Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Woogie on April 18, 2007, 04:16:21 PM

Title: Mode four
Post by: Woogie on April 18, 2007, 04:16:21 PM

What is your opinion of the Marshall Mode Four?

Title: Mode four
Post by: Hell Hound on April 18, 2007, 04:23:47 PM

IMO it's horrible, it's sound like a VS but very very loud :(

Title: Mode four
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on April 18, 2007, 04:25:51 PM

Junk.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Woogie on April 18, 2007, 04:39:22 PM

Any reasons why TO?

I think I`d rather a hybrid now because I won't need to wait for it to warm up and it costs less. Valves aren't cheap :(

I hate searching for amps :(

Title: Mode four
Post by: BloodMountain on April 18, 2007, 04:42:22 PM

Quote from: Woogie

Any reasons why TO?

I think I`d rather a hybrid now because I won't need to wait for it to warm up and it costs less. Valves aren't cheap :(

I hate searching for amps :(

i have a valvestate marshall (the first ever series, the model number is 8100) and i will report here if you want when i get it fired up.... i know what searching for amps is like too....... took me 12 pages of one thread and 8 pages of another to decide!

Title: Mode four
Post by: Sifu Ben on April 18, 2007, 04:44:32 PM

I've tried the Mode Four and it's OK. Very saturated distortion if that's your thing.

Title: Mode four
Post by: hunter on April 18, 2007, 05:05:45 PM

I like some transistor-buzz from time to time ... especially when it's mixed with some tube ingredients ...

Title: Mode four
Post by: dave_mc on April 18, 2007, 05:35:06 PM

Quote from: Woogie

I think I`d rather a hybrid now because I won't need to wait for it to warm up and it costs less. Valves aren't cheap :(

I hate searching for amps :(

you can't wait for 2 minutes before playing? jeez, by the time I've tuned up and rearranged my room so i have room to sit ( :lol: ), my amp's warmed up enough to play.

Title: Mode four
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on April 18, 2007, 06:02:49 PM

Quote from: Woogie

Any reasons why TO?(

I can't comment on the build quality, just the sound. And to my ears, the Mode Four sounds like a squirrel caught in a blender.

Title: Mode four
Post by: noodleplugerine on April 18, 2007, 06:28:51 PM

Quote from: TwilightOdyssey

Quote from: Woogie

Any reasons why TO?(

 And to my ears, the Mode Four sounds like a squirrel caught in a blender.

+1, I was very unimpressed tbh.

Title: Mode four
Post by: MDV on April 18, 2007, 07:00:53 PM

In the words of my mate 'Metal Lord' Phil

"I wouldnt catch one if you threw it at me".

Title: Mode four
Post by: the_bleeding on April 18, 2007, 07:17:56 PM

the first 3 channels are entirely unusable. the 4th channel (which is all solid state) is okay.  Its WAYYYY overpriced, components are all made in china and assembled somewhere else, so its subject to alot of component failures.  

in short.
shitety sound
shitety quality
prone to failure
overpriced

dont get it.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Simon D on April 18, 2007, 08:49:31 PM

I'm currently amp hunting myself, and yes, it is a pain in the arse, especially in the gear wasteland known as South Wales, but that's another matter.

I've tried a Mode Four, and I was really disappointed. It just seemed liked there was no depth to the sound at all. I have a feeling that, because it's so powerful, you might have to play it at stupid volumes to get a decent sound out of it.

Either that, or it's the same shitee sound, just louder.

I don't have anything against hybrid amps, I play one at the moment, but the Mode Four just didn't have a decent tone to my ears.

Title: Mode four
Post by: dave_mc on April 18, 2007, 10:19:41 PM

Quote from: TwilightOdyssey

Quote from: Woogie

Any reasons why TO?(

 And to my ears, the Mode Four sounds like a squirrel caught in a blender.

wow, you must have some sick hobbies...

 :lol:

Title: Mode four
Post by: BloodMountain on April 18, 2007, 10:21:38 PM

Quote from: dave_mc

Quote from: TwilightOdyssey

Quote from: Woogie

Any reasons why TO?(

 And to my ears, the Mode Four sounds like a squirrel caught in a blender.

wow, you must have some sick hobbies...

 :lol:

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

look what you've done now, i'm even imagining it!

Title: Mode four
Post by: the_bleeding on April 19, 2007, 08:30:14 AM

Simon D wrote:

Quote

I'm currently amp hunting myself, and yes, it is a pain in the arse, especially in the gear wasteland known as South Wales, but that's another matter.

I've tried a Mode Four, and I was really disappointed. It just seemed liked there was no depth to the sound at all. I have a feeling that, because it's so powerful, you might have to play it at stupid volumes to get a decent sound out of it.

Either that, or it's the same shitee sound, just louder.

I don't have anything against hybrid amps, I play one at the moment, but the Mode Four just didn't have a decent tone to my ears.

solid state poweramp, it sounds the same at all volumes, and starts getting worse sounding at high volumes.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Simon D on April 19, 2007, 05:17:06 PM

^ That figures. I did push it pretty loud - as loud as I could sitting three feet in front of it - and it didn't sound any better the louder it got.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Word Bearer on April 19, 2007, 09:46:45 PM

I wouldn't touch a Mode Four with a barge pole.

If you really want to go Hybrid, then get on the 'bay and start trying to find an old Marshall Valvestate, or look into the Vox Valvetronix amps.

If you're planning on gigging tho, I wouldn't advise going with a hybrid unless you plan on always being mic'd and mainly just using the amp as your monitor, or getting a valve poweramp to run the thing thru.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Simon D on April 19, 2007, 10:04:34 PM

Hybrid amps aren't all bad Word Bearer. My Laney TF300 is a pretty decent sounding thing, especially condsidering how little it cost - £290 about 8 years ago. It's no Mesa or Cornford, but then it doesn't claim to be.

I'm with you on not touching a Mode Four with a barge pole though, purely on the basis that there is so much stuff out there which sounds better for the same money. Marshall TSL60, Engl Screamer and the Laney GH100L, to name but a few. All of which have the advantage that you can use pretty much whatever cab you want with them, rather than having to use the ones which are high rated enough to take the amp's power.

Title: Mode four
Post by: OD-Black_Fire on April 20, 2007, 03:15:15 AM

I've found that these Mode Fours and other high end solid states (LIne 6 h167 I think also) only shine when you use really really low tunings. At least as low as B, but I'm listening to Mnemic's new CD and they use F# and its really nice. They use Line 6 solid states.

I tried a 6 string Gibson LP in a Mode Four and it sounded rather ordinary. Just plain. Not worth the money. My $700 tube amp rips it a new one. But when I tried a 8 string Ibanez in it, it sounded better than most tube Marshalls (only when comparing the high gain metal tones) because the solid states low end is more controlled than the tube amps.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Word Bearer on April 20, 2007, 06:24:20 PM

Oh I'm not saying all hybrid amps are rubbish at all, there are some pretty decent ones. I really quite like the Vox one I mentioned.

I just think that they can get over hyped and over priced, most usually one have a single tube in the preamp stage which doesn't generally make a huge difference when you look at the number of tranisistors the signal still ends up travelling through.

For the price that the MF goes for you can get much better sounding valve and solid state amps.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Woogie on April 20, 2007, 06:34:00 PM

I think I`m very interested in a VC50/100, especially if it sounds like a VH100 clip I just listened too.

Anyone have any info on this amp?

Does it work well with pedals etc?

Title: Mode four
Post by: noodleplugerine on April 20, 2007, 06:37:12 PM

Quote from: OD-Black_Fire

I've found that these Mode Fours and other high end solid states (LIne 6 h167 I think also) only shine when you use really really low tunings. At least as low as B, but I'm listening to Mnemic's new CD and they use F# and its really nice. They use Line 6 solid states.

I tried a 6 string Gibson LP in a Mode Four and it sounded rather ordinary. Just plain. Not worth the money. My $700 tube amp rips it a new one. But when I tried a 8 string Ibanez in it, it sounded better than most tube Marshalls (only when comparing the high gain metal tones) because the solid states low end is more controlled than the tube amps.

