Good Metal Rythmn tone in Mark IV?

[sparklesmcgraw]

Anyone got any good settings for a good crushing thick metal rhythm tone on a Mark IV combo?

I have been playing around with mine for ages now but can't seem to dial in a perfect rhythm tone. Lead tone is easy to dial in but I can't settle on my rhythm.

I have managed to get a great LOG crunch tone but I am looking to get a thicker darker rhythm tone for Metallica, etc..

Any tips?

 

[sparklesmcgraw]

Nevermind, I think I have just found it!

Man, this amp is ridiculous. One minute you cant get the right tone, then somehow without really changing anything, you find it!

Weird, seems like it almost sounds different on different days, I must be going crazy I fear.

 

[bryan_kilco]

no, you are right. My IV seems to be finicky on certain days as well. Some days it sounds awesome, others...not as good. Tubes are all good. I'll play the same venue a few times, setup in the same spot on the same stage, and sometimes the tone is amazingly good, other times I am dissapointed.

 

[ryjan]

Thats because all mark iv's are alive! :lol: Metallica chug = Gain-8 pulled, Treb-8, Bass-3, Mid-5-6, Ld Drive-5 to 6 (depending on pickups and how you play), Presence pushed and to taste, GEQ-80hz 75%, 240hz 90%, 750hz botton line, 2200hz 90%, 6600hz 75%. I keep the mid knob the same as the Lead Drive and the Trebble the same as the Lead Gain. Just seems to be a sweet spot.

 

[dwsabianguy]

Depends on which sort of metal you're talking about! I've gotten Nevermore 7-string tones, Lamb Of God-like crunchiness, and sounds akin to early Metallica from my amp, and they're all very different.

I'll give you the Lamb Of God settings (as far as I've found, this works really well, but it's not what Mark or Willie use on their amps): Gain 8 pulled, Treble 9, Bass around 2ish, Mids 7, Drive 5 (pull is optional), Presence nonpulled, GEQ in a modified V.

 

[sparklesmcgraw]

Thanks for those.

What settings gave you the nevermore sound?

I'm really digging Jeff Loomis's album Zero Order Phase. He has a great dark thick tone on that album. Think he uses ENGL's though.

 

[dwsabianguy]

Nevermore tones from my amp were very similar to my modified JP settings, which are as follows: Gain 9P, Treble 6.5, Bass 4, Mids 5, Drive 9, Presence 3P. It's a good place to start for dialing in Jeff Loomis's tone. Make sure the Lead Voicing switch is set to Harmonics, and I prefer the sound of Simul-Class Triode. And EMGs are a big part of his sound, so keep that in mind.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's using ENGLs now, but I wish his tone had stayed like it was for Dead Heart, in a Dead World. Crunchy and smooth at the same time - I think he might have used a Dual Rectifier for that album, which would explain part of it.

 

[emperor_black]

Over the past few months, Guitar world is showing Jeff Loomis endorsing Axe FX.

And doesnt he use 7 string guitars? Are you playing 7 strings? The fatter low strings gives most of the bass sound crucial to get his tones IMO. I love his tone too!

 

[Masterof1angel]

Same thing happens to me with all my amps man. It reflects your energy. A tube amp is like a living breathing thing that amplifies your vibrations. Get your self right and the tones will be amazing. Be in the dumps and your amp will be too. Very interesting phenomenon.
-Angel

 

[iFreedom]

Don't forget tone is relative. You here a guitar tone you don't like, then plug in your gear and it tends to sound good. Then you here a tone from an album that you're in love with and later plug in your gear and now it sounds lousy. I had a jcm 2000 half stack which sounded killer on it's own even in a band set up, but up against a recto sounded like a toy. My thought since I got the MarkV was once I found that good tone, I marked it down and just return to it all the time. Some days are not the best and other days, it can't be beat.

 

[ryjan]

Don't forget tone is relative. You here a guitar tone you don't like, then plug in your gear and it tends to sound good. Then you here a tone from an album that you're in love with and later plug in your gear and now it sounds lousy. I had a jcm 2000 half stack which sounded killer on it's own even in a band set up, but up against a recto sounded like a toy. My thought since I got the MarkV was once I found that good tone, I marked it down and just return to it all the time. Some days are not the best and other days, it can't be beat.

What he said.

 

[Masterof1angel]

That's a very good point too. It depends on what you focus on. Sometimes you crave that focused tight warm mids sound and others, you want that huge scooped deep bottom. If you had both at the same time, it would thoretically sound round and flat! Just like sound engineering. you find the spaces in the mix and have to leave room. If you had every single frequency filled, it would be white noise. The blues greats say music is all about the space between the notes, where you don't play, and I believe the same applies to everything including the frequencies of the amp. I know very high concept but that's what we're here' for.
-Angel

 

[fdesalvo]

Amen

The blues greats say music is all about the space between the notes, where you don't play, and I believe the same applies to everything including the frequencies of the amp. I know very high concept but that's what we're here' for.
-Angel