METAL!!!!! mesa wins

[mrt]

what is the best mesa amp for metal, what do you metal guys use, let me know everything, from effects, amps. cabs, pedals,, ect, i'm trying to hard to find a metal sound, so you tell me...

 

[Platypus]

I'd say the Mark IV is probably the first one you should try for current production models. It has a tight ridiculously focused high gain attack whereas a rectifier would be 'bigger' sounding in that it's great for huge rhythm cords but not so great for super fast tracking like some metal demands.

 

[JamesD]

I would also say probably the Mark IV. From everything i hear it is alot more focused and tighter.

 

[mrt]

the Mark IV,, i will have to play one,, i have the recto-o-verb,, it sounds good,, but i have so much rack crap hooked up to it to make it sound the way i want it to, EQ, FX, and more,,, i just want a head that screams and has tons of low end,, and the rect is not cutting it,,

thanks i will check out the Mark IV

 

[JamesD]

I think that you will be happy with the mark IV, let us know what you think when you get a chance to check it out.

 

[Platypus]

the Mark IV,, i will have to play one,, i have the recto-o-verb,, it sounds good,, but i have so much rack crap hooked up to it to make it sound the way i want it to, EQ, FX, and more,,, i just want a head that screams and has tons of low end,, and the rect is not cutting it,,

thanks i will check out the Mark IV

If you want tons of low end, the rectifier will stomp on the Mark IV for that.. above you said you wanted tight articulate tracking, so I guess you need to make a choice there. The MarkIV won't come close to having tons of low end in the realm of a rectifier but you'll see what I mean when you try one out.

Another option might be getting a MarkIV and running it together with your Rectoverb..

 

[mrt]

all right,, i played the mark IV,,, not what i was hoping ,,


here is were you mesa guys will want to kill me,

i went back home after almost spending 1400 bucks, and hooked up all my marshall rack crap back up, jmp-1, marshall 9200, marshall jfx, and the furman EQ,, and i can not find a better sound,, i tried mesa rect-o-verb, it sounds good,, but by the time i messed around with stupid effects loops, and trying to match the ohms to my marshall cabs,, it not worth it,,

i know your thinking why if he had the sound he wanted why would he change?? because i wanted a normal head something easy to move around from show to show,

good new,, thanks to all who tried to help,
better news,,,, if anybody wants the recto make me an offer, or its going on e-bay, OR TRADES

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

Good, now you can go to their forum instead.

 

[RR]

Gee, someone could have steered him toward a Dual Rectifier (Tri-Rectifier) than trying to insist a Mark IV would do the job.

I don't know how a Rect-o-Verb compared to a Dual Rectifier but I know the destruction those Dual Rectifiers could do.

 

[songrider]

Well sound and tone is all in the ear of the be-holder.....

I have owned probibly 100+ amps in my 41 years and I have loved and hated things about all of them. Marshalls,Carvins,Fenders,Traynors, you name it.

But the most constintant GREAT tones I PERSONALLY have heard have come from the 2 Mesa Mavericks I had and the Trident & Dual Rectifier I currently own. And the kicker to Mesa........ They are the BEST folks I have EVER delt with when it comes to customer support.

If I like your music I will buy your record regardless of what amp and guitar you choose.

I have always enjoyed RUSH but couldnt STAND some of the gear that Alex has used over the years. I tried it and could not get a good sound out of it. But HE can and thats what matters.

Ill stick with Boogies..... it took me WAY to long to break down and try one and now that I have I aint NEVER going back!!!!

 

[Russ]

the Mark IV,, i will have to play one,, i have the recto-o-verb,, it sounds good,, but i have so much rack crap hooked up to it to make it sound the way i want it to, EQ, FX, and more,,, i just want a head that screams and has tons of low end,, and the rect is not cutting it,,

thanks i will check out the Mark IV

Here it suggests that he wants a Dual, Triple Rectifier, or Road King. Head that screams and has tons of low end being the key.

Personally, I have done the JMP-1 into 9005 then later a 9100 and I couldn't get an organic tube tone out of it. No matter what I did I could always hear the synthetic nature of the rack even using just the pre and power amps. The analog feel was not really there.

I cannot fathom how that setup could be any sound by which to judge tube amps. I have all but ditched racks to return to simple head and cabinet setups with minimal outboard effects (not racked either).

To be completely honest, I found that the GSP2101 sounded better than the JMP-1 especially through a Marshall VS8008 power amp. In fact, I held on to my setup like that over the Marshall tube rack gear. It gets plenty of bottom and is very tight plus has more effects than you realistically need especially with the ppc210 upgrade that allows for seamless changes and longer patch algorithms.

I am assuming that his test drive of the Mark IV was not at any significant volume also. Not to mention, it takes a while to learn to tweak that amp. That being said, it is not really fair to base an opinion on the Mark IVs performance if you don't know how to use it. I am finding that too many people give up too quickly with the Mark IV. I have played for many years and though I too had a hard time dealing with the learning curve and that amp I held on and was graciously rewarded for my patience. I think of it as kind of like sex. Sure you can get her to make some noise just by fiddling with it for a little bit but truly knowing how to play with her can make her scream and you cannot get this from a brief encounter unless you are ultimately gifted. So with that in mind, it is in most people's best interest to take some time to get to know the amp before writing it off.

