New Mark V Owner Question

Hello! I just picked up a Mark V head (with a Mesa widebody closed back 1x12 cabinet) a few days ago and I had a question. Right now, I'm loving everything about channels 1 and 2 - and I do mean everything! I can't seem to dial in a bad tone with these channels. I'm finding channel 3 to be a bit more difficult. What I "want" to hear is a less thin, more saturated tone. I've experimented with both the Mark IV and the Extreme options, less so with the IIC+. I think what i'm finding is the clean (fat) and crunch channels are so round and full-bodied that it's giving channel 3 an even more perceived "thinness" to the sound. I'm playing a PRS Custom 22 Artist with Dragon 1 pickups which are pretty dark and very hi-gain. I considered getting a boost pedal and putting it in the FX loop and setting the loop to only be active for channel 3 and seeing if I could give the Mark IV or Extreme modes a little more body and saturation. Any thoughts? Thanks!

It took me a while to learn how to setup the three channels in a good balance. It's as much about bringing down the first two as it is about dialing up the third. I use the EQ preset for channel 1 at about 11:00, and sliders for 2 & 3. Pretty typical Boogie V on the sliders. So my channels are clean/crunch/MkIV. I also run an MXR 10 Band in the loop, but just very sparingly.

snyder17315 said:

Hello! I just picked up a Mark V head (with a Mesa widebody closed back 1x12 cabinet) a few days ago and I had a question. Right now, I'm loving everything about channels 1 and 2 - and I do mean everything! I can't seem to dial in a bad tone with these channels. I'm finding channel 3 to be a bit more difficult. What I "want" to hear is a less thin, more saturated tone. I've experimented with both the Mark IV and the Extreme options, less so with the IIC+. I think what i'm finding is the clean (fat) and crunch channels are so round and full-bodied that it's giving channel 3 an even more perceived "thinness" to the sound. I'm playing a PRS Custom 22 Artist with Dragon 1 pickups which are pretty dark and very hi-gain. I considered getting a boost pedal and putting it in the FX loop and setting the loop to only be active for channel 3 and seeing if I could give the Mark IV or Extreme modes a little more body and saturation. Any thoughts? Thanks!

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Try disabling the fx loop and make sure that the speaker cabinet is directly on the floor. The Mark V really likes floor coupling.

To disable the fx loop:

1. Turn the volume for all three channels all the way down.
2. Flip the "Loop Active" switch to the left off the three reverb controls (as you're facing the back of the amp) down.
3. CAREFULLY raise the volume of the channel you're using up to a comfortable level.

Any of the channel 3 modes should breathe fire in this configuration.

Can you give a picture of your settings for channel 3. Should help on getting you to where you need to go. More saturation you are looking more toward the Mark IV mode than the Extreme, IMO.

Here is what Mesa sent me when I was struggling with Channel #3. I also use a KOKO BOOST to kick it in the ***..

"My recommendation would be to work on dialing a tone starting with more channel master (& less overall output should volume be an issue). I tend to run the channel masters on gain channels between 10 or 11 o’clock. The gain could get as high as 2 o’clock but never higher – with my guitars the tone is pretty aggressive between 11 o’clock and 2 o’clock.

Dial in a good tone first without using the preset or EQ section. Then add it to enhance what you already have. Sounds like you’ll prefer the bright switch set to bright in channel 3.

So many things factor into tone – from your fingers & technique to all the things between your fingers and the speaker (and ultimately your ear). Here are a couple of tips that may help in your approach to dialing your MESA/Boogie amp.

Often some of the best high gain sounds (when you really stop & listen) have a lot less gain dialed in than you might expect. Experiment with how far you can back off the gain controls and still get the amount of drive you a looking for.

The treble control is the dominant tone control on a MESA amp and the place to start when dialing your tone. The more treble you have dialed in, the less the mid and bass controls respond. So, get your treble dialed first. Start with your tone controls at 12 o’clock, if the high end sounds too dark, turn up the treble or back off if too bright. Once you’re in the ballpark with the Treble control, dial mids and then bass. Finally, fine tune the overall character and top end with the presence control.

A great approach to take with pre-gain tone control amp (like any Mark Series amp or Lone Star®) is to start with the tone controls off and bring them up (in the order described above) until you hear the right amount of the frequencies you are looking for. You may find this technique more effective than starting in the noon position.

Don’t worry about how your settings look. What's most important is your tone!"

ATR1 said:

Here is what Mesa sent me when I was struggling with Channel #3. I also use a KOKO BOOST to kick it in the ***..

"My recommendation would be to work on dialing a tone starting with more channel master (& less overall output should volume be an issue). I tend to run the channel masters on gain channels between 10 or 11 o’clock. The gain could get as high as 2 o’clock but never higher – with my guitars the tone is pretty aggressive between 11 o’clock and 2 o’clock.

Dial in a good tone first without using the preset or EQ section. Then add it to enhance what you already have. Sounds like you’ll prefer the bright switch set to bright in channel 3.

So many things factor into tone – from your fingers & technique to all the things between your fingers and the speaker (and ultimately your ear). Here are a couple of tips that may help in your approach to dialing your MESA/Boogie amp.

Often some of the best high gain sounds (when you really stop & listen) have a lot less gain dialed in than you might expect. Experiment with how far you can back off the gain controls and still get the amount of drive you a looking for.

The treble control is the dominant tone control on a MESA amp and the place to start when dialing your tone. The more treble you have dialed in, the less the mid and bass controls respond. So, get your treble dialed first. Start with your tone controls at 12 o’clock, if the high end sounds too dark, turn up the treble or back off if too bright. Once you’re in the ballpark with the Treble control, dial mids and then bass. Finally, fine tune the overall character and top end with the presence control.

A great approach to take with pre-gain tone control amp (like any Mark Series amp or Lone Star®) is to start with the tone controls off and bring them up (in the order described above) until you hear the right amount of the frequencies you are looking for. You may find this technique more effective than starting in the noon position.

Don’t worry about how your settings look. What's most important is your tone!"

Click to expand...

Spot on that, the treble control is the key with channel 3. That's where you'll find the saturation your after. Then use the mid and bass controls for body, easy on the bass. Then, and only then, fine tune with the EQ. Also I find a clean boost before the amp not in the loop helps thicken up the tone, sparingly mind. That way I get virtually 6 different tones with my settings. I have Ch 1 tweed set very clean, gets nice and raspy with the boost. Ch 2 crunch set to donnyboilers "brown sound" only less gain for an early plexi type drive, gets into heavy jcm 800 territory with the boost. And Ch 3 on extreme with a fair amount of gain, around 12 o'clock, for a black sabbath / early soundgarden type of sound. The boost then pushes Ch 3 into high gain gooey bliss haha. Loads of chunk and thickness with the boost on Ch 3 to my ears. Be conservative with the presence controls as well. Things can get very sharp with too much. I try to use that to tailor to the room.

Also if your playing with a band as opposed to on your own, remember sometimes less is more. Too much of anything and you'll get lost on the mix and end up too loud

Don't forget to experiment with the pentode/triode setting. That makes a huge difference to my on ch 3.