Mark V New Owner (Maybe)

[paulg2uk]

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice an experience from any fellow Mark V owners. I currently own a Road King 2 with a 2x12 cab which i use with a G system and various other pedals. The band I was in has recently split and I find myself not using my big pedalboard anymore and the Road King is becoming a pain to transport to rehearsals and small gigs.

Although I was gonna keep my Road King, I have decided to scale down my rig. So I'm gonna be running a few stomp boxes in front of an amp. I firstly thought of a blackstar combo as they were fairly well priced and sounded pretty good. However being a boogie player for most of my life I saw the Mark V Combo and thought that was the way to go. Although its fairly expensive here in the UK I think its probably the best one to go for. I'm just wondering if anyone is using the Combo version in say a 5 piece band with another guitarist? I'm just worried about cutting through as I'm always used a 2x12 can which cuts through just fine.

Thanks

Paul

 

[thalweg]

I use the combo with the C90 speaker and it has ample power for large gigs. Ear bleeding volume in fact. If you're micing the amp...then volume is less of a concern.

The key however to cutting through is ensuring you have sliced out your own freq spectrum from the other guitar players or instruments (vocals included) Far too often two guitar players choose the same mid contours and they fight for space. Find a slice of spectrum that you can carve as your "own space" while still maintaining tone that you are comfortable with. This isn't always a matter of eq either...different gain settings, reverb tails, etc can impact this as well.

The issue here...is most often when you "Carve" your tone, playing alone will sound less palatable but when you're within the band its perfect. So if there are passages that you only play alone or with bass or drums etc...then set aside a channel that widens that spectrum for you...then switch back when you are with the full band again.

 

[MBJunkie]

Hi paulg2uk....

Firstly, yes the MkV 112 combo is capable of being very loud as thalweg has mentioned and the V sounds very good to me (and my bandmates).
Secondly, yes...I do use my MkV combo in a 5 piece band (2 guitars, bass, keyboard and drums) with no problem cutting through at all. I always play it unmiced during rehearsals...and am usually asked to turn it down in our small practice room..which happens to be the dining room of my house.

Now for the very subjective questions....?

I used to own a Road King 1 head with matching 212 cab and I liked some of the sounds that I was able to achieve from that amp. However, the dual rectifier based high gain sounds out of the RK didn't really suit me for my tastes, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the cleans and slight breakup sounds offered in Ch1 or 2 for that matter either so I eventually sold it after owning it for about 1 1/2 years.

I purchased my MkV 112 combo about 1 1/2 years ago and immediately fell in love with its sounds and incredible versatility. However, I had previously purchased a MkIV 112 widebody combo in the mid 90's (and still am the original owner of this amp today) and have always liked the MB Mark combo sound. I still play my MkIV widebody combo at home on occassion, but I much prefer my MkV combo during rehearsals and gigs for great sounds and increased flexibility offered with the V.

Certainly, the Road King II offers great flexibility......so it really will come down to what type of sounds are you after. Don't expect the MkV to duplicate the heavy recto sounds in Ch3 & 4 of the RK. If these high gain tones offered in the RK are very important to you....the MkV (or Mark series in general) may not be for you. However, do expect the MkV to provide an uncanny range of excellent tones from very clean to very brutal. The V also offers 10, 45, and 90W power settings in each channel among other features which can dramatically change the feel and sound of the amp.

The V is definitely my favorite amp of all that I have owned to date (which is a lot of amps), but definitely give it a try for yourself before purchase if possible. Also, if you are able to audition it in person.....give it some time because its versatility is unbelievable, but with that....it is also easily possible of being set to not sound good as well (almost always a lack of user knowledge and understanding of the amp when set to sound bad...Oh...or using their eyes instead of their ears IMHO).

Of course, I can also set any of my most basic amps to sound bad if I chose to do so.....I choose not!

Hope this helps!

 

[paulg2uk]

Thanks for the info fellas, that's a big help. I do really like the high gain sounds in the road king 2 but I've heard john Petrucci using the Mark V and i was impressed with what is gave out. It still sounds high gain to me and more probably of what I would want to hear. He's quite particular about his sound also so if he likes them they must be good.

The only thing that puts me off is the 1x12 speaker I used to own a 1x12 cab with my road king and that sounded very compressed coming out of that speaker almost a squashed sound. Maybe I didn't have the right cab in the first place I dunno. Is that the case with the Mark V?

From what your describing it certainly doesn't seem the case.

Thanks again

Paul

Hi paulg2uk....

