Need some help from MKV owners

[screamingdaisy]

Bring the channel master down to around 9:00. At that setting you'll be overdriving the piss out of your effects loop, which is probably why you're getting feedback when no one else is.

Then turn the master output up to somewhere between 11:00 to 1:00.

 

[jc986]

Bring the channel master down to around 9:00. At that setting you'll be overdriving the piss out of your effects loop, which is probably why you're getting feedback when no one else is.

Then turn the master output up to somewhere between 11:00 to 1:00.

+1. I can't see any reason to run the channel master that high. Also, Mark IV mode tends to sound like it has more gain and saturation than the Extreme mode.

 

[jamesfarrell]

Good to know about the power section. I assumed it was like everything else. Low watts for low volumes, push the power section. I don't usually us the extreme setting, I was just messing around with it. Extreme is my least favorite setting on the whole amp. Usually it's MKIV or 2C.

I'll try the suggestions, I have the effects loop in the rear notched at noon (default) which is where I assume it's supposed to be.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I'll try the suggestions, I have the effects loop in the rear notched at noon (default) which is where I assume it's supposed to be.

It is.

 

[OldTelecasterMan]

Ok… I have been trying to keep quiet in here for a few days. I get kinda wordy and I tend to ramble on about anything but here goes. To play with the Mark V at bed room levels I would say you are running the amp with the “Master Volume” way down…Correct? I would bet that this is where your problem stems from. Are you also running in the 90 watt mode? Try the 10 watt mode.

Give this a try. (for bedroom level) On channel 3 in 10 watt mode turn the channel 3 volume off, Dime out your gain, turn your Master Volume to about 25%. Now try and crack the channel 3 volume up enough to be acceptable and then bring in the reverb.

That should probably work.

 

[jamesfarrell]

Well I took it out of 10W mode as others suggested and put it in 90W mode. The difference now is I have the channel 3 volume at 9:00, gain at about 3:00 and I use the master to taste. I just plugged in my BC rich 7 string and it's sounding pretty **** good. I think most of my issue is (this is what mesa told me) is the reverb on channel 3 is different than the other channels, that is it's not as pronounced. Do you guys find the same thing?

 

[LesPaul70]

Bring the channel master down to around 9:00. At that setting you'll be overdriving the piss out of your effects loop, which is probably why you're getting feedback when no one else is.

Probably not the effects loop though - unlike some other Mesa amps, the Mark V places the channel Master after the FX loop.

Manual, p. 38:

MASTER: This control determines the overall output level of each Channel and is located at the very end of the preamp.

...

The MASTER also functions as an EFFECTS RETURN control for the EFFECTS LOOP when the LOOP is engaged (LOOP ACTIVE,
toggle up).

But diming the Master is indeed a pretty bad idea in any case, as pointed out by several posters already.

Mark amps have a really stiff and dry feel to them

Umm, no, not all of them. Just the more modern ones.
A Mark I or a IIc+ (esp. without Simul) is anything but stiff - they are very organic.

Now a IV is a different matter, and the V takes what you call stiff/dry feel to a new level. It seems a conscious design decision, and not necessarily a bad thing. For some styles, you want precise and well defined attack and focused tone. The V offers that in spades.

 

[SteveO]

Bring the channel master down to around 9:00. At that setting you'll be overdriving the piss out of your effects loop, which is probably why you're getting feedback when no one else is.

Probably not the effects loop though - unlike some other Mesa amps, the Mark V places the channel Master after the FX loop.

Manual, p. 38:

MASTER: This control determines the overall output level of each Channel and is located at the very end of the preamp.

...

The MASTER also functions as an EFFECTS RETURN control for the EFFECTS LOOP when the LOOP is engaged (LOOP ACTIVE,
toggle up).

But diming the Master is indeed a pretty bad idea in any case, as pointed out by several posters already.

Mark amps have a really stiff and dry feel to them

Umm, no, not all of them. Just the more modern ones.
A Mark I or a IIc+ (esp. without Simul) is anything but stiff - they are very organic.

