Mesa Boogie Mark V: Does it live up to the hype?

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Blitzie

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Hey guys. Some of you may remember me asking about Voodoo mods for my Single Rectoverb. I called Trace and spoke with him at length about what I would need done to achieve the sound I wanted and he said it wasn't worth doing. He told me to look into a new amp, one that might have the sound I want without the need for modification.

So I took a fresh look at the Mark V. I've seen videos of it doing amazing recording tones. I've seen the Adam Jones sound nailed using the Mark IV setting, the 80s Metallica sound using the Mark II C+ setting. I watched the Petrucci series of settings and tonal tricks he uses. It sounds like it really does do a little of everything and everything really well.

To owners, former owners and people who have played them, are they truly as great as they seem?
 
To me it was a huge disappointment. I just could not get a tone I wanted from it. I did think the Mark IIC+ mode was its best feature. It is a tweakers amp and I guess I just don't feel like doing that anymore.
 
A few years ago I was in search of a really nice new and versatile amp to replace my 6505+, and the Mark V was my number one choice at the time. I tried to love it but for some reason I just couldn't. It is very versatile, but it also felt finnicky. It wasn't impossible to dial in a good sound, but it wasn't really easy either. I'm trying to put into words what put me off of it but it's proving difficult. It's a great amp, but it just was missing something. I really liked the Mark IV and IIC+ so I should've in theory liked the voicing of the V, but it just wasn't 100% for me. I ended up going for a Sig:X instead as my versatile amp and never regretted it.

With that being said it still is a good amp, and I only had a chance to play on one for about an hour. Because it takes some time to dial in and has so many settings, I'm sure I could've milked some even better sounds out of it. For what it's worth I liked every channel except the high gain channel, which felt somehow mediocre to me.
 
Solid amp if unexciting. Perfect for a gigging musician needing versatility. Other than that PASS.
 
Great cleans, Tweed is cool with the clean break up. I liked the IIC. Channel 3 can get really aggressive, more than what I prefer.

Has a lot of great features like auto eq or sliders along with all the different tube/Watt mode. I liked it as a Head or combo,leaning towards the combo more.

The reason I sold mine was needing cash. It also just didn't have that extra sonic magic that my MK III has. Im starting to think that amps get better with age :yes:
 
Hmm. Interesting. I was expecting more positivity!

Is there an amp out there that actually does do all the things the Mark V is/was supposed to?
 
rockinchippy":1asg5j8j said:
I just got one last week. I think it is absolutely fantastic. Still getting to know it but it sounds killer so far.



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Sounds great! How is the "in the room" sound versus the recorded sound?
 
Blitzie":x0m9x7ap said:
Hmm. Interesting. I was expecting more positivity!
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It's just another amp to try if you're interested.

The hype buildup was huge on the V when it first came out and the bubble burst/backlash soon ensued. It crashed as fast as it had ridden.

Mesa's marketing didn't help as well with the mode labeling imo (I understand why they did it though). The modes didn't sound like what they were labeled after.

I flipped my first V pretty quick, and generally agreed with the criticism I was reading.

Then I got a second one sort of on a whim/by chance and decided to approach the amp as a new release with no "history". I didn't try to port over my previous Mark IV settings or even think about how I ran the IV.

I just dialed it in to produce a sound I liked. And if you approach it like that, you might find some sounds you like.

Or you might hate it. :lol: :LOL:

The IIC+ setting is the mode I use the least on the amp, I wouldn't care if didn't exist and had some other mode in it's place.
 
Great amp. Still got mine. Use it all the time. I've owned Quads, MK III, MKII. While I miss some of the functions those amps had (push/pull knobs) The MK V is easy to dial in. I don't really give a shit if the 2C+ mode is exact to an old 2C+. All 3 channels are useable and sound great with ALL my guitars.

 
Still have mine after roughly 3 years.
It is my main gigging amp. great tone all around. Love all channels but spend my time mainly on ch 3 and 1 for clean.
I can dial it in almost exactly to the same tone as my former Mark IV.
The difference is hardly noticeable.

Great amp!
 
I love mine and I have 2 other friends who also have one and love it as well. Great sounding amp with tons of versatility. I think the number one reason people dont get along with them is because of user error when dialing in. I've also had 2 mark IV's before getting my V and I definitely pick the V.
 
The V is a really great amp but don't expect it to nail the tones and feel of the IIc+ or even the IV. It has a slightly different tone.

Other than that, it's super versatile, has an amazing clean tone and great crunch tones, and obviously a ripping lead channel. If clean and crunch tones are important to you, I'd seriously consider the V over the IV.
 
glassjaw7":2xdlelrg said:
The V is a really great amp but don't expect it to nail the tones and feel of the IIc+ or even the IV. It has a slightly different tone.

Other than that, it's super versatile, has an amazing clean tone and great crunch tones, and obviously a ripping lead channel. If clean and crunch tones are important to you, I'd seriously consider the V over the IV.
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My "clean" tones are always just the volume rolled down on my guitar. I'd mostly be using the Mark IIC+ mode to jam out some old school Metallica and the Mark IV and V modes to try and get some Adam Jones-esque tones. The reason I was interested in this particular model is because of it's versatility and that it seems like I can get all the tones I could want out of one amp. Is the Mark IV more versatile than I give it credit for or is it a one-trick-pony?

There are a lot of conflicting opinions (as I expected) but this is an expensive amp and I find myself wondering if there is something else out there that has the same amount of tonal possibilities in roughly the same price point.
 
For all the tones and options you're getting at a relatively low price and good quality, I think it's worth it
+ the transferable 5 year warranty is great and makes it keep a good resale value
Sold mine to buy a Mark III because I didn't need all the channels/options
 
nice amp and versatile, lots of tones.
i owned one for 18 months and liked it alot.
 
One thing I will say about the Mark V is I used it live for quite a while, loved it. Then, I went to a Mesa clinic and the guy dialed in AMAZING tones in about 2 seconds. Seriously, however some things I wouldn't have tried myself without knowing.
So, the reality for me is the Mark V rocks and gets great sounds, and with a bit of help can be truly an amazing and versatile amp.

All that said, I got a Diezel Herbert and that was it. I have never looked back. I do still have my Mark V, but it doesn't get the playing time it once did. Maybe time to give it some air time and see what happens.

Good luck
 
It's the most versatile of the Mark series amps if that's what you're looking for. While I like the lead channel better on the IIC+, the III, and IV, the Mark V has a really nice and flexible crunch channel. And there's no sharing of tone controls or gain and with the foot switch it's a gig happy amp. I've played a few V's that sounded like shit, and a few that sounded great. I'm not sure if it was tube issues or not but there was CLEARLY a difference.

Having said all that I have a red stripe Mark III and it's got a boatload more gain on tap than any V I've played, but I have shared tone controls and whatnot so there's some compromise.

Go play and see if it's what you want. For a more plug n play amp from Mesa see if you can find a Royal Atlantic. Less tweaking and they sound pretty good.
 
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