans up really well. Turn your guitar's volume knob down to 8-9, and it cleans up REALLY well. You can go from "Cats On A Hot Tin Roof" to "My Favorite Things" with just a small turn of the vol knob. And I have no "volume kit"/"treble bleed" on my vol knob.
Now, I realize I JUST got this thing, but I have been studying Setzer's tone for years, and while I have never had the cash to get a 6G6-B yet (I will someday), I have constanly worked at getting his live BSO tone. I've tried ALOT of different drives & delays. Short of getting a real 301 or 6G6-B, this thing really IS a key part of the equation. I heard & felt it instantly. Like... "there IT is!! THAT'S what I've been waiting to hear! I KNEW something was missing." Now all I need is a Blonde Bassman, and I'll be in 7th Heaven. (and maybe a TTE, but don't get me started...
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On the website & in the literature, it really only discusses the Blonde Bassman, but I think this thing also works similarly with other amps... No, it won't turn a Les Paul & a Marshall into a Gretsch hollow & a Blonde, but if you've got TVJs, and you're looking for that "Setzer Sound", regardless of your amp choice the Nocturne definitely helps. Definitely sends you down the right road a little more than you were before. The builder (TVWiredTurtle) mentioned somewhere that this "ain't the cowboy gretsch sound"... I'd say what it does is take that "Cowboy" Gretsch sound, which is cool, and turns it into the "Setzer Grestch" sound.
