Mark IV or Nomad? What up?

[bottleoftubes]

Got the bug to hook up with a Boogie and narrowed it down to two. Mark IV or Nomad. I'm more of a blues and classic rocker, some jazz improv. I like transparent tone, not over saturated. Power tube distortion trumps preamp distortion for sure. 3 channels is the way to go for gig versatility. Any info from you owners out there would be great!

 

[LONESTAR1x12]

bro...I'm a dyed in the wool Boogie guy,...but I have to say that the Nomad is the WORST Boogie I've ever owned.....the high gain third channel is useless...no definition...too saturated....unuseable...I paid for a 3 channel amp, and was using only 2....I learned the hard way.....now bear in mind...if you aren't a "tweeaker"..beware of the Mark 4.....it's an awesome amp....one of the best they ever made in my humble opinion....but you gotta be prepared to tweak that bad boy!!.....as far as comparing the Mark to the Nomad...I don't even rate the Nomad...nuff said......

 

[Grandor]

Ok I agree that the channel 3 on the Nomad is pretty unuseable.
However i voted nomad, for what your saying it sounds like a good choice for you.

I have extensive hours on a nomad 55 and I own a mark IV, the mark IV is awesome for rock type stuff, But i think you would prefer a nomad for your style.

 

[NoGlassNoClass]

If you're willing to spend the time with the MarkIV, I'm sure any tone you could possibly want is in there. While the Nomad is probably more than adequate for the styles you list, the MarkIV, IMO, is the ****.

FWIW the mark WILL be my next amp. Not to replace my Triple, but to run along with it in my live rig.

 

[cvansickle]

I own a Nomad 100 212, but I voted for the Mark IV. I think either amp will be suitable for most situations. You'll have to play both to hear which one you think sounds better. But for purely investment value, go with the Mark IV. That model will ultimately be worth more in the future if/when you need to sell.

 

[t0aj15]

Another vote for the Mk IV. It's just a better amp all around.

 

[zakk615]

bro...I'm a dyed in the wool Boogie guy,...but I have to say that the Nomad is the WORST Boogie I've ever owned.....the high gain third channel is useless...no definition...too saturated....unuseable...I paid for a 3 channel amp, and was using only 2....I learned the hard way.....now bear in mind...if you aren't a "tweeaker"..beware of the Mark 4.....it's an awesome amp....one of the best they ever made in my humble opinion....but you gotta be prepared to tweak that bad boy!!.....as far as comparing the Mark to the Nomad...I don't even rate the Nomad...nuff said......

3rd channel unusable? hardly. I can get some good blues tones on the third channel of my Nomad 45. The third channel is voiced different from the second channel, it is a bit "thinner" in overall sound. However, you can get nice smooth breakup with the gain knob at about 10:00.

Channel 2 is what I typically use for high-gain applications since it is nice and fat sounding. Although, I wouldn't classify the nomad as modern high-gain, it's more of a medium-gain amp.

Although the nomad series of amps are nice sounding and versatile, I think I'd vote Mark IV, simply because it is more versatile and has more features. However, they are also more expensive; but as the previous poster said, it will probably retain it's value better.

 

[LONESTAR1x12]

Zakk...why would you dial in a blues tone from the "high gain" channel??
...just wondering...I know what you're saying...but for my needs the amp was a 2 channel amp in a 3 channel package!!

 

[zakk615]

Zakk...why would you dial in a blues tone from the "high gain" channel??
...just wondering...I know what you're saying...but for my needs the amp was a 2 channel amp in a 3 channel package!!

Well, let me explain my reasoning: Blues/crunch type sounds is what I think the third channel is best at. So why not use it for low gain applications? I bought my nomad 45 2x12 combo, about 3 years ago and didn't really try it much before I purchased it. I was expecting the third channel to be the high gain channel, but I never really could get enough gain out of it to play metal. Plus, it was always sounded too thin to my ears as well. I could never get the high-gain sound I wanted out of it.

In comparison, the second channel is voiced a lot different from the 3rd channel. There is more of a bottom end, and I think it is more responsive to dynamics then the 3rd channel. The third channel, for some reason does sound a bit more compressed and buzzy than the second channel - and that is the second reason why I run it at low gain, since it responds to dynamics better (obviously, and is less buzzy) when at low gain.

So long story short, the 2nd channel suits me better for playing with heavy distortion than the 3rd channel does. It's nice and thick sounding. However, I am currently thinking about getting a new amp, something with a bit more gain. If I don't go with boogie, I might go with an Engl. I'd probably keep the nomad though, cause I like it for what it does.

Take care, Sorry about the long-winded response!

PS- how is your lonestar? I haven't played through one yet but I've heard nothing about good things about them!

 

[overture2005]

Mark IV is one of the best boogie amps ever made. 8)

 

[Nitrobattery]

Mark IV. I love mine to death.

