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

[Anonymous]

Riddle me this buttman:..

What is it exactly that the MV doesn't nail about the 2C+ a IV modes compared to the original amps?

Well I'm not buttman...

but,

I own a 2c+ and a Mark V. One thing that is obvious to anyone is the 2C+'s volume knob sensitivity. REALLY good sounds with the knob rolled back. Mark V can't do that as well. 2C+ has a kind of transparency and depth to the tone in the low mids...really detailed. The presence knob seems voiced higher in the 2C+. Doesn't add as much fizz when turned up. The Mark V is like watching a movie of the real thing. You can find yourself caught up and involved but it ain't real. The MV is pretty dam good though. The Mark2C+'s clean channel is outstanding too. So is the MV's "fat clean" which is the obvious comparison...can't really say one is better than the other, just different. Again its a low mid "thang" the 2C+ has when winding up the volume. The MarkV channel 1 can get more chimey pristine cleans.

I sometimes wonder how much of this is due to the FAR SUPERIOR Sylvania STR's the 2c+ came with. One day I'm gonna slap those tubes in the MV and rock out.

I can't speak directly to the Mark4 but I've heard plenty of them. It seems to have an in your face quality that the Mark V doesn't quite have when in the Mark 4 mode. Could it be that most Mark 4's had an EV speaker? Maybe.

edit: One thing I failed to mention is the switch on the MarkV that disables the global master, tuner and the loop. With that off the amp really comes alive in a good way...but you give up some useful features for live use.

 

[155]

I think the marks really shine in a band context not a low volume situation..

 

[thiswaythatway]

Riddle me this buttman:..

What is it exactly that the MV doesn't nail about the 2C+ a IV modes compared to the original amps?

It's a funny thing but I've heard various IIC+'s in the same room that sounded pretty different from each other. Mark III's as well. The best IIC+ I had was a lot less refined sounding from a V or IV I thought.

I also bought a LOADED IIC+ last year from GC for $1100, they thought it was a Mark III. I had it recapped and..... I wound up selling it for $2600. Honestly I thought it sounded....good. But I have a Mark III right now that sounds at least as good and maybe better. I've made clips with the different Mark amps and I usually sound the same on whatever amp I use.....

 

[jlbaxe]

Riddle me this buttman:..

What is it exactly that the MV doesn't nail about the 2C+ a IV modes compared to the original amps?

It's a funny thing but I've heard various IIC+'s in the same room that sounded pretty different from each other. Mark III's as well. The best IIC+ I had was a lot less refined sounding from a V or IV I thought.

I also bought a LOADED IIC+ last year from GC for $1100, they thought it was a Mark III. I had it recapped and..... I wound up selling it for $2600. Honestly I thought it sounded....good. But I have a Mark III right now that sounds at least as good and maybe better. I've made clips with the different Mark amps and I usually sound the same on whatever amp I use.....

Was looking on evil bay and Mk IIIs have jumped up on price a lot. Thought I would snag a fully loaded one for around $700-$800 WRONG I can get a MK V for the price of a MK III now

I liked the MKIIC+ on the MK V. They should have designed it so you could use the MK IV and MK IIC+ on channel 2 and 3 and have Clean on ch 1. Go with a Mini RJM switcher/MK V cable and a cheap midi pedal, it will solve tap dancing

 

[Anonymous]

Riddle me this buttman:..

What is it exactly that the MV doesn't nail about the 2C+ a IV modes compared to the original amps?

The best IIC+ I had was a lot less refined sounding from a V or IV I thought.

I also bought a LOADED IIC+ last year from GC for $1100, they thought it was a Mark III. I had it recapped and..... I wound up selling it for $2600. Honestly I thought it sounded....good. But I have a Mark III right now that sounds at least as good and maybe better. I've made clips with the different Mark amps and I usually sound the same on whatever amp I use.....

Agreed on the "less refined" thing. I'd call it more "organic"...lol. But really.

Also I have to mention that my Mark2C+ had the export and simul options. Those are the ones to have.

 

[carlygtr]

Just a guess, I'm no Mesa expert, but I think the various push/ pull functions on the older Mk's had to effect the sound. If they are not incorporated in the V, there has to be differences

 

[jlbaxe]

Just a guess, I'm no Mesa expert, but I think the various push/ pull functions on the older Mk's had to effect the sound. If they are not incorporated in the V, there has to be differences

The Push/Pull on the Mk III does deep on master vol,bass treb has eq shifting and vol 2 has bright. one on the mid changes R1 to R2 ch and one on Lead drive turns lead on and off, pull bright on lead vol. Pres, reverb and direct out on back. I think some had reverb on the front.

