Mark V - One Simple Question

[Messerschmitt]

Gentlemen:

I'm the owner of a early 2000s Tremoverb and looking to get a Mark V. I have just one simple question for you - will it be able to deliver classic "Marshall" tones (you know the lot - Page, Angus, Blackmore, Eddie, Lifeson, Etc., Etc.)?

While the Tremoverb is a very cool amp - it just doesn't do so passably, regardless of knob or option tweaking. I love the quality of Mesa products and am really looking for a "heck ya" on this rather than a "sorta". Also, if it doesn't, does a Mark III (Red or Blue Stripe) or IV?

Thanks all, and Merry Christmas!

 

[Chester]

Answering your question clearly as requested, if you need Marshall tone, get a Marshall

As you have found with the Tremoverb, tweaking a Mesa (or anything else) to a particular signature sound is a compromise. The V has infinate tone shaping capacity, but it's DNA is Mark Series Mesa. It is very sensitive to EQ change, guitar pups and speaker cabs used - more so than the Rec series in my experience

I get my "Marshall" tone in CH2 Crunch mode. Works for me, but may not for you. I prefer my Angus / Page moments through the V (sometimes enhanced with an OD pedal) over anything I got through the 3 Marshalls I owned before converting to Mesa. But again, it may not work for you

You may also want to look at the Royal Atlantic / Electradyne as a better starting point to achieve what you are looking for

 

[SonVolt]

Channel 2 will sorta do it with a clean boost and maybe a frownie face'd EQ pedal up front.

 

[LesPaul70]

Depends on how picky you are...

Can you get that exact Marshall Plexi or JCM800 sound you hear on thousands of albums? No! If you want it, buy a Marshall. And not just any Marshall, buy the exact model with the sound you want.

You can get pretty close, though. Closer than with any previous Mark, and certainly much closer than with a Recto. Throw in some quality EL-34s (instead of the stock 6L6s), then finetune your Edge or Crunch mode, and no-one in your average audience will notice a difference.

You probably will, though.

Even with EL-34 tubes, the midrange character of the amp lacks that signature uppermid spike/"juice" that people tend to equate with the stereotypical 'Marshall sound'. Even though Marks are midrange-heavy amps (compared to some other Mesas, like the Rectifiers), their midrange - and overall tonal response - tends to be balanced, not 'spikey' as in Marshalls.
With the onboard EQ capabilities plus EL-34s, and especially if you add an extra EQ pedal (in the loop) and a Tube Screamer (before the amp) into the mix, you could probably compensate for this and emulate the spectral qualities of the Marshall sound convincingly enough to fool almost anyone who's not intimately familiar with Marshall amps. But even then - the feel of the amp is completely different. You will immediately notice a difference in the attack when you strike a note/chord.
Again, the use of an external OD in both amps will narrow the gap but not entirely eliminate it.

What I'm trying to say, probably no-one here can tell you whether the approximation you can get from a Mark V will be accurate enough for your taste. Yes, you can get awfully close, but no, never quite reproduce that exact sound. For what it's worth, I haven't been actively lusting after Marshalls anymore since I got my V. But I do use a couple of pedals (and EL-34s) to achieve the faux Marshall sound more easily. (And I have to confess, there is one specific, historically relevant Marshall amp that I would probably buy anyway if I found one in decent shape and geographically close - but that's a whole different story, for another day...)

The real value of a Mark V, IMHO, is in that it will also produce a plethora of other sounds that your classic Marshall amps have no hope of achieving - making some of the desirable vintage Marshalls look like one-trick ponies in comparison.

 

[fr0sty]

I also use crunch mode on channel 2 for my "marshall" type tones. As stated above, it depends on how close to an actual marshall you want to get

http://tonefinder.com/files/77-let%20it.mp3

http://tonefinder.com/files/100-mark%20speed.mp3

 

[Messerschmitt]

Those clips are pretty darn close....

I recently got a Jubilee and was sorely disappointed. Far too thin and shrill for my taste, particularly for what I paid for it - has been returned since. Frankly, can't get over the lack of tech in their amps - it's like they had two or three amazing circuits in the span of 50 years, almost by luck - and they just seem like a toaster compared to a decent Mesa.

That said, don't want to buy a hammer if I need a screwdriver - regardless of how amazing the hammer may be. So, no doubt that it'll get me <<< Far>>> closer than my Tremoverb?

 

[Chester]

Those clips are pretty darn close....
So, no doubt that it'll get me <<< Far>>> closer than my Tremoverb?

Yes IMO

 

[4406cuda]

I use channel 2 crunch, Winged C 6L6's, 90 watts. It definitely works in live situations when ever we play Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC

I believe Page is now using Orange Amps, Lifeson was using Hughes & Kettner, and Angus is using a Wizard Amp inside of a Marshall head shell.

A lot of the tone is in the fingers of the player.

 

[SonVolt]

Angus is using a Wizard Amp inside of a Marshall head shell.

Why? He's not endorsed by Marshall.

 

[Tuna141]

I've recently found that using the Preset EQ set around noon with Ch2 gives a decent JCM800 channel switcher (i.e. 2205 & 2210) approximation.

 

[BrownieD2W]

Angus is using a Wizard Amp inside of a Marshall head shell.

Why? He's not endorsed by Marshall.

For looks I would imagine. A lot of people recognize the Marshall brand/look, so maybe he's assuming the audience would care, although I'm not really sure why it would matter to any audience member as long as it sounded good. Granted some people in the audience have unimaginable ignorant minds, I was at a show last night and the guy next to me seemed to be convinced that the On-Switch light on the guitarist amp was an exposed fuse. Go figure...

 

[ungarn]

Mk V can get plenty of varied tones.
Unfortunately that classic Marshall grind and midrange is not one of them.
Crunch and Mk I can get passable tones in the ballpark, and in a band setting nobody will notice.
Playing at home by yourself, or recording it is plain as day they are different.
Not bad, just different.

Angus has used Wizard amps for a long time now...Malcolm too.
They did use Mesa's during Razor's Edge timeframe however!