After a week my Mesa Mark IV is scaring me

[MusicManJP6]

All good tips guys! I myself have had no problems dialing in the tone I want on my Mark IV after a week, but I am a Petrucci fan, and have 2 of his sig guitars, and used the Mark IV amp settings I found on the JP forums to accomplish my sonic nirvana.

I can switch to the middle position (single coil sounds here), and it affects the tone tremendously, but makes it yet another awesome sounding tone option. I can imagine a strat or other single coil guitars making it VERY hard to dial in heavier sounds, though. I like the harder edge tones, so the HB pups make it pretty easy... I'm sure your tone is in there though! I agree that small adjustments make big tone differences. It is really amazing that it can crank out so many different tones...

Keep messin' with it and you'll find it! Good luck...

 

[visualrocker69]

Do your guitars have D-sonics or Steve's Specials in the bridge position? or one each?

 

[JacksonUSA]

I was wondering the same thing about the Mark IV ... I don't own one but based on the clips I heard ... the lead channel is always "clear sounding" if I can say that

personally I'm after something that's a bit more like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPn2lAuMZ9E

again it doesn't have to be the exact same but sort of in the same ballpark

So then why not pay half as much and get a Legacy? I had one and that's what they sound like.

because I need a balls to the wall sound a la Metallica or DT as well and I'm not sure the Legacy will deliver that unless I add some sort of preamp to the rig

 

[Platypus]

I was wondering the same thing about the Mark IV ... I don't own one but based on the clips I heard ... the lead channel is always "clear sounding" if I can say that

personally I'm after something that's a bit more like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPn2lAuMZ9E

again it doesn't have to be the exact same but sort of in the same ballpark

So then why not pay half as much and get a Legacy? I had one and that's what they sound like.

because I need a balls to the wall sound a la Metallica or DT as well and I'm not sure the Legacy will deliver that unless I add some sort of preamp to the rig

That tone is easy to achieve with the Mark IV, it is Petrucci after all. I think he uses a Triaxis on that album but the point remains.

 

[glenecho]

UPDATE: I spent 4 hours last night tweaking the lead channel and I'm very very close to having my sound totally dialed in. There is a bit of a transparency going on for notes above high E 12th fret that I'm still trying to tweak, but all in all the violin tone is now there and I have a lead tone that sounds great.

Here are the settings:

First of all I had to switch to "Mid" for the Lead Voicing. Triode and Full power.

Lead Gain: 6 (Pulled)
Lead Treble: 7.5
Lead Bass: 2.5
Lead Mid: 5
Lead Drive: 6 (Pushed)
Lead Presence: 2 (Pushed)

EQ engaged only for the Lead Channel:
80 - Just below top line
240 - In between top and middle line
750 - Slightly above the halfway point between the bottom line and middle line
2200 - Slightly below where the 750 slider is
6600 - Same as 750

Now the key, and I've never gotten that touch sensitive violin like tone without doing this without a boost of some sort...on any amp:

BadMonkey settings:

Level - 3 o'clock
Bass - 2 o-clock
Treble - noon
Gain - 9 o'clock

For the most part on my strats, with the low output SD vintage pickups, the volume is dimed. On my Carvin Holdsworth, when using the humbuckers the volume is lowered unless I want endless Hendrix Love or Confusion psychedelic sustain and feedback. The whole idea that I was hoping to achieve with the Mark IV was finding a combination of a Gambale/Holdsworth like woody tone and the Eric Johnson/Robben Ford violin Dumble/Marshall sound. I'm now VERY VERY close.

All in all the suggestions from the members of this board helped A LOT. For starters, I was trying VEHEMENTLY to avoid using the GEQ as I wanted to use it for a lead boost. Looks like I'll have to get a GEQ pedal and run it in the loop (I'm not thrilled about that but the trade off is worth it). Secondly, being someone that avoids harsh treble at all costs, I really resisted turning that Lead Treble knob up past 7. Bottom line is I couldn't get a good tone until I did. Once I did I had to make up for it in the GEQ (as you can see from those settings). I also made the mistake, based on the sample settings in the manual and on Grail Tone, of having all the knobs pulled. And of course, I had the bass set too high (again I had to counter this with boosting them in the GEQ).

 

[MusicManJP6]

I've got one JP with the D-Sonic and one with the Steve Special. I like both of them. The D-Sonic is more middy. Sounds good w/ the MIV!

 

[CudBucket]

Don't take this as an insult but this thread is like complaining that you've put together 10 pieces of a 10,000,000 piece puzzle and are frustrated that it isn't complete yet.

Ha! That is brilliant. I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[JacksonUSA]

So then why not pay half as much and get a Legacy? I had one and that's what they sound like.

because I need a balls to the wall sound a la Metallica or DT as well and I'm not sure the Legacy will deliver that unless I add some sort of preamp to the rig

That tone is easy to achieve with the Mark IV, it is Petrucci after all. I think he uses a Triaxis on that album but the point remains.

the tone in the clip isn't exactly like Petrucci. It's not as clean sounding, I don't know if it's due to the EL-34s or just the settings or whatever. But hey I don't have a Mark IV so I can't tell exactly. I'm really interested in buying a Mark IV I just want to make sure you can get something other than the regular clean sounding lead. I'm a big Petrucci fan but his lead is exactly a clean sounding lead to my ears and I'd like a bit more gain or dirt or whatever like in the Legacy clip. It's not much different but it's what I I'd prefer.

 

[t0aj15]

Unfortunately the change in the GEQ will mess up my R1 and R2 settings but I have a much easier time dialing in those 2 channels.

Why not just dial in your tone for RHY 1 & RHY 2 without the GEQ, and then use the LD-EQ button instead of the LEAD button on the footswich. That way it doesn't effect your RHY 1&2 settings. After all that's why it's there, to solve exactly these types of problems.

 

[Russ]

Again, patience is a virtue. If you can outlast the learning curve the Mark IV will definitely be really rewarding.

 

[glenecho]

Again, patience is a virtue. If you can outlast the learning curve the Mark IV will definitely be really rewarding.

I've very close now. I made the mistake of posting this same message on The Gear Page and now scores of people are telling me that I should sell the Mark IV and get "name-your-boutique-4,000-dollar-amp-of-the-week-here".

One guy actually said that any amp that you can't dial in your exact and perfect tone in 30 minutes on sucks and that it should be sold. Yep...I'm sure that Eric Johnson dialed in that violin tone in 30 minutes or less. Pure silliness.

 

[Platypus]

Link to gearpage thread?

 

[Russ]

Again, patience is a virtue. If you can outlast the learning curve the Mark IV will definitely be really rewarding.

I've very close now. I made the mistake of posting this same message on The Gear Page and now scores of people are telling me that I should sell the Mark IV and get "name-your-boutique-4,000-dollar-amp-of-the-week-here".

One guy actually said that any amp that you can't dial in your exact and perfect tone in 30 minutes on sucks and that it should be sold. Yep...I'm sure that Eric Johnson dialed in that violin tone in 30 minutes or less. Pure silliness.

Pure silliness indeed. This is probably from people with no patience that want instant gratification that settle for the lack of versatility too.

 

[Platypus]

OK I just read some of the comments on TGP.. here's a giant grain of sodium chloride for you :roll:

 

[jerseydrew]

Link to gearpage thread?

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=259841