MkIII Renegade
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2005
- Messages
- 188
- Reaction score
- 4
Just interested to hear how players here found their personal Valhalla and if there is a certain thing that made all the difference.
I am an avid recording enthusiast and obsessed with production of my recordings and studying others. I've been using my modded MkIII Simul-Class for about 15 years and finally got an original Mk Series metal grill cab with EV12s and C90 Black Shadows about 5 years ago to return it to original spec. I was very happy before with a Marshall 1960 cab, but the Mesa cab took me over the top! So much thump and creamy midrange, I'll never part with this setup!
After years on the back burner, I recently tracked down a Holy Grail for sorts for '90s Charvel lovers, a mint 650 Custom (final year). Since I already have a 475 with the Jackson system, I swapped to EMG 85/SA/SA+SPC for the 650 and paired with the MkIII it is true fire breather!! I was a bit cynical about EMGs for years, but they have a certain niche, I'll give them that (the 85 is much nicer than the 81). That's one type of Valhalla for me, but overall I probably still love passives more, so I have my San Dimas with JB/'59 and Carvin with Duncan Distortion/'59. The clarity of the Carvin is so amazing, I can use it the Bass Shift pulled for a very fat, yet tight sound. But the first time I played the SD, I held Invasion of Your Privacy in my hands. I've owned a PRS Custom 22 and many other guitars in the past, and there is no denying a Les Paul or Strat of course, but I was sick of seeing those everywhere even 20 years ago, and I like the Super Strat sound in most cases. I prefer to navigate slightly off the beaten path. As long as I have a Mark Series, I'm good.
I am influenced by the metal sound I grew up with, Mr. Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, DiMartini, KK/Tipton, the late, great Mr. Hanneman, but also in-betweens like Navarro and more recently emergent bands like Porcupine Tree.
Effects wise, Valhalla is the Boss DD20 Giga Delay, especially Tape and Warped modes. Pedals of Valhalla is another thread altogether for me, but the DD20 is the one I couldn't live without, and I don't believe in paying $350 for pedals, either.
I do have a bit of OCD for high quality cables (absolutely essential, don't let any tin-eared "musician" tell you otherwise), although the Mogami Gold price range is as far as I go. They make a tremendous difference vs cheap cables, but I don't think you get much more beyond Mogamis.
The key to everything for me is the MkIII, but also the metal grill cab, which seems to be as heavy as a car engine, but it works! I don't think there is a Mesa out there with a better lead channel, even though the MkIV and V have a better balanced package. I'll probably pick up one of those at some point, but I know the MkIII will be included in my core arsenal until I die.
I am an avid recording enthusiast and obsessed with production of my recordings and studying others. I've been using my modded MkIII Simul-Class for about 15 years and finally got an original Mk Series metal grill cab with EV12s and C90 Black Shadows about 5 years ago to return it to original spec. I was very happy before with a Marshall 1960 cab, but the Mesa cab took me over the top! So much thump and creamy midrange, I'll never part with this setup!
After years on the back burner, I recently tracked down a Holy Grail for sorts for '90s Charvel lovers, a mint 650 Custom (final year). Since I already have a 475 with the Jackson system, I swapped to EMG 85/SA/SA+SPC for the 650 and paired with the MkIII it is true fire breather!! I was a bit cynical about EMGs for years, but they have a certain niche, I'll give them that (the 85 is much nicer than the 81). That's one type of Valhalla for me, but overall I probably still love passives more, so I have my San Dimas with JB/'59 and Carvin with Duncan Distortion/'59. The clarity of the Carvin is so amazing, I can use it the Bass Shift pulled for a very fat, yet tight sound. But the first time I played the SD, I held Invasion of Your Privacy in my hands. I've owned a PRS Custom 22 and many other guitars in the past, and there is no denying a Les Paul or Strat of course, but I was sick of seeing those everywhere even 20 years ago, and I like the Super Strat sound in most cases. I prefer to navigate slightly off the beaten path. As long as I have a Mark Series, I'm good.
I am influenced by the metal sound I grew up with, Mr. Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, DiMartini, KK/Tipton, the late, great Mr. Hanneman, but also in-betweens like Navarro and more recently emergent bands like Porcupine Tree. Effects wise, Valhalla is the Boss DD20 Giga Delay, especially Tape and Warped modes. Pedals of Valhalla is another thread altogether for me, but the DD20 is the one I couldn't live without, and I don't believe in paying $350 for pedals, either.
I do have a bit of OCD for high quality cables (absolutely essential, don't let any tin-eared "musician" tell you otherwise), although the Mogami Gold price range is as far as I go. They make a tremendous difference vs cheap cables, but I don't think you get much more beyond Mogamis.
The key to everything for me is the MkIII, but also the metal grill cab, which seems to be as heavy as a car engine, but it works! I don't think there is a Mesa out there with a better lead channel, even though the MkIV and V have a better balanced package. I'll probably pick up one of those at some point, but I know the MkIII will be included in my core arsenal until I die.
