HELP - Mark IV, Express 5:50, DC50 or.....?

[deftone82]

Hi there

I'm wanting to buy a all-tube amp for some time now. So a few months ago I started visiting shops/dealers and what not, to test as many amps as I could.

I was searching for something nice to fit with my Gibson SG standard and mex. Strat.
I wanted to be able to play a nice, 'plucky', warm clean and some nice, not to muddy, distored rhythem stuff (think Metallica/Mastodon, some palm muting), so not the ultra-ultra-brutal shreeking-high lead gain tones (know what I mean?). If possible I would also like to shake out some Qotsa-like dirty crunchy stuff. So actualy, it has to be versatile!
Another crucial thing: It had to sound good on low volumes.

So, my quest began...I played for hours on Oranges (tiny terror, rocker,...), Vox (AC15, AC30....), Peavey, The Valve, Bugera, Soldano, blackstar, diezel...but no Mesa Boogie yet.

So, I was planning a trip to the local MB dealer to check out what he has in store...but I first wanted to check here which amps I should look for. I've got a couple on my whishlist (made from reviews, youtube, other opinions,...)
- Second hand Mark IV combo (from what I heard very versatile (maybe to versatile?) and a perfect practice amp?)
- Express 5:50 combo (5 watt = perfect for home practice, nice sound, maybe not high gain enough, 50watt for any future rehearsals...)
- DC-5 combo (was recommended, never heard it, never played it....)

any recommendations?

ps: other candidates for the moment:
- Engl Raider: nice cleans, nice gain, maybe a bit to muddy....haven't had time to eq it very long so no idea on the low volumes...
- Blackstar series one 45 watt combo: overall nice sounds, thanks to the 2x12", quite heavy though, maybe not versatile enough)
- Blackstar HT5 head+cab. 5 watt ideal practice amp with ok sound for that kind of money....

 

[dodger916]

Hi there

I'm wanting to buy a all-tube amp for some time now. So a few months ago I started visiting shops/dealers and what not, to test as many amps as I could.

I was searching for something nice to fit with my Gibson SG standard and mex. Strat.
I wanted to be able to play a nice, 'plucky', warm clean and some nice, not to muddy, distored rhythem stuff (think Metallica/Mastodon, some palm muting), so not the ultra-ultra-brutal shreeking-high lead gain tones (know what I mean?). If possible I would also like to shake out some Qotsa-like dirty crunchy stuff. So actualy, it has to be versatile!
Another crucial thing: It had to sound good on low volumes.

So, my quest began...I played for hours on Oranges (tiny terror, rocker,...), Vox (AC15, AC30....), Peavey, The Valve, Bugera, Soldano, blackstar, diezel...but no Mesa Boogie yet.

So, I was planning a trip to the local MB dealer to check out what he has in store...but I first wanted to check here which amps I should look for. I've got a couple on my whishlist (made from reviews, youtube, other opinions,...)
- Second hand Mark IV combo (from what I heard very versatile (maybe to versatile?) and a perfect practice amp?)
- Express 5:50 combo (5 watt = perfect for home practice, nice sound, maybe not high gain enough, 50watt for any future rehearsals...)
- DC-5 combo (was recommended, never heard it, never played it....)

any recommendations?

ps: other candidates for the moment:
- Engl Raider: nice cleans, nice gain, maybe a bit to muddy....haven't had time to eq it very long so no idea on the low volumes...
- Blackstar series one 45 watt combo: overall nice sounds, thanks to the 2x12", quite heavy though, maybe not versatile enough)
- Blackstar HT5 head+cab. 5 watt ideal practice amp with ok sound for that kind of money....

Mark IV: If you're not into tweaking, you might find it difficult to live with. But there are some great tones and very versatile. It's also a great practice amp as it sounds great at low volumes.
Express: Easy to dial in, covers lots of ground, but no graphic eq, just a contour dial, which I found displeasing because I'm not into the scooped sound.
DC-5: never played one, but I've heard many say it's voiced like a Mark amp.

There's plenty of gain on tap in all these amps. You should be able to demo an Express; the other two might be tough to find. Youtube has plenty of clips, thought the sound quality is iffy.

 

[deftone82]

thanks for the info!

And is a 'standard' Mark IV good? Because, especially on this board, there's a lot of replacing tubes/speakers going on?
And that when you already can tweak this thing to infinity?

Also any advice on the blackstars, Engls?

 

[dodger916]

A "standard" Mark IV is great. People tweak them with tubes and speakers to mold the sound more to their taste. I don't play metal or other very high gain music, preferring a more vintage sound and feel. Vintage preamp tubes help me get there. But I got great sounds from my stock Mark IV.

 

[halfnote]

I owned a DC-5 combo and thought it was great. I own a Mark IV and it's the nicest amp I have ever owned. They are similar in tone. For the money you can't beat a DC-5 but if you are willing to spend more and you like to tweak go for the 4

 

[GD_NC]

I'm on my 2nd Mark IV. I sold the first and went through about 5 other amps before finally just buying another IV. They are fantastic amps. If you aren't scared away by the number of knobs and switches, I bet you'll be very happy.

I'm also a big fan of the 5:50 and DC-5. I've owned a DC and loved it but found the IV more flexible. I jam with a friend that has a 5:50 and it's really great too and more flexible than the DC thanks to the voicing switches. I agree they are both much easier to dial in on the fly.

The beauty of a used Mesa: you can easily try them and see what you like. Pick one up used and try it for a while. If you aren't happy stick it in the Classifieds here, ebay or craigslist and get most of your money back.

 

[deftone82]

Pick one up used and try it for a while. If you aren't happy stick it in the Classifieds here, ebay or craigslist and get most of your money back.

