Mark V impressions after 2 weeks.

[BoogiePete]

@ave...I understand completely where your coming from regarding using pedals with the MKV and it's not really my preferred direction. The MkV should sound great without them that's for sure. At the moment My RAT pedal through the tweed channel destroys CH3 for a lead sound. This leads me to believe that all is probably not well in the pre-amp valve/tube stage and I will be ordering a new set of ECC83/12AX7 around the beginning of August.

@ MBJunkie... many thanks for your encouragement which is much appreciated. I will be keeping the MKV even though for the reasons above I believe it's not quite 'firing on all six' at the moment. Even so, I know the sounds I'm after are in there. As well as pre-amp valves I might try a Celestion V30 (45w mode ) as well, as I have a good one lying around here.

I'll be opening a new thead regarding the choice of pre-amp valve replacement soon. I know it's been discussed many times but I'll provide a link to a dealer here in the UK that seems to have a decent selection and ask which of these are considered a good choice for the MKV. This is made much more complicated as many seem to like different makes of valve for different positions.

Cheers,

Pete.

 

[thunder100]

Hello again from Worcester England.

Anyone heard a 'modeller' that sounds anything like remotely resembling a Boogie ?

Me !
Fractal Audio Axe FX 2

But also there you have to do what you stated-->trust your ears and tweak

I play sometimes some Santana-->tried my OLD MK II C+ setting on mark V-->Nope.
Asked a former bandmate-->brought me right into the ballpark

Hardcore point on Mark V is correct balance between Gain/Chanel volume and master volume-->you get it wrong-->its very wrong

One other comment....

Tuna141 mentioned how his MkV combo came alive after retubing. I think I may have been fortunate with the stock tubes that came with my V in that I was able to achieve very good tones from the get-go with the stock tubes. This lasted for at least 1 year. However, shortly after that initial period.....I noticed a significant difference in character and tone from my amp and realized it was time to investigate.

Sure enough, the V1 tube definitely needed to be replaced, however, the other preamp and power amp tubes appeared to be working just fine. While I could have just replaced the V1 tube, I decided to buy the Premium Tube Upgrade Package for the MkV from "The Tube Store". This wasn't cheap (about $270 as I recall).

in many cases the V1 need to be replaced(in my case to Tung-Sol) what has a "blanket off" effect


My 2 cents

Roland

 

[flimz]

Hello again from Worcester England.

Anyone heard a 'modeller' that sounds anything like remotely resembling a Boogie ?

Me !
Fractal Audio Axe FX 2

But also there you have to do what you stated-->trust your ears and tweak

I play sometimes some Santana-->tried my OLD MK II C+ setting on mark V-->Nope.
Asked a former bandmate-->brought me right into the ballpark

Hardcore point on Mark V is correct balance between Gain/Chanel volume and master volume-->you get it wrong-->its very wrong

One other comment....

Tuna141 mentioned how his MkV combo came alive after retubing. I think I may have been fortunate with the stock tubes that came with my V in that I was able to achieve very good tones from the get-go with the stock tubes. This lasted for at least 1 year. However, shortly after that initial period.....I noticed a significant difference in character and tone from my amp and realized it was time to investigate.

Sure enough, the V1 tube definitely needed to be replaced, however, the other preamp and power amp tubes appeared to be working just fine. While I could have just replaced the V1 tube, I decided to buy the Premium Tube Upgrade Package for the MkV from "The Tube Store". This wasn't cheap (about $270 as I recall).

in many cases the V1 need to be replaced(in my case to Tung-Sol) what has a "blanket off" effect


My 2 cents

Roland

Hi, could you please elaborate more on your correct balance btw gain/channel vol and master? What is your formula?
Also, what specific tung sol tube did you put in V1?
Thanks!

 

[thunder100]

Hi, could you please elaborate more on your correct balance btw gain/channel vol and master? What is your formula?
Also, what specific tung sol tube did you put in V1?
Thanks!

Read here

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=60454&start=15

Channel volume low(below 10) and master up depending on your application

A normal Tung-sol 12AX7 as vs the JJ's Mesa now use they are brighter.And V1 allready makes 50% of the sound

Roland

PS:search for screaming daisy-->you can learn a lot-->at least I did

 

[ZFMarkV]

Hello again from Worcester England.
Are not you chaps just missing the point here ?
Why on earth are you unnecessarily overloading the pre-amp stages of the Mark V with spurious ephemera such as 'overdrives' and 'distortions' when the onboard facilities are in abundance and at your fingertips/pedal extremities ? Have a look at what you have on board - 3 Channels, Boost and EQ/Preset and a whole boatload of modes.
Use your ears, tweak your settings - it's all here in abundance !
The possibilities are endless with the purity of the amplifier.
This 'fairy-dust' culture is the whim of stomp- box producers to try to delude people into actually believing that their products enhance the sound of the original source.
This may have some justification with some amplifiers, but a Mesa Boogie ?
Why do you think that the stompers continually 'upgrade' their products ?
Anyone heard a 'modeller' that sounds anything like remotely resembling a Boogie ?
Of course I exclude the time-based FX that exude beautifully from the loop.
Be brave - on the next gig, barring the Wah, leave the ' front-end ' at home and just use a bloody good lead.

