Mark V 90W combo speaker change

[bandit2013]

One may think. It seems to do it with the Mesa tubes. Amp was working just fine with the old Beijing 1990 Mesa tubes. Since I was considering getting rid of the Mark V, did not want to leave in the good tubes so I put in Mesa stock tubes. I believe I have a bad tube, V4, V5 or V6. I just did not care. It was enough excuse for me to get it out of sight. I have spent too much time on tube rolling, messing around with the tone controls, changing speakers, and such that I ever did playing the guitar through it. It is one amp I cannot stand to listen too. It still has value so it will not hit the trash just yet. If I can get it to behave properly, I will sell it. For now, it will sit out of sight as I will want to try to do something with it. What a waste of money. Wish I never bought it. Trying not to go too negative on this, some people may cherish the Mark V90. Good for them. They can have mine.

As for motor-boating. The JP2C would do that with Tung Sol, Mullard , EHX, Svetlana. Medium plate design (12AX7, CV4004). Even the long plate Mullard was worse. I have not pinpointed which tube position causes this issue. It would not be hard to just roll one of the said instigators into each position to find out. It sounds just like a boat breaking over shallow waves. Not only does it oscillate, it grows exponentially louder and louder until you have to hit the standby switch. Amp works just fine with the stock tubes. Just does not behave well with the New Sensor stuff. Matters not of the tube is used and in good condition or brand new. Trying to think if it did this on clean as well. doubt it.

 

[MarkV User]

Everyone tells me to use a vertical 2x12 stack like this and I’m going to have to listen at some point. Since I have the combo and like the EVM I have in it maybe I can use a 1x12 oversized sealed v30 on top of the combo. Otherwise rhe Redback or the Swamp Thang or the BN-300S.

I want to say that even though I swapped it out of the Mark V, the BN-300S is just a beautiful sounding guitar speaker. It rolls off the top end and would normally be paired with something brighter.

I’ve been exploring different speaker options with different amps as well as listening to many speaker videos and have become more and more impressed by the V30s.

I have an interest in trying series wiring with the Mark V, using two dissimilar speakers. I will have to test this with a different amp first, but this is the idea. Take the V30. It has a crazy sound that comes from notches and and peaks in the impedance over different frequencies. The EVM Classic is wider range and almost flat. The speaker excursion is a function of current, which is identical for two series speakers. The impedance notches and peaks will be halved in amplitude and the two speakers will move air roughly in sync with one another. Mechanical resonances can still vary that. So that is the theory. I don’t have any experience with this. But since the Mark V can drive 4 or 8 ohms and the speakers I want to use come in 8 ohms, it would only work in a 4x12. So I’ll try with a 2x12 and a different amp to start with. If it works well then maybe the 4x12 can be set up as e.g. EVMs on the bottom and V30s on the top, with two pairs of the EVM Classic and V30 in series. What I would hope for is a moderated tone blending the EVM and V30 characteristics and a little bit of that wobbly phase shifting between the left and right side.

Glad to hear of the progress. In that cab it's two 16 ohm speakers wired in parallel.

In FWIW part 2... for my tastes the best cab match for the V has been this vert 2x12. It has a Mesa EVM in the closed bottom and a Mesa v30 in the open back top. Kinda used the old 90's Mesa vert cab approach. Got this old cab free from a buddy, it was pretty hideous decided to do a recover project. Originally it was a simple box, opened the top and added a separator. Tried a few different speakers in the top position ie: MC90, Eminence but finally settled with the v30 pairing. They are both 8 ohms wired in parallel. Sounds amazing also with the IIC+.

When I was up at Mesa talking to Mike B, he said they all felt the EVM was the right speaker for the Marks. He does all his testing with them.

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[MarkV User]

I don’t blame you for being pissed

We spent a lot of money on these amps and it took a lot of work for me to get mine working right. Your experience was even worse. Mesa screwed us since we both bought these things new. I didn’t know enough to realize the amp wasn’t working right. I’ll never buy one of their amps new again. Used, maybe.

I also don’t like the way they manufacture things. These amps are too difficult to work on. I love all the options but didn’t appreciate how hard it is to make an amp this complex work. I also didn’t realize that amps are like guitars and to make them sound their best always requires tuning work. Exponentially more work for more complex amps. Companies like Soldano/BAD and Bogner get their amps set up just right at the factory. But to keep them sounding good will still require tuning work!

But the amount of work needed and rhe fussinesss of the design is too much with the Mark V I got. When you think about the way you need to carefully select preamp tubes for the Mark V gain levels to avoid disastrous early clipping, it points to a design where the designers never fine tuned the resistors in the gain stages. I suspect they fixed some of this as engineering changes in years after we bought our amps. But it is actually irresponsible and lame what Mesa did with the amp I bought. I would have been happier with a used Peavey Windsor for $150 in 2013 and it would have been a better sounding amp out of the box, useful for almost any situation.