 

[bottleoftubes]

Wow guys, I've never been to a discussion board with such opinions. Right on, I still dont know but I am leaning towards the ?, **** I dont know. I should probably play both really loud before I bring home a thousand dollar amp. Love the responses!

 

[Grandor]

Zakk...why would you dial in a blues tone from the "high gain" channel??
...just wondering...I know what you're saying...but for my needs the amp was a 2 channel amp in a 3 channel package!!

Well, let me explain my reasoning: Blues/crunch type sounds is what I think the third channel is best at. So why not use it for low gain applications? I bought my nomad 45 2x12 combo, about 3 years ago and didn't really try it much before I purchased it. I was expecting the third channel to be the high gain channel, but I never really could get enough gain out of it to play metal. Plus, it was always sounded too thin to my ears as well. I could never get the high-gain sound I wanted out of it.

In comparison, the second channel is voiced a lot different from the 3rd channel. There is more of a bottom end, and I think it is more responsive to dynamics then the 3rd channel. The third channel, for some reason does sound a bit more compressed and buzzy than the second channel - and that is the second reason why I run it at low gain, since it responds to dynamics better (obviously, and is less buzzy) when at low gain.

So long story short, the 2nd channel suits me better for playing with heavy distortion than the 3rd channel does. It's nice and thick sounding. However, I am currently thinking about getting a new amp, something with a bit more gain. If I don't go with boogie, I might go with an Engl. I'd probably keep the nomad though, cause I like it for what it does.

Take care, Sorry about the long-winded response!

PS- how is your lonestar? I haven't played through one yet but I've heard nothing about good things about them!

I also agree on the 2nd channel being the thicker heavier channel, and the 3rd channel being the more blusey channel.
Have you tried EL's in yours? My mate but EL's in and i think the sound quality has gone thru the roof, I really like them compared to the 6L6's he had.

 

[LONESTAR1x12]

Hey Zakk...I really like the Lonestar....amazing clean tone, and killer reverb....nails the SRV tone......not real good at the Metal tone but that's ok...I play covers, so versatility is more important ..and this amp can get a lot of tones...if I need to kick it into the metal zone I use a Zakk Wylde overdrive,(which I love!!)......if you ever get to try one, I think you'll dig it...especially if you like the Nomad....I guess I was a little harsh in my opinion of the Nomad, but...hey...I expect big things from Boogie, and the amp didn't cut it for me..maybe it was because my previous amp to that was a Dual Recto??..big difference..lol...if you check out the Nomad user reviews on Harmony Central..you'll see I'm not alone...

Take Care

 

[zakk615]

I also agree on the 2nd channel being the thicker heavier channel, and the 3rd channel being the more blusey channel.
Have you tried EL's in yours? My mate but EL's in and i think the sound quality has gone thru the roof, I really like them compared to the 6L6's he had.

Well actually, I have the nomad 45, which only runs EL84's.

 

[flightrisk]

I have the Nomad 55 and use all three channels. My strat pickups don't put out as much signal as most humbuckers and that may make the difference. I get killer sustain out of channel 3. If I want to use an over drive pedal for a different tone, I'll use it to push channel 1 or 2 over the top.

I took home a Mark IV head once. Took it back. Too much power, too much tweaking. Too heavy, as I recall. I don't do metal though. Blues rock doesn't have the same requirements.

Each channel on the 55 has a modern/vintage (or something like that) switch. I use vintage (or the equivalent) most of the time. The amp's not in front of me, and I forget their exact names.

I want to try a new PRS through the Nomad next week. I expect I'll have different results than the strat, but I think it's gonna kill. Let's hope.

 

[Grandor]

I want to try a new PRS through the Nomad next week. I expect I'll have different results than the strat, but I think it's gonna kill. Let's hope.

One of my buddies uses a PRS cu22 through a nomad 55.
It sounds killer.
He uses a hotcake for extra boost

 

[LavaMan]

By far the best choice is the Mark IV. I have owned two now and they are great amps. But, like one of the previous posts you have to learn to tweak them, and the new one comes with a celestion speaker instead of the old EVM12L - I found a used one of these and replaced the celestion (this new speaker can get woofy especially when the lower EQ slider is pushed too far up) in mine and my amp sounds awesome!

 

[Atomic.Sheep]

So CAN the Mark IV do metal (or at least come close)? This question is absolutely killing me . Like the way I see the answers to this (basically everywhere) is that people are sort of floating around this question but not actually giving more concrete answeres like yes or no (I know that this is rather limiting, sorry for that). No offense intended guys :wink:

 

[NoGlassNoClass]

So CAN the Marck IV do metal

YES! HELL YES!! Concrete answer two feet thick with #14 rebar! The MarkIV is outf*kin'standing for metal. Maybe even better than the mighty Recto if you spend the time to dial it in.