Help deciding on a mesa Mark 5 or 7

S

shadow070

Active member
hi all,

Im in the mids of getting either a mark V or 7.

I have the cash for a 7, ok almost lol

At the moment i sold all my amps, i just wasnt playing them at all.

I kept the mark 5 35 and im enjoying it a lot!

So when buying the 90w mark V ill be saving around €2000 up to €2500.

Im living in Holland so picking up a new or used mesa is a bit harder.

So what would you do?

Thanks
Robert
 
Thing to consider with the Mark VII are the new features/options vs a Mark V. Do you need the Cabclone IR (lets you load impulse response into the amp)? As only the VII got this, the Mark V has the same analog cabclone as on your 35.
 
Never owned a V, but I love my VII. Every channel and every mode is useable and great sounding.
 
What tones are you trying to get @shadow070 ?

If you already have the V35 what's the point in getting a 90w V or a VII?

They all sound really similar - if anything I would sell the V:35 if I was going to get either of those amps
 
Owned a V and a VII... the VII hands down. The lower wattage Vs sound much better than the full size (I also owned a V:25 for a bit). The V always almost sounded great... the VII just sounded great period.
 
Never had the 7 but MIDI Switching is the way to go for a complex Rig.. I miss that from the old TriAxis Rack I had..

Had a V. Edge, 2C, Extreme were dogshit.. IV was the mode to use. Crunch was okay if you played at band volume.

Boogie Cleans are always good. Don't see it being bad on the 7.

No interest in the fake Cab sims and all that. It's a tube amp not a processor..
 
DanTravis62 said:
What tones are you trying to get @shadow070 ?

If you already have the V35 what's the point in getting a 90w V or a VII?

They all sound really similar - if anything I would sell the V:35 if I was going to get either of those amps
Click to expand...
I play metal and jazz

Im going to keep the 35
Its going to be my livingroom amp
Sometimes ill be hooking them up stereo
 
shadow070 said:
I play metal and jazz

Im going to keep the 35
Its going to be my livingroom amp
Sometimes ill be hooking them up stereo
Click to expand...

I dunno man, I'd probably get the VII I guess, but it seems kind of like a waste of $$$ or euro in your case to have two amps that are nearly identical in every way except for wattage

I'd get something different so i'd have a wider range of tones :dunno:
 
Owned a V25, V90, and a VII (and a couple of IVs, and a JP2C). Of the 2 you mention, the VII is by far the better amp. But the small Vs are pretty good, but for me didn't hold up in a band context. I did not like the V90 at all.
 
shadow070 said:
I play metal and jazz

Im going to keep the 35
Its going to be my livingroom amp
Sometimes ill be hooking them up stereo
Click to expand...
I have a 35 V and a VII. They're both great amps! Are you planning on playing with others in a band context or strictly by yourself? I would definitely recommend the 7 but if you don't plan on jamming with other people, I wouldn't spend the money on a 7.
 
I’ll be the naysayer in this bunch and say definitely the V.
I would put 34’s in it though. Much better variety in tones and you have a global master and solo feature. Clean channel sounds like a plexi when you crank the gain and volume, Tweed mode is an awesome rock tone. The 10 watt and 45 watt w/tube rec give more great variety. MK1 mode on CH 2 is very underrated, especially if you like a smooth, fusion type lead tone.
You can actually dial in a metal tone on every channel. More classic and vintage goosed plexi tones on CH1 (when cranked up), CH2 like goosed MV Marshall’s and CH3 Mesa Mark.
The V will give you much more variety in edge of breakup tones as well. Also a small matter but it mattered to me…the sizing of the VII puts small controls, tightly together and I didn’t find them a quick and easy grab for adjustment. Not something I would enjoy at a gig.
 
I love my Mark V a lot. It has become the main amp for me since I got it 4 months ago or so.

Remember - the channel EQ is pre distortion and the graphic EQ is post distortion. So on channel 2 and 3, dial the bass down as much as you can without losing bottom end. This will depend on your guitar, pickups, and tuning.
 
I’d go with a VII or JP2C over the V, but would choose a III or IV instead if you don’t need the extra features. Better resale on those too
 
Orvillain said:
I love my Mark V a lot. It has become the main amp for me since I got it 4 months ago or so.

Remember - the channel EQ is pre distortion and the graphic EQ is post distortion. So on channel 2 and 3, dial the bass down as much as you can without losing bottom end. This will depend on your guitar, pickups, and tuning.
Click to expand...
It's the same for Ch1. Adding treble increases saturation which is the dead giveaway but adding bass will eventually get the flubs going too, more so in Tweed mode.
 
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