Question MM + Mesa Mark V experiences

[guitarp77]

Just a question to see if you can help me...

I have a Laney head (GH100L), really reliable and great amp.

But I´m looking for a more versatile amp, and my quest is heading me towards a MARK V.

I´ve seen that many of you have the Mark V, and it seems to me that it is like "bread & butter" with MM.

So, if you can share your experiences with the amp (versatility, easyness to use, reliability, building, etc), it will be gladly appreciated.

My style of playing takes me from Beatles / Led Zeppelin to Megadeth and Iron Maiden, passing through Kiss, Journey, etc...

Thanks a million!

 

[sballow]

I personally don't have the Mark V but I do have the Roadster and that is an extremely versatile amp. It has 4 channels with 2 clean and 2 overdrives. It is 100w but each channel is selectable to 50w/100w with 2 power tube choices. I have mine set up as a clean F***** style with no highs on channel 1, a super dry M***** style on channel 2 that is scooped so hard it almost sounds distorted, a warm overdrive on channel 3 and that ultra dry modern Recto sound on channel 4. Some amps say they are X amps in 1 but this one really is at least 4 amps at any given time.

 

[Dr.Strangenote]

Is there any way that you can plug your MM into a Mark V at a music shop to kick the tires? I have the Mark V. It was the best investment besides my Music Man guitars. I also play a lot of variety of music, prog rock and metal are my roots, but I also play 60's, 70's, 80's motown, as well. It's all done with the Mark V. As far as ease of use, I think as with any Mesa, they take time to dial in to your personal tastes and styles to get 'your' tone. Since I've spent so much time with Mesa in my years, dialing in the Mark V to get my sound wasn't that tough, being that I've had a Mark IV before it, and all the others in between. There are settings which users share to at least get you to a starting point and you can tweak if need be. As for versatity, it's all around the best amp, again 'for me' and my style of playing as well the set lists. I wouldn't go any other route, besides a 2nd Mark V for different settings on the fly. The best advice that I can give to you is see if you can get a hold of one and plug into it for a demo to see if it's the right choice.

 

[ghunter]

I have multiple Mesa Boogie amps and they all seem to work well with every guitar, not just MM in particular. I've been looking at the Mark V as well, it does look like an incredibly well thought out piece and I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I was limited to one and only one amp.

I would suggest that you visit the grailtone forums to start learning about the various other Mesa offerings, then visit a store that has a good selection available for you to plug in to. You may find that your playing style doesn't need all of the options that the Mark V has, or that one of their other amp series has a tone quality that you would prefer (Rectifier, Lone Star, and Transatlantic amps can do things the Mark can't, not to mention the older Stilleto series). You may also confirm that the Mark V is the one for you, and you'll probably find yourself walking out the door with one. Used Mark V amps are selling for 70-80% of MSRP, which is another testament to their quality.

Much like EBMM guitars, they are all amazing pieces of equipment that have their own sweet spots. I prefer the Silhouette to the Luke, but that's not to say that the Luke isn't a great guitar. You'll find the same with the Mark V - it is a phenomenal amp, but you may just fall in love with a Rectifier instead.

 

[guitarp77]

Is there any way that you can plug your MM into a Mark V at a music shop to kick the tires?

Saldy they don´t have a representative in Chile, so there´s no way I can go to a store to try one...if I could, probably this question would´ve been a bit different.

That´s what really sucks about living in the butt of the world

 

[ghunter]

Saldy they don´t have a representative in Chile, so there´s no way I can go to a store to try one...if I could, probably this question would´ve been a bit different.

That´s what really sucks about living in the butt of the world

Assuming you are buying completely on chance and word of mouth, the Mark V will not disappoint you.

PM me with what you want to get out of your amp and I'll try to help you decode the different amp choices based on my experiences with them.

 

[Tanax]

If you want versatility, you really should check out the Axe-FX 2. It's even cheaper than the Mark V, at least in EU. Plus it has way more than what the Mark V can ever offer.

However, it doesn't have the same kind of "ease of use" as the Mark V. It's a little more tweaking, just because it has so many more knobs and settings. With that said, it's not difficult to set up a really nice tone with it. Check it out!

 

[guitarp77]

Assuming you are buying completely on chance and word of mouth, the Mark V will not disappoint you.

PM me with what you want to get out of your amp and I'll try to help you decode the different amp choices based on my experiences with them.

Amazing!!!

Will do right away, thanks a million!

 

[guitarp77]

If you want versatility, you really should check out the Axe-FX 2. It's even cheaper than the Mark V, at least in EU. Plus it has way more than what the Mark V can ever offer.

However, it doesn't have the same kind of "ease of use" as the Mark V. It's a little more tweaking, just because it has so many more knobs and settings. With that said, it's not difficult to set up a really nice tone with it. Check it out!

