Most Convincing Mark IIC+ setting?

[theroan]

I know that none of the Mark IIC+ owners will say they've nailed it with a Mark V. But seeing as how the Mark V is all I own, any suggestions on settings to get me close al a Master of Puppets?

 

[Azrehan]

1 - Put on the cd.

2 - Turn on your amp.

3 - Turn the dials until it sounds right.

4 - Hug your Kirk Hammett blow up doll.

 

[jressell]

As helpful as Azrehan was.... try this:

Gain: 3:30
Master: 3:00
Treble: 3:30
Mid: 7:30
Bass: 9:30
Bright setting
EQ:
80hz, almost top
240, just above mid
750, bottomed out
2200, just above mid
6600, almost top
Output, 9:00 - 11:00
Triode

 

[metal190]

I own both. I don't dial them the same way to get them to sound the same (you can't really, as there are different options on each). But I can get them close enough that only a very select crowd would be able to BARELY distinguish the difference in an actual A/B test, let alone listening to one amp by itself. I would argue that I can get the amp to sound so much like a IIC+ that without an A/B test I'd be able to fool just about anyone.

But - why would you want to? I would say, yeah, the amp CAN sound like a IIC+, but it shouldnt and doesn't need to sound identical to one. The bottom line is that this amp sounds killer, has a bunch of different modes, and at the end of the day it is capable of making some new sounds. Rather than trying to sound identical to an album from twenty something years ago, I think it's great to sound similar to that sound but blaze some new trails.

 

[dmcguitar]

did you try el-34s? if not put in 2, and then all 4.. then record a few takes.. and post here so we can all hear! err help out.. ahhaa (but the el 34s may help, not sure i dont have a V... but MOP did have marshall power amps.)

 

[Carpdawg]

I agree...I haven't owned a Mark II C+ but I do get kind of tired of all the people on this board that talk about how awesome the M2C+ is as though my ears might burst into flames if I ever heard something else.

I'm sure the M2C+ is great....but I'm sure that when it came out, there were many people that said it sucked compared to the Mark I or Mark II or anything else up to that point.

People who get so defensive about the "good ole days" trip me out....I'm sure in 1980, they were saying that only amps made in 1965 were the only ones worth owning...

 

[EtherealWidow]

as though my ears might burst into flames if I ever heard something else.

That would be sweet to have to lube your ears up with Vasoline before playing. The disclaimer pics would be funny too.

People who get so defensive about the "good ole days" trip me out....I'm sure in 1980, they were saying that only amps made in 1965 were the only ones worth owning...

Yeah and when the MKVI comes out it'll be the same story about how the extreme mode isn't as good.

 

[EtherealWidow]

I was told by Mesa that you cannot run 2 X EL34's and 2 X 6L6's in the Mark V...?

'fraid you can't. Gotta be all or nothing. The bias switch on the back is either one or the other. The only way you could run 2 different power tubes thru it is if you bought some yellow jackets and put them on the OUTSIDE tubes as those ones are the only ones running in class A/B. Those would be EL84's and the whole amp would be running in Class A. I would love to see someone try it.

 

[Shang Chi 66]

I agree...I haven't owned a Mark II C+ but I do get kind of tired of all the people on this board that talk about how awesome the M2C+ is as though my ears might burst into flames if I ever heard something else.

I'm sure the M2C+ is great....but I'm sure that when it came out, there were many people that said it sucked compared to the Mark I or Mark II or anything else up to that point.

People who get so defensive about the "good ole days" trip me out....I'm sure in 1980, they were saying that only amps made in 1965 were the only ones worth owning...

Thank you! This is what I,ve been saying for awhile now.

The IIC+ is a marvelous amp, an iconic amp, that has stood the test of time.

But, let,s judge the Mark 5 on it,s merits, and we really won,t be able to put this amp in it,s proper perspective until it,s been around for twenty years or so, and has (or has not) established it,s own place in amp history.

As far as how close it,s modes are to it,s predecessors...I can,t vouch for feel, because I,ve never played other Marks...

however, I,ve heard quite afew A/B "test" comparisons the last month, and to my ears, they,re so similar that unless you,re nit-picking and listening for the slightest nuance(s) to point out, the difference is so small, it falls under the category of, "does it really matter?"

metal190 has both, and he,s not the first person who owns both to say the difference is miniscule...good enough to put it to rest for me!

Not that I actually cared anyhow. The Mark 5 is the Mark 5 , and it,s a whupass amp for here & now...let,s move forward shall we!?

 

[metal190]

I agree...I haven't owned a Mark II C+ but I do get kind of tired of all the people on this board that talk about how awesome the M2C+ is as though my ears might burst into flames if I ever heard something else.

I'm sure the M2C+ is great....but I'm sure that when it came out, there were many people that said it sucked compared to the Mark I or Mark II or anything else up to that point.

People who get so defensive about the "good ole days" trip me out....I'm sure in 1980, they were saying that only amps made in 1965 were the only ones worth owning...

Thank you! This is what I,ve been saying for awhile now.

The IIC+ is a marvelous amp, an iconic amp, that has stood the test of time.

But, let,s judge the Mark 5 on it,s merits, and we really won,t be able to put this amp in it,s proper perspective until it,s been around for twenty years or so, and has (or has not) established it,s own place in amp history.

As far as how close it,s modes are to it,s predecessors...I can,t vouch for feel, because I,ve never played other Marks...

however, I,ve heard quite afew A/B "test" comparisons the last month, and to my ears, they,re so similar that unless you,re nit-picking and listening for the slightest nuance(s) to point out, the difference is so small, it falls under the category of, "does it really matter?"

metal190 has both, and he,s not the first person who owns both to say the difference is miniscule...good enough to put it to rest for me!

Not that I actually cared anyhow. The Mark 5 is the Mark 5 , and it,s a whupass amp for here & now...let,s move forward shall we!?

+1. Well put, folks.

 

[Azrehan]

as though my ears might burst into flames if I ever heard something else.

That would be sweet to have to lube your ears up with Vasoline before playing. The disclaimer pics would be funny too.

People who get so defensive about the "good ole days" trip me out....I'm sure in 1980, they were saying that only amps made in 1965 were the only ones worth owning...

Yeah and when the MKVI comes out it'll be the same story about how the extreme mode isn't as good.

Ahaaha. We will all be old rockers and be all righteous about the MarkV and how they don't make amps like they did in the good ol' 2000's. :lol:

 

[Iconoclysm]

1 - Put on the cd.

2 - Turn on your amp.

3 - Turn the dials until it sounds right.

4 - Hug your Kirk Hammett blow up doll.

Wouldn't this be more in reference to Hetfield?

 

[Silverwulf]

Yeah and when the MKVI comes out it'll be the same story about how the extreme mode isn't as good.

I'm sure it will be the same thing..."Holy Crap, the Mark VI sucks! The Mark V was much better!"

Hasn't this been the trend with Mark amps for the last 30 years? The III comes out and "It's not as good as the IIC+!" The IV comes out and "It's too complicated and compressed compared to the III and IIC+!" The V comes out and "ZOMG! This amp sucks compared to the others!"

This has been the trend for 30 years now, so I don't know why it comes as a surprise to hear people complaining about the brand new V.

 

[theroan]

Wow, 13 repsonses and one setting lol. Believe me for my own music, Extreme is where it's at. I just wanted to satisfy my own curiousity about the debate between the V and IIC+ owners. And for rocking out to old Metallica.

 

[lesterpaul]

I just wanted to satisfy my own curiousity about the debate between the V and IIC+ owners. .

we did a comparison with ...a few-check out Vintage amps section-I own both, and the report is non-biased
after a few days of side by sides, the C+ mode should be called the C+ non eq mode
-the IV mode has the larger coupling cap(like the eq/C+), and its gets closer to the C+ geq model,albeit a little darker
-it is exactly as the manual states-if you like the "urgent" ,tighter tone of the non eq C+, like DW, then its here...if you prefer the more popular C+ geq tone, your best bet is IV mode-it is subtle,and can only be experienced by having them side by side,as equal as possible
..btw, I do run a blend of el34/6L6's(didnt for testing purposes).....just keep her in 6L6 mode..why??time to do your Boogie homework, kiddies!

 

[mystidream]

I just wanted to satisfy my own curiousity about the debate between the V and IIC+ owners. .

we did a comparison with ...a few-check out Vintage amps section-I own both, and the report is non-biased
after a few days of side by sides, the C+ mode should be called the C+ non eq mode
-the IV mode has the larger coupling cap(like the eq/C+), and its gets closer to the C+ geq model,albeit a little darker
-it is exactly as the manual states-if you like the "urgent" ,tighter tone of the non eq C+, like DW, then its here...if you prefer the more popular C+ geq tone, your best bet is IV mode-it is subtle,and can only be experienced by having them side by side,as equal as possible
..btw, I do run a blend of el34/6L6's(didnt for testing purposes).....just keep her in 6L6 mode..why??time to do your Boogie homework, kiddies!

I thought the V couldn't run two 6L6's and two EL-34's? I called Marcus at Mesa the other day and he told me "we originally thought you could run a combination of both, but now we realize that you can't".

Have you had any negatives happening while running the combination of the two? I'd like to put two 34's in mine, but I don't want to mess it up or anything.

 

[Silverwulf]

Well, since it's fixed bias, I would assume that if you got some 34's that fit within a reasonable range of the bias in 6L6 Mode...

I've ran spec'd 6L6's in EL34 mode on my Rectos before with no probs. Please don't try this at home though unless you know what you're doing. I don't want to get PM's with people saying they blew up their amps and blaming me... :lol: