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Post subject: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:20 am
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Like just about everybody here I have played some Fender amplifiers, and owned a few. Many models have a BRIGHT switch (vintage and reissues). Some have BRIGHT channels. As pertains to the switch, I have never used or liked it until recently obtaining a 60s vintage Pro Reverb blackface (has replacement Jensens in it). Activating BRIGHT on just about all other Fender amps is piercing and harshly ringing for me, but throwing on the PR BF BRIGHT might be described as singing and musical. I like the tones with it on and off.

What experiences, use for specific tone adjustments, and explanations do you Loungers have for the BRIGHT switch?

Craig H


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:27 am
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They work good with humbuckers.

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:35 am
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I tend to find that on my deluxe reverb 2 the bright is unnessacary for any single coil guitar but on humbuckers (especially my epi Lucille, which has quite hot pick ups) it provides a needed clarity boost and when the amp is cranked on the clean channel it provides a crunchy distortion that is really good!

But with my 91 strat..... Just forget it, I still have the need for ear drums and high frequency responds in my ears so I just leave it off.


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:53 am
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+1 to the responses thus far. I use the bright switch when playing a Gibson with humbuckers or P90's but I leave it in the "off" position for most of my Strats (the exceptions are for my two SCN-equipped guitars).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:18 pm
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I like the bright switch down, in general for more dark blues rhythm tones.
I have several blackface & silverface amps. I think of it as bright/up or dull/down.
Toppscore 8)

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:50 pm
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It's been my understanding that the "bright" switch replaced the "presence",that was found on earlier amps.
Fender amps were built with Fender guitars in mind,and sonic testing was surely done with the guitars....a bright switch would make a dark sounding guitar sound more like a bright Fender...I didn't make that up,really. :D


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:58 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
It's been my understanding that the "bright" switch replaced the "presence",that was found on earlier amps.
Fender amps were built with Fender guitars in mind,and sonic testing was surely done with the guitars....a bright switch would make a dark sounding guitar sound more like a bright Fender...I didn't make that up,really. :D


This is true, Reb. However, the two methods accomplished their tasks in totally different manners. Where as the presence control actually varied the voltage on the NFB loop prior to the phase-inverter stage, the later bright switches perform as a selectable fixed band-pass filter at the first pre-amp stage.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 2:00 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
It's been my understanding that the "bright" switch replaced the "presence",that was found on earlier amps.
Fender amps were built with Fender guitars in mind,and sonic testing was surely done with the guitars....a bright switch would make a dark sounding guitar sound more like a bright Fender...I didn't make that up,really. :D


This is true, Reb. However, the two methods accomplished their tasks in totally different manners. Where as the presence control actually varied the voltage on the NFB loop prior to the phase-inverter stage, the later bright switches perform as a selectable fixed band-pass filter at the first pre-amp stage.

HTH

Arjay


The presence control actually altered the frequency response of the power amp by changing the amount of negative feedback.

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:56 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
It's been my understanding that the "bright" switch replaced the "presence",that was found on earlier amps.
Fender amps were built with Fender guitars in mind,and sonic testing was surely done with the guitars....a bright switch would make a dark sounding guitar sound more like a bright Fender...I didn't make that up,really. :D


Wow. I read recently that the presence control helped in the
feedback overdrive department. This is a good one to investigate.
I was working today on a 1966 Deluxe Reverb amp without
Presence nor a bright switch.

I have a 1964 Fender Bassman Blackface with the presence contol.

After some quick but not thorough checking around,
it seems amps with presence do not have bright.

Bright and Presence are not compatible???

Learn something every day. That makes today a good day :roll:

Toppscore 8)

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 4:26 am
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Toppscore wrote:
Learn something every day. That makes today a good day :roll:


"Learn something new every day" has long been my motto. I do that here a lot.

Arc

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 6:45 am
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I use humbuckers in all my guitars, and find the sound very dark with the bright switch off...

even with a coil split, to an extent... so I have both bright switches on always


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 6:53 am
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Toppscore wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
It's been my understanding that the "bright" switch replaced the "presence",that was found on earlier amps.
Fender amps were built with Fender guitars in mind,and sonic testing was surely done with the guitars....a bright switch would make a dark sounding guitar sound more like a bright Fender...I didn't make that up,really. :D


Wow. I read recently that the presence control helped in the
feedback overdrive department. This is a good one to investigate.
I was working today on a 1966 Deluxe Reverb amp without
Presence nor a bright switch.

I have a 1964 Fender Bassman Blackface with the presence contol.

After some quick but not thorough checking around,
it seems amps with presence do not have bright.

Bright and Presence are not compatible???

Learn something every day. That makes today a good day :roll:

Toppscore 8)

The Deluxe Reverb has a "bright cap",you can clip it to darken the tone a bit,but it's not a drastic change.
Thanks RJ and BlueskyBill,the Presence has always been confusing to me...I can understand some of the principles of operation,but still have a long way to go,that's why I like this forum!


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:42 am
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Toppscore wrote:
After some quick but not thorough checking around,
it seems amps with presence do not have bright.

Bright and Presence are not compatible???


Both statements are totally false.

The 59 Bassman and 57 Twin (plus others of that period) had both "bright channels" and the Presence control. My 5F6A clone has both. My Blues Deluxe Reissue has both a bright switch and Presence control as does the Blues Deville Reissue. Although both brighten the amp's sound, they do it by totally different methods.

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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 8:41 am
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correct me if I'm wrong, but also in addition to the switch, wasn't the #1 input on each channel considered the bright input?

I don't know if the bright switch affects both the #1 and #2 inputs. on each channel, or if affects both, but starts at a different starting point


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Post subject: Re: the Fender BRIGHT switch
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:51 am
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Rhust wrote:
correct me if I'm wrong, but also in addition to the switch, wasn't the #1 input on each channel considered the bright input?

I don't know if the bright switch affects both the #1 and #2 inputs. on each channel, or if affects both, but starts at a different starting point


No, the #1 input is the high gain input and #2 is low gain (6 dB less than #1).

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