Hello,
I have a MK IV (an "a" I'm pretty sure based on what I've read here on the forum.) I play hard rock and some metal. I love the sound of the MK IV. However recently I decided to get another guitar and set it up with heavy strings for Drop B tuning, so I could play some Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, etc.
The problem - the amp sounds great on standard tuning or Drop D. But tuned down to Drop B, it sounds terrible. It sounds overly boomy, muddy, and harsh instead of tight. A Drop D open chord sounds very nice, with a warm, textured distortion but still enough high end for a good "chuh-chuh-chuh" palm mute sound. Drop B sounds messy and loose. The higher frequencies sound harsh and abrasive yet the palm muting just results in "thud thud thud."
I have two of the same guitar, with the same Seymour Duncan SH-6Bs for bridge pickups, one tuned to drop D and one Drop B, so it's easy to compare the sounds.
At first I tried a set of strings that was too loose - the bottom string was a 56, and it flopped around like a wet noodle. I just picked up a set of ghs boomers which have a 60 for the bottom string. That helped, maybe a little, but it still sounds like crap.
I have tried going back to standard strings and tuning on this guitar, and it sounded fine. So I'm pretty sure the guitar isn't the problem.
Are there some recommended settings for this amp for Drop tuning? I have experimented with different settings for several hours now, and just can't get the distortion sound to "clean" up, if you guys know what I mean.
I do tend to play a lot in my house, at lower volumes, if that makes any difference.
Thanks,
Ken
I have a MK IV (an "a" I'm pretty sure based on what I've read here on the forum.) I play hard rock and some metal. I love the sound of the MK IV. However recently I decided to get another guitar and set it up with heavy strings for Drop B tuning, so I could play some Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, etc.
The problem - the amp sounds great on standard tuning or Drop D. But tuned down to Drop B, it sounds terrible. It sounds overly boomy, muddy, and harsh instead of tight. A Drop D open chord sounds very nice, with a warm, textured distortion but still enough high end for a good "chuh-chuh-chuh" palm mute sound. Drop B sounds messy and loose. The higher frequencies sound harsh and abrasive yet the palm muting just results in "thud thud thud."
I have two of the same guitar, with the same Seymour Duncan SH-6Bs for bridge pickups, one tuned to drop D and one Drop B, so it's easy to compare the sounds.
At first I tried a set of strings that was too loose - the bottom string was a 56, and it flopped around like a wet noodle. I just picked up a set of ghs boomers which have a 60 for the bottom string. That helped, maybe a little, but it still sounds like crap.
I have tried going back to standard strings and tuning on this guitar, and it sounded fine. So I'm pretty sure the guitar isn't the problem.
Are there some recommended settings for this amp for Drop tuning? I have experimented with different settings for several hours now, and just can't get the distortion sound to "clean" up, if you guys know what I mean.
I do tend to play a lot in my house, at lower volumes, if that makes any difference.
Thanks,
Ken