Introduction and newly acquired Mark IV

[ADZG]

Hi there,
I am new to the forum and just wanted to say hi. Seems to be a ton of good info on here. I come from a Marshall world but have always wanted a Mark IV. Over the weekend I was able to purchase one and in doing so fulfil a childhood dream. It is a short form Mark IV class a head.
I play thrash metal (with my band) and look forward to experimenting with the amp. I am told using full power, harmonics ON, Pentode ON and Simulclass ON will give me the best results with my band. Can anyone give me any other useful tips? I currently only have Marshall 1960 cabinets and am hesitant to use the head too much with a single 16ohm marshall cab. Do I run a risk of damaging the head by using this cabinet? I eventually would like to get a 2x12 mesa vertical cab or the 4x12 recto cab as I hear these suit the heads great
Look forward to reading more great info on this forum
Cheers

 

[firmani99]

Welcome! I have had a ton of amps and still have 6 or 7 and my Mark IV is my favorite still! You made a good choice. I would say yes to all of those settings. Another thing to keep in mind is that on the Mark series of amps the bass, treble, and mid controls are before the preamp gain (Most amps post preamp). This is a huge advantage because you can tailor your sound to specifically what you want. For a good metal and rock sound keep your bass knob way low. I keep mine around 2. But it will differ based on your pickups and taste. Then bring the low end back in with the eq sliders. These sliders are post preamp. Lowering the bass early on in the gain stages keeps the tone really tight. When you turn that bass knob up you will hear it become flubby.

You won't do any damage running your 16 ohm cab at all. It might not be optimal from a power perspective but it is totally safe.

Enjoy!!!

 

[tony777]

Just as stated in the post above. The more gain you dial in the more bass you roll out. That's the nature of all mark series amps. Probably a lot other mesa's as well.
Don't be afraid to test extreme settings as well. Bass=0. Treble=10, Mid=10.
I usually end up with Gain 7. Treble 7 Mid 8, bass 2-3, and pulled prescence at 4, in triode, harmonics, simulclass, and then I add the typical V shaped GEQ, but I come from a IIC+ world and it's my closest setting.
But do experiment with all knobs and buttons for your desired tone. Pentode is punchier but not smoother than triode. Experiment with the push/pull on the prescence knobs, as well as pull fat/bright. The IV has a lot of options and take your time, you might not know your amp in months, and you might find new tones in years.

 

[firmani99]

Good call. I forgot about the full fat and presence. I pull both of them.

 

[ADZG]

Welcome! I have had a ton of amps and still have 6 or 7 and my Mark IV is my favorite still! You made a good choice. I would say yes to all of those settings. Another thing to keep in mind is that on the Mark series of amps the bass, treble, and mid controls are before the preamp gain (Most amps post preamp). This is a huge advantage because you can tailor your sound to specifically what you want. For a good metal and rock sound keep your bass knob way low. I keep mine around 2. But it will differ based on your pickups and taste. Then bring the low end back in with the eq sliders. These sliders are post preamp. Lowering the bass early on in the gain stages keeps the tone really tight. When you turn that bass knob up you will hear it become flubby.

You won't do any damage running your 16 ohm cab at all. It might not be optimal from a power perspective but it is totally safe.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the great info mate! I appreciate it!
For now I will run it into a 16ohm marshall cab but I am looking to get an 8ohm in the future.
I have been told to get a Mesa 1x12 cab and then drop a EVM12L speaker in it (which is the best speaker for the mesa especially the Mark series). The only problem is that these speakers are very rare and expensive in Australia. To do this would probably cost around 1500 for a new 1x12 and then to purchase the speaker and have it installed.
My other option is to purchase a 2nd hand mint condition 2x12 vertical recto cab with V30's which I can get for 700AU. I could potentially then drop a EV in that cab later on or even 2.
Any thoughts on this or should I stick with the Marshall 1960 cab with the stock celestions 75w speakers.

 

[ADZG]

Just as stated in the post above. The more gain you dial in the more bass you roll out. That's the nature of all mark series amps. Probably a lot other mesa's as well.
Don't be afraid to test extreme settings as well. Bass=0. Treble=10, Mid=10.
I usually end up with Gain 7. Treble 7 Mid 8, bass 2-3, and pulled prescence at 4, in triode, harmonics, simulclass, and then I add the typical V shaped GEQ, but I come from a IIC+ world and it's my closest setting.
But do experiment with all knobs and buttons for your desired tone. Pentode is punchier but not smoother than triode. Experiment with the push/pull on the prescence knobs, as well as pull fat/bright. The IV has a lot of options and take your time, you might not know your amp in months, and you might find new tones in years.

Thanks mate I appreciate the great information!
Any ideas on 8ohm cabinet options I mentioned in the above post?

Kind Regards

 

[tony777]

Thanks mate I appreciate the great information!
Any ideas on 8ohm cabinet options I mentioned in the above post?

16 ohm cab is a safe mismatch from your 8 ohm output. It might sound a bit darker, but you can easily dial in the loss.

 

[treedroppings]

If you have half-power or a 60watt output with a 8 ohm jack, that would be a 16 ohm output.

 

[firmani99]

Welcome! I have had a ton of amps and still have 6 or 7 and my Mark IV is my favorite still! You made a good choice. I would say yes to all of those settings. Another thing to keep in mind is that on the Mark series of amps the bass, treble, and mid controls are before the preamp gain (Most amps post preamp). This is a huge advantage because you can tailor your sound to specifically what you want. For a good metal and rock sound keep your bass knob way low. I keep mine around 2. But it will differ based on your pickups and taste. Then bring the low end back in with the eq sliders. These sliders are post preamp. Lowering the bass early on in the gain stages keeps the tone really tight. When you turn that bass knob up you will hear it become flubby.

You won't do any damage running your 16 ohm cab at all. It might not be optimal from a power perspective but it is totally safe.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the great info mate! I appreciate it!
For now I will run it into a 16ohm marshall cab but I am looking to get an 8ohm in the future.
I have been told to get a Mesa 1x12 cab and then drop a EVM12L speaker in it (which is the best speaker for the mesa especially the Mark series). The only problem is that these speakers are very rare and expensive in Australia. To do this would probably cost around 1500 for a new 1x12 and then to purchase the speaker and have it installed.
My other option is to purchase a 2nd hand mint condition 2x12 vertical recto cab with V30's which I can get for 700AU. I could potentially then drop a EV in that cab later on or even 2.
Any thoughts on this or should I stick with the Marshall 1960 cab with the stock celestions 75w speakers.

I personally would get the vertical recto cab. I really love the v30 speaker. Speakers though are a matter of taste. If you are looking for a hard rock tone, the v30 is hard to beat. Another option would be to keep your marshall cab and replace 2 of the speakers with v30's. The v30 and g12k75 combination is fairly popular.

 

[bgh]

You did not mention what kind of tubes that you use. If you use SimulClass, try some EL34s in the outer sockets. That's what I have on mine. Sounds very nice at volume. (At lower volumes it's not that much of a difference).

For reference, on mine, tweed mode doesn't lose much volume at all. It does add in just a touch of sag.

Triode mode will give you a little quicker breakup than pentode mode. Not too much of a volume change.

To learn your amp, this may sound dumb, but it really does work: Record about 10 minutes of clean playing (no breakup at all). Then, take that recording and use it as input to your IV. That will give you 10 minutes of adjusting things to see what impact it has. It lets you try different setting without having to "stop playing to turn the knobs".

Either way, with a IV, you are in for a world of fun.