I want my Mark V!

[Shang Chi 66]

Fella,s

Ok, so I talk to Mesa directly about 10 min ago. Guess what they told me...6-8weeks! Which is the same answer they gave me on March 5 and I told him that, and he said that he's just suppose to say 6-8weeks (He seems like a nice guy though). So yes, 6-8weeks from now, and from tomorrow and from the day after and etc.

And, he also told me that they haven't started construction yet!

You can bet it's anybody's guess right now. And with the economy, it's probably not the best time to launch a new product anyway. Who knows, maybe postpone till 2010. Let's face it, it's going to be a business decision. Sorry, I'm just sour right now. Here in western canada it's virtually impossible to find a decently priced mark if you can find any at all.

I guess I'll keep playing my gear and wait to sell it.

Fella,s, I know you guys must be as fruststrated and bewildered as I am, but you have to admit, this has become almost laughable! The whole thing changes just about daily. One person is told they are being build as we speak. Another is told the same day that they,re not. Two weeks from now...two months from now...all summer,...2010.

How about we just skip the Mark 5 altogether, and just wait til 2040 and go straight to the Mark 10! Now THAT is gonna be a hell of an amp! HA! (I,ll be an old man by then, but hey, such is the price for tone)

Hey guys, we have to have alittle levity in here to not want to go after somebody!

And ifreedom, sorry about your luck there in Canada man, hope something comes along for you to snag eventually.

 

[gibson5413]

The dealer I work with here in Utah said that he double checked with his Mesa sales guy yesterday and said that he is still aiming for a late April delivery. He ordered the Mark V's about 2 weeks before NAMM. I trust my guy and have been working with him for 5 years. Very reputable but you never know. Maybe Mesa is playing games with the release date. They are sure creating a stir with this one. I doubt Mesa would be spending so much of their marketing budget by putting Mark V advertisements in guitar publications if they were not going to be able to deliver sometime soon.

 

[Shang Chi 66]

Wow Gibson5413, you,re another was told, "late april". What do you guys think that Mesa is aiming to gain with all of this? Create as much hoopla & suspense as possible? Then a pleasant surprize for everyone with an actual earlier that expected shipment? (I hope).

I do know what they stand to lose intially in that several guys have already cancelled their orders. But I quess, once one looks at the bigger picture, they don,t lose anything, because at the end of the day, if this amp is everything most expect, they,ll go on to sell thousands of em...however mad any of us get over this nonsense right now. Face it gentlemen, they,ve got us right where they want us.

Like another cat already said, "it,s good to be Mesa right now".

 

[Mungo Zen]

I wouldn't point the finger to much at Mesa without pointing at the Retail Stores as well.

Any company that finds out a new product is coming try to promote it as soon as possible. Look at the gaming industry where EBGames/Gamestop has typically put release dates for products on their website, with the option to pre-order, months before the game company will actually announce a launch date.

The idea is to maintain your interest and take your cash sooner rather then later. I cannot speak for the relationship that Mesa has with the licensed retailers, but typically retailers do not pay for merchandise before receiving the product. Companies will use these numbers to place orders, and pay for them at the time of shipping.

I am very fortunate to have a good relationship with my guitar dealer who allowed me to skip a deposit on my Mark 5 (although I insisted on putting $1000 down, to help maintain the relationship). That money I placed is now generating interest in my guitar dealers bank account, until they actually have to pay Mesa.

So while Mesa is likely building the Mark 5's as we speak, they haven't made a commitment anywhere that they will have a specific delivery date. Typically that has been the retailers and their dealers putting the numbers out. I would imagine Mesa is trying to actually make and ship as many Mark 5's at once so that as many people who ordered them can have them at the same time. If they were to drip a few out at a time, it would make the waiting even worse for those of us left without a Mark 5 for those few extra weeks or months.

If you can handle your deposit sitting for a few more weeks, perhaps months, then you will be rewarded with a first run Mark 5. If not, that is ok, I am sure the Mark 5 will have a long run and you will be able to order one down the road.

My last thought on this. Mesa can take as long as they want as I am sure they are making sure each and every Mark 5 is up to the high standards they hold.

Be excited guys, all reports have shown this amp to be awesome, and soon enough t will be in our hands!

 

[Bob A.]

If you can handle your deposit sitting for a few more weeks, perhaps months, then you will be rewarded with a first run Mark 5. If not, that is ok, I am sure the Mark 5 will have a long run and you will be able to order one down the road.

