Obsession with "super V" on graphic EQ????

[dominick9998]

As the subject line suggests, I am dying to find out what the obsession with scooping the hell out of the mids is on these mark amps.

Everytime I see a rig pic and the person owns a mark series amp there is a, what I call, "super V" dialed into the graphic EQ. I'd like to think many of the intelligent people on this forum understand that the guitar is a MIDRANGE instrument. Why 86 the very frequencies the guitar was invented to push?

Having owned a Quad for some time and having spent time with a Mark IV, I must say that one can definitely dial in phenomenal tones (clean, crunch and lead) with a mid spike dialed into the graphic EQ. Has Metallica really impacted the guitar community to such an extent? Or, are these Mark amps running with so much mids that one must dial out some in the post stage?

What do you guys think?

(yikes!!)

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Beats me. I have a Studio Preamp and a Mark III and I think they sound terrible with the big V.

 

[fatoni]

imo a v shape sounds great/huge when you play alone...but behind some cymbals and a bass you get lost very quickly. personally i dont use the eq ever (maybe ported cabs give me the effect the eq does) but i can surely see the appeal. when i first stopped using my eq it sounded blanketed but you get used to it. i see it like how some synth pads or even things like cowbells and wind cimes can make the song but alone are barely musical and relatively stupid and people want to augment what they have...not sure if that makes any sense in hindsight but whatever

 

[scottieL]

mine's set up like a shallow v, with the mid slider just under the middle line. It seems like after that it drops off into thin, scooped metal territory that I dont care for. though I find that if the mid is above center, it gets a bit flubby, probably just depends on guitars, attack, pedals, and taste. like a common poster here has in his sig, "to each his tone"

 

[dominick9998]

Less "to each, his tone" and more "to Metallica, their tone"

 

[edgecrusher]

I agree that scooping the mid slider all the way renders the tone hollow and tinny, but I've also found that I have to scoop it about halfway past the middle line other wise my tone just completely dominates the entire band mix. This amp just cuts through so much, I think a slight scoop works well live.

 

[LesPaul666]

IMHO, a V-shaped EQ curve (to different degrees) is to simulate the curve of some popular British amplifiers, which sound like this normally, like an older Marshall, but with more gain. :mrgreen:

 

[EleventhHour2139]

I agree that scooping the mid slider all the way renders the tone hollow and tinny, but I've also found that I have to scoop it about halfway past the middle line other wise my tone just completely dominates the entire band mix. This amp just cuts through so much, I think a slight scoop works well live.

Lmao! I was wondering if I was the only one having this problem :lol: . Our other guitarist gets drown out quite easily unless I back out just a bit on the mids, about -3 db's between 200-400 hz for my "metal (Lead channel)" and clean tones, and -3 db's on 200 hz for R2. Overall, it makes the amp sound better (IMO), helps me play better, and makes me sit a lot better in the mix. Gotta love equalizers!

EDIT: Almost forgot! I also dump my 60hz and 30hz sliders to keep the low end tighter. Wish I had an 80hz, guess I'll just have to settle with my 120hz and be happy about it lol.

 

[scottywompas]

I use the V EQ setting to get a different flavor. It is foot switchable so sometimes it's on sometimes it's off.

It makes a really easy rhythm/lead setup. With the EQ in, you get some real heavy crunchy stuff going on, then kicking it off for a solo really brings your guitar out front.

Scott

 

[t0aj15]

IMO the V is anything but super, and you'll never see it on my Mark IV for any reason. I can't think of a better way to screw up the tone of a Mk IV then sucking all the mids out of it.

 

[MusicManJP6]

IMO the 'V' aids in achieving a more modern tone. Scooping the mids completely is absurd though! It sounds like a freaking Metal Zone pedal if you scoop them all the way. I keep mine just above halfway between 0 and flat. I crank the 80 and keep the bass knob low. I sometimes turn it off in general - seems to open up the amp nicely for leads.

