Looks like I may be saying good bye to the Mark V...

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Vogelsong

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I have been pondering this for a few weeks now. And we have come into a financial bind so the Mark V is probably gonna hit the road. I gotta say I don't think I'll miss it that much.

It is a very nice amp with great tone, not mention it's versatile as hell. However, with that said I just can't get the tone I'm after. This decision hasn't come lightly. I have spent the better part of the past 4 days, comparing it to my bandmaster, and a friends vibroverb and deluxe (were talkin real deals, no RI). And for me those tones just aren't in that amp.

I really thought with all the bells and whistles of the V that it would get there. Maybe not perfect, but at least close enough for me to go, "Oh yea thats heaven". It's just not happening.

I messed with the blackface stuff first, and at times in certain parts of the register it was close but other parts not so much. I'm doing all of this on channel one, I was cranking the amp with little to no gain to try and push the power section in 10 and 45 watts. Then if needed I would try and flavor it with gain, tonestack, eq or all the above whatever it took. The closest I came was in tweed, with I think the mode switch at normal. But then I plugged my Comanche into my bandmaster (which I havn't done in about 3 years) and it was exactly what I wanted, that "holy ****, that is perfect tone" smile on my face.

So with the financial thing going on, the bandmaster is in perfect working order, it just had a check up. I think it's a sign, I should sell the V and rec cab, gig the bandmaster for a little while and save pennies for a blackface. Probably a vibroverb or super.

The only thing I can figure is this. I'll be 39 in June, from the day I was born I grew up listening to that bandmaster everytime I would walk in my Paps house. He would be upstairs playing and writing music. I would sit there for hours and listen to single coils and 6L6 tweed heaven. At my house I grew up with Dad playing a twin. I inherited Paps amp, and I don't own a single humbucker guitar. I'm guessing all the years listening to that just has my ears programmed. Anything besides single coils and my ears is like water trying to mix with oil, it just don't work.

I hear other amps and guys playing humbuckers and I think it sounds great, but as soon as I try it. All the magic is just gone until I pickup single coils.

In fact writing this and putting it down has just made the decision that much more final. I think it's time to list it.
 
Vogelsong said:
But then I plugged my Comanche into my bandmaster (which I havn't done in about 3 years) and it was exactly what I wanted, that "holy sh!t, that is perfect tone" smile on my face.

I did kind of the reverse... I sold my Recto and was cycling through a series of low/mid gain British amps trying to find "my sound", then when I plugged into another Dual Rectifier I was my "Holy ****" moment. Like you, I realized I had a certain sound in my head any anything else was just an excercise in frustration.

Anyway, I say go with your heart. No sense in trying to make an amp work that isn't. I don't regret going back to what worked for a moment.
 
screamingdaisy said:
Vogelsong said:
But then I plugged my Comanche into my bandmaster (which I havn't done in about 3 years) and it was exactly what I wanted, that "holy sh!t, that is perfect tone" smile on my face.

I did kind of the reverse... I sold my Recto and was cycling through a series of low/mid gain British amps trying to find "my sound", then when I plugged into another Dual Rectifier I was my "Holy sh!t" moment. Like you, I realized I had a certain sound in my head any anything else was just an excercise in frustration.

First I did it with tubes, bought a LSS that sounded great in the shop. Then for the next 2 years at volume just couldn't get happy with it. After going back and playing 6l6 and el34 amps at volume I realized that the LSS el84's just weren't my thing. So on to the V. Thought for sure the 6l6's and all the options would get it done but it wasn't to be.
 
Vogel...

Definitely go with what moves you! The V is definitely not for everybody.

My only suggestion before you sell the V....is to be certain that you will not miss it when it is gone. It sounds like you are mainly dissappointed with not being able to achieve your ultimate clean sound in Ch1?

What about the other 2 channel offerings of the V for medium to high gain sounds? Does your Bandmaster or friend's Vibroverb and/or Deluxe give you the magical mid to high gain sounds you are after or are mid/higher gain sounds not even important to you? This is fine if that is the case....I am merely playing "devils advocate" with these questions.

Personally, I am able to achieve excellent clean, mid gain and high gain sounds out of my V in all channels and most modes using guitars equiped with single coils and HB pickups, but that is just me.

Definitely sell the V if it isn't working for your needs!

