Mark IV lead channel...how EVIL?

[woodbutcher]

hi...tell me about the lead channel on the Mark IV head. would a knuckledraggin' metalhead be happy? can it get pretty chunky for those tight 'n focused headbanging :twisted: KRUNCH :twisted: sounds \m/ ......or is it more for liquidy-smooth solo stuff? with all those knobs and switches I'd figure one could get any tone and gain type imaginable.

I'm mainly a rhythm player in need of a clean tone and a heavy thrashy crunch. I've grown tired if my rack (7 different pieces of gear and $5000+ invested to get 2 sounds :roll: ) I'm interested in a plain ol' half-stack and the Mark IV head and Stiletto 4x12 are looking pretty good in my mind.

I tried some of the new Marshall heads (DSL/TSL/Mode 4/AVT150) and my ears bled like that scene in High Anxiety. I want to give Mesa a shot before I start looking at Diezel, Engl, VHT, Splawn, etc. Mesa/Boogie's always been one of those "mystery" amp companies to me. I remember looking at the catalogs back in high-school and I always wanted try 'em out. I remember reading a interview with Hetfield raving about his Mark II. anyway...........thanks!

 

[cesjr]

Well the lead channel can definitely get pretty close (I'd say 95%) to the lead tone of a Mark IIC+. So if Master of Puppets and Battery is "evil" and heavy enough for you then I'd say I think you'd be happy with it.

I wish I had a way to record my Mark IV cause I'd post some clips. However, I do have Mark IV clips that other people have recorded. I won't post those without permission but I'd email them to you if you want.

 

[Elpelotero]

listen to Lamb of God. they use mark4's. The mark4 can also sound like metallica b/c it is based on the same circuit board as the mark2c+

 

[cesjr]

Yeah the Mark IV is definitely a wolf is sheep's clothing. You'd never how "metal" it can be by just looking at it.

 

[RR]

Mark IV lead channel...how EVIL?

Oh would you say sacrificing your first born to Lucifier is evil enough? :twisted:
Sorry could not resist.

 

[falcos]

Listen to my bands xmas song "Medley" on myspace (the first song). I did all the rhythms with the Mark IV LD channel.

I like my rhythms to be tight and chunky and there are a few spots throughout the song where you'll hear that, especially the triplet gallops in the Jingle Bells section, and the down stroked palm mutes in the Deck The Halls 2nd verse.

www.myspace.com/mydoomtree

Hope that can helps.

 

[Scary Guy IRL]

Listen to my bands xmas song "Medley" on myspace (the first song). I did all the rhythms with the Mark IV LD channel.

I like my rhythms to be tight and chunky and there are a few spots throughout the song where you'll hear that, especially the triplet gallops in the Jingle Bells section, and the down stroked palm mutes in the Deck The Halls 2nd verse.

www.myspace.com/mydoomtree

Hope that can helps.

Aww man!! That was amazing! :lol: I've never listened to anything recently that's made me smile so much! It was brilliant! :lol:

Is that all from a Mark? Or just the Rhythms?

Hey.. I have a small gig comin up in a bar on the 15th of December. Would there be any chance of getting the mp3 of that.. I'd love to play it through the PA Before the show. If not it's no big deal. And i'd really just love to show my band at practice.

 

[Russ]

Playing rhythm can be nice on the Lead Channel. In fact, I love to use it as the Rhythm channel then step out with a clean boost.

Evil? That depends upon your definition. In most cases, the Mark IV is plenty evil. I think that the evil comes form inside the player. In my case, I scare the devil...

The clean tone is almost Fendery clean, it just depends upon what type of Fender you are referencing, your settings, and what guitar you are using.

I see no need to buy anything else at this point. It would be a waste for me outside the idea of a 2 channel Dual Rec. or a 3 channel Triple depending upon what I was looking for.

