The 'Variac' setting is just fantastic!!!

[Deaj]

Yeah, I know I'm late to the party on this. And I have spent a little time playing with the power switch set ti Variac up to this point. I just finally took the time to pay attention to the differences between the standard power on and Variac settings. The change in response is more significant than it sounds / feels at first. Both are very useful and sound great! Full voltage feels immediate, urgent in response. Variac is a bit more relaxed and forgiving and changes the texture of the attack. I'll be playing around with this more over the next week or so. As others have suggested to me Variac is especially cool in the Channel 2, Crunch mode!

 

[MusicManJP6]

I prefer Variac over Full power 9 days out of 10. It just feels and sounds smoother to my ears. Even when I had my Roadster I preferred the Spongy power setting. Crunch mode in 45w/Variac is great! It's nice to have so many options to fit my varying tonal moods from day to day. I've yet to sit down with my V and leave disappointed in the tone. That says alot because I listen to ALL KINDS of music. Whatever I listened to last is the tone that sticks in my head and I'm always able to dial up that tone from the amp.

 

[Deaj]

I've yet to sit down with my V and leave disappointed in the tone.

This has been the case for me as well. I too find it easy to dial in a tone appropriate for just about any style, any genre and I've been able to nearly duplicate many favorite recorded tones as well. The MkV is somewhat like an all tube modeler in this way. Amazing amp!

So far I seem to prefer the feel of the fast attack of the full voltage setting (strange given that I'm not a fast player at all) over the Variac setting. This could change though as I really dig the texture of the attack when set to Variac. It's great to have both! I can definitely see this choice being a mood/vibe thing based on my approach to the instrument on any given day.

My Fuchs ODS has a 'Sag' setting on the power switch that swaps the choke out for a power resistor (change in B+ voltage is nominal if any). The power resistor does indeed impart some sag to the attack and the feel of the amp in general. The choke is faster, more immediate. This said both settings on the Fuchs are more subtle in difference than the two power settings in the Mark V (full voltage is faster than the choke setting on the Fuchs, Variac is spongier than the Sag setting on the Fuchs).

The Fuchs ODS has one voicing with a lot of variables to tweak its tone and response. Within this voicing there really is a lot of flexibility. I have been very happy using it exclusively for everything except hard rock to metal tones (it'll cop these tones with pedals but it's a bit too polite for these styles on its own). This amp is what electric guitar sounds like in my head. It's just right in every detail. That came at a price of course - the amp was quite expensive and at additional cost I've since had it tuned to respond just the way I want it to and had some factory mods added as well. The MkV has its own voicings that work easily as well as the Fuchs in any style/genre for which it is well suited and then covers a whole lot more sonic territory beyond this. It's not as dialed in to me specifically as the Fuchs is but it's **** close right off the dealer floor! At this point I can't see ever doing without either amp.

I'm looking forward to getting home and playing with the Variac setting some more. Very cool feature!

 

[4406cuda]

I played a 4 set show with my band on Saturday and used the variac setting the whole night. We play 90's hard rock and I love the spongy feel that the variac setting provides.

 

[lucidology]

Actually was shocked by how spongy of a feel the V setting does change up things...
Not sure it's something I would use for the styles I play...
when comping I incorporate a lot of attack nuance with my right hand...

But will fool around with it a bit to see if it's useful or not for the 'feel' of my particular style(s)..

 

[SteveO]

Channels 1 and 3 are what made the Mark V follow me home one day, channel two/crunch/variac is the reason why it has been sitting right next to the couch in the living room for two months.

 

[Mauler]

I think that alot of these people who grabbed this amp then got rid of it without really exploring the tonal possibilitys are missing out on alot of it. The ease of use of this amp is amazing, I had a friend over tonight who was playing and I was able to tune the amp to his playing to get the exact tone he wanted, as our pick attacks are very different and his chops being better than mine were able to hammer things out with gain maxed in extreme mode and it was so amazing to hear someone else play around while I messed with the eq and sliers to see what tones I could get. Variac to me though is more of a day to day thing, as sometimes I have loved it and others I thought it sounded weak, but that could be due to numerous factors.

 

[fuzzgod]

what crazy person would get the ole MkV and send it back??!!!

 

[smd24fan]

I too have converted to the Variac power setting. SPONGY BABY!!!

 

[JimmyB]

what crazy person would get the ole MkV and send it back??!!!

Ummm... me, perhaps? :wink: But then I've always said: sane people are boring! :lol:

Technically, it didn't get "sent back"... one of our esteemed members here now owns it. :mrgreen: