disillusioned by mark iv and Mesa in general

[phyrexia]

i feel like selling my mark iv for a 5150 :?

You say that in jest, but I know both parties of a trade locally - guy traded his 5150 for a short Mark IV head, and I wanted to strangle them both actually.

Do you work at a local store, Shep? I have played two Riveras, a K-Tre and an old Knucklehead 55. I did not like the K-Tre at all. The K55 tore my 16 year old face off.

 

[ursinus]

So, you got a bias meter and now your a mental case. I understand.
Put the meter down and put the amp in the closet for a week or two.
Take a break from it and try it again with a fresh outlook. When I put KT-66's in my SLO-100 I must have tried a dozen bias settings. I would love the tone on Monday and effin hate it on Tuesday and pull the chassis again and again to bias it. I finally just biased it as a 25W tube to 60% MPD and left it for a few weeks. After that, all was well. All this technical stuff can get into your head and occupy every free though. Don't lay awake at 3 am thinking about bias pots and settings. Just relax and take a break. Enjoy the Rivera for a while and come back to the MK IV when your clear.

This is sage advice. FWIW when I owned my MKIV, I used 6V6 tubes in it that were running really cold but sounded awesome. I have done experiments to players of all sorts of experience and most cannot tell the difference of a cold tube vs. a normal tube vs. a hot tube. So relax. Also, I don't just own one amp. I have a MKIII, a Fuchs TDS100, a Red Iron T-Rex, a homemade Express, a homemade Plexi 100, a homemade JCM800 (with a PPIMV and a few voicing mods), and I just got a used Heritage Victory Combo. They are all different and scratch where it itches.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

Don't worry, I'll hate Rivera one day...

why are you guitarists so serious? when gas prices are over $4/gallon and 2/3 of the world is starving.

heaven's to betsy. or janine.

£2 for 4 litres...

Over £1 for 1 litre here....

 

[LithiumZero]

I don't think adjustable bias, or even ability to select other brands of tubes ( which isn't prevented by fixed bias anyway), buys you all that much unless you are cooking your power section to some extent. Running at anything less that deafening volumes, any properly biased tube amp will be well within the range of the tubes operating characteristics and any tone differences are pretty slight. If you crank the amp to start getting power tube saturation, then you will start seeing the differences more pronounced.

Most boogies generate their tone from the preamp stage, and the vast majority of boogies players would probably rather spend time playing the amps than experiementing over and over with different tubes and bias points for very minimal results.

DING DING DING!!!! We have a Winner!

 

[ursinus]

Don't worry, I'll hate Rivera one day...

why are you guitarists so serious? when gas prices are over $4/gallon and 2/3 of the world is starving.

heaven's to betsy. or janine.

This will make you laugh or cry. I met Janine before the surgery and the layouts when she was still a relatively "good" girl. What a waste she has become........

 

[trem]

....... and the vast majority of boogies players would probably rather spend time playing the amps than experiementing over and over with different tubes and bias points for very minimal results.

WRONG! Most boogie players would rather take pics of their rigs and post them at various "post your rigs" thread all over the internet.

 

[zenabI]

and like six months ago weren't you raving how you couldn't kill your IV even when you tried?

the cold-biased thing is unacceptable too.

You know dude, it is actually possible to CHANGE the bias :wink:

I don't know how to because I'm not a technican but I know it CAN be done.

 

[sbalderrama]

WRONG! Most boogie players would rather take pics of their rigs and post them at various "post your rigs" thread all over the internet.

Is there a problem with that?

 

[zenabI]

WRONG! Most boogie players would rather take pics of their rigs and post them at various "post your rigs" thread all over the internet.

Is there a problem with that?

I can imagine that some people might have problems with that. But only those who can't afford gear like that themself :lol:

 

[glenecho]

Laying aside the fact that I think you're trolling.

Mark IV's eat a Rivera alive...I'm sorry. In every possible way. I know, because I've played one alongside another guitar player who's Rivera was made pointless by the Mark IV. He knew it and asked me to tweak it. No point. In addition, I've played many different Riveras at length. Sorry...there are amps where I'll entertain the though of the Mark IV maybe not being as good or whatever (very few), but a Rivera. Not on any day.

