The Forgotten Marshall - Marshall Mode 4

[@Cantabilex]

This is my main amp for quite a while now. I'm a huge valvestate fan and this one is my holy grail. This amp never fails on delivering and being super reliable. The amount of compliments on its sound are great as well. The clean+reverb are one of the best you will ever hear. The OD channels are superb as well. Spend some time with this thing and it will surprise you how versatile this amp can be.

[@VanDiemen1969]

Having had the mode four 350w head, 400w cab, for 20yrs+, i can say reliability, only thing ive had to touch is the fans. Chuck a boost, EQ pedal, and a noisegate in front of this beast and you have a unique bad ass sound

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@VanDiemen1969 totally agree. I hear alot about the reliability of it for sure

[@bryanquick16]

The only guy I really saw as a proponent of these was Alex Skolnick from Testament. There's an old rig rundown of him singing this amp's praises and that if you know how to dial them in properly they sound killer. This was around the "Formation Of Damnation" era. This was all before he got his Budda Signature head.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@bryanquick16 yeah I remember seeing that video. I need to rewatch that. I truly think you can get some killer tones out of this thing

[@LuisJimenez-pb3ge]

John 5 during his Manson era.

[@simonpedersen4853]

@@DeathMetalDevin Didn't the guy from System of a Down also use these?

[@emiroja]

Correct. During the toxicity tour. Watch Dave Simpsons video where he visits marshall factory. He plays darons actual amp from that tour ​@@simonpedersen4853

[@jimbob-squarepants]

I have no idea why people say the Mode Four is "hard to dial in". Just put all the knobs at 12 o'clock (except volume.. unless you want to explode). Even in this video our dude is jumping around all over the place with different settings. Dude! Chill out. Start from the beginning and just put everything straight up and down. No scoop. Tone Matrix in the middle (2) position. You don't even need an OD pedal. This thing goes hard. Best sound I've ever gotten out of an amp. The Mode Four is my favorite amp of all time.

[@DSKMETAL]

Owned mine for 11 years, best amp I’ve ever owned. Gotta crank that gain down a little bit

[@THEJOEDAVISBAND]

cool video. I own several of these..they are great amps...your video proves it.

[@tiemenbouma]

Cool vid man, Got here to find out what people in 2024 think of this gem. Bought mine 20 years ago with the matching mf400 cab. Just this week picked up a second set because these cabs are also very underrated. The K100's have a very aggressive low end which also works very well for a Dual Rectifier. Now have a spare mode four head as parts will be more and more hard to get. These arent the most reliable heads, and they tend to blow up the poweramps. Had my original one in for service twice for this. Nevertheless, Having played lots of amps, this has a special place for me. Keep up the good work!

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@tiemenbouma I've been looking for the cab myself for a minute. Those things are monstrous I'm sure

[@parat75]

Honestly, it sounds brutal af. Good job Devin.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@parat75 thanks man!

[@s.macmillan460]

Excellent review

[@GATvsGAT]

Great video dude. I love my Mode 4. It’s a super versatile hidden gem and deserves far more love…. Hmmm then again perhaps not. They still come up cheap on the used market every so often 😂

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@GATvsGAT let's keep it a hidden gem 🤣

[@BuHeTy]

The crunch channel sounds amazing. The other channels are too scooped. From my experience with MG/Valvestate the contour knob just did the trick and brought that mid freqs. Also in an old interview Alex Sкolnick adores the amp and mentions that if you dial the amp in a specific way it sounds awesome. Great review, Man!

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@BuHeTy I def would just live on that crunch channel. Would love to do a shoot out of the valvestate and this one. Love testament as well. Alex is the man!

[@BuHeTy]

@@DeathMetalDevin We are waiting for Ibanez TBX, Laney Hardcore, Ampeg VH, H&K Warp 7 etc. in your solid state arsenal collection ASAP!

[@nicholasdasilva5699]

The MF350 uses two 12AX7/ECC83 tubes in the preamp -- one tube for each "amp," i.e., channels 1 and 2 share V1, and channels 3 and 4 share V2. You could probably try a 5751 gold pin in V2 to see if it cleans up that gain structure a little bit and maybe brings in some more articulation and clarity by reducing the overall channel gain on channels 3 and 4, but I wouldn't hold my breath -- this is basically a Valvestate on steroids, after all. As for the Tone Matrix control, that toggles a parametric midrange EQ scoop between three different center frequencies. Position 1 is centered around 600 Hz, position 2 is a little above 400 Hz, and position 3 is just above 300 Hz. It also changes the behavior of the rest of the tone stack, not unlike a Rectifier. This is probably where most people give up on trying to tweak it, because the bass/treble control frequency shifts are a little counterintuitive, and yeah, you absolutely need a drive pedal to tame those lower mids -- again, not unlike a Rectifier.

