MESA MARK IIC+ REISSUE - FULL DEMO

[Racerxrated]

You are correct. If you compare a G model to a no-G model with a GEQ or PEQ in the loop, the factory G amp will sound better unless maybe you're using a vintage Boss GE-10. The Boogie 5 band pedal like all the others aren't using big voltage like the OG and the Boss, and they just aren't as good. Kind of processed sounding.

However, if you take a G amp with the G off vs. a no-G amp, and dial in an appropriate tone, most of the time (hey they're all a little different) the no-G amp will win. For example. the DR C+ I had had this liquid sustain that on certain notes would literally never fade out. I could hold the note for an hour if I wanted to. Best Mark lead tone I've had.

In fact, one of my measures for a Mark II or III is to see how it sounds with the G off. Many of them are boxy which is no good. Many of them however are killer, and after playing for 5 minutes you'd never miss the G. These are the good ones.

I had one example, a 2C S. Like a goose playing a Kazoo....No thanks. GEQ for me. Unless I could play it first. The fast response was very cool; amp played itself.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Thanks for sharing guys! Found my account!

Dude, you have singlehandedly saved that amp's marketing campaign.

As always, you made that thing kick serious ass.

Gibson needs to hire you for demos!

Welcome back.

 

[nightlight]

Dude, you have singlehandedly saved that amp's marketing campaign.

As always, you made that thing kick serious ass.

Gibson needs to hire you for demos!

Welcome back.

This YTer also thinks so.



It's the video Kyel was scared to make.

But didn't Gibson hire Ola for the demo? Or did he buy the amp and demo it himself?

That kind of defeats the theory someone floated about Gibson sending Ola a special amp though.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but can anyone replicate Ola's settings and report? I noted that the master volume and lead volume are now high and the treble and volume/gain are almost dimed.

Incredible. Maybe there are good ones and bad RIs out there. What's the serial number? Can we identify the batch or something?

 

[angelspade]

This YTer also thinks so.



It's the video Kyel was scared to make.

But didn't Gibson hire Ola for the demo? Or did he buy the amp and demo it himself?

That kind of defeats the theory someone floated about Gibson sending Ola a special amp though.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but can anyone replicate Ola's settings and report? I noted that the master volume and lead volume are now high and the treble and volume/gain are almost dimed.

Incredible. Maybe there are good ones and bad RIs out there. What's the serial number? Can we identify the batch or something?

I still think that shred mode on the JP2C (no external boost) sounds absolutely killer.

 

[Speeddemon]

But didn't Gibson hire Ola for the demo? Or did he buy the amp and demo it himself?

That kind of defeats the theory someone floated about Gibson sending Ola a special amp though.

Ola mentioned in the video text that Gibson sent him the amp as a loaner. He didn't buy it himself.

 

[nightlight]

Ola mentioned in the video text that Gibson sent him the amp as a loaner. He didn't buy it himself.

Which brings us back to the question: does the amp oscillate at higher master settings?

A master volume at 2 or 3 is really low. I hear string noise in my room at those volumes.

Is the amp usable at higher volumes? Or do you have to keep the master volume of a 100-watt amp at maybe 20 watts to prevent squealing?

Which is what everyone really should want to know. I don't want to pay $3.6k for something that squeals like that.

I had a Victory Kraken that did the same thing and I reported it on multiple forums.

 

[PhilC]

Which brings us back to the question: does the amp oscillate at higher master settings?

A master volume at 2 or 3 is really low. I hear string noise in my room at those volumes.

Is the amp usable at higher volumes? Or do you have to keep the master volume of a 100-watt amp at maybe 20 watts to prevent squealing?

Which is what everyone really should want to know. I don't want to pay $3.6k for something that squeals like that.

I had a Victory Kraken that did the same thing and I reported it on multiple forums.

Master at 2-3 on my OG iic+ HG (lead master at 4) is more than loud enough to hang with an aggressive drummer. It’s painfully loud in the room at that level. No idea on the RI but I’d assume similar. When you say master at 2-3 is really low and you hear string noise in the room, what amp are you referring to?

 

[Racerxrated]

This YTer also thinks so.



It's the video Kyel was scared to make.

But didn't Gibson hire Ola for the demo? Or did he buy the amp and demo it himself?

That kind of defeats the theory someone floated about Gibson sending Ola a special amp though.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but can anyone replicate Ola's settings and report? I noted that the master volume and lead volume are now high and the treble and volume/gain are almost dimed.

Incredible. Maybe there are good ones and bad RIs out there. What's the serial number? Can we identify the batch or something?

Ola's gain level looked to be around 6-7...which is right at the max I would dial my C+s. Boosting, I'd drop the gain to 3,4. He dials it very close to where I did, with both Vol 1 and Treble dimed and pulled.
Gain above that, 8-10, didn't sound very good and was super smeared. So I can't understand anyone in the first few 'squeal' demos, ever liking the tone with the gain dimed.

