Bone to pick with Mark Day

[rlord1974]

I'm going to chime in here, because I make a lot of videos demoing amps, or film others demoing amps (incl. the aforementioned Mr. day.)

Everyone has a formula , pickups, string gauge. Setup, settings on the amp, speakers, mic placement, signal chain.

Your only gonna get the sound like the video if you recreate ALL those things. (Including the guitar cable) and even then it's going to be different because of the most important factor.

Your hands.

Agreed, which is why whenever I see someone asking for "settings" I just want to laugh. Such a misguided way to get where you want.

Although one person's settings may not be ideal for another, they can certainly be a great starting point for helping a "newbie" with that particular amp find his own settings...especially with notoriously "tricky to dial in" amps like a Mark V.

Can't argue with you there, Bill. Dialing in a MKIV or V is like trying to land the lunar module on the surface of the moon.

 

[se7en]

Just curious, you said you bought two OD100's because of Mark's videos? Did you buy the 2nd because you didn't sound like Mark with the first one?

Sorry, had to...

 

[wizardy]

I really understand what op is saying

I think the same thing with Ola youtube demos
Mostly every amps he tested will sound the same in a certain way

After all, everyone dial his own perfect sound for his ears.
My guitarist bandmate prefers high-mids with alot of treble.
I prefer more bass with low-mids emphasis and not much treble.

So I'll try to reproduce the sound I like on any amp I'll test.
that's it.
that's what Mark is doing
Btw, I prefer Mark's "signature sound" versus Ola "signature sound"
according to my personal tastes..

 

[ttosh]

I'm going to chime in here, because I make a lot of videos demoing amps, or film others demoing amps (incl. the aforementioned Mr. day.)

Everyone has a formula , pickups, string gauge. Setup, settings on the amp, speakers, mic placement, signal chain.

Your only gonna get the sound like the video if you recreate ALL those things. (Including the guitar cable) and even then it's going to be different because of the most important factor.

Your hands.

Agreed, which is why whenever I see someone asking for "settings" I just want to laugh. Such a misguided way to get where you want.

Although one person's settings may not be ideal for another, they can certainly be a great starting point for helping a "newbie" with that particular amp find his own settings...especially with notoriously "tricky to dial in" amps like a Mark V.

Can't argue with you there, Bill. Dialing in a MKIV or V is like trying to land the lunar module on the surface of the moon.

 

[Shark Diver]

How are videos today any different than albums 30 years ago. Guitarist have been chasing tone (and tail) since before Muddy Waters.

 

[mentoneman]

i'd much rather hear an amp played by a skilled guitarist to get an idea of how it sounds, and the potential tones it can generate, instead of reading an article from a random dude who may be gifted at prose and can talk great tone but clueless as a player or how to truly generate it.

many a TGP-er fell into that category before the dawn of video/audio clips. nowadays the playing field becomes more level and truth can be better served.

i may not play like bob savage stylistically but i have played the vht deliverance D60 he has done demoes on, and although i would set it differently for a different tone and style, i totally appreciate what he does with it. same with mark day, ralph/gainfreak, curt/chubtone...etc

 

[stephen sawall]

I bought the same microphone as someone ... I was amazed I did not sound like Dianna Ross when I used it ?

 

[Mailman1971]

I bought the same microphone as someone ... I was amazed I did not sound like Dianna Ross when I used it ?

There is a little switch on the bottom of it.
Will get you in the same Ballpark as Dianna.

 

[Shark Diver]

I bought the same microphone as someone ... I was amazed I did not sound like Dianna Ross when I used it ?

IDK, kinda do

 

[311boogieman]

you need attention don't you Luke?

 

[LP Freak]

I'm going to chime in here, because I make a lot of videos demoing amps, or film others demoing amps (incl. the aforementioned Mr. day.)

Everyone has a formula , pickups, string gauge. Setup, settings on the amp, speakers, mic placement, signal chain.

Your only gonna get the sound like the video if you recreate ALL those things. (Including the guitar cable) and even then it's going to be different because of the most important factor.

Your hands.

Agreed, which is why whenever I see someone asking for "settings" I just want to laugh. Such a misguided way to get where you want.

Yet there is a "BE-100 Settings" thread down in the Friedman subforum that has been getting a LOT of attention lately....

Those posts make me laugh every time. Why the hell do people buy amps and then ask someone else how to make it sound good? Turn the fucking knobs till it sounds good.

 

[Anonymous]

Wait a minute....so you're saying that what works well for one player, might not be the best choice for all other players?

We must find a way to alert the community!

This thread was an admirable start, but what about the rest of the musicians out there?

Go forth, and spread the word!

O M G ! ! ! ! !

SONOFABITCH!!!

