I'll chime in even though I don't own a Mark IV. (triaxis here) Hitting the front end with a clean boost is just awesome. For years I never knew about it, then about four or 5 years ago I started using a good old TS-9 and have never looked back. (I tried tons of ODs from guitar center and like it the best) This is the "secret" to a lot of guy's tone.
Now I use my TS-9, and also sometimes a Duncan Pickup Booster which is a great clean, transparent boost. I dial back the gain on my amp, and use one or both of those for the rest of the gain.
Even without using them and dialing the gain back into my amp, I don't get the same sound or dynamics that I do using that push. I'm not sure why, but it just sounds great, more crunch, more dynamics, more harmonics, everything. I don't tend to favor using distortion pedals for the boost, as they tend to color my tone a bit too much. But an OD or clean boost is great. My 2 cents anyway!
On a side note, did you see the volume with the Mark IIC+ in those pics, lol 9.5? Alot of the tone and gain you hear from bands, especially live, is just sheer volume, not necessarily gain. And recording is a whole different animal. They may not use a lot of gain but have tons of ways to EQ, and layer guitars etc., making them sound bigger and fatter.
Now I use my TS-9, and also sometimes a Duncan Pickup Booster which is a great clean, transparent boost. I dial back the gain on my amp, and use one or both of those for the rest of the gain.
Even without using them and dialing the gain back into my amp, I don't get the same sound or dynamics that I do using that push. I'm not sure why, but it just sounds great, more crunch, more dynamics, more harmonics, everything. I don't tend to favor using distortion pedals for the boost, as they tend to color my tone a bit too much. But an OD or clean boost is great. My 2 cents anyway!
On a side note, did you see the volume with the Mark IIC+ in those pics, lol 9.5? Alot of the tone and gain you hear from bands, especially live, is just sheer volume, not necessarily gain. And recording is a whole different animal. They may not use a lot of gain but have tons of ways to EQ, and layer guitars etc., making them sound bigger and fatter.
