The_Mako_Maker
New member
rareguitar":128nqdq4 said:I have a Mak4 preamp and is is inspiring. Great clean, crunch, 80's metal and really heavy channels. Best bang for the buck anywhere IMO and it hangs with stuff 4x its price.
Epic pic!
Epic pic!
Erock
Well-known member
hey Andrew, my bad on getting the story wrong, I thought that was the issue with that first Dorado. My friend currently has it still, and absolutely loves it. I know because I've tried to buy it back several times. 
Ventura
Well-known member
The_Mako_Maker":1ycofuol said:rareguitar":1ycofuol said:I have a Mak4 preamp and is is inspiring. Great clean, crunch, 80's metal and really heavy channels. Best bang for the buck anywhere IMO and it hangs with stuff 4x its price.
Epic pic!
MONDO droolage...
Bastard!
V.
EXPcustom
Well-known member
The_Mako_Maker":oecmo62s said:
Thanks to you and the one poster above for clarifying the transformer issue, wish I could check one out in person.
J
Jay Strange
New member
I have never palyed a Mako, but from clips I've heard
I really dig the evil voicing
I really dig the evil voicing
Kaleiwahea
New member
Owned the very 1st Makoplex - had to sell a while back for financial reasons 
.
Great amp, Andy (ha!) is a great guy and bent over backwards to get the amp like I wanted. It is the one doing the unaccompanied clips on the MAKO site.
Channel switching would have been great and apparently there is a 2 channel Makoplex now?
I'll have to keep an eye out for that one...
Hi Andrew. Hope all is well.
.Great amp, Andy (ha!) is a great guy and bent over backwards to get the amp like I wanted. It is the one doing the unaccompanied clips on the MAKO site.
Channel switching would have been great and apparently there is a 2 channel Makoplex now?
I'll have to keep an eye out for that one...
Hi Andrew. Hope all is well.
Ventura
Well-known member
Kaleiwahea":3ozn384a said:Owned the very 1st Makoplex - had to sell a while back for financial reasons
Great amp, Andy (ha!) is a great guy and bent over backwards to get the amp like I wanted. It is the one doing the unaccompanied clips on the MAKO site.
Channel switching would have been great and apparently there is a 2 channel Makoplex now?
I'll have to keep an eye out for that one...
Hi Andrew. Hope all is well.
With a handle like yours, you're either on Kauai's north shore, or near the volcano on the Big Island. Do tell.
As per Andrew and his amps - I've had a chat with him, I think I'll be ordering one up in the next couple months once the Mak4 deliveries are sorted out. Probably a MakoPlex or a Dorado. I'm not gassin' full tilt, but they're piquing my interest as solid, awesome, simple amps that kick ass. Will keep everyone posted - stoked, but not ready yet!!
Namaste,
V.
Juggernaut
Well-known member
You wont regret it, AMAZING, AMAZING amps.
Kaleiwahea
New member
Ventura":1a5psb7a said:Kaleiwahea":1a5psb7a said:Owned the very 1st Makoplex - had to sell a while back for financial reasons
Great amp, Andy (ha!) is a great guy and bent over backwards to get the amp like I wanted. It is the one doing the unaccompanied clips on the MAKO site.
Channel switching would have been great and apparently there is a 2 channel Makoplex now?
I'll have to keep an eye out for that one...
Hi Andrew. Hope all is well.
With a handle like yours, you're either on Kauai's north shore, or near the volcano on the Big Island. Do tell.
As per Andrew and his amps - I've had a chat with him, I think I'll be ordering one up in the next couple months once the Mak4 deliveries are sorted out. Probably a MakoPlex or a Dorado. I'm not gassin' full tilt, but they're piquing my interest as solid, awesome, simple amps that kick ass. Will keep everyone posted - stoked, but not ready yet!!
Namaste,
V.
Born and raised on Oahu. Kaleiwahea is my last name.
Laura
New member
I have a Mak2 Dorado and Makoplex. I love them both. The Makoplex is a more old school and the Mak2 is more modern. Here are my crappy video's....
Just the Mak2 with the gain dialed back a bit (one of my earlier clips with just the camera mic)...
Just the Mak2 with the gain dialed back a bit (one of my earlier clips with just the camera mic)...
Juggernaut
Well-known member
STILL wish I had never HAD to sell that to you.
Laura
New member
Juggernaut":3tb1accw said:
STILL wish I had never HAD to sell that to you.
vchizzle
Active member
I played one of the hand wired older Dorado's and it kicked all kinds of ass. I might've grabbed one if there had been a 2 channel at the time. My amp gas is almost nonexistent these days but I'd gladly rock a Dorado if I were into amp whoring. 
Just too attached to what I have now. 
Just too attached to what I have now. 
Sixtonoize
New member
My Mak4 rack is my main rig nowadays, and that should tell you something.
mixeduplydian
New member
What are you using for power/ cab with it?Sixtonoize":1ubr4l87 said:
What is channel switching like on it? (any pops or drops? MIDI or Relay switching?)
I've been eyeballing the Mak4 since I'm going to build a new rack in the next 6 months or so. Preamp is either going to be a Mak4, a Bogner fish (why did I ever sell that thing!) or an x88.
Sixtonoize
New member
I'm using a Carvin T100 (5881 loaded) for power.
Cabs are a Mesa 2x12 on top of a fuzzy Carvin 4x12
Switching is controlled by a custom FS, but there are jacks on the back to go out to anything with Momentary switches. I hooked it up to an RJM Amp Gizmo at practice on Monday and it worked great. Programming the setup took like 10 minutes, then the rest of practice everything worked flawlessly.
There are no delays or dropouts with channel switching - it just switches exactly when you tell it to every time. There's a very low-level pop (it kind of sounds like the thump when you power on a power amp) when you switch between channels, but you'll only notice it when the volume is cranked, you're not playing, and everything else is silent. It's not even loud enough to hear when you're at low volumes.
The only thing that I don't really like about switching is that the buttons on the custom FS are (IMO) too close together. There have been a few times when I've hit two switches at once, but I still haven't had a problem with switching to the wrong channel...it just feels weird when you're hitting more than one button and you don't intend to.
Cabs are a Mesa 2x12 on top of a fuzzy Carvin 4x12
Switching is controlled by a custom FS, but there are jacks on the back to go out to anything with Momentary switches. I hooked it up to an RJM Amp Gizmo at practice on Monday and it worked great. Programming the setup took like 10 minutes, then the rest of practice everything worked flawlessly.
There are no delays or dropouts with channel switching - it just switches exactly when you tell it to every time. There's a very low-level pop (it kind of sounds like the thump when you power on a power amp) when you switch between channels, but you'll only notice it when the volume is cranked, you're not playing, and everything else is silent. It's not even loud enough to hear when you're at low volumes.
The only thing that I don't really like about switching is that the buttons on the custom FS are (IMO) too close together. There have been a few times when I've hit two switches at once, but I still haven't had a problem with switching to the wrong channel...it just feels weird when you're hitting more than one button and you don't intend to.
mixeduplydian
New member
Thanks for the info!Sixtonoize":3m7dkvso said:
I would probably be using something along the lines of the amp gizmo for switching since I'll be going the MIDI controlled route, so the footswitch isn't an issue for me.
As long as the pop is fairly tame, and not really noticeable while your playing, I don't see that being too much of a problem.
5881s 'eh, How is the low end? I don't need crazy bass guitar burying low end, but I like a nice tight-ish low end with just a little sag to it.
Sixtonoize
New member
I like the 5881s. There's a good amount of give in the power section.
The Mak4 is SUPER tight. The first time I had it up loud, I was using my UltraLead power section, and it was definitely tighter than I like (and I like pretty tight amps).
The 5881 help to loosen up the Mako a bit.
I'm also using a parametric EQ with a bump at 100hz because the preamp doesn't out out a lot of bass.
There was plenty of bass through the UL power section, but the UL has a Depth knob.
The Carvin doesn't, so the combination is a little light on the ass end without an external EQ.
The only thing the EQ is really doing is mimicing the effect of a Depth or Resonance control...if the power amp you're going to use has Depth or Resonance, you probably don't need it.
But, FWIW, I'd avoid power amps that are known for being super tight like VHTs.
Something a little looser would be a better match, especially if you like a little sag.
Also - it's worth mentioning that the Gain control of the Makoplex channel has a HUGE impact on the tightness of the pre. With the gain below 12:00, it's crazy-tight. Above 12:00, it loosens up a lot.
The Dorado channel is ridiculously tight now matter how much gain you throw at it.
The Mak4 is SUPER tight. The first time I had it up loud, I was using my UltraLead power section, and it was definitely tighter than I like (and I like pretty tight amps).
The 5881 help to loosen up the Mako a bit.
I'm also using a parametric EQ with a bump at 100hz because the preamp doesn't out out a lot of bass.
There was plenty of bass through the UL power section, but the UL has a Depth knob.
The Carvin doesn't, so the combination is a little light on the ass end without an external EQ.
The only thing the EQ is really doing is mimicing the effect of a Depth or Resonance control...if the power amp you're going to use has Depth or Resonance, you probably don't need it.
But, FWIW, I'd avoid power amps that are known for being super tight like VHTs.
Something a little looser would be a better match, especially if you like a little sag.
Also - it's worth mentioning that the Gain control of the Makoplex channel has a HUGE impact on the tightness of the pre. With the gain below 12:00, it's crazy-tight. Above 12:00, it loosens up a lot.
The Dorado channel is ridiculously tight now matter how much gain you throw at it.
mixeduplydian
New member
Thanks again for all the info!
Ventura
Well-known member
Bringing this one back up to life... I'm just wondering, Dorado or MakoPlex. The MakoPlex clips I hear all sound as though they're trying to be EVH tones, and that's not my schtick.
See, I'm in the midst of a slight session space revamp/expansion, and I'm looking to pair my VH4S up with another amp for some serious thunder. The V and the 20thA don't really groove together, the tones are too conflicting, hard to explain. But I'm thinking a Dorado or a MakoPlex toe-to-toe with the VH4S would be a nice sound combined.
Just throwing it out there. Ultimately, I'm looking at a 2x15 + 4x12 stereo rig for the VH4S with a AB/Y to another head, potentially a MakoPlex or Dorado through its own 4x12. Done.
Peace Y'All...
V.
See, I'm in the midst of a slight session space revamp/expansion, and I'm looking to pair my VH4S up with another amp for some serious thunder. The V and the 20thA don't really groove together, the tones are too conflicting, hard to explain. But I'm thinking a Dorado or a MakoPlex toe-to-toe with the VH4S would be a nice sound combined.
Just throwing it out there. Ultimately, I'm looking at a 2x15 + 4x12 stereo rig for the VH4S with a AB/Y to another head, potentially a MakoPlex or Dorado through its own 4x12. Done.
Peace Y'All...
V.