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[CorrosiveMatter]

Rolled some tubes to try to make the Mark V 90 channel 2 more to my liking.

Slots:

• V2 - Ch2 2nd gain stage. Only one half of the tube is used and the other just does nothing. I wish Mesa had used the other one as a switchable gain boost or something.
• V3 - Ch2 4th gain stage
• V4 - Ch3 4th gain stage and reverb driver tube

Out:

• V2 - Groove Tubes GT12AX7M. This was their Mullard copy back in the day, but it suffered from reliability issues.
• V3 - GT12AX7M as well.
• V4 - Svetlana 12AX7. This tends to be a smoother, a bit less gainy tube.

In:

• V2 - JJ ECC803S long plate. This would be great in the phase inverter slot but I think one side of it is busted because last time I tried using it, it randomly cut out. I hope the side that works is the one used by ch2.
• V3 - TAD ECC83WA
• V4 - TAD 12AX7-C

The end result is that the amp cuts better and ch2 has more gain and brightness to it, which pushes it more towards the Marshall territory I want out of it. Ch3 with bright switch on is just about perfect for the kind of tone I want, so Ch2 falling just a bit short has bugged me for a while.

I swapped V4 by accident as I forgot V2 and V3 are arranged in an odd way. Lucky accident, because the reverb sounds better to me now.
I think the tubes I had were just too low gain and smooth sounding to work well. Or they're just old and busted, I don't have a tube tester!

I do still wish Mesa had put a bright cap and switch on ch2 rather than the largely useless Mark 1 normal/thick switch.

Could those wishes be modded in?

 

[Orvillain]

Can we stop saying rolled, and just say changed???

/pet peeve

 

[laxu]

Can we stop saying rolled, and just say changed???

/pet peeve

 

[AlbertA]

Can we stop saying rolled, and just say changed???

/pet peeve

But what if he actually rolled this tubes?

 

[laxu]

Could those wishes be modded in?

Probably would not work very well because the gain knob on ch2 needs to go pretty high. Unless the signal going through the bright cap makes up for it.

 

[newholland]

soooo... its not like i didnt know this about the iib, but if you dime the input volume and the treble, and then pull the gain boost (which basically bypasses bass and mid knobs), you kinda get a nice grindy eob to mid gain dirt tone, which rolls off to great cleans, and if you boost it gets ridonculous. i haveta try it really loud yet... but even setting it up this way for just an edge of breakup sounds is killin it for my three gain pedals.

anyone else using an older mark this way?

 

[RGB]

soooo... its not like i didnt know this about the iib, but if you dime the input volume and the treble, and then pull the gain boost (which basically bypasses bass and mid knobs), you kinda get a nice grindy eob to mid gain dirt tone, which rolls off to great cleans, and if you boost it gets ridonculous. i haveta try it really loud yet... but even setting it up this way for just an edge of breakup sounds is killin it for my three gain pedals.

anyone else using an older mark this way?

Can't fire mine up right now, but I'll give this a try tomorrow. First I've heard of this particular technique. I've never used the gain boost in the 40+ years that I've had my IIB.

 

[newholland]

Can't fire mine up right now, but I'll give this a try tomorrow. First I've heard of this particular technique. I've never used the gain boost in the 40+ years that I've had my IIB.

id heard about this being a favorite setting a while ago and the gain boost was always a weird throwback in my mind... like.. this thing has SO much gain in lead.. whats the point? i think THAT is the point. texturally, and feel wise, its a much stiffer amp that way without the mid shift, even though i also prefer the feel of the mid shift set up this way over the lead channel.

curious to see what you think, cause its honestly a pretty different amp this way that i think shines a light on how 'beefed up fender' derived it actually is! that said... its still got its own thing goin on.

 

[Desertdweller]

soooo... its not like i didnt know this about the iib, but if you dime the input volume and the treble, and then pull the gain boost (which basically bypasses bass and mid knobs), you kinda get a nice grindy eob to mid gain dirt tone, which rolls off to great cleans, and if you boost it gets ridonculous. i haveta try it really loud yet... but even setting it up this way for just an edge of breakup sounds is killin it for my three gain pedals.

anyone else using an older mark this way?

Yes this is the Ola Englund method and he's got Petrucci doing it now too. EQ knobs on Mark amps are pre-gain filters, so as the treble knob goes up, the bass and mid knobs become less pronounced. With treble dimed, mid and bass do basically nothing.

This basically what knobs mean on Marks:

Input volume: Put it at 7 or 8 usually. Or dime it, I'm not your dad. Most guys use one of these 3 options.
Gain = Gain
Treble = Also Gain
Mid = Placebo
Bass = Ew, turn it off
Presence = actually treble

 

[newholland]

Yes this is the Ola Englund method and he's got Petrucci doing it now too. EQ knobs on Mark amps are pre-gain filters, so as the treble knob goes up, the bass and mid knobs become less pronounced. With treble dimed, mid and bass do basically nothing.

This basically what knobs mean on Marks:

Input volume: Put it at 7 or 8 usually. Or dime it, I'm not your dad. Most guys use one of these 3 options.
Gain = Gain
Treble = Also Gain
Mid = Placebo
Bass = Ew, turn it off
Presence = actually treble

no- not quite really what i mean! this is on the clean channel! i dont think this would pass 'make it chug' muster


i know it could work dirty- but my iib starts to oscillate with the input gain dimed on the lead channel. i can control it with the presence- but i run that pretty high as well.

not to take what youre saying too seriously- as i know wer're mostly just blabbin- but i havent really found the mid knob on my 81 iib with no eq to be placebo at all. if i run mine up 7-8- it sounds normal and fills in the lower mids where 'bass' usually sorta tapers out on other amps and since 'bass' is kinda... well.. on a mark is ACTUALLY bass and you haveta cut it so hard- its super critical! it also seems to add low treble/upper midrange in a different way than the mid shift.

im pretty sure theyve messed with the recipe over the years though! this amp precedes both my previous mesas by a few years as well, and acts differently for sure!

