V4 EQ settings

[beedoola]

The V4 is a very versatile amp, and I'm sure most reading this know. I've had a couple throughout the years and I'm always finding new settings and tweaking, depending on the speakers used.

I'm curious to how you V4 owners set your EQ.

For the longest time, I had the Volume sensitivity off, Treble around 2 o'clock, Mids with the rocker switch on the 300Hz, and the control around 10:30/11 o'clock. My cab has v30s and I find they already have some strongs Mids to them so I back off the Mids. The Bass is usually around 9:30 o'clock. V4 has a lot of low end.

For more rocking/crunchy tones, I keep the Mids on 300Hz, crank the Mids to around 2/3 o'clock, bass Off.

Thoughts/suggestions?

[Liquids]

I'm curious to how you V4 owners set your EQ.

I run a V4(b) with my guitar, so that is the equivalent of the sensitivty setting at -9db or the lowest setting on a V2/V4 (etc.) for reference.

I have messed a lot with the EQ, both circuit-wise and with the controls.

The mid control has very little affect between 9:30 and 1 o'clock, but is very noticeable at extreme cut or moderate to extreme boost. The ear hears the onset of mid BOOST very noticeably, much more than cut, so you have to really cut the mid for it to start being really significant with a fairly 'flat' setting of the passive baxandall bass/treble. But it works well so you can more easily dial in a tasteful boost, if that's one's taste.

Anyhow, I set the mids basically to noon (12:00), or in that area until switching between the 3 frequencies makes no audible difference to my ears. Ultra high is off (equivalent to "0" setting on models with -/0/+)

I boost the bass to about 2:30-3:00, and the treble to about 3:00.

The way I tweaked the EQ caps, that is not as significant a high frequency boost as it would be with the amp stock. It affect the high mids WAY less than the stock EQ.

This boost and particular high boost ends up basically resulting in a midrange cut centered around 500/600hz, which is my preference time and time again, for guitar. It's more around 300 (with a lot more high mid boost) with the stock EQ caps etc.

I run it dead clean and fairly quiet, but my settings don't change much when I've played it loud (before breakup). Great for overdrive pedals, which are admittedly circuits that are hardly recognizable from the circuits they were originally based on...everything goes through various rack-based delay/reverb.

Sweet, fat clean, HUGE sounding lead sound, and everywhere in between sounds awesome too. Highly recommend trying to get a board from hangman that uses a 2.2n/220p pair for the EQ caps on the treble side to anyone who runs their Ampeg clean and feels it's hard to find the sweet spot with the highs.

For the longest time, I had the Volume sensitivity off, Treble around 2 o'clock, Mids with the rocker switch on the 300Hz, and the control around 10:30/11 o'clock.

For more rocking/crunchy tones, I keep the Mids on 300Hz, crank the Mids to around 2/3 o'clock, bass Off.

Thoughts/suggestions?

Enjoy the amazing versatility of the amp! There's hardly a wrong setting!

[beedoola]

Ya, I already installed the eq board. You say there us not noticeable differ hence in the mid control from 9-1? I notice a difference. Maybe its the v30s I'm using too.

[Hangman]

Ya, I already installed the eq board. You say there us not noticeable differ hence in the mid control from 9-1? I notice a difference. Maybe its the v30s I'm using too.

There are a number of factors at play. for example the 3 discrete inductors in the later V4s have a very different sound than the toroidal inductor in the early v4s. I have found the mid control on the later models to be a little more obvious.

the speakers will also play into it too. I definitely notice a difference in the mid eq from 9->1 but it isn't intense.

I always enjoy playing with boosting bass and cutting the mids at 300hz
or vice-versa.

same with the highs and mids at 3Khz. the combos give very interesting tonal textures that are not available on any other guitar amp.

[Liquids]

I mean that its subtle in that range...and moves to rather dramatic boost or cut quickly beyond that.

When I first got the amp, I figured the midrange cut/boost was more like a graphic EQ or mixerboard eq, with each notch on the dial away from midpoint being 4db or 5db of cut/boost. It's not linear like that after simulating the circuit. So between 9:30 and 1 o clock not that much boost or cut is happening, but our ears are sensitive to midrange so it's a potentially subtle but useful range on the dial. To get a mid scoop like a blackface style fender almost always has, which is about 10db to 15db cut or more, you need the mid pot pretty low.

[Liquids]

Started questioning my settings, but was jamming at high but not ear-bleeding volume last night, and my settings (Treble @ 3:00 / Mid @ 12:00 / Bass @ 2:45) worked very well at that volume. Big, loud, fat, without any amp breakup. Even got compliments on my sound (etc). Cuts through a mix believe it or not, even in a basement with some of the concrete walls exposed. No ear piercing harshness even with a strat played in all (3) in-between pickup settings where I have it wired to bypass (ignore) the bridge/neck pickup tone controls. I love this amp!