Need help choosing rack gear for my Mark IV b

[mikexsupreme]

Hi everyone. Recently picked up a Mark IV b with winged-C 6L6s and a VHT 4x12 cab 8) . I play mostly metal and the Mark IV really delivers amazing tone. I was wondering what kind of rack gear or pedals i should consider to tighten up the tone without coloring it or losing too much of the original sound. I currently have a boss gt-10 in the f/x loop for compression, delay and other effects but i'm not entirely happy with it. I noticed petrucci and mark morton from LoG use dbx 266xl compressors. Is that like the staple compressor for the Mark iv or are they just endorsees? There seems to be so many options for noise gates and compressors, i dont really know where to start. Can anybody point me in the right direction?

 

[jaquetapus]

Well, for rack effects, I like my G-Major. It has compressor and noise gate in it, but to my ear my 166xl has a more musical compression. I only use it for cleans though.

-dave