Head about to explode (DR + Mark IV content)

[Platypus]

So I went to demo a Mark IV today against the dual rectifier and now I'm more confused than before.

I tried a ton of different Mark settings and it just wasn't all the magic people talk it up to be. I think compared to the recto it had a sweeter tone and had tighter tracking but it wasn't THAT much of a blowaway difference from my Dual Rec to make me instantly want to trade mine for one. In a lot of the settings, the Mark IV sounded very transistory and didn't have anywhere close to the touch dynamics that my Stiletto Ace has. On top of that, it sounded WAY bassier than the dual rec which blew my mind... furthermore with an overdrive on my DR, I can cop the same sort of mark liquid tone but have a much more punchy menacing distortion tone.

The weirdest thing was that the guy at the shop was actually trying to show me stuff to make me NOT want to purchase a Mark IV, very unlike most guitar shops I've been in, he was honest and actually demoed what he was talking about against the DR directly. The settings he chose were VERY bizarre on the DR, something I never would have tried (cranking the output, keeping the channel masters BELOW 9 o clock, wiping out the mids, cranking gain, very unorthodox settings, but honestly it took all the crappy fizz out of the DR preamp section that I hate and really made me reconsider this whole thing. Funny how 'bad' settings can sound exactly like what you've wanted to hear but intuition tells you not to dial them that way.

Anyway, I need to retest them both I think, I just had such high hopes for the Mark IV and it really didn't show me anything that my DR or my Stiletto couldn't get 95% there on. Am I losing my mind or has anyone felt something similar?

 

[hifivic]

Should have listened to me :shock:

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

The DR really is a magical amp....the weirdest thing, that I COMPLETELY agree with you on, is how the settings that you would think sound bad actually sound really good....like scooping mids, pegging the bass, and the output knob really does wonders!

 

[Aart]

What settings did you tr on the Mk IV?

The amps are really different, so it could be that you're more a DR type, but the DR soesn't cut as good through the band as a Mk 4.

What sound are you looking for(band?), what guitar are you using and dont set the lead bass higher than 3(use the GEQ).

My recommended settings for Metallica type(just good rythm) tone on lead channel:

Gain 8 Pull
Treble 8
Bass 2
Middle 4
Drive 3-8(depends on how much saturation you want)
Presence 3-4 Pull

EQ: V with tempered highs.(midhigh and high both just under middle stripe).

Master 3
Output 3

Full power
Harmonics
Pentode
Simul




Hope you get a good tone with those setings.
The Mark IV is tighter and more aggressive than a DR, but the DR will sound Fatter, but loser. Remember that mids low will get you ending up in the band like in screaming kitchen-maid.

 

[Platypus]

Right, that's why I'm not about to crank out the mids, guitar is a midrange instrument.

I really want the Chevelle/Lamb Of God sound and they're both on Mark IV's but I couldn't get the Mark to sound anything like either of those bands. Any help there?

 

[siggy14]

I am like you, tried the Mark and was not impressed, found it very bassy. The trick with the Mark is it really does have to be cranked and a OD in front will get you into that LOG and chevelle area.

Personaly I prefer the dual myself and have always cranked the master and did volume using the channel master volumes. I never cut the mid's though, actually keep them kind of high, yes by itself it sounds great, but in a band situation you will get lost very quick.

Right, that's why I'm not about to crank out the mids, guitar is a midrange instrument.

I really want the Chevelle/Lamb Of God sound and they're both on Mark IV's but I couldn't get the Mark to sound anything like either of those bands. Any help there?

 

[JOEY B.]

Was it a combo or head? Which speaker cab were you using, if it was a head? What type of guitar were you using?

 

[Platypus]

Was a combo w/ C90, short version, using a Petrucci

 

[JOEY B.]

Sent you a PM.

 

[Platypus]

Well I tried some of the settings with a new quartet of JJ 6L6GCs and so far I've nailed the adam jones tool sound without any OD pedals or my attenuator at a fairly low volume considering.. so this is encouraging for sure, I'm going to play a bit, it's still sort of like a blanket effect is present every now and then.