Saw it on Ebay, ans scared the **** out of me

I´m a bit "stupid" when it comes to presets and "digital" stuff, so I´d rather lay my hands on some good ole´ knobs

 

[Tanax]

Saw it on Ebay, ans scared the **** out of me

I´m a bit "stupid" when it comes to presets and "digital" stuff, so I´d rather lay my hands on some good ole´ knobs

Oh, me too!
I'm completely new when it comes to these digital modeling gear. But I'm getting the hang of it pretty quickly!

 

[acwild]

If you want versatility, you really should check out the Axe-FX 2. It's even cheaper than the Mark V, at least in EU. Plus it has way more than what the Mark V can ever offer.

However, it doesn't have the same kind of "ease of use" as the Mark V. It's a little more tweaking, just because it has so many more knobs and settings. With that said, it's not difficult to set up a really nice tone with it. Check it out!

Don't forget that you have to get speakers and possibly a midi foot-controller as well. All the extras to get the AxeFx rig going adds up.
I love the Mark V and have found it to be versatile not only in sounds, but also different volumes. As you mentioned Iron Maiden, I will have to say that the Mark V doesn't do Marshall sounds. That's something to keep in mind if it's really important to you.

 

[guitarp77]

I love the Mark V and have found it to be versatile not only in sounds, but also different volumes. As you mentioned Iron Maiden, I will have to say that the Mark V doesn't do Marshall sounds. That's something to keep in mind if it's really important to you.

Is the distorted sound to "far" from the classic brit sound (aka Laney, Marshall)?...

 

[richb]

All of the amps mentioned in this post are good.If you want to know more about the Mark V get on the Mesa/Boogie Mark V facebook page.I'm one of the 3 admin's.
I'm not sure we're allowed to post links so i won't until I'm told it's ok so in the mean time do the search on FB.
Like anything,the guitarist needs tools to bring his playing to life.Some amps are overkill and some are completely complicated.
Someone mentioned a Axe Fx II.It's a great unit But unless you know how to upgrade and tweak the settings or even more so get into global settings(forget)VCliff is a madman and right when you think your unit has the latest firmware there's another upgrade,again great unit but most likely you'll need help in getting started.
From reading the styles of music you play why are you so eager towards a mk V?
Richb

 

[acwild]

Is the distorted sound to "far" from the classic brit sound (aka Laney, Marshall)?...

Hmm, I'd say that the Mesa is tighter, more compressed, and richer in gain. If you're after a Marshall sound, the Rockstah Mod 5 is pretty cool. I'd get the black tolex version though. Here's samples of both.

Rockstah Mod5

John Petrucci -- Mark V -- Settings and Tone Tips (Part 2) - YouTube

Looks like richb has the same setup as me.

 

[guitarp77]

From reading the styles of music you play why are you so eager towards a mk V?
Richb

I guess hearing dream theater's last album draw my attention to it...in that album almost every genre I like is greatly covered by the MkV.

Will check the FB Page, Thanks a lot!!!

 

[dannymusic]

I've had marshalls, fenders, voxs, boutiques, modelers.
After 15 years of swapping around, finally tried a mark IV. I now realize why it is so loved. I think the V has to be pretty similar.
It inspires me to play better. It is a great coverband amp. I use mine with a Nova System only; no pedals. pretty simple to quit stressing equipment, and especially tweaking, and concentrate on playing.

 

[Jeff R]

Mark V owner here. Been through a sea of Mark IIIs and IVs over the past few decades. The big difference with the V to my ears is they finally got the clean and crunch channels right to my ear in this amp. MB has never had problems creating high gain, but I wanted to be able to dial in tweed and BF sounds on my clean channel and the V is light years ahead of the III and IV for it. The crunch channel is pretty impressive - mine is dialed in to some sort of medium gain Marshall/MB hybrid sound that I personally like. I'm also very impressed by the reverb circuit on the V - it can do a bigger, lush reverb compared to its predecessors. I love how I can also run various wattages, SS or tube rectifier and the onboard variac for lower volumes. It's the coolest piece of gear in my stable IMHO.

 

[Lou]

Another Mark V lover here. All styles covered easily. +1 to what Jeff said about Mid-gain tones. Mark IV R2 channel suffers here. They got it right with the V.

 

[steviesavage]

I have a Mesa DC-5 and Marshall JCM800 Lead series. I play both with my new Silo 30 and both sound great, but in different ways. But here's the thing; Although the Marshall probably has the edge when listening to it 'live' (no mic), the Mesa totally owns it when mic'd up! All the gigs I have watched of my band where I used the DC-5, it just jumps out at you, but I've even used the JCM800 in some high-end studio's and it just sounded flat and lifeless when played back. Weird, but that's a good reason to choose the Mesa I think!

 

[guitarp77]

Well, given all your valuable input, I think I´ve made my mind towards the Mark V.

I´ve found a series of valuable videos with some cool settings, so it shouldn´t be so hard to start using it (which was one of my main concerns)...

Will let ya all know how things goes.

Thanks a million for taking the time to share your experiences with me!