Mark V owners, question

[PMcC]

This probably says more about me than the Amp,...but I've tried the amp a few times and found it pretty thin, sort of anemic sounding,...I needed to boost the two bass EQ sliders way up just to dial this out.

I've read that the amp takes a lot of time to get used to. This is a bit uncomfortable for me, did most of you guys buy it with the intention of knowing you'd have to spend a lot of time with the amp?

I love the singing mark lead tone,..so I feel the sounds I want must be somewhere in the amp,...but it's not speaking to me in the store and it's a lot of money on a gamble.

Any words of wisdom?

thanks!

PMcC

 

[cradlefish]

The V sounded weak and crappy to me when i first tried it at Guitar Center. That was my initial impression, i should've known better not to judge to quickly. I later traded my Shiva for a V after hearing more clips on youtube and realized that I need to really give it a chance. I took it to band rehearsal one day and the beast came to life. You have to take it in a live situation to fully appreciate just how good this amp can sound. Always be able to test the amp in a bands performance before judging from my experienced.

 

[firmani99]

I have a dual rectifier that I have used for a while. I bought a mark v used in october. Like you said it always sounded thin to me. I struggled with it forever and finally decided that I was a rectifier guy.....but then something clicked. It took me months of fiddling with this **** thing but finally something just happened and I love it. I am now torn between my rectifier and the mark and it seems like I am becoming a mark man. Give it time and fiddle around with it. A lot!!! It takes time to feel how the tone stack works and how the amp reacts. I had heard that so many times before and never believed it until after months of owning the amp it clicked.

 

[daverose]

Speaker choice also makes a huge difference. I have a generic 1x12 that I use at home for bedroom levels and I can't really get the bass out of it that I like. When I take the head to the jam space and plug into my Marshall 4x12 it's so bassy that I'm dialing everything back.

I have been considering getting a second graphic to use in the FX loop though. Anyone here played with that much?

 

[bandit2013]

The combo will sound thin. There is only so much an MC90 can push out before it breaks up. That is one issue I had with the Mark IV, so when I bought the Mark IV, I also bought a dual rectifier 412 cabinet. At first it sounded great but sounded thin at the same time. I also had a Mark III blue stripe which had more of a full tone than the Mark IV when pushed to its limits. Blame that on the EVM12L black shadow. In short: preamp and power tubes along with speaker choice will make a huge difference with the Mark V. If you want the longer version, keep reading....

Since I was not using the 412, I was in the market for a new amp after selling the Mark III. I originally was after a Roadster head to go with my 412 cab. They had both the Mark V and the Roadster at the GC I went to in King Of Prussia PA area. I did not like the Roadster one bit. I could not dial in a tone I liked. So I gave the Mark V a try and it was so familiar to me ( after ownership of two other Mark series amps). Actually setting up all three channels was much easier than either the Mark III or Mark IV. Had I noticed the cabinet I was playing through was the smaller 412 cabinet that would have made sense since the amp did not sound the same through the larger Rectifier cab that I had. Out went the V30, in went 4 EVM12L Black Label and I could not be happier. The Mark V performs quite well with the right tubes. The Mesa branded JJ tubes are okay, the Mesa STR440 are not that bad either. However, SED =C= 6L6GC, TAD6L6GC-STR and even Tung Sol 7581 are kick *** tubes. The best being the SED 6L6GC. KT77, 6CA7 and EL34 are also great options for the Mark V. The trick is in the preamp tuning.
V1 = Tung Sol 12ax7, or JAN/GE 5751
V2 -V6 = Mesa 12ax7A from 1990 (Chinese version with square getter) these sound the best. I am currently seeking a current production tube that will be comparable. I found the JJ tube generate too much hiss / white noise. The current production Chinese tubes seem to go microphonic, EH translates the heater noise into the signal path, all TS seems to darken the amp too much.
V7 (I use this in all my amps) match triode Sovtek LPS. The mallard reissue also works well but the Sovtek version sounds better.

 

[LesPaul70]

I have been considering getting a second graphic to use in the FX loop though. Anyone here played with that much?

I currently have an MXR 10-band EQ in my loop. Works like a charm...with every Mesa I have, in fact (though, obviously, for different purposes with different amps).

