Urban Camo & Mark IV ?

[Metalheart]

I play everything from Black Sabbath to Accept to Loudness to C.O.C. also Ratt, Dokken early Metallica. I play a ESP Urban Camo Viper with EMG 81's. If you don't know what it looks like...well a warped Gibson SG is what it looks like. Anyway would a MK IV be for me or say a 50cal. ?

 

[Living_justice]

Mark 4 your better off with mate, can do any style, i found that emgs dont sound good for me with a mark 4, no soul in them just me tho.

 

[Metalheart]

If you watch the new Black Label dvd , Zakk play a couple Randy Rhoads V's and a Dean V with passive pickups. So it is real easy to hear the diffrence between his EMG loaded Gibsons and the V's. To me the solo stuff he does with the passive pickups is awesome! I can't decribe it, but I do prefer it over the EMGs.
I do have a other guitars laying around, a custom Strat with a Dime bucker and another strat with a Little Sreamin Demon pickup that sounds killer. But my main guitar is the Viper,it is the best guitar I have ever played hands down. But I am looking for a amp that I can play Black Sabbath to Metallica,Accept,Metal Church,Flotsom&Jetsomn and Dokken.
Right now I am playing trua Hughes&Kettner 100 watt combo, heavy sound just want to try out Tube amp. had a Bottle Rocket and was blowed away at the sounds. What Amp for me?

 

[Antoine]

My Music Man LUKE guitar has got EMG, 2 singles SLV and a Humbucker 85, it sounds incredible throught my MarkIV !

 

[Russ]

I have a Les Paul with EMGs in it and a couple Les Pauls with passives. The sounds are different between the two. Both sound good for what would sound good using the sounds for if that makes any sense. I like the high output of the EMGs but I also like the tone of the passives. High output pickups like the 500t in an explorer or v sound great too. Medium output pickups like the 498t in the Les Paul and 490t in an SG sound good too. I guess it all comes down to what you want to play and what you want to play it with. Look at your examples, I am sure Zakk could play anything he wants. I am also sure that no matter what he plays he sounds relatively the same. Really pickup selection and tone wood selection will depend upon what you are playing. The shape of the guitar is purely aesthetic.

The Mark IV is just an incredible amp. It is very versatile and very controllable. The 50 cal is a fun amp too. I played one the other day. I still like my Mark IV better though. Some prefer the Mark IV to the 50cal and others prefer the 50 cal. Go play them both but be sure to give them both enough time to show you what they can do. One thing that I like to do when I check out an amp is to play it as clean as I ever would want to then adjust it as dirty as I would ever want it also. I do this for every channel. Then if there are shared settings then I see what they sound like and how much they interact between the channels. This allows you to see the many faces of the amp. From the bands that you selected to reference it sounds more to me that you might prefer a Marshall. (I know this is a Boogie Board... try not to flame this) Realistically, I am more about picking the right weapon to bring than trying to be tunnel visioned. The best way to get the sounds of a certain guitar tone is to use what was used. For the most part, the musicians that you referenced used Marshalls like most of the rest during the 80s metal years. It is kind of like the modern sound being Rectifier dominated. I know that there are a lot of bands out there using other gear but to get the majority of the common sounds you need to have that Rectifier sound. If you want a Boogie that sounds more like a Marshall, look to the Stilettos. I am not saying that Mark IVs cannot do it because they can. I am not saying that 50cals can't either because I suppose you could make passing tones with it also. What I am trying to suggest is that it is easier to get those sounds from a Stiletto rather than a Mark IV or a 50cal and even the easiest way is with a Marshall. You might not get as many tones out of a Stiletto as you would out of a Mark IV but I am hoping that you are getting my drift here.

When I play Sabbath I like to use my JMP. I also like my JMP for older hard rock and metal. I like my 2210 for thrash metal. I use my Mark IV when I need to cover a lot of ground or when I am playing more modern stuff. I like the cleans of the Mark IV better than the kind of furry clean of the Marshalls if you could ever call a Marshall clean a clean. I like how the Mark IV can have some bottom to it and yet remain tight. I still need to pick up a Rectifier to do the newer stuff well because the Mark IV doesn't have the sag of the Rectifier nor as much bottom.

 

[Russ]

I was just thinking about your post some more in regards to my comment.

I would suggest that you go out and play a bunch of stuff and see what it is that you like and buy it.

The thought of Alex Lifeson from Rush having played all kinds of amps with various guitars over the years and still sounding good no matter what he played has me thinking that as long as you like the sounds that you are getting from the gear you have then that is all that matters. Alex is currently playing on Hughes and Kettner but played Marshalls and everything else before. I know H&K can be expensive and just sound great but you have to also consider that if it didn't sound good to Alex then he wouldn't be using it.

 

[Metalheart]

I think Mk IV is what i'am after. I need a amp that can play any style of metal,yes I know a alot of the old school bands I like play Marshals but I also like newer heavier stuff . Hey I'am 38 years old ,been playin for 20 years off & on .Played lots of amps and guitars and never been truly satisfied with any amp. been looking for that killer tone for years,I need a amp that I can grow old with and die satisfied!

 

[scottywompas]

I have EMG loaded guitars as well as passives. Both sound fine throuhg my MKIV. I do love the EMG, EQ mid scoop mettalica sound but I do other stuff too.

Scott