I recently bought a Jet City JCA-22 amp head for $250, and I like it less than my lovingly tuned Mark V, but only a little bit. I imagine the JCA-50 and JCA-100 amps are a step up. The SLO-30 might be The One.

Still, nothing else will ever do what my Mark V can do now. It is unique and I don’t think it even sounds like other Mark V amps. It really does have some of the Nirvana sound that originally attracted me to the amp, and it is so much more than that. I’m really happy with it now.

One may think. It seems to do it with the Mesa tubes. Amp was working just fine with the old Beijing 1990 Mesa tubes. Since I was considering getting rid of the Mark V, did not want to leave in the good tubes so I put in Mesa stock tubes. I believe I have a bad tube, V4, V5 or V6. I just did not care. It was enough excuse for me to get it out of sight. I have spent too much time on tube rolling, messing around with the tone controls, changing speakers, and such that I ever did playing the guitar through it. It is one amp I cannot stand to listen too. It still has value so it will not hit the trash just yet. If I can get it to behave properly, I will sell it. For now, it will sit out of sight as I will want to try to do something with it. What a waste of money. Wish I never bought it. Trying not to go too negative on this, some people may cherish the Mark V90. Good for them. They can have mine.

As for motor-boating. The JP2C would do that with Tung Sol, Mullard , EHX, Svetlana. Medium plate design (12AX7, CV4004). Even the long plate Mullard was worse. I have not pinpointed which tube position causes this issue. It would not be hard to just roll one of the said instigators into each position to find out. It sounds just like a boat breaking over shallow waves. Not only does it oscillate, it grows exponentially louder and louder until you have to hit the standby switch. Amp works just fine with the stock tubes. Just does not behave well with the New Sensor stuff. Matters not of the tube is used and in good condition or brand new. Trying to think if it did this on clean as well. doubt it.

 

[MarkV User]

Interesting update. I had been testing the amp with a great sounding solid mahogany Schecter guitar that has a Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge and a Bill Lawrence L500 at the neck. And that guitar with the EVM speaker is just wonderful.

I just tried my Strat which has an unusual mix of higher output passive single coil pickups, and for many purposes I really like the sound of this guitar. And it was great with the BN300-S in the Mark V. I’m finding the strat a lot less pleasing with the EVM though. I’m pretty sure I’ll figure out how I like to dial this guitar in with the new speaker and just do it automatically in the future. It was still a shock to hear how much the speaker change affected things.

 

[rarebitusa]

Interesting update. I had been testing the amp with a great sounding solid mahogany Schecter guitar that has a Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge and a Bill Lawrence L500 at the neck. And that guitar with the EVM speaker is just wonderful.

I just tried my Strat which has an unusual mix of higher output passive single coil pickups, and for many purposes I really like the sound of this guitar. And it was great with the BN300-S in the Mark V. I’m finding the strat a lot less pleasing with the EVM though. I’m pretty sure I’ll figure out how I like to dial this guitar in with the new speaker and just do it automatically in the future. It was still a shock to hear how much the speaker change affected things.

certainly not surprised at all with that. Been my experience that finding a single amp/cab pairing to work great with every axe is pretty elusive. It can be a deep rabbit hole.

 

[DECEMBER]

Many people have had glowing experiences like you describe with the Mark V 90W. That was far from my experience! Do you know roughly what year your amp was made?

My amp sounds just beautiful now. It took a lot of work though, and I wasn’t sure I would succeed until the end. I’ll summarize what I learned in this thread soon, once I feel the whole story is written.

This one has a handwritten date in silver paint pen by the power tubes of January 2012. Don't know what it's about... did they date them when manufactured, or was it denoting being serviced, or when tubes were installed? Dunno, but it's definitely at least 12 years old. It has the newer all-black footswitch. The first one I had (for 5 days) had the older footswitch with the aluminum edges. Had to return that one because the Tweed setting was broken and the reverb added a bad hum. I didn't get to compare them side-by-side, but they seem to sound the same.
I've been fighting with cheap amps for the past 3 years, so coming from those, the Mark V is amazing. I played a Mark VII combo in the local store and was like "THAT'S how I need my guitar to sound!" But $3500... I'd never heard my guitar sound so clear, bright, and detailed before, thru any amp I had used before. Well, the Marshall DSL20CR clean tone was close, but with that exaggerated British midrange I don't like, and the Ultra gain channel was muddy and fizzy. I've also had a Peavey Invective MH & ValveKing II 20 combo, Revv G20, Boss Katana 50, Marshall Valvestate 40V 8040, Line 6 Flextone III XL, and Carvin V3. The V3 is my favorite of all those, but they're all muddy, boxy, dark, and/or fizzy compared to the Mark V.
I am running a 10 band parametric EQ in the loop still, on top of the 5 band graphic in the amp. I've never met an amp that I could stand without extra EQ in the loop. But the Mark V sounds so much better without the extra EQ than the others... they sound so bad without EQ that they're unusable to me.
I am particular and have a very specific sound I need to hear, and the other amps were so dark I had to crank the treble and presence to get close to the sound I need, but that makes them harsh and abrasive. The Mark V just has this depth and detail, pristine clarity in the clean tone that none of my previous amps could compare to, even with the treble and presence maxed... they were still muddy, but also harsh with the treble up so high. And the channel 3 high gain has a midrange detail and presence without being excessive (quacky, honky, airy, boxy). And the low end is focused and has a punchy impact without being overly bassy. Mark I mode on channel 2 is really dark and bass-heavy and needs completely different EQ than channel 3 to make it usable. I have to use my Precision Drive AND Buxom Boost in front with their Tight knobs up to cut enough of the low end, and it took me almost 2 weeks but I'm finally getting a usable sound with the Mark I mode.
I need bright, but not harsh, and I'm getting that from the Mark V with the treble and presence just above noon, while on other amps they were at max and still muddy to me.
This is the first nice amp I've owned in the 26 years I've been playing, and maybe I'm easily impressed because of what I've had to compare it to, but this amp sounds exactly the way I want it to. I'm actually playing my guitar now, instead of just banging out riffs so I can turn knobs, trying to get a sound that my previous amps just couldn't do.

