Brand new Mark V and a question

[Fritz]

Finally I got my Mark V (# 2548) on Wednesday!

First of all I want to thank the members who helped me to find a link to download the manual to get a little familiar with the Mark V before buying the amp.

I started with the stock tubes and the Mark V sounded good, but I was not really overwhelmed. So I installed TAD EL34 tubes and set the bias correctly. After turning the power switch on, there are for a few seconds crackling/sizzling noises from the amp or maybe the tubes. Is this an issue? After 10 to 20 seconds the crackle/sizzle disappears and everything is quiet and works fine.

Soundwise the EL34 tubes do the trick in my opinion! The voicing is now noticable more „British“ and that’s what I really like.

It’s a lot of fun fiddling amd twiddling with all the bells and whistles. Honestly I appreciate the versatility and all the options. The short time I experimented I could not find a real „bad“ sound.

I’ve not heard of many „Old School Rockers“ and „Bluesers“ using a Mark V. Don’t know why, because the Mark V has definitely these tones to offer and so much more!

Whether you play Tele, Strat or LP, you can hear the guitars own voice.

Stay tuned and rock on!

Fritz

 

[sted]

hey man!

yeah I like old school stuff and can find a plethora of great tones on my MV, in particular the channel 2 crunch mode can get some great vintage rock tones wih the gain set 2-3 oclock, I also think the clean channel is very impressive too, fat cleans and my strat is just sublime.
On the tube front i have recently installed Mesa STR447 (Or was it 477's? lol) EL34's and didnt get any of the cracking and popping you're describing, i dont want to sound condescending but the manual is quite specific about the very narrow margin for error with using tubes that work within the fixed bias, It will also invalidate your warranty if you dont use Mesa branded tubes, not a risk I was willing to take!
You can check the tubes are within these limits but my advice would be to get some Mesa ones in there and see if you still have an issue!

 

[mejoshee]

Finally I got my Mark V (# 2548) on Wednesday!

First of all I want to thank the members who helped me to find a link to download the manual to get a little familiar with the Mark V before buying the amp.

I started with the stock tubes and the Mark V sounded good, but I was not really overwhelmed. So I installed TAD EL34 tubes and set the bias correctly. After turning the power switch on, there are for a few seconds crackling/sizzling noises from the amp or maybe the tubes. Is this an issue? After 10 to 20 seconds the crackle/sizzle disappears and everything is quiet and works fine.

Soundwise the EL34 tubes do the trick in my opinion! The voicing is now noticable more „British“ and that’s what I really like.

It’s a lot of fun fiddling amd twiddling with all the bells and whistles. Honestly I appreciate the versatility and all the options. The short time I experimented I could not find a real „bad“ sound.

I’ve not heard of many „Old School Rockers“ and „Bluesers“ using a Mark V. Don’t know why, because the Mark V has definitely these tones to offer and so much more!

Whether you play Tele, Strat or LP, you can hear the guitars own voice.

Stay tuned and rock on!

Fritz

fritz, congrats on the purchase. did you let the tubes warm up before taking it out of standby?

 

[Heritage Softail]

Nothing smelled funny? Ususally where there are 'burning' event sounds, there is a smell. Were you looking at the back of the amp when you turned it on? Did you have pedals in the loop? Flaky batteries? Just seems like a possible bad problem if the amp is making the sounds of a componet dying.

Did you get the tubes from someone that knew they were going in your model of Boogie?

Just hate to see you burn up or damage your very expensive new toy.... I swap out tubes all the time in my amps. Have a habit of looking under the hood when turning the power on. If something does go tits up, I want to see what it is.....

 

[Fritz]

I let the tubes warm up before taking the amp out of standby (as I always do). I was looking at the back of the amp to watch the tubes begin to glow. Nothing looked unusual or smelled funny. There were no pedals in the loop and a correct load was attached the the speaker output. I bought the TAD (tube amp doctor) tubes with the Mark V from an authorized dealer (www.thomann.de), but I didn't tell the salesman that the tubes were going in the amp. But if someone buys an amp and a matched quartett of tubes, what could be but spare tubes or tubes for a swap?

I was a little curious and I started an experiment:
MV with cold El 34 => power switch on (amp on standby) => weird noise!
After warming up => power switch out.
MV with warm EL34 => power switch on (amp on standy) => no noise!
I tried this only on time...

What do you think?

For now I'm back to the stock 6L6's, but I am not very happy because of the diminished sound.

 

[>Photi G<]

I don't know man, Those TAD tubes have a pretty shaky track record. Hit and Miss quality if you will. Some have good experiences (My MKIII has TAD 6L6's and they're fine), and some have bad (your situation, for instance) Either exchange the valves through warranty (most tubes have at least 6 months of it), or return them and get a set of Mullard, Svetlana, or JJ EL34's. That's your best bang for the buck, or euro in your case :wink: .

 

[eudaimonia02912]

SED Winged C EL34s for the win

 

[smd24fan]

SED Winged C EL34s for the win

^^^BINGO^^^

 

[Heritage Softail]

The person selling needs to know you have a Boogie MKV to get tubes in the correct operating window. Can you call back and ask what the tubes are rated? Get the number first, don't tell them the amp you have. Magically if someone knows the amp you have, the tube they sold you will automatically be the 'right' one.... Just a little skeptical at times. :lol:

On the cheap I bought a quad of JJ's, $55. They are good. SED =C= EL34's are next. I have the =C= 6L6 and they have great cut clarity for modern metal. Love the EL's for plugging in the LP and getting Dazed and Confused...... :shock:

 

[Fritz]

Sorry folks, but in the end I returned the Mark V.

Maybe mine was a lemon.

They said I could have a new one, but one lemon is enough sour fruit for my taste.

I got me an ELectra Dyne and that is the real deal for me.

See you in the ED forum.