Firstly, yes the MkV 112 combo is capable of being very loud as thalweg has mentioned and the V sounds very good to me (and my bandmates).
Secondly, yes...I do use my MkV combo in a 5 piece band (2 guitars, bass, keyboard and drums) with no problem cutting through at all. I always play it unmiced during rehearsals...and am usually asked to turn it down in our small practice room..which happens to be the dining room of my house.

Now for the very subjective questions....?

I used to own a Road King 1 head with matching 212 cab and I liked some of the sounds that I was able to achieve from that amp. However, the dual rectifier based high gain sounds out of the RK didn't really suit me for my tastes, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the cleans and slight breakup sounds offered in Ch1 or 2 for that matter either so I eventually sold it after owning it for about 1 1/2 years.

I purchased my MkV 112 combo about 1 1/2 years ago and immediately fell in love with its sounds and incredible versatility. However, I had previously purchased a MkIV 112 widebody combo in the mid 90's (and still am the original owner of this amp today) and have always liked the MB Mark combo sound. I still play my MkIV widebody combo at home on occassion, but I much prefer my MkV combo during rehearsals and gigs for great sounds and increased flexibility offered with the V.

Certainly, the Road King II offers great flexibility......so it really will come down to what type of sounds are you after. Don't expect the MkV to duplicate the heavy recto sounds in Ch3 & 4 of the RK. If these high gain tones offered in the RK are very important to you....the MkV (or Mark series in general) may not be for you. However, do expect the MkV to provide an uncanny range of excellent tones from very clean to very brutal. The V also offers 10, 45, and 90W power settings in each channel among other features which can dramatically change the feel and sound of the amp.

The V is definitely my favorite amp of all that I have owned to date (which is a lot of amps), but definitely give it a try for yourself before purchase if possible. Also, if you are able to audition it in person.....give it some time because its versatility is unbelievable, but with that....it is also easily possible of being set to not sound good as well (almost always a lack of user knowledge and understanding of the amp when set to sound bad...Oh...or using their eyes instead of their ears IMHO).

Of course, I can also set any of my most basic amps to sound bad if I chose to do so.....I choose not!

Hope this helps!

 

[BigAl]

That was probably because the cab had a closed back. Being open back, the single speaker in the Mark V shouldn't have that issue. I'm just guessing though as I have the head version not the combo. I have had 1x12 closed back cabs though and that was my experience.

 

[MBJunkie]

Personally, I love the fantastic sounds I achieve out of my MkV 112 combo with the stock C90 speakers (and stock MB preamp and power tubes for that matter).

However, you will find there are many other people on this forum that tend to prefer other speakers and tube choices with the MkV. I certainly don't have a problem with that.....to each their own in the quest to achieve the best tones for them out of this great amp.

My recommendation is to check out all of the MkV demos provided by Don (Haggerty's Music) in this forum because he has done a GREAT job of demonstrating each of the 9 modes and features offered in the V better than any other demos I have seen.

Secondly, I would strongly recommend that you read through the MkV manual to gain a better understanding of the V, and to see if it's many versatile features are appealing to you......the manual is very well written.

Lastly, definitely play through the amp in person if at all possible before pulling the trigger. While the V is currently my favorite amp for my needs......it certainly is not the ultimate amp for everybody.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

 

[paulg2uk]

Thanks again for all the info that's very helpful of you. I have actually been watching those videos on youtube by Don at Haggerty's music and I am impressed so far how many tones you can get out of one amp. Especially a 1x12. I just don't need a big rig anymore for the gigs I'm gonna be playing.

I was also worried about the weight of the combo until last night at rehearsal. My new guitarist had a little Marshall JVM combo and it weighed a ton must of been over 30kg. I'm glad the mark v only weights about 24kg I think?

Thanks again

Paul

Personally, I love the fantastic sounds I achieve out of my MkV 112 combo with the stock C90 speakers (and stock MB preamp and power tubes for that matter).

However, you will find there are many other people on this forum that tend to prefer other speakers and tube choices with the MkV. I certainly don't have a problem with that.....to each their own in the quest to achieve the best tones for them out of this great amp.

My recommendation is to check out all of the MkV demos provided by Don (Haggerty's Music) in this forum because he has done a GREAT job of demonstrating each of the 9 modes and features offered in the V better than any other demos I have seen.

Secondly, I would strongly recommend that you read through the MkV manual to gain a better understanding of the V, and to see if it's many versatile features are appealing to you......the manual is very well written.

