Different power stages of the Mark 4..help?

[billyg121]

i hope i am asking this question correctly.i have noticed that my mark 4 definatly has a sweet spot for tone.mostly when pushed pretty hard.are the different power stages on the mark 4 there so you can acheive that sweet spot at various volumes?if i run the amp class a,triode,tweed power..will i achieve the sweet spot tone at a lower volume than,pentode,full,simul?or are the different power stages something that just helps you achieve different tones completly?i know this is prob a novice question,but maybe someone could articulate it for me better.thanks.

 

[scottieL]

I've found that different power settings are tailored for different guitars. Pentode-triode switch: increases the power greatly and adds alot of top end, could be compared to a vintage/modern switch on a recto. Simul-class A: simul is louder and has more bass but thats about it. As for tweed/full power, full is a lot louder and thicker to my ears. to answer your question, Yes you could get similar sounds out of lower power settings, but it will take a lot of tweeking as every guitar and playing style will have its own sweet spot. I find that single coils (for leads) are best in full/simul/triode/mid gain. For humbuckers, tweed/simul/pentode/harmonics.

I'd recommend reading the manual in its entirety on mesa's website, It will be an eye opening experience. I could send u a scan of the A version manual if you have an old one.

Cheers,

scott

 

[angelo]

yes, I agree. Different power settings breed different tones in my experience.

I guess triode class A or Simul class triode are pretty similar. And pentode class A and Simul class pentode are also pretty similar.

In my experience, if you are looking to get similar tones at two different volumes, I would suggest that the pentode / triode switch is the most important to keep constant. So if you like triode (like me) see if you can find similar tones at different volumes with the Class A / Simul class switch.

To me, once you switch from triode to pentode, you get very different response and tone. Hope this helps some.... and hope this made sense.

 

[billyg121]

thanks for the response.what dif do you see in tri and pent?

 

[angelo]

thanks for the response.what dif do you see in tri and pent?

In my opinion, triode is a bit less headroom, so more compression, and a warmer (rounder) top end. So I just go simul class triode for band stuff and class A triode for much quieter stuff. The response is similar to me - at two very different volumes.

I should add that I use 4 6L6's in the amp. If you had EL 34's on the outside pair, I am sure the response would be very different between class A and Simul class.