NAD Mesa Mark IV

Zachalou

Zachalou

Active member
Found a sweet deal on a 1990 Mesa Mark IV head with the footswitch!
Recently I've had to sell off a lot of my gear as we were buying our first house, so I was looking for an extremely versatile amp head to replace my other heads which boiled down to the mark IV and V. I tried to score a V but it never worked out, so when this popped up in my feed I jumped all over it.

I've never owned or even played any of the mark series heads before (I've never actually played any mesa amps) so I kind of took a big chance, but I feel like I got well over my moneys worth as I think all 3 channels are fantastic :rock:

I understand the hype with these heads now, this thing is just badass! While I'm sure the V is a great amp with even more versatility, I don't really see the need to get one as this has more than enough options to offer me, and I think the voicing is more along the lines of what I prefer.

Also quick side note- I don't see all the hate for the second channel, I think it is super useful for a ton of rock tones especially with the EQ

but that lead channel :m17: :inlove: :worship:
(pardon the shitty picture quality)


Cheers! :thumbsup:

mqQHmNtl.jpg
 
Mark IV's are all business - it's as good as any 2203 IMO. HNAD!!!! I'm sure it will bring a lot of inspiration over the coming years :rock:
 
It is a way way way underrated amp. There is plenty-o-snot in them. I run the individual masters up high, around 7.5-8 and the drive at 10, Simul-class, mid gain, pentode, full power & look out!!! I love ch.2 too.
 
glpg80":3tprfd02 said:
Mark IV's are all business - it's as good as any 2203 IMO. HNAD!!!! I'm sure it will bring a lot of inspiration over the coming years :rock:
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I'd like to get another of the new DSL line down the road. I actually preferred it to the 2204 I had, however the 2204/2205 are badass!


Markedman":3tprfd02 said:
It is a way way way underrated amp. There is plenty-o-snot in them. I run the individual masters up high, around 7.5-8 and the drive at 10, Simul-class, mid gain, pentode, full power & look out!!! I love ch.2 too.
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I'll have to experiment with it for sure, took me just a few minutes to dial in something awesome and that's pretty rare. Also just put a quad of brand new celestion g12t-100's in the cab and they sound fantastic with it :thumbsup:
 
I love mine. IIRC mine is a 1991. They are beasts. That is for sure. I like the lead channel on the iv than the v,l. Cleans are better on the v though.

Have fun! Cheers
 
Nice! :rock:
They are awesome amps and crazy good value for what they are going for these days. Like any Mark I've played, settings can seem extreme. 'Read the manual' is great advice.
 
So far it hasn’t been difficult to dial in on any channel, The graphic EQ is great, I feel it’s far more responsive than the GEQ on the fryette classic lead I had.

I’ll definitely check out the manual today!
 
Set the Bass knob on the Clean / RHY2 to 4. Set the Bass on the Lead channel to 0-3. Other than that pretty much you can set everything any way. This is usually how I always start.

Remember the Treble control has a strong effect on how much gain you have. As much as the gain controls.

Often I leave the GEQ off on the Lead channel. It's very midrange heavy and sounds amazing live with a band without the GEQ. It cuts perfect.

I leave the GEQ on usually on RHY2. It really helps with getting a big sounds on this channel.....
Sometimes I put Gain, Presence and Treble all on 10. Bass on 4. Midrange 3-6. Then use a V shape on the GEQ. 750 and 2200 are extremely useful to cut with this setting live.

Medium or low gain sounds on the Lead channel can be amazing. Set the Gain 6-8 and the Drive 2-4. I usually do this with the GEQ off.

The IV can get some bass heavy sound the other Mark amps don't do. Some of the best highgain sounds I have heard from any amp.

If I do a wet/dry rig with a other amp.....I usually use my IV as my wet amp. With the switches you have 8 voices in the poweramp.

The GEQ works when you take the line out from a other amp and plug into the IV effects return. It is by far the best wet amp I have found when doing this type of rig.

This amp is almost 30 years old. Get some Deoxit and clean the pots, switches, jacks and all tube sockets.
Deoxit is probably the best investment I have ever made for tone. I've seen it bring back amps from the dead. I love this stuff.

I've had this amp almost 30 years and still blown away by new sounds I find in it.
 
Glad you took a chance on the Mark IV. You will be greatly rewarded for a long, long time! Congrats on landing one of the all time greats!! I'll never be without mine, and I've been playing one for the last 25 years.

I agree, too, with stephen sawall, get some Deoxit. It's one of the best investments I've ever made, too. :yes:
 
stephen sawall":2abomt7q said:
Set the Bass knob on the Clean / RHY2 to 4. Set the Bass on the Lead channel to 0-3. Other than that pretty much you can set everything any way. This is usually how I always start.

