Which pedals work well with the V? Which don't?

I switched from an original 1971 Fender Silverface Princeton to a Mark V. The pedals that worked well with the Princeton did not work with my Mark V: TS-808 Tube Screamer, EHX LPB-1, Boss ME-70 (digital multi-effects), Creation Audio Holy Fire OD. I am playing through a V30 with an LP.

*TS-808: Too dark and muddy
*EXH LPB-1: Distortion screams like a muppet being run over by a dump truck
*Boss ME-70: Made my entire signal sound digital (gross)
*Creation Audio Holy Fire OD: Boost was too clean and OD had an unmusical fuzz to it.

I just bought the Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail analog bucket brigade delay and it is a perfect match for the Mark V. The Mark V's tube tone is completely preserved and every delay is gorgeous.

Has anyone tried the Empress Heavy Distortion Pedal or BBE 427? The BBE 427 is similar to the Big Muff Pi with tone wicker, but has a broader frequency response.

Xotic EP booster in the loop on all the time. Really everyone needs to try this!!
The new TC Pedals FlashBack/Arena work really good in the loop
Boss Pedals do really well in the loop
Carbon copy had issues in the loop with signal loss
Try the new CatlinBread Echo Rec in the loop it is the best delay I have ever used with the mark v!
Line 6 m9 / M13 good in the loop too just make sure they are set to true bypass.

Up Front:
Jerry cantrell wah, Dunlop Volume X, MXR Phaser.

Seems like you're asking about dirt and overdrive pedals but
if I'm being narrow in scope let me know.

The only dirt I feel the need to use with the Mark V is a fuzz.
For that, I'm using the Blackout Effectors Blunderbuss over
channel 1.

Although not a true boost or overdrive, the "solo" feature
takes the place of what I used those two for in the past.

I think other Mark owners here have use the EP Booster or
one of the Exotic AC(?) boosters with success. I'd be curious
as to what a good Rat would sound like over channel 1, just
for "old times sake."

Edit: Xotic EP Booster, what Pivot says.

@pivot

Why the EP Booster in loop? I have an AC Booster in front. Does it make that much of a difference?

Great recommendations.

Are there any sound clips you have/know of for the Mark V with the Xotic EP Booster? Also, do you know of any bargains on them? They seem to hold their value really well.

Anyone have experience with a good uni-vibe for the Mark V? Preferably all analog.

I am looking to fill out the board a bit with quality analog effects. I only have the Vapor Trail delay and love it. Do you have any clips you can share of the Blunderbuss?

jb's 52 said:

Seems like you're asking about dirt and overdrive pedals but
if I'm being narrow in scope let me know.

The only dirt I feel the need to use with the Mark V is a fuzz.
For that, I'm using the Blackout Effectors Blunderbuss over
channel 1.

Although not a true boost or overdrive, the "solo" feature
takes the place of what I used those two for in the past.

I think other Mark owners here have use the EP Booster or
one of the Exotic AC(?) boosters with success. I'd be curious
as to what a good Rat would sound like over channel 1, just
for "old times sake."

Edit: Xotic EP Booster, what Pivot says.

Click to expand...

Right now, I'm using the following all out front with GREAT results:

Xotic EP Booster (on all the time, and what a deal at $118!),
EH Soul Food (basically a Klon clone for $68!),
Older Maxon AD90,
FT Mini Déjà Vibe,
Rx Electronics Experience (ONLY in Ch1),
Xotic SP Booster (set neutral/low, on all the time),
Teese RMC8 Eqwahlizer (perfect wah IMHO).

TS9-types don't really do well with the V IMO.

MarkV said:

I am looking to fill out the board a bit with quality analog effects. I only have the Vapor Trail delay and love it. Do you have any clips you can share of the Blunderbuss?

Click to expand...

Sure...here's a cut from last night's rehearsal...

http://www.polysonicsoul.com/scratch/solo_blunderbuss.mp3

Channel two, crunch mode, with the gain set low works really well with most dirt pedals.

For anyone looking for a country/ Texas blues deal I had killer results with chan 1 tweed and hitting it with a full tone full drive into a 2x12 loaded with 65 Watt celestions
Jeez! Perfect.. Very Billy G, but cleaned up and you could cluck all night
Hit the boost and sheeeeeeeeit!

SteveO said:

Channel two, crunch mode, with the gain set low works really well with most dirt pedals.

Click to expand...

Yes, including (imo) with a Tubescreamer.