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I too have followed Mark's demo/song clip videos for some time before he made the move to the USA and Tone Merchants.
I had the pleasure of meeting him and Dave Friedman back in March, Rob wasn't there while I was there on some business.
I think that when he had free reign over what gear he was using and total overall control there was a pronounced difference in his demos.
The ones he does for Tone Merchants, in between working in the store, helping Dave F. in the back at RACKSYSTEMS and answering the telephone, I feel are different as he isn't able to make as many funny guitar faces and his funny shtick that he was known for.
Also he mostly used SD Blackouts with a fair bit of delay/verb and a fair bit of gain.
The straight demos of the Friedman amps have minimal effects and just have a different vibe to them.
The OD-100 clips he made I thought were a far demonstration of that amps capabilities.
I have asked Mark to do a clip with the Axe Fx II approximating the Gary Moore 1987 Wild Frontier tone, particularly the intro to "Over The Hills And Far Away", no not the LZ one
It was a hectic time for Mark but I am asking again..Mark please find a patch that will approximate Gary's incredible live tone he got with his '72 Super Bass, slaved to two other Marshall 100 watts and through various Roland outboard gear, SDE-3000, Tube Screamer , Roland 555 Space Echo used mainly for chorusing and a Roland Dimension D.
Does the Axe FX II have these effects available?
Kage told me he would do a clip for me of this intro which I love awhile back.
Mark love your demos, can you do this GM into for me, would work great with the Axe FX by itself with the right IR I believe. Sorry to derail the OP's thread but seeing Mark's name triggered my old request..
Here is the video from the killer VHS tape live in Stockholm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8puFKmBDYEY
Tokyo '87:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vElkK1aisKk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwK9GNdbksc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhOXD76NgNU
I have always thought that Gary's rock playing peaked in that year through '89.
As a huge stadium rock tone, just the best, a single EMG 81 , San Dimas Charvel Strathead top mount OFR.
Atomic Playboy

 

[petejt]

I have asked Mark to do a clip with the Axe Fx II approximating the Gary Moore 1987 Wild Frontier tone, particularly the intro to "Over The Hills And Far Away", no not the LZ one
It was a hectic time for Mark but I am asking again..Mark please find a patch that will approximate Gary's incredible live tone he got with his '72 Super Bass, slaved to two other Marshall 100 watts and through various Roland outboard gear, SDE-3000, Tube Screamer , Roland 555 Space Echo used mainly for chorusing and a Roland Dimension D.

Is there the original clip of this particular tone out there somewhere?

 

[LukeCurd]

Just curious, you said you bought two OD100's because of Mark's videos? Did you buy the 2nd because you didn't sound like Mark with the first one?

Sorry, had to...

They were a good deal, $1600 each. I bought them both at the same time from pappy's or something like that. Techoempire and other LA ebay store's have lots of deals on former artist touring gear. Billy from APC has some stuff on ebay right now along with d. zappa. They were 3k new at the time so I got two CAE amps for the price of one CAA amp at the time. They were both STD models that had less sag and compression than the SE models. I sold one to a friend and traded the other for a Uberschall rev blue.

They both sounded great but ended up loving EL34's and not going back. I saw a SH100 go on ebay a couple months ago for like $1800 or something. I think it's a good thing amps are coming back down to reasonable prices.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Guys give Luke a break, he is really trying here. Integration into the clique is hard!

 

[Bob Savage]

Guys give Luke a break, he is really trying here. Integration into the clique is hard!

Apparently since you've obviously not even fully integrated.

 

[ejecta]

I think the OP was dead on right about clips being pretty useless to really judge whether an amp is for you or not.

 

[Mailman1971]

I think the OP was dead on right about clips being pretty useless to really judge whether an amp is for you or not.

Yeah to a certain degree I think. I bought many amps based on clips since where I live alot of the amps are unavailable to play. Some of the best sounding clips that I watched.....I didnt like the amp that much (probably operator error or just my set up) but some of the amps I liked the best sounded better in person then the clips I watched.
Guess its all trial and error. Think when I first got into watching Clips...Mark Day's Egnator Seminar amp was one of the 1st videos. Sounded so damn good. Still never had a chance to play one though. But his Diezel Herbert clip made me HAVE TO HAVE ONE.... And yes....I loved that amp even though I couldnt cop the tone he was getting.
So in shorter words.....clips have been a great thing. But I still have to have the amp in my Grubby hands and my simple rig to check it out for sure. Done tone chasing thank God....was a fun road to travel for sure.

 

[Bob Savage]

I think the OP was dead on right about clips being pretty useless to really judge whether an amp is for you or not.

My hit ratio of determining whether I'll like an amp based only upon clips is very high so this does not fall true for all. I think so far the only amp that didn't fit me well was the Fryette UL. Every other amp I've bough only after hearing clips I've really enjoyed.

Perhaps it's all about listening approach and expectations.

Again, the position that clips are effectively useless is throwing the baby out with the bath water.