[@JoelCSabo]

I had a chance to drive 4 hours to pick up a head and MF400 cab half stack this winter. If your video existed then, I'd have done it. Ya gotta love an SD-1 into a Marshall.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@JoelCSabo ah man, that would have been so killer

[@JoelCSabo]

@@DeathMetalDevin good work on your demo and for making me want one now. :) I forget, what speaker did you run with the Mode Four head?

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@JoelCSabo just the v30s because everyone is familiar with them and how they sound

[@JoelCSabo]

@DeathMetalDevin thank you for the bonus response. I figured V30s but wasn't certain. The MF280 has Celestion G12H speakers, which, when last I researched, were similar-ish to V30s. Any which way, you did that MF head justice.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@JoelCSabo I'd be curious to see how they intended it to sound

[@turnuptheradio6057]

I have every marshall.I love my mode 4 to practice on with low volume and i get a great 800 tone with the sd1.

[@rickard9294]

I have always thought that my crunch channel on the MF350 has been too bright but maybe I haven't tried it with the presence all the way down. I need to test that. Thank you for showing that!

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@rickard9294 dude, for sure a game changer on that amp!

[@HearGear]

I almost bought one of these Mode Four amp heads when the was released.. ohhh man it was expensive, I bought a used JCM800 instead, and a used Pink Ibanez RG550 made in 1990.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@HearGear the better choice for sure. Pink ibanez rg550 is def a vibe

[@allsinsundone]

Great riffs man! \m/

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@allsinsundone thanks man!

[@greendayray]

This was my first “pro” rig in 2004. I hated that the gain on the clean and crunch was shared. Eventually I used it for a pedal platform and ran a digitech modeling pedal. Years later…I finally discovered overdrive pedals…if I only knew about overdrives back then…this amp was super heavy to carry tho, so I don’t miss it lol. What sucks is these were $1200 new back then and the resale value less than 10 years later was horrible…like $300 to $400

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@greendayray yeah, ODs on this amp is THE way to go for sure. Yeah the resale value on this is horrendous. But that's a good thing if u ever want one. These are great to have on hand I think. For your buddy that always needs an amp... lol

[@greendayray]

@@DeathMetalDevin yea after that I got a blackstar ht100 (I think that’s the name?) tried that for a bit but I grew up playing Marshall’s…so it always sounded like it was missing something. It’s a great amp, but it’s not a Marshall. Then I got my holy grail…the JCM 800. I got a 2205 on eBay for $900. Super clean, dude had it in a road case. All it needed was a new socket for one of the power tubes. Got a JCM 900 after that too…because a lot of my favorite bands in the 90s used those too.

[@zigzagrz]

I purchased one recently but had to return it since it did not have any sound. I took a peak inside and I think I only saw one preamp tube. At 350 watts I was also worried it would be too much for my 412

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@zigzagrz ah bummer man!

[@low_e_music]

Damn, you really made this thing sing! Amazing the difference that the Boss SD1 makes, haha! Channel 4 kinda reminds me of the DSL's OD2. I love OD1 but there's something about OD2 that I just can't vibe with. They are definitely underrated amps and will more than get the job done for just about anything. Have always wanted to pick one up but it just never seems to materialize, maybe someday...

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@low_e_music that channel 2 is def what a Marshall should be to my ears. Boosted it is def an amp that can contend with the obvious choiced amps. I also def hear u on OD2 (channel 4) on this amp. But when it's loud it's huge sounding. Thanks for stopping by man! Loving ur videos as always

[@low_e_music]

@@DeathMetalDevin Thanks man! Yeah, volume definitely does help with those super saturated channels. Will need to experiment with that a little more on the DSL when no one is around, ha!

[@tbirdpunk]

The MF cabs were the best part of this amp series.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@tbirdpunk sadly never got to try one. Haven't come across one yet that I could snag up

[@JockeLundgrenTV]

Great job. Thanks! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@80s_kid]

As far as I know, the MF head was not a success story in the history of the company (maybe the timing was not good) but I know for sure that the two MF cabinets (MF280, MF400) are still popular, many people like them, it's strange why Marshall didn't keep them in their cabinet line.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@80s_kid totally agree with u there

[@homewoodstudio1978]

The Mode 4 will compliment the XXX. IF you want to break it down to the 90-45 degree angle, the Mode four and XXX set the tone for Nu Metal in the late 90s.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@homewoodstudio1978 ill have to give that a shot

[@vashstampede5933]

Hmmm... The Triple XXX wasn't released from Peavey until around 2002. I know because mine was a first year model and I'm the original owner of it, bought it in 2003. While it can do the nu-metal thing, it is far more capable of than that. Funny story about the Mode 4, the last metal band I played in, (2013) the other guitarist used it with a crappy Crate cab. I was very underwhelmed with what he could do with it, aside from the fact he liked to crank the treble on it... (earbleed city) I wish someone like Devin here could have schooled the dude how to tweak this amp, because he's got it sounding tight, thrashy and cutting.

