MARK IV my Rhthm1 settings for blues tone

[Blueshaggis]

Howdy, I'm new here. This is such a great forum. I was up half the
night reading.......sheeesh.
OK, I'll chip in too and share my usual settings....I set my amp up a little bit weird.
For 99% of gigs, I only use Rythm 1 and use my guitar volume
knob to go from (kinda)clean to balls out lead tone.
These are my settings....some of you might have fun trying them.

RYTHM 1 "clean" channel...(yeah right) SNARLY, SATURATED BLUES TONE
Tweed/Class A/Triode
gain- 10
treble-5
bass-2 1/4
middle-8
pres.-3
rev.-0 to 3

OK here is the weird part....I personally think I get better tone and more
dirt and sustain out of the channel with the big Output knob on TEN and
the little channel master knob on about 4 1/2. (For quieter gigs about 2
although it doesn't sing quite as much as up around 4-5 or so)........
I play around with the graphic (it is kept on) but my latest setting today
was 80 at just above the midline,240 just touching the bottom, 750 halfway between mid and bottom, 2200 just above the middle line and
6600 dead on the middle line.
I play most of the time with my Charvel strat copy with EMG SA's in it with
the SPC control (strat prescence control) full on for solo's. It's sort of a
pseudo-humbucker sound......when using this with the pickups in neck/middle position, it gives a real nice slightly nasally roaring blues tone
with the above settings with lots of overtones and feedback when you let a chord ring. (Especially nice feedback on, say, a Gminor chord, for instance)...........
I'm not sure what exactly is happening when you run the big output knob
on 10 and use the little master for volume adjustments, but it just sounds
better to me.......gives a bit more gain to the channel so it's more useable
for me as a lead channel. I suspect it helps push the power tubes more.
Maybe someone here can comment on that. I've always wondered. I just love the voicing of channel 1 more than the others and this gives me the extra little push over the top gainwise. 8)

 

[Blueshaggis]

Update.......I was just playing along with an old live tape.
I had this second guitarist....unbelievable tone through an old
Super Reverb and a Telecaster with a humbucker in the neck.....
I backed the rythm1 gain back a little, to about 7 instead of 10
and backed the prescence to 1.............got pretty DARN close, especially
when I rolled the treble pot down a tad on the guitar and used the neck
pickup. 'Bout as close as I'm gonna get to a Super Reverb with my MK IV
I think. You simply cannot beat an old Super for bloomy breakup but, of
course, the Boogie simply does so much more and at any volume.

 

[jamme61]

I'm with you on the 1st channel. I use it the same way as you. The only thing that drives me nuts on this amp is channel 2. I tried running the master high and the channels low and back and fourth, I'm still tweaking. I've only had the amp about two months and 4 gigs. My main problem at gigs was to much volume. I'm now using all 6V6's on tweed power, which makes channel 1 break up a little more. I think I'll figure this amp out, in about 10 years, maybe LOL. Thanks for your settings, good luck.

 

[Blueshaggis]

LOL to the "in about 10 years" comment. That's exactly how long
I've had mine (ok 11 actually) and I'm STILL figuring it out. I don't
channel switch, like hardly ever, but occasionally I do get hired to do
the odd gig where I have to........that's funny a few here have said,
like you, that it's the second channel that gives them fits. It's just the
opposite with me. I can get good stuff out of Rythm2 but I basically
hate the lead channel. Hate it.....so far. I live on R1 almost all the time.

 

[Blueshaggis]

OK since I just got done saying how I hate the lead channel
I went back and fiddled with it for awhile.....found a pretty cool
Santana "Europa" tone, at least it sounds like that to me. Remember
to roll off your tone pot on the guitar and use your neck pickup for that
fluty weird "woman tone".......
OK the settings (Lead mode):
prescence: 0 (pushed in)
lead gain (pulled): 7 1/4
treble: 6
bass: 2 1/2
middle: 7 1/2
drive: 7 1/2
master: 2
output: 10
reverb: 2

 

[trem]

You hate the lead channel on a Mk IV? :lol: Don't you think Fenders would suit you better? Well, in any case, I guess a Mk IV IS truly versatile.

