Not a MKV

Okay folks, I'm getting really in Petrucci, his tone and his paying. Now I know (as does everyone else) that he's a MKV user.

I don't want to buy a Boogie as I've had problems with one of their amps a while back, so which Diezel would you recommend I check out for a bit of Petrucci tone?

Thanks!

Vh4 ALL THE WAY. I had a mark V and have used numerous mark series heads and the first thing I thought was damn this sorta reminds me of a thinner vh4 sound. If it had midi I may have just kept it but I still preferred the Diezel sound and wanted midi so that was that.

Hey_bert_whtcha_doin_bert":wyvpejm2 said:

Vh4 ALL THE WAY. I had a mark V and have used numerous mark series heads and the first thing I thought was damn this sorta reminds me of a thinner vh4 sound. If it had midi I may have just kept it but I still preferred the Diezel sound and wanted midi so that was that.

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Thanks - I had a feeling someone might say the Vh4. Now to save some $$££€€

The VH4 sounds nothing like Petrucci IMO. The VH4 is way to compressed for his tones. I don't think you should let one problem get in the way of using Mesa amps. In fact, if you are looking for Petrucci tones, the obvious answer is there. Also, I had two issues with my Deizel VH4, so the possibilities of having issues can happen to any amp brand. I also would recommend the Mark III, it does the tones you are seeking and also does many other tones very well, and there is nothing thin at all with a Mark lll.

Darn opposing views...

get a newer vh4, it'll do it

I do agree a mark series it is not but they can be dialed in very similar

Also will play devils advocate l... Never had a problem with either brand.

I've tried a few MKVs, own a Mk IV, a VH4, a Hagen, and owned a Herbert. The MkIV is more the core Petrucci sound than a MkV is or at least that is what I garnered with my time with both.

You can get a really tight rhythm sound with the VH4 but it won't excel at recreating the Petrucci sound (it has way more girth and lows and sounds like a mastered/finished guitar track straight from the cab), and you can get gobs of liquidy gain in channel 4 to emulate his Road King/Train of Thought-era stuff. The other Diezels have a very different feel from that, they are a bit more saturated and not as dry.

What I have noticed is that Marks are very dynamic amplifiers, they will make you pay attention to your picking hand. The VH4 has a very similar characteristic, there isn't a whole lot hiding your mistakes there so they are similar in that respect. Part of the Petrucci thing is balancing that dynamic, precise amp style with pickups that are on the compressed side. Add a Mk IV to that list as well, they are fantastic amps that can be had for relatively cheap now and their lead channel does it better than any of the lead modes on the Mark V for me (YMMV big time on this last statement).