Mark V Anxiety

[smunger4]

Looking for some opinions...

Totally amateur player who was able to pick up a Mark V 90 head from Sweetwater probably 6 years ago for $2200. No gigging, amp is overkill for me, but it is awesome. I am concerned about long-term reliability, repairs, local dealers, etc.

Should I be? Keep it forever? Sell it?

Thanks

 

[domct203]

I gigged my 2007 Roadster for 13 years, playing 1-2 times every week between shows and practice. I’ll never sell that amp regardless of what might be in my A-Rig as the years go on.

If you enjoy it, keep it. I’ve got a friend who owns a silver face Fender Twin from the 70’s and it’s still going strong.

Dom

 

[mace]

I’ve had a Mark V for 12 years. Issue with noise just inside the 5 year warranty that Mesa repaired under warranty. Had a reverb issue maybe 2 years ago that was fixed. I have no concerns about keeping it!

 

[sloanthebone]

I have a 2012 V and works fine. Just got a Mark VII and still keeping the V. The V is a fantastic amp. I also have 1982 Mark IIb and it works fine too, never had an issue. If you like it, keep it.

 

[smunger4]

Thanks guys, I agree, absolutely love it and it has been very reliable. Petaluma is about 2.5 hrs from me, so I could always take it to the factory.

 

[Eevil]

Thanks guys, I agree, absolutely love it and it has been very reliable. Petaluma is about 2.5 hrs from me, so I could always take it to the factory.

I’ve had a proper swap-a-gear phase after all that jazz, settled with Mark V and Mesa 4x12 traditional

Cleans are good enough for me, Crunch is actually good, Mark I mode is really nice (with 45w and tube rectifier), Mark IV mode really works for my tone tastes.

Is it complex? Hell no if one has played with any modellers/plugins this is a piece of cake. Select channel/mode and tweak couple of knobs and play..

Just keep it and enjoy your time with it..

 

[rarebitusa]

Looking for some opinions...

Totally amateur player who was able to pick up a Mark V 90 head from Sweetwater probably 6 years ago for $2200. No gigging, amp is overkill for me, but it is awesome. I am concerned about long-term reliability, repairs, local dealers, etc.

Should I be? Keep it forever? Sell it?

Thanks

The V has amazing upside.. as you improve your skills it will continue to provide tonal options to explore.

 

[domct203]

The V has amazing upside.. as you improve your skills it will continue to provide tonal options to explore.

I think that could be said for just about all of Mesa’s offerings for amps, at least the ones I’ve played.

Gigging Rectifiers for a couple of decades does wonders for your picking/strumming technique.

Dom

 

[Eevil]

I think that could be said for just about all of Mesa’s offerings for amps, at least the ones I’ve played.

Gigging Rectifiers for a couple of decades does wonders for your picking/strumming technique.

Dom

Would like to gig too

 

[domct203]

The older I get the less I like moving gear LOL. We have only gigged 3 times since the pandemic… we had a once a month thing for years at a local ‘watering hole’, played for the cover charge. Covid came along and put them out of business. We still get together every 2 weeks or so and have been writing more originals. We’re working on our 3rd full length CD and hope to get back in a pro studio this spring/summer. Our last release is on iTunes, Spotify etc.

I’m in my mid 50’s now and I’m actually good with slowing down. I’ve had my fun for sure, I was lucky that I had the opportunity to have a (supportive) family and play out regularly. Sure, many shows were stuffed in a corner working for the bar tab, or playing to just the family and friends, but I met a lot of interesting people, met some of my idols opening for the bigger shows, and made many great memories. From 2000-2012 we were our busiest, mostly small peanuts but a few big openers thrown in too.

I never really had those ‘rock star’ dreams, just a weekend warrior having a lot of fun.

Moral to the story, I’ve thrown my Mesa gear in many a backseat/trunk and never had a breakdown at a show. It’s extremely reliable gear, road worthy for sure and built to last.

I’ve started doing some basic recording at home as well, I wish I had more time to spend on that.





Dom

 

[MarkV User]

Wow, those are great sounding tracks. What channel is that on?

I had my Mark V since 2014 when it was manufactured, and the low voltage diodes went on it six months ago. According to Mesa the issue was a bad batch of diodes. I replaced those and realized there had always been something off in the tone of my amp, in the presence frequencies. After some struggles I fixed the tone problem and now I'm very happy with the amp in a way I never was before. I changed the speaker in the combo and the preamp tubes before I was fully happy with the amp, but now it is amazing, and I'm still finding small improvements to make.

If it is ever necessary to access the back of the PCB on the Mark V then all the pots need to be taken out and many wires removed and resoldered afterward. There is a video of someone recapping a Mark IV on YouTube and that amp has a similar construction. It will be a major effort. And yet it should be possible to do.

This is an old thread, but my take is that the Mark V is a keeper, at least for me. By the time it requires recapping I will already have gotten my money out of it and more. It is a difficult amp to work on and modify if that matters. But it is a fascinating and deep amp with an almost unique tone. It is not a do-everything amp but it is good for a lot of things and I feel lucky to have it now.

 

[domct203]

Thanks!

That’s my Roadsters. My MKV is long gone, I had a shrill and boxey sounding one that I held onto for years hoping I’d finally find that Liquid Solo tone, never happened for me, sold it and invested in the Triple Crown.

Cleans are CH 1 Tweed. High gain is CH 4 Modern boosted with a Seymour Duncan 805 Drive for rhythm, CH 3 Modern boosted with a Grid Slammer for Lead.