NAD: cheap Wizard content

ners

ners

Well-known member
Just picked up this MCII for $3700, possibly my least favorite tolex option but for that price I'll live. Who's got some recommended settings or an explanation of how the fuck the channels and pull gain/boosts work? I've been keeping an eye out for an MCII for almost two years and 50W'ers always seem to go for low $4k, so pretty amped I scored this.

1738727691432.png


Also if you're in NM, found this bad boy for $3400. I'm nowhere near this unfortunately.
https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/msg/d/albuquerque-wizard-mcii-mk2/7812740804.html

And if you're in DE, found this MTL for $3600. A bit out of my range but for that price it almost feels worth the drive.
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/d/baltimore-wizard-mtl-mkii-metal-mk2/7812749731.html
 
ners said:
Just picked up this MCII for $3700, possibly my least favorite tolex option but for that price I'll live. Who's got some recommended settings or an explanation of how the fuck the channels and pull gain/boosts work? I've been keeping an eye out for an MCII for almost two years and 50W'ers always seem to go for low $4k, so pretty amped I scored this.

View attachment 388229

Also if you're in NM, found this bad boy for $3400. I'm nowhere near this unfortunately.
https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/msg/d/albuquerque-wizard-mcii-mk2/7812740804.html

And if you're in DE, found this MTL for $3600. A bit out of my range but for that price it almost feels worth the drive.
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/d/baltimore-wizard-mtl-mkii-metal-mk2/7812749731.html
Click to expand...


I love the western tolex tbh 🤷
 
Bxlxaxkxe said:
What a strange world where a used modern production amp for 3700 is “cheap”. I think I’m ready for the lord to just take me
Click to expand...
It blows my mind people buy these things new. Like this thing sounds fantastic but it's still just a bunch of resistors, capacitors, and tubes.
 
That’s the latest one as well with the pull shift on the treble. So definitely a great price you got on it.
As far as settings it depends on the sound you’re going for. I’m more into 70’s and 80’s hard rock. And come from the Marshall camp. So on my MCII I keep the bass down around 4 (not o’clock) or less depending on the guitar or tuning. The pull boost tightens the amp up and sounds natural more like another channel and not a boost. I stay with it pulled. The tone controls are also intuitive of each other but are useful in doing what they should. The brights for each channel are also very effective and you may find as you raise one you may want to lower the other. I don’t have the pull shift on mine. But I had Rick mod an MCI I used to own with the pull shift. And it adds more of a Marshall flavour to my ears.
 
Clp45 said:
That’s the latest one as well with the pull shift on the treble. So definitely a great price you got on it.
As far as settings it depends on the sound you’re going for. I’m more into 70’s and 80’s hard rock. And come from the Marshall camp. So on my MCII I keep the bass down around 4 (not o’clock) or less depending on the guitar or tuning. The pull boost tightens the amp up and sounds natural more like another channel and not a boost. I stay with it pulled. The tone controls are also intuitive of each other but are useful in doing what they should. The brights for each channel are also very effective and you may find as you raise one you may want to lower the other. I don’t have the pull shift on mine. But I had Rick mod an MCI I used to own with the pull shift. And it adds more of a Marshall flavour to my ears.
Click to expand...
Ah I forgot about the brights on the back, what's their deal?

It's got presence on the front so not sure how to interpret those, but I've also only played it for like 20mins so far.
 
It’s a smart way I think to do a bright switch, as a rotary pot vs a fixed switch.to my ears it works in conjunction with the presence knob. So you find more bright on the back works better and lower the presence to compensate. Or the reverse. It’s all tweaking till your ears are happy. I have my brights on 7 and my presence on 6. But once again the guitars, speakers all play into that. I mainly use a Marshall HW cab with greenbacks (gutted the H30’s)
 
Congrats! I usually set Lead Bright on my MC2 to 1:00 or so. Don't be afraid to crank the Presence, as most of the active change happens between like 2:00 - 4:00, I keep mine around 3:00 or so and at that spot I can barely nudge it up or down to get quite a bit brighter or darker, while I usually keep the Treble at or slightly below noon.

Also, the MC2 loves boosts, so feel free to go nuts experimenting with it.

One tone I kind didn't expect to find in the MC2 but ended up loving when I stumbled on it was basically what I'd describe as an authoritative low gain but still aggressive and cutting tone. Basically, on the Lead channel, leave the gain boost pushed in (disabled) and keep the Gain knob fairly conservative, like around noon or only just a bit higher, then crank the Bass to get massive thump and punch. Use a pedal to cut some lows at the input for more sharpness and aggression, maybe increase the pedal's level to hit the input a little harder if you like, but it's not totally necessary. The amp sounds awesome that way. All the balls of a firebreather but with clarity and dynamics you wouldn't believe. Give it a shot.
 
Last edited:
What if I told You bought for right price and everyone else is overpriced ? :)

The RH/LD gain knobs are for gain boost, RH master switch channels, LD master switch loop and can't remember what is on treble push-pull...

Brights on the back are good idea for balancing channels but rhythm channel is imho still weak part of the amp. Very stiff if used as crunch.
The push-pull itself is very bad idea as for durability and for precise control itself. They are too loose and flimsy opossite to for example SLO. And the noisy loop. It is not hate on the amp but for such amount of money I expect top notch stuff which Wizard just isn't...
 
bubucci said:
What if I told You bought for right price and everyone else is overpriced ? :)

The RH/LD gain knobs are for gain boost, RH master switch channels, LD master switch loop and can't remember what is on treble push-pull...

Brights on the back are good idea for balancing channels but rhythm channel is imho still weak part of the amp. Very stiff if used as crunch.
The push-pull itself is very bad idea as for durability and for precise control itself. They are too loose and flimsy opossite to for example SLO. And the noisy loop. It is not hate on the amp but for such amount of money I expect top notch stuff which Wizard just isn't...
Click to expand...
Everyone loves a party pooper..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top