Anyone else love Mark 1 mode?

Had the amp about 3 days now and ive only just started messing about with mark 1 mode.Its pretty weird and dark but with the graphic eq set almost like a staircase with the 80 being the lowest,bass and mids nearly off and treble and presence nearly up full it sounds pretty sweet.Anybody else getting much use out of this mode?Feels great for leads with thicker.tube rec in 45 watts.Didnt think id like this mode but its fast becoming my favorite funnily enough.

I like it a lot. My fav. Of ch2 although I find ch3 extreme more practical for what I do.
I really like how it reminds me of my LSS's lead channel, thick high gain but kinda old-school and that I can get some Scoffield 80s sounds (irrc he used Mk1s around that era) under some settings which I now don't remember (sorry). A funny, almost like out of phase sounding OD.

I've often thought of using MkIV for rhythm and Mk1 for leads but I'm sticking with crunch and extreme for now as I've got dialled in right atm.
I was thrilled when I realised Mk1 could give the sound I have in mind for when I make my special fusion band (if ever)

No, I hate it. Too dark.

I, too, used to be in the "too dark" camp...I mean, great, thick, supple tone for Santana-like lead sounds...but for everything else, just too dark and mushy.

However, that was with 6L6s. For me, EL-34s, unleashed the full potential of the mode. More body, more definition, more edge, more balls. And much more versatile than with 6L6s.

It is now my favorite mode on channel 2. The other two are great, too, but the Mark I mode (on EL-34s) just has that big, authoritative, floor-shaking rock sound from my dreams.

But I've probably said this a dozen times on this board already, in different words. :lol:
...it's still true, though.

I'm sure that may be true but I really don't want to have to be burdened with swapping out tubes and making drastic GEQ changes that only work for that particular mode just to make Channel 2 Mode 3 usable.

Ya its a really odd mode.It is very dark alright.When i first heard it i thought i wont be using that mode along with edge(havent really messed with it fairness.Could be great.)But having played it for a while now theres just something about it.It feels different to the other modes.More loose and expressive.Its definitely a lead channel.It does have that wall of sound which could be used for heavy rhythm stuff too.Not sure how it will sit in a band mix though.Ill try dial it in with the band there.Preset eq for channel 3 then by the looks of it.Theres a mesa vid on youtube with paul ufo allen(think thats his name) demoing the mark v and at the end you can hear it in the context of a band mix.The mark 1 as a lead channel really cuts through in that example so hopefully i can get it to work.Kind of reminds me of the lonestar lead channel too.

SonVolt said:

I'm sure that may be true but I really don't want to have to be burdened with swapping out tubes and making drastic GEQ changes that only work for that particular mode just to make Channel 2 Mode 3 usable.

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...it's hardly the only mode that benefits from EL-34s. For my purposes, 7 modes out of 9 benefit from them - leaving only two, Clean and Fat, that sound markedly better with 6L6s.

But point taken. EL-34s are not everyone's cup of tea. (Nor did I mean to imply that they were.)

I play a Tele and really like the Mark 1 mode with the GEQ bypassed, Gain 1:00, Master 2:00, Pres 11:30, Treble 12:00-1:00, mids 12:00 and bass 10:00 with the "thick" switch down. Running in 45wts.

I can see where with a humbucker it would be a dark channel, but my Tele loves it!

I love Mk1 mode as my main lead channel/mode. I don't find it too dark. To me, it has that oomph and presence of, well, a vintage Mk 1, with that low end girth and very physical presence. My settings are;
Gain- 1:00, Vol- 11:00, Presence 4:00, T-1:00, M-10:00, B-10:00, 45 watt/normal switch (not bold). with preset EQ at about 1:30. Currently running SED Winged =C= 6L6s.
Through an old halfback 2x12, with MC-90 on top, EVM-12L on the bottom, it rips through the mix, but with all the depth.
My Tom Anderson Classic sounds crisp with great note definition. My PRS Studio will sustain and roll into controlled feedback. Great stuff, leaving Chn3/MarkIV for crunch rhythm tones and a wholly different lead tone with the boost.