I play my Mark IV through hollowbodies...no squeel. I've played it with students' cheap pickups on starter guitars...it didn't squeel. Sorry...you don't know how to tweak the Mark IV and/or it needs to be serviced. Be disillusioned all you want, but Mesa isn't discontinuing the Mark IV because it isn't a great amp. I've tried all of Mesa's current production line, and it is IMO by far the best amp they make.

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

Don't worry, I'll hate Rivera one day...

why are you guitarists so serious? when gas prices are over $4/gallon and 2/3 of the world is starving.

heaven's to betsy. or janine.

This will make you laugh or cry. I met Janine before the surgery and the layouts when she was still a relatively "good" girl. What a waste she has become........

I didn't see the relevance of the pic, is she a musician or is that a silly question ??

 

[seajay]

Laying aside the fact that I think you're trolling.

Mark IV's eat a Rivera alive...I'm sorry. In every possible way. I know, because I've played one alongside another guitar player who's Rivera was made pointless by the Mark IV. He knew it and asked me to tweak it. No point. In addition, I've played many different Riveras at length. Sorry...there are amps where I'll entertain the though of the Mark IV maybe not being as good or whatever (very few), but a Rivera. Not on any day.

I play my Mark IV through hollowbodies...no squeel. I've played it with students' cheap pickups on starter guitars...it didn't squeel. Sorry...you don't know how to tweak the Mark IV and/or it needs to be serviced. Be disillusioned all you want, but Mesa isn't discontinuing the Mark IV because it isn't a great amp. I've tried all of Mesa's current production line, and it is IMO by far the best amp they make.

He's definitely trolling.

 

[carlosasi]

This is the single worst thread I've read on this board since joining.

Move the !@#$ on.

 

[Shep]

i hate rivera's.. they sell them at my work and there isn't a single one i like at all..but it's all cool that you do.try a c +!

I take this back i played a knuckle head tre 120watt today a loved it..

Still wouldn't replace my boogie..But i have new found respect..

 

[Esromeron]

Stop complaining. Get a bias mod yourself, their pretty cheap and easily done.

Or better yet, buy tubes within the range of the amp. Ohh my that was hard. It's never going to be exact anyway because of the testers each company and distributer use vary, and each one will tell you a different output for the tube.

 

[CoG]

Now you've done it. :roll: He'd mostly backed off and was sticking to pornstars.

BTW rabies-- Russian Circles. Maybe not as heavy as you're into but check out the drummer, he's INSANE.

 

[secretsoundz]

Well, if one brand of beer worked for everybody, there'd be only one beer company.
This like the the guys who like to argue that Fords are better than Chevys.
If you don't like your Ford, then bloody sell it, buy a Chevy or whatever, and stop boring us.

+1

 

[MesaDCLP]

I warned you all about the Mark V over 2 years ago.

Oh please do tell. I don't consider myself warned. :twisted:

I have a Mark IV and it is the coolest. But if the Mark 5 has tube tracking, I may be in. :?

The Mark IV sounds totally different in different power settings on the back and even at the same volume. Triod Class A is thick and smooth. and at the other end Simil with Pentatode is bright and bassy with a bit more mid highs....
...ok so all that with 6L6's.

Tubes types have just as much effect on tone as the power settings ... and if the Mark 5 has it, this will be an amp to definately check out.

... So what's wrong with the V?

 

[secretsoundz]

rabies sez so.... and so do tool and slipknot. nuff sed.

Who the hell is "rabies"? You? Why the hell would we listen to you and Slipknot? I'd rather have baboons tell me which amp I should use than a forum troll and a crappy nu-metal band. And, leave a great band like Tool outta your B.S.

 

[straitouttahell]

By now Mesa should be offering adjustable bias trim pots to compete with Diezel, Bogner, etc.

If it all was down to having adjustable bias or not, it wouldn't be smart of you to buy another amp rather than having this simple mod installed on your Mark.

Luckily, it's not only about this. It's just that you like your Rivera better than your Mark. Mesa amps are not for everybody.

Enjoy your Rivera.