Clean channel is not very clean

[TimF]

I find that my Mark V clean channel starts to clip when I dial in any sort of mids. Particularly with the gain past about 11 o'clock, mid past about 11 o'clock, any of the bold settings on, and playing any chords that are remotely dissonant.

Has anyone encountered this? If it sounds like a tube problem, which tubes are the likely culprits?

Otherwise, what troubleshooting suggestions do you have?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[eudaimonia02912]

The clean channel isn't designed to stay clean no matter what. Instead, it allows you to dial in some clipping if you want. So, you need to choose settings that work for you. "Clean" mode on channel 1 will stay the cleanest, whereas "tweed" will clip earlier.

I tend to use fat mode, gain 11, master 12, presence 1, treble/mids/bass all around 12, bold off, 45 or 90 watts, preset eq 10. This doesn't clip for me unless I dig in hard, and if I use single coils, it stays perfectly clean.

 

[screamingdaisy]

You want to use Clean or Fat if you want very little breakup and Tweed if you want a fair bit of breakup.

Also, verify that the effects loop send knob in the back is set to 12:00. If it's up too high it'll overdrive the effects loop.

 

[MBJunkie]

TimF:

Do you find this to be the case when your mid is set to say 10 o'clock? That is where I find my sweetest clean sounds in channel 1 regardless of which mode....especially with the gain at 11 or 12 o'clock. The tweed mode might offer slight breakup in this situation....depending on guitar / pickup selection. Personally, I usually use "fat" or "tweed" mode in channel 1, but the clean mode of Ch1 will provide you with the cleanest of all cleans if you set it up right. In your case....try backing down the mids in Ch1 below 12 o'clock if it is a clean sound you are after. There are definitely also very cool sounds available in Ch1 with the mids increased, but don't expect them to be as clean.

I doubt that your problem is tubes, but I could definitely be wrong.

What type of guitar / pickups are you using? I get the best sounds out of my HSS guitars when selecting the in-between setting of the mid and hb bridge pickup FWIW. This pickup setting on my guitar gives me excellent results with clean, crunch and even the hi gain sounds offered in Ch2 and 3.

Hope this helps.

 

[ryjan]

A list of your settings, guitar/pups, and fx would help.

 

[TimF]

Thanks for all your feedback. My experience is largely consistent with what you are all saying. I still think something may be wrong with mine, because

• I took my main guitar to the store, plugged into another Mark V combo, dialed it in as usual, then even darker and higher gain, and it stayed really clean.
• My other Boogies have cleaner cleans.
• There are other threads here like "Mark V has very tight clean channel" that lead me to believe my experience is unusual.
• It gets worse as the amp heats up over several hours

My primary application is Jazz Fusion akin to Holdsworth, so I need the amp to be able to switch between a clean that is very dark and with a lot of harmonics - for traditional Jazz applications - and a very smooth lead tone. Prior to the Mark V, I used a Mark IV and a Triaxis / 2:Ninety rig.
Also, it's not really a problem live, as the other instruments bury the clipping and I have to dial in brighter anyway. It's annoying in the practice room, though, and I'd be disappointed if I couldn't record with it.

Here are the settings that take it to the edge of clipping, and further observations.

• Clean - I'd prefer fat
  Normal - I'd prefer bold
  No eq
  Effects loop off - I don't notice effects influencing the clipping.
  
  Gain - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
  Master - 2 - 3 o'clock
  Presence - 2 o'clock
  Treble - noon
  Mid - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
  Bass - noon
  Power - 90w

Guitars: numerous. The clipping is least noticeable on a single coil strat plus. I'd prefer to be able to use humbuckers. My main guitar is an '83 USA Charvel strat with a Seymour Duncan Holdsworth pickup in the neck position.

Any more thoughts?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[mejoshee]

Thanks for all your feedback. My experience is largely consistent with what you are all saying. I still think something may be wrong with mine, because

• I took my main guitar to the store, plugged into another Mark V combo, dialed it in as usual, then even darker and higher gain, and it stayed really clean.
• My other Boogies have cleaner cleans.
• There are other threads here like "Mark V has very tight clean channel" that lead me to believe my experience is unusual.
• It gets worse as the amp heats up over several hours

My primary application is Jazz Fusion akin to Holdsworth, so I need the amp to be able to switch between a clean that is very dark and with a lot of harmonics - for traditional Jazz applications - and a very smooth lead tone. Prior to the Mark V, I used a Mark IV and a Triaxis / 2:Ninety rig.
Also, it's not really a problem live, as the other instruments bury the clipping and I have to dial in brighter anyway. It's annoying in the practice room, though, and I'd be disappointed if I couldn't record with it.

Here are the settings that take it to the edge of clipping, and further observations.

• Clean - I'd prefer fat
  Normal - I'd prefer bold
  No eq
  Effects loop off - I don't notice effects influencing the clipping.
  
  Gain - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
  Master - 2 - 3 o'clock
  Presence - 2 o'clock
  Treble - noon
  Mid - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
  Bass - noon
  Power - 90w

Guitars: numerous. The clipping is least noticeable on a single coil strat plus. I'd prefer to be able to use humbuckers. My main guitar is an '83 USA Charvel strat with a Seymour Duncan Holdsworth pickup in the neck position.

Any more thoughts?

Thanks,

Tim

sucks dude, i think it's sick what'd the music store say?

 

[screamingdaisy]

Gain - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
Master - 2 - 3 o'clock
Presence - 2 o'clock
Treble - noon
Mid - 11 o'clock (I'd like more)
Bass - noon
Power - 90w

Your master volume setting is over-driving something.

I dialled in your settings.... lots of clipping.

With the gain at 12:00 I don't get any clipping at lower volume setting (9:00). I with the master volume around 10:00 I start to get some power tube compression, and somewhere around 10:00 to 11:00 I start to overdrive the power amp.

The above was done with a Les Paul, slightly overwound PAF type neck humbucker. I bypassed the effects loop so that the channel master was the final link in the chain. I was purposely picking hard and trying to overdrive the amp, so if you have a lower output pickup or a lighter touch you'll probably be able to up the master a bit higher than I was.

I'd suggest dropping your volume, setting up the preamp to sound the way you want it to, and then up the power slowly until you start to hear something you don't like.

 

[TimF]

Thanks, screamingdaisy, that's some excellent advice. Rolling back Channel 1 volume gives me a lot more freedom to dial in warmth and punch.

I had my volume that high so that I could have the volumes on the lead channels be at least 10:30, where I start to get distorted tone that I like, and be able to balance the volumes as I switch channels. When I'm playing live, though, it seems like I have to fine-tune with a volume pedal whenever I switch channels anyway, so an irreconcilable volume mismatch is something I can probably live with.

Thanks again.

Tim

 

[Metallicaseeker]

I find that my Mark V clean channel starts to clip when I dial in any sort of mids. Particularly with the gain past about 11 o'clock, mid past about 11 o'clock, any of the bold settings on, and playing any chords that are remotely dissonant.

Has anyone encountered this? If it sounds like a tube problem, which tubes are the likely culprits?

Otherwise, what troubleshooting suggestions do you have?

Thanks,

Tim

Hello try this settings, it's the same that petrucci uses, it's perfect!! EQ OFF.