 

[harddriver]

Ola's gain level looked to be around 6-7...which is right at the max I would dial my C+s. Boosting, I'd drop the gain to 3,4. He dials it very close to where I did, with both Vol 1 and Treble dimed and pulled.
Gain above that, 8-10, didn't sound very good and was super smeared. So I can't understand anyone in the first few 'squeal' demos, ever liking the tone with the gain dimed.

 

[RedB4Black]

This YTer also thinks so.



It's the video Kyel was scared to make.

But didn't Gibson hire Ola for the demo? Or did he buy the amp and demo it himself?

That kind of defeats the theory someone floated about Gibson sending Ola a special amp though.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but can anyone replicate Ola's settings and report? I noted that the master volume and lead volume are now high and the treble and volume/gain are almost dimed.

Incredible. Maybe there are good ones and bad RIs out there. What's the serial number? Can we identify the batch or something?

LMAO. This dude dimes the gain and boosts everything he demos. He's a better player than I'll ever be, but most of the time, his tone is shit. Cracks me up that he's doing the "talk" video (i.e. churn out some content) about Gibson not knowing tone....which I agree...but he needs to look in the mirror.

 

[DanTravis62]

LMAO. This dude dimes the gain and boosts everything he demos. He's a better player than I'll ever be, but most of the time, his tone is shit. Cracks me up that he's doing the "talk" video (i.e. churn out some content) about Gibson not knowing tone....which I agree...but he needs to look in the mirror.

Yeah this is who I was mentioning earlier who said that the JP2C covers all the 2C+ reissue tones anyways ( its a different video)

I had never heard him play before (not my style of content or metal) but yowza! That's a lot of gain. He's not a better player than I am, so I have no issues about saying it, but just... YIKES that's a lot of gain

Is this how lots of people run their amps?? I'm honestly confused because having that much gain turns it into a more black metal sound, but he's into boogies and has petrucci guitars?? Is he trying to go for a modern black metal thing or what?

I've heard this type of thing a couple of times from youtubers and forumites and i'm confused and trying to understand the appeal - why not just get a fuzz pedal or hm2 if you need that much fizz and sizzle?

It seems like it's on purpose, because everything else about the tone sounds good. So i'm semi-sure this is intentional

 

[DanTravis62]

Ola's gain level looked to be around 6-7...which is right at the max I would dial my C+s. Boosting, I'd drop the gain to 3,4. He dials it very close to where I did, with both Vol 1 and Treble dimed and pulled.
Gain above that, 8-10, didn't sound very good and was super smeared. So I can't understand anyone in the first few 'squeal' demos, ever liking the tone with the gain dimed.

Yeah this generally the known "Sweet spot" for these amps correct?

I'm super confused on why anyone would want that much gain on their tone. It's recorded well, and he's a good player, it's just confusing because that sort of overgained tone would completely disappear or completely overwhelm a recording, depending on the level in the mix.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Yeah this is who I was mentioning earlier who said that the JP2C covers all the 2C+ reissue tones anyways ( its a different video)

I had never heard him play before (not my style of content or metal) but yowza! That's a lot of gain. He's not a better player than I am, so I have no issues about saying it, but just... YIKES that's a lot of gain

The Tone Wars guy has talked a bit about this aspect of his sound before when other people have asked him about it. He says it's just how he likes to run his setup. Gain cranked, with a pedal out front boosting as hard as it possibly can. So, yep, totally intentional on his part.

I have to think for him it's more about playing feel than tone because when you're running that much compression, playing feels kind of effortless and can be pretty addictive. I also think that when it's just you in a room with a cab, and the amp's volume is low enough, that kind of sound actually blends pretty well with the naturally dynamic acoustic sound of your guitar, so even though it sounds inappropriate for basically everything but black metal through a mic, it can be fun for a player alone in a room with their gear.

I don't think it sounds appropriate at all for what he's doing either, but I can see how he got there. The hard part to reconcile is that you know he has to listen back to his videos for editing and stuff. At that stage, you'd think he'd eventually hear the tone everybody else hears, grimace, and then have a lightbulb moment where he recognizes what he's doing and maybe changes it. But he hasn't.

Strange.

 

[Smash]

The Tone Wars guy has talked a bit about this aspect of his sound before when other people have asked him about it. He says it's just how he likes to run his setup. Gain cranked, with a pedal out front boosting as hard as it possibly can. So, yep, totally intentional on his part.

I have to think for him it's more about playing feel than tone because when you're running that much compression, playing feels kind of effortless and can be pretty addictive. I also think that when it's just you in a room with a cab, and the amp's volume is low enough, that kind of sound actually blends pretty well with the naturally dynamic acoustic sound of your guitar, so even though it sounds inappropriate for basically everything but black metal through a mic, it can be fun for a player alone in a room with their gear.

I don't think it sounds appropriate at all for what he's doing either, but I can see how he got there. The hard part to reconcile is that you know he has to listen back to his videos for editing and stuff. At that stage, you'd think he'd eventually hear the tone everybody else hears, grimace, and then have a lightbulb moment where he recognizes what he's doing and maybe changes it. But he hasn't.

Strange.

