New member! NAD! VM 2266 head!

[Jimmy]

Hi everyone, I just picked up a 2266 head so I thought I join here to learn and share stuff about this amp. I'm Loving this amp but it's definitely a different beast.

I'm Running it in a homemade 2x12 with WGS Reaper HPs. The cab seems to have good low end with good punch. But... The VM still seems either bright or muddy when going for high gain. I figured it would work good with this cab but not sure if another cab would be better. I'd love to try it with Greenbacks like everyone suggests but I don't have funds for that right now.

I did some preamp tube swapping which helped some. I usually keep the Detail about 3 clicks higher than the Body.
I mostly play at home but I do crank it up.

Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks

[Mats A]

I used mine with V30s or 75W Celestions. But i think Greenbacks is the best match for this amp or maybe try it with regular Celestion 75W. It worked for me.

[surfnorthwest]

Greenbacks will sound good. Make sure you amp is biased correctly to get the most out of it.

Experiment with different guitars, the pickups matter. Crank the master, dial the body and detail to your liking. From there use your guitars volume control to get your sound. You don't need to always run on 10 on your guitar.

Lot of information on the 2266 here. Be sure to read the FAQ topic.

Welcome to the Roadhouse.

[Cousin Muely]

Welcome Jimmy!

[Jimmy]

Thanks guys. Can I bias it myself? It's a 2007 from the serial #. I think I was the first one to take the back grate off when I swapped some preamp tubes. It was a bit stuck on there. Do you think it needs biasing? I'm not good with electrical stuff. I biased my Tsl 100 but that was pretty easy.

I really liked my Tsl100 until I started playing the VM. Now I'm thinking of selling the tsl and getting a cab with greenbacks. I'm Still playing around with different settings.

[Marker]

Welcome Jimmy!
Just like you, I also have a VM2466 and a TSL100; they're very different amps and they shouldn't be compared in my opinion. The TSL is like a snipper, precise cutting lead tone with punch, bite and responsiveness; it can be either percieved as a great tone for some or as a thin tone. The VM doesn't has the same bite of the TSL and the tone is loose and rich, which I like a lot.

The VM sounds great with either V30 or Greenbacks, altough I prefer the Greenbacks.

The VM tone is very loose and grainy making it very rich, it has a recording sonic quality I think. This is something I like very much but can be a problem on the higher gain settings/lower strings combination so definetely I think this ain't a heavy metal amp.

I'm also new to the VM, have it for 2 weeks and I tend to dial very little Body (max 2-3) as it muds up the tone; in LDR mode I crank the Detail to max and have the perfect AC/DC , Led Zep, Aerosmith rhytm tones. In HDR I set the Detail at 6,5 and it's more than enough for my needs (80s hard rock).

Mine came biased slightly hot at 82 mV so I set it at 78; didn't noticed tonal diferences but I think the power tubes will last longer.
Keep sharing your toughts!

[sikter]

Thanks guys. Can I bias it myself? It's a 2007 from the serial #. I think I was the first one to take the back grate off when I swapped some preamp tubes. It was a bit stuck on there. Do you think it needs biasing? I'm not good with electrical stuff. I biased my Tsl 100 but that was pretty easy.

I really liked my Tsl100 until I started playing the VM. Now I'm thinking of selling the tsl and getting a cab with greenbacks. I'm Still playing around with different settings.

Welcome Jimmy!
Why have you bought Vintage Modern? There are many amps out there... I'm curious...
Any cool story behind your decision?

Don't bias it yourself if you're not feeling safe about it. It's not difficult but can be dangerous.

[Jimmy]

Hi Sikter, I traded a Rocker 30 for it. I've always been intrigued by it but never played one. I liked all sound clips I heard and it gets great reviews on tone and quality. When I first plugged it in it had the Marshall tone I was looking for. The old jcm 800 chug(not sure how to describe it). I love the clarity of it. Nice rich harmonic articulation or something like that.

I'm Always looking for ways to make things sound as best they can. Thats why I want to try the Grrenbacks.

I liked the R30 but it sounded bland and boxy. In comparison. Great amp though. I know down the road I'll wish I'd have kept it.

Jim

[Roger]

Hi Jimmy. I also have a VM2466 and a TSL100. I love marshall tone. I think are two different amps for different musical styles. I use tsl with 4x12 celestion 75w (300w) and Vm with vintage cab from spain 4x12 Arial 15w (60w). The Vm sounds great underpowered speakers

Cheers

[Dave W]

I agree with Surf.

I would check or have the biased checked on the amp. I would do that even before buying any speakers.

Greenbacks are what are what it was designed around, so it would make sense to go that route to try. I also found that Celestion G12-65 sound really great with it. Or since you are familiar with WGS speakers some ET65's.

With greenbacks you cant go wrong. With 65's you get a little more clean volume which can help since the 2266 has less clean volume to work with anyway compared to a 2446, but it growls earlier so that's a fair tradeoff. With 65's, you get more low end too and overall a greenback character with 65's

Its a VM so you could probably finds a good sound out of it with Radio Shack speakers.

As far as the bias, I was scared to try it. I read all the stuff here and it was easy. I have since rebiased 6 VM's and its really simple and straight forward. Just have to decide if you are comfortable with it after reading all the information. The information will make it seem less intimidating. The bias might be fine, but the odds are its out. It will also let you know if you have a real tired tube if you get one reading that's stays way off even after adjusting. You can get a multimeter for 5 dollars or borrow one. The tubes are 8 years old and no way to tell how much they have been ran by previous owner. If you bias it, then you can take comfort in not having to worry about that part of it.

Congratulations on the new amp!