Doing my IIC+ vs V comparison recording - opinions needed!

[exbest182]

Hey guys,

I'm going to be in the studio with my band this week doing some preproduction and I'm finally going to do my IIC+ vs V recording... I personally think that I can get my V to sound spot on to my IIC+, some say that it can't do it.. some say it's close... some say the Mark IV mode is closer to sounding like a IIC+ than IIC+ mode is.... so my question for everybody that cares (or doesn't) ... what would you like to hear recorded in the comparison... I'll obviously do the IIC+, and the Mark V in IIC+ (triode).. would you guys like to hear the IV mode too in the comparison? if so, pentode? triode? both? FX loop on/off? Open to suggestions, comments, and requests... lemme know what you guys want to hear!

Also, what cab would you guys like to hear? I got an oversized recto 4x12, and a 2x12 vert cab, both with V30s...

Thanks!

 

[ryjan]

I'd like to hear all the modes compared to each other. This is going to be cool! And just to preface this thread, remember that nothing is "better" than another, just different flavors so let's not flame. Just comment on trhe difference in awesome tone that we notice. It's all in the ear of the beholder.

 

[exbest182]

I'd like to hear all the modes compared to each other. This is going to be cool! And just to preface this thread, remember that nothing is "better" than another, just different flavors so let's not flame. Just comment on trhe difference in awesome tone that we notice. It's all in the ear of the beholder.

Totally agree... I just am stoked to hear a quality recording of them side by side... and this is going to be how I use these amps, I play pretty high gain stuff, and use the "V" eq that a lot of people don't care for (yet a lot do).. and there's also going to be the... you can't compare accurately because the V circuits are based off non-eq... etc.. how I use these amps, are going to be totally different than how other people use them... I just love the way my amps sound, and I think my V does a good job of doing the IIC+ tone in the way I use it... I've never got to hear them side by side like this.. so I'm excited to hear how it comes out...

 

[ryjan]

Right on! I know that recorded tone won't tell us how the amps feel and how they sound in the room or respond to pick dynamic and yadda yadda yadda... Lets hear some clips! (JoeyB, cool yer jets :wink: )

 

[exbest182]

This is actually how I'll be recording our CD kind of a blended tone.... I'm doing one guitar Mark IIC+/Mark V in IIC+ and one guitar Mark IIC+/Mark V in Mark IV...

 

[Rob Lockwood]

Great idea to do a good studio recorded comparison. I would be really interested to hear it and compare with my IVa. From your post I guess that your preferences are high gain & scooped. Nothing wrong with that and obviously you will want to do the comparison with your own settings but if you get chance I think some people (well me anyway) would also like to hear a comparision of channel 3 without eq and maybe with the gain backed off a little from full metal saturation - like a chunky blues/rock lead sound. I might be wrong but I suspect that scooping the mids out might lessen the difference between the 2 amps because I think that a lot of the singing lead character that the Mark amps are known for is in the midrange. For me scooped mids works best and is necessary for tight rhythm chords but I like the lead sounds with all the mids in (in the eq - I keep mids fairly low in the preamp to avoid flub). Thanks!

 

[JOEY B.]

Dive bomb the 750 Hz slider and pound away. Better yet, just sell the C+ and be done with it. V30's are not the best match for the C+, look at what they were using in 1984 :shock:.

Different strokes for different folks. If the Mark V does all you need, don't try and convince yourself that the C+ is better, no matter who plays them. :wink:

I love the "tweed" and "Mark I" modes of the Mark V FWIW.

 

[exbest182]

Dive bomb the 750 Hz slider and pound away. Better yet, just sell the C+ and be done with it. V30's are not the best match for the C+, look at what they were using in 1984 :shock:.

Different strokes for different folks. If the Mark V does all you need, don't try and convince yourself that the C+ is better, no matter who plays them. :wink:

I love the "tweed" and "Mark I" modes of the Mark V FWIW.

