First tube amp too!

[raoul_123]

Hi !

I'm new to the board but I've been reading you guys for a few months looking for a killer amp.
My choice have been a Mark V, my first tube amp ever and I finally received it yesterday!

I like the clean tone a lot but I'm still having hard time getting a warm and round distorted sound... Always too bassy or treblely. Probably will take some more tweaking hours!


I'll post pics soon

 

[MesaManBoogie]

Hi !

I'm new to the board but I've been reading you guys for a few months looking for a killer amp.
My choice have been a Mark V, my first tube amp ever and I finally received it yesterday!

I like the clean tone a lot but I'm still having hard time getting a warm and round distorted sound... Always too bassy or treblely. Probably will take some more tweaking hours!


I'll post pics soon

Welcome,
First of all I would recommend reading the manual and then set all the knobs at 12:00 and start tweaking from there , one knob at a time until you get the tone you want, or got to the settings thread.

Good luck and congrats on the new beast.

 

[Don]

I like the clean tone a lot but I'm still having hard time getting a warm and round distorted sound... Always too bassy or treblely. Probably will take some more tweaking hours!

Tweak your guitar's settings and your playing technique as well as the amp's settings!

 

[screamingdaisy]

I'm assuming you have a new cab as well?

If so, Vintage 30 speakers take around 20 to 40 hours of playing time to 'break in'. When new they tend to sound stiff and harsh. As they get some time on them the cones will soften up and they will start to sound more musical. How long break in takes depends on how loud you play through them.

 

[Jacko123]

Yeah read the manual for sure. I just did this week after owning it for 4-5 months. So many goodies in there.

You have to try the Mark I mode (channel two) but with the bass at 9 oclock or less (even completely off). I think the tone you want will be right there. Try it out!

You can try the edge too but with a lot more bass (12 oclock and more) and less treble than 12 oclock. I never really liked channel 2 until I read the manual.

 

[RocknRory]

Heres a great quick way to help break in speakers a little faster. Comes from the Celestion website.

Important Note! Before breaking it in it's advisable to "warm up" the speaker gently for a few minutes with low-level playing or background hum.
Break in a speaker with a fat, clean tone: turn up the power amp volume to full, and control the level with the preamp gain. Use a level that will be quite loud, but not painful in a normal size room.
Have the bass and mid up full, and the treble at least half. On your guitar, use the middle pick up position (if your guitar has more than one pick up) and play for 10-15 minutes using lots of open chords, and chunky percussive playing. This will get the cone moving, and should excite all the cone modes and get everything to settle in nicely. The speaker will continue to mature over the years, but this will get it 95% of the way to tonal perfection in the shortest time.

It works really well.

 

[MBJunkie]

Congratulations! Wow...so many new tube amp people selecting the V as their first amp! Great choice IMO, however, be prepared to experiment as there are so many great sounds to be had in this amp.

I agree with most posters in this thread. Yes, read the manual....and read it again and again. It is not that the V is difficult to get great sounds out of.....it is that there are so many great sounds to be had....and the manual is the best written of any I have ever seen by MB to get you on your feet and running by understanding their intend with the various modes of each channel.

Channel 1: This should be a snap to get great sounds out of all modes after reading the manual once. Note: there is a sizeable volume increase when switching to tweed mode compared to the other 2 modes of channel 1. Not a problem...just something to know.

Channel 2: The 3 modes offered in channel 2 cover the widest range of sounds in any of the channels of the amplifier. Jacko123 just mentioned he worked with the amp for 4 - 5 months in this channel without reading the manual. He has since learned the mistake in his ways! :wink: Seriously, channel 2 does offer such a wide range of sounds possible between the modes that it would be very benefitial to do some reading up front. I will say that the Crunch mode of channel 2 covers a wide range of great sounds in its own right....and it may be benefitial initially to gravitate to that mode to get some immediate satisfaction out of channel 2 when learning the amp. While I do appreciate some great sounds that I can achieve out of the Edge and MkI mode of channel 2...the Crunch mode is my mode of choice for most of my needs while rehearsing/gigging. Your mileage may vary.

Channel 3: All 3 modes offer excellent hi gain rhythm and lead sounds. I don't have an absolute preferred mode in this channel, but will mention that typically gain settings between 12 - 2 are usually the ticket for me. Also, experiment with the bright switch and triode/pentode in the back of the amp as these features make a big difference in sound and feel.

Lastly, do not feel that you have to be in 90W mode of the channels as there are very excellent and "loud" sounds available in the 45W and 10W modes as well. In fact, I usually rehearse and sometimes gig in the 10W mode for all channels and it sounds great.