 

[Blueshaggis]

I can get some really good tones out of my Boog.............
Is it the ultimate tone in my head? No..........that would indeed
(for me) probably be a Fender Super Reverb or Bassman or
the like.............but the Boog is, as you said, VERY versatile.
It can cover ANY gig or need so that's what I use. I can only
afford one amp right now. You can't play a Super Reverb quiet and get
that tone but you can approximate it with a Boog and at any volume
from bedroom to coliseum and it does a host of styles if I need
them that a Fender can't so there you go. I'm a bluesman and R&B type
guy not a shredder but I've got that sound in there on the rare occasion
I need it and I have been called upon to rock out on occasion so it's
nice to know I can get pretty much anything out of the Boogie, no problem. It's sometimes a love/hate relationship but I'm stuck with
the Boog and that aint a bad thing to be stuck with aye? 8)

 

[jamme61]

I'm like you blues man, I don't want to shred with the amp. The boogie will never be the tone for me, but, it's close enough for gigs. My ears are still ringing from the boogie. I've been trying to dial in the tone, again, and forget about the bass and treble, and eq. What if I put the master up real high and channel volumes low and channel volumes high and master low OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The do I run class a, pentode trimode el34's 6v6's, 6l6's BIAS???????? Help!!!! I got to go clear my head, sorry i had to get out my boogie frustration.

 

[Blue Gilbo]

Hey Blueshaggis, I read your post and I had to respond.

I'm a blues guy like you...can't shred even if I tried. I have a Mark 1 reissue combo and I always use channel 2 (clean channel)...too much preamp in channel 1 for me.

I found an article in a Swedish music magazine (Fuzz) that claims that the right (and apparently mathematically correct) way to dial in a Fender EQ is as follows:

Preamp-6
Treble-6
Bass-2
Middle-6
Master Volume and Presence-to your taste

Because channel 2 in my Boogie is `Fenderish' in tone I decided to give it a try. It's a great blues setting to start with. I also use a Maxon OD-9 in a clean boost setting to give it a little more punch.

I know guys are saying "Why didn't you just buy a Fender" but the Boogie is so well built...I'd hate to pass that up for an amp that may not be so reliable.

The article in Fuzz magazine was called `The Magic 6'. I don't think it's on the web anymore but I could scan it and send it to you.

 

[Blueshaggis]

I would love to read that article!
I am assuming you mean that you are using
the "rythm" channel on your amp right?
I also assume that the rythym or "clean" channel
are at least similar on the Mark 1 and the Mark IV
which is what I have. Those settings you gave are
very close to how I have mine set up. I'll tweak a
bit and try yours exactly and see how it sounds. Thanks.
If you successfully get that scanned let me know and I'll
get you my address. Maybe you'll need some postage money
let me know. Thanks.

 

[Blue Gilbo]

No sweat Blueshaggis, I'll scan the article at the office on Monday and create an Adobe Acrobat document. Then I'll try to paste it here for everyone to read. Fortunately, I took a photocopy of it before it disappeared from the web. It'd be interesting to see everyone's comments.

I'm kind of new to this message board stuff so if anyone has any suggestions how to post this article I'd be interested.

You got it right, I'm using the rhythm channel only on my Boogie.

 

[jamme61]

Blueshaggis, I have the MKIV to and I really think along with keeping the Bass no higher then 2, that keeping the channel volumes as high as possible gives you better tone. Right now for gig volumes I have the 1st channel volume on 10 and channel 2 on 8 and channel 3 on about 6. The main master for all the channels is on 1 and a half. I really think the key might be these channel volumes being high enough. I find channel 2 sounds 100 x's better this way, other wise channel 2 sounds congested and the treble sounds real harsh like digital clipping. I'm using the gains on each channel as my volume control. It's a balancing act, but this whole amp is a balancing act IMHO. I'm also running el34's in class A and the power on tweed. Remember I'm a blues classic rock guy, not metal.

 

[Blue Gilbo]

Found the article on the web after some searching. It was called `Fender Amps And The Magical 6".

It was some time in 1979 when one of the "big guys" showed me how to dial in that Fender or Music Man amp that always seemed to be on stage where ever you played: "Easy" he said. "It's the magic six". Volume to 6, Treble to 6, Middle to 3 and Bass to 2 (6, 6, and 3x2=6). Bright should be on, reverb set for two and master volume (if one) set so that you can be heard above the drums without drenching the vocals. "The rest of the knobs you can just ignore" because no one used tremolo in late 70's and the footswitch was always disappeared… The effect was almost like having the key to Holy Grail - I have to admit that he was right and I joined the Magical Six Choir.