Well I wondered about that. I read alot that a Mark keeps it's value...on the other hand, I'm watching 2 or 3 (III & IV) of them on ebay and some other sites...they get sold 'secondhand' but only cost the half of what they are worth new...that not seems like a good investment to me.

 

[dodger916]

Pick one up used and try it for a while. If you aren't happy stick it in the Classifieds here, ebay or craigslist and get most of your money back.

Well I wondered about that. I read alot that a Mark keeps it's value...on the other hand, I'm watching 2 or 3 (III & IV) of them on ebay and some other sites...they get sold 'secondhand' but only cost the half of what they are worth new...that not seems like a good investment to me.

I think he meant used Mesas hold their value.

 

[halfnote]

Pick one up used and try it for a while. If you aren't happy stick it in the Classifieds here, ebay or craigslist and get most of your money back.

Well I wondered about that. I read alot that a Mark keeps it's value...on the other hand, I'm watching 2 or 3 (III & IV) of them on ebay and some other sites...they get sold 'secondhand' but only cost the half of what they are worth new...that not seems like a good investment to me.

Nothing brand new is going to keep it's full value, it's just like driving a car off the lot. You can bring it back to the same guy that sold it to you and told you it was the greatest thing ever and he will only give you 50-60% of what you paid.
Enter; the used market. For alot of us it is the only way to buy gear. Mesas in general do hold there value pretty well but it is tough to see that right now because the market is all over the place. Alot of people have been forced to sell gear to stay on top. If you search cl and the forums for a while you can find a mark IV for 1000-1100 but they are generally still fetching 1300-1600 depending on condition and options. I think in the long term the marks will continue to rise. If the Mark V really nailed the tones of the IIC+ and IV then they would be obsolite, but it doesn't (at least that is what I have read)
You can generally buy a used amp off the forum for a good price and if you don't care for it you can turn around and sell it for what you paid for it or trade it and maybe get a little more value for it. I have gone through a dozen mesa's this year
all right around the 1000+ range, I did not loose any money trying out all those amps except a few buck in shipping.

 

[trickyrick]

I'm selling my Widebody MKIV Right now, Looking to scale down. It is in Mint condition. Looking to get 1300 shipped in the US.

 

[TFC]

Of the amps you listed, I am familiar only with the Mark IV. It's a great practice amp that will give you all the gain you need at low volume. It's also great for playing at "band" volume and is very versatile. I've had mine since 1992 - it's durable, flexible and sounds great. They sell for only a few hundred less that I bought mine for new back in the day, so you probably wouldn't be taking much of a risk at all in getting a used one in good shape.

 

[TimeSignature]

All three of those amps - Mark IV, DC 5 and the Express 5:50 sound great at low volume. You may want to boost the Express or DC 5 with a tube screamer or similar pedal.

I have experience with all three, they are voiced similarly but are not identical so you really should try them all out if you can. The Mark easily has the most "features" and is most versatile but again, you may prefer one of the other Boogies. If I had to choose just one to own, I would have a very tough time deciding!

 

[deftone82]

Nothing brand new is going to keep it's full value, it's just like driving a car off the lot. You can bring it back to the same guy that sold it to you and told you it was the greatest thing ever and he will only give you 50-60% of what you paid.

That is a bad example! Cars are the worst investment...on the other hand, I happend to buy a limited Mastodon - Crack the Skye red/gold album from their website for 18 dollars...that baby is now worth twice that price!

If I had to choose just one to own, I would have a very tough time deciding!

Welcome to my world!


Here in Belgium I found some Mark IV's on several websites...
One seller wants € 1.850 (= 2.700 dollars) for this one:

another seller wants bids...this mark IV has got a wood-finish:

Both are much more than 1300 dollars (=880 euro's)...
is this only because these get made in USA?

 

[deftone82]

been browsing around this site...almost all sellers are from USA.
Anyone any idea what shipping a ****-heavy amp to Belgium (insured) would cost?

Or are there any Belgium sellers on this board?

cheers

 

[Ken j]

been browsing around this site...almost all sellers are from USA.
Anyone any idea what shipping a ****-heavy amp to Belgium (insured) would cost?

Or are there any Belgium sellers on this board?

cheers

If you buy one from the US you will need to replace the power transformer to match your voltage. US amps are set up for 120 Volts @ 60 HZ.

 

[sparklesmcgraw]

If you buy one from the US you will need to replace the power transformer to match your voltage. US amps are set up for 120 Volts @ 60 HZ

Or just buy a step down transformer.

 

[sparklesmcgraw]

Or buy a step down transformer which a whole lot easier.

 

[deftone82]

Or buy a step down transformer which a whole lot easier.

And how does this work exactly?

I noticed that mesa boogies are a shitload cheaper than in europe. They usually (mark IV) get sold between 1500 and 2000 euro's here. But I'm a bit worried about that whole transformer stuff...will it affect the sound? will the amp brake down faster? Plus: will it arrive safely from USA?

 

[sparklesmcgraw]

Simply plug the transformer into the wall and plug the amp into the transformer. Its that simple. I cannot imagine it would affect the sound or the life of the amp in any way.

Just ensure you get a transformer with enough headroom wattage. Mine is rated to 500 Watts so should manage the Mark IV just fine.

With regards to shipping......that all depends on the seller. Mine arrived to the UK from the states in perfect condition because the seller had done a superb job shipping it. I would be careful here though and only buy from someone who is used to shipping stuff this size and weight. Not many couriers will do so.

The seller 'gear geeks' or something like that on ebay has Mark IV's that pop up a lot. Search completed listings on ebay to find him. A mint one just recently sold. They regularly ship large amps etc internationally and I could not recommened them enough as a seller. I bought my Mark IV from them and the international transaction was a breeze, the amp arrived to my door.