Mark 4 with 6v6's and extension cab

[keithw46]

Ive been using a mark 4 since 1994 and never felt the need for anything else but recently have been interested in getting more of a fender deluxe type of sound so swapped the 6l6's for a set of 6v6's, running in tweed power, simul class and 8 ohm speaker in the 4 ohm jack as mesa recomend. Playing at home i was really impressed, just the sound i was looking for, took it to band practice an it just didnt have the same presence as before, was playing a lot louder to cut through if this makes sense. Previously i was using a thiele extension cab but didnt use it with the 6v6's does anyone know if this is going to cause any damage or should i just go back to 6l6's with the band and use 6v6's at home.

 

[topcat0399]

Ive been using a mark 4 since 1994 and never felt the need for anything else but recently have been interested in getting more of a fender deluxe type of sound so swapped the 6l6's for a set of 6v6's, running in tweed power, simul class and 8 ohm speaker in the 4 ohm jack as mesa recomend. Playing at home i was really impressed, just the sound i was looking for, took it to band practice an it just didnt have the same presence as before, was playing a lot louder to cut through if this makes sense. Previously i was using a thiele extension cab but didnt use it with the 6v6's does anyone know if this is going to cause any damage or should i just go back to 6l6's with the band and use 6v6's at home.

A set of 6V6's for my mark is in my near future.

I'm not surprise by your results (home vs the band) - the 6L6 will have more definition and cut I'm thinkin'.

I think you would have to play the amp with the 6V6's in all situations for a while to get the feel of them before you decide what works best for you.

I can't do any tube change and feel like I know what the change is about unless I play those tubes for a while and really get a feel for their performance in various venues. No amp sounds the same in every room.

I never could put much stock in the opinions of those guys that stick a different tube in for a few minutes; or even an hour or two - and proclaim judgement.

Give em' a good ride before you decide. Theres some out there that LOVE a mark IV with 6V6's.

ps: if you have an impedance mismatch on a mark Iv it won't really hurt anything.

 

[keithw46]

Ive been using a mark 4 since 1994 and never felt the need for anything else but recently have been interested in getting more of a fender deluxe type of sound so swapped the 6l6's for a set of 6v6's, running in tweed power, simul class and 8 ohm speaker in the 4 ohm jack as mesa recomend. Playing at home i was really impressed, just the sound i was looking for, took it to band practice an it just didnt have the same presence as before, was playing a lot louder to cut through if this makes sense. Previously i was using a thiele extension cab but didnt use it with the 6v6's does anyone know if this is going to cause any damage or should i just go back to 6l6's with the band and use 6v6's at home.

A set of 6V6's for my mark is in my near future.

I'm not surprise by your results (home vs the band) - the 6L6 will have more definition and cut I'm thinkin'.

I think you would have to play the amp with the 6V6's in all situations for a while to get the feel of them before you decide what works best for you.

I can't do any tube change and feel like I know what the change is about unless I play those tubes for a while and really get a feel for their performance in various venues. No amp sounds the same in every room.

I never could put much stock in the opinions of those guys that stick a different tube in for a few minutes; or even an hour or two - and proclaim judgement.

Give em' a good ride before you decide. Theres some out there that LOVE a mark IV with 6V6's.

ps: if you have an impedance mismatch on a mark Iv it won't really hurt anything.

Thanks for the advice, i was expecting a bit less defintion but i think a lot of it was due to just running the combo without the extension cab that i'm used to, just didnt want to damage anything running two speakers with this config, i'll try it next time, dont mind a bit of extra tube wear as long as everything else like the output transformer is ok. Been using it again at home and the R2 channel really comes alive with the 6v6's, will try again with band and extension cab on thursday.