Anyone Like the Reverb on the Mark III

[Drewtone]

Hey all,

Does anyone use/like the reverb on the Mark III?

I've had my blue stripe combo (Rev/EQ) since '89, and have never really used or dug it... seems kind of cold and lifeless. I currently have an EH 12AT7 in v4, so if there's another tube that might help, I'm all ears.

Any eq settings that might assist would be welcome as well.

Main guitar thru this amp has been a Strat.

Cheers.

 

[boogiemon]

i don't really care for reverb anyway, but in your case i recommend a new, plain (not gold pin) tung-sol.

Probably won't make a huge difference but it won't get any better imho.

g'luck

 

[Drewtone]

i don't really care for reverb anyway, but in your case i recommend a new, plain (not gold pin) tung-sol.

Probably won't make a huge difference but it won't get any better imho.

g'luck

Thanks, just happen to have one of those laying around.

Do 12AX7's have to much gain for the reverb driver? Will it be noisy? I guess I can find out easily enough...

 

[boogiemon]

that's what i use but i'm no judge...

 

[MrMarkIII]

The Mark III is designed to use a 12AX7 as the reverb driver.
Using a 12AT7 reduces the available gain by 40%, almost half.
No wonder it's "lifeless".
That being said, Mesa reverb often seems too diffuse and much less "in your face" than others.
However, at a recent jam gig where different players share amps, a guy kept turning my Mark III's reverb up and up and up ("Where's the reverb, man ??"). I assure you it was very audible above the rest of the band and out front in the audience.
I recently bought a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, and and setting over "2" is Surf City From Hell. Great splatter and presence, and the DRRI's reverb does use the 12AT7. It's all in the circuit design, and Mesa reverb is just a different flavor from Fender reverb. Some people like cream in their coffee, some like it black. Who's right?
There are bazillions of good-sounding reverb pedals, and they sound great, too.

 

[>Photi G<]

You could always have the Reverb mod done to your blue stripe. Adds tons of depth to the reverb from what I've heard. The stock reverb is very restrained as far as it's capabilities. The mod should really turn the 'verb loose.

 

[CoG]

You could always have the Reverb mod done to your blue stripe. Adds tons of depth to the reverb from what I've heard. The stock reverb is very restrained as far as it's capabilities. The mod should really turn the 'verb loose.

the problem is you can't put it back in the box once you turn it loose. The mark iii doesn't have on/off reverb, it's more/less. With the reverb mod you have some reverb happening all the time, and turned up the mark III reverb really muddies up anything except very very clean sounds. It's just not really a great sounding reverb. I had the reverb mod done on one of my IIIs, regretted it, and didn't do it on the other. Honestly you are way better off with a good pedal in the loop if you need reverb.

 

[boogiemon]

that true? i've got a MIII w/the "R" mark on the back and when i turn the reverb to "0", that's pretty much what happens: i hear no reverb.

You could always have the Reverb mod done to your blue stripe. Adds tons of depth to the reverb from what I've heard. The stock reverb is very restrained as far as it's capabilities. The mod should really turn the 'verb loose.

the problem is you can't put it back in the box once you turn it loose. The mark iii doesn't have on/off reverb, it's more/less. With the reverb mod you have some reverb happening all the time, and turned up the mark III reverb really muddies up anything except very very clean sounds. It's just not really a great sounding reverb. I had the reverb mod done on one of my IIIs, regretted it, and didn't do it on the other. Honestly you are way better off with a good pedal in the loop if you need reverb.

 

[CoG]

I dunno, I had the reverb mod done by Mike B and he didn't put the R on the back.

But yeah, if you put the reverb at 0, you'll get none, what I mean is the on/off switch isn't actually on/off. If you have your reverb set to 8, and you turn it off, it goes down to what sounds like about 3 instead of off. If you have the reverb set at 3, when you switch "off" you won't hear any reverb at all, but 3 is barely there anyway. I am not sure of the details but I am told that this was part of a series of compromises to make reverb switching totally silent.

When you have the reverb mod done you can't really get a sound that has audible reverb and a sound that doesn't. unless you are dialed down to like 1 on the reverb knob, and if you're doingthat why did you bother getting the mod done anyway

that true? i've got a MIII w/the "R" mark on the back and when i turn the reverb to "0", that's pretty much what happens: i hear no reverb.

You could always have the Reverb mod done to your blue stripe. Adds tons of depth to the reverb from what I've heard. The stock reverb is very restrained as far as it's capabilities. The mod should really turn the 'verb loose.

the problem is you can't put it back in the box once you turn it loose. The mark iii doesn't have on/off reverb, it's more/less. With the reverb mod you have some reverb happening all the time, and turned up the mark III reverb really muddies up anything except very very clean sounds. It's just not really a great sounding reverb. I had the reverb mod done on one of my IIIs, regretted it, and didn't do it on the other. Honestly you are way better off with a good pedal in the loop if you need reverb.

 

[Neptical]

The reverb on the Mark III is good enough for me. I only 'season to taste' which is only around 2-3 just to add another layer to my sound. If I want the real deal I'll pull out the Fender.

~Nep~