Random Mark V chat...

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screamingdaisy

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Sometimes I think of stuff that I don't think is important or interesting enough for it's own thread, so I'm going to start this one and post to it whenever I think of something idle to chat about.

First up... power.

I tried setting all three channels up on different settings. It was a win and a fail all at the same time.

The fail was setting channel 2 (crunch) to 45w and channel 3 (Mark IV) to 90w. In theory it was good... some more compression on the crunch tones and some more power/articulation on the lead/heavy rhythm tones. It sounded great at home, then totally fell apart at rehearsal. Channel 3 on 90w was wide and dynamic while channel 2 on 45w was thin and narrow. I wound up bumping it up to 90w to make it more comparable.

The win was that I was running channel 1 on 45w with the tube rectifier on. I theorize that using the tube rectifier drops my headroom down to 30w or 35w... but it's just a guess. I assume that most people are like me in that they've struggled with going from clean to dirty in a mix. Usually clean sounds big and bold with a very full sound, then dirty sounds thin and wimpy unless it's accompanied by a pretty significant volume increase. Dropping the clean channel's power adds some nice drive/compression and bounce to the clean channel. It also thins the sound out slightly, which makes it a better match switching between clean and high gain without needing to rely on the big volume increase to thicken things up (although I did still need a slight volume increase).
 
I havn't had success running mixed power settings either. I think it throws the volume balance off too much. For smaller gigs I have been running 45wts and been getting great sounds at reasonable volumes. But 90 wts offers the best headroom and clarity. But for recording , those options are great...
 
I want the 10watt or 45watt setting to work for me on the CH1, but it does not. I need the open, full sound of 90 watts.

The tube rectified 10/45 watt settings are supposed to sound more "vintage" or "saggy" or something but I just hear less balls and less volume.
 
90/45/90 for me, when i'm playing in the band.

i like 10w ch1 a lot but only at home. it compresses it and smooths out and it's just wonderful.
 
Today I learned something about the volume levels...

I've been having trouble getting really defined palm mutes out of channels 2 (crunch) and 3 (Mk IV) lately. I wasn't sure why and kept fiddling with my bright switch, gain levels, presence, etc... could never get them to clean up. It was kind of frustrating.

Then for some reason I turned down the channel master down to around 9:30, then pumped the master output knob up in volume so that it was just as loud as it was before. Palm mutes were suddenly awesome once again. I wound up bringing my gain and presence back up to their normal settings and the amp was as I remembered it being before.

My theory is that the channel masters being set too high started overdriving the FX loop, thus adding compression and loosing definition.
 
screamingdaisy:

I think this is an interesting thread and a great idea. I'd be willing to bet that all of us will move into "new territory with their V" with other posters ideas after we have all felt like we have "settled into our individual territory with setting of the V"!

For example, I am already intrigued that most posters so far shy away from the 10W mode.

In my opinion, it is my go to mode for all channels while rehearsing with my band. Not because 10W is necessarily lower volume.....I the sweet sounds that I can achieve in each channel at 10W and still have plenty of volume to cut through the mix in my band.

While it is true, I could easily "fart out" the nicest characteristics of the amps sounds in all channels using the 10W setting while rehearsing with my band.....I choose to not do this.

How one may ask? I am able to achieve excellent sounds in all channels by balancing the individual channel gains and volume controls with the master volume control. I tend to run my overall master volume level at 12 - 1 o'clock with my master volumes varying from 10 - 12 o'clock depending upon which mode. Clearly, my channel volume levels are set lower when using either Tweed or Extreme modes.

When using 10W power for each channel it is also very important to be careful with GEQ settings (sliders or preset knob)...which I am. Too high of the lower two slider bass settings will result in crap quickly.....too high of preset knob (which I don't use except channel 1 clean or fat modes) sounds like even worse crap sooner.

Don't get me wrong, I also love the sounds I can achieve using the 45 and 90W mode settings.

However, one should really give the 10W mode a good chance before dissing IMO because I feel that excellent tones reside in that mode at gigable volumes for all channels when set appropriately. This is especially true if you normally mic the amp anyway. My .02
 
screamingdaisy: I've been finding your opinions extremely valid, direct and experienced.
I'm proud to say that i'm now a true member of this forum, as the Mark V is sitting right beside me.
Any observations someone would like to make? I mainly play extreme metal, but none of that chugga chugga type of sound!
 
Rkorn said:
Any observations someone would like to make? I mainly play extreme metal, but none of that chugga chugga type of sound!

Mark IV, bright on, treble up around 1:00 - 1:30, then experiment with the preset knob until you find the sound you're after. I find the preset knob to do a very good job of scooping the mids without totally scooping the mids. It's suspect they designed it to take the mids out in a surgical manner, so it can take out the 'bad' mids while leaving as much of the 'good' mids intact.

The trick is that you need to give your ears time to adjust to it. I hated the preset knob for the longest time because I felt it was overly bright, but now that I'm used to it I find it really hard to use the sliders as I feel they're not as 'precise' as the preset when it comes to cutting out the mids.

The above goes for both 'chugga chugga' stuff and single note stuff riffing... the only difference to me is where I set the preset knob... the further to the right you go the 'bigger' and more scooped the sound, so great for power chord riffing. As you bring it back towards 12:00 however it brings more mids out and single notes start to pop out more. I usually park mine around 2:00.
 
Oh... and if you're into that djent type tone try using extreme mode with the preset all the way to the right. With the right technique I found it cuts off harder/faster than a noise gate.
 
