Damaging My New Mark V

[Treillw]

Hello. I ordered a Mark V a few days ago and it is currently on its way to my house! All of the switches on the back make me a little nervous - I don't want to blow something up. The only switch that I have to keep my fingers off of is the bias switch (only changed if you swap out the tubes to the other type), correct? This is my first real amp. I've played through a Marshall AVT50 since I started playing about 12 years ago. I don't know much about it, but am anxious to spend some time with it and learn!

Is there anything else I should do to avoid damaging the tubes/it?

Thank you for your help!

 

[shytfayse]

If you plan on transporting the amp frequently, buy a road case for $200-$350. Look on-line as there are several vendors out there who have the right dimentions for your MV. Small investment for the large one you just made. There are lots of little knobs and switches to break off, for sure. You have to protect yourself from all the OTHER idiots who will also be "helping" you carry your amp.

If it is going to reside most of it's life in your man cave at home - forget about it.

The bias switch is to go from 6L6s (stock - American/Fender sound) to EL34s (British/Marshall sound), so, you are correct on the bias switch. There is only an issue if the switch is in the EL34 position when there are actually 6L6s in the amp. The amp will run hot as hell and the fuse will likely blow. I've had a friend do this on his Triple Rec. My amp has a flush slider switch which is much less likely to get bumped than the mini toggle. I wish Mesa could idiot-proof this as mush as possible as we are all stupid humans.

The MV comes with a mechanical/protective cage around the output tubes, so unless you are beating your amp with a baseball bat or throwing a javelin at it, you should be good to go with respect to the tubes. Yes, do not roll it down stairs, drop it repeatedly, etc... Try not to mechanically shock the tubes on a frequent basis. Occasional oh **** is usually O.K.

You bought one hell of a "first real" amp. Have fun. - Pat.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The only switch of any concern for damage is the bias select, and it's surrounded by a protective shroud. The rest of them will alter the sound or enable/disable features... but won't negatively impact anything.

 

[thalweg]

Always make sure the amp is under load. Dont forget to have a cab plugged in before turning standby on.

 

[MBJunkie]

All previous posts are good points......

Other than that.....my advise is to not be intimidated by all of its features, experiment and have fun!!

I have owned mine since its release (about 4 years ago) and have not had any issues whatsoever......other than basic tube swaps which are eventually required in all tube amps.
These things are built like rock solid!

Best of luck and enjoy!

 

[Treillw]

Probably a stupid question - how do you know when to replace the tubes? Do you just let them burn out, or swap them after a certain period of time? I'm not really familiar with tube amps. Could anybody recommend some reading on the topic?

Thank you for your help!

 

[thalweg]

Your manual will detail tube diagnostics. And that subject is discussed adnauseum in the forum. Do a search and you'll find tons of info.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Manual ---> Read.
Problem solved.

 

[domct203]

Manual ---> Read.

+1.

You can download it from Mesa Boogie to read while you wait for the amp.

Dom

 

[Treillw]

Well the head showed up yesterday. I must say that it is a little overwhelming – trying to get a good tone out of it. I also noticed that it really seems to respond to how I strum when compared to my other amp. It definitely responds to changes in pickups more too. I also noticed that it seems to give me a lot more “feedback” on something that I don’t play 100% correctly – it really jumps out as sounding bad to me.

Thoughts? Concurrences?

 

[wfc1]

Well the head showed up yesterday. I must say that it is a little overwhelming – trying to get a good tone out of it. I also noticed that it really seems to respond to how I strum when compared to my other amp. It definitely responds to changes in pickups more too. I also noticed that it seems to give me a lot more “feedback” on something that I don’t play 100% correctly – it really jumps out as sounding bad to me.

Thoughts? Concurrences?

I've been playing for 34 years, and this is my first Boogie.

I love that it's a tweaker's delight. Some gear is "simplified" so that you can't get a bad sound out of it -- and maybe you can't get a great sound, either. The Boogie isn't like that. There are many great sounds, but you can also make it sound bad.

The controls are interactive, and not always intuitive (read manual, as you know!). It's not like plugging one solid state, buffered device into another where the pre-distortion treble acts exactly like pre-distortion treble, etc. There is a learning curve, but the rewards are well worth it.

I immediately noticed that my Mark V seems to respond to different guitars more differently than other gear I have.

I designed guitar amps and processors for years, and I have lots of boxes that make me sound like I play better than I usually do; but they don't show off my best playing. The Mark V responds to every little nuance, for better or worse. Must be why people say their Boogies make them better guitar players.

Have fun! Enjoy the journey. :mrgreen:

 

[domct203]

Welcome to the world of professional tube amplifiers. The MKV is very unforgiving to bad playing habits, mostly due to its incredible dynamic sensitivity, which you have noticed with your strumming. The amp is very sensitive to pick attack and dynamics, both of which are wonderful once you master them.

Are you using the sample settings as a reference? Do not try to dial in the MKV like your AVT. You'll be disappointed for sure.

What are you using for a speaker cabinet?

Dom

 

[Adambomb]

Like most have said, READ THE MANUAL. If you don't understand words or stuff in the manual then google it. When you get the amp, holler at me and I'll help you dial it in. The manual suggested settings didn't work for me at all. But when you get it and you want to dial in, message me.

The best advice as far as dialing the tone knobs in is... MESAS ARE NOT LIKE MARSHALL'S. I usually run most my Mesas knobs from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock except the gain and master knob.

And yes like the above poster said... The MKV is a very unforgiving amp. It's very dynamic and picks up every little pick scratch or slide you play. It'll make you'r playing tighter.

 

[sean106ESP]

It is a tweaker for sure. What would help get you off the ground (I know it helped me) is look at the pictures in the Mark V settings thread. Just copy the ones you like and then tweak to your taste.

 

[Stoneyman]

Look around for examples of how others have set it up. There are suggestions in the manual for different setups to achieve a certain kind of sound you may be looking for. I started with the Petrucci settings when I first got mine and then tweaked it from there. Now my settings are very different from his LOL.

Cabs matter too. Have patience and dont give up. The points others have made about it reacting differently to different guitars is really true. I love how my volume knob on the guitar really responds to the amp. Backing off a little bit can help shape the tone you get. Especially when using channel 1.

 

[Treillw]

The manual for the amp is surprisingly useful - unlike many other product manuals which you might as well throw in the trash! I read through the manual part way up until the time that I got the head - I didn't ger far enough in it to realize that they had sample tones in there. They helped a lot. It sounds much better, but there is still something missing in channel two. I'm still reading through the manual.

I see how the dynamic sensitivity is a good thing, I just couldn't believe how different it was...

I'm using a 4x12 Mesa Road King Cabinet now. I'm going to be getting either a 1x12 or a 2x12 cabinet. I'm not really sure what I'm after yet - the guy at the guitar shop basically told me to play around with this 4x12 and figure out what I like and we will go from there. I don't need anywhere near that much volume for where I'm playing.