My last thought on this. Mesa can take as long as they want as I am sure they are making sure each and every Mark 5 is up to the high standards they hold.

Be excited guys, all reports have shown this amp to be awesome, and soon enough t will be in our hands!

This is the best way to look at the situation, I think. Of course I would like my Mark 5 delivered yesterday, but I know that I'm definitely getting one, and I know it will be a quality product. Also, the more people lose patience and cancel orders early, the sooner we'll have ours!

 

[Shang Chi 66]

I wouldn't point the finger to much at Mesa without pointing at the Retail Stores as well.

Any company that finds out a new product is coming try to promote it as soon as possible. Look at the gaming industry where EBGames/Gamestop has typically put release dates for products on their website, with the option to pre-order, months before the game company will actually announce a launch date.

The idea is to maintain your interest and take your cash sooner rather then later. I cannot speak for the relationship that Mesa has with the licensed retailers, but typically retailers do not pay for merchandise before receiving the product. Companies will use these numbers to place orders, and pay for them at the time of shipping.

I am very fortunate to have a good relationship with my guitar dealer who allowed me to skip a deposit on my Mark 5 (although I insisted on putting $1000 down, to help maintain the relationship). That money I placed is now generating interest in my guitar dealers bank account, until they actually have to pay Mesa.

So while Mesa is likely building the Mark 5's as we speak, they haven't made a commitment anywhere that they will have a specific delivery date. Typically that has been the retailers and their dealers putting the numbers out. I would imagine Mesa is trying to actually make and ship as many Mark 5's at once so that as many people who ordered them can have them at the same time. If they were to drip a few out at a time, it would make the waiting even worse for those of us left without a Mark 5 for those few extra weeks or months.

If you can handle your deposit sitting for a few more weeks, perhaps months, then you will be rewarded with a first run Mark 5. If not, that is ok, I am sure the Mark 5 will have a long run and you will be able to order one down the road.

My last thought on this. Mesa can take as long as they want as I am sure they are making sure each and every Mark 5 is up to the high standards they hold.

Be excited guys, all reports have shown this amp to be awesome, and soon enough t will be in our hands!

Some different views, and points well taken. Certainly we all want an issue free amp from this first run. And even though this will be my first Mesa, I,m quite aware of their high quality standards, it,s one of the very reasons that I want one. As far as all of the conflicting info with different shipping dates; At the end of the day, I just want some truthful, approximate time that I can expect my product. Dealers of course (some) are going to tell you what they need/want to make that sale, having nothing to do with Mesa. Understood. However, when I called Mesa themselves a month ago, I was told that they were in production then. Now folks are being told that they just started production; or that they are,nt going to even begin production until next month. Why are people being told all these different things? For suspense? It can,t be because they themselves don,t know, they,ve got to. Either they,re building them, have already been building them, or they have,nt starting building them. Which is it?

I don,t mind the wait, really (within reason of course). But it would be nice to have some absolute info to sit back with for when to actually expect to have the amp. Too much to ask maybe?

Without such information, in the end, it,ll be up to each induvidual how long they are willing to wait for this thing. Some guys have already opted out. Some may be willing to wait til summer or beyond. Others, (such as myself), have wives wondering why 2k is gone from the account, and why I don,t have anything to show for it! Help me, I,m running out of stalling tactics quick here!

Whatever it turns out to be, you guys are right though. At the end of the day, if you really want the amp, you,re simply going to have to wait until you get it, period...however long it takes. They,re killin me here!

 

[Bob A.]

I called Mesa on Tuesday. I was told that they are not in production yet. They are still waiting on parts, and just have a couple of prototypes floating around. They may ship the first ones in 6 to 8 weeks. Whatever is really going on, it will get here when it gets here. I'm willing to wait for now, but if another month or two goes by and it's all still up in the air, it may be a different story. I can't imagine I'll be so patient if in June I'm still being told "we're shooting for 6 to 8 weeks". For now, we play the waiting game.

 

[danyeo1]

My patience is wearing thin.....and Axe-Fx gas is starting to grow.

 

[gibson5413]

My patience is wearing thin.....and Axe-Fx gas is starting to grow.

