Mark III as a clean machine?

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klauscanth

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Hello all,

has anybody tried making Mk III into a clean machine, e.g. for country style by changing the preamp tubes, please?

In my use channel 1 is ok but I would want channel 3 to be as clean as it is, only louder and just a tad grittier.

Has anybody experimented with this, please?

with best regards,

Klaus
 
Channel 1 on mine can get sparkly clean but that usually means giving up some gain on the lead channel. Getting channel 3 "clean" but still retaining a full sound is probably not going to be easy. Have you tried using a lower gain tube in V1, like a 12AT7?
 
Does your Mark 3 have the graphic EQ? Not tried valves changes for this myself but can EQ something that can work.

I use an MXR microamp boost pedal and that is so very good at doing what you are asking, I'd recommend that. Thickens and grits up R1 or R2 great and avoid a radical change in voicing.

Also the MXR has a rubber sleeve on the single gain knob on the pedal making it easy to adjust at gigs with the side of my foot. It's the only pedal I have used consistently with my Mark 3 for many years.

Other boosts like EP boost will do similar though. Just a thought.
 
Hey guys,

yeah, it has graphical EQ. And 12ATX in V1 - have always wondered if the other preamp tubes could be replaced with lower gain ones and how that would affect the sound of Lead channel ..maybe to get it closer to Ch1 but with it's own master volume.

Very good advice - have to find that boost pedal mentioned, will report back. Maybe this is the way to go! :)

thank you goood people on the boards.

regs, Klaus
 
Another great clean boost pedal is the TC Electronic Spark mini. It gives a nice clean boost without coloring the sound. I use one with my Jet City 22H when I need that extra bit of grit. I tried it with my Mark III as well, and it works fine, but that thing doesn't need anymore boost.
 
Well...

In country music the lead channel's metal grind is not needed. It works ok with following setup (sounds are taste dependable of course).


V1 ;2,5, pull
T: 3, pull
B: 5, pull
M: 7,5
MA:2, pull
LD: 3 (pull when needed)
LM: 3
PRES:0
RV: 4ish (to the taste. However needed for softening the attack of your monster)

EQ in auto mode, started with basic V and trimming it dropping 750 almost to 0, 2200 halfway between the lower lines and 6600 halfway between higher lines.

Adjust carefully, since TBM works very strongly in this setup. 0,1 move in it means a lot. You'll find an "edge" in every part of tone stack, where the amp starts to "shoot". The basic idea is to keep everything in tonestack under the distortion sweet spot and letting the power bleed in middle ranges (which you cut out with eq later). The brighter guitar, the lower you go with T and your 2200 and 6600.

Made with semi-hollow H-S-H (Flaxwood Voima, if you must know with SD Antiquity humbuckers and SH in middle) using mid-neck (pos 2). And with full neck humbucker, lead gives some bluesier stuff. Amp is MkIII red stripe.

Not at all a boost, but good, invisible compressor makes it better in this (and generally for country). I used a studio grade thingy, so giving the setup is not any use (actually it is set up to a blues singer with similar throat issues that Joe Cocker had ;D). Quite long sustain, small cut in higher levels and averageish attack-release speeds. Do not give extra gain with compressors level, since it makes the amp edgy and distorted.
 
dlpasco said:
...how you think your Mark III compares to the Mark V for cleans...

Well... That'd take a book if done properly. First answer would be "i don't want to compare these at all". ;D But few obeservations.

And please remember, that everything in here is purely opinion based. Also my red stripe sounds different than other versions. Even different than some other reds. So this will be not at all a list of facts, but thoughts and opinions of my personal gear.

Which i do believe i've added in my signature down there...

- In V it is easier and faster for a new Mesa user to make your preferred clean tones. After all everything is half done in ch 1 already.
- You can make 9 versions of clean tone with V. Every preamp does it's own version. Even extreme (althou that is not what it does best).
- With V it is also possible to make cleans sound better in low volumes. Bedroom levels even. Mark III practically dies, if you try to do the same with it (I keep telling this all the time and here we go again: get a power attenuator).
- V has better sounding (and behaving) reverb, which walks hand in hand with cleans.
- V has also more options to adjust power amp's action in many ways

After that one could think that the V is a clear winner. However if we aim to get just one sound from each, the game is still on. In that the limitations of shared tonestack - in form of a must-to-do compromise - are not involved. The range you can adjust your mark III in, is huge. If you bother to tweak, you can imitate almost any amp type with it. Start from dark, soft jazz and go to distorted, almost heavy sound used in hard rock. And this is just the clean (R1) channel. In the middle you can play rockabilly, surf or modernish glassy clean tones. Simul class is also (opinion based on taste of course) gives mark III possibility to win in some sounds. However when we go to area where no distortion at all is accepted, mark V's clean does the trick a bit better. Can be my tubes, version or both, but when i drop Vol1 too low in meaning of clean it completely (to go to "transistor clean"), the amp loses some breath.