Lastly, definitely play through the amp in person if at all possible before pulling the trigger. While the V is currently my favorite amp for my needs......it certainly is not the ultimate amp for everybody.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

 

[MBJunkie]

Actually, the MkV combo is heavy (65 lbs), but is fairly small and comes with excellent, easily removable casters.

Today, I just noticed that MB has included weights and dimensions of all their current production amps on their website. I just posted this observation in the "Modern Amp General Forum" and instructions to find it there.

 

[MBJunkie]

paul....

Also check out the MkV demos offered on the MB website for additional insight. They seem to have "improved" in this area recently.....however, Don's demos are the absolute best I have seen to showcase the individual modes and possibilities of this amp.

Seeing that you are considering coming from a Road King to the V, and have mentioned that you like the high gain sounds offered with the RK.....be sure to check out the MKV demo offered by Lamb of God on the MB website mentioned above. They are only using Ch3 (MkIV and Extreme modes) of the V in their demo, but I believe you will like what you hear!! I sure do....even though my current band doesn't play anything close to that style of music!

One final note is that the guitar players of Lamb of God are using MkV heads/cabs in their demo, but the combo is capable of very similar killer sounds as well IMO.

Happy listening!

 

[paulg2uk]

Hi all,

So I finally tried the Mark V this morning, and I must say I really love it. It actually sounds better than my road king 2 which I was pleasantly surprised. I was hooked on the mark 1 sound on channel 2 90 watts and 45 watts. That was more than enough gain for me and then when I went onto channel 3 I was blown away literally lol.

I've decided to go for the head version think its a wise choice. And the guy in the store said to get the head but mentioned the minimum cab to use was a 2x12. I find that hard to believe as a lot of players on here have a 1x12 and really love it. I need a 1x12 for practice and i have my 2x12 cab that I use for my road king which should be ok? I think its just a rectifier cab as far as I know.

I'm just finalising the price of both at the moment as i'm gonna pay off for them, so fingers crossed i get a good deal

Thanks for all the advice guys it really helped.

Paul

 

[thunder100]

Hi all,

And the guy in the store said to get the head but mentioned the minimum cab to use was a 2x12. I find that hard to believe as a lot of players on here have a 1x12 and really love it. I need a 1x12 for practice and i have my 2x12 cab that I use for my road king which should be ok? Paul

Paul

Could be a bit salestalk

the 2 x 12 story depends on you usage-actually i found few venues where I could use my vertical slanted 2 x12.Usually the Thiele 1 x12 was good (= loud) enough

my five cents

Roland

 

[paulg2uk]

Hi all,

And the guy in the store said to get the head but mentioned the minimum cab to use was a 2x12. I find that hard to believe as a lot of players on here have a 1x12 and really love it. I need a 1x12 for practice and i have my 2x12 cab that I use for my road king which should be ok? Paul

Paul

Could be a bit salestalk

the 2 x 12 story depends on you usage-actually i found few venues where I could use my vertical slanted 2 x12.Usually the Thiele 1 x12 was good (= loud) enough

my five cents

Roland

That's interesting that the Thiele 1x12 sounds good. I was gonna go with the wide body open back 1x12. Only because I've had a closed back before not a wide body mind and that just sounded too compressed to me. I'm just happy to finally get a mark v its been a long time coming lol

 

[thunder100]

That's interesting that the Thiele 1x12 sounds good. I was gonna go with the wide body open back 1x12. Only because I've had a closed back before not a wide body mind and that just sounded too compressed to me. I'm just happy to finally get a mark v its been a long time coming lol

Somewhat I think that the Thiele with the EVM12L(I háve an old one well broken in is the mental twin of the MarkV like made for it.But still try to hear it yourself,need to like the tone.The 2 x12 has 2 V30 which I like too but the EVM is more the hard rock version

Roland

 

[screamingdaisy]

That's interesting that the Thiele 1x12 sounds good. I was gonna go with the wide body open back 1x12. Only because I've had a closed back before not a wide body mind and that just sounded too compressed to me. I'm just happy to finally get a mark v its been a long time coming lol

I have both Widebody 1x12s (open back and ported), as well as the Recto 2x12.

Personally, I prefer the Recto 2x12... however I generally take the ported 2x12 to practice as it's easier to carry around.

I'd only recommend the open back if you're after more classic, open back kind of tones. If you're after closed back sounds the ported/Thiele design is a good compromise. It gets real close to the "bigger" sound of a 2x12, however it's much smaller/lighter. The trick is the port... because you hear sound emanating from two different sources (speaker and port) it doesn't have the boxy, single source sound of a regular 1x12.