Mesa model question

M

marc0810

Inspired
So question for all you Mesa Mark series players, I have never played one in real life, why is it recommended to scoop the mids on the GEQ, when you need to push mids for live use, I find when I try this in my setup I am quickly lost in the mix.
 
marc0810 said:
So question for all you Mesa Mark series players, I have never played one in real life, why is it recommended to scoop the mids on the GEQ, when you need to push mids for live use, I find when I try this in my setup I am quickly lost in the mix.
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There's lots already written on this - do a search.

But tl;dr is that the Marks put the BMT knobs BEFORE the gain, rather than after. This means that your settings on those knobs are more akin to boost settings in front of an amp, and the GEQ settings are more akin to traditional, post-gain knobs.

Turn treble up and mids & bass down, on the knobs - because treble controls gain, it's a middy amp, and bass before gain just muddies the distortion.

Tune the GEQ to taste to actually shape the tone, but because it's already middy, you'll want to cut that middle slider at least. Add bass to make up for the pre-gain cut, and add treble to taste (many add none on that last slider, and just a bit on that fourth slider).
 
Wolfenstein98k said:
There's lots already written on this - do a search.

But tl;dr is that the Marks put the BMT knobs BEFORE the gain, rather than after. This means that your settings on those knobs are more akin to boost settings in front of an amp, and the GEQ settings are more akin to traditional, post-gain knobs.

Turn treble up and mids & bass down, on the knobs - because treble controls gain, it's a middy amp, and bass before gain just muddies the distortion.

Tune the GEQ to taste to actually shape the tone, but because it's already middy, you'll want to cut that middle slider at least. Add bass to make up for the pre-gain cut, and add treble to taste (many add none on that last slider, and just a bit on that fourth slider).
Click to expand...

I understand all of that, guess my bigger question is, I follow that advice and continually get lost in the mix. That’s what I am trying to figure out.
 
Pull up the mids slider when you are getting lost in the mix esp live. I have a real mark iv and I run the mid eq slider at 0db when I play live. I’ll cut it for home or recording.
 
Thanks for the responses so far, I am away from my rig and won’t have it until Monday but I am essentially using Austinbuddy’s USA lead preset as a base.
 
I had a Mesa Mk IV for 17 years and never did the 'V' on the graphic sliders. Didn't like it.

It sounded much better to me as a subtle '^^' with the bass flat, the mids flat and the far hi treble flat. The low mids and mid treble boosted somewhat to taste.

Of course, I wasn't playing metal.
 
Try boosting the 2.2k slider if you are getting lost in the mix. I've always thought the amp sounds better scooping out some 750. That frequency just sounds super boxy to me.
 
The really short answer to your question is that the Mark series amps, particularly the earlier ones, are often rather midrangey. Individual examples of the same type can vary substantially in their sound and their non-EQ sound in particular changes a lot. There are some that are so midrangey that most players would want to cut out at least some of that midrange. Others just have a natural preference for cranking up the bass and treble on ANYTHING they touch, and while that can work, it also makes it easier to get lost in the mix. In a 3 piece band you can get away with anything.

I find the 5 band EQ to be useful but it's a stone axe when I need a scalpel. So I almost always run a 1/3 octave (31 band) graphic EQ in the effects loop. I basically have two EQ curves I use with it. (Digital programmable EQ, makes it easy to switch curves.) One curve is set up to just make the general tone sound as full and robust and clear and punchy as possible. The BIG sound, wall to wall and twice as tall. The other curve is tailored specifically to give my guitar even feedback sensitivity on every note on every string on the whole fretboard, as much as possible. Properly set, I can infinitely sustain just about every note at a very moderate volume level via feedback.
 
Hey guys thanks for all the responses I am finally back in front of my axe and will try some of these suggestions tonight.
 
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