Mark V dislike

[jabberwocker]

The longer I have this amp the more I dislike it. Endless tweaking without ever truly getting there. Even my old Marshall JMP-1 + EL34 50/50 destroys it in the high gain department. Today I tried to replace the V1 preamp tube but because of it's idiotic placement and large shield I managed to break off the top of both a NOS brimar and then also the original mesa tube when trying to put it back in. F**k - I hate the amp now.

jack of all trades master of none. I should cut my losses and sell it.

 

[espmaster1]

Sounds like a rage post to me.

Hope you find a better fit for you.

 

[jabberwocker]

Hope you find a better fit for you.

Thanks - so do I.

 

[FXR]

Sadly, I feel the same way too often.

FWIW, I have changed many a 12ax7 tube with a shield. I can never ever remember breaking the tip off a tube. Recently I got 3 Mesa 12ax7 and two broke while installing the shield. The third one chipped, but didn't break the vacuum.

So for me, yeah, rage is one way to put it. Good luck man. The trials and tribulations of tubes is as exciting as it is disappointing sometimes.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I should cut my losses and sell it.

Been there. I'm all for encouraging people to sink time and effort into figuring a Mesa out, in part because I feel it's a very rewarding experience when you finally get it dialled in the way you want.

However, I'm not really into beating a dead horse. I've sold some great amps over the years simply because they weren't for me.

 

[FXR]

If I didn't have Mesa behind me taking the time to keep me as a tube amp customer and helping learn about tube amps, mine would be gone already. But as was said, after taking the time to learn the nuances of the amp and how to deal with them, I can get to some really great sounds for what I play, so I keep her. It's a love hate thing, but it's always been the tubes and not the actual amp so far.

I bet the tube stores are making a fortune off of this cocktail chasing.

 

[ixoye777]

Even my old Marshall JMP-1 + EL34 50/50 destroys it in the high gain department.

For the first bit I had mine I felt it was lacking in the high gain department as well. Until I had the house to myself and had a chance to crank the Output to 11:00 and the CH volume over 10:00. At that volume and higher the amp really and I mean really opens up.

If you are playing at these volumes and still feel it is not for you then just sell it and save yourself the headache. I held onto a roadster for almost a year constantly tweaking trying to get tones I liked and more or less hated it. I kept telling myself that since it is a Mesa Roadster it must be an awesome amp, but at the end of the day I just didn't like it.

 

[jb's 52]

jack of all trades master of none. I should cut my losses and sell it.

There's love and hate days for me as well. Fortunately, a lot more love than
hate. I disagree with the above though. My amp seems to master a lot of
tones easily.

 

[jabberwocker]

Wise words.

To add to the fun factor the amp died on me when I started it up after this little exercise. No pilot light even. So now I get to debug it, too.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

After the initial excitement wore off, I felt somewhat like this, too. But a year later I can't see myself ditching it, in part because I haven't found anything better.

 

[screamingdaisy]

My initial excitement has never really worn off... although it has calmed down some.

Still, sometimes I do get bored, and in those times it's nice to have another amp to turn to. In my case it's a Dual Rectifier.

 

[Rkorn]

I find the High Gain department of this amp to be quite perfect for me.
I had a 6505 and i'm SO happy i sold it and got this one.
Had a JCM900 years ago and I feel so stupid for not buying this one (the mark IV at the time) instead of the 6505.

 

[phyrexia]

If you're breaking tubes in the amp, have somebody more familiar with the amp install them.

Or pull the chassis first. The first tube is a PITA, especially if you have a head.

If the amp doesn't light up, swap out your rectifier tube and put a new fuse in there and see if that fixes anything.

I still think the Mark V is the best amp I've ever played. If you don't like the sound of it, get rid of it. They are not so hard to dial, imho.

Of course you should give the amp a chance with good tubes before you off it, but that brings us back to square one.

 

[sevycat]

LMAO, I would say that the V1 preamp tube, in a mark v, is the most difficult slot to access on any amp I have ever worked on. I have got the whole thing down now and it's easy for me to do it now, just took some practice. Lucky for me I did not suffer the broken glass issues that some of you have.

As to dislike, I am not ready to jump on that ship. I find more good then bad.

 

[hazbin]

I really hate the whole loop bypass thing. Hated it on my Road King and hate it on the Mark V. Why did they change form the mark iv design??

 

[mark5mesa]

I broke the tip off of V1 , nice new Tung-Sol in the trash...To the poster try a volume box in the effects loop along with the master volume you can really level things off and drive the masters per channel. It makes a difference just having the channel master at 11 them getting it up at around 2pm

 

[Rkorn]

Haven't changed a tube, hopefully will not brake one!!!!
The only thing I dislike about the amp is the noise when it turns on, when turns off and when changing channels.
Every time i hear a noise that is not the guitar i get goosebumps... hoping that I have not destroyed anything!!!
The rest... I love the amp!!

 

[ixoye777]

I don't like the popping I get either so before I turn it off I just step on the Mute switch. It stays mutted when I turn it on again and I no longer get that POP! during startup or shutdown.

 

[bcdon]

I still think the Mark V is the best amp I've ever played. If you don't like the sound of it, get rid of it. They are not so hard to dial, imho.

And even if it were hard to dial in, isn't it worth some effort to find a tone you're searching for? If there were one 'perfect tone' button, I'm sure Mesa would have dropped all the other knobs years ago. ;-)

 

[Rkorn]

I don't like the popping I get either so before I turn it off I just step on the Mute switch. It stays mutted when I turn it on again and I no longer get that POP! during startup or shutdown.

That is something I did not know!! great advice! will try that for sure!

It is hard to dial? maybe it just takes a few more minutes that usual!!

the other day I played with the band on Mark I mode... the low end is just massive!!!