.50 cal + versus the MKIII - need opinions??

[mdortona]

Would it be a valid assumption to think of the .50+ as a "MKIII Lite"? Are the preamp structures the same? FWIW, I'm looking for more of a Santana/Larry Carlton type sound on the Lead channel, and less Metallica (although it's nice to be able to dial in that sound as well) :wink: . Thanks for the opinions!

Matt

 

[giorikas81]

No they are not. .50 caliber is similar but at the same time different...Many great players used the .50 (zappa and Corrosion of conformity). But you have to try and see. It will do metallica and carlton but different than the marks.

 

[herrball]

Go for the MKIII. For the longest time doing club dates I used a MKIII red strip simul and the tone I was shooting for was Carlton's tone on his live album "Last Night". You can dial back the enormous amount of gain in this amp by not pulling the treble pot out and keeping the lead drive at 5, tops. My volume 1 was usually set at about 7. From there, its all in how you EQ and your attack/pickups, etc. I use EMGs which for me tend to drive the front end a little more than passives so you do have to dial back the gain just from the nature of the p/u.
One of the great things about the MKIII is that you can then pull out the treble, put your drives on 7-8, gain 7-8 and you are in Santana territory.

I hope this helps.

 

[mdortona]

Thanks guys for the advice. I may check out a used MKIII this week-end at GC.

Matt

 

[Neptical]

Thanks guys for the advice. I may check out a used MKIII this week-end at GC.

Matt

Good move!

~Nep~

 

[mdortona]

Tried out a pretty beat up MKIII at GC (forgot to look at the stripe) and it didn't impress me. Perhaps I was trying out a dud. Anyway, I wound up snagging a MKIIB short head for a fair price ($525) at atomic bay music in Maryland and saved some $$$. The IIB sounds like Santana in a box so to speak. I still may try out another MKIII at another GC this coming week-end just to CYA (in my own mind).

Thanks again for the advice guys! 8)

Matt

 

[scottcrud]

I'd still try out a .50 Cal+, it's not a MKIII but since when is the MKIII the worlds greatest amp?

 

[Neptical]

since when is the MKIII the worlds greatest amp?

When I decided to have 2 of them! 8) :lol:

~Nep~

 

[mdortona]

Badda bing!! :lol:

Matt

 

[scottcrud]

I've owned 4 MKIII's, great amps, But, the .50Cal+ is a great amp too, one of the best bang for your buck amps out there. He should at least try one out before completely dismissing it because a couple guys say a MKIII is better.

 

[mdortona]

Fair point Scott. Actually, I was planning to try one this past week-end, but the store sold it before I could test drive it. So I decided to snag a Mark IIB after trying it out. Nonetheless, I'll keep my eyes peeled for one. THanks!

Matt

 

[Neptical]

So I decided to snag a Mark IIB after trying it out.
Matt

I guess it was meant IIB. :lol: :lol:

~Nep~

 

[mdortona]

Badda Bing, Badda Boom! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[SonicProvocateur]

I thought about getting a IIB on the cheap and running a VOX satchurator through it for my ultra-lead sound.

Believe it or not, when I tried the satchurator on my MKIII's R1 channel it was more agressive than my normal lead. Totally blown away.

I'm not sure how similar R1 on the Mark III is to the IIB is though, I was thinking the Mark I may be better suited though for extreme metal overdrive tones. I haven't personally tried the Jemini yet, but I love the satchurator...I highly recommend it!

 

[mdortona]

Appreciate the recommendation about the Satch unit; but I was actually looking for less of a heavy, ultra-lead sound and more of the MKI Santana/Larry Carlton/Robben Ford sound. Several of the guys say that the MKIII can get that tone, so it's still on my radar. At the moment, I'm going to see how I make out with the MKII. If I can get the gain boost FS option to work, I may be all set. Thanks!

Matt

 

[SonicProvocateur]

Yeah, I didn't mean to threadjack...I tend to do that alot lol. I figured since we were already on that topic...

The IIB is pure Santana lead...just dunno how its R1 stacks up against the Mark III's. The IIB is in triode with Mosfet right?

 

[mdortona]

No idea about that.

 

[mdortona]

Guys,

Thank you all for your opinions and suggestions regarding the .50 cal and the MKIII. To make a long story short, I managed to get the gain boost on the MKIIB to work,so my bases seem to be covered at the moment - I can have a quite nice clean sound (this coming from a Fender Twin Reverb guy), switch to the Boogie OD and then kick on the gain boost, grow a mustache and do my best Santana impersonation :lol: 8) and have an EV loaded Thiele pushing the air.

The MKIII will have to wait for my next GAS attack :mrgreen: Take care!

Matt

 

[Monsta-Tone]

The MKIII will have to wait for my next GAS attack :mrgreen: Take care!

:lol: Matt....Matt....Matt.... :lol:
:lol: You need some Tonal Rehab! :lol: You're more of a gear ***** than I am!

Speaking of gear whoring, did you ever get your Heartbreaker fixed?

 

[mdortona]

I know isn't it pathetic :lol: ! No word on the Heartbreaker. From Chuck's last email about a week ago..........
"Hi Matt,
Yes I checked the grid resistors, the diodes, and current resistors. Never
heard of a Meger Meter, but I did rig up a test jig to measure the AC
currents under all loads (tweed/full, tube/SS rectifier, etc) which
indirectly told me if there was leakage current issues. Since the amp is
obviously sensitive to the wall voltage (works in some places just fine) I
have a theory that I am testing now to fix that. Need to order some parts
this week and try it out.
Chuck"

So we'll see what happens. Next Sunday, I'm going to a local musician's swap meet. The HB could be bait :twisted: , but it might not even be finished by then and I'm not just giving it away. I'm really digging the MKII at present (Defintely has the Santana in a box thing happening) and the clean is very good, much better than I remember with the MKIV. So turn in tomorrow for the next episode of "As The G.A.S. Churns..." :lol: :lol: