My IV

[guitardude05]

okay, i posted a while back saying i couldnt get a good metal tone out of my IV combo. its okay sometimes, but i thought maybe it was just me messing with it so much that i cant tell heads from tails. so i take it to my friends house today (he is an awesome guitarist/drummer and really knows good tone). he basically said it sounded like crap for metal... and i'd have to agree. i just cannot get a rich saturated heavy metal tone. just 80's metallica tone and im not going for that. but everyone on the internet RAVES about the mark iv, which leads me to believe that something may be wrong (doesnt really feel like it) or maybe its not my cup of tea.

here are my setting:
gain pulled 8
treb 7-9
bass 3
mid 3
gain pushed 8
pres 8-10 pulled or pushed just depends on the day
usually running volume around 5 for jamming, pentode, simul, full power
eq really goes all over the place b/c im constantly f****** with it but never find that tone. best one i found was a -_ _ _- kinda shape

i know most ppl r gonna say 'read teh manual n00b and read again and do da da' but ive done that numerous times. i cant get a heavy tone, im sorry. i dont know what to do.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Just get a recto :twisted:
Sorry couldn't resist with all the "just get a mark IV" 's around here. These are my setting for hard rock/metal
Gain pulled 8
treble 5
bass 2
mid 4
gain pushed 8
pres 2
ld vol 2
master 2-3
harmonics
pentode
simul
full

geq is in kind of an M shape-
80 a little above middle line
240 top line
750 bot line
2200 top line
6600 mid line

This is my recording/mic'd settings so it might not sound amazing in front of the cab, but if u push the 2200 slider down a bit it's a little better for unmic'd situations. What kind of guitar are you using and what kind of cab?

 

[guitardude05]

its a combo with the black shadow in there. i use a ibanez s520 w/ stock pickups, but we tested the amp also with a jackson dkmg w/ emg's and didnt make a big difference.

 

[holdsworth]

Gain - 8 (pulled)
Treble - 7 or 8
Bass - 2 or 3
mids - 2 or 3
Drive - 7 or 8 (pulled or pushed)

Presence - 0-4 (pulled or pushed)
Lead channel vol - 3
Master - 2 (for room volume)

Triode (or Pentode) | Simul-class | Harmonics

Full power

EQ (very important for heavy tones):

80 - Top line (or just below)
240 - Mid line (or just above)
750 - Bottom line (or just above)
2200 - Mid line
6600 - Mid line

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Definitely try those settings I gave you cause that's with a 1x12 thiele (so u might want more bass with the combo) and a very similar guitar (S7420FM) for those setting in the studio. Then again that's multi tracked with a few layers so upping the gain a bit or switching to mids on the harmonics switch might be the ticket for you too.

 

[rockhound76s]

Don't give up yet....the sound you are looking for is in there.

Don't underestimate the value of experimenting with speakers and cabs. You can have the greatest amp in the world, but your ears will ultimately hear what the speaker & cab put out. You need to use the right speaker and cab for your application.

I would strongly suggest adding a closed back cab with Vintage 30 speakers. For aggressive modern metal tones that will retain punch at stage volumes, I think most would agree that closed back is the way to go. Vintage 30's have a characteristic midrange that just works for metal----Lamb of God, Chevelle both use closed back cabs, and I believe those are the tones you are looking for.

I did not like my open back cab with the C90 speaker for metal sounds. At loud volumes, the speaker started to lose punch, because so much air is being lost through the back of the cab.

Also, there is a vid on Mesa's website of Mark Morton talking about his sounds though the Mk IV. He mentions dialing in more mids for cut.

Hope that helps.

 

[Shep]

try it into a quad box and you will sh!t your pants

 

[Hardtailed]

Open back combo = not metal

As mentionned, try it into a closed back cab (ideally a Recto 4X12).
I can get my Mark IV brutal enough to kill small animals :twisted:

And as I,ve said in other threads on different forums: Mesa, give us a Mark IV with the Roadster 2X12 combo form factor!
(they're closed back)

 

[MusicManJP6]

I third the closed back cab idea. I have a dual thiele setup and it can slaughter if EQ'd right. An open back just won't give you the bottom end you need to palm mute and rattle pictures off the walls. Haha.

Try a thiele cab with your combo and you will be pleased.

 

[fpoon]

It is important to know what pickups you are using. Since you are into metal I'm going to bet EMG's? Presence on 8? Ahhh noob! That's waaay to bright if you want a heavy tone. Try these, but I don't know what cab you have or guitar so these could sound different:

Lead Gain: 8 (pull)
Lead Treble: 7.5
Lead Bass: 2
Lead Mid: 3
Lead Drive: 8 (pull)
Lead Presence: 3 (pull) or 5 (pushed) with different GEQ.
Lead Volume: 1.5
Master Volume: 3
Power: Tweed

Pentode / Class A / Mid Gain or Harmonics

These settings aren't for a band jam so as you raise the volume when your playing with Mr. ThisMesaToneSucksBecauseIt'sNotMeantForMetal you might have to readjust the settings a little.

EQ:

Can someone please tell me how to post a picture from my camera I hate describing it.

80 - Edge of slider on the top line (lower it for personal preference)
240 - Right above the middle line
750 - Between bottom and mid line
(for scooped tone, lower 750 right above the bottom line)
2200- Right above the middle line
6600- Slightly (3mm?) above the mid line
If you want a heavier tone, lower the 6600, sharper more aggresive tone, raise the 6600. It should not be higher than being between the top line and mid line, but it shouldn't be that high anyway.

This should help. If it is not heavy enough, push in the presence on 5 but by doing this you might have to change the EQ. You can always raise the bass aswell.

Try it!

 

[guitardude05]

It is important to know what pickups you are using. Since you are into metal I'm going to bet EMG's? Presence on 8? Ahhh noob! That's waaay to bright if you want a heavy tone. Try these, but I don't know what cab you have or guitar so these could sound different:
Try it!

i guess you didnt read my post about my gear... but thanks for the suggestions. i cant stand the presence that low, theres just no attack! but thats just me i've never like low presence. i think mark morton of lamb of god pulls his presence on 10

dont get me wrong, the thing gets good tone, but its not heavy enough! i guess i really do need a cab. what do you suggest? i hear v30's go well. i'll probly build a theile, but if you think a recto cab is nessecary then i could go for that.

also, how can i check to see if my amp has been biased? it has svetlana's now and im assuming its been biased but im not sure, i would kind of like to throw the stock mesa 6l6's in there without worrying about biasing.

 

[fpoon]

Sorry I didn't notice your gear. The reason I keep the presence that low is because my guitar is as bright as it gets (Alder Body + Set of EMG 81's). They way I pick I guess gives the sound more attack and to me that setting has just enough gain. If you want more attack raise the presence (pulled) or raise the 6600, and treble but try not to raise all three or else you won't get a heavy tone at all. These three areas control the gain aswell. When I got my 2X12 Recto Cabinet (V30's) there was a HUGE difference toward my tone. The first thing I noticed was that it gave my sound alot more bottom end and everything seemed tighter. A new cabinet should solve your problems.

Try these settings:

Scroll down. When you dial it in for the this one raise the presence.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=5098&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

This is an EQ of someone nailing the DT Constant Motion Tone. Can't find the clip right now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/gibson5413/6-12-07029.jpg

I got around 10 other different Mark IV setting pictures I just don't know how to post them from a url when they are saved on my computer. Anyway, I hope you get your ideal tone.

 

[guitardude05]

you can go to photobucket.com and sign up and load pics from your computer there. then you can post the links. i think its unlimited amount of pics on their so its pretty good.

whats the best lookin' cab configuration to match a combo?