Front panel, Power-up, And now looking to the rear panel – Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier User Manual
Page 6: Page 2
First familiarize yourself with the layout of the Front Panel and plug in the FU-3 footswitch which is located on the underside of the
chassis towards the middle and about mid way forward of the Rear Panel. It’s not necessary to unplug the footswitch after use, simply
use the handy fasteners on the left and right side of the cabinet and attach the unit for storage and/or transport. Make sure the
footswitch cable is connected properly. It has three pins and a key way for mating itself to the female portion of the jack. When
connected, the FU-3 footswitch will allow you to select the various modes,FX Loop and the EQ of the MARK IV remotely. If you don’t
have the footswitch available, the MODE SELECT rotary switch located on the Rear Panel will access the modes. Before we get too
specific about each control, let’s audition the 3 modes with some basic settings just to get your new MK IV up and purring.
Connect your favorite guitar to the instrument input jack. Flip the power switch to the FULL POWER position while leaving the
STANDBY switch set to “STANDBY.” ( It is always a good idea to practice this start up procedure as at least 30 seconds of warm-up
time lessens the shock on cold power tubes, thus prolonging their life substantially.) Using the example below as a guide, set the
controls as illustrated and flip the STANDBY switch to the “ON” position. Listen to the three distinctly different modes using either the
footswitch or the MODE SELECT rotary switch as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
In the example above the Graphic E.Q. is set in the ever so popular “V” curve shape. Most players tend to use it more in the LEAD
channel, finding the RHYTHM channel plenty sweet by itself without the use of the E.Q. ( for more information regarding the E.Q., see
page 6 .)
Viewing from the back of the amp, locate the REVERB control and set to 3. Set E.Q. switch to the center position (OFF). LEAD
VOICING switch should be set to HARMONICS and ignore the FX Loop for now. Set the power amp switches to SIMUL-CLASS and
TRIODE.
After these initial settings have been made, plug in your guitar (STANDBY switch “ON’) and play! Use the three MASTER controls to
balance volumes between the modes. Use the OUTPUT LEVEL to raise or lower overall playing loudness. Dial in the PRESENCE
controls to set brightness before adjusting TREBLE controls. RHYTHM 1 should be clean, fat, warm and round. RHYTHM 2 should be
near maximum crunch, yet it’s capable of many other sounds as well. The LEAD mode should have searing sustain even though its
GAIN control is only around half. Now lets get into understanding the controls and the way they interact to obtain the sounds you want
to hear.
FRONT PANEL:
POWER-UP:
PULL SHIFT
PULL SHIFT
PULL BRIGHT
MASTERS
LEAD GAIN
RHY2 GAIN
R1+R2 MID
LEAD MID
R1+R2 BASS
LEAD BASS
R1 TREBLE
LEAD TREBLE
RHY1 GAIN
INPUT
PULL BRIGHT
INSTRUMENT
PULL FAT
PULL FAT
EQ
LOOP
OUTPUT LEVEL
STANDBY
TWEED
POWER
M
ARK
IV
R2 TREBLE
LEAD DRIVE
6
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
010
ON
FULL
POWER
PRESENCE
CONTROLS
80
240
750
2200
6600
SILENT
RECORDING
(PULL)
R2
R1
LD
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1 0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
6
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
LEAD GAIN
Pull FAT out
RHY 1 pull
BRIGHT out
RHY 2 pull
FAT out
Pull Shifts for
R2, Lead Out
LEAD DRIVE
Pull BRIGHT out
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
010
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
010
Pull
And now looking to the Rear Panel...
PAGE 2
3A SB
FUSE
GRAPHIC EQ
REMOTE
REVERB
RECORDING
SLAVE (D.I.)
POWER AMP
TRIODE
SIMUL-CLASS
HARMONICS
PENTODE
CLASS A
SPEAKERS
8 OHM
4 OHM
4 OHM
MID GAIN
LEAD VOICING
LEVEL
OUT
117 VOLTS
60 HZ
4 AMPS
EXTERNAL SWITCHING JACKS
RHYTHM 1
RHYTHM 2
LEAD
CLASS A/ SIMUL FX LOOP
EQ
REVERB FTSW.
SATELLITE EQ
SATELLITE SEND
SATELLITE
AUTO
RHY 2
AUTO
RHY 1
FX LOOP ON
FULL TIME
FX LOOP
SWITCHING
RHY 2
LEAD
AUTO ASSIGN SWITCHES
FX SEND
RETURN
RETURN
LEFT
(STEREO)
RIGHT
(MONO)
SIG.
PATH
MODE SELECT
LEAD
EX SW
FT SW
RHY 1
RHY 2
HANDBUILT IN PETALUMA CALIFORNIA
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10
ON / OFF AUTO R2
OFF
5
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
0
10