Hang tight Dan. I know what you mean (I was beginning to feel impatient today with all of the posts flying around Rig-Talk). I think the Axe-FX is a great piece of equipment and I can definitely see myself digging one. I have decided to go the Mark V route first. I don't want to buy an Axe-FX and have that lingering thought of "I should have given the Mark V a shot first". To be honest, I have not heard a high gain clip from the Axe that has blown me away. I'm sure they are in there though. I figure I can always get an Axe-FX down the road. I have a hard time believing I will dislike the Mark V. For a tube amp, it is about as close to a tweakers paradise (like the Axe-FX) as you can get sans the effects. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

 

[danyeo1]

My patience is wearing thin.....and Axe-Fx gas is starting to grow.

Hang tight Dan. I know what you mean (I was beginning to feel impatient today with all of the posts flying around Rig-Talk). I think the Axe-FX is a great piece of equipment and I can definitely see myself digging one. I have decided to go the Mark V route first. I don't want to buy an Axe-FX and have that lingering thought of "I should have given the Mark V a shot first". To be honest, I have not heard a high gain clip from the Axe that has blown me away. I'm sure they are in there though. I figure I can always get an Axe-FX down the road. I have a hard time believing I will dislike the Mark V. For a tube amp, it is about as close to a tweakers paradise (like the Axe-FX) as you can get sans the effects. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

Yeah, i need to relax In the meantime i did order a Blackstar Ht-5 which should be shipping out on April 14th or so. $269 for that little thing and it sounds GREAT. Check one out if you can for a second amp.

 

[gibson5413]

My patience is wearing thin.....and Axe-Fx gas is starting to grow.

Hang tight Dan. I know what you mean (I was beginning to feel impatient today with all of the posts flying around Rig-Talk). I think the Axe-FX is a great piece of equipment and I can definitely see myself digging one. I have decided to go the Mark V route first. I don't want to buy an Axe-FX and have that lingering thought of "I should have given the Mark V a shot first". To be honest, I have not heard a high gain clip from the Axe that has blown me away. I'm sure they are in there though. I figure I can always get an Axe-FX down the road. I have a hard time believing I will dislike the Mark V. For a tube amp, it is about as close to a tweakers paradise (like the Axe-FX) as you can get sans the effects. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

Yeah, i need to relax In the meantime i did order a Blackstar Ht-5 which should be shipping out on April 14th or so. $269 for that little thing and it sounds GREAT. Check one out if you can for a second amp.

Sounds pretty cost effective. The clips have been really good so far.

I received an e-mail from my dealer last night. He has been dealing with Mesa for years (the only Mesa dealer in Utah besides the GC) and I trust his word. Here is what he told me (I hope he is fine with me posting this):

It is typical of all boutique amp builders to be vague on the date. That way if a problem comes up, like the silkscreener spelled "treble" wrong on the panel or something, they need to have that fixed. Mesa won't release anything until it's right, so hang in there! From what I understand they are running a small batch of Mark V combos first, and then heads. The initial run of combos should hit within a week or 2, and then they'll run heads for a while. We will be one of the first to get heads, and you get the first one. Be patient, this should be an amp you keep for many years.


BTW, my dealer mainly deals with boutique type builders (Bogner, VHT/Fryette, Mesa, Matchless, Bad Cat, Guitars: Anderson). He has a great relationship with each of these builders. I was playing some VHTs there one time and we were having a problem with one of them. He called Steve Fryette on the spot and helped us troubleshoot. Very cool!

 

[Shang Chi 66]

Gibson, that pretty much mirrors what I was told. And of course, it,s totally opposite to most of whats on this very page, in terms of shipping times and if they,re even flippin being built yet! I pretty much trust my dealer as well , so I hope they,re the ones who are correct. That would mean a nice, shiny new amp in less than a months time, YES!!!

 

[MarkIVwidebody]

Yea, but doubt that...........

 

[Azrehan]

I live in Australia and have been told late June/early July for my Mark V head to arrive, so consider yourselves lucky in the US. It will also cost me around $3,800 (US dollars) by time it gets to me.

I've decided to start jonesing for it when June hits.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

My patience is wearing thin.....and Axe-Fx gas is starting to grow.