It wasn't until years later, when I was absorbing schematics that I understood why there is magic in the six. In an amplifier with the topology input stage, tone control, volume control, voltage amplifier (tremolo- and reverb amplifier if fitted), phase splitter and output stage it is the first four controls that will set what is going to distort and how much.

The first stage runs essentially clean if nothing else but a guitar is connected. The voltage amplifier will hit the ceiling as volume is turned pass 4. The tone controls are placed before the volume control and will control what is being fed into it.

The purpose of the setting Treble=6, Middle=3 and Bass=2 is to:

1. Cut a bit of bass to get balance between high E-string and low E-string distortion. The bass-frequencies will have overtones far up in the midrange and may therefore build into disturbing high overtones that can make certain chords (D7) sound out of tune on the top three strings. Some amps will even oscillate when exposed to the combination of high amplification and lots of bass.

2. To control "The Mud Frequency 249,5Hz". Too much of this frequency and the tone will be muddy and too little and it will sound hollow and thin.

3. Cut some midrange (approx. 340Hz) to gain output power while keeping inter-modulation distortion at a minimum. Amplification factor will also be highest in the treble (above 2 kHz) and that is compensating the treble-loss of passive pickups. Open E-strings (high and low) played at the same time should now have approximately the same volume level with little more distortion on the top-string. Both strings should be clearly recognizable.

Inter-modulation distortion is a sort of mathematical distortion in that the sum and difference of two incoming frequencies are obtained as harmonics and will therefore build up so called "ghost notes" (these are notes that are not played and that are not in musical relation to the notes played). This can make certain chords sound dissonant as opposed to what we know as harmonic distortion where overtones follow the pattern of 2x, 3x, 4x.. in upper frequency, something that makes the probability of so called ghost notes being produced a lot lower.

The risk of inter-modulation distortion is quite high on Fender amps, mostly because of the working-points of the different stages. Ironically enough some of the modifications that were performed at the factory to reduce the total amount of distortion will, while reducing total distortion, rise the amount of 7th overtone, which is said to be the least pleasing of all.

4. Obtaining the correct treble response on most amplifiers made for guitar the treble-control does not work the same way as on your Hi-Fi, regulating the amount of treble. On guitar-amps the position of Treble-knob will very much affect to bass and midrange and it works more like a balance between bass and treble. In fact the tone stack system as used in most amplifiers is derived from a so called "Baxendall type" Hi-Fi circuit. Treble has been set to full while an isolation resistor often placed between the treble and bass controls is used to control treble (or actually tone balance between treble and bass). Balance is obtained when the treble pot is in it electrical center - that is between 5 and 7 depending on the taper on the pot. Final regulation of treble is best to be done with the bright-switch. The bright-switch seems to work best if the volume is set to between 5 and 7.

5. If the volume-control is set to 6, stage #2 will be fed from highest possible impedance and there will be certain current limitation. Stage #2 will also be fed with as much as it can take without getting some rather odd distortion as feedback (Durchgriff) through B+ tree that is appropriated as the true distortion generator is the stage #3 (reverb-mix amp) Where some peculiarities take place such as rectifier action between grid and cathode and glazing-spikes because of cathode decoupling etc…

6. And so 6, 6, 3, 2 (2x3=6) The Magical number 6.

This is a fairly accurate translation of an article by Bjorn Juhl published in Fuzz-magazine #1 200

Again, in addition to this EQ setting I use a Maxon OD-9 for a little more boost and gain. It sounds beautiful.

 

[jamme61]

WOW, this is why the MKIV drives me crazy. So my MKIV is like having three fenders, in one amp, to dial in, OUCH. 666 the number of the MKIV beast. Thanks for the info.

 

[Blueshaggis]

Hmmm.......you initialy quoted them as saying
6, 2, 6
the last 6 being the mids but now you are saying that
the mid should actually be 3...........ok I'll try it but after
trying out your initial info I have to say it sounded great!
I'll try out lowering the mids even further and see how it sounds.
I started out with a setting of 5, 2 1/4, 8. (treble, bass, mid).
After reading the above about cutting the 240 frequencies or so
I was pleased to note that I had already been doing that one instinctually.
So I guess my ears are in the correct ballpark and that's good to know.
Thanks again for the info. The Boogie is a delicate beast to dial in for
blues ears. It's there though. Cool.

 

[Blue Gilbo]

Sorry about my initial settings mistake, Blueshaggis. The settings in the article work really well for me but I think you could tweak them to your own liking. It's a good starting point though.

 

[Blueshaggis]

No problem. Thanks again for the info.