I can't break my Mark IV

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billyg121

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is it best to push the masters and keep the output level low or the other way around?
 
billyg121 said:
is it best to push the masters and keep the output level low or the other way around?

From mesanomad100...

mesanomad100 said:
If you raise the volume on a channel this will saturate you preamp tubes giving more preamp tube distortion, a different kinnda distrotion.

If run your master volume your are saturating your power tubes more,alot of people think power tube distortion sounds better,sweeter and all that its a subjective topic

In the house I run my preamp tubes hotter than the power tubes because its waaaayyy to loud in the house for full blown power tube distortion,preamp tube distortion isnt that nice unless there is a little power amp tube soak there as well,

your best bet is buying an attenuator so you can totally drive your pre and power amp tubes but have the attenuator to soak up the energy and only allow the good stuff through....tone

hope this helps

So just raise your Master Volume more than your Channel Volume, to me it always sounds better like this, if you do it the other way you will realize how much your tone changes.
 
fpoon said:
billyg121 said:
is it best to push the masters and keep the output level low or the other way around?

From mesanomad100...


mesanomad100 is mistaken. You don't saturate the power tubes unless ALL the volumes are up.

If you have the loop on, running the channel masters high and the output level low might clip the loop buffers. Running the channel masters low and output level high would not. So yes, it might well sound different, but neither case is output tube distortion.
 
All volumes up to create output tube distortion? So your saying that all channel masters and the output level must BOTH be high? And what effect does raising the volume have on the loop whether you turn it off on the footswitch or if it's not in use?
 
Think of the volume controls as valves, and the signal chain as a pipe.

Your signal goes in the input, into one gain stage, then to the gain control (valve number one). Then it goes through some more gain stages, and a tone stack is tossed in there somewhere. Then you have a master volume (valve number two).

Then you have an effects loop, which usually is tube-buffered (some of the less-expensive amps - Nomads, for example - use transistors). And then an output level control (valve number three).

After all that, you have the power amp. The only way you'll overdrive the power amp is to slam it with signal. Turning any of the upstream volumes down prevents this from happening, you're throttling down the signal earlier in the chain. That's why you only get power tube distortion in LOUD cranked amps.

If you have an amp like a Mark IVB, DR or TOV, you can switch the loop in or out of the chain. If it's in the chain, and your gain and channel master volumes are really high, then it's possible to overdrive the loop buffers, and that'll give a different sound than having the loop switched out.
 
so have any of you guys tried setting the master=10 on R2?

maybe you really have to crank that channel for it to sound good w/o a boost pedal...

Yes and yes. Sounds great until around 6.5 or 7 on the channel master. With master out around 6. Sounds stellar! I use a modified version of the Traditional Blues setting in the MarkIVA manual occasionally and it is sweet. No complaints about R2 here.
 

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