Bought a Mark VII!

[dlpasco]

And I love it! Feels like this is The One for me.

Channel options work great for me, basically sticking with Clean, Crunch, and IIC+ mode. I usually keep the eq off but it really sculpts the sound well when it is in use.

This is the best IIC+ mode I have experienced. I am feeling my attachment to my actual IIC+ loosen up a lot.

To me, this is exactly what I wanted: effectively a JP2C with a crunch channel instead of two lead channels.

My VII is a combo and I have to say, this is the first combo I have bought that I didn't immediately want to run through a 4x12. The enclosure is smaller than the V:90’s but it sounds MASSIVE, especially in IIC+ mode.

This thing really does boogie.

Also, +1 to the requests for a dedicated Mark VII channel, please.

 

[dlpasco]

Regarding IIC+ mode, I tried it out and immediately thought "okay, that's covered" - huge, snarling, 3D sound. Did not feel as thin to me as the V and I'm wondering if this was designed with PULL DEEP active. It definitely feels closer to the JP2C sound than the V, except that I prefer this over the JP2C tone (I've had two of them). I wonder if the basic settings they used for John's amp were used here as well. Obviously the power section isn't the same (JP2C is HRG, the VII is DRG) but the other elements may be similar.

Crunch is also great. The Mark III R2 sound has been my favorite for years, and, while I haven't A/B'd them yet, Crunch feels like a great replacement for it, with a lot more sonic range than I felt like I could reliably get out of R2. The V:90's Crunch never really got there for me and there was an inherent, unpleasant element to its sound that I'm not easily able to describe, sort of a congested low-mid thing. It is not present here and feels more like the Crunch update to the V:25, only better to my ears.

I lost a couple of hours playing skinny Clean through a stereo rig. It's fantastic. I may be off base here, but with the eq engaged (light V) it reminds me strongly of the JP2C's piano-like clean tones.

I'm on the fence about whether or not to use it as a combo or a head. A head definitely works better for my home rig, but this feels like a great amp to take out and play as a combo, too. No additional cabinetry required.

I tried pulling the chassis and putting it into my Imbuya head. Looks good, but it's far too tight (I actually broke the post on a tube trying to move it so that I could get the reverb tank plugged in ). So that's probably not a viable option.

I've sent an email to Mesa to find out if I can order a head enclosure for it, just for flexibility if nothing else.

 

[Acey Boy]

Great review...I really want to play one but haven't gotten the opportunity yet!

 

[dlpasco]

I pinged a few people at Mesa about the vintage amp settings baked into IIC+ and this is what they came back with:

Volume 1 is preset to the sweet spot, about 7
Pull Bright on Volume 1 is about halfway on
Treble Shift is on
Bass Shift is off
Pull Deep is on
Pull Bright on Lead Master is on

I'm guessing that the reference to being halfway on for the Volume 1 Pull Bright means that the circuit's influence has been toned down a bit? Not sure.

Either way, I believe it. IIC+ mode is brawny.

 

[Jay Omega]

Congrats on the amp!

Pull bright on Volume 1 half way on makes no sense to me either, the pull switch either brings a capacitor into the circuit or not. The effect of the bright switch is less noticeable the higher the Volume 1 setting, and has no effect when Volume 1 is on 10. Maybe that’s what they’re referring to since they said Volume 1 is set around 7.

 

[Eduardo78]

Congrats! After watching alot of youtube videos I reached the same conclusion, in theory: the VII seems a little bit tighter sounding than the JP-2C and it's the perfect candidate for the ones like me that never owned a Boogie before - just rack gear. Can't wait to put my hands on a rackmount version of the Mk VII!!

 

[mace]

I pinged a few people at Mesa about the vintage amp settings baked into IIC+ and this is what they came back with:


I'm guessing that the reference to being halfway on for the Volume 1 Pull Bright means that the circuit's influence has been toned down a bit? Not sure.

Either way, I believe it. IIC+ mode is brawny.

Congrats on the NGD and glad it is working out for you. I’m not thanking you for your informative post because it, and Mark VII posts from other folks, will cost me dearly in the near future.

What is this Volume 1 of which Mesa speaks?

 

[dlpasco]

The clean channel's gain control on the Mark I, II, III, and IV is called Volume 1. The higher it is, the dirtier the tone gets, but it also determines how much distortion is present on R2 (for the Mark III and Mark IV) and acts as a pre-gain stage for the lead channel, along with the lead drive control.

Mesa considers 7 to 7.5 on Volume 1 to be the sweet spot for getting a great lead tone, along with contributions from the treble and presence controls. When it is that level or higher you really don't need to go beyond 5 on the lead drive control.

In practice I've seen a lot of people dime both the volume and the treble controls, so your mileage may vary.

 

[CGD]

Congrats on the Mk vii I can’t wait to get one myself. I played one for a bit and felt it was a little more vintage sounding than the jp2c. Loved the iib sound. I used to the Mk iii so I loved the vii vintage vibe

 

[harrisonguitars]

Congrats! Would love to hear sound clips.

 

[Neptical]

Every day I read more and more on how fantastic these amps are. Folks even getting rid of their JP2Cs and Mark Vs. I know there may be some novelty going on but it seems pretty sincere which is making this amp very attractive to try out. However, my Simulclass Mark IIIs wouldn't ever get replaced.

 

[dlpasco]

So, this has completely become my main amp. This is the real deal.

I put this short recording together last night, it's the VII in IIC+ mode, recorded via the cab clone/two notes interface