I'll be trying that that is for sure.
I really like the presence knob. I come from a 6505 and if that sounded to bright, give that peavey a try... lol

One thing that is bugging me for some time... I really feel the amp does sound diferent, in a strange way, with anyother guitars. At first I thought it's the guitar, than I knew it could not be the guitar, since mine is better than a lot others that I tried.
Now i notice if its due to the tuning, obviously there are tone changes, but mine being tuned in standard C it seems that amp lacks a bit of... spunk... it does sound great, that spunk is taken care of in eq, but still...
Have you guys noticed this?? maybe is just me or are the amps designed for better use in standard tune?
 
SD, your comment about the channel masters is right on...I think thats why some are having problems with hiss, screeching and so forth..Never had those problems..run my amp master up around 10/11:00. channel Masters to balance out..Gain to get your sound. That amp volume master is the ticket...
 
When I plugged it for the first time the amp made some odd noises, it seemed like the noise of wind outside on a winters night.
Today it happened again, but then I plugged the amp to a current stabilizer and practiced with the band for 2 hours straight.. with a considerable volume, than the noise was gone.
Do you think this noises came from the irregular current or was from some components settling? I believe it came from the components, as after I plugged, seconds later, the noises were still there, the stopped after the practice.

By the way, i'm very much liking the Mark IV settings with 45w. 90 watts it seems like you lose some clarity. This week i'll be spending some time in extreme to see if it suits me better...
 
Another thing...
On channel 2 I don't hear any difference between thick and normal more, is this normal??

I can't also seem to find a decent sound on extreme... The IVmode on The other hand can be very very... Furious :)
 
4406cuda: thanks for your reply. I just read the manual before I read your answer! Still, thanks!!
regarding the previous post... any comments???
 
+1 SD a boogieman60 on setting of overall output volume in the 10-11 o'clock range and setting individual channel masters for volume balance between all channels. I will say that when playing all channels in 10W.....I tend to increase my overall master volume level (with loop-in) to about 12 o'clock, but never any higher than that.

Now, for those that are just experimenting with all of the possibilities of the V and not concerned about balanced sounds in all channels while footswitching.....have at it. The possibilities are endless with this amp IMO....which I consider to be a great thing! :D
 
One great feature I really enjoy is the ability to have several distinctly different crunch/heavy crunch modes at my disposal at the same time without touching any of the amp controls:

(These observations made on a SSH-Strat type, might not be so versatile on an all HB-guitar)

1. Ch 1 fat mode - neck from clean to slightly beyond, position 2 spanky, bridge low gain crunch
2. Ch 2 crunch mode - neck "old school" crunch, bridge JCM-800 crunch-lead (using guitar volume)
3. Ch 3 MkIV mode - pos 2+4 modern crunch, plus four lead sounds on neck and bridge, depending on guitar volume

.. and their variations with 12 o´clock preset eq on Ch1, maxed preset eq on Ch2 and sliders on ch 3

...and I am only starting to discover the beginning....
 
I'm currently using 6L6s with my Mark V. I'm one of those people who think that channel 2/crunch is kind of 'Meh' when used with 6L6s, but I like the way 6L6s pop out the harmonics in Mark IV mode and Mark IV mode is more important to me than Crunch is so it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

However, last night was the first time I ran crunch mode with a full band. I was really impressed... what sounded really 'Meh' at home sounded great when combined with a full band.

I'm also continually amazed at the presets. As an experiment I ran channel 3's all the way clockwise, which to me sounds like the most scooped out setting and I had zero issues with cutting through.
 
Mark IIC+ = Holy F*ckin' Crunchberries.

I think I finally understand IIC+ mode. In the past I've dialled it in for the typical cut bass/boosted bass Master of Puppets type sound with the two EQs and although it sounded good I've never really been happy with it. No matter how I fiddled with it I'd wind up with something that either sounded like a thin/wimpy version of the Mark IV sound, or it'd be scooped and buzzy... reminiscent of a Boss Metal Zone.

Today I forgo the graphic EQ and dialled it in to sound good without it. The results were kind of meh so I went on a hunt. I wound up tracking down Hetfield's Triaxis settings and started dialling them in and this fantastic crunch tone appeared. Less mids and a lot more bass that I would typically dial in with the rotary EQ; it sounded great. Then, once you add a slight scoop on the graphic EQ it thickens right up and you end up with this wickedly crunchy rhythm tone that works well for a variety of styles. Plus the amp actually sounds good with the EQ in bypass, so channel 3 has two useful, footswitchable sounds.

Channel 3, IIC+, Triode, EL34s, Bright On
Gain: 2:30
Treb: 1:00
Mids: 9:00
Bass: 11:30
Pres: 12:00

EQ on or off, preset around 9:00 for rock, higher for metal.

You can run the bass a little higher if you want a fatter rock sound, or if you're running the gain lower, but for tighter/faster riffing you need to trim it back a bit.


Further, I still feel that channel 2's crunch mode is an alternative Mark IIC+ sound. The basic sound and response are there, they just revoiced it a bit to make it better for a more rounded/less in your face rock rhythm sound. It has less gain, more bass, and the upper mids are notched out to give the lower mids a stronger emphasis and create that laid back feel. Beyond that, they're pretty similar. I'm using mine dialled in to provide a mid gain alternative to my channel 3/IIC+ sound.

Channel 2, Crunch, 45w, diode
Gain: 9:00 to 11:00
Treb: 1:15
Mids: 9:45
Bass: 11:00
Pres: 11:45

EQ off, although running the preset around 9:00 also sounds good if you want a more scooped sound.
 
I'd like to add that I think IIC+ sounds better with a smaller cab than the oversized one. The oversized one sounds great with Mark IV and extreme modes, where the extra clarity helps with the Mark IV's extended bottom end, however with the IIC+ it gets a bit clinical/cold sounding. A smaller cab (Orange 4x12 in this case) adds a warmer, more woody texture and fills out the bottom end/low mids more, something that tended to make Mark IV mode sound kind of muddy.
 

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