RickFinsta Posted January 28, 2016 Posted January 28, 2016 The other Boogie thread got me thinking that I've been meaning to capture this somewhere. I have played through many amplifiers in my time, and I've done a whole lotta live sound engineering and bangin' gear. For me, the end-all-be-all amplifier is the Boogie MkIV, but they are all fantastically versatile (with the possible exception of the triple recces). Regardless, they have a different mechanism for adjusting the tone than many amplifiers, and it helps to understand how this affects the way you adjust the tone controls. You can spend a lot of time trying to tweak out that spanky/farty noise otherwise. Here's the deal; dial in a clean sound then bottom out all three tone controls. Switch to the neck pickup, pick the low E with some authority, and turn up the bass knob until you hear it come alive. Stop Switch to a middle pickup position, pick the D string with authority, and turn up the mid knob until you hear it come alive. Stop. Switch to the bridge pickup, pick the high E string with authority, and turn up the high knob until you hear it come alive. Stop. That's it. The reason behind it has to do with some electrical mumbo-jumbo I don't understand other than the tone controls on a Mark series are staged differently than in many amps, so you can't think of it as trying to form your tone - that's what the graphic EQ is for - instead it is to set up the amp to be responsive to your guitar. Sometimes swapping guitars means you have to change this. This has worked very well for me, hope that it helps someone else!
gpuma Posted January 28, 2016 Posted January 28, 2016 Thank you Rick, that's interesting! The Mark IV is an amp I have no experience with however with 4 out of 4 Boogies I owned or currently own, I never had problems dialing in a good tone. The more modern stuff I tried (Mark V and Express 5:25) are in fact extremely easy amps to dial in because you can start with all the knobs at 12 o'clock and you are already half way there (besides the controls are very intuitive and reasonably linear). The Single Recto I used to own (now in the expert hands of Mark Mars-Hall) used to require just a little more common sense with the bass knob, but even there it didn't take a genius to figure out that if I was hearing flabby bass maybe the solution would be less bass... duh! I have little experience with my Mark IIB, since I just got not too long ago. I can see that Mesa Engineering really worked a lot on the ergonomics of their amps and on the rationalization of the controls since then. For the Mark II there is much more control to control interaction than there is in a Mark V, so balancing everything is a little more complicated. Nevertheless, I started from the recommended settings and moved from there and it did not take me long at all to dial it in just the way I wanted.
Conneazoo Posted January 28, 2016 Posted January 28, 2016 This advice is the bomb. It works. I have done this exact thing for setting up my Boogies (to include a Dual Rec Roadster, a Nomad 55, and a .50 Cal +) for a couple of years after the advice from a sound engineer at a venue we were playing. I was using the Nomad at the time (first Mesa) and in between the first and second sets we retweaked my amp. This is exactly how it was done and I still do it. No matter which Boogie I'm using I always sit right "there" in the mix. Thank you Rick for writing the technique out. I would have never thought of sharing it. Kudos.
Gitfiddler Posted January 28, 2016 Posted January 28, 2016 The cool thing about Mesa's Mark series, is that each of their versions is a slight modification or upgrade of the former one. The latest Mk V has that feature in spades from what I've read. My first Boogie was a Mk IV, and even with a room full of other amps, that old Mark still gets more gig time than the others.
tbonesullivan Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 Mesa Boogie amps always have worked somewhat differently than other amps. The Manual for my DC-5 states that the "mid" control over "6" becomes more like another gain control, for bring out more gain in the rhythm channel. Not really sure I've heard of that way to dial in a Mk series before, but I can see that making sense on the single channel versions. On the MkV, it has three channels, with only one Graphic EQ to go around.
gpuma Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 Also I think it is worthwhile to actually glance over the documentation of the amp. That generally gives a basic understanding of the controls and few basic settings from which it is easy to start
pressure Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 Like T-Bones DC-5 the Mesa KingSnakes mid control becomes a boost above 5.
JeffB Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 This advice is the bomb. It works. I have done this exact thing for setting up my Boogies (to include a Dual Rec Roadster, a Nomad 55, and a .50 Cal +) for a couple of years after the advice from a sound engineer at a venue we were playing. I was using the Nomad at the time (first Mesa) and in between the first and second sets we retweaked my amp. This is exactly how it was done and I still do it. No matter which Boogie I'm using I always sit right "there" in the mix. Thank you Rick for writing the technique out. I would have never thought of sharing it. Kudos. Once youve owned and gotten good sounds out of a Nomad55 in every channel you can pretty much plug into any amp and get a great sound. Hated and loved that amp all at once. I would buy another, they seem to be hated and you can get them cheap. I turned the fx loop from parallel to series and then made it bypass-able. Also removed the reverb circuit and then modded it for a more natural sounding reverb. Only amp I regret selling. I thought it was a complete piece of junk when I first got it and later after getting to know it I became quite amazed by it. Almost too versatile. Im sure the method in the op works but I just turn the bass down til it isnt flubby reduced the mids til it isnt honky and adjust the treble til its smooth but clear. Same thing I guess but I just riffed or strummed chords. The only mesa that confounded me for a while was the Nomad55 because there was so many good sounds and bad sounds at the bump of any dial.
