Is variac setting not enough anymore???

[NR2112]

Our Bassist JUST got a new Ampeg Classic. Man that things roars.

It is really loud, and very clear. Problem is (for me lol) I think my Mark V on the variac setting has me lost in the mix! We had our first practice with the new amp last night, and I couldnt really hear myself as well as normal. Could be a coincidence or not. I usually have no problem hearing myself on variac. Im in front of my amp w/ the speakers angled to me.

My clean channel is really the one with the issue. I have the gain bout noon, and the master is about 2. (more than i like to set it) 45 w - EQ'd nicely.

I guess Ill try full power and see how that works, I just really like the sound of Variac. Can I not use this anymore, or is there something I'm missing? Anyone else getting lost in the mix on Variac? Whatch Yall Think?

I would love to retain the feel of 45w mode and variac mode, but I guess I may have to do the ole' switcheroo

 

[eudaimonia02912]

You might just need to use full power and 90 watts.

 

[NR2112]

Murrrrrrr. Im afraid I might.

But the touch and feeling of variac and 45w is sooooooooooo nicceeeee.

I guess life is about sacrifices

 

[eudaimonia02912]

Could your bassist just turn down?

What if you use tweed mode on 45w?

 

[Shaner30]

Ya I love the mark iV setting saturation. But extreem cuts so nicely... maybe we should just tell our bass players to turn the %##$% down.

 

[jb's 52]

My clean channel is really the one with the issue. I have the gain bout noon, and the master is about 2. (more than i like to set it) 45 w - EQ'd nicely.

Is it in "Bold"? If not, try that and pinch the mids up a bit.

In 45mode/full power, you also want to make sure you got
the tube rectifier working (in back). That might suffice.

good luck!!!

 

[NR2112]

My clean channel is really the one with the issue. I have the gain bout noon, and the master is about 2. (more than i like to set it) 45 w - EQ'd nicely.

Is it in "Bold"? If not, try that and pinch the mids up a bit.

In 45mode/full power, you also want to make sure you got
the tube rectifier working (in back). That might suffice.

good luck!!!

Nice suggestions. Ill try that. Otherwise I may have to get greezy with the bass player :lol:

Tweed mode may be a bit too gainy for my clean sound. I like my clean sounds pretty sparkly. But I guess its worth a shot. Ill try it.

worth mentioning here that the iic+ mode needs no work at all. That mode just rips faces off!!!!

 

[MBJunkie]

All previous suggestions are good here IMO.

I'll add another.....Full Power in 10W mode of all channels works very well for me for rehearsals and even some gigs. I can easily cut through in 10W mode of all channels with full power while rehearsing and it sounds great.

I also like Full Power with 45W and 90W selections for gig situations that require more oomph.

IMO...Variac power is intended for "extreme brown sounds" while playing at low volume at home for example. Even then I prefer Full power with 10W selected in each channel. My .02

 

[Shang Chi 66]

All previous suggestions are good here IMO.

I'll add another.....Full Power in 10W mode of all channels works very well for me for rehearsals and even some gigs. I can easily cut through in 10W mode of all channels with full power while rehearsing and it sounds great.

I also like Full Power with 45W and 90W selections for gig situations that require more oomph.

IMO...Variac power is intended for "extreme brown sounds" while playing at low volume at home for example. Even then I prefer Full power with 10W selected in each channel. My .02

Thanks man! I learn something new to try just about everytime I log on here, and I've had my amp for a full year now!

By the way, have you been to rehab yet for your addiction, or are you not ready just yet to give up the stuff? ( :lol: )

 

[NR2112]

All previous suggestions are good here IMO.

I'll add another.....Full Power in 10W mode of all channels works very well for me for rehearsals and even some gigs. I can easily cut through in 10W mode of all channels with full power while rehearsing and it sounds great.

I also like Full Power with 45W and 90W selections for gig situations that require more oomph.

IMO...Variac power is intended for "extreme brown sounds" while playing at low volume at home for example. Even then I prefer Full power with 10W selected in each channel. My .02

Nicely put... I think Im gonna try the 45w full power tonight.

your right too, that 10w mode is great to have. It really does cut.

 

[MBJunkie]

Glad to hear my reply was helpful to you Shang Chi 66. I must say that I continue to learn a great deal from this forum as well after owning my V for about 9 months....including posts by you!

I must say that this MB forum is the best I have been associated with regarding really helpful information, advice and suggestions.

NR2112, be sure to experiment with the "Diodes or Rectifier" option in 45W mode for channels 1 & 2. Personally, I prefer the "Diodes" selection for urgency and punch. The "Rectifier" setting option creates more sag and brown sound which may be preferred by others.

This option is only applicable to channels 1 and 2 (all modes of these channels), but ONLY when the channel power selection is set to 45W of Ch1 and/or Ch2. This setting does make a big difference to sound, feel and cut IMO for Ch1 and Ch2 while operating at 45W.

Hope this helps.

