what to look for

[guitardude05]

i came here in hopes that you guys can help me with purchasing a used mark iv combo. i found it on craiglist for $750, but with no footswitch. he claims to be the original owner, and purchased in '99. from the pics, its not too beat up but there are a few flaws. now im going to check it out sometime this week. i want to know what to look for when testing it out. im assuming a good mark iv will just sound like god picking you up and strangling you. so any tips would be much appreciated! thanks

oh... it has svetlana tubes, those should be okay right?

 

[OverDriven]

$750??? I would be really concerned that something is wrong with it at that price.

 

[guitardude05]

yea thats what i thought, but it is MISSING the $240 footswitch so... idk! thats why im asking what kind of signs should i look for should something be going wrong?

 

[scottywompas]

I think $750 is fair if he doesn't have the footswitch. That's another $300 or so to get one from Mesa.

Check all the channels ( you can switch them from the rotary switch on the back) Make sure there is no noise from all the pots.

Of course plug in and play. Check for weird noises when nothing is plugged in.

Use your gut and your ears.

Scott

 

[Elpelotero]

tubes should be fine...

A word of caution though, don't expect it to "sound like god" by just plugging in and having a go. The Mark4 is difficult amp to dial in.

If you're going for the classic metal sound, try these out:
-bass 2-3
-mids-4-5
-treble-7-8
-gain-7-8
-presence- to taste

scoop the mids out some on the graphic EQ.
Make sure you put some good volume on there to get the tubes cranking.

 

[guitardude05]

yea i will definitely try everything out thoroughly. i know it wont sound like god lol, but hopefully sound as good as i think it will. thanks for the tips, hopefully this amp will be solid b/c i cant really afford a brand new mark iv now

 

[guitardude05]

im going to test it out tomorrow. im praying that it is in good condition. i noticed that it has *i think* what appears to be el34's on the ouside and 6l6's in the middle

now how much of a difference does this make compared to stock configuration? (its all 4 6l6's right?)

 

[devilrob1979]

You actually got that backward. That's EL34s on the inside and 6L6s on the outside. Supposedly you lose some clean goodness but get a little more grind on the overdrive. I dunno though since I haven't had a chance to do it yet.

 

[JOEY B.]

im going to test it out tomorrow. im praying that it is in good condition. i noticed that it has *i think* what appears to be el34's on the ouside and 6l6's in the middle

now how much of a difference does this make compared to stock configuration? (its all 4 6l6's right?)

FWIW, the EL-34's should be in the outer sockets, while the 6L6's are in the middle two positions. In the MkIVA that I had, I liked all 6L6's to fatten up the lead channel. The EL-34's gave R2 some much needed "grind" IMHO.

 

[scottcrud]

Get it and bring it over!

 

[guitardude05]

so in that pic, the tubes should be switched around? :?

 

[JOEY B.]

As far as my blind eyes can see, the answer is YES.

 

[guitardude05]

eek.... then why on earth would they be that way in the picture? hmmm... i guess just another configuration, but is that safe for the amp? could it possibly make it sound like crap..

 

[scottcrud]

yes and it could cause the tubes to blow, especially the EL 34's. Download a manual and bring it with you, ask him if you can switch the 34's to the outside...

 

[Boogiebabies]

That thing has 5881's in the outer and 6L6's in the inner. EL's are much longer and skinnier.

 

[scottcrud]

Yea, I think your right, I have some groove tube 6L6's that are shorter than my JJ or EH 6L6's, don't know why I didn't spot that earlier.

 

[JOEY B.]

That thing has 5881's in the outer and 6L6's in the inner. EL's are much longer and skinnier.

An optical illusion created by the STR-425's? It is much easier to see, now that I'm not using my old cheesy laptop (and blind eyes) :lol: . I once bought a MkIII that had the power tubes reversed. It cooked the EL-34's , but after a power tube swap, the amp was fine. Could there be anything internal that would be damaged by someone doing this?

 

[Shep]

That thing has 5881's in the outer and 6L6's in the inner. EL's are much longer and skinnier.

i was about to write that but you beat me!!!

 

[guitardude05]

well i picked it up today for 725. it sounds really really nice in the cleans, but i havent got the metal tone dialed in to what i want yet.

it definitely has 6l6's in the middle, but i cannot tell what are on the outside. there is a little label that says 6N3C. i dont have a clue what they are.

 

[scottcrud]

where'd you get it?