Conneazoo Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 Once youve owned and gotten good sounds out of a Nomad55 in every channel you can pretty much plug into any amp and get a great sound. Hated and loved that amp all at once. I would buy another, they seem to be hated and you can get them cheap. I turned the fx loop from parallel to series and then made it bypass-able. Also removed the reverb circuit and then modded it for a more natural sounding reverb. Only amp I regret selling. I thought it was a complete piece of junk when I first got it and later after getting to know it I became quite amazed by it. Almost too versatile. Im sure the method in the op works but I just turn the bass down til it isnt flubby reduced the mids til it isnt honky and adjust the treble til its smooth but clear. Same thing I guess but I just riffed or strummed chords. The only mesa that confounded me for a while was the Nomad55 because there was so many good sounds and bad sounds at the bump of any dial. Yes Jeff. It's a very fickle amplifier. I need to break mine back out. It's been awhile since I've played through it.
tsp17 Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 As a new Boogie owner i'm loving this thread. Makes me want another one already....uh oh. I've only had my 5:50+ head for a month but out of curiosity I just swapped out the stock v1 preamp tube with a Mesa SPAX7. Noticed a subtle difference, a little quieter, a little less "hot" I think. Suits me, so i'll keep it in there. Anyone else use the SPAX7?
gpuma Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 I have a SPAX7 in V1 in my mark V. Supposedly it is less sensitive to microphonic noise. I am not sure how different it is from a standard Mesa 12AX7, but the price difference is only $2 so what the heck...
tbonesullivan Posted January 29, 2016 Posted January 29, 2016 I read through the manual for the MkV, and it is VERY detailed. It's like 30+ pages of solid text and discussion about how to properly dial in the amp. It also had tons of little switches to flip etc. It's pretty much every Boogie Fanboys dream, though For most I think the Express series has more going for it.
RickFinsta Posted January 30, 2016 Author Posted January 30, 2016 I'm going to be honest, I looked at upgrading to a MkV and I figured if anything I'd move to a model with less options, not more! One thing though is I've switched to all 6L6 tubes - I used to run EL34s in Class A or simul-class but I figured out that with a little tweaking you can get that JMP sound out with the 6L6s, but with a touch less glass and a bit more richness. I can tweak that in my DAW in post. LOL I'm not joking I've played everything form jazz to mariachi to punk gigs with a MkIV. I could record any of those as well. It really is versatile... ...but all those stupid KNOBS! Hopefully someone finds this information helpful.
Beagle216 Posted January 30, 2016 Posted January 30, 2016 I am biased of course, but I played through all current Mesa offerings at a local dealer because budget didn't matter, I was seeking a forever amp, I ended up with a 5:50 Express + and I am still so in love it's crazy. So much versatility, amazing at low volume, more amazing at high, killer lead tones, beautiful sparkling cleans, heavy metal, hard rock, British.... I am in LOVE! Plus no one owns one quite like I ordered. =) Seafoam with wicker grille.
gpuma Posted January 30, 2016 Posted January 30, 2016 So the first video of the JP-2C is out. It is Petrucci's amp and it is fair that he shows his settings. Really not my cup of tea, but I am waiting for more videos that will show the other capabilities of this amp https://youtu.be/AEorYSfUIBo
Conneazoo Posted January 31, 2016 Posted January 31, 2016 So the first video of the JP-2C is out. It is Petrucci's amp and it is fair that he shows his settings. Really not my cup of tea, but I am waiting for more videos that will show the other capabilities of this amp I want!
Beagle216 Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Pics or it didn't happen. Any excuse to show this baby off is a good one. =)
gpuma Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Hey Beagle, did you reposition the "boogie" badge in the middle of the wicker or did it come that way? It's not a standard position, I believe
Beagle216 Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Hey Beagle, did you reposition the "boogie" badge in the middle of the wicker or did it come that way? It's not a standard position, I believe That's where the logos are on the head for the 5:50. I have been thinking of relocating the logo to the left side. Traditionally the logo on this am is Mesa Engineering.
gpuma Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Right. The Mesa logo is centered, the boogie logo is in the upper left corner
Beagle216 Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Right. The Mesa logo is centered, the boogie logo is in the upper left corner THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME THIS!!! Looks so much better.
kidsmoke Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 upper left, from the days when Randall didn't know what he wanted to do. Interesting situation...the whole Mesa Engineering - Boogie naming convention. Wonder how the Marketing dept feels.
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