Remember the Treble control has a strong effect on how much gain you have. As much as the gain controls.

Often I leave the GEQ off on the Lead channel. It's very midrange heavy and sounds amazing live with a band without the GEQ. It cuts perfect.

I leave the GEQ on usually on RHY2. It really helps with getting a big sounds on this channel.....
Sometimes I put Gain, Presence and Treble all on 10. Bass on 4. Midrange 3-6. Then use a V shape on the GEQ. 750 and 2200 are extremely useful to cut with this setting live.

Medium or low gain sounds on the Lead channel can be amazing. Set the Gain 6-8 and the Drive 2-4. I usually do this with the GEQ off.

The IV can get some bass heavy sound the other Mark amps don't do. Some of the best highgain sounds I have heard from any amp.

If I do a wet/dry rig with a other amp.....I usually use my IV as my wet amp. With the switches you have 8 voices in the poweramp.

The GEQ works when you take the line out from a other amp and plug into the IV effects return. It is by far the best wet amp I have found when doing this type of rig.

This amp is almost 30 years old. Get some Deoxit and clean the pots, switches, jacks and all tube sockets.
Deoxit is probably the best investment I have ever made for tone. I've seen it bring back amps from the dead. I love this stuff.

I've had this amp almost 30 years and still blown away by new sounds I find in it.
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Lots of good advice here. I'm with Stephen in that I rarely use the GEQ when I am on the lead channel. It sounds so sweet without it, and it sits so well in the mix. I use it on channel 2, but depending on which guitar I use. The SG sounds very good without it, but the LP likes it being on. With the SG in particular, with R2's gain set at 10, I get some very "Marshally" tones from R2.

Very versatile amp. I have EL34s in the outer sockets and really like how it sounds.

Thanks for reading.
 
Congrats on the mark IVA, I have a 1990 mark IVA as well, great amp. I like to boost R2 with a Maxon tubescreamer and set the gain lower on R2. I also use the EQ on R2 all the time.
 
I have a love/hate relationship with R2. I did a show this past weekend and I did have to use R2 a lot, when you're playing classic rock sometimes the lead is just to awesome for some of that old fart classic rock! :lol: :LOL: Normally when I set OD pedals I usually crank the level and keep the gain low but I think R2 works well if the pedal gain is boosted high and the level kept about halfway.

And people who complain about vanishing in the mix are just scooping the 750 slider down too low. If you're playing with another guitar who also scoops his mids then you're fine, but scoop your mids and if the other guy is playing a JCM800 you'll be lost.
 
danyeo":3f1t9lfm said:
I have a love/hate relationship with R2. I did a show this past weekend and I did have to use R2 a lot, when you're playing classic rock sometimes the lead is just to awesome for some of that old fart classic rock! :lol: :LOL: Normally when I set OD pedals I usually crank the level and keep the gain low but I think R2 works well if the pedal gain is boosted high and the level kept about halfway.

And people who complain about vanishing in the mix are just scooping the 750 slider down too low. If you're playing with another guitar who also scoops his mids then you're fine, but scoop your mids and if the other guy is playing a JCM800 you'll be lost.
Click to expand...

R2 boosted with an OD is a pretty good tone, it's got a bit of a marshally vibe to it. I also use it for classic rock stuff as the lead channel is a bit to gainy and modern for old rock.
 
anomaly":o8d3kwzh said:
danyeo":o8d3kwzh said:
I have a love/hate relationship with R2. I did a show this past weekend and I did have to use R2 a lot, when you're playing classic rock sometimes the lead is just to awesome for some of that old fart classic rock! :lol: :LOL: Normally when I set OD pedals I usually crank the level and keep the gain low but I think R2 works well if the pedal gain is boosted high and the level kept about halfway.

And people who complain about vanishing in the mix are just scooping the 750 slider down too low. If you're playing with another guitar who also scoops his mids then you're fine, but scoop your mids and if the other guy is playing a JCM800 you'll be lost.
Click to expand...

R2 boosted with an OD is a pretty good tone, it's got a bit of a marshally vibe to it. I also use it for classic rock stuff as the lead channel is a bit to gainy and modern for old rock.
Click to expand...
When I boost R2 with my Effectrode Blackbird, I get some extremely good sounds.
 
A lot of helpful tips here, a few days later and I’m still loving it, Really digging channel 2 for rock stuff, it’s just so articulate and has a great note separation going on, I’ve spent a lot of time on it

The pots seem really clean, but I did order some deoxit for future use!

Lead channel is such a beast, and after reading some comments I agree it sounds better without the EQ, but I love the EQ on the first 2 channels.

After experimenting, I’ve concluded that I just don’t like a boost at all with this amp, so probably time to move my maxon on and pick up a chorus or something weird
 
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