Now a IV is a different matter, and the V takes what you call stiff/dry feel to a new level. It seems a conscious design decision, and not necessarily a bad thing. For some styles, you want precise and well defined attack and focused tone. The V offers that in spades.

Channel masters are before the loop, it's the output master that is after it.

 

[LesPaul70]

Channel masters are before the loop, it's the output master that is after it.

In that case, the Mark V manual is wrong. The portion I quoted describes the channel Master volume controls.

(The function and the use of the Output knob is on page 42, and it is consistently called "Output" in the manual.)

 

[SteveO]

Channel masters are before the loop, it's the output master that is after it.

In that case, the Mark V manual is wrong. The portion I quoted describes the channel Master volume controls.

(The function and the use of the Output knob is on page 42, and it is consistently called "Output" in the manual.)

The output master is the knob just to the left of the standby switch. The channel masters are grouped with the tone controls for each of the three channels. Each channel master controls just the output for the channel that it is grouped with, the output master controls everything.

Looking at the manual, it does say what you quoted. I'm thinking that something is wrong there, unless they run each channel through the loop in parallel, and then sum the signal after that. Maybe someone from Mesa can chime in on this...

 

[SteveO]

Looking at the manual, it does say what you quoted. I'm thinking that something is wrong there, unless they run each channel through the loop in parallel, and then sum the signal after that. Maybe someone from Mesa can chime in on this...

I just fired up my amp and tested things out. I have an Eventide SPACE in the loop, which has an LED that lights up green when signal is present (and turns red when clipping occurs). Turning the channel masters all the way down causes the LED to stop lighting up when playing, which means that the channel masters affect the volume BEFORE the loop. So it looks like a mistake/typo in the manual.

 

[jamesfarrell]

I'm a noob when it comes to this, and I understand the need for level in the loop, but what does the loop have to do with the master?

I got the book on my nightstand so I can read up on this amp again for the 3rd time. Gotta stop smokin green so I can retain the info :shock:

 

[SteveO]

I'm a noob when it comes to this, and I understand the need for level in the loop, but what does the loop have to do with the master?

I got the book on my nightstand so I can read up on this amp again for the 3rd time. Gotta stop smokin green so I can retain the info :shock:

Running the channel masters too high puts a much hotter signal through the loop circuit (even if you don't have any effects in the loop). This can cause problems. So running the channel masters lower keeps the loop circuit happy, and then you adjust the output master to get the volume level you want.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Looking at the manual, it does say what you quoted. I'm thinking that something is wrong there, unless they run each channel through the loop in parallel, and then sum the signal after that. Maybe someone from Mesa can chime in on this...

I think prior Marks had the channel master after the loop and that may have been carried over into the writing of the Mark V manual.

There's a few spots in the manual where the technical details didn't quite line up. For instance, my Mark V manual has a section on simul-class that includes how to mix 6L6 and EL34s... which they quickly removed in later editions of the book.

 

[OldTelecasterMan]

My take on it is each channel is its own amp driving into the power section (Output Volume) The reverb is in the channel itself as there is a reference to a drop in reverb with channel 2 due to the architecture of the channel. It would also seem that there would be a problem making the circuit having different reverb levels for each channel if the reverb were to be after the channel volume.

As for the effects loop, it does say in the manual about the EFX loop, “The MARK V handles outboard processing by providing an on-board patch point between the preamp and power section. This loop is wired such that the dry signal is in series with the effected (wet) signal.” This would NOT explain why I had clipping in channel 1 with a chorus pedal and corrected it by adjusting the gain to channel volume ratio. Not by adjusting the “Send” level of the EFX. I tried adjusting the “Send” level with no joy as the clip remained. But adjusting the “Gain” to channel “Volume” corrected the problem when the chorus was engaged. The odd part is I had no clipping problem when the chorus was disengaged. So basically what I read doesn't correlate to what I have experienced.