Hang tight Dan. I know what you mean (I was beginning to feel impatient today with all of the posts flying around Rig-Talk). I think the Axe-FX is a great piece of equipment and I can definitely see myself digging one. I have decided to go the Mark V route first. I don't want to buy an Axe-FX and have that lingering thought of "I should have given the Mark V a shot first". To be honest, I have not heard a high gain clip from the Axe that has blown me away. I'm sure they are in there though. I figure I can always get an Axe-FX down the road. I have a hard time believing I will dislike the Mark V. For a tube amp, it is about as close to a tweakers paradise (like the Axe-FX) as you can get sans the effects. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

For what its worth, I owned both the Std and Ultra versions of the Axe-Fx....I really tried to like them....but everytime it went up against my Mark IV & Bogner XTC, the real amps won out every time. I even preferred my Eventide Eclipse effects over the Axe. YMMV.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

Gibson, that pretty much mirrors what I was told. And of course, it,s totally opposite to most of whats on this very page, in terms of shipping times and if they,re even flippin being built yet! I pretty much trust my dealer as well , so I hope they,re the ones who are correct. That would mean a nice, shiny new amp in less than a months time, YES!!!

Yeah, well I don't want to burst your bubble...but my dealer confirmed to me what everyone else has said late May/June time frame...and that confirmation came over a phone call directly to the Mesa Rep, while I waited.

 

[Shang Chi 66]

Gibson, that pretty much mirrors what I was told. And of course, it,s totally opposite to most of whats on this very page, in terms of shipping times and if they,re even flippin being built yet! I pretty much trust my dealer as well , so I hope they,re the ones who are correct. That would mean a nice, shiny new amp in less than a months time, YES!!!

Yeah, well I don't want to burst your bubble...but my dealer confirmed to me what everyone else has said late May/June time frame...and that confirmation came over a phone call directly to the Mesa Rep, while I waited.

Well, thats the thing. Just about everyone else has been told different times and given varying info. 4 or 5 folks told this from their dealer or Mesa themselves. 5 or 6 guys told that from their dealer or Mesa themselves. Obviously, for whatever reasons, some folks have been given misleading information. Once again, everything from late march to mid april...from late april to late may to mid june...and beyond. Everybody can,t be right, somebodys gotta/is going to be wrong. Personally, I prefer to see the glass as half full and believe the earlier...but thats just me. Might that be wrong and it is actually longer?...sure, of course. Who knows for sure. I don,t work there (Mesa). I only know what I,ve been told, and what I can get here from you guys. In that case, I,ll simply wait as long as I,ve decided to for mine.

I mean, these are,nt kidneys that we,re waiting for here, they,re just amps. All this quesstimating, yeah, it is somewhat frustrating not knowing for certain. But partly amusing/fun waiting to see what,s really going to be what as well!

My bubble remains intact for now. (just don,t ask me that 2 months from now with no Mark!)

 

[MesaGod666]

Well...I am moving to Australia in a couple of months. So, I would like to have my second Triaxis and Mark V before I leave. It may not be kidneys but I would like to have it before I leave the States in August.

 

[iFreedom]

I posted in the Hollywood thread where someone had demoed a V in the store there and they told him amps might show up this week. We are now at the end of the week, so I wonder...did they come in? Ah, good times.

I was going to cancel my order, but naw, I figure it'll be worth waiting for. Besides, it will be my xmas gift to myself as I'm shooting for xmas delivery.

Hey iFreedom I heard xmas too,
Ya, ya, xmas,
Yes me too,
Yip me as well, that's what i heard, xmas

Ok, ok, everyone hang tight. Hopefully, no later than xmas. :lol:

 

[Shang Chi 66]

I posted in the Hollywood thread where someone had demoed a V in the store there and they told him amps might show up this week. We are now at the end of the week, so I wonder...did they come in? Ah, good times.

I was going to cancel my order, but naw, I figure it'll be worth waiting for. Besides, it will be my xmas gift to myself as I'm shooting for xmas delivery.

Hey iFreedom I heard xmas too,
Ya, ya, xmas,
Yes me too,
Yip me as well, that's what i heard, xmas

Ok, ok, everyone hang tight. Hopefully, no later than xmas. :lol:

Heh-heh. Yeah, I think that we can safely assume that did,nt happen. That, or he,s having so much fun with the amp that he can,t bring himself to stop to post he,s got it!

Let,s just try to think of this as one big, crazy carnival ride. That we don,t know when will end. Spring, summer, the fall, x-mas,...who knows?
We,re not that dizzy yet, but I think some of us might be before it,s over.

I just all hope that everyone here gets their amp sooner rather then later. One things for sure. When they do start showing up, this place is going to be pretty fun with all of the reviews, opinions, settings idea,s, etc. We all know this is thee amp of the year we,re waitng on. The only other one that maybe comes close anticipation wise is the Randall Nuno model, which is also supposed to ship in april. (I wonder if those guys will go thru anything like this)