I had some old rack units that worked well with my Mark III amp, not so bad with the Mark IV. Quite a different story with the Mark V. The rack units I had from the early 90's just did not cut it in the effects loop. I did tryout a Line 6 DL4 delay pedal with a Mark V combo before I bought it. That works quite well in the loop or in front of the amp. I often use it as a stereo effect with both my Mark V and Mark IV ( when it is in bypass, left and right output is connected together when only left side input is used.)

Boss ME-70 just sounds horrible no matter where you put it. However it sounded okay with the RA100 but not any better. I normally use that with a small practice amp when I play at my friends house. I am only keeping it since it is the only means to get distortion with a small practice amp. Also works well as a practice amp with head phones when the power goes out since it works off of batteries.

Dunlop Crybaby 535Q sounds great. I primarily bought it for use with my RA100 but does a great job with either the Mark V or the Mark IV. I think once I bought the Mark V, I moved away from effects.

Thanks for the post of the Blunderbuss Jb's 52. Nice big sound.

Anyone use the Wampler Thirty Something? I figured out I am looking for a pedal to push the Boogie more into Marshall territory (JCM-800, think AC/DC Back in Black). I tried a ZVex Distrorton which pushed the amp into that sound and was wonderful, but it was too noisy and had a mushiness to it, I want to preserve the sparkle and attack.

Bluestoned1- Why the RMC8 instead of the RMC3? I have been eyeing the Teese wahs and love what I see.

MarkV said:

Thanks for the post of the Blunderbuss Jb's 52. Nice big sound.

Anyone use the Wampler Thirty Something? I figured out I am looking for a pedal to push the Boogie more into Marshall territory (JCM-800, think AC/DC Back in Black). I tried a ZVex Distrorton which pushed the amp into that sound and was wonderful, but it was too noisy and had a mushiness to it, I want to preserve the sparkle and attack.

Bluestoned1- Why the RMC8 instead of the RMC3? I have been eyeing the Teese wahs and love what I see.

Click to expand...

No problem...

Check out the Weebho stuff!
http://www.weehbo.de/

I heard the Plexi one (not through a Mark V) and it sounded badass.

Re: pushing the V into Marshall JCM territory...

Try the ZVex Box of Rock and/or the KOTB (King of the Brittains)...seriously, both give a fairly authentic JCM/JMP/etc... tone IMO.


Re: RMC8 vs. RMC3

I prefer the active 8-band EQ of the RMC8. This option allows the user to adjust the parameters of the wah to their taste du jour or (perhaps more importantly) the room that they're playing in on any given evening...which, of course, can affect tone greatly.

Bluestoned1: Thanks for sharing on the RMC pedals. I am going to have to grab one since my antique Vox finally died. Have you tried running them at 18v? I emailed with Teese and he said they can be run at 18v, but are voiced for 9v.

I am going to skip on the Box of Rock as the Distortron is based on that circuit, I am looking for a little more chime and less noise.


Has anyone tried the Catlinbread CB30, Jetter Helium or Wampler Thirty Something to add some sparkle and chime?

Sparkle and chime=Soul Food!

I need to try the Thirty Something too. My friend has the Catlinbread CB30...sounds pretty good too.

I've not run the RMC8 on 18v...but I'll definitely give it a try! Thanks for the recommendation.

I'd be curious
as to what a good Rat would sound like over channel 1, just
for "old times sake."

Click to expand...

Sounds very Metallica. Good Pantera tone even. I play with it quite a bit.

brianpozar said:

I'd be curious
as to what a good Rat would sound like over channel 1, just
for "old times sake."

Click to expand...

Sounds very Metallica. Good Pantera tone even. I play with it quite a bit.

Click to expand...

Hey, I have an early/mid-80s RAT pedal, you know the model that doesn't have any LED to indicate it is on. While it sounds very good on channel 1, I actually stopped using it when I got my Mark V. It was a killer pedal with old Marshalls where it actually broadened your selection of dirty sounds quite considerably but I didn't feel like it added anything particularly useful to what Mark V already offered on its own. So I replaced it with some more modern pedals by Wampler, Bogner et al.

But I'm lucky I didn't throw it away or sell it. Some time ago, I was testing my older Mark series amp after tube maintenance and let my son adjust the RAT (on the clean channel) while I was playing. He dialed in some pretty basic sounds (all knobs near noon) and it sounded so good I never wanted to stop playing. So I might put back into my pedalboard one day again, who knows.

The RAT is a timeless classic, every guitarist who likes dirty tones should at least try one. And yes, it is a pedal that works well with Marks. You've got to try it and see if fits your sonic palette.

Has anyone used theBlackouteffectors Musket? I was also looking at the way huge pedals
http://www.blackouteffectors.com/?page_id=402