 

[sted]

All instruments should sit in the mix, not eat it for lunch! if you are getting blitzed by the bass player his new amp is merging on your frequency and killing you, try some radical changes on the EQ sliders to see where you can get some balance back, mids and highs are usually the territory that bassists cant touch so try accentuating them on your settings, guitarists need to remember that low end frequencies are the bass players job and should steer clear of them, too much emphasis on the lows means a half decent bass amp will just swamp you.

 

[NR2112]

MBjunkie and sted.

Well put. I suppose I can try the diodes. I do like the sounds of the tube rec, but its def. worth a shot. I can see why this may help

Sted,

During practice last night, i realized that now my bass eq is getting washed out. I turned that down and the guitar got more defined and audible. Your right when you say the bass player has the duty of the lows. Its soooo true, and sometimes we forget to easily that we have mid range instruments. The sounds we hear when we play in our rooms, is definitely NOT the sounds that works in a full band situation...

I am still cranking my master volume to about 3:00. Does anyone else do this?

(perhaps my power tubes are going out? I have been abusing them the past few months....)

 

[sted]

The sounds we hear when we play in our rooms, is definitely NOT the sounds that works in a full band situation...

I am still cranking my master volume to about 3:00. Does anyone else do this?

(perhaps my power tubes are going out? I have been abusing them the past few months....)

Absolutely mate, takes a bit more work to be able to contribute to a mix, watts wont mean squat if you cant use your EQ. As for the volume, I must admit that is quite high! I try and balance the output against the channel masters a bit more, seems to give a bit more character to the tones, I always remind myself that amps are 50% pre and 50% power amp, both should be used to their fullest!

 

[phyrexia]

MBjunkie and sted.

Well put. I suppose I can try the diodes. I do like the sounds of the tube rec, but its def. worth a shot. I can see why this may help

Sted,

During practice last night, i realized that now my bass eq is getting washed out. I turned that down and the guitar got more defined and audible. Your right when you say the bass player has the duty of the lows. Its soooo true, and sometimes we forget to easily that we have mid range instruments. The sounds we hear when we play in our rooms, is definitely NOT the sounds that works in a full band situation...

I am still cranking my master volume to about 3:00. Does anyone else do this?

(perhaps my power tubes are going out? I have been abusing them the past few months....)

Where is your output control set to? Or are you bypassing the effects loop?

 

[eudaimonia02912]

This thread has got me playing almost exclusively in variac mode now.

 

[NR2112]

MBjunkie and sted.

Well put. I suppose I can try the diodes. I do like the sounds of the tube rec, but its def. worth a shot. I can see why this may help

Sted,

During practice last night, i realized that now my bass eq is getting washed out. I turned that down and the guitar got more defined and audible. Your right when you say the bass player has the duty of the lows. Its soooo true, and sometimes we forget to easily that we have mid range instruments. The sounds we hear when we play in our rooms, is definitely NOT the sounds that works in a full band situation...

I am still cranking my master volume to about 3:00. Does anyone else do this?

(perhaps my power tubes are going out? I have been abusing them the past few months....)

Where is your output control set to? Or are you bypassing the effects loop?

Output is set to 3 o'clock. I am using the effects loops.

I would like to have a 50/50 mix between preamp and power amp, but thats just not doing it. Im going to try new tubes and see what happens. I got the V from someone I didn't know, so perhaps they have been used quite well...

ALSO- Could I just get a mesa power amp and use the slave out from the V into that, then run both the Mark and the mesa power amp into my 412 cab? Wouldnt that essentially boost the headroom to perhaps bring back a nice 50% pre / 50% power amp mix???

 

[NR2112]

This thread has got me playing almost exclusively in variac mode now.

totally where its at.

I tried the full power last night at a gig in a club, and it didnt have nearly the same feeling as the variac. Full power was more, in your face bold and punchy. Not a bad case, BUT not the variac case!!

 

[shogun]

i'm in a constant struggle with the clean channel of the MKV. it seems like it lacks the midrange to cut through the mix, specifically compared to channel 3.. when I switch from channel 3, to channel 1, it always sounds thin and scooped.

 

[scoden]

With this amp, there are so many variables you can lose the forest through the trees.
When I find a given channel or mode isnt cutting through the mix well enough or TOO much, I try to use adjust mids or presence first. Sometimes thats all it takes. If that fails, I try to switch tube / diode or pentode/ triode settings.

When that doesnt help I try a shift in overall wattage Im using and then fine tune the eq again to suit my needs.

Now when you are trying to balance the 3 channels for live use so theres no "surprises" when you switch channels...it really takes a bit of thought to find the right settings / modes / eq / rectifier type. Some modes just dont play well together unless you really do some knob twisting. For instance, Tweed just wants to overpower the crunch channel unless you really attenuate the wattage bewteen the two and then use mids/ presence to make one cut more than the other.

Sometimes crunch sounds so smooth and when you go to channel 3 it can be TOO biting / bold ......a quick flip to triode might be all you need.

The beauty of this amp is that it allows you to fine tune the power / eq / feel for almost any situation......sometimes it can get overwhelming unless you take it slow and think it through before you start knob twisting .