Master Volume?

[LerxstFan]

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new Mark IV head. All is good running Simul-class and Triode, on the Tweed setting - great classic rock tones. The only question I have is about the master volume. I played at band practice this weekend and barely got over 2.5 on the master volume and I was overpowering the rest of the band - which can sometimes be good Our drummer plays hard and I'm only running through a 2x12 w/V30's

My Nomad 45 had less power and I was able to turn the master volume up more. Is it me or are all Mark IV's this powerful? I love the amp, but I didn't expect such a dramatic rise in volume so fast - maybe I'm getting old :lol: Do I need an attenuator so I can crank up the amp and get the most out of the tubes? Any tips or advice?

Thanks,
J

 

[Tfunk Ian]

Yes, they are quite loud amps. Also, it depends on what your channel masters are set at.

 

[scottieL]

You may want to try switching down to class A, this drastically cuts the volume while still being quite loud. Plus you will be able to push the power section more before overpowering your band. Also the channel masters are very useful as far as controlling the volume without affecting tone too much.

enjoy your mark IV

 

[MrMarkIII]

Another option if "Class A" hasn't enough headroom:
If you are careful and run Tweed Power only, SimulClass only, you can substitute 4 6V6's that will take the output down to about 40 (?) watts. This should be covered in the manual.

 

[stephen sawall]

Masters
R1 8
R2 4
LD 4

.... or around these setting depending on gain setting can be very different.

Master 1.5 ~ 4

Most of the time around 2

For some sounds I use a THD Hot Plate and "turn it up".

Around 2 is normal drum set volume.

This like a lot of modern amps is based on preamp distortion and is not necessary to turn up the master. Make sure to try out all 8 poweramp voices.

tweed/simulclass/class A

This is a very useful tone shaping / point of break up tool. When you do this... do it for tone. That is use your ears for the tone you like and do not worry about numbers. It's just not necessary.


:mrgreen:

 

[fatoni]

i run my master for the lead at 0. that way i can crank up the output basically as high as i want (pentode and simul) even though it usually never gets past 6. its not too loud despite the fact that im playing in my bedroom of an apartment but the tone is there. i usually put the mid gain on instead of harmonics when i do run it that low to keep it thick enough for me

 

[LerxstFan]

Thanks everyone. Good to know I'm not losing any tone by having the Master Volume at ~2. I'll try the different power amp switches and lower the channel volumes and see what I find...so many options on this beast.

 

[Tuna141]

To get thicker power tube distortion at lower volumes, try reducing your Ch1, 2, & 3 channel volumes. Then , crank the master up to around 3-4. It really thickens-up the tone.

 

[stephen sawall]

When people worry about the setting on there gear I think they are forgetting 0-10 or the whole range is there. All the way up or off is not wrong at all. Just a matter of taste. There is only one thing that does matter. Do you like the sound or is this "tool"working for you?

And like anything else it is not a bad idea to see what others are doing. Who knows we may learn something ?