High Volume MK IV Tone

[Tre4J]

I need some help getting better high volume tones on my mark iv.

Seems to me that with the tweed/class A/triode and then putting channal volume around 4 and adjusting the master to taste I can get a fantastic low volume tone for lead and rhythm. But when I'm jamming with the band at full power wattage settings I'm having a hard time keeping the same tonal characteristics.

Any advise?

Should I keep the channal volumes and just adjust the master, or should I crank the channals and use lower setting on the master?

 

[fatoni]

depends on the sound you want. that creamy lead tone i find is smoother with the output high and the masters low. that punchy rhythm is easy for me when i use pentode and class ab. if i were you id just keep it on tweed/class a/triode and just raise the volumes. that way your tone will only get better (imho) as you raise the volume. if you dont rely on the eq you can use that to make the minor adjustments for when the tubes arent being pushed

 

[mrd]

Instead of running full wattage, keep it on tweed/triode/class A.

Run channel and master at 10. You'll find that once the channel is maxed, the master output will max out volume wise at about 5 or 6, and from there, you will just get more and more crunchy, creamy power tube saturation.

In the grand scheme of things, this isn't actually too, too loud. I mean, it's pretty fuckin' loud, but compared to how loud this amp CAN go, it's definitely manageable. Wear earplugs!!

From here, if this is still not loud enough, turn your master output all the way off, then switch into pentode mode. Turn it back up to 10. If that's STILL not loud enough, go back to 0, then switch it into simul-class to engage the other pair of tubes. Back up to 10. If that STILL isn't loud enough, turn it back to triode/class-A then go to full power and slowly increase it til 10.

When you're running this loud, keep your gain or your drive lower than normal. I usually keep my gain at about 7-8 and drive at about 4 at this volume. I don't use the EQ at all at this volume either because the cabinet will lend so much huge bass sound just from resonance than EQ-ing in a V-shape is insanely overkill. You can use the EQ for sure, but use it for very, very mild cuts and boosts. On the lead channel I run my bass knob at 0, mids at 6-7, treble at 5-8.

You should get some insane rockin' tones on all the channels this way. If you crank R1 you're gonna get a very throaty, balls-to-the-wall hard rock rhythm sound. R2 will be a great rhythm sound, more laid back and mellow sounding (still very tight and gainy though) and the lead channel will be like all out crunch, gain, searing complex over-tones. They all sound fantastic I think.

Hope it helps.

 

[HalfDeaf]

I use front settings similar to mrd's, but I prefer to run the channel volumes as low as possible. I run full power, pentode, and switch between class A and simul based on the type of tone I want - class A for more "tool" tone, simul for more "metallica".

I find low channel volumes give the best tone for my particular setup - a rev A mkiv using EL34s in the class A sockets. With all 6L6s, I agree with mrd that high channel volumes can give a creamier crunch. It's really another gain stage - the back side of V2 I think, and will give more tube compression. With EL34s, there's already tons of creamy crunch and compression. Lower channel volumes tend to open up the sound a bit and feel more dynamic and swirly when the output is cranked.