NAD The VII Arrived

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MistaGuitah said:
What I really want to know about the Mark VII at this point is why it was necessary because I think the Mark V is already incredible. I've heard people rag on the Mark V not sounding exactly like a IIC+, IV, etc., blah, blah, so I'd also like to know if there has been any improvement in that aspect. Also, the Mark VII mode sounds quite good, but it's hard to nail down what it is exactly because I can't make out any particular flavor or character - almost like a generic Mesa Boogie tone, but a really good sound. I mean, basically, what is so great about the Mark VII that would make someone overlook a Mark V or JP2C?
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Basically my question as well . Really the mark 7 mode is what interests me . I have 3++ green stripe that’s the most agressive mark I’ve tried and that’s why I kept it . I wonder about that most
 
MistaGuitah said:
What I really want to know about the Mark VII at this point is why it was necessary because I think the Mark V is already incredible. I've heard people rag on the Mark V not sounding exactly like a IIC+, IV, etc., blah, blah, so I'd also like to know if there has been any improvement in that aspect. Also, the Mark VII mode sounds quite good, but it's hard to nail down what it is exactly because I can't make out any particular flavor or character - almost like a generic Mesa Boogie tone, but a really good sound. I mean, basically, what is so great about the Mark VII that would make someone overlook a Mark V or JP2C?
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The MkV has been around for 14 years- in terms of production it's quite old. At some point a manufacturer has to come out with a new model if they want to continue to move forward. In this case the market has been calling to add modern / current features to a new amp, and here we are.

If you were to line up all the Marks (which I have), in addition to an individual's proclivities surrounding the channel setups, a person may make these observations about the V and the JP.
- The 90W V, which extremely versatile, is just kind of tonally... dull. (Note this is not the case with the Baby Fives.)
- The JP2C has this weird boxy midrange that's not really possible to dial out. It's also a 2 trick pony.
- They're both compressed to the point that the feels are totally different from the organic rawness of the MKII and III.

I know a handful of guys who have received their VIIs, and who have experience with these other Marks, and they have all told me that both of these problems are solved in the VII. I'm hearing that the heavy tones and feels are more on par with the MKIV, which I hope to be true!
 
GJgo said:
The MkV has been around for 14 years- in terms of production it's quite old. At some point a manufacturer has to come out with a new model if they want to continue to move forward. In this case the market has been calling to add modern / current features to a new amp, and here we are.

If you were to line up all the Marks (which I have), in addition to an individual's proclivities surrounding the channel setups, a person may make these observations about the V and the JP.
- The 90W V, which extremely versatile, is just kind of tonally... dull. (Note this is not the case with the Baby Fives.)
- The JP2C has this weird boxy midrange that's not really possible to dial out. It's also a 2 trick pony.
- They're both compressed to the point that the feels are totally different from the organic rawness of the MKII and III.

I know a handful of guys who have received their VIIs, and who have experience with these other Marks, and they have all told me that both of these problems are solved in the VII. I'm hearing that the heavy tones and feels are more on par with the MKIV, which I hope to be true!
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The problem is you have to question whether Mesa Boogie is creating a new (and more expensive) staple, or will it turn out l to be a sadly discontinued line like the 5:50, Stiletto, Triple Crown, Royal Atlantic, King Snake, Electradyne, etc. They were all really great amps, sadly discontinued, and prematurely discontinued for the most part. The Dual Rectifier has been around for a very long time, longer than the Mark V, but the Mark V had longevity because it's so good.

Honestly, Mesa Boogie has a knack for pissing customers off with inexplicable decisions, like killing so many great amps. I personally find it frustrating that they continually raise prices and habitually put an end to great things. The Badlander seemed like a step in the right direction, and actually a bit cheaper than the Dual Rect, but maybe Mesa Boogie has become so greedy that they abandon the things we appreciate for the sake of imposing higher prices.

In any case, I would have loved to see a more affordable 50w Mark V or something, or at least that they kept the Badlander affordable. Their pricing has become absurd to the point where I largely ignore them because at their prices, I'd much rather consider handwired boutique amps. Mesa Boogie was so much better when they were relatively affordable.

Therefore, I can't help but to be skeptical of this rather enigmatic, oddly-timed Mark VII deal. The only good thing I can see from this is it may drive down used Mark V prices so it might become more accessible to some of us poor folks.
 
MistaGuitah said:
The problem is you have to question whether Mesa Boogie is creating a new (and more expensive) staple, or will it turn out l to be a sadly discontinued line like the 5:50, Stiletto, Triple Crown, Royal Atlantic, King Snake, Electradyne, etc. They were all really great amps, sadly discontinued, and prematurely discontinued for the most part. The Dual Rectifier has been around for a very long time, longer than the Mark V, but the Mark V had longevity because it's so good.

Honestly, Mesa Boogie has a knack for pissing customers off with inexplicable decisions, like killing so many great amps. I personally find it frustrating that they continually raise prices and habitually put an end to great things. The Badlander seemed like a step in the right direction, and actually a bit cheaper than the Dual Rect, but maybe Mesa Boogie has become so greedy that they abandon the things we appreciate for the sake of imposing higher prices.

