Love hate relationship with my Mark III

[SCide]

New here so whats up?
I have a few problems so maybe you guys can help me out here...

- Sometimes my amp sounds good, and sometimes it sounds .... bad. I don't know what it is. I read around the web that this is a general trait with the marks. But why? I was thinking this amp is really fussy when it comes to what kind of power it gets and thinking a power conditioner might fix this. Or is what I'm describing something else?
- Does anyone use compression with their Mark III? I was told by a friend that throwing a compression in the effects loop should help tame and tighten up the amp.
- I currently have a Mesa Boogie 1x12 3/4 back C90 cab and it sounds like *** when I'm sitting in front of the rig, but if I move to the side, It sounds really good. Is this the speaker? Or is this the cab? Should I invest in a 4x12 closed back? If so, what speakers are best with the Mark III for metal? (I play a lot of metallica, testament[old], and even remix video game sound tracks into metal).

Ok another really weird issue is I have 2 EL34's and 2 6l6's. But one of the El34's is a wing C, and the other is a JJ lol? It that ok? I thought you are suppose to pair tubes and stick to one manufacture? Is this going to cause problems because the amp seems to not care so far. The 6l6's by the way are JJ's too. I'm using all JJ pre amp tubes.


My set up is...
KH-602 with a EMG 60 on the neck.
Mark III long head green stripe no reverb, R2 mod, GEQ
1x12 Mesa 3/4 back cab
Dry signal (no effects)

 

[zodiac272]

Sounds like you might get at least a matched pair of new EL-34's. If you aren't sure about the rest, maybe a retube is in order. You also might want to try a one of the old mesa halfback cabs or a traditional (smaller 4x12) mesa stiletto cab.

scott

 

[boogiemon]

Agreed.

also try a balanced tube in v5 @ some point.
i also think that the marks sound best w/EV speakers.

good luck.

Sounds like you might get at least a matched pair of new EL-34's. If you aren't sure about the rest, maybe a retube is in order. You also might want to try a one of the old mesa halfback cabs or a traditional (smaller 4x12) mesa stiletto cab.

scott

 

[tony777]

- I currently have a Mesa Boogie 1x12 3/4 back C90 cab and it sounds like *** when I'm sitting in front of the rig, but if I move to the side, It sounds really good. Is this the speaker? Or is this the cab? Should I invest in a 4x12 closed back? If so, what speakers are best with the Mark III for metal?

Guitar cabs are very directional, so what you experience here is normal.
I would reccomend you to bring your amp to a store or to someone who has a closed back 4x12 with vintage 30's.
Then play your amp with the cab before buying. The difference between open 1x12 and closed 4x12 is huge, and so is the weight, but as a tonechaser you will love it, and then buy :lol:

Ok another really weird issue is I have 2 EL34's and 2 6l6's. But one of the El34's is a wing C, and the other is a JJ lol? It that ok? I thought you are suppose to pair tubes and stick to one manufacture? Is this going to cause problems because the amp seems to not care so far. The 6l6's by the way are JJ's too. I'm using all JJ pre amp tubes.

Matching pairs in the outer sockets (class A) is not as important as in the inner sockets (class A/B). Though they won't hurt the amp, they might not sound good.

 

[dodger916]

Mark amps are definitely temperamental. When this has happens to me, I found it gets better if I just keep playing. The amp eventually "rights" itself. Somtimes it seems to take an hour for the amp to warm up; it takes closer to two hours for ME to warm up!

 

[JOEY B.]

Mark III long head green stripe no reverb, R2 mod, GEQ

A long chassis green stripe with no reverb? Is the presence control on the front? I have seen a few Mark II's like this, but never a later model Mark III. If I were doing the "metal" vibe, I would be using at the minumum a 2X12(closed back, ported) or a 4x12 closed back cabinet. Port City, Genz Benz, and Earcandy have 2x12 ported cabs that sound very "big", and are easily moved by one person. 8)

The amp warming up does make a difference. I have noticed an increase in high frequencies after about 30 minutes of playing at somewhat loud levels. This would seem to contradict ear fatigue, somewhat. My old Mark I did this so much that I would find myself turning down the presence a bit, just to compensate. All this assumes that there is not a good "cymbal crash" nearby, then it all goes out the window. :x

 

[SonicProvocateur]

I can't really speak for the simul amps, but a matching pair is going to be pretty essential in getting a good tone.

Also, as others have said Marks are very temperamental about tubes and speakers. V1 affects the whole amp while V3 is your critical gain stage for lead voicing. When I had my Ruby 6L6 tubes in and a Chinese Mesa in V3 my amp sounded like a fuzzy recto with no definition and I couldn't stand it. I popped a Sovtek in V3 and STR-415's in and it has the great liquid Mark sound back again with bold dynamics.

On the subject of cabinets; 2x12's are my go-to choice for tone, as 4x12's usually sound a little "boxy" to me but they are louder and more up front. A single speaker, unless it's a EVM, can't handle what a Mark is capable of putting out, It's just going to break up and distort.

 

[droptrd]

Mine gets shelved alot too. I think its my ears though. Somedays it harsh on the lobes :wink:

I go back and forth with my Mark and my 5150 about every month or two. Just got back on my 5150 a few days ago. But its the same thing with the peavey too. Somedays it just doesnt have it

 

[screamingdaisy]

When I had a Mark III it was really tempermental. Somedays it sounded great, others it was kind of harsh.

As mentioned, the amp tends to sound better once it gets really hot, so the longer you play it the better it tends to sound.

Mine had the EVM-12L but I preferred mine with a Recto 4x12.... although the Recto 2x12 would also be a good choice if you don't want such a large cab. If you're going for a Metallica sort of vibe they use Recto 4x12s.

 

[SCide]

Ya, I'm thinking I should invest in a 4x12, tubes, and a power conditioner. I think to the very least, it should be more consistent.
The 1x12 the more I think about it seems to be on the edge of speaker distortion which I can't stand.

What cab did metallica use with their Mark IIC+? Marshall 1960a's?

 

[SCide]

Mark III long head green stripe no reverb, R2 mod, GEQ

A long chassis green stripe with no reverb? Is the presence control on the front? I have seen a few Mark II's like this, but never a later model Mark III.

The reverb is there, but it was removed. So only the knob is left. No tank though.

 

[screamingdaisy]

What cab did metallica use with their Mark IIC+? Marshall 1960a's?

1960s with Celestion G12-65 from MOP to Metallica. On Metallica it switched to 1960s with V30s. Somewhere between Load and St Anger Kirk started using Rectos and Recto cabs. I'm not sure when James switched but pics from the St Anger period show a Recto and Diezel cab in the studio.

 

[Mesa/Kramer]

To tighten up the amp, I use a Boost in front which works well.

 

[BMcNibbnles]

i use a Mesa 1x12 with my Mark III and it sounds amazing....