Early Serial # = Higher Value

[Gizzorge]

Would #195 (2009 Combo) be worth anymore on the market vs a 2014 Combo?

 

[elvis]

I seriously doubt that there will be any collector value for these amps. At the moment, the amp with a valid warrantee is likely to hold more value IMO.

 

[babow2]

+1 with Elvis. Warranty is worth more than early serial number for several years to come.

 

[patrickbrose]

When I was looking for my used Mark V, I wanted the newest possible with a valid warranty. I found that the oldest models (2009) were fetching $1400-$1600 depending on condition. The newer (2013+) are $1700-$1800. Not only do newer amps have a warranty, but they also are less likely to need tubes right away. A 2009 may need a set of tubes quickly, which can cost $250 for a full set.

 

[OryCheyne]

Wasn't there some issue with the front panel paint on the first few shipped?
I Recall reading something like that.
Otherwise while the V is in current production, I fully agree with the previous posts. Even then it would be hard to say which of the earliest numbers would be of interest to a collector.
Anybody know what the current s/n's are up to?

 

[elvis]

I seriously doubt that the Mark V will ever have collector value. Even if it did, serial number will also probably not matter. Even with age.

The mega-collectible amps:

Mark I
Made in very small numbers
Made by a then-unknown company
Signature sound of Santana
Tone not really reproducible with other amps

IIC+
Made in low-numbers.
Made by a then-young company
Signature sound of Metallica
Tone not really reproducible with other amps

Pre-500 recto
Rare
Signature sound of the '90s
Tone not really reproducible with other amps

Everything now is fairly mass-produced and not so much a signature sound of anybody. Even JP will be more associated with IIC+/IV than V or JP2C I predict. And the tones are reproducible with other amps (Mark III and IV can do Mark V for the most part).

 

[LesPaul70]

While I agree with a lot of what elvis posted above, just one minor comment...

Pre-500 recto
Rare
Signature sound of the '90s
Tone not really reproducible with other amps

I would argue that the pre-500 Recto sound is not the signature 1990s sound. It most certainly is not the sound of grunge or nu-metal - that'd be Revision G, produced a little later, and in much greater numbers.
Those early Rectos were very different sounding, not dark, loose and massive but very tight and bright. It was essentially the ultimate hair-metal amp - and, IMHO, out of the box by far the best thrash metal distortion Mesa ever created (yes, even better than a Mark IIc+ or III). But not grunge or nu-metal sound.

Other than that, I totally agree with what you wrote. Early Mark V's are neither scarce nor notably different from new ones, there's absolutely no reason to get one instead of a new unit that is still under warranty. There's really nothing special about them. Except perhaps the low-serial mojo factor?