Best of luck... :D
 
MB,

The other channels for me are a bit too much. It was interesting fooling around with it the last few days. I discovered that when your keeping the gain knobs down at the lowest point where they are still letting all the volume through and you have the amp cranked to drive the power section. You can actually get all 3 channels to sound identical because your not using the preamp which is what does the most to distinguish the three channels. Then once I started adding gain to colore it. The gain just came on to quick and for me not quite thick enough (Thick doesn't seem like the right word).

When I was playing the bandmaster, I had that thing cranked. P4 B5 T7 V9.5 V210

The tone when I hit that first chord was awesome. I can't describe it exactly, it just had a grit that isn't there for me in the V.
 
screamingdaisy said:
Ever try plugging the Mk V into the Bandmaster's speaker?

This is a good suggestion. You might get much closer to the sounds that you like with a high powered copy of an older Jensen speaker.

My Express 5:50 sounds very different, much more vintage) through my '66 Vibrolux Reverb's two Jensen 10" speakers and my tweed Deluxe clone's Weber 12a125 12" alnico speaker!
 
Didn't you just get this amp like a couple months ago, after lusting for it a while before that? Gotta do what you gotta do regarding the finances, but you really need to spend a lot of time with this amp to get the most out of it. I wouldn't give up on it so soon, unless you must.
 
SBG...

I hear ya, I've had it since Feb. I have spent a lot of late nights tweeking, I mean a lot. I'll even say there were times where I was happy with it. I just wasn't in love with it if you know what I mean. I think what I'm gonna do is stay firm on my price, it probably won't move right away. Play the bandmaster a while and see how that goes.

Daisy...

I thought of pluggin it in to the bandmaster, I was even considered different speakers for the V. I just didn't want to go through it if I was gonna get rid of it. I may do it just for the hell of it though.
 
Hi Vogelsong

This does not change your direction and dont bring you no money, but pls consider

I have 7 guitars,half cannot get a decent BF sound on the Mark V ,the other half (SC Strat's) can get them especially at 90 watts clean CH 1 with very low gain-->like Petrucci

A Comanche is NO ordinary guitar

http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1329&start=0

IN my case its same story If I need Fender BF clean with the Comanche I use the 74 Vibro Champ

just my 2 cents

Roland

Also a Mark I was a Princeton on steroids-->Try once more CH 3 Mark I low gain and Comanche volume not past 7
 
thunder100 said:
Hi Vogelsong

This does not change your direction and dont bring you no money, but pls consider

I have 7 guitars,half cannot get a decent BF sound on the Mark V ,the other half (SC Strat's) can get them especially at 90 watts clean CH 1 with very low gain-->like Petrucci

A Comanche is NO ordinary guitar

http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1329&start=0

IN my case its same story If I need Fender BF clean with the Comanche I use the 74 Vibro Champ

just my 2 cents

Roland

Also a Mark I was a Princeton on steroids-->Try once more CH 3 Mark I low gain and Comanche volume not past 7

Hey Roland good to hear from ya. That is a very good post, I saw the original post of Comanche for dummies when it came out a few years ago. I've had mine for six years so I'm no stranger to it. But thanks for posting anyway. Reading that again did reaffirm that I'm in the right direction as the Mark V is currently set up with practically no treble or prescence at all.

I have some people asking questions but no takers yet. So there is still time to experiment, but there is the financial issue. Which I will no more in a week or so on that so we'll see. This may all be for not.

One thing is for sure the Comanche pickups are hot.
 
WAY OFF TOPIC and FORUM

How does your Bandmaster and your friend's Vibroverb and/or Deluxe differ in sound played with the Comanche?
Is the Bandmaster head or combo?

Just for curiosity as i have enough amp's

Roland
 
thunder100 said:
WAY OFF TOPIC and FORUM

How does your Bandmaster and your friend's Vibroverb and/or Deluxe differ in sound played with the Comanche?
Is the Bandmaster head or combo?

Just for curiosity as i have enough amp's

Roland

The Bf amps really sound typical BF. The bandmaster is a brighter circuit and it shows. The cleans on the BM are incredible. Both amps have a great growl when pushed, if I had to I couldn't choose between the 2 I love em both.

With the bandmaster I have to roll the treble down on the Comanche more than I do the BF amps.
 

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