Off Topic Any Mark V owners?

[spychocyco]

So I've wanted a Mesa/Boogie pretty much forever, and I'm going to attempt to buy one this year. (I'm buying a new house later in the year, so trying to get all the gear I want before my mortgage jumps up. )

Looking hard at the Mark V 35 and wondering if it's worth the extra money to bump up to the 90-watt, keeping in mind that I'm a bedroom player mostly. I might jam with some other guys I know, might do some amateur recording with my brother, might in a great stretch of the imagination play a small gig at some point, but that's very unlikely.

I know there are a few extra features on the bigger amp, but I'd never really get into the upper reaches of the 90-watt's capabilities.

Pros? Cons? Thoughts from folks who own one?

 

[CHill]

I have the Mark V. Great amp but always in 10 watts mode. 45 watts with drummer is more than enough. 90 watts for clean Headroom, but really 45 watts is fine. The Mark V 35 combo would cover the bedroom and with drummer easy. Check out the Mesa site and demos.

 

[CHill]

The Mark V is 3 channel. The Mark 5 35 is basically channel 1 and 3 from the full Mark V. For some EBMM content my JP6 higher output pickups compared to my Silhouette HSH is a touch louder when swapping, so I have to increase the volume for the Silhouette. Both guitars sound perfect through the Mark. I bet a Cutlass would also rock.

 

[Lax]

I had a mark V and failed to use it to its' full capacities.
The good point is the fact to have 3 channels
But for bedroom use it's really powerful
And if you are going to jam/gig/rehearse with it, thinking of the way to carry it is important.
I've been the worst mark V owner I think, but life decided I had no band when I had it

 

[jzeijen]

Had a Mark V, but sold it because it had too many options for me. Don't know if the 35 has a master volume? The Mark V 90 has it and it's big plus to control your volume level.
I have a Mesa Boogie Royal Atlantic now and I must say that it is ideal for bedroom volumes due to the built in attenuator. If you just want a plug and play Mesa the Royal Atlantic is perfect in my opinion.

 

[Rialas]

Cons, way too loud.

I have a 6 watt amp and it's the best amp I've ever owned, I've put all my pedals away, and I now just use the guitar volume to go from clear to overdrive. It'll blow my house down if I turn up.

My 100 watt 70's twin has now retired.

 

[DrKev]

A buddy of mine has two small Marhsall combos that have a 1 Watt mode and we dime those, the people in the neighboring apartments complain.

 

[mikeller]

Not to divert - but you may also want to look at the new Mesa Triple Crown. It can run EL34, 6L6 tubes in 50 watt, or 6V6 in 20 watts. It is 3 channels as well as the MK5 and is a fairly manageable 55 lbs for the 1x12 combo

 

[QuietSpike]

I'm a boogie man... thru and thru....

Nothing I love more than a boogie stack behind me and an EBMM gliding thru my fingers...

That said, the best boogie I've owned is my Mark V:25. I sold my big Mark V which I absolutely loved because it started gathering dust. The V:25 is incredibly versatile, loud enough to play with a band or in venues, and will do glassy cleans to bluesy breakup to metal. It's just sooooo good... and easy to carry around from venues to rehearsals to home.

And now I own the fractal ax8. Even easier to carry, and I have any amp at my disposal. My V:25 is just a power amp for the ax8 at home... I only bring the ax8 to gigs, run direct and in stereo... and it sounds great.

 

[beej]

A buddy of mine has two small Marhsall combos that have a 1 Watt mode and we dime those, the people in the neighboring apartments complain.

Well then, play something they like.

 

[tonechaser1]

Hi,

I use a MarkV25 with my Majesty and Luke 3 and love it. I'm a home player as well and really wasn't using the MV25 to it's full capacity until I purchased and ran it through my Two Notes Torpedo Studio into my board and out through my studio monitors.

See my Torpedo Studio MKV25 review here: Rig-Talk • View topic - 6 Weeks in with my New Studio

Even on the 10 watt setting, the MV25 is a loud amp and there is no way that I could play it at the master volume levels I have it set with when using my Torpedo Studio. I live in a house so higher volume levels aren't too big of a concern but this amp is meant to be pushed a little to hit the tonal sweet spots and it would be way too loud for my enviroment running it through my traditional 4X12 cabinet at the sweet spot volume levels I use.

To be honest, I was probably going to sell my MV25 before I purchased the Torpedo Studio but that all changed and I will never part with it now, as it truly is my dream amp. Crystal punchy cleans, to die for crunch, and singing sustain for days lead tones all in one amp. BTW, it took a lot of searching but the Radial Engineering ToneBone Classic Distortion works wonderfully with the clean modes to duplicate the awesome crunch mode if you want to use it as a 3 channel amp.

 

[DrKev]

Well then, play something they like.

They have to pay for that to happen, dammit!

 

[spychocyco]

Hmmm. A lot to think about. I still haven't decided if I'm going to take the plunge or not, but maybe I need to take a look at the 25, too. Not much more $$ for the 35, and I thought it might be worth the investment if I do ever find myself in a live band situation. I may look at a couple of other models, too. I was kind of homing in on the Mark Vs because they seem to be the most versatile, at least from reviews I've read and demos I've watched. For my own enjoyment, I'm going to be playing a lot of heavy stuff and want some good crunch. With my brother and the other guys I jam with it would probably be more Southern and blues rock type stuff.

Guess I need to carry myself down the road a ways to a Mesa dealer and play a few of them.

 

[beej]

They have to pay for that to happen, dammit!

I'd start with a tip jar in the hallway.

 

[mr.b]

I run a V:25 and it is a superb amp. Covers so much ground and the 10w mode is useful for playing at home so you can retain the compressed feel of running an amp at gigging volume but playing it at bedroom levels.

With the built in cab clone, it is more than capable of competing with a drummer as all Boogies are insanely loud and the cab clone lets you run a good FoH signal.

 

[ohbugger]

I now use a V at band practice, and a V:25 at home. The V:25 can easily keep up in a band situation, and I have gigged with it to avoid lugging the big V around.

There was a time when I loved one and wasn't feeling it with the other, and vice versa. These can just take time and a lot of tweaking to find your sweet spot. Cab Clone on the 25 is nice for recording at home. I do miss the crunch mode not being on the second channel sometimes on the 25 (it is shared with cleans on channel 1), and not having a solo button to bring your presence up when you want to in a band situation (have to throw in another pedal of your own on the floor for that). Other than that, there are times when I feel like I could get rid of the big V all together.

Haven't played with the 35 at all, but it really doesn't appeal to me due to it's physical size versus the 25.

 

[mikeller]

I still say check the Mesa Triple Crown. Its a triple channel amp with Mark V cleans and a high/heavy gains on the 3rd channel. And the ability to run either EL34's or 6L6's at 50 watt, or 6V6's at 20 watt. Cab clone also, and midi. A lot of bank for the buck on that one!!!

 

[bhull]

Another vote for the Boogie V:25. I'm running it through a Mesa 1x12 widebody. Sounds awesome, super portable and loud.

Before Mesa reissued the 2C+, some folks were boasting the V:25 had the best 2C+ mode they had ever heard.

 

[QuietSpike]

Before Mesa reissued the 2C+, some folks were boasting the V:25 had the best 2C+ mode they had ever heard.

All I use on channel 2 is the 2C+ mode. So smooth... so so smooth.....

 

[Lax]

The only thing I should have tried at first was some kind of attenuator to reach home volumes.
Now I'm an axefx2xl user