Being a guy that was raised on Marshall and Marshall type tone I can honestly tell you that most of the new Marshall amps suck. I don't care for anything newer than a JCM800 unless you are talking handwired reissues. I own a 1977 JMP MkII Master Volume 50 watt Lead (older version of what became the 2204) and a 1988 JCM800 2210 (the post 1987 versions do thrash metal better than any other Marshall). I sometimes prefer the 2210 to the Mark IV and sometimes I prefer the JMP too. I guess it depends upon what I am playing.

The Mark IV is very versatile though. The two Marshalls listed above can basically only make one sound each without having to dial them in again. The Mark IV with its 3 channels is nice to have even if it means sacrificing at times. The nice thing is that the preamp is designed after the IIC+ so it can do thrash metal well.

Basically the amp really makes whatever sound you are looking for provided you are not looking for a saggy tube rectified sound. It stays really tight and won't flub unless you make it. It crunches well and makes liquid smooth solo tone. It is up to you to dial it in and use it for what you like. The eq really helps too even with just 5 sliders. Without the eq turned on you feel like you are missing something sometimes. Mesa refers to this as a hearing hangover.

There are simpler amps out there but I would be willing to gamble that they are not as versatile as the Mark IV. The Mark IV does have a learning curve due to its versatility though. It took me months to fully understand the amp and find the settings that I was ultimately looking for. The uploaded settings sound ok but it really takes you tweaking your knobs to find your sound because everyone plays a little different in different locations and uses different guitars, strings, pickups, speakers, cables, etc. If you take the time to learn how to use it the amp is totally worth every penny. If you don't want to take the time to use it don't buy it. It is kind of like learning to drive all over. You can learn to drive stick or not. Some people are happy to drive automatics but they do not get the little more that you can get out of your engine nor as much control over their power as they would driving stick.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[srf399]

The MKIV is like a Ferrari... If you don't learn how to shift properly you may as well buy a Chev with an automatic. The amp takes awhile to learn and will cause you panic and fear if you show up late for a sound check! When I started with mine it was inconsistant at first but the sound is getting better and better as I use it and people will start complimenting you on the sound. What I love about these amps is that they are amazing at tracking. The solo in theXmas song is exactly what I mean.... everything you play you'll hear. I do wish they had a tube rectifier option though...cause I love the sag sometimes. And you reverb/delay units that can help with that? I heard a G Major that was pretty good once.

 

[electrik]

On mine I always loved the lead and solo sound, but high gain rhythms left something to be desired.

 

[kk]

hey falcos: dig the rythm tones. Being a noobie, any chance of replying with settings?

 

[falcos]

I've had a few requests for my settings, so here are my rhythm settings for my Mark IV LD channel.

I just want everyone to be aware that when it comes to tracking, mic'ing, mic placement, and mic preamp, the settings will definitely change a bit. What worked for me was to put 2 mics on a recto cab loaded with Vintage 30's -- an sm57, and an AT-4050 condenser. Then I ran them into a Focusrite TwinTrak Pro, blended them together in Protools and listened back through the monitors. From there, I then tweaked the amp settings to make it sound the way I wanted through the monitor speakers and in the track. When I was done, the settings were different than what I use 'live'.

So these are my 'live' settings:

LEAD GAIN (PULLED): 7 to 8 (depending on guitar)
LEAD TREB: 6 to 7 (depends on guitar)
LEAD BASS: 3.5 (almost never changes)
LEAD MID: 6.5 (almost never changes)
LEAD DRIVE (PULLED): 5 to 6 for rhythms, 8-9 for solos
PRESENCE (NOT PULLED): 5

LD VOL: 4
MAIN VOL: 3-4

GRAPHIC EQ:
80: right under the top line
240: on the middle line
750: a **** hair just above the bottom line
2200: just under the middle line
6600: under top line

I hope that can help you out with a basic start setting. Keep in mind that your guitar wood, pickups, speakers and how you play will also affect the sound!

 

[kk]

thanks falcos. soon as I blow out work I will give these a run...

I've read quite a few posts here that coaxing a good tone out of the mk iv could take a while. I've had mine for only a few weeks. The first night I set it up with a factory preset from the manual and with minor tweaking was able to get the tones for each channel that I have been content with since... Anxious to hear how your's sound.