My third visit to the Mesa/Boogie Hollywood store . . .

[LEVEL4]

The Mk IV just IS tighter and more versatile than any rectifier. And the framus cobra? I used to own one, exchanged it with the roadster, and now the roadster is gone and i am back to Mk IV again.. just love it!

Wow! Those are the kinds of Mark IV testaments I'm seeing here over and over again, and what's pushing me to get the Mark IV as well, even though I'm in love with my DC-3 now. I'm trying to avoid the same "round trip" purchasing cycle, except with a Soldano SLO (instead of a Framus). Auditioning a Recto finally cured me of my Framus-itis, and vaccinated me from my 6505. Still have a bit of the Soldano virus, though.

 

[Platypus]

The Mk IV just IS tighter and more versatile than any rectifier. And the framus cobra? I used to own one, exchanged it with the roadster, and now the roadster is gone and i am back to Mk IV again.. just love it!

Wow! Those are the kinds of Mark IV testaments I'm seeing here over and over again, and what's pushing me to get the Mark IV as well, even though I'm in love with my DC-3 now. I'm trying to avoid the same "round trip" purchasing cycle, except with a Soldano SLO (instead of a Framus). Auditioning a Recto finally cured me of my Framus-itis, and vaccinated me from my 6505. Still have a bit of the Soldano virus, though.

Plug a Mark IV into a cabinet (2x12 or 4x12).. set for tweed, simul, harmonics, triode.. crank the output to 3 or 4, set up the lead mode like this:

Gain: 8 (pulled)
Treble: 8.0
Bass: 2.5
Mid: 4.5
Drive: 8
Pres: 7 (pulled)
Vol: 3

...and hold the hell on.

If you think this is darker than a Recto we need to have you in to see a hearing specialist :lol:

When I first demoed a Mark IV it was a combo with a C90 and I didn't think it was amazing, it was good but not amazing... then I tried a separate cabinet and was a believer after 1 chord. A Mark IV is WAAAAY more biting, sharp and tight than any recto I've ever owned. The only game it won't play is the super low throat-punch subsonic bass deal that recto's do so well. Other than that.. there's not much a Mark IV can't do.

 

[Nomad]

BTW L4 welcome to the Dark Side. 8)

 

[LEVEL4]

BTW L4 welcome to the Dark Side.

Thanks Nomad! Yup, I sure caught the Mesa bug, and BAD. I'm about to write the "Apocalypse Now" letter to my girlfriend . . . "Sell the wife, sell the kids, sell the house, and DEFINITELY sell the 6505 . . . I'm never coming back!"

 

[Xqzdust]

For those that asked about pricing: On the Modern era board there a pronet price list as of Feb 08 that has been stickied.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

^Exactly...my Mark IV always sounds like it's going to rip someones head right off....never "covered" or "overly dark".

And just some advice...give the Mark IV a fair run with a 4x12 V30 cab before you rule it out. I had a recto, and sold it for the Mark about a year later. Could have saved myself A LOT of money and frustration if I had given the Mark a fair run first.

 

[LesCarl]

The Mk IV just IS tighter and more versatile than any rectifier. And the framus cobra? I used to own one, exchanged it with the roadster, and now the roadster is gone and i am back to Mk IV again.. just love it!

The Cobra was never really my cup of tea.. it did have one cool feature though, a knob where u could set the amount of bass going through the poweramp if i recall it right, useful thingy...

You are what we call a repeat offender. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry *making circles in gravel with right foot* :wink:

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I would say the rectifier is rounder than the mark IV and definitely bigger sounding through the same cab, guitar, blah blah blah where the mark IV is smoother - I wouldn't say either is tighter, because I can get both sounding extremely tight. They both cut through the mix when dialed in. There's a reason these 2 amps go up against each other all the time on this board - they are VERY different, and both are Very versatile. I prefer the Dual Recto, just because I get my sound out of it. They both compliment each other really well too. I would say the Mark IV's are definitely brighter amps, but they are too bright for me.

 

[LEVEL4]

There's a reason these 2 amps go up against each other all the time on this board - they are VERY different, and both are Very versatile. I prefer the Dual Recto, just because I get my sound out of it. They both compliment each other really well too.

Thanks for your comments. That's why I'm getting both, since I think they will make a nice contrast with each other. Plus, I just couldn't decide between the two after A/Bing them for over an hour in the Mesa store. I think the Recto is a perfect replacement for my fizzy 6505 for rhythms.

I would say the Mark IV's are definitely brighter amps, but they are too bright for me.

Good to hear. As far as which is brighter, I guess I just have different ears than everyone else here? Or probably, I just didn''t have the Mark turned up enough. I think the Mark's upper mids are definitely very well-defined, but the Rectos still sound snappier to my ears. I wasn't able to get a modern metal sound out of the Mark as easily as I could get it out of the Recto.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

blanket my ass

+1 :shock:


Clean the wax out of the ears :wink: