mark ii vs. jcm800

[GuitarBilly74]

Your Mark II is a IIB right? Would you be able to record a clip at some point? It would be helpful to hear what you’re hearing.

I’m just thinking about how bright the IIB mode in the Mark VII is, way brighter than I would expect from a Mark circuit and I’m wondering if maybe we’re all dismissing an anomalous but explainable observation.

The IIB had a number of sub-revisions and can have any one of three (I think?) circuit boards in it. I don’t have enough direct experience with all of them to say there’s not something to this, especially since you mentioned bright being pulled.



Have you played a Mark amp at all? I come from the 1959 & 2204 camp as well and the Mark stuff blows me away. Totally different playing experience - as you said - not better just different. Owning both pays off because they cover completely different ground…not that you can’t find some overlap.

Any idea which Mark circuit you’d chase?

Yeah I've had a few. Mark IIB, Mark III black dot and blue stripe, Mark IVb.

My favorite was the black dot III. Hard to explain in words but it was the least "creamy" of them. Not sure if that even makes sense lol

I'm considering the new IIC+ RI. It seems to have the extra high end cut that the black dot had.

 

[newholland]

Your Mark II is a IIB right? Would you be able to record a clip at some point? It would be helpful to hear what you’re hearing.

I’m just thinking about how bright the IIB mode in the Mark VII is, way brighter than I would expect from a Mark circuit and I’m wondering if maybe we’re all wrong here abd there’s something to what you’re experiencing.

The IIB had a number of sub-revisions and can have any one of three (I think?) circuit boards in it. I don’t have enough direct experience with all of them to say there’s not something to this, especially since you mentioned bright being pulled.



Have you played a Mark amp at all? I come from the 1959 & 2204 camp as well and the Mark stuff blows me away. Totally different playing experience - as you said - not better just different. Owning both pays off because they cover completely different ground…not that you can’t find some overlap.

Any idea which Mark circuit you’d chase?

yeah, its absolutely in that camp, and super not just like jtmish or even bassman-y.. its full bore krang on top 800 and that full rumble blown out bottom end. itll bust enamel for sure mines in the 8400s, so kinda mid run.

I'll haveta put a mic on it cause it sounds nuts, but this isnt much like the mark iv or later mesas i know and a polishy high gain thing.. its fricken bratty and raggedy but right. theres SO much info on iibs thats seems completely wrong on the interwebz about this amp- i.e. its dark, its murky, its one channel, its unusable without an eq, it pops, etc- but i keep finding none if it applies! i dunno if i got a unicorn- but time in on it paid off

 

[EOengineer]

yeah, its absolutely in that camp, and super not just like jtmish or even bassman-y.. its full bore krang on top 800 and that full rumble blown out bottom end. itll bust enamel for sure mines in the 8400s, so kinda mid run.

I'll haveta put a mic on it cause it sounds nuts, but this isnt much like the mark iv or later mesas i know and a polishy high gain thing.. its fricken bratty and raggedy but right. theres SO much info on iibs thats seems completely wrong on the interwebz about this amp- i.e. its dark, its murky, its one channel, its unusable without an eq, it pops, etc- but i keep finding none if it applies! i dunno if i got a unicorn- but time in on it paid off

Yeah let us know when you get a recording. FWIW (and I hope I’m not adding to IIB misinformation here), as I recall the IIB gets hairier and more aggressive towards the end of the run. I believe it’s the switch to the RP-9C board that marks that change but there’s also a “loop mod” that has been done on some number of IIB amps that also ramps up the aggression.

 

[newholland]

Quick test! Soundcloud link right theres!

Here's an off the cuff whip through-- maybe you'll think I'm nuts-- I dunno!

 

[la szum]

see, thats what i thought as well- naw impossible- but thats where it gets weird to me, and why i even mentioned it.

the point of overlap ONLY seems to be when an 800 is basically dimed out- otherwise, they ARE more or less kerrang city. i think everybodys heard that sound a jillion times, right? maybe not 100% full bore... but close- they kinda round out to my ears

but here the quirk- and its probably NOT how most people run mesas- at least on my iib- if you run the lead channel gain full out with the presence essentially dimed, t/m/b maybe 6-7/6-7/1ish... i'll run v1 around 6-7, still have a clean channel to switch to and i get.. this super un mesa like sound with a telecaster.

most definitely NOT the mesa smooth midhonk and absolutely not a metal tone, which i thought was always there too. thats why i even mentioned it cause i didnt know it DID that until recently!

running a pair of evms.

(hides face at seeming crazy )

Hell yeah! Fucking run with it and draw your own conclusions I say.

I am all about unorthodox and non-stereotypical methods of dialing in amps
and chasing tones. Way too many of us default to the tried and true, which is
also the tired and worn out.

Also, 99.9% of modern day guitarists are hyper-allergic to Mids---which is odd
considering the guitar was once a midrange heavy instrument.

 

[EOengineer]

Quick test! Soundcloud link right theres!

Here's an off the cuff whip through-- maybe you'll think I'm nuts-- I dunno!

Man that is a REALLY cool sound. So there is something happening in the upper midrange and top end there that does have some of that Marshall bite, but there’s also the midrange focus that I identify as Mark series.

In thinking the amp does have some extra brightness and then your tele is contributing additional brightness. I like it.

 

[newholland]

Man that is a REALLY cool sound. So there is something happening in the upper midrange and top end there that does have some of that Marshall bite, but there’s also the midrange focus that I identify as Mark series.

In thinking the amp does have some extra brightness and then your tele is contributing additional brightness. I like it.

its really supremely fun i suspect mesas can do this more often than they do, though- cause even my old caliber id run with the presence way high like this to get the most tooth i could outa it.
throttle that midrange

 

[newholland]

Hell yeah! Fucking run with it and draw your own conclusions I say.

I am all about unorthodox and non-stereotypical methods of dialing in amps
and chasing tones. Way too many of us default to the tried and true, which is
also the tired and worn out.

Also, 99.9% of modern day guitarists are hyper-allergic to Mids---which is odd
considering the guitar was once a midrange heavy instrument.

haah... i think you may be right! zero compunction here to sounding raw- and seems like this particular amp doesnt mind gettting mids way out front. but gad, the old internetz trope that these are blues amps, mushy, dark things suited to classic rock... mmm... okay. erm.. i dont do that, and this seems to be workin ok, and it doesnt sound like santana to me..

 

[la szum]

haah... i think you may be right! zero compunction here to sounding raw- and seems like this particular amp doesnt mind gettting mids way out front. but gad, the old internetz trope that these are blues amps, mushy, dark things suited to classic rock... mmm... okay. erm.. i dont do that, and this seems to be workin ok, and it doesnt sound like santana to me..

The default scoop the Mids and V the GEQ robs people of so many great tones.

I bet 90+% of Mark users don't even try anything else. May be overshooting the
"mark" a bit on that number, but I don't think I am wrong.

To have amps capable of such great tones and pigeonhole them into one slot
just misses the "mark" completely in my book.

Good on you for bringing this to everyone's attention.

A lot of chaps would be trying to slap an EQ somewhere on that sucker. Not that
there is anything wrong with that. I love that tone. It's just that tone is not the
outlier, and in need of more eyes and ears in our collective awareness.

 

[newholland]

The default scoop the Mids and V the GEQ robs people of so many great tones.

I bet 90+% of Mark users don't even try anything else. May be overshooting the
"mark" a bit on that number, but I don't think I am wrong.

To have amps capable of such great tones and pigeonhole them into one slot
just misses the "mark" completely in my book.

Good on you for bringing this to everyone's attention.

A lot of chaps would be trying to slap an EQ somewhere on that sucker. Not that
there is anything wrong with that. I love that tone. It's just that tone is not the
outlier, and in need of more eyes and ears in our collective awareness.

glad to do it i couldnt throw the graphic on V cause.. well as y can see... no graphic

i tried to use one in the loop a while back but it didnt really seem to get where i wanted to go anyhow, just kinda added more shit to the mix!

BUT DOES IT SOUND kINdA LIKE AN 800?