 

[bandit2013]

Don't take the negative comments to heart. Not all Mark V90s were lemons. I have played through a fair share of them that sounded way better than the one I have.

I am very pleased with the Roadster, MWDR, Mark VII, JP2C, Badlander, Royal Atlantic, Triple Crown, California Tweed, TT800 Bass amp and cabs, etc. The only amps I did not buy new were the two Royal Atlantic RA100's. I also owned a Mark III DRG combo for 24 years and it served me well over that time period. Mark IVB combo for 12 years without any issue. Would I ever buy another Mark V90? no.

 

[MarkV User]

It is awesome that you got a good one. The thing is that these amps have the potential to be some of the best you can get. They are stuffed full of amazing components and everything is high quality. None of us are completely sure why some of the amps are harder to get good sound out of, although personal theories abound. It makes me really happy to hear that you are having a good experience.

This one has a handwritten date in silver paint pen by the power tubes of January 2012. Don't know what it's about... did they date them when manufactured, or was it denoting being serviced, or when tubes were installed? Dunno, but it's definitely at least 12 years old. It has the newer all-black footswitch. The first one I had (for 5 days) had the older footswitch with the aluminum edges. Had to return that one because the Tweed setting was broken and the reverb added a bad hum. I didn't get to compare them side-by-side, but they seem to sound the same.
I've been fighting with cheap amps for the past 3 years, so coming from those, the Mark V is amazing. I played a Mark VII combo in the local store and was like "THAT'S how I need my guitar to sound!" But $3500... I'd never heard my guitar sound so clear, bright, and detailed before, thru any amp I had used before. Well, the Marshall DSL20CR clean tone was close, but with that exaggerated British midrange I don't like, and the Ultra gain channel was muddy and fizzy. I've also had a Peavey Invective MH & ValveKing II 20 combo, Revv G20, Boss Katana 50, Marshall Valvestate 40V 8040, Line 6 Flextone III XL, and Carvin V3. The V3 is my favorite of all those, but they're all muddy, boxy, dark, and/or fizzy compared to the Mark V.
I am running a 10 band parametric EQ in the loop still, on top of the 5 band graphic in the amp. I've never met an amp that I could stand without extra EQ in the loop. But the Mark V sounds so much better without the extra EQ than the others... they sound so bad without EQ that they're unusable to me.
I am particular and have a very specific sound I need to hear, and the other amps were so dark I had to crank the treble and presence to get close to the sound I need, but that makes them harsh and abrasive. The Mark V just has this depth and detail, pristine clarity in the clean tone that none of my previous amps could compare to, even with the treble and presence maxed... they were still muddy, but also harsh with the treble up so high. And the channel 3 high gain has a midrange detail and presence without being excessive (quacky, honky, airy, boxy). And the low end is focused and has a punchy impact without being overly bassy. Mark I mode on channel 2 is really dark and bass-heavy and needs completely different EQ than channel 3 to make it usable. I have to use my Precision Drive AND Buxom Boost in front with their Tight knobs up to cut enough of the low end, and it took me almost 2 weeks but I'm finally getting a usable sound with the Mark I mode.
I need bright, but not harsh, and I'm getting that from the Mark V with the treble and presence just above noon, while on other amps they were at max and still muddy to me.
This is the first nice amp I've owned in the 26 years I've been playing, and maybe I'm easily impressed because of what I've had to compare it to, but this amp sounds exactly the way I want it to. I'm actually playing my guitar now, instead of just banging out riffs so I can turn knobs, trying to get a sound that my previous amps just couldn't do.