How can you use Mark I for both lead and cleaner rhythm?

[Driss]

Hi there,

I have a dilemna, I am trying to solve.
The MArk I is not a switchable amp (yes you can use an A/B switch but does not work very well)
I want to get the lead tone from Input one (ehich is wired in series), for maximum sustain but also have to play a lot of rythm, and since the kind of music I play, is neo-Soul/Funk, it needs to be clean, I can't play clean with input 1 with volum 1 and 2, both at 8.
Any suggestions?
I have 2 carry 2 amps today and hate to sell the Mark I.
P.S. would a TS9 tube screamer on Input 2, work? Would I loose anything?

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions

DC

 

[ursinus]

Get a MKIV or Lone Star Classic......seriously.

Or, use your favorite gain/distortion pedal into input 2. This won't be as good as above, though....

 

[holdsworth]

Carlos Santana uses a TS9 Tubescreamer with his Mark I, and to my ears he uses it to good effect. The TS9, especially modded models such as Keeley, can get you some very saturated smooth lead tones from modestly distorted settings. Personally, I feel you should get a TS9 and try it out, I think it would sound great!

 

[GMello]

The MArk I is not a switchable amp (yes you can use an A/B switch but does not work very well)

why not? what is the problem?

 

[Kinx]

why not? what is the problem?

mark I doesn't have separate masters for each channel, so you can't balance volume of each input - You can find out some settings with only small volume drop, but it means to sacrifice clean or lead - i mean you can dial "switchable" lead and crunch, or clean and "lo-gain lead"

i personally use volume pot and i'm looking for some volume pedal that doesn't steal sound as pot does (tone loses a little of it's brightness on both of my guitars when i back up the volume to 5 or 6)

 

[Boogiebabies]

why not? what is the problem?

mark I doesn't have separate masters for each channel, so you can't balance volume of each input - You can find out some settings with only small volume drop, but it means to sacrifice clean or lead - i mean you can dial "switchable" lead and crunch, or clean and "lo-gain lead"

i personally use volume pot and i'm looking for some volume pedal that doesn't steal sound as pot does (tone loses a little of it's brightness on both of my guitars when i back up the volume to 5 or 6)

Put a 680pf cap in parallel with a 220K resistor across the guitars volume pot lugs.
It's a common cure for the treble roll of when lowering your volume.

 

[Boogiebabies]

I would suggest a BB Preamp. It has a serious overdrive with not only treble and bass tone controls, but a volume control. With the volume control up, it's a clean boost. With the gain up and the volume control down it may cause your MK I to shred. It's also very nice in between.

 

[holdsworth]

I would suggest a BB Preamp.

I would second the BB preamp; an excellent pedal.

 

[Kinx]

it's a pity that i can't test that BB preamp (I doubt that anyone in czech republic has it), and I don't hant to spend so much money on something that i can't test before i buy it i personally don't trust solid state booster/distortion pedals very much, because i don't consider their tone as natural as mark's preamp distortion. I've tried MXR micro amp, boss DS1, mxr zakk wylde overdrive and tubescreamer, and none of them sounded better than mk I overdrive to my ears i wonder if it is possible to link studio preamp and mark I RI, that i could use both mark I inputs and both studio pre channels (in order studio pre->mark I's power amp) and footswitch between it all. I heard studio pre few times live and i always liked it

 

[Driss]

Thank you very much for all the reply. I will try both the TS9, with Channel 2 (with volume 2 at 10 and Volume 1 at 7), or channel 1 but with both volumes at 5.
The BB is something I have never heard off. I will read on it and perhaps try it.

Thanks

DC

 

[holdsworth]

For those that aren't familiar with the BB Preamp, here's a demonstration by Greg Howe:

Greg Howe BB preamp demo

 

[Fxrs]

Carlos Santana uses a TS9 Tubescreamer with his Mark I, and to my ears he uses it to good effect.

I'm pretty sure Carlos only uses that tubescreamer with his Twin, I recall reading an interview with him @ the time "Supernatural" came out, and he was saying how he always hated dist. pedals, but after Clapton told him that was what SRV used, he got a twin and a TS for that song he did with EC on that album.

 

[holdsworth]

That's interesting; I stand corrected.

 

[Driss]

Yes, that is true for that particular last song he played on that album, which was with Clapton , and where Carlos uses (very rarely does he do this) a strat with a twin.
He told his tech, that in order to get the sustain he wanted out of the start, he would have to play so loud, that he probably wouldn't be able to have babies anymore so his tech, Rene Martinez (who worked with SRV for a long time) told him about the TS9. Carlos, said he was reluctant in the begining, becaue he was affraid it would affect his tone, but used it and really liked it. He said that "he could carry a conversation and sustain furiously" at te same time. Of course, after that album he start using exclusively a combination of the Mark I and Dumble Overdrive, which is about $30000...if you can get your hand on one.

Cheers

 

[Driss]

Yes, that is true for that particular last song he played on that album, which was with Clapton , and where Carlos uses (very rarely does he do this) a strat with a twin.
He told his tech, that in order to get the sustain he wanted out of the start, he would have to play so loud, that he probably wouldn't be able to have babies anymore so his tech, Rene Martinez (who worked with SRV for a long time) told him about the TS9. Carlos, said he was reluctant in the begining, becaue he was affraid it would affect his tone, but used it and really liked it. He said that "he could carry a conversation and sustain furiously" at te same time. Of course, after that album he start using exclusively a combination of the Mark I and Dumble Overdrive, which is about $30000...if you can get your hand on one.

Cheers

 

[yettoblaster]

Mark I being a simpler signal path than later Marks with switchable channels, I tend to run my "cleans" slightly dirty so when I roll up the guitar vol it's in a nice zone for soloing.
I use a 1 meg tone pot on my guitar.
Clean is relative to me. It still has some grit.

For the kind of stuff I do (bluesy R&R) it would sound funny to suddenly have a massive change in distortion, though I switch pickups for tone usually when I solo.

Switchable amps offer more easily accessible contrast from clean to dirty.

In the case of a Mark I, an outboard pedal is a way to get more variation.

The owner's manual for my Mark I Re-Issue talks about buying their A/B pedal, but as already stated by another poster: there can be level problems that way.

I think I just prefer to accommodate myself to whatever my amp wants to do. I usually find tone searches an endless and expensive proposition.
It would be different if I could write stuff off and had a big budget. As it is, I'm kinda in the "good enough" ballpark at this point in my life.

I'd get a Road King, but can't justify it just to amplify my six patented licks I play back to back on every song ('course what with 12 keys that's already 72). :wink:

 

[JOEY B.]

My latest MkI formula is:

plus
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plus

into this with the "gain boost" pulled
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With a decimator pedal in the loop, or out front at the end of the signal chain.
My MkI has the 'Post FX Level" (a la MkIIB) knob and effects loop, so I have yet another volume knob on the rear of the amp to control overall volume.
The cleans are not sqeaky, but with the OD off and a little guitar volume rolloff, they will pass for me . And when the OD and Boost are activated on the Fulltone, it is shred city :twisted: .

 

[yettoblaster]

...The cleans are not sqeaky, but with the OD off and a little guitar volume rolloff, they will pass for me . And when the OD and Boost are activated on the Fulltone, it is shred city :twisted: .

Sounds like a plan I understand.

Lately I've stuck 6V6's in my Mark I and use it on the 60w setting.
My cleans aren't squeaky either, but like they say, clean is relative.
I still get the grind I want when I turn the guitar up.