The Mark V in general.

[OldTelecasterMan]

After purchasing the amp my initial thought was is this what I really wanted? The sound of the amp was just so different. My guitars sounded so different from what I had been using. I had been gigging heavy 6 or 7 nights a month. I was using a Boogie F-30 doing a stereo rig into the power section of a Fender HotRod deluxe. The F-30 did all the tone and the Deluxe was the other half of the stereo. Not the best but it sounded good and it took away the directional issue caused by people dancing putting my guitar on both sides of the stage and allowed my volume to be much lower. The lower volume pointing at me on stage made me much more relaxed. Low volume levels on stage makes for a great night because you can hear everything much better. I love it when I can hear my vocals and harmonies so well that I can work the mic instead of feeling I have to be right up on it to hear myself. Check this out for vocal mics http://www.optogatesolutions.com/ It cuts your microphone when you are not in front of it.

Side note: In the 80s I once had a gig on a very small stage and my only amp was a Fender full stack (1980s Fender solid state with two 4x12 cabs) I also played keys so it was keys in front of me and full stack behind. I was shoved into the corner of a corner stage (corner triangle stage) The club owner kept telling me to turn up. I did not know you can get sick from music pressure. At the end of the night I was dizzy and actually got sick.

Back to my thought. I never tried to emulate a specific tone or sound when setting up any of the amps I have owned over the years. For me it was getting used to the tone, how the drive interacted with the guitar. There are so many variables I just worked with what I had. Even now with the Mark V it still sounds like me. I'll admit the amp required me to clean up my technique so I didn't sound like a sloppy mess. The "Van Halen sound" is in your hands not the amp. Example: I was in an original rock band, a bar band. We were asked to play for a party that was for an up and coming Country Band. I cannot remember who but they at the time had songs on the radio. So, we played for about an hour and then this band got up to play. I explained my pedal board to the guitarist and walked off stage. They kicked in and it sounded like them. Not close, exactly like what I heard on the radio. My point, tune the amp to what you think sounds and works best for you. You are you and that is what people want to hear. Take pride in who you are. If you play a cover song by so and so, sure play the riffs if you like but be yourself and don't worry about duplicating tone.


Be you.

 

[dlpasco]

I love this! Great stories, too.

 

[jdgebha]

When I first got my Mark I realized right amp that my playing and technique were sounding awful. So much so in fact, I would not want to play it as much as my XXX. In the end I continued to work with it and after about a month I started to see big results with improved playing and greater rewards from it I would never get from any other amp including a JVM which was subsequently sold. I so not see another amp taking its place unless a Mark VI is in the works.

 

[zolimer]

I just got this amp a couple of days ago, and I can get lost in all of the different possibilities with this amplifier.

Sometimes I hear Jimmy page tone, sometimes I hear Petrucci. It really does seem like the possibilities are endless with this amp, it can take you wherever you want to go!

At the end of the day, all it matters is that you go onto your corner and you play your guitar!

 

[abe]

I always say that when I have amps that I like, I make them all sound the same. While I think that if you spend most of your time in channel 3 like I do you have to like the "flavor" of the Mark sound, if that works for you, you can get any tone you want out of this amp.

 

[Mycle]

It's good that we try to emulate our hero's but ...
I absolutely agree with "OldTelecasterMan". Go for your own sound because somebody else already sounds like Petrucci or S.R.V. ...and all of those trying to copy them perfectly are just that, a copy.
I have seen so many musicians get completely taken over by "I've got to sound just exactly like …" or "This amp isn't any good because it can't do …"
I have always just tried to sound the best I can in the room that I'm in and the equipment I'm on, and hope that others translate THAT as "My sound".
Everybody's fingers are different, Everybody's amp is different, Every room you play in is different … I've even had different sound guys make my amp sound different because of where it sat in the mix. There are so many variables that I don't see why anyone would ever be satisfied with only "THAT" tone.
My biggest fear is that I finally do capture that perfect Petrucci tone only to show everyone that my chops aren't as good as his.