[Karl Hungus]

Hrrhrhhrrmm, you shouldn't have a problem cutting with the Fireball, I've used it in band situations, with another guitarist, and always cut through fine. If you're playing with another guitarist, it's always best to try and shape the EQ of both amps, so that they compliment each other. This can mean your band mates adjusting their EQ to fit you as well as your sound fitting with them. It can be hard to get right sometimes, but I don't think the amp is a problem.

Also, do you boost? I know someone's going to mention it sooner or later, might as well be me, but a tubescreamer up front can definitely help push the mids something lovely. I really dug the Fireball with the auld TS of Chaos up front. Should definitely make an improvement on the cutting situation.

If you're dead set on upgrading, I wouldn't entirely recommend the Powerball, it didn't really seem to have more mids than the Fireball, the best it can do for you is headroom. The Invader, Blackmore, SE, Savage all have way more mids on tap.

[budda]

karl, we have established that a modded TS7 is in his signal chain

totally didnt think about the OTHER guy's EQ good call

[EdgeCrusher]

I'll trade you my Mark III for it

I had a problem with my amp cutting too much and overpowering everyone else, but I eventually fixed that by adjusting the other guitarists amp to compliment my amp better (which strangely enough was lowering his mids), as well as lowering my mids a bit. So +1 to messing around with the other guitarists EQ

[budda]

if you're overpowering everyone else, turn it down

[EdgeCrusher]

My master volume was on 1.5 and never goes above 2! The Mark just has a ridiculous amount of mids and cut, plus my bandmates Ibanez Thermion is fairly dark and scooped sounding. I used to turn up the mids and presence way up on his amp to compensate, but I realized it made it a bit too harsh. After some tweaking we found that it was best to let his amp do what it does best naturally and leave the mids fairly low for a fat ballsy rythem tone and let my amp take care of the tight focused mid sounds. Its all about balance!

[budda]

Originally Posted by EdgeCrusher

Its all about balance!

damn right

[InTheRavensName]

what about a Blackmore? they're cheaper than a powerball, and apparently have a less focused/compressed sound

[loktide]

ok, so the powerball is out. I liked the fireball way better when i AB'ed both, but it was at a guitar store, and not in a band mix...


Anyway, thanks a all for the advice so far! I'll try messing around with my TS settings and see if i can get it to cut better.

On the other hand, it could be that since we rehearse in a fairly small room that i'm just standing in a dead spot. I can also barely hear drums on where i standing. The other guitarist plays a valvestate combo as a temporary fix, which he puts at almost ear heigth to hear it, and it dominates the mix in ear piercing highs and higher mids. I've told him to volume down a few times, which at least helped. The funny thing is that both amps cut just as bad (at least at where i'm standing). Actually, nothing cuts decently, which also suggests that's a matter of acoustics. The funny thing is that although the valvestate sound like all higher-mids and highs on it's own, and the fireball sound a lot fuller and with more mids, i can't hear myself any better than him...

I think i will try to rearrange how the amps are distributed at our rehearsal room and see if it's maybe just due to acoustics since there appears to be nothing wrong with my EQ'ing or boosting.