One more thing.....I don't particularly agree with RocknRory's comment (with all due respect) about his setting suggestions to "break in speakers". Personally, I don't feel the need to break in speakers period, but if you choose to follow his suggestions it shouldn't hurt your amp according to the manual.

Break a leg and enjoy!

 

[golfnguitarz]

I have really grown to love the 10 watt modes on this amp for practicing at home. The tube saturation you can get at relatively low volumes sounds great. It has taken me a little while to learn(I'm slow), but the distortion sounds are not just in the Gain knob. Get those power tubes cookin! And congrats on the purchase, you won't regret it!

 

[domct203]

Congrats on the new amp!

Remember that with a tube amp, NEVER run the amp without a speaker connected. Also, tubes are not perfect and most problems you may come across will be tube related.

Welcome to The Board!

Dom

 

[germangallardo]

Welcome, as others have pointed out, read the manual. It's great! Also try dialing your own settings for best results.

Enjoy the amp! I love mine

 

[NR2112]

Oh Man! Awesome! Ive owned mine for a few months now, and I just got hte best sound outta it last week. It felt awesome.

I think for a new user, the mark V requires a decent amount of patience, practice and tweaking (whats not to love!!)

Have Fun!

 

[scott7d]

I'm assuming you have a new cab as well?

If so, Vintage 30 speakers take around 20 to 40 hours of playing time to 'break in'. When new they tend to sound stiff and harsh. As they get some time on them the cones will soften up and they will start to sound more musical. How long break in takes depends on how loud you play through them.

True. I stated in another thread a while ago I was ready to sell my V after 3 days. I was playing through a 2x12 Mesa cab with new V30's. Then I bought a used cab with V30's but had lots of playing time on them, it was like night and day.

 

[raoul_123]

Hey hey!

Thanks for your input guys.
Since I've waited 3 months before receiving my amp, I've read the manual a lot. Still I might be a little slow or not ear trained because I'm still having hard time getting the sound I'm looking for.

Might be the brand new V30 speaker, might be my technique but I still get dull sound. Notes doesn't have sustain and the artificial harmonics are not there. I think I'll try to start with all the preset of the manual instead of starting touching everything like I do now

Channel 1 fat is very nice. I also like the tweed at 10W. Channel 2 with the guitar volume turned down is great for rhythm that can turn into overdriven lead sound with volume up!

I can't wait to practice with my band with my new toy!


NB: Mark I mode of channel 2 has a lot of bass even with bass and mid down! I got quite good sound but I had to add high end with the eq. I'll re-read old post about that mode and steal your tricks

 

[magh8]

OP what SS amp are you coming off of

 

[eudaimonia02912]

If it sounds dull and lack harmonics, it could be that one of your preamp tubes is going.

 

[MBJunkie]

raoul.....what type of guitar(s) are you playing and what type of sounds are you after?

I primarily play strat stlye guitars with single coil neck and middle pickups and a humbucker pickup in the bridge position (HSS). I am able to achieve excellent sounds out of my V with these guitars (i.e. my sounds don't sound dull, dark or without sustain as you have described).

While I don't own a guitar at this time with double humbuckers (i.e. Gibson Les Paul, SG, PRS, etc.)....I am sure they would sound nice through this amp as well, but really can't comment since I don't own them at this time. However, I will say that my HSS strat style guitars sound great in all pickup positions (including the HB bridge position).

I suspect that your problem is more about going through a learning curve with the V than tube issues. After all, the V is your first tube amp....correct??? Keep experimenting using your amp, guitar and mainly your ears....and you should find great sounds!

p.s. Regarding MkI mode of channel 2. I am able to achieve great sounds in this mode, but only after zeroing the bass tone knob, lowering the mid tone knob to around zero....and most importantly......using the graphic EQ SLIDERS with a slope from low to high. Try preamp settings as mentioned above, but also engage the GEQ SLIDERS with the lowest well below the centerline and forming a fairly straight slope upwards with the highest sliders ending up above the GEQ centerline. Be sure that the GEQ is set to sliders and not preset as the preset cannot emulate this type of curve at all which I (and most others) find essential to achieve great sounds out of channel 2's MkI mode.

 

[raoul_123]

Thanks guys!

I had the best time with my amp last night. It is getting better
It is probably part the learning curve of the tube amp part of the not broken V30 speaker. I had great sounds on the combo I played many time at the music store so I'm very confident that it'd be greate! I'll play it louder for a while before trying to swap pre-amp tube.

Thanks for the Mark I mode setting, I'll definitely give it another chance.


I'm playing humbucker guitars (Ibanez RG prestige and Les paul) and I'm into bluesy / rock sound. I also playing old metallica /Iron maiden stuff