[@homewoodstudio1978]

My bad on the time frame, it was around 2003 or so when I got the XXX, I was thinking more about Nu Metal than the XXX. They are hated to control, but sound great once you get the tone dialed in. I can’t use effects with it unless it’s just the clean Chanel or the effects loop.

[@cortarelva]

The ultimate Valvestate

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@cortarelva perfect label

[@Brutalmetal93]

G12k-100 for the 400 watt

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@Brutalmetal93 ahhhhh that's what was in the mode 4 cab rated at 400 watts?

[@dddd717]

Those speakers are awesome…fender has the same speakers in their metal head 4x12….they are awesome to pair with v30’s

[@jimbob-squarepants]

@@DeathMetalDevin The G12K-100 speakers (in the MF400 cab) are the secret sauce in the Mode Four line. For some stupid reason, they originally came out with two totally different cabs for this head. I have NO IDEA why, but Marshall decided to put out a crappy 280w version with the crappy woofy/muffled "v30MF"'s (that didn't even sound like v30s). I believe the crappy 280w cab is what gave people a bad impression of this amp. That cab/speaker combo absolutely sucked. MF400 cab/ G12K-100s all the way.

[@neutron_audio]

Sweet Dude!

[@scotthorn9520]

had one years ago.Hunting for another.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

that channel 2 man. If I could just have that and that power amp I'd be happy. They pop up here and there!

[@scotthorn9520]

@ picked one up yeaterday with the mf400a cab and footswitch

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@scotthorn9520 killer man

[@Anthoniexg]

Damn now I need to find one.

[@ro307805]

I like it

[@TheGazza83]

The 350 Watts puts most people off. When you pick it up, it slopes to one side. That's a massive output transformer 😂

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@TheGazza83 🤣

[@FortressofShred]

I wanted one so bad. I'm so glad I never got one.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@FortressofShred 🤣

[@FortressofShred]

@@DeathMetalDevin I hate solidstate

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

Used to play through a friends. When you think you have enough gain, back off and it's perfect Legend is the MF on the front panel means something else. Not sure what they mean but...

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@NitroModelsAndComics it's not mother f*****? Lol

[@UseTheSupeRsonic]

Might very well be one of better sounding Marshalls I've heard. I tend to stay away from them because the top-end gets really "stringy" on leads. This one seems to take influence from the Rectifier and Uberschall. Have you ever tried one of the Blackstar Series One amps? They're super versatile and do the Modded JCM stuff on Super Crunch, and the really thick Soldano-y stuff too on the OD channels

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@user-jq4fz6co8b that's a really interesting POV. I did have the presence all the way down and I think that's amp needs to be. I haven't tried a Series one yet but have always been curious about them. Def need to now after that description

[@xsteox770]

Ever listen to the old dark/ crust hardcore band The Dagda? Glyn used one of these, always sounded killer

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@xsteox770 ill check it out!

[@DingeyBasementRecordings]

would you take this amp over that jsx on your shelf or a dsl100?

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@DingeyBasementRecordings def, jsx and dsl and def on the same level tho for me. The mode 4 would only be a good backup for me. But for someone that comes across one and wants that Marshall tone, yeah I think it works well enough if u are looking for it

[@bivotarshamble3672]

Fn hell man 😬😜🤘

[@gresnid3453]

Just curious, did it come with those 3 normal looking Marshall knobs and the rest Mesa style knobs, or did someone do that after market? It makes sense channel 4 sounds like a Mesa with those knobs.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@gresnid3453 aftermarket! But it makes sense to as you pointed out. The guy I picked it up from did it. Needless to say he knew what he was doing

[@jimbob-squarepants]

@@DeathMetalDevin Wrong. The original knobs on the Mode Four are the "Mesa style". The Marshall knobs on your MF are replacements.

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@jimbob-squarepants yes, I was referring to the Marshall knobs being aftermarket

[@turnuptheradio6057]

It has 2 preamp tubes

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@turnuptheradio6057 thank ya

[@Clabian96]

I remember an ad for this with John 5. I hope I can stumble across a cheap one. This was a really unique amp for the time that it came out.

[@Haunting1981]

I got a buddy who swears by these amps. I've always hated his tone. So I guess it's like anything else... Subjective

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@Haunting1981 for sure. Swearing by it? There's better. But you can def get a good tone out of this

[@Haunting1981]

@@DeathMetalDevin nah man he swears by it for whatever reason. He's got 2 of em just in case one takes a shit (which I'm pretty sure they tend to do).

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@Haunting1981 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@neepathius7]

doesnt need a damn OD!!!!!!!!!! what is wrong with 90% of u guys using od? this thing slays!!

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@neepathius7 lol, this will be ur mission in life

[@gelatinspiders]

cleans up the lowend and adds some more midrange, its usually not just for the extra gain

[@they_arent_human]

There's always at least one whineing about OD in the comments of basically every high gain amp video

[@neepathius7]

thats right and thats me this time pissant! 🖕😤 lol

[@DeathMetalDevin]

@@neepathius7 we need all sides of the coin lol