vht ultra lead or mesa mark iv

[jayherbie]

anyone play bolth, i want a real heavy modern sound, like a diezel herbert (can't afford one).
also how are the vht cabs? which is the good one the deleverence, or standard, do the p50's sound good, or do the all v30's have a better overall sound.
opinions apreciated

 

[Shiny_Surface]

anyone play bolth, i want a real heavy modern sound, like a diezel herbert (can't afford one).
also how are the vht cabs? which is the good one the deleverence, or standard, do the p50's sound good, or do the all v30's have a better overall sound.
opinions apreciated

Own both, and I will agree with Thump's statements.

The Mark IV is more saturated and compressed, and the UL is more open sounding and dry.

 

[blackba]

While I love my mark IV, it is not what I call a modern heavy metal sound. It still does metal well, but when I think of a modern heavy metal sound I think of a 5150 or Engl fireball. Keep in mind I have the Mark IVA which has a bit less gain overall than the mark IVB from what I have read.

 

[nbarts]

I'd take VHT without even thinking about it. But none of them is going to do the Herbert thing for you. VHT sounds like VHT & they are one of the best amps in the market IMO. I've played Deliverance head with P50s, sounds good. However I'm not sure that cab is going to sound good with other heads.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

Another vote for VHT! I think Mark IV's have one of the best lead tones out there but to me they fall short on aggression for rhythm. The Ultra Lead is a savage beast!!! Probably the most aggressive sounding amp I've played and VERY flexible/versatile. I'd say the lead tones fall just short of Mark IV quality but they're plenty good enough and everything else about the amp smokes the Mark IMO.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

UL isn't modern sounding either IMO, which is a good thing for me. It's actually quite organic and natural sounding compared to some other amps people may compare it to.

At least not modern sounding compared to what kids want these days

I think VHT's fall under some sort of internet myth where you expect something very different compared to when you actually try one.

I would also never personally say VHT smokes Mark IV either, it's purely subjective.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

While I love my mark IV, it is not what I call a modern heavy metal sound. It still does metal well, but when I think of a modern heavy metal sound I think of a 5150 or Engl fireball. Keep in mind I have the Mark IVA which has a bit less gain overall than the mark IVB from what I have read.

UL isn't modern sounding either IMO, which is a good thing for me.

At least not modern sounding compared to what kids want these days

It CAN be. The one I had sounded VERY modern dialed in right with a Tubescreamer in front! Mine was a non-EQ model and I ran an EQ in the loop to compensate. I would imagine the onboard EQ works even better. I shaped the tone a little with the EQ, (slightly scooped 800, cut some extreme highs, etc...) tinkered with the knobs on the amp a bit, boosted it with a TS, and was in modern high gain heaven! MEAN sounding amp I tell you!

 

[mctallica1]

I think they are both great amps (have owned several of each ).

In general I agree with everything said so far , however, if you want to get modern metal tone out of the Mark IV, try this:

Use the EQ on th eamp to get as close as you can, then throw an EQ in the loop ( I use an MXR 10 band) and make a slight smiley shape

Even with the mids scooped on the Mark IV, there are still quite a bit of mids, so adding the EQ takes it into death metal territory.

FWIW, I got this idea from Psychodave and would have never thought of doing it myself, but it kicks all kinds of ass for bringing the heavy

 

[Digital Jams]

anyone play bolth, i want a real heavy modern sound, like a diezel herbert (can't afford one).
also how are the vht cabs? which is the good one the deleverence, or standard, do the p50's sound good, or do the all v30's have a better overall sound.
opinions apreciated

Own both, and I will agree with Thump's statements.

The Mark IV is more saturated and compressed, and the UL is more open sounding and dry.

Yeah, two totally different amps for sure.

 

[BOOGIE444]

I would take the mark III over the IV for a more modern sound.

 

[jayherbie]

Thanks for all the responses!!! Wish there was a music store around here that carried either of em, mk 4's are never in stock anywhere, & vht are non existant around here.,. some more reading & reviews & clips to go threw

 

[grimmchaos]

Mark IV can get pretty modern sounding too. I'm a bit biased, but I love mine, especially the lead tone. I don't think you can go wrong with either amp though.

 

[sandman]

VHT FTW