Mark IV sounds like poop.. HELP!!!

Josh_P · #1 01-22-2009, 09:23 AM

Alright fella's, so I fired up my newly acquired MARK IV (B) for the first time last night and I swear I'm going insane......... I followed previous advice on the board to dial in each channel one by one when setting up however the knobs are SO TOUCHY... It's like I'm afraid to sneeze on this thing because the tone could change considerably. I've got a decent Clean and Rhythm 2 tone however I'm having major problems dialing in the Lead channel. It has that muddy / flubby / over saturated tone with no articulation or balls. Can anyone recommend me some settings to get close to Timmons type tone for this beast? Actually I'm open to any and all settings recommendations you guys want to throw at me. I thought my VHT PB UL was a pain in the ass to set up but this head takes the cake. (I absolutely LOVE this head by the way and can't wait til I get her dialed in : v )

peripheral setup:

PGM 301 (Standard Tuning)
2x12 Vertical recto cab
No effects

voodoo_child · #2 01-22-2009, 09:38 AM

The user manual has suggested settings at the back, you should read it and try some of the settings as starting points. Its on the website if you dont have a hard copy.

A rule of thumb is to keep the bass very low (3 or less), and the treble high (if you're going for a high-gain tone).

j.arledge · #3 01-22-2009, 09:40 AM

get some treble in there.

try setting it like :

treble 7
mids 3
bass 2

Mesa's tone is in the treble knob, it's voice is in the mids.

turn the bright switches on.

when in doubt consult the suggested settings.

http://mesaboogie.com/manuals/Mark%204.pdf

Josh_P · #4 01-22-2009, 09:51 AM

Thanks guys. I now see where my problems are spawning from as I'm running my treble low and bass high. Should I dial in my basic tone without the EQ, then put the icing on it with the EQ?

Josh_P · #5 01-22-2009, 01:05 PM

one more question for you guys I promise : v )

If I run my treble up / bass down then how do I get the earth shattering thick crunch? Wouldn't this promote a high end buss tone? I assume I need to run my master volume at high levels to obtain the rounded tone with this config?

YaYoGakk · #6 01-22-2009, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh_P

one more question for you guys I promise : v )

If I run my treble up / bass down then how do I get the earth shattering thick crunch? Wouldn't this promote a high end buss tone? I assume I need to run my master volume at high levels to obtain the rounded tone with this config?

Classic V shape on the EQ. That'll punch out the bass but not make it flubby. I have the bass on my Mark IVa set on 1-1.5. It doesn't take much.

YaYoGakk · #7 01-22-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh_P

Thanks guys. I now see where my problems are spawning from as I'm running my treble low and bass high. Should I dial in my basic tone without the EQ, then put the icing on it with the EQ?

I leave my EQ on all the time. I know some that use the EQ for just solo sounds but I prefer it on at all times.

Josh_P · #8 01-22-2009, 01:20 PM

Thanks again guys! I found an audio clip with settings sheet that I really like. I'm going to give this a shot tonight (if my 4 month old daughter approves that is ; v )

Here's the clip. Not much on his playing but the tone is a good starting point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow1GGJQrSuE

mesaman · #9 01-22-2009, 04:47 PM

I think you can get closer to Timmons on R2 than the lead channel. The problem is, to get the flub out by lowering the bass, affect your R1. I actually run a 10 band EQ in the loop and run a BB preamp out front, it's like adding 3 more channels. I set up 2 for a smooth distorted lead with the 5 band enabled, and when I kick in either the 10 band set pretty flat with a boost or BB, I am right in Timmons town.

scotteggshell · #10 01-22-2009, 04:55 PM

I've Had a MkIV for abou 6 years now. I sympathize. The Clean tone is great, but the gain tone is somewhat lacking IMO. I had a Mesa DC-3 before the Mark and the distortion in that little amp was waaay nicer to my ears than the MkIV. I have just switched from a strat to a superstrat and am going through the same things as you are -Cant find my tone. For my strat I used to run a TS9 with the gain off and used the level to drive the front end of the boogie and then used the tone on the TS to warm it up or cool it off. But that doesnt work so well with the humbucker Superstrat. Have you tried the Pentode/Triode switch. In pentode it can sound a bit brash. Also try the notch on the presence control. ANd if you dont need high volumes try the Class A setting.

All that aside how are the tubes.

Scott

kotornut · #11 01-22-2009, 09:48 PM

IMHO you don't need very much bass at all to get a great crunch on a mesa. Most players agree that Mesas have too much bass. Petrucci talk about it in a videosomwhere. He says to not use as much gain or bass as you would think for crunch. I have to say that in my experience thats true.

Josh_P · #12 01-23-2009, 08:34 AM

Tubes are fine (new JJ's) however I was also wondering if putting EL34's on the outside would smooth out the tone a bit? hhhmmmmmmm

scotteggshell · #13 01-23-2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh_P

Tubes are fine (new JJ's) however I was also wondering if putting EL34's on the outside would smooth out the tone a bit? hhhmmmmmmm

I've never tried, although I have a pair of EL34's coming in my next tube order. I have read that the El's will make the clean suffer some though.

Another thing with the (power) tubes is that since Mesa uses fixed bias in the Mark IV, the Power tubes you use must be Mesa spec otherwise the bias may be incorrect. I just checked mine and the 6l6's that I am using are a bit cold. I love Mesa amps but I dont like the fixed bias setup. Some dealers (I use NBS electronics-aka Lord Valve) will sell you Mesa Spec tubes, as Mesa will.

Scott