Every time I decide to play my Bogner to mix things up, I keep coming back to the MkV.
8)
Brent

I have enjoyed the Mark I mode, you just have to figure out how to set it up to get the best tone. It does not take long to realize that CH2 is centered around the Mark I overtones. I typically use CH2 in Crunch mode with the gain almost maxed out, mid set to 2o'clock and the Bass about 11o'clock. I normally keep the treble set lower than the Bass. However in Mark I mode, drop the gain and bass and boost the presence and treble and you have a monster tone. I would not call it dark, more or less sinister. The only voice I have yet to bond with is the Edge which is thin and icy. (will have to spend more time to figure out what to do with it).

hope i'm not late the the party,
I recently picked up a 1977 Mark 1 and honestly I like it more than the Mark 1 mode of my Mark V.
the Mk1 mode on the V is nice and versatile but not sure why I seem to settle on the Crunch mode more often than the Mk1 mode.

I do find the Mk1 mode on the V somewhat bassy, but after playing the actual thing, it really is THAT bassy

SonVolt said:

No, I hate it. Too dark.

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As a former owner of a 1978 Mark I, and a current owner of a Mark IIC+, the settings are WAY different. The Mark I mode of the Mark V commands a unique graphic EQ setting as well as more Presence than normal for a Mark II or III. This will eliminate the "darkness". :wink:

Ya it definitely requires the graphic eq,which means sacrificing it for channel 3.But the preset depth works well on that channel and channel 1 doesnt need it.Its just so addictive to play though and is really great for single note leads.Bit too flubby for rhythms but works ok.I use the neck pickup of my G&L comanche for leads and it sounds killer.Really fat and just sings.

I think the Mark 1 mode is not optimized for the combo. I have a combo and found the tone to be good, but a little too dark and without enough depth. However that has all changed, I am now running the Mark V through an EVM 12L Mesa Thiele and the Mark 1 mode is awesome. Instead of dark and flat it has a ton of depth. Also there is much more tonal effect from adjusting the tone controls. I have not had the opportunity to play the Mark V through a wide selection of different cabinets, but from my thiele experience I think the Mark 1 mode was designed to sound best through something other than the C90 equipped combo. Actually, I think all modes sound better through the Thiele. But the Mark 1 mode seemed to improve the most.

MK I mode is my go-to setting for channel 2. You have to approach it from an eq'ing perspective COMPLETELY differently than the other modes.

I run mine with the EQ set like this (bass down, trebel/presence pretty high)




I also have the slider eq off with the switch set to the preset mode as well as the depth all the way down.


Sounds like this

http://tonefinder.com/files/821412450744-MKI_Kravitz.mp3

Sounds great.Ill try that setting out later.Man this thing is so friggin versatile.When i read people say they keep on finding sounds in this thing, even months later,i thought it was just waffle.But im constantly finding new and cool sounds myself.Currently loving tweed mode.What an amp

diddlydan said:

Sounds great.Ill try that setting out later.Man this thing is so friggin versatile.When i read people say they keep on finding sounds in this thing, even months later,i thought it was just waffle.But im constantly finding new and cool sounds myself.Currently loving tweed mode.What an amp

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you should try Variac mode and drop the channel wattages down to 45 watts. COMPLETELY changes the feel/characteristics of the sound. Reminds me a lot of my old JTM45 when it was being hit with a boost or dimed out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ea9KKuA_y0

Mark 1 is the hardest mode for me to get into. It easily nails the Santana tones which I am not really into. Other than that, I generally find it unusable. I have played it a lot through 45w mode on Variac and still don't love it. The tone is so fat it seems clumsy to me. Maybe single coils would work better (I only have humbuckers).

Any suggestions?

Try setting that channel to the preset eq instead of sliders and then pull the depth knob back a little.

Mk I mode was my go-to lightly overdriven rhythm sound for years.