Channel 1

[Azrehan]

Yo.

Has anyone had issues with getting a completely clean signal in channel 1?

Channel 1 on my V has always got a slight distorted element to it, even with gain set really low. It's almost as though there is a
small 10Watt amp like a peavey rage or something running next to the MarkV with high distortion but at really low volume.

My settings are :

Switches: Clean mode, EQ off, 90Watt (have also tried 45)

Gain: 8 - 9 o'clock
Master: 10:30
Presence: 2:30

Treble: 10:00
Mid: 1:30
Bass: 12:30

Does anyone else have this problem? It is really quiet but enough to piss me off. Is this a tube problem? It does it in all 3 modes and at low or high volumes.

 

[Nermel]

Can't say I have...I've noticed a slightly distorted element to it, but that's only when I turn the gain up, which is normal of course...I have noticed that when you put the guitar on mute either by the pull pot or the footswtich, you can still hear your guitar play espeically if you are on Ch. 2 or 3

I'll try your settings tonight...maybe the same thing will happen to me

 

[Koadogg]

What pickups? I have a little trouble with my EMG's. But if I roll off the tone knob on the Guitar a little, it is fine.

Scott

 

[Azrehan]

What pickups? I have a little trouble with my EMG's. But if I roll off the tone knob on the Guitar a little, it is fine.

Scott

I have a DiMarzio Super Distortion on the bridge and PAF Pro on the neck. They are both high gain so this might be the reason. I had the tone maxed out and the
pot removed to make way for moving my Humbucker/piezo pickup selector switch, so I can't turn the tone down.

I'll try my piezo active pickup ( built into the bridge) and see if this still does it.

 

[Supreeth]

+1 on the pickups being the likely issue causer.

If you can't turn the tone down, I would look into lowering the presence from 2:30 to a more conventional range like 10:00 or just turn off the Presence. I run my clean channel in fat mode with treble and bass at 11:30, and mids at 12:30. Gain and master are both at 11:30, and presence at 10:00. I've not had any issues with getting a clean tone at all. I use EBMM JP6 guitars (2) one with a Steve's special bridge pickup, and another with a D-Sonic in the bridge. They're both high gain pups and they sound great through the V.

Thanks,

 

[bpm91]

Knock back the presence a bit like Supreeth says.

 

[mesadude]

Where is your overall amp master set? I found, that once I raised the overall amp master to around noon (or more), my amp became very clean and articulate, and all of the fuzziness, etc. disappeared. I now have the channel 1's gain at around 3 o'clock and the channel master at around 10 o'clock, and the channel still sounds clean. Whereas when I had the overall master set down around 9 o'clock, the clean channel was always distorted.

Raising the overall master has also brought new life into channel 2 and 3. Now they are performing much more like I expected them to. I'm even getting a fairly clean 'crunch' sound with channel 2, instead of the tubby, bassy tone that I was previously trying to work around. And channel 3's modes now, finally, sound like my Mark IV and Mark IIc.

I knew that I'd eventually figure this amp out, given enough time and tweaking.

MeZadude 8)

 

[bpm91]

Where is your overall amp master set? I found, that once I raised the overall amp master to around noon (or more), my amp became very clean and articulate, and all of the fuzziness, etc. disappeared. I now have the channel 1's gain at around 3 o'clock and the channel master at around 10 o'clock, and the channel still sounds clean. Whereas when I had the overall master set down around 9 o'clock, the clean channel was always distorted.

Raising the overall master has also brought new life into channel 2 and 3. Now they are performing much more like I expected them to. I'm even getting a fairly clean 'crunch' sound with channel 2, instead of the tubby, bassy tone that I was previously trying to work around. And channel 3's modes now, finally, sound like my Mark IV and Mark IIc.

I knew that I'd eventually figure this amp out, given enough time and tweaking.

MeZadude 8)

It should be standard knowledge with Mesa amps that the master volume needs to be pushed more than the individual channel volumes in order to get rid of the low volume hiss/sizzle/muffle.

 

[4406cuda]

I have found that cranking the channel 3 volume to max or close to it, gives the modes in channel 3 a very nice smooth sound. I run the Channel 2 volume around noon and I have the channel one volume around 3 o'clock. I keep my master close to 12 o'clock at rehearsal and shows.

 

[Azrehan]

Where is your overall amp master set? I found, that once I raised the overall amp master to around noon (or more), my amp became very clean and articulate, and all of the fuzziness, etc. disappeared. I now have the channel 1's gain at around 3 o'clock and the channel master at around 10 o'clock, and the channel still sounds clean. Whereas when I had the overall master set down around 9 o'clock, the clean channel was always distorted.

Raising the overall master has also brought new life into channel 2 and 3. Now they are performing much more like I expected them to. I'm even getting a fairly clean 'crunch' sound with channel 2, instead of the tubby, bassy tone that I was previously trying to work around. And channel 3's modes now, finally, sound like my Mark IV and Mark IIc.

I knew that I'd eventually figure this amp out, given enough time and tweaking.

MeZadude 8)

It should be standard knowledge with Mesa amps that the master volume needs to be pushed more than the individual channel volumes in order to get rid of the low volume hiss/sizzle/muffle.

Cheers guys. I'll try what has been suggested and see if it sorts the fizz out. I have rehearsal on Tuesday, so I'll crank it right up then.

It just leaves me wondering about tracking this amp. Usually you run your amp fairly low when recording cleans.

 

[mesadude]

I'm gigging tomorrow night, and am going to use the Mark V instead of the Mark IV, to see if I really solved my problem. I'm counting on it to work!

MeZa 8)