 

[ryjan]

The only time I scoop the mids is when Im playing alone at bedroom volumes. If you crank it with my 4x12 cab this way it will be so tinny that you will kill stray dogs for 6 square miles! :lol: :lol:

 

[dmcguitar]

well, at least those dogs won't come and knock over your full garbage cans, leaving tons of nasty garbage for you to clean

 

[JT_Marshmallow]

Until I saw this thread, I thought I was the only person in the world who couldn't stand a V curve on a Mark amp. Even though I have the amp set to a mid-range-rich lead sound 99 percent of the time, sometimes I like to come home and get my bowels moving with some metal chugging on my Drop C guitar. For heavy tones I crank the lowest slider and scoop the middle slider just below the middle line.

But the preamp is only one of the points in the chain where frequencies are added or scooped. (Other points being, pickups, power tubes, speaker, etc.) For that infamous Master of Puppets tone, many don't realize that those IIC+ heads were slaved into Marshall power sections. I'm sure any scooped preamp into a really warm power section would sound great. Its all about the other stuff in your rig.

As for my usage of the Boogie 5-band, I agree with the other guys that spoke highly of boosting the mids. For certain tones it just warms and creams it up beautifully.

 

[lerxst88]

I use the V EQ setting to get a different flavor. It is foot switchable so sometimes it's on sometimes it's off.

It makes a really easy rhythm/lead setup. With the EQ in, you get some real heavy crunchy stuff going on, then kicking it off for a solo really brings your guitar out front.

Scott

BTW ive heard it refered to as the "California Smile" no doubt referencing Mesa's plant in Petaluma.

same for me. its either a good "modern/vintage voicing" switcher or a "rythim/lead" switcher.

On my nomad channel 2 can sound like a "browned out marshall" without the eq but with it it gets all chuggy and modern but theyre still the same channel but a different voice.

on channel 3 it can sound really heavy and mark iv-like with the EQ in and its great for rythim because it lets you hide a bit more in the mix and use the frequencies to lend themselves to an overall sound of bass and treble but when you want to solo, click off the eq and the mids push your sound out there and they make the guitar alot more fluid sounding.

To me the EQ is like having another 3 channels on my amp and I find it extremely useful for its versatility.

...and come on, who doesnt like some scooped chugga chugga now and then?

 

[ryjan]

Variety. Its good for ya!

 

[atlst7]

I play a MkIV and use the shallow V as well, I start the mid slider at the center and then take the outer 2 sliders to the top, and the other 2 are in the middle. If i push the mid slider down in the super V position, it doesn't give me a good tone at all. In face, it sounds like muffled or something. I think the super V thing is for metal guys. BTW, the guitar is a midrange instrument.

 

[tiktok]

Yeah, the V gives you apparent loudness when you're playing by yourself. It also makes room for vocals in a pop context. The sound by itself isn't very pleasing, but in the context of the full band and vocals, it can make the guitar sit well in the mix. For solos, turn off the EQ and you jump out front.

On my MkIV or Quad, I always used it as a mid-boost for solos.

 

[MetalMofo]

well i tell ya what...for my mark 3 i put the mids on the parametric at 8, then the graphic eq middle slider is at 25%

i like the scooped sound, but with mids. when it is completely scooped it sounds tinny, but put some mids on the parametric and a tad on the middle slider, with the bass slider almost at top line, the second slider just above half, fourth slider about 75% and the treble at about 70%

haha you all will see the meaning of brutal.

 

[eet fuk]

The most balanced in the mids sound I can hear is when the 750 middle slider is exactly halfway between the middle and lower line. Any lower gets scoopy real quick, but any higher is just too much. All IMO, of course. I used to keep it all flat, except boosted lows, now it's more hard but tamed v. The IV packs a serious low end punch with that graphic. I have several amps with depth/res, and the IV has a slightly deeper punchier focused gut stabbing bass. I don't even go all the way up on the 80hz bass slider, it's on the top line.