This is very true. Since i have stopped recording a lot, i have the amp dialed for the room, and holy shit when i make a clip does it sound way too fucking high gain. Makes me question which is real

 

[DanTravis62]

The Tone Wars guy has talked a bit about this aspect of his sound before when other people have asked him about it. He says it's just how he likes to run his setup. Gain cranked, with a pedal out front boosting as hard as it possibly can. So, yep, totally intentional on his part.

I have to think for him it's more about playing feel than tone because when you're running that much compression, playing feels kind of effortless and can be pretty addictive. I also think that when it's just you in a room with a cab, and the amp's volume is low enough, that kind of sound actually blends pretty well with the naturally dynamic acoustic sound of your guitar, so even though it sounds inappropriate for basically everything but black metal through a mic, it can be fun for a player alone in a room with their gear.

I don't think it sounds appropriate at all for what he's doing either, but I can see how he got there. The hard part to reconcile is that you know he has to listen back to his videos for editing and stuff. At that stage, you'd think he'd eventually hear the tone everybody else hears, grimace, and then have a lightbulb moment where he recognizes what he's doing and maybe changes it. But he hasn't.

Strange.

This is very true. Since i have stopped recording a lot, i have the amp dialed for the room, and holy shit when i make a clip does it sound way too fucking high gain. Makes me question which is real

The mic is the "real" sound; that you would use "for real" anyways @Smash

@TheGreatGreen I mean yeah more power to him, that's cool that he likes it, and I can see how it would be easier to play lead stuff with that much compression and sustain, but at the same time it just seems kind of "noobish" - no offense to the tone wars guy, he seems alright and everything

 

[RedB4Black]

The Tone Wars guy has talked a bit about this aspect of his sound before when other people have asked him about it. He says it's just how he likes to run his setup. Gain cranked, with a pedal out front boosting as hard as it possibly can. So, yep, totally intentional on his part.

I have to think for him it's more about playing feel than tone because when you're running that much compression, playing feels kind of effortless and can be pretty addictive. I also think that when it's just you in a room with a cab, and the amp's volume is low enough, that kind of sound actually blends pretty well with the naturally dynamic acoustic sound of your guitar, so even though it sounds inappropriate for basically everything but black metal through a mic, it can be fun for a player alone in a room with their gear.

I don't think it sounds appropriate at all for what he's doing either, but I can see how he got there. The hard part to reconcile is that you know he has to listen back to his videos for editing and stuff. At that stage, you'd think he'd eventually hear the tone everybody else hears, grimace, and then have a lightbulb moment where he recognizes what he's doing and maybe changes it. But he hasn't.

Strange.

This dude said the Ultra Lead was the worst amp he’s ever played. Makes sense if he loves over saturated compressed mush

 

[TheGreatGreen]

The mic is the "real" sound; that you would use "for real" anyways @Smash

@TheGreatGreen I mean yeah more power to him, that's cool that he likes it, and I can see how it would be easier to play lead stuff with that much compression and sustain, but at the same time it just seems kind of "noobish" - no offense to the tone wars guy, he seems alright and everything

Totally agree, full bore gain all the time like that is very much a noob move. It's surprising to see him use that much as although sure he's not necessarily the greatest player in the world, he sounds like he's good enough and has been playing long enough to have picked up more insight into what he sounds like through a mic.

This is very true. Since i have stopped recording a lot, i have the amp dialed for the room, and holy shit when i make a clip does it sound way too fucking high gain. Makes me question which is real

I agree with @DanTravis62 on this one. The mic'd tone is the real tone. I've never found room tone and mic'd up tone to be remotely similar under the same amp settings. Unless it's just you in a room alone with your cab, always dial for the mic, as that's what the vast majority of everybody else is going to hear.

 

[DanTravis62]

Totally agree, full bore gain all the time like that is very much a noob move. It's surprising to see him use that much as although sure he's not necessarily the greatest player in the world, he sounds like he's good enough and has been playing long enough to have picked up more insight into what he sounds like through a mic.



I agree with @DanTravis62 on this one. The mic'd tone is the real tone. I've never found room tone and mic'd up tone to be remotely similar under the same amp settings. Unless it's just you in a room alone with your cab, always dial for the mic, as that's what the vast majority of everybody else is going to hear.

Absolutely. I know some guys swear by room recordings or iphone here, but they can lie to you depending on the amp and the room

A 57 on the edge of the cone doesn't lie, and everyone knows what it sounds like, so they can get the closest idea possible

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Absolutely. I know some guys swear by room recordings or iphone here, but they can lie to you depending on the amp and the room

A 57 on the edge of the cone doesn't lie, and everyone knows what it sounds like, so they can get the closest idea possible

Yep. I don't even think a single "room tone" for any given performance technically exists in any absolute sense. "Room tone" is more representative of an entire spectrum of tone depending on where the listener's head is physically placed in the room. Don't like the treble response? Move your head two inches around until the treble goes away, etc.

A mic'd up tone is concrete and transferable.

 

[japetus]

Absolutely. I know some guys swear by room recordings or iphone here, but they can lie to you depending on the amp and the room

A 57 on the edge of the cone doesn't lie, and everyone knows what it sounds like, so they can get the closest idea possible

Facts on facts