In any case, I would have loved to see a more affordable 50w Mark V or something, or at least that they kept the Badlander affordable. Their pricing has become absurd to the point where I largely ignore them because at their prices, I'd much rather consider handwired boutique amps. Mesa Boogie was so much better when they were relatively affordable.

Therefore, I can't help but to be skeptical of this rather enigmatic, oddly-timed Mark VII deal. The only good thing I can see from this is it may drive down used Mark V prices so it might become more accessible to some of us poor folks.
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Mesa's pricing has stayed relatively consistent over time. Look up what a new Mark IV would run you new in 1990 when it came out, then adjust for inflation and compare that to the Mark VII being released today.

As for the Mark series' longevity, it's what put Mesa on the map. It was their first amp line, and it's right up there with being just as popular and well selling as their other most popular series, the Rectifier amps. I could always be wrong but I have a feeling hell will freeze over before Mesa discontinues the Mark series. Mark amps are just about synonymous with Mesa Boogie itself at this point. Mesa discontinuing that line at this point would be like Fender discontinuing the Stratocaster.

I think the most reasonable explanation for Mesa developing the Mark VII is:
  • The Mark V has been around for a decade and a half, and new Mark V's are having to compete too heavily with the Mark V's own used market
  • Randall just sold the company to Gibson. Bringing this new amp to market was very likely presented to Gibson as a bullet point to highlight why Mesa would be a good investment, and Mesa is now delivering on that promise
  • Randall is in his upper 70's and was probably looking to put a bow on his illustrious career by producing a grand swansong of an amp as he heads into retirement, and the next flagship Mark was probably the best way for him to do that. (Hopefully I'm wrong about this and he spends the next 20 years happily and healthily developing new amps for Mesa)
 
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It’s definitely expensive but absolutely not an outrageous price when you take a step back and consider the market, features, etc. There are a lot of 3-4K amps these days that don’t do as much.
 
If you compare the Mark VII price against a JCM 800 ones, the Mark is a steal.
 
I only wish I knew how to dial in a Mark back when the V first came out. I only learned to do it properly with the JP-2C.
Can't wait for my VII rack to come in! Great to hear some positive reviews of it!
 
TheGreatGreen said:
It also does exactly one sound well while the new Mark does many sounds well.
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If you’re only getting one sound out of a JCM800 you’re doing it wrong. The low input is a fantastic clean channel. The hi input is your legendary crunch. If boosted with any number of pedals (which can also change the tone), it cops high gain sounds that rival any other amp out there (a lot of them were based on the 800 circuit). That’s why it’s a classic.
 
Yes we all know that but it's still basically just one sound with varying levels of gain, and you have to involve other gear to get much variety from it. Not at all comparable to a Mark.
 
Yep, I'm not saying the JCM 800 doesn't sound incredible, it does, it's just that my point was the Mark VII is a significantly more complicated amp, which is relevant when talking about price.
 
I agree, I was only arguing against the idea that the JCM 800 is a "one sound" kind of amp. And yes, the prices Marshall is asking for a new one is insane. I managed to get mine used for around $1600 thankfully.

The Mark VII's price is justified, I think. It sucks that quality tube amps have gotten so expensive.
 
After more playing time and adjusting I'll still digging the amp! For the question about 8 ohm into the orange cab. Yes, I'm running 8 ohms into the cab. It's a safe mismatch. I feel the price is justified. I got it a little cheaper than 3500 but it's worth it! Channel one on crunch is great. I can get a really good aggressive clean metal tone. Channel two I have in the MK VII mode. This mode is great! It sounds really aggressive and ballzy is the way I can describe it. It has a shit ton of gain on tap for this mode! I'm running the gain between 10 and 11 o'clock. Channel three is deadly! The MK IIC mode is fantastic, the MK IV mode is great as well. I'm favoring the MK IIC mode for channel three. My JP6 is a little over ten years old. It's not a custom the color is called sky blue. Playing thrash metal on the JP6 tuned to E flat through this amp is great! I just got done playing my Jackson V with EMGs (81, 60) tuned a whole step down and it sounds great as well. The Emg's seem to be a little quieter than the crunch lab in the JP6 through the amp. The Jackson definitely sounded better than the JP6 on channel three. I think it may be due to the guitar being tuned a little lower than the JP6. I'm going to mess around with my seven string later and see how it sounds! I've been playing in the 45 watt mode with the volume at 1 o'clock on all channels so I'm not playing at bedroom levels LOL.
 
So are the Fat and Crunch modes truly identical copies of each other on channels 1 and 2? Or are they just “similar” sounding but with the same names?
 
Bxlxaxkxe said:
That’s a good question I haven’t checked that yet. Will do sometime soon
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I actually tried that between channel one and two on the crunch mode and I would say yes. As usually for a Mark amp, it's not very forgiving which some may or may not like.
 
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