thecek
hey, congrats on the new (old) IIb.
and thanks for checking out the tune, and commenting.....
you know, when i used to gig full time, i just set up the amp for the best compromise between the clean and the dirty channels, and used pedals to do the rest.
since the preamp shares the tone controls and gain between the clean and drive channels, a compromise is the best you can do.
but since i use it almost exclusively for recording now, i change the settings for every song, and every track of every song!!
i do not have a 'typical' setting.
you will find, that the IIb is mid heavy, which depending on your style, may just work for you.
if you have the GEQ, like i do, it's easy to dial out the scoop to get a sound like that, but honestly, i think the whole point of guitar is to fill out mids, and be 'vocal', but it is not the right amp for doing highly scooped rectifier tones.
for solid lead tones, i find that the 7-7-7 setup is pretty close...
7 on the VOL1, with or without the pull, 7 on the treble, again, with or without the pull, and 7 on the lead drive.
the other settings all depend on your volume and individual taste.
for example, i find the bass control farty past 2, so i run it at about 1.5.
the mids, if the treble is pulled, are not as necessary, i'll run them at about 4, but if the treble is NOT pulled, then i run the mids around 5-7.
the Master Vol and Lead master all depend on how loud you need to be...
but there is a very sensitive area between about 1 and 1.5 on the Master volume, where you almost go from bedroom volume to stage volume with barely moving the dial.
this is a problem for some......
i solved it by using an attenuator.
i set the master at 2, and use the attenuator to dial in what i want monitoring-wise.......
for recording.
now, i like the pull on the lead volume... it adds edge and gain.
but it also adds a bit of a 'smear' to the high end......
so you have to tweak this between your gains, your treble settings, and the presence control.
the presence, can go from pillowy soft, to really glassy edge.
finding the right combination of gain, treble, mids, and presence is the key, for me.
bottom line is, spend the time to try every conceivable combo, because there are a hundred tones in there.
for example:
sometimes, i like to use the clean channel, with everything dimed (bass on 3)
then, i'll goose that signal with a Fulltone Fatboost III boost pedal, and i can get really crunchy and fat rock rhythm tones on a humbucker.
other times, i'll do the same setup but drive it hard with a compressor.....
aggressive country-style chickin' pickin, or chimey rhythm rock.
with a strat, it's dirt easy to dial in killer clean tones.
just turn those dials til you find it.
and if you're close, but not quite, use the GEQ if you have it.
but i have found, that the absolute best tone you can get out of the thing, is to bypass the GEQ, nothing in the loop, and crank it up pretty good (master on 2 at least) and work with the amp dry.
add junk in mixdown.
'81 Mesa Boogie Mark2b, 60 watt with GEQ, no reverb
Avatar Vintage closed back 1x12 w/Celestion g12c-30
(1) Roland Closed back w/Celestion Heritage G12H-55
(1) Roland Closed back w/Celestion Greenback
(1) Demeter Isolation cabinet with (3) speaker combos: Eminence Legend 122, Carvin British series or Celestion V30.
Yamaha DG stomp in the fx loop of the boogie.
Weber Mass Lite
Palmer PDI-09 'Junction'
pedals: Isp Decimator, DC brick, Fulltone Fatboost III, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Barber Tone Press, Barber DDSS, Budda wah, Planet Waves Strobe tuner