In cleans speakers do a lot and i should really compare those with just one speaker. In my III the speaker is almost 30 years old and the V's are way newer. Some of mark III's warmth compared to V's must come for age of the speaker (original Black Shadow of course).

Playing with your volume knobs is a must in mk III's cleans. V makes it easier (or not? Depends how good you've read the manual) with it's channel master and master volume. When i search sounds to my III these days, i use power attenuator. That way i can keep the volume peaks tamed. The cleaner you go with mark III, the more you open its master volume. In some point you can blow your speaker away, if you change to lead and it has volume settings from your earlier death metal experiences.

But this is getting longer than the Bible. Please ask for details, since i'm not sure what info i should put in here and what is obvious to everyone. My english also - using the word learned from movies - sucks, so i rather be economical in my writing.

Both amps are great. Both have their ups and downs. V (i have two for reasons) is a swiss army knife i use a lot when i need to use different sounds in one set. But in some areas, especially when we go closer to bluesy stuff, i like to use III more.
 
You have completely changed my relationship with my blue stripe Mark III. This is incredible.

I think that the secret was rolling back the treble. This amp now has jaw dropping cleans.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

-Daniel

BigBadWolf said:
Well...

In country music the lead channel's metal grind is not needed. It works ok with following setup (sounds are taste dependable of course).


V1 ;2,5, pull
T: 3, pull
B: 5, pull
M: 7,5
MA:2, pull
LD: 3 (pull when needed)
LM: 3
PRES:0
RV: 4ish (to the taste. However needed for softening the attack of your monster)

EQ in auto mode, started with basic V and trimming it dropping 750 almost to 0, 2200 halfway between the lower lines and 6600 halfway between higher lines.

Adjust carefully, since TBM works very strongly in this setup. 0,1 move in it means a lot. You'll find an "edge" in every part of tone stack, where the amp starts to "shoot". The basic idea is to keep everything in tonestack under the distortion sweet spot and letting the power bleed in middle ranges (which you cut out with eq later). The brighter guitar, the lower you go with T and your 2200 and 6600.

Made with semi-hollow H-S-H (Flaxwood Voima, if you must know with SD Antiquity humbuckers and SH in middle) using mid-neck (pos 2). And with full neck humbucker, lead gives some bluesier stuff. Amp is MkIII red stripe.

Not at all a boost, but good, invisible compressor makes it better in this (and generally for country). I used a studio grade thingy, so giving the setup is not any use (actually it is set up to a blues singer with similar throat issues that Joe Cocker had ;D). Quite long sustain, small cut in higher levels and averageish attack-release speeds. Do not give extra gain with compressors level, since it makes the amp edgy and distorted.
 
After reading through the previous replies I would add that turning the down is better for a warmer Blues tone, putting it at 3 or 4 will brighten your tone without making the R2 or Lead too gritty. Don't be afraid to try EL34s in the outer sockets. They tend to be brighter than 6L6s and may or may not add to "grit". Do not use 5881s, they compress and attenuate highs. Speakers, of course, can make a world of difference. Just make sure you are giving yourself headroom on the ratings. A more efficient speaker will allow you to play louder without driving the amp. Make sure you're plugged into the 8 Ohm output for 8 ohm speakers. A 4 out to 8 mismatch is great for softening the tone (not what you're looking for though).

Once you tune it in, go here http://www.chain-metal.nl/mark3 and make a settings template.
 
alanlcohen said:
After reading through the previous replies I would add that turning the down is better for a warmer Blues tone, putting it at 3 or 4 will brighten your tone without making the R2 or Lead too gritty. Don't be afraid to try EL34s in the outer sockets. They tend to be brighter than 6L6s and may or may not add to "grit". Do not use 5881s, they compress and attenuate highs. Speakers, of course, can make a world of difference. Just make sure you are giving yourself headroom on the ratings. A more efficient speaker will allow you to play louder without driving the amp. Make sure you're plugged into the 8 Ohm output for 8 ohm speakers. A 4 out to 8 mismatch is great for softening the tone (not what you're looking for though).

Once you tune it in, go here http://www.chain-metal.nl/mark3 and make a settings template.

Sorry, turning what down?
 
Just got back from a business trip and sat down with my Mark III dialed into clean.

With the treble control as low as has been suggested here, cranking the mid control up makes a very noticeable and pleasant difference. I have the mid all the way up and then a bit of it scooped out with the eq and it sounds heavenly. I've got kind of a bubbly, spongy clean sound of out it that I can't get enough of.

My wife finally came into the living room and made me wrap it up for tonight because the kids are trying to get to sleep.

This is amazing. I wonder how many other Mesa amps respond to these kind of settings? I knew that the treble control added gain but I didn't realize you could dial everything back so much and still get a great sound out of it.

I don't think I've ever had the treble below 6/1'oclock on any of my amps before.
 
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