The new album is so bad :(

Title: Mode four
Post by: OD-Black_Fire on April 20, 2007, 07:05:58 PM

I don't think it sucks but the new singer just doesn't cut it like the old one. He can hit notes better when singing but he sounds so sterile. Michael Bøgballe didn't sing much but he was able to express more emotion in his growls than the new guys singing.


In Control sucks though, probably because it was only written by the new singer. Lol.

Title: Mode four
Post by: noodleplugerine on April 20, 2007, 07:25:43 PM

Passenger has songs like Pig$%&# and Psykorgasm - I mean, WTF?

And the guitar playing is so boring compared to the last albums (Which were $%&#ing AMAZING) =/

And yeah - The new singer is so boring - Michael was absolutely phenomenal, and he growled shockingly well - imo one of the greatest voices I'd heard in metal.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Word Bearer on April 20, 2007, 07:39:16 PM

Quote from: Woogie

I think I`m very interested in a VC50/100, especially if it sounds like a VH100 clip I just listened too.

Anyone have any info on this amp?

Does it work well with pedals etc?

I wouldn't expect to get sounds like the VH from a VC.

Still a nice amp, but for lower gain music really.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Woogie on April 20, 2007, 08:14:17 PM

Lower gain  :?

Its sounds pretty high gain. Tom posted a clip of one off harmony central and it sounded like a beast.

Maybe your mistaking the VC50/100 for the VC15/VC30 ??

Title: Mode four
Post by: Hell Hound on April 21, 2007, 12:08:47 AM

Quote from: MDV

In the words of my mate 'Metal Lord' Phil

"I wouldnt catch one if you threw it at me".

 :lol: You just made my day!
As for Mnemic last album, there's some good idea with the F# thing but the whole album is so boring I couldn't stand it after a while. I can't even listen to it right now :x

Title: Mode four
Post by: Transcend on April 21, 2007, 12:24:37 AM

Quote from: Word Bearer

Quote from: Woogie

I think I`m very interested in a VC50/100, especially if it sounds like a VH100 clip I just listened too.

Anyone have any info on this amp?

Does it work well with pedals etc?

I wouldn't expect to get sounds like the VH from a VC.

Still a nice amp, but for lower gain music really.

is this same word bearer from teh tallica board?

Title: Mode four
Post by: noodleplugerine on April 21, 2007, 01:49:23 AM

Quote from: Hell Hound

Quote from: MDV

In the words of my mate 'Metal Lord' Phil

"I wouldnt catch one if you threw it at me".

 :lol: You just made my day!
As for Mnemic last album, there's some good idea with the F# thing but the whole album is so boring I couldn't stand it after a while. I can't even listen to it right now :x

Indeed - But would you agree that the 2 before it were absolutely frickin' amazing?

Title: Mode four
Post by: HTH AMPS on April 21, 2007, 02:47:16 PM

just been checking out that Mnemic band's website - another album on the 'to buy' list.  also had a peek at their tour dates, Leeds is the closest to Newcastle (doh!)

 :twisted:

Title: Mode four
Post by: OD-Black_Fire on April 21, 2007, 05:21:14 PM

I do believe they are opening for Metallica somewhere in Denmark.

Title: Mode four
Post by: noodleplugerine on April 21, 2007, 11:55:32 PM

Their first 2 albums are easily in my top 10 albums of all time.

They're one of the bands that have seriously influenced me.

Title: Mode four
Post by: Word Bearer on April 22, 2007, 08:54:47 PM

Quote from: hate_growth

Quote from: Word Bearer

Quote from: Woogie

I think I`m very interested in a VC50/100, especially if it sounds like a VH100 clip I just listened too.

Anyone have any info on this amp?

Does it work well with pedals etc?

I wouldn't expect to get sounds like the VH from a VC.

Still a nice amp, but for lower gain music really.

is this same word bearer from teh tallica board?

Indeed it is.

And yes I was mistaking it for the VC15, sorry for that mistake.