 

[Shep]

if you lived in Aust and near newcastle i would say come over/see one of my bands play and you will proabley just say **** i am getting one of those...lol

try it thought a STRAIGHT sealed trad 4x12 mesa cab/ i think it's called the stiletto 4x12..this should be tight sweet tone's so nice you will be in heaven.

one thing i find with the combo's that they are very mid becasue it's ported..that make's it less tight and alittle weak..even a sealed recto cube ( 1x12 ) sounds A MILLION Times better than the combo..imo

AND YOU should be able to get lamb of god coming out your ear's..

 

[Random Hero]

Lamb of God don't boost their IVs?

Also, I can't understand you guys who wipe out all the mids in Rectos - it's got a pretty scooped tone to begin with. :shock:

 

[Aart]

Lamb of God don't boost their IVs?

Also, I can't understand you guys who wipe out all the mids in Rectos - it's got a pretty scooped tone to begin with. :shock:

Its really not neccesary to boost a Mark IV. They have enough gain and punch without help of an OD.

BTW: Try the Mark IV trough a 4x12. The combo is very weak and losse compared to a closed 4x12.

Crank it up and your in heaven for sure.

 

[Platypus]

what about a recto 2x12 cab?

 

[siggy14]

Should be tighter with a tad bit more midrange, anything with a closed back is going to give you a tighter sound.

what about a recto 2x12 cab?

 

[Platypus]

I think maybe a bit of the problem in both situations is that I don't have a 4x12 cab. I've been considering getting one for awhile, maybe I should go this route first.

 

[siggy14]

I would say that is a good idea. Not sure what you are using now, but if i tis a 2x12 it will not have as much bass as a 4x12 and it will have more mid's. Honestly unless i am playing flat out regular rock i dont care for 2x12's.

I think maybe a bit of the problem in both situations is that I don't have a 4x12 cab. I've been considering getting one for awhile, maybe I should go this route first.

 

[JOEY B.]

The 1x12 Mesa thiele cab or the Genz Benz 2x12 G-flex would be a great addition to any Mark series combo, wheather you use the combo speaker or not. As has been said before, this amp takes on a whole different sound through cabinets other than the open back combo, even with the same speaker.

 

[srf399]

The MKIV is a wild beast that cannot be tamed in a store. What you hear is what you get with most amps... not so with the IV.
the MKIV is the item hidden in the back storeroom that the store owner is afraid to let you take home in case you feed it after midnight.... or get it wet and someone gets hurt. It's magical and only for a select few.
When I bought mine I was looking for the MKIIC sound I'd played in the mid 80's and I took home 4 different mesa amps looking for that holy grail lead sound with no luck at all.... it wasn't there... the magical mesa sound was absent. I asked over and over about the IV and the sales guy said I wouldn't like it... He didn't want me buying it. There was only one in western canada at the time and they wouldn't bring it in until I committed to buying it. me and the IV were treated like freaks of nature by the staff at the store I got it from.... I took it home and turned it on and it was a different animal than the rectifiers...lonestars....F series I had tried and returned. I wanted a Via...Satriani sound and this amp gets better everyday. With a 4 x 12 it's amazing. Everyone who has seen Mark and I play since then comes up and gushes over the tone. The thing with the MKIV is it tracks like nothing else. You hear everything and if you're a sloppy player you won't be able to handle this animal. The IV will take every mistake you make and throw it out where everyone can hear it. It'll blow your cover in seconds... and cut you off at the knees in front of everyone. But, if your good...and clean and have amazing chops this baby will lift you to the stars where few rarely go. The MKIV has to be earned not purchased.

 

[Platypus]

I dont want to run it with an OD at all, that's one reason I wanted to off the recto, you HAVE to use one to get a usable lead tone. After getting my Ace I remembered what it was like to only use a guitar cable and an amp and I want that same satisfaction with my brutal heavy sounds as well as my vintage rock sounds.