Mesa Mark IV - settings?

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SkyhighRocks

SkyhighRocks

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For those that have or have used this amp. What are some of your fave settings and dos and don'ts?
 
I don't know what style you play, but here are the settings from Lamb of God :)
IMO a good starting point. Also run it on Full Power, Simulclass and Pentode, sounds heavier.

One of the best things of this amp is the dynamic in ch. 3, it can go from highgain to clean with the Volume pot.

Also important: In the Lead channel the bass should be at 3 max, otherwise it gets muddy. Get the bass from the EQ. Treble and presence change the amount of gain. Pull bright is a must for me as well.

Have fun!

edit: Here's the pic:
http://imgur.com/9Eh6uRY

I personally run the 750 fader higher, but it comes down to taste, as always.
 
That's the key thing to remember on the Mark amps, run bass and middle low, if you start running them high, it gets pretty flubby. I found that thumping away on the low strings and starting with the bass knob at high settings and rolling it back until the flub went away worked best for me. Same with the mids. Treble and presence are the most effective knobs as well. Also remember that those aren't really giving you EQ settings as they more so shaping the way the gain. The overall EQ comes from the 5 band. Its a bit of trip down the rabbit hole to find a setting you are satisfied with but the Mark IV sounds awesome once you dial it in. I've had 2 Mark IV's and a Mark V. I think all the nuances and quirks of the Mark IV were refined and made easier to use with the Mark V. I think that one is a lot easier to dial in. There's some Petrucci settings floating around the net somewhere too that are good starting points for dialing it in.
 
The perfect starting point is Ralph's settings. SFW's are great too!



 
Those were what I was looking for too. Thanks for posting those. Didn't you run a Mark IV before the Kemper rig?
 
The best is don't adjust the amp like a Marshall. Use the settings that Chad has posted as a starting point.
The treble control is very important control. It won't necessarily add high frequencies. Use the presence control for that.
That;s why in the settings above, treble is maxed out and the others are set to zero.
The bass control only adds flub. and the mids are next to useless. Use the eq instead.
 
There's a widebody combo for sale locally that ive been trying to ignore. This thread isnt helping
 
Don't you find it way too scooped with the 750 down that low?
I run it at in the middle of the middle line and the bottom.
 
R1 Gain 6
Pull Bright
Rhy2 Gain 10
Pull Fat
R1 Treble 6
R1+R2 Bass 3
R1+R2 Mid 4
R2 Treble 8
R1 Presence 6
R2 Presence 6
Lead Presence 8

Lead Gain 8
Pull Fat
Lead Treble 8
Lead Bass 3
Lead Mid 4
Lead Drive 7

R1 Master 8
R2 Master 3
Lead Master 3
Output 2
Power. Full
Pentode
Sumil Class
Harmonics
 
billsbigego":379qo2it said:
Don't you find it way too scooped with the 750 down that low?
I run it at in the middle of the middle line and the bottom.
Click to expand...

It depends a lot on the guitar, cab and sound I am going after..... I start here and slide up 750 & 2200 in that shape to get the sound I want. Way down would be more for scooped rhythm playing...More up would be more for single note stuff and rhythm work.
I also use a more traditional V shape at times.
I usually play lead with the GEQ off. I use the GEQ on and off with the Lead & RHY2.

These setting are far from anything in stone.... I change around the settings a lot.
Often I use Lead Voicing switch Harmonics or Mid Gain.
Full power or Tweed Power.

As stated above do not put the bass above 3....
As far as I am concerned you can do about anything else...
I also run Lead Drive anywhere from 2-8.
Lead Presence 5-8.

Like a lot of people back in the day I used a more scooped sound. Then for decade I used a ton of midrange. Now I use both depending on what I am doing at the time.
Pulling out the mids gives way more control over the bottom. It's just a bigger sound. If you do not have enough midrange it does not cut. If you have too much midrange you start to bury the singer and other midrange instruments. For me it's really finding a balance for what I am doing at the time....
 

I find this setting works great for lead work. It can be used with RHY2 or Lead channel ...No matter how you have anything else set. Basicly you start with this shape and move 2200 thru it's entire range to find all kinds of great sounds. I highly recommend trying this with whatever settings you use.
 
Thanks for all the info! Got to try the combo this weekend and it really wasn't my thing. I can see why it's well liked but I'm more of a Marshall guy. The cleans were really nice.
 
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