Mk IIB settings

I am starting to explore my amps tones and was hoping that you folks could share your favorite clean / hard rock settings.

The interplay between the controls for the two channels is not very intuitive (for me at least). I have been playing with the 'stock' settings in the manual and the amp sounds great. I just think that it would be helpful to see where others have gone in search of good tones.


I am interested in rock tones in the style of AC/DC, Gun's and Roses, Aerosmith, etc.

Thanks,

Karl Gambolputty....

everything else in your rig affects your proper amp settings, so what kind of: pickups? guitar? speaker?

It's true that the interaction between the two channels is too tricky on a Mark IIB for a satisfying sound when switching between them. That's why I modded the lead channel with a smaller capacitor for less bass response (also changed the range of the middle control a bit), so I could turn up the middle and bass control settings to have a nice warm clean sound without that thick and boomy lead sound. This works with bedroom levels at home over a 1x12 ported EV cab and when playing with the band over a Marshall 4x12 cab.

My favorite setting at home now is Volume 1 at 7, Treble 7, Bass 3, Middle 7, Master 1 1.5, Lead Drive 7, Lead Master 0.5 to 1 with Presence at the back from 0 to 4 depending on the Lead Master setting and also on the output speaker jack (4 ohms sounds a bit smoother at these very low levels with the EV 8 ohm cab). This amp is a Mark IIB 60W head from 1979 without reverb, EQ or simul-class and with cheapo tubes (bias set rather hot though).