 

[PMcC]

Hello Guys, thank you all for posting your experience with the MV...

after playing the MV in the showroom I plugged into the King Snake and it sounded so much rounder, and fatter. There was no comparison. The V just sounds thin and sterile playing them back to back to me.

I grew up playing marks and never had a hard time quickly getting a great tone,...I found the Mark 4 no problem as well but it seems unanimous that the V takes a LONG time tweaking,...I have an issue with this.
(issue is a strong word) ....sorry,...but I gig full time and,...again, maybe it says more about me than the amp. But I feel that for the dough the gear should pretty much be blowing your skirt up when you plug in.

I mean,...buying an expensive amp and then having to retube it,..add different speakers etc,..that doesn't work for me.

I have a King Snake now, and have said elsewhere. The only gripe I have is I can't afford a second one. Using an AB box for the 2 inputs doesn't work so I'd been thinking about exchanging for the MV or the Lonestar. The Lonestar sounded great plugging right in,...but I wasn't wild about the hot channel. I'm after the singing mark lead sound but I'm still on the fence about what to do.

Well. thanks again for the input. Much appreciated!

PMcC

 

[PMcC]

Guys,..I have no idea what preparation went into this video,..but this guy makes it look pretty simple to get 3 great sounding channels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsqFIi7HkY8

this is what has me interested in the V.....thought I'd give some reference.

thanks again

PMcC

 

[SteveO]

I have the head and a few different cabinets. It's really easy to get a fat sound with a Recto 2x12, but things really need to be tweaked differently to get a decent sound out of a C90-loaded open back 1x12. But it can be done.

 

[Laskyman]

The first time I played a 112 combo, I thought it was weak and thin. It was operator error. It is NOT plug and play. It is however, a absolute powerful workhorse that will literally fit in ANY genre. I have great gear and have logged over 30 years on electric guitar. Every time I plug in to the V, I am reminded just how special she is.....

 

[pivot]

you dont have to like John Petrucci but look up the demo he did on youtube of all the channels and try it that way with some good v30's or c90's in a 4x12

 

[PMcC]

Thanks guys,..again, we'll agree to disagree. Combo amps shouldn't get a pass (and sound poor) I've owned 2B's. 2C+, MK4, and MK RI, all those amps,...and my current King Snake combo sound great right away.

To each their own. I've scoured the web and watched and listened to every demo of the MV,..the Petrucci demos included

This demo is the best at showcasing the amp imo,....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsqFIi7HkY8

It doesn't look like he's tweaking any dials at all,..and getting 3 great channel sounds

 

[bandit2013]

From what I have seen on the King Snake in video, it reminded me of my Mark III combo. When I compared the Mark III combo to the Mark IV combo, there were notable differences, primarily the character of the speaker. OF course there were differences in the tone of the amp (compared both though a 412 cabinet). On the other hand, the MC90 just did not have the same performance characteristics beyond bedroom level. I still have the Mark IV but no longer have the MC90 mounted in it. I changed to a Fane Studio 12L and modified the grill frame and opening in the baffle so I could front mount the speaker. If I had a Mark V combo, I would not hesitate to do the same. Perhaps the Eminence Filmore Speaker is a better option than the MC90. When comparing the MC90 to the EVM12L black shadow, the EVM12L black shadow was far more superior in tone qualities and power output characteristics. The only time the MC90 stood out was at low level playing. I spend more time playing at moderate volume levels and could not tolerate hearing flub or breakup in my sound. It is an OK speaker but there are better options.

I have a Mark V head so speaker choice is not a problem. I was considering getting a Mark V combo, if I do, the MC90 has to go. Actually the best sound I ever got out of the Mark V was though a WGS Black Hawk HP100 I tried in the Mark IV. That was almost perfect but I believe the WGS is over rated in power handling. Perhaps the Jensen Black Bird would have been a better speaker. Perhaps I will look to adopt a used Mark V combo and stuff a Jensen ALNICO Black Bird in it (has a higher power handling capability than the WGS version).

 

[PMcC]

I guess it's me?..paying $2400 and having to then buy a new speaker seems ridiculous. I think the C90 is a good sounding speaker as well.

different strokes....

all the different places I work,...many are small,..or dark stages, I'd never be able to see all the tiny little switches.