Just read the other day that Mike Soldano first 3-4 SLO amps were mod'ed MK II amps, might explain the shared eq on his amps Started with a Basman he built but couldn't get what he wanted out of it after lots of mod'ing. Which is funny because a Mk I started from a Fender amp Funny circle

 

[midnightlaundry]

This is from the MV manual, and just like old Marshall's, the assumption can be made that some amps sound better or worse than others due to the components available to keep production going.

BTW, Didn't some Boogie amps ship with Telefunken preamp tubes? You can get a quad of Sylvania STR's for about $510! https://www.kcanostubes.com/content/nos ... airquartet

NOTE: These comparisons are as close as possible regarding the setting and configuration of the circuits. When doing these types of tests it is important to take into account that the power tubes, preamp tubes, transformers and even the caps and resistors may be different depending on availability at the time of construction.

 

[shredi knight]

A couple of my favorite Mark V clips:

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Odd thread title, as the Mark V has been bogged down with anti-hype

 

[Hey_bert_whtcha_doin_bert]

Just put el34's in mine and could not love it more!

 

[petejt]

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.

Just curious, where's the video of the Adam Jones sound being nailed with the MarkIV setting?

I have a fair dinkum Mesa/Boogie MarkIV, so this might be fun to try. If you can't find the video, what settings did they use?
Also I'm curious about the "80s Metallica sound" but whenever I've started trying to replicate that sound, I find myself just making my own sounds and having more fun with that.

I shouldn't have said "nailed" the Adam Jones tone, but it's pretty damn good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABrRus9k7Bs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8UiRwKlkz0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-CA0_uJql0

Hope those help a little bit. There are more but those were the ones I enjoyed the most.

Thanks for those.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I think the marks really shine in a band context not a low volume situation..

I feel the opposite in that the Mark series sound great at mouse fart levels. I think the Mark V in 90 watt mode needs some volume though.

 

[glassjaw7]

I think the marks really shine in a band context not a low volume situation..

I feel the opposite in that the Mark series sound great at mouse fart levels. I think the Mark V in 90 watt mode needs some volume though.

I agree, I love mine at lower to mid volumes. I can get this really thick and pissed off growly tone that's really tight and balanced and plenty of chunky low end. When I crank it up it's still a great tone, but it starts to reveal its true thinner and sort of "honky" nature. I prefer other Mesa amps like the Electra Dyne or Rectos, or EVH, Bogner, etc for big fat rhythms or more familiar rock tones, but for epic lead playing with a great loop and a good clean pedal platform, my IV keeps me happy.

 

[miguelr]

Here is a video I did when I had mine.

This was a solid amp, greatest tones were in the 10 watt class A mode.
It was extremely reliable and solid sounding in a live situation and by that I mean it kept up, and made me smile with how punchy and loud it was. Made me feel great.

I happened on a Diezel VH4 and had to sell it, but if I didnt get the Diezel, I would have kept the Mark V.

Bought the amp from Reza a few years ago, still have it

 

[imaxeman69]

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.

This is the first time I've seen a photo of a Mark V without the smiley face EQ.

 

[jlbaxe]

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.

This is the first time I've seen a photo of a Mark V without the smiley face EQ.

That is how I ran mine. Mid bump Im not one for scooped mids. My GE-7 is bumped like that to.

 

[carlygtr]

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.

This is the first time I've seen a photo of a Mark V without the smiley face EQ.

I'm currently using NO EQ. Not sure how long that will last The EQ is generally scopped but sometimes I got the other way. I saw Brad Gillis' Mesa EQ on his old Star Licks vid and he had the mids boosted

 

[rwarner]

I tried the MK-V with an open mind, borrowed it from a friend for 1 week. Besides the nice clean tones I didn't like it very much. For you to find out there is no way around it but play one yourself.

 

[skoora]

I've had mixed feelings with the mixed results I've had demoing them but I played one today and totally dug it. CH 3 is OK, not great but just OK but CH 1 and CH 2 are so good it still makes the amp well worth it to me. You can get plenty of gain for metal in CH 2 and it sounds less grainy and fizzy in CH 2. The array of tones from pristine clean to raunchy hard rock and everything in-between is incredible. Also really like how you can do a swampy Fender kind of clean and drive tones as well as tight and percussive, because of where the bass is in the signal path. Love the Variac setting. Adds some sweetness to the top end and mids. I do wish the reverb was more old school Fender than modern and clean like it is. Also found that you don't need the graphic to get a full meaty dirty sound like my Studio Pre does. Just EQ the channel properly and give it a little volume. I'm not talking super scoop but just a good heavy sound with a natural low end. I would take one of these over a IV any day. I live more in medium, medium-well gain these days anyway and the V does that in spades. I would try and demo one with the guitars or pickups you use as I reckon it's pretty sensitive to what goes in.