Mark V head arrived today!

[G.I.G.]

Well just about 8 weeks to the day since I ordered it, my new Mesa/Boogie Mark V head arrived today! :mrgreen:

Below are a couple of cell phone pics I snapped right after I pulled it out of the box. You'll notice that I ordered it with the "Mesa Engineering" logo centered on the grill rather than the "Boogie" logo on the top left of the grill that comes standard. I did that so it would match my Recto cabs....and to be a little different. :wink:

I have a gig this Friday but due to my hectic schedule, I don't know if I'll have enough time to dial it in before the show. Either way, I should have a lot of quality time with it this weekend so more pics and a thorough tone report will follow....

 

[RocknRory]

Happy new amp day!

I swear the Mark V is such a beautiful amp. I like the different logo How do you like your roadster? I tried out at guitar center with my guitar recently and it sounded amazing when I got the volume up. Very brutal rhythm. I didn't enjoy the Mark V combo they had as much, but different speakers and as far as I'm concerned the Mark V is a little harder to dial in, with the EQ and so many options.

 

[smd24fan]

Congrats on your new Mark V. Get her dialed in man, you must play your gig with it! Get ready to get lost in tonal bliss!

 

[G.I.G.]

How do you like your roadster?

I love my Roadster. If the Roadster was around in '02 when I bought my Dual Recto, I would have bought the Roadster instead. I still love my Dual Recto, too. But the Roadster does everything the Dual Recto does and more, IMO.

My new Mark V isn't intended to replace my Roadster, but I definitely see the MV as my new #1 amp now. I used to play in a cover band, so having 4 channels along with all the other bells and whistles of the Roadster (assignable power section per channel, reverb, solo boost, etc.) made that a clear choice as my go-to gigging amp. Now, I am in an original band and the Mark V is perfect for the type of music we play and my playing style. I'm really stoked on it!

 

[G.I.G.]

Well, so much for the "hectic schedule". Funny how your priorities change when you get a new toy!

I just spent about an hour with my new MV in my basement and I already have it dialed in about 90% where I want it. I remembered what settings I was digging when I test drove it a couple of months ago. Plus, I downloaded the owner's manual off of Mesa's website a while back and read through it pretty thoroughly. That makes the initial setup period much faster and easier.

It's amazing how good the MV sounds with all of the EQ settings at 12 o'clock. That's usually my starting position whenever I am starting out with an amp, then I tweak it from there.

The reverb is really great on this amp. I was expecting an Accutronics reverb tank but it is a Ruby reverb tank. Either way, it sounds great.

I have to say, I am really impressed with the "extreme" setting on channel 3. I thought I would gravitate towards the Mark IV setting, but the extreme setting seems to have more punch and attack. Kind of reminds me of the old 2 channel Dual Recto's. It definitely has more cut than my Recto's, especially when you are using the on-board 5-band EQ with it.

I'll give a more thorough review after I have had some more time with it and after I've played in a band setting with it. More to follow....

 

[randy]

niceee !!

same for me, my mesa boogie mark v head just arrived yesterday ! and is great.

what calls my attention immediately is how laud sounds when you turn it on, is it the fan ? is a detail but i wanna now if it is normal.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I have to say, I am really impressed with the "extreme" setting on channel 3. I thought I would gravitate towards the Mark IV setting, but the extreme setting seems to have more punch and attack. Kind of reminds me of the old 2 channel Dual Recto's. It definitely has more cut than my Recto's, especially when you are using the on-board 5-band EQ with it.

Mark IV mode = Mark IV with presence pot pulled out = Vintage High Gain.
Extreme mode = Mark IV with presence pot pushed in = Modern High Gain.

I tried to force myself to like Mark IV mode but I kept finding it somewhat similar to channel 2's crunch mode. Not identical obviously, but similar enough that switching back and forth seemed pointless. I kept avoiding Extreme mode because all I had in my head was "Modern High Gain = Disappears in Mix". Yet when someone posted a link to Petrucci's settings and I saw Extreme in use I decided to give it a go. I've been hooked on Extreme ever since, which is great because not only does it provide a strong contrast to crunch mode but it's also made my Recto redundant.

 

[Deaj]

Congrats!!! You now own the best guitar amp ever made.

 

[ReIgnition]

Nice pic's...

I opened mine so fast, threw papers everywhere, plugged it in and started playing... the whole 'unboxing' thing was a blur for me.