Thanks for the input guys.

PMcC

 

[Tuna141]

Could simply be a case of a crappy preamp tube making the tone weak/thin. Tube rolling my Mark V combo made the amp come alive.

 

[PMcC]

I'm a little baffled about the whole combo speaker being a buzz kill on the MV amp,..I've owned tons of Marks and never found that,..yes, the combo with an extension always sounds fuller but I never noticed just bad or thin tone combo alone with the C90.

I've been playing the King Snake combo,..and A/B comparing the Fillmore 12" in the combo to a Port City 1x12 w/ WGS veteran 30,..and a Port City OS 2x12 with Green Beret speakers. The Fillmore speaker sounds KILLING! by itself,...in fact I prefer it's voice over either of the other cabs for this amp,...go figure?

I'd like to pick up a raw frame Fillmore for my mesa widebody 12" extension,...that cab has a C90 in it,..for years the thing has sounded great, but the Fillmore sounds just great....especially for sitting in a tiny box

 

[bandit2013]

When it comes to various speakers that are available. The most important factor is the enclosure the speaker is mounted in. The Mark III that I used to own had the smallest footprint for a speaker enclosure but sounded full and complete. More than likely due to the EVM12L Black Shadow. I have tried a few 412 cabinets with the combo amp. The Recto Cab with V30 was okay, I also had a Crate with unknown speakers in it. When compared to the Mark IV that had a MC90, I preferred the tone of the Mark IV over the Mark III. However, the MC90 just did not deliver the same performance as the EVM black shadow when the volume was kicked up beyond bedroom levels. What killed it for me was the breakup of the MC90 and the EVM did not deviate from providing that what goes in comes out, only louder. Then again you have to consider the voice of the amp as they are tuned differently. I had my Rectifier cabinet for 14 years before I decided to change the paper for something different than the V30. Before I did this, I first installed an EV into the Mark IV (the MKIV is the closest combo I have to the Mark V). The EV made a huge difference, if it fit properly in the amp it would still be in there but opted to re-cone the Recto 412 cab with EVM12L. Before the change, the Mark V head still delivered but tone of the V30 was not what I liked. The big factor is the size of the enclosure. Cabinet was the larger one (standard, not traditional). It was not until I bought an RA100 head that I realized the EV is not best for all amps. The RA100 sounds stellar with the V30.

When it comes to the combo, the Mark V is the exact same size as the Mark IV. I almost considered getting another Mark V but in combo form. As I was preparing for building a new 412 cabinet I had considered a few alternate speakers. WGS Black Bird sounded incredible with the Mark V (mounted on in the Mark IV enclosure). By far that had the best tone and character for that amp. The only issue is that the WGS (rated for 100W) may be over-rated and is probably a peak rating and not continuous rating. The Jensen Black Bird is similar (WGS modeled their version from the Jensen) has a much higher rating 130W peak / 100W continuous. If I had a Mark V combo, I would go with the Jensen. That would be a direct drop in without mods. I did hear some sound clips of the KING SNAKE, reminded me of my old Mark III (tone wise).

In most respects the MC90 sounds good, however the one I had would flub or have too much break up as the volume increased. I had the same issues with the V30 in the 412 cabinet. Breakup may be related to the size of voice coil, most 2.25 to 2.5 inch coils will support the full frequency range but will be low frequency dominant at low volume. The smaller voice coil of the MC90 and the V30 seem to enhance the mids and higher frequencies and fall short in the low end as the amplitude of signal is increased. There is much more to add to this but I do not want to write a novel. I am already getting too far into the weeds as it is. Sorry for not being high level and to the point.

Just a note: My Mark IV ( non-modified amp, version b ) some how may be delivering more power than the Mark V head. I do know the amp is almost at 100% with a setting of 3.5 on the master. While I had the MC90 in the amp, I could not go beyond 2 or the speaker would break up severely. I settled on a Fane Studio 12L for the Mark IV. I have been able to push the envelope with that speaker and take the Master volume all the way up. Settings above 4 just seem to compress the sound (does not get louder) so the tubes must be operating in saturation. The Fane is very close to the EV classic. I wish I could get more but do not want to pay the high shipping costs.