I agree there are a ton of distortion options in the Mark V, but it really depends on the music you play whether you choose to use stomp boxes. I use a TC Nova Drive in my rack for about 2 songs currently (Comfortably Numb, Satisfaction). The Nova Drive in conjunction with the Gsystem and the 90 watt fat/bold channel one on the Mark V gets me to Gilmour territory easily!

 

[boogieman60]

My 2 cents...The MkV is a beast. It wants to scream. I use my combo with a widebody Thiele, to load it down to 4 ohms. Very important to the sound. If possible..I don't mic it at a gig so I can turn the amp up. This is not a bedroom amp. This is a stage, live music amp. I run my #1 chan at 90 watts Fat.. gain and volume at 12:00 and the master at 10:00. the adjust the other chans. to balance. I also use the Preset EQ. and adjust with the mix levels. I use a multi FX unit in the loop with a LITTLE comp and delay. Comp in the loop Really smooths the V out and removes some of that Harshness that some may be hearing. Makes it much more managable. I get GREAT sounds with this setup. I also use a Tube screamer in the front when I need a lead line or two in a tune, rather than switching chans. I have it set up sounding like chan 2.. but there is NO comparison, the screamer is flubby compared to the V's # 2 channel. To set my Bass I play 8th notes muted with My right hand and move the bass knob on each chan. up until it flubs..then back off a bit. Hope that helps..PS I run My Les Paul on about 7 on the volume control for My clean sound and then come up if I need some growl. on 8 on # 2 and wide open for crunch. #3 chan is set up to SING..long sustain Mk4 Pentode. Little more bass. and comp pedal out front. I get an INSANE rhy sound by simply switching chan 2 to edge enjoy...

 

[BoogiePete]

Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and suggestions.

After about 6 weeks with the amp now I have much more love for the MKV. I've spent plenty of time tweaking but also changing one of the pre-amp valves and replacing the C90 with a V30 seems to have improved things 10 fold for my purposes. To me the sound is now more open and has more character with the V30. It's a real 'kid in a sweet/candy shop' amp and my main difficulty now is knowing which of the 9 modes to use as they are all great in different ways. At the moment I'm using Fat in the clean channel, Edge for CH2, and MKIV in CH3. CH3 was my problem channel when I first got the amp but I've got it dialled in very nicely now and it interacts very well with my Clapton Strat with some mid-boost added from the guitar.

@boogieman60...I totally agree, this amp is a beast and needs to be wound up for the best results. Lots of good suggestions there so thanks. I'm also a fan of the Edge mode!

Cheers,

Pete

 

[ave]

Hello from England again.
One further thought on what has possibly been the most interesting and informative thread on this august board in a long time, and thanks to my fellow countryman boogie Pete for the OP and also boogieman 60 for recognising and underlining the fact that the Mk V is a gigging amp and responds wonderfully to the guitar volume AND tone controls.
Judging from the number of views and the obviously informed replies, the correlation between the the MkV and the GUITAR and not the intervening ( interfering ? ) ephemera - analogue or digital - is still appreciated.
Let the guitar do the work and not cloud it with the 'sound of the stompbox' which you can get with virtually any amp you choose.
To the people who gig the amp I wholeheartedly recommend that you experiment with keeping the overall output level at least appreciably above ( if not totally maxed ) over the 3 Channel VOLUME stages - adjust the gains judiciously to cut through the mix and use the roll on roll off method on the guitar - finally - all you really need is a bloody good lead.

 

[BoogiePete]

Hi all,

after having got to grips with my MKV and enjoying it so much now it is with regret that I have to announce it is now up for sale due to a huge unforseen financial outlay...gutted!

MKV my words though...I'll be back . Thanks to all for your help and advice regarding this great amp, and I already feel a bit of a veteran regarding the 'quirks' of the MKV.

Cheers for now,

Pete.

 

[BoogiePete]

Great news!

I don't have to sell my MKV. Where there's a will there's a way, as they say, and I've managed to sort things out without letting my precious go.

Glad to be still on board .

cheers,

Pete.