Favorite Mark V mode...

[Laskyman]

For me, hands down, in the entire gain range, is the Mark 1 (normal thickness)...curious what everyone else really likes? Also- if one purchased a combo, having it fit with a V30 wouldnt be a problem would it?

 

[rocknroll9225]

I would probably go with Mark IV. It's got this great saturation and upper mid bite I can't get from anything else, and has enough enough bass to keep up with modern sounds but is nowhere near tubby. It's the most versatile and well rounded mode in channel 3 IMO and works great for both rhythms and leads, as opposed to extreme which works better for rhythm and IIC+ which works better for lead.

As for using a V30, no that shouldn't be a problem, as long as you either:
a) leave all channels on 45W or less or
b) use the amp on 90W but be careful as to how loud and how often you crank it.

Even though the amp says "90 watts", what that really means is that the power amp can put out 90 watts before distorting. So the amp isn't really giving 90 watts until the power stage starts clipping, which is at about 11:00 on the master output. If you're still concerned, you can also run the amp in triode and/or variac power, both of which will decrease the power rating.

 

[audiotaxi]

early days for me, as I've only had mine for a few weeks, but I'm gravitating towards "Crunch" right now.
Maybe because I've always leaned towards the more British side of things.
There are some sweet sounds with the gainier side of "tweed" as well mind you.

 

[Jedro]

Very difficult to choose.
I'm a Crunch mode fan. I use EL34s and definitely go for British tones. Crunch mode/El34s nail all the tones I've loved, rhythm-wise at least.

But.....

I've been spending a lot of time on Extreme mode. I love the percussive low end chunk and the smooth top end. It's the mode I choose when I demo my amp for other players. And I like it quite a bit for leads. It doesn't require a lot of EQing either.

Then there's tweed mode with my Tele...

Haha. I think Crunch mode is the best all around mode for me, but the other modes just make the Mark V worth the money. Icing on the cake. And really good icing, too.

 

[ixoye777]

Mark 1 thickness at normal. I keep the bass almost off and add it in with the GEQ. That mode is by far the best on the amp for playing heavy rhythm. It is so thick and chunky. I find that because this mode is so ridiculously thick the key to it is to run the treble and presence fairly high.

 

[gummx97]

Yeah, Mark IV mode all around, i usually set channel 2 on Mark I normal and have a tubescreamer for overdrives.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Mark I definitely has some mojo!

 

[boogieman60]

Its crunch for me....all that filth...but MKIV is'nt bad either....ChuggaChugga......

 

[Jeff R]

I wouldn't say I had a favorite mode on the amp but if I had to play one mode all day, it'd probably be the crunch mode with the power section pushed. Every tone imaginable seems to be under the guitar's volume knob when the amp is opened up.

 

[BostonRedSox]

I agree with most of you about the Mark Vs crunch sounds. They are my favorite too. I almost purchased the amp because of those sounds.

If some of you ever decide leave the Mark V, I'd strongly suggest you check out the Royal Atlantic amp. That's a Mesa that pumps out nothing but pure crunch tones all day long.

 

[fuzzgod]

I'd have to say MkIV with some gEQ for the particular guitar. Gets really tight yet saturated...very fluid and punchy.

 

[MBJunkie]

I can't pick one favorite mode because I use all 3 channels to achieve the sounds I am after during practice and gigs.

However, my favorite modes of each channel are:

1. Channel 1 - Tweed
2. Channel 2 - Crunch
3. Channel 3 - MkII and MkIV depending on the song

What a great amp! :mrgreen:

 

[exbest182]

Mark IV in triode is my main go to... does anybody else use it in triode instead of pentode?

 

[Scary]

Crunch if I had to pick one. You can get fairly clean, to really nice crunch. It's probably the most versatile channel.

 

[kingb]

I've been digging the Extreme mode - It's got such a nice attack and has a similar vibe to the clean channels which make transitions pretty smooth. I don't find this mode "extreme" as in dirt/compression - MkIV seems to have more of that. This just seems to have a nice old Marshall-y crunch/chunk with a bit of that Boogie smoothness added = yum! To me it sounds like the "Crunch" mode - but "more" of it.

 

[fr0sty]

crunch and mark iv modes for me.

 

[jmontgomery]

Clean Fat
Crunch and
Mark IV

Here lately I've been playing on Clean Fat with my Strat and a Timmy pedal.
I'll probably dial in a good Mark I tone now as I have a TA-15 now and the crunch is killer on that little head.

 

[Mrjason]

I would have to say that at home my favorite is Mark I hands down.
When playing with my band at band volume i use Crunch mode and Extreme the most.

I love all the modes really but Crunch and Extreme use similar EQ settings and it makes it easier to switch channels on the fly without major tweekage.

8 months old and still learning my amp and enjoying the ride!

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

All the modes are great, but since I do own several amps, my favourite would be the Mark I and Mark IV mode...

 

[Ulisse]

Fat clean: perfect, play with delays is so amazing
Mark I for solos: simply great! It's sound so rich and expressive, full of tone 8)
Extreme :twisted: : I was into Mark IV mode (I loved it and I registered my CD with it) but now I prefer the bass frequencies of the Extreme mode that make it sound more aggressive (though has less gain) than MIV