Hello everyone,
this post is to give you my comment on Mark amps lead tone comparisons and to hear the same from you.
I recently acquired a Mark V 90W head. In the past I tried a Mark V:35 combo, a JP2C, a red stripe Mark III combo and I also had a Triaxis for some years.
I have both read and watched a lot of Mark series amps comparisons and, owning one now, I feel the urge to share the following thoughts.
When comparing lead channel tones, you can often read descriptions like “nothing beats a Mark IIc+” or “the Mark III tone is the best” or “the Mark IV was the best”. And you can actually watch/hear some comparisons where you can indeed spot some differences (not always a “better” or “worse” difference, by the way).
Now, we all know that the graphic eq in the channel 3/lead tone of Mark amps is the real tone-shaper, because of its very late position in the preamp circuit. We also all know how touchy those sliders are, with a little movement going a long way in changing the final tone. I fine-tuned a lead tone that I love, using it, and if you’re reading this and own a Mark amp, you probably did as well, and took pictures/note of the “magic setting” for your setup.
But whenever I move the graphic eq sliders to try something different, I will never get the EXACT tone back, when I put the sliders in the previously dialed position. Although the new tone is still in the ballpark (probably ear adaptation plays a role as well), because of this I am actually scared to move them for whatever reason, and scared when I see my 3-years-son getting by it…
Now, if I cannot really dial my amp back exactly, after moving those powerful eq controls, can we really trust comparison videos or, even worse, written comparisons of experiences with different Mark amps but in different configurations (head + cab vs. combo), different eq sliders resistance tolerances, different speakers, different places, different times, maybe different guitars? Do you always hear your tone the same from one day to another? I don’t! Sometimes it’s gorgeous, sometimes it’s just ok, sometimes it’s so so. Our mood, and maybe room humidity/temperature and AC voltage variations in our houses probably play a role, too!
So, after I finally got my Mark V, and having a lot of fun with the channel 3, I am very very skeptical I can miss anything from a real IIC+ or III or IV that a millimeter movement of the graphic eq sliders can’t achieve!
Just my two cents, of course!
Giulio
this post is to give you my comment on Mark amps lead tone comparisons and to hear the same from you.
I recently acquired a Mark V 90W head. In the past I tried a Mark V:35 combo, a JP2C, a red stripe Mark III combo and I also had a Triaxis for some years.
I have both read and watched a lot of Mark series amps comparisons and, owning one now, I feel the urge to share the following thoughts.
When comparing lead channel tones, you can often read descriptions like “nothing beats a Mark IIc+” or “the Mark III tone is the best” or “the Mark IV was the best”. And you can actually watch/hear some comparisons where you can indeed spot some differences (not always a “better” or “worse” difference, by the way).
Now, we all know that the graphic eq in the channel 3/lead tone of Mark amps is the real tone-shaper, because of its very late position in the preamp circuit. We also all know how touchy those sliders are, with a little movement going a long way in changing the final tone. I fine-tuned a lead tone that I love, using it, and if you’re reading this and own a Mark amp, you probably did as well, and took pictures/note of the “magic setting” for your setup.
But whenever I move the graphic eq sliders to try something different, I will never get the EXACT tone back, when I put the sliders in the previously dialed position. Although the new tone is still in the ballpark (probably ear adaptation plays a role as well), because of this I am actually scared to move them for whatever reason, and scared when I see my 3-years-son getting by it…
Now, if I cannot really dial my amp back exactly, after moving those powerful eq controls, can we really trust comparison videos or, even worse, written comparisons of experiences with different Mark amps but in different configurations (head + cab vs. combo), different eq sliders resistance tolerances, different speakers, different places, different times, maybe different guitars? Do you always hear your tone the same from one day to another? I don’t! Sometimes it’s gorgeous, sometimes it’s just ok, sometimes it’s so so. Our mood, and maybe room humidity/temperature and AC voltage variations in our houses probably play a role, too!
So, after I finally got my Mark V, and having a lot of fun with the channel 3, I am very very skeptical I can miss anything from a real IIC+ or III or IV that a millimeter movement of the graphic eq sliders can’t achieve!
Just my two cents, of course!
Giulio