Maybe the store wouldn't let him turn it up very loud or for very long. I know that even though I know how to dial in my Mark IV it still sounds kind of lame without enough volume as many other amps do with the exception of SS that acts in just the opposite way.

 

[Russ]

I must admit, I will never sell my Marshall JMP Master Model 50 wattt MkII Lead or my JCM800 2210 but I find that the Mark IV handles metal better in most instances.

 

[mrt]

Maybe the store wouldn't let him turn it up very loud or for very long. I know that even though I know how to dial in my Mark IV it still sounds kind of lame without enough volume as many other amps do with the exception of SS that acts in just the opposite way.[/quote]


no,, i played that thing for 3 hours in there little closed mesa room,, they know who i am up there,, i spent thousands and thousands up there,, i took my rect0 and played the mark IV through the same cab, and i liked the way they both sounded, but my rect0 sounded better for me,,

but with that said,, so right you are!!!! it took me a long, long time to get the sound out of the jmp-1,, alot more then 3 hours,but the rack stuff is a whole crazyer set up, with midi, and tons of FX, i dont know, it seems with a marshall you know what you are getting,, play it for a few hours dial in your tone and you are done,, my jcm800,, i change tones from a nice AC/DC type sound to IRON MAIDEN sound in like 2 seconds,, it seems the rect0 if you look at the wrong way everything changes,, maybe i will keep the little rect0, but you guys will have to deal with me and my post,, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Micah]

all right,, i played the mark IV,,, not what i was hoping ,,


here is were you mesa guys will want to kill me,

i went back home after almost spending 1400 bucks, and hooked up all my marshall rack crap back up, jmp-1, marshall 9200, marshall jfx, and the furman EQ,, and i can not find a better sound,, i tried mesa rect-o-verb, it sounds good,, but by the time i messed around with stupid effects loops, and trying to match the ohms to my marshall cabs,, it not worth it,,

i know your thinking why if he had the sound he wanted why would he change?? because i wanted a normal head something easy to move around from show to show,

good new,, thanks to all who tried to help,
better news,,,, if anybody wants the recto make me an offer, or its going on e-bay, OR TRADES

Did you ever get a chance to try any of the stilletto's? They have that classic Brit power section but have the smoothness and sustain that mesa is known for--it might change your mind-- :wink:

FYI: Im not sure about the other guy that commented on you going to another forum instead of this one, but I personally welcome anyone to this forum that is hungry for productive tone conversations/questions that advance us all in our knowledge and expirience. While Mesa's are great amps, they are certainly not the only great tone machines out there. Heck, if you talk to Mesa they will tell you that. I went through a tour of the factory in Petaluma while I was there and the guy giving the tour told me that he owned a Marshall Jubalee p-to-p head that he wouldnt dream of getting rid of. Find your tone where ever you can get it. The only time we have a problem with non-mesa-ers that come onto the forum is when all they want to do is bash and not be constructive. I dont see you doing that--welcome fellow searcher of tone. :wink:

 

[kramerxxx]

On your RectoVerb, change the tubes...

Put an EL34 style power tube in and switch the bias switch over to EL34, change V1 preamp 12ax7 to a Tung-Sol, V2 to either a Chinese 9th Gen or a Hi-Gain JJ, the rest replace with a good quality tube. I have used Ruby EL4's, SED EL34's, JJ KT-77's, JJ E34L's with good luck.

Put a good pedal in front of the amp with the distortion turned down, the tone at noon and the volume turned up to push the input.

If you have access to one, try an EQ in the loop.

All these things will take you back to the original goal you sought, you will leave your rack stuff at home.

 

[Humbility]

try a peavey JSX or triple X. More gain than one would EVER need....and geared towards metal in the distortion dept IMO. VERY tight distortion. Never hurts to try.

 

[disassembled]

METAL ZONE!!!!!!!!!

 

[RR]

... i dont know, it seems with a marshall you know what you are getting,, play it for a few hours dial in your tone and you are done,, my jcm800,, i change tones from a nice AC/DC type sound to IRON MAIDEN sound in like 2 seconds,, ... , but you guys will have to deal with me and my post,, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

=> instant gratification, yup, MESA are not known to get "instant gratification" if you have them in some biazzare settings. You need to tweak them, a trade-off for versatilty. So your statement makes sense. :wink:

 

[mrt]

ok i'm going to try to answer all of you in a row, here it goes,,,

1 Micah,, i didn't play the stilletto, i played the mark IV, the double and triple rect head,, a nomad 100w head, in the mesa,, i didn't see the stilletto, i am not going to quite mesa,, i think i need some time to mess with rec0, and i think that other guy was kidding about going the marshall forums? the reason i might keep it and the only reason IS BECAUSE OF ALL YOUR GUYS HELP!!!!!

2. kramerxxx i did change all the tubes, to jj's,, and i did have a EQ hooked up to it, like i said i had a ton of stuff hooked up to it, and it did have the sound i wanted,,, but i wanted something simple, not something where i have to mess around with a ton of wires,, but i will tell you i hooked a BBE up to the little rect0, holy crap,, for get the EQ, thanks

3. Humbility,,, i did play the JSX,, WOW great sound,, but i cant be seen on stage with a peavey,LOL,,,

4 RR,, at least we both think the same.. about marshall's,,

thanks,,, i will keep messing around with the mesa,, there is a reason why huge guitar players use them,, i just gota find why, thanks again, tony

 

[macmax]

Mark Iv is your answer

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=147856

enjoy