Mark VII - Mark VII mode question

[Frog2020]

Hey all,

I currently have a mw Dual Recto that is not meeting its potential as I will never be able to get as loud as it needs to sound good (have the axe fx for more quiet playing and not always wanting to hook the recto up to a load box since the axe is much easier.) I’ve been eyeing the Mark VII as a potential candidate to replace my recto and get my tube amp fix in, and am curious about the Mark VII mode being described as a cross between a Mark and a recto.

I know it won’t be like a real recto, but could it fill that void of not having the recto? Close enough?

I am thinking of the Mark VII combo for gigs/home playing (love the DI out and midi features to integrate Axe FX)

Thanks in advance!

 

[bandit2013]

It does not get close enough to the MWDR characteristic (thinking of the Modern voice, I do not use raw or vintage all that much if at all) since the Mark VII does not have the cold clipper circuit to make that sub-harmonic sound. The reference is the repositioning of the tone stack from a pre-gain to a post-gain position. The tone stack is also quite different than the Recto tone stack. The Badlander is more of a Mark + Recto amp. No cold clipper circuit but it has the Mark lead drive circuit of the front end (like the VII mode of the Mk7) but has the tone stack or back end of the MWDR.

I would consider trying out the Mark VII combo and you should also try the Badlander 50 combo at or around the same time, assuming you can find a place that has both in their showroom. Trying out the amps in person is the best answer to the question. They are similar but a few shades different on tone and character.

 

[endofall]

I think the Mark VII mode shares some of the sound of a recto, however it’s not the same and the overall eq is still different. I also find the VII mode to be dependent on speakers selection (evm12l worked best for me) and still needed a tube screamer type pedal to do the boosted high gain rectifier thing. Last thing to note, the mark vii is loud. At the end of the day it won’t replace a rectifier completely.

 

[Frog2020]

It does not get close enough to the MWDR characteristic (thinking of the Modern voice, I do not use raw or vintage all that much if at all) since the Mark VII does not have the cold clipper circuit to make that sub-harmonic sound. The reference is the repositioning of the tone stack from a pre-gain to a post-gain position. The tone stack is also quite different than the Recto tone stack. The Badlander is more of a Mark + Recto amp. No cold clipper circuit but it has the Mark lead drive circuit of the front end (like the VII mode of the Mk7) but has the tone stack or back end of the MWDR.

I would consider trying out the Mark VII combo and you should also try the Badlander 50 combo at or around the same time, assuming you can find a place that has both in their showroom. Trying out the amps in person is the best answer to the question. They are similar but a few shades different on tone and character.

Thank you for that explanation. I will definitely try to demo them both at the same time !

 

[Frog2020]

I think the Mark VII mode shares some of the sound of a recto, however it’s not the same and the overall eq is still different. I also find the VII mode to be dependent on speakers selection (evm12l worked best for me) and still needed a tube screamer type pedal to do the boosted high gain rectifier thing. Last thing to note, the mark vii is loud. At the end of the day it won’t replace a rectifier completely.

Great point. Do you think the mark vii would be more attenuator friendly since it doesn’t have the global master volume anymore?

 

[bandit2013]

Not sure about the attenuators. Each power attenuator or load box will have a different characteristic to it. So hard to say if it is attenuator friendly.

 

[Doug Doppler]

Great point. Do you think the mark vii would be more attenuator friendly since it doesn’t have the global master volume anymore?

Yo Frog! Daniel at the GigRig (and That Pedal Show) makes an AWESOME box called an underliner. Two independent volume controls that sit in the effects loop that with the defeat function give you three level options that you can control via MIDI

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

Have you tried or considered the 25w Recto/Rectoverb? They sound great and are less than half the price of the VII. They won't gut punch you on stage but if you have a decent sound system or go full DI with something like an Ox box or Captor X and rely on a powerful FRFR on stage, the smaller amps become little champs. I've played numerous shows with tiny amps that I've demo'd for my YT channel and amps that would otherwise not be powerful enough on stage are great with the added benefit of being slightly quieter at the house to the point that I can crank them a decent bit and get good sounds without going deaf.