I play punk rock, and some metal... and I prefer a somewhat scooped tone.. it works for what I do... I'm not trying to convince myself of anything, or convince anybody... I simply am trying to do something of a project I've wanted to do because I've been asked by some people to do a comparison, mostly from my friends with older Marks that may have not yet played or heard a Mark V... It doesn't matter to me who plays them, in all honesty, I had never listened to a Dream Theatre track up until maybe 2 months ago, and I've always disliked the majority of Metallica and never paid attention to them... though I admit lately I've come to appreciate Hetfield's skills.. so as far as who plays it.... I could care less, I'm not a fanboy looking to sound like Master of Puppets... My love for the Mark IIC+ tone came from a friends band, a punk band from New Jersey named "BigWig"... My whole going away from Recto's journey began with a conversation with my friend Tom, who plays guitar and sings for that band.... I asked him what amp he uses on the recordings, because I always liked his guitar sound... he told me he uses mostly a Mark IIC+, and a Quad preamp.... which is what got me started on Mark amps...

That being said... I posted this up for opinions because I wanted to hear what other people wanted to hear.. not what I wanted to hear... of course I'll do the scooped tone, it's a safe bet a lot of people use Mark amps for those tones... this post was to see what else people wanted to hear...

Great idea to do a good studio recorded comparison. I would be really interested to hear it and compare with my IVa. From your post I guess that your preferences are high gain & scooped. Nothing wrong with that and obviously you will want to do the comparison with your own settings but if you get chance I think some people (well me anyway) would also like to hear a comparision of channel 3 without eq and maybe with the gain backed off a little from full metal saturation - like a chunky blues/rock lead sound. I might be wrong but I suspect that scooping the mids out might lessen the difference between the 2 amps because I think that a lot of the singing lead character that the Mark amps are known for is in the midrange. For me scooped mids works best and is necessary for tight rhythm chords but I like the lead sounds with all the mids in (in the eq - I keep mids fairly low in the preamp to avoid flub). Thanks!

Totally agree, I track my leads with a good amount of mids in it.. granted I don't do much as far as blues leads, I have no problem doing some clips without eq, and backing off the gain... and giving it a whirl!

 

[JOEY B.]

I posted this up for opinions because I wanted to hear what other people wanted to hear.. not what I wanted to hear... of course I'll do the scooped tone, it's a safe bet a lot of people use Mark amps for those tones... this post was to see what else people wanted to hear...

A good friend was serious about buying your C+ last week. He called me about the lack of good tone video clips of the C+. Most of the Youtube clips are superscooped, 7-string, or both. The OTHER thing is what else people want to hear, for sure.

 

[exbest182]

A good friend was serious about buying your C+ last week. He called me about the lack of good tone video clips of the C+. Most of the Youtube clips are superscooped, 7-string, or both. The OTHER thing is what else people want to hear, for sure.

Couldn't agree more... and a lot of that is the influence of who plays/played the amps... but you said it best, different strokes for different folks... I've had several people come see the amp, none really interested in buying - the all came over to play it just because they'd never seen or heard one in person, they had their EMGs - scooped it out, and played master of puppets... a good amount of people that even know what a IIC+ is, associate with Petrucci, or Metallica... those dudes really help put the amp on the map... I mean, hell.. look at even these forums, this board is filled with players who are a group of diverse players for sure, all across the board and all different opinions.... yet, there is still a seperate area for tones, and the 2 sub forums are Metallica and Petrucci... they are there for a reason... look at the Mark V tone thread, look at how many Metallica settings there are...

Personally, I'll be glad when/if the amps sells... you said earlier to not try to convince myself that the C+ was better.. well, I don't think the C+ is better... my opinion, my Mark V does what I need it to do, does it well... which is why I'm ready to part with the C+ even though I finally got it dialed in... while I'm happy I finally did... I came to the exact conclusion as your little comment earlier, sell it and be done with it... check, got it, working on it.

