A
Anonymous
Guest
This is partly in response to this thread:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=40133
Any setup that sounds good to me one day and lousy another I have eventually gotten rid of at one point or another - either parts of it or the entire thing. Over the past few years I've gotten to own many pieces of gear. What was great about it was I learned so much about different equipment by "chasing the purple dragon", but what made me nervous is that I felt I'd never be satisfied with my tone, always wanting to change this or that. I'd plug in and, rather than play, tweak knobs for hours at a time until I got too frustrated, too tired, or too much ear fatigue to continue.
Since then, I've found my perfect setup. I run a full stack of greenbacks with a Bogner XTC 101b - pre '04 gain mod - and a '93 Dual Rec Rev. F. Every time I plug into these amps, I get a smile on my face. No, they don't cover everything - I still don't have the clean tone I want - but rock thru metal I have thoroughly covered. Whenever I plug into those amps, I am finally free of pushing knobs and can play my **** guitar!
My purpose in posting this is that last week I bought a Mark V. I have since returned it because although it has tones that are "pretty good", there's something in the high end that just isn't right. Put simply, I imagine there's a reason people will continue to hold their IIC+s so highly, and yes, for reasons other than the price they paid. For a live setup where versatility is important, it would be easy to justify one because although not perfect, they can sound decent. However, anyone interested in that elusive "perfect tone" would, IMHO, be happier looking elsewhere.
Just to give some background info so the degree of flaming I receive may be lessened, I tried everything with the Mark. I tried different cabs, different speakers - V30s and G12Ms, different guitars, different rooms, pre tubes, power tubes; everything. I set it up many different ways, going from example settings in the manual to suggested settings in the Mark V tone settings thread, and used my ears just like I have with every other Mesa. It just wasn't right.
The other purpose I have in posting this is to say it's possible to get exactly what you want in guitar tone. It might cost a little, but it's probably out there, and if you're getting frustrated with gear day after day, I will almost guarantee it isn't your ears, the weather, etc. My advice is to play as many different rigs as possible, and preferably rigs that other people are happy with. Have them set up their amps the way they normally would, get it to something they believe sounds good, and then judge. I do believe the worst way to deal with "tone gremlins" is to live with it. You'll eventually become uninspired, and guitar playing will become lower and lower on your priority list.
Flame on! :twisted:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=40133
Any setup that sounds good to me one day and lousy another I have eventually gotten rid of at one point or another - either parts of it or the entire thing. Over the past few years I've gotten to own many pieces of gear. What was great about it was I learned so much about different equipment by "chasing the purple dragon", but what made me nervous is that I felt I'd never be satisfied with my tone, always wanting to change this or that. I'd plug in and, rather than play, tweak knobs for hours at a time until I got too frustrated, too tired, or too much ear fatigue to continue.
Since then, I've found my perfect setup. I run a full stack of greenbacks with a Bogner XTC 101b - pre '04 gain mod - and a '93 Dual Rec Rev. F. Every time I plug into these amps, I get a smile on my face. No, they don't cover everything - I still don't have the clean tone I want - but rock thru metal I have thoroughly covered. Whenever I plug into those amps, I am finally free of pushing knobs and can play my **** guitar!
My purpose in posting this is that last week I bought a Mark V. I have since returned it because although it has tones that are "pretty good", there's something in the high end that just isn't right. Put simply, I imagine there's a reason people will continue to hold their IIC+s so highly, and yes, for reasons other than the price they paid. For a live setup where versatility is important, it would be easy to justify one because although not perfect, they can sound decent. However, anyone interested in that elusive "perfect tone" would, IMHO, be happier looking elsewhere.
Just to give some background info so the degree of flaming I receive may be lessened, I tried everything with the Mark. I tried different cabs, different speakers - V30s and G12Ms, different guitars, different rooms, pre tubes, power tubes; everything. I set it up many different ways, going from example settings in the manual to suggested settings in the Mark V tone settings thread, and used my ears just like I have with every other Mesa. It just wasn't right.
The other purpose I have in posting this is to say it's possible to get exactly what you want in guitar tone. It might cost a little, but it's probably out there, and if you're getting frustrated with gear day after day, I will almost guarantee it isn't your ears, the weather, etc. My advice is to play as many different rigs as possible, and preferably rigs that other people are happy with. Have them set up their amps the way they normally would, get it to something they believe sounds good, and then judge. I do believe the worst way to deal with "tone gremlins" is to live with it. You'll eventually become uninspired, and guitar playing will become lower and lower on your priority list.
Flame on! :twisted:
:mrgreen: 
