About to jump ship

[rabies]

the crunch mode on both channels on my stage 2 stiletto really ain't happening (at all). unfortunately, maybe I'll call them now...

 

[LPJunky]

The 3 modes are very different for a given channel. From green to yellow to red the gain increases and sometime additional gain stage in added.

The difference between the OD1 and OD2 channels is more an EQ thing where the OD2 is voiced more modern with a different MID frequency.

 

[masque]

The 3 modes are very different for a given channel. From green to yellow to red the gain increases and sometime additional gain stage in added.

The difference between the OD1 and OD2 channels is more an EQ thing where the OD2 is voiced more modern with a different MID frequency.

perfectly said!

 

[pipelayer_pres]

I've heard the 2 channel JVM sound better than the 4 channel heads. do you really need 4 channels for a Marshall? I had a TSL100 that my bandmates loved (the sound). never had any issues and always cranked past noon.

does the JVM sound "buzzier" than a JCM 800?

I used to gig with the 2 channel (50 watt) and was always wishing I had the 4 channel. I would recommend the 4 channel if you need a clean with the maximum amount of headroom or a little variety. You share the clean on the 2 channel with the crunch and I would have preferred to have a separate eq. The crunch channel is awesome. The 800 is much rawer on the crunch versus the OD channel. It really stood out in the mix. The perfect 4 channel IMO would have been 2 crunch channels instead of 2 OD channels.

 

[satch4u3]

The perfect 4 channel IMO would have been 2 crunch channels instead of 2 OD channels.

+1!

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Personally not too much of a JVM fan unless they fix the noise issues I've found. Needs a noisegate when I tried one. However, if they ever released the Satriani JVM, I'd be very interested in trying one out. Seems like that version would be heaps more to my liking...

 

[DWAKO]

The other guitarist in my band uses the JVM 410 and it's definitely a solid amp, I have played on it extensively and even though it is a great amp I would NEVER trade my Mark V for it EVER! I just A/Bed them last night. The JVM does great crunch tones and has great sustain on the orange and red modes however the high gain rhythm tones are rather lacking, especially in a band mix. My friend runs OD2 on the green mode and that seems to be the best sound he can get (orange and red sound are way too scooped) even then I find the mids and highs get too buzzy when cranked, and by the time you back them off your mid range isn't present enough. Also it's response time is no where near as quick and tight as the V, this matters a lot to me. Plus the lowend is rather "flubby" in comparison to the tight lowend of the V. It may sound good on it's own but in a mix my Mark V easily cuts through where the Marshall struggles in comparison. Plus if you mess with the Edge setting on the V you can easily obtain JVM like crunch tones and in my opinion one up them. The Edge setting is extremely underrated.

To each his own, and one man trash is another's treasure. I respect the JVM for what it is, but the Mark V is infinitely more flexible. I feel anyone can find a sound they would love in the V it's just a matter of taking the time to find it and explore modes you wouldn't usually explore. Sometimes this reason causes many to sell, so if you have one I wouldn't give up on it yet, keep tweaking.

PS I run an Amp Gizmo with the V and it's amazing.

 

[Jim Ed Love]

All excellent points and suggestions. My keyboard player mentioned exactly that, that the outlet power could be wacked somehow. Especially since I share the circuit with the bass player and may be some other stuff. Next time we plan to swap around the connections. I just remember that I do have a Carl Martin Plexitone pedal. That could be used for some added gain. The only compressor I have is the one in a GT-10 which I don't think is very good (I don't have much experience with compressors in general). It does increase the noise level quite a bit. BUT I bought a few week ago an ISP G-String Decimator that IS one good noise suppressor. When setup conservatively it does not affect tone or note's tailing off.

By the way, I do like the Mark tone, I like aggressive distortion with rumble without to much fizz (or high frequencies) but I'm sort of short on the singing sustain. I guess I have enough to experiment for now.

Thanks

I use an AC+ plus pedal by Xotics. This pedal adds sustain without adding any nasties.

 

[thunder100]

I use an AC+ plus pedal by Xotics. This pedal adds sustain without adding any nasties.

Xotic Effects AC Booster ??

Roland