Mark IV A Bit Barky

The Boogie Board

Help Support The Boogie Board:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
S

sparklesmcgraw

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
76
Reaction score
0
Hey all,

I have had my MK IV for a couple of years and love it to death although I have only ever played it at bedroom volumes as I live in a flat and can't play too loud. Last weekend though I took it out to my parents house in the country and couldn't wait to crank it up loud on full power to hear how good it sounds at some serious volume!

I must say I was a bit underwhelmed. No matter what I did to the setting I found it VERY hard to smooth out the barky mid rangey character of the amp. It was almost piercing at times. I tried all configuartions and ended up coming back to triode, tweed power, mid gain as it seemed to smooth out the amp more to get the tone I was after. I was only playing metal however so is not really fair on the amp and maybe a smooth rythmn tone is what I am after (Rectifier etc..?)

I still think it sounds great and I can get the tone I want at lower volumes so that is fine by me, but was a bit surprised to find I couldn't get it on full power etc..

Playing on a MKIVa combo in a room with wooden floors so I understand I wasn't giving it the best chance. Maybe I need to get an amp for rythmn that can get the thick smooth chunky tones for rythmn and keep the MKIV for leads and cleans.

Just some thoughts!

:)
 
I find it best to use the graphic EQ to set a shallow V (with no controls exceeding the mid line) if I'm playing in a metal scenario then I flip the EQ out for a bigger mid range to solo with! Although playing bluesier stuff now, I leave the EQ out for rhythm and actually dial a mid hump in for solo boosts!!!
 
sparklesmcgraw said:
Hey all,

I have had my MK IV for a couple of years and love it to death although I have only ever played it at bedroom volumes as I live in a flat and can't play too loud. Last weekend though I took it out to my parents house in the country and couldn't wait to crank it up loud on full power to hear how good it sounds at some serious volume!

I must say I was a bit underwhelmed. No matter what I did to the setting I found it VERY hard to smooth out the barky mid rangey character of the amp. It was almost piercing at times. I tried all configuartions and ended up coming back to triode, tweed power, mid gain as it seemed to smooth out the amp more to get the tone I was after. I was only playing metal however so is not really fair on the amp and maybe a smooth rythmn tone is what I am after (Rectifier etc..?)

I still think it sounds great and I can get the tone I want at lower volumes so that is fine by me, but was a bit surprised to find I couldn't get it on full power etc..

Playing on a MKIVa combo in a room with wooden floors so I understand I wasn't giving it the best chance. Maybe I need to get an amp for rythmn that can get the thick smooth chunky tones for rythmn and keep the MKIV for leads and cleans.

Just some thoughts!

:)
Click to expand...


In my experience - playing my Mark IV just alone in a room it can indeed sound barky and really in your face.
I live with it because in a live or a band setting the **** thing just shines. It fits perfectly in the stage mix and is a pleasure to play.

Its beautious
 
topcat0399 said:
sparklesmcgraw said:
Hey all,

I have had my MK IV for a couple of years and love it to death although I have only ever played it at bedroom volumes as I live in a flat and can't play too loud. Last weekend though I took it out to my parents house in the country and couldn't wait to crank it up loud on full power to hear how good it sounds at some serious volume!

I must say I was a bit underwhelmed. No matter what I did to the setting I found it VERY hard to smooth out the barky mid rangey character of the amp. It was almost piercing at times. I tried all configuartions and ended up coming back to triode, tweed power, mid gain as it seemed to smooth out the amp more to get the tone I was after. I was only playing metal however so is not really fair on the amp and maybe a smooth rythmn tone is what I am after (Rectifier etc..?)

I still think it sounds great and I can get the tone I want at lower volumes so that is fine by me, but was a bit surprised to find I couldn't get it on full power etc..

Playing on a MKIVa combo in a room with wooden floors so I understand I wasn't giving it the best chance. Maybe I need to get an amp for rythmn that can get the thick smooth chunky tones for rythmn and keep the MKIV for leads and cleans.

Just some thoughts!

:)
Click to expand...


In my experience - playing my Mark IV just alone in a room it can indeed sound barky and really in your face.
I live with it because in a live or a band setting the **** thing just shines. It fits perfectly in the stage mix and is a pleasure to play.

Its beautious
Click to expand...

This! I've had mine for years and agree.
 
So what I understand is basically once you get past the preamp gain and hit the power section THEN it starts to bark. I'd say throw in a new set of power tubes as I think that will give you your smooth punch back..IF, it's not a speaker issue. What kind of speakers/cab do you use?
 
Not sure if I would say that as such. It just seems that as I increase the volume (whether its master or channel volume) it gets a bit harsh. I need to run triode and mid gain and drop the presence significantly to try to smooth it out a bit.

Tubes are winged C 6l6's and are only a couple months old (played only ever in tweed bedroom volumes). Just playing through the standard short body combo.

I guess it is just how the amp is built to sound (not a bad thing). I think I need a rectifier for the perfect rythmn tone i'm after perhaps.
 
sparklesmcgraw said:
. I was only playing metal however so is not really fair on the amp and maybe a smooth rythmn tone is what I am after (Rectifier etc..?)
Click to expand...

FWIW- Definitely stick to your Mark IV for what you're looking for in tone. The Rectifier is anything but smooth.
 
Thanks guys. I did try Harmonics for a bit. What exactly is that supposed to do to the tone? I usually run mid gain as I find it adds a touch of gain at lower volumes.
 
What was your reverb setting? My amp does not get along with the reverb at all. It has a weird overtone and it has a "bark" that is not pleasant at all. If I turn the reverb to zero there are no issues.
 
Hi all. New here. I may b off base here but wouldnt comp. help in this situation? Like dynacomp or demeter?
 
The bark is normal. It's part of the Mark IV sound. It's an incredibly mid voiced amp. To get a smoother sound, invest in a cheap but effective equalizer to get rid of the harsh, unwanted frequencies. The Danelectro Fish and Chips will do the job.

Typically, this range is around 4 KHz. The problem is the Mark IV's graphic equalizer is not the most precise in terms of getting rid of a specific frequency (you would need a parametric eq for that). Also, the frequencies labelled on the amp seem to be rounded off dramatically. Apparently these are the actual frequencies:

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/index.php?title=Mesa/Boogie_graphic_equalizer

This is where the Danelectro comes into play. It has frequency slider of 3.6 KHz, good enough to do the job - kill the harshness but maintain the high mids that the Mark IV eq would take away. A guide to specific frequencies:

http://www.digitalprosound.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1.htm
 
suprised no one mentioned this yet, but you need a big *** mesa v30 cab to plug that bad boy into and the metallica tones will bite your head off. I use a marshall 4x12 with my MkivA and it does the trick. Pentode, simul-class, tweed power. palm mutes that shake the house, feel it in your chest kinda thing, that has this big engine sorta tiger purr. you will never be satisfied until you get it.
 
Any of the Mark IVs I use to play were never 'barky'...I think it has more to do with guitar,pups,speakers,cabs..and eq'ing. Even though a bit more compressed sounding then my 3's, I still loved that they were tight and chunky.
 

Similar threads

O
Slaving a mark iv to jcm 800 with a loadbox (IR) captor x or suhr ir?
Replies
8
Views
653
omnio
O
S
Mark IV - Full Service Tune-Up
Replies
9
Views
644
electric mayhem
E
P
Where can I find fuses for a Mesa Boogie Mark IVB?
Replies
9
Views
1K
electric mayhem
E
M
Mark VII Channel volume differences
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
mace
M
D
Mark V:35 changing power tubes - one doesn't light up
Replies
3
Views
454
diabolical
D

Latest posts

Back
Top