Rumored Mesa Mark James Hetfield signature

[ChuggNorris]

Price: 1.2mil









Shit would be sick though

 

[TheGreatGreen]

The Mark V/VII amps shove 9 modes and 3 channels into relatively small amp shells. They do some clever engineering to try and re-use the parts of those circuits they can for the other modes, so it's somewhere between 3 and 9 full circuits they have in there. Either way, don't think space is the main concern. And James has a working prototype, you can see it in the video at the start of this thread.

It’s actually a lot simpler than that. Schematic-wise, the Mark VII is effectively a two channel amp (with the first channel being made to seem like two channels as it was given two sets of knobs on the front panel), and each channel has a handful of toggleable gain stages and filters, basically.

The first channel is Clean, Fat (Clean minus an input low cut), Crunch (clean as the base, plus a few gain stages), and VII mode (Crunch plus another gain stage or so).

The second channel is comprised by the IIB, IIC+, and IV modes. In other words it’s all the Mark IV mode’s preamp circuit with more and more gain stages removed as you go down the list to IIC+ and then to IIB.

Conceptually, and gain-wise, it would have been way better to have the IIB mode in the channel 1 and 2 group of modes, Channel 1 should have been Clean / Fat / IIB. Channel 2 should have been Fat, IIB, and Crunch. Channel 3 should have been IIC+, IV, and VII. But all that would have been too tricky because IIB is part of the Lead channel circuit and VII mode is part of channel 1. The switching to make all that work would have been too complicated.

 

[IronSean]

It’s actually a lot simpler than that. Schematic-wise, the Mark VII is effectively a two channel amp (with the first channel being made to seem like two channels as it was given two sets of knobs on the front panel), and each channel has a handful of toggleable gain stages and filters, basically.

The first channel is Clean, Fat (Clean minus an input low cut), Crunch (clean as the base, plus a few gain stages), and VII mode (Crunch plus another gain stage or so).

The second channel is comprised by the IIB, IIC+, and IV modes. In other words it’s all the Mark IV mode’s preamp circuit with more and more gain stages removed as you go down the list to IIC+ and then to IIB.

Conceptually, and gain-wise, it would have been way better to have the IIB mode in the channel 1 and 2 group of modes, Channel 1 should have been Clean / Fat / IIB. Channel 2 should have been Fat, IIB, and Crunch. Channel 3 should have been IIC+, IV, and VII. But all that would have been too tricky because IIB is part of the Lead channel circuit and VII mode is part of channel 1. The switching to make all that work would have been too complicated.

Appreciate the write up. Minor nitpick, the IIC+ mode has the exact same gain stage topology as the Mark IV mode, but just a couple tweaks to engage/disengage different filters on the circuit (and if it's the same as the Mark V, switch between the non-GEQ and GEQ coupling caps).

But I still argue my point: it's a lot of knobs, and switching logic, and different modes, and various gain stages that can be toggled out and in. The Triaxis also had a large amount of modes and switchable stages and logic and circuitry in a tiny package, and they had to store the physical resistors for each of the control values to switch between inside it too.

Especially if mesa were willing to upsize to a Rectifier chassis size then there would be no issue fitting "three channels instead of two".

 

[Techdeth]

haven't seen them live in a long time, but the youtube live stuff sounds pretty close to their current studio tone (which i hate).
i also think his tone started to suck when he got his signature PU.
i don't hear what i hate in his sound on St. Anger.
so i am with the @TheGreatGreen it's the Hetfield Signature Diezel combo that doesn't seem to work for me...

The new Metallica album has jose on top of everthing and it sounds like a time Ratt would like . I didn’t like it as much either .

 

[Techdeth]

It’s actually a lot simpler than that. Schematic-wise, the Mark VII is effectively a two channel amp (with the first channel being made to seem like two channels as it was given two sets of knobs on the front panel), and each channel has a handful of toggleable gain stages and filters, basically.

The first channel is Clean, Fat (Clean minus an input low cut), Crunch (clean as the base, plus a few gain stages), and VII mode (Crunch plus another gain stage or so).

The second channel is comprised by the IIB, IIC+, and IV modes. In other words it’s all the Mark IV mode’s preamp circuit with more and more gain stages removed as you go down the list to IIC+ and then to IIB.

Conceptually, and gain-wise, it would have been way better to have the IIB mode in the channel 1 and 2 group of modes, Channel 1 should have been Clean / Fat / IIB. Channel 2 should have been Fat, IIB, and Crunch. Channel 3 should have been IIC+, IV, and VII. But all that would have been too tricky because IIB is part of the Lead channel circuit and VII mode is part of channel 1. The switching to make all that work would have been too complicated.

Wild

 

[Techdeth]

It’s actually a lot simpler than that. Schematic-wise, the Mark VII is effectively a two channel amp (with the first channel being made to seem like two channels as it was given two sets of knobs on the front panel), and each channel has a handful of toggleable gain stages and filters, basically.

The first channel is Clean, Fat (Clean minus an input low cut), Crunch (clean as the base, plus a few gain stages), and VII mode (Crunch plus another gain stage or so).

The second channel is comprised by the IIB, IIC+, and IV modes. In other words it’s all the Mark IV mode’s preamp circuit with more and more gain stages removed as you go down the list to IIC+ and then to IIB.

Conceptually, and gain-wise, it would have been way better to have the IIB mode in the channel 1 and 2 group of modes, Channel 1 should have been Clean / Fat / IIB. Channel 2 should have been Fat, IIB, and Crunch. Channel 3 should have been IIC+, IV, and VII. But all that would have been too tricky because IIB is part of the Lead channel circuit and VII mode is part of channel 1. The switching to make all that work would have been too complicated.