I didn't come here to argue, tell anybody how to play their amp, or put someone on blast because they like to scoop their mids.... I was trying to be helpful, and to see if there were any interest in hearing comparisons of the Mark V in Mark IIC+ mode, and the Mark IIC+..asking people what kind of tones they'd want to hear since I'll happen to have both amps in the studio this week... and you know, I regret I ever mentioned it.

Sorry if I ruffled anybody's feathers... now, I'm gonna go dive bomb my 750 Hz slider.. and pound away.

 

[MBJunkie]

Compare away Ex182!!

I look forward to your comparison and appreciate you taking the extra time to do so!!
It is very considerate on your part, and definitely aimed to help people IMO! :mrgreen:

 

[Neptical]

Ex,
We'll still take the side by sides if you've got them. :wink:
Since you seem to gravitate more towards the aggressive sounds, you might also want to check out a Mark III ,or maybe even a DC.

I agree - a brother has to be happy with his gear.

 

[Rob Lockwood]

When I said blues rock I wasn't asking that you play that style in the demo by the way, it was just to describe the level of gain and mids that I was trying to describe. Any well recorded back to back comparisons will be really interesting to hear, so go with want you want to do!

 

[raoul_123]

Never played the C+ but I'll be interested to hear your tracks for sure!
I'm sick of youtube amp demo (not just c+) recorded with the cam mic

 

[ryjan]

So.... we were to understand that there would be clips in this thread? :wink:
Patients growing increasingly thinner
:lol:

 

[Neptical]

No clips coming, he sold it. :wink:

 

[JOEY B.]

No clips coming, he sold it. :wink:

do you know if someone here on the forum bought it

Yes, I know the guy who bought it, a longtime Mark III player. He called me tonight. Now THAT is some fast shipping. :shock: I'm sorry if my responses came off as harsh, but one more superscooped C+ clip will not change my mind about anything. I don't think that I could tell a Mark II,III,IV or V apart when all of the mids are gone. Boogie was on my tone MAP way before I heard that Metallica or Petrucci used them. It was just a little 1x12 combo in a local music store that absolutely "ripped". 8)

 

[dodger916]

No clips coming, he sold it. :wink:

do you know if someone here on the forum bought it

Yes, I know the guy who bought it, a longtime Mark III player. He called me tonight. Now THAT is some fast shipping. :shock: I'm sorry if my responses came off as harsh, but one more superscooped C+ clip will not change my mind about anything. I don't think that I could tell a Mark II,III,IV or V apart when all of the mids are gone. Boogie was on my tone MAP way before I heard that Metallica or Petrucci used them. It was just a little 1x12 combo in a local music store that absolutely "ripped". 8)

+1. I started drooling over them in the mid 70's when they cost waaaay more than the cars I could afford!

 

[SonicProvocateur]

I don't think that I could tell a Mark II,III,IV or V apart when all of the mids are gone.

I quit running the EQ in the loop of mine and just started cranking it. Sounds so much cleaner and less fuzzy now. Records better too. You're right, it does totally rip. Just like Boogie intended.

 

[JOEY B.]

I've had several people come see the amp, none really interested in buying - the all came over to play it just because they'd never seen or heard one in person, they had their EMGs - scooped it out, and played master of puppets... a good amount of people that even know what a IIC+ is, associate with Petrucci, or Metallica... those dudes really help put the amp on the map... I mean, hell.. look at even these forums, this board is filled with players who are a group of diverse players for sure, all across the board and all different opinions.... yet, there is still a seperate area for tones, and the 2 sub forums are Metallica and Petrucci... they are there for a reason... look at the Mark V tone thread, look at how many Metallica settings there are...

Sub-forums in the Rigs and Tones section is a waste, IMO. The tone is in the hands, and everyone knows it. If more people were to tune their amps with their ears, rather that the sub-forum suggestions, there would be MUCH more innovation. Ahhhh.... the good old days of experimentation, before the internet!!!!!!!!!!! Again, sorry if it sounds harsh, but it is just my opinion.