 

[nightlight]

Just sharing a recording I did of a Mesa Boogie Rectifier Stereo 2:100 into an Axe FXIII.

 

[laxu]

Yes this is the Ola Englund method and he's got Petrucci doing it now too. EQ knobs on Mark amps are pre-gain filters, so as the treble knob goes up, the bass and mid knobs become less pronounced. With treble dimed, mid and bass do basically nothing.

This basically what knobs mean on Marks:

Input volume: Put it at 7 or 8 usually. Or dime it, I'm not your dad. Most guys use one of these 3 options.
Gain = Gain
Treble = Also Gain
Mid = Placebo
Bass = Ew, turn it off
Presence = actually treble

I've got a bit different take on this.

Treble, Mid and Bass are all "gain", just at different frequencies. While Treble is the most influential, the others can result in interesting stuff too.

For example on my Mesa Mark V 90, on the 2nd channel depending on the mode you have to push totally different knobs to make it work.

• Edge: Turn Treble down from noon or it gets too gnarly and harsh. Turn up Mid and Bass.
• Crunch: Treble up, Mids and Bass down a bit from noon. Gain can go high for JCM800-ish tones.
• Mark 1: Treble very high, Mids to taste and Bass almost all the way down. Gain needs to stay in check or it can oscillate or just become extra muddy.

I don't like the "chainsaw" EQ method of taking out almost all the bass in ch2 or ch3. Mk 1 mode is the exception. Maybe if I had a 4x12 it would be more desirable but with a 2x12 V30, 4x10 GB or 2x12 + 4x10 it becomes too lean for my tastes.

At the same time, I keep way more modest EQ settings than many. I don't turn the 750 Hz slider almost all the way down for example. My GEQ curves tend to look less steep too. I like my mids, just get rid of the honk!

 

[Desertdweller]

@laxu I don’t feel it’s “chainsaw” at all. You get a tight Metallica/Dream Theater tone from it.

The first 90 seconds of this video is the clearest, quickest demonstration of this, and from my experience across a bunch of Mark amps, it’s pretty much universal across the line.

 

[laxu]

@laxu I don’t feel it’s “chainsaw” at all. You get a tight Metallica/Dream Theater tone from it.

The first 90 seconds of this video is the clearest, quickest demonstration of this, and from my experience across a bunch of Mark amps, it’s pretty much universal across the line.

Then my Mark V must be an outlier because I've tried these settings and it's very much in the chainsaw territory on ch3 with the cabs I have!

 

[Desertdweller]

Then my Mark V must be an outlier because I've tried these settings and it's very much in the chainsaw territory on ch3 with the cabs I have!

Strange, I haven’t played a V90 in years but I was able to accomplish this easily on the Mark V25. It works the same as Ola’s video on both my Mark III and my Mark 7, and the other Marks I’ve owned in the past too, but admittedly I haven’t owned a Mark V90. I can’t see it being that much different though.

 

[CorrosiveMatter]

Yes this is the Ola Englund method and he's got Petrucci doing it now too. EQ knobs on Mark amps are pre-gain filters, so as the treble knob goes up, the bass and mid knobs become less pronounced. With treble dimed, mid and bass do basically nothing.

This basically what knobs mean on Marks:

Input volume: Put it at 7 or 8 usually. Or dime it, I'm not your dad. Most guys use one of these 3 options.
Gain = Gain
Treble = Also Gain
Mid = Placebo
Bass = Ew, turn it off
Presence = actually treble

Input volume: Put it at 7 or 8 usually. Or dime it, I'm not your dad. Most guys use one of these 3 options.
Gain = Gain
Treble = Also Gain
Mid = Ew, turn it off even with the sliders!
Bass = Ew, turn it off
Presence = actually treble

 

[RGB]

id heard about this being a favorite setting a while ago and the gain boost was always a weird throwback in my mind... like.. this thing has SO much gain in lead.. whats the point? i think THAT is the point. texturally, and feel wise, its a much stiffer amp that way without the mid shift, even though i also prefer the feel of the mid shift set up this way over the lead channel.

curious to see what you think, cause its honestly a pretty different amp this way that i think shines a light on how 'beefed up fender' derived it actually is! that said... its still got its own thing goin on.

Tried it out today and a beefed up Fender is a good description of how it sounds. Sounds huge. Just did it straight in without pedals, but I can see where it would be a great platform...also good for stunning small critters at 50 feet.

Still set mine up pretty much how the "manual" said to start out and it's been my tone for over 40 years.

 

[newholland]

Tried it out today and a beefed up Fender is a good description of how it sounds. Sounds huge. Just did it straight in without pedals, but I can see where it would be a great platform...also good for stunning small critters at 50 feet.

Still set mine up pretty much how the "manual" said to start out and it's been my tone for over 40 years.

hahaha. yeah- its pretty attack mode kerrang
i effin love it. its a great combo with lead gain down at like 4 as well! it mayve invalidated my recent.pedal experiments

 

[RGB]

hahaha. yeah- its pretty attack mode kerrang
i effin love it. its a great combo with lead gain down at like 4 as well! it mayve invalidated my recent.pedal experiments

Just playing around with it a bit and it really works quite well with the lead channel down around 4 with all pots pulled. Picking dynamics and volume knob control are really pretty amazing set up like this...no pedals needed...except I have a G Major in the loop.

Could I possibly have a new approach after 40 years of being afraid to move the controls once I had it dialed?