When will Marshall do an all in one history tube amp . Or are we just counting jvm as that it

 

[ChuggNorris]

I think justice tone is on another level than both those albums . Justice and the black album are top 2 tones imo

Truly....


Sad But True... especially is still to this day one of the nastiest, cleanest, heavy tones EVER on record in my opinion. Its perfect.

 

[Techdeth]

Truly....


Sad But True... especially is still to this day one of the nastiest, cleanest, heavy tones EVER on record in my opinion. Its perfect.

Fear factor obsolete is there too

 

[DrewJD82]

Fear factor obsolete is there too

While the tune itself ain’t the heaviest FF tune, I always thought the “Descent” riff and the way it’s mixed was heavy as fuck, especially when those open A’s are ringing out by themselves.

 

[Techdeth]

While the tune itself ain’t the heaviest FF tune, I always thought the “Descent” riff and the way it’s mixed was heavy as fuck, especially when those open A’s are ringing out by themselves.

Oh ya . But the times on shock and shit with the palm muting riffs . That’s one of the few times up there with justice and black album . These tones are special

 

[DrewJD82]

Oh ya . But the times on shock and shit with the palm muting riffs . That’s one of the few times up there with justice and black album . These tones are special

I had a ton more respect for Dino after learning/covering "Shock", that shit is a fucking wrist-breaker. I'm legit 'massaging' my wrist in the chorus when I can just strum. Took me almost 2 days of practicing this before I could get it up to tempo because I was determined to do it without a noise gate and that extra push on the strings for the muting was a bitch. And I still fucked it up.

 

[Techdeth]

I had a ton more respect for Dino after learning/covering "Shock", that shit is a fucking wrist-breaker. I'm legit 'massaging' my wrist in the chorus when I can just strum. Took me almost 2 days of practicing this before I could get it up to tempo because I was determined to do it without a noise gate and that extra push on the strings for the muting was a bitch. And I still fucked it up.

Good shit man. If you play it regular you will start to even doing it perfect but also start making up tons of riffs . It’s pretty inspiring . I subbed ya . Sub me back

 

[DrewJD82]

Good shit man. If you play it regular you will start to even doing it perfect but also start making up tons of riffs . It’s pretty inspiring . I subbed ya . Sub me back

Will do!

My problem is that I have one foot in metal (which can be anything from old school 80’s metal to modern metal) and the other foot in the more classic rock world with my Gilmour/Eric Johnson love, as well as a big desire to wrap my hands around country guitar playing. I don’t like country music, but I fucking love the playing of guys like Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, John Jorgensen, or Albert Lee and want to dive into the world of chicken/Travis picking this year.

There’s such a huge difference in tones and playing styles between all that and my picking hand takes a hit when I deviate from one to the other. Like right now I’m busting ass learning “Cliffs Of Dover” note for note, which won’t do jackshit for playing something like “Shock”. Bit by bit, everything I learn gets into my own music eventually, but that brings it’s own issues in the same vein where I’m taking a week to think like a drummer when writing the drum parts, or I need 2-3 days of playing bass to get my bass playing up to par to pull off what I want to.

This would all be so much easier if I just liked punk music.

 

[Techdeth]

Will do!

My problem is that I have one foot in metal (which can be anything from old school 80’s metal to modern metal) and the other foot in the more classic rock world with my Gilmour/Eric Johnson love, as well as a big desire to wrap my hands around country guitar playing. I don’t like country music, but I fucking love the playing of guys like Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, John Jorgensen, or Albert Lee and want to dive into the world of chicken/Travis picking this year.

There’s such a huge difference in tones and playing styles between all that and my picking hand takes a hit when I deviate from one to the other. Like right now I’m busting ass learning “Cliffs Of Dover” note for note, which won’t do jackshit for playing something like “Shock”. Bit by bit, everything I learn gets into my own music eventually, but that brings it’s own issues in the same vein where I’m taking a week to think like a drummer when writing the drum parts, or I need 2-3 days of playing bass to get my bass playing up to par to pull off what I want to.

This would all be so much easier if I just liked punk music.

It will all balance out . Like learning cliffs of diver will make like most solos you try a tad easier after learning it . I just play master of puppets with the cd and if I can do that in time usually everthing metal wise gets easier down picking wise . Then I play angel of death to make sure I can pick it in time always. For me after I warm up in those I’m good to go metal wise

 

[DrewJD82]

It will all balance out . Like learning cliffs of diver will make like most solos you try a tad easier after learning it . I just play master of puppets with the cd and if I can do that in time usually everthing metal wise gets easier down picking wise . Then I play angel of death to make sure I can pick it in time always. For me after I warm up in those I’m good to go metal wise

For sure, if I stick within a genre then I’m good to go for a while, it’s the genre-hopping and the different pick attacks that trip me up. And while I’ve always relied on my picking hand to be the gas pedal in lieu of boosting the fuck out of high gain amps, now that I jumped into this older Marshall circuit territory I’m getting even more anal about it.

I really should develop a warm-up routine that caters to both worlds rather than just noodling to backing tracks to warm-up, just to keep some consistency going on.

Ya know, I’m not sure I’ve ever tried playing MoP at tempo, I should give that a shot after “Cliffs”

 

[Techdeth]

For sure, if I stick within a genre then I’m good to go for a while, it’s the genre-hopping and the different pick attacks that trip me up. And while I’ve always relied on my picking hand to be the gas pedal in lieu of boosting the fuck out of high gain amps, now that I jumped into this older Marshall circuit territory I’m getting even more anal about it.

I really should develop a warm-up routine that caters to both worlds rather than just noodling to backing tracks to warm-up, just to keep some consistency going on.

Ya know, I’m not sure I’ve ever tried playing MoP at tempo, I should give that a shot after “Cliffs”

Hell ya