Mark V vs. Stiletto vs. Electro Dyne

[rabies]

I'm an EL34 guy all the way. Into RHCP, Jane's Addiction, Pink Floyd, RUSH, STP, RATM, Led Zep, Hendrix, The Doors, Ministry, Opeth, Gojira, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, Jon Scofield, Mike Stern; lots of stuff including metal and jazz. But my favorite sound is the "British" sound for guitar.

I have a Rivera S120 that's awesome overall and very reliable. I'm GASing for a Mesa after seeing Chad Smith's Meatbats band perform (even though Jeff was using a Marshall DSL).

So what's the best choice for a (mostly) bluesy hard-rock player like me who dabbles in funk, jazz and metal as well?

Has to be 4xEL34. I tried the Electro Dyne and didn't like it but it has stock 6L6 tubes. I owned a Stiletto Deuce II briefly until it died and it was one of my fav amps. Never played a Mark V but have owned a III and a IV. Never completely loved the III or IV but they're good for metal. I need 4xEL34!

Also interested in an amp that will not sound mushy when you turn up the gain/treble/volume. Most tube amps get mushy when you crank the gain (except the Mark series) and you lose tonal clarity/integrity and jazz chords with distortion don't work out well. I use a lot of pinched harmonics as well, so gain is important.

A low power setting (10-15 watts) is a major plus as I don't play in a band anymore. My stereo Rivera goes from 8-120 watts! I bought it for $800. I can't buy a working order Mesa amp for less than a grand...

???

 

[YellowJacket]

The Electra Dyne 'sounds' like a good amp for you but what speaker cab did you run with it. Please don't tell me you tried the 1 x 12 combo. The stock celestion c90 is far too dark for what you want. I'm smelling a Marshall 1960ax 4 x 12 and yes, get el-34s in it instead! Maybe a stiletto would be better instead. I've although thought of mark series amps as having a much more 'american' tone being that they are planted firmly in the Fender vintage!

 

[Barry]

The deuce , never had a minutes problem out of mine .

 

[Scary]

With that diverse mix of bands and taste, I don't see how you could pick any amp other than the FIVE. The Dyne is a one channel amp, and while it sounds great, it's not going to serve you that well even making it through one RHCP song. The Stiletto rocks but then you've carved yourself into one type of gain whereas the FIVE has at least a few different types of gain with tons of variables on each.

If you're a blues player, you may find the FIVE worth it for channel 1 alone. Tweed is exceptional in it's tone and playability, and has awesome harmonics and onset of clip sounds. FAT just NAILS Jazz, or any full bodied clean tone you're after. And Clean mode could potentially be your goto for Funk. Each of those modes in Ch. 1 can be pushed to beautiful results. The downside is having to choose because they are not footswitchable.

Channel 2 is probably where you're going to find that British gain vibe. My personal favorite by far here is Crunch. It's easy to cover Janes Addiction to Zep in this mode alone. Edge is even more British inspired, but the body of Crunch has been calling me loudly for the past year so i've barely played with it. Lastly Mark I in this mode sounds like it's out of a different amp almost. Very thick, and creamy. Once turned up though it's an absolute beast that's gain could be used for metal if desired, although it's common to keep it smooth and play Santana style lead. (turn the bass knob almost off for this mode, it's not needed)

Channel 3 is your goto for metal, that's covered with 3 modes ranging from a lightning quick attack, to a rich full sound, then an aggressive kick you in the face gain. This channel is why many people buy mark amps. It's also icing on the cake for you.. a self described bluesy hard-rock player.

I noticed in your post that it's important to have a gain that allows individual notes of a given chord shine through, the FIVE excels in that regard and i've had numerous compliments about that. It's a compliment i've heard more than any other. Also, the 10 watt mode is what you've been waiting for.. you can get the tubes working for power tube saturation without having to pull out the earplugs. You'll especially love Tweed in 10 watt, it's sick!!

I have Mesa 450's in mine, and they're very nice for that el-34 type of tone. I like them very much, and I recommend a set of those if you have the means. I'm sure the standard Mesa el-34's are good enough but I havn't had to find out yet. Good luck in your search, but i'm very confident based on your tastes the FIVE is an amp that'll get you where you want to be. It's exceeded my expectations and after a year i'm still on the honeymoon. Rock on!

 

[rabies]

And the other thing is that most EL34-loaded amps don't offer power tube rectification. I liked that feature on the RK1 I had (that loose feel, esp. with low voltage - spongy?).

So maybe I should go try out a Mark V?

I do recall the Mark III/IV and Stiletto sounding "nasally" or thin on the leads but that depends on how you EQ the tone stack. But I never had that impression with any marshalls or the rivera I played...

 

[rabies]

and how close to a Marshall (say JCM800,900,2000) does the crunch mode come to???

 

[Scary]

And the other thing is that most EL34-loaded amps don't offer power tube rectification. I liked that feature on the RK1 I had (that loose feel, esp. with low voltage - spongy?).

So maybe I should go try out a Mark V?

I do recall the Mark III/IV and Stiletto sounding "nasally" or thin on the leads but that depends on how you EQ the tone stack. But I never had that impression with any marshalls or the rivera I played...

With Variac (reduced power) on you get a spongy feel and increased tube life. I use it all the time, and like it. You can make any mark amp sound nasally and thin if you don't know how to use it. Switching to full power beefs things up considerably. I recommend you try anything before buying it, although personally I didn't with the FIVE. Oh, and make sure you plug a good guitar and cab in.. otherwise you'll be totally missing the boat. Junk guitars sound like junk on this amp, but that's the trade for getting such awesome clear gain.

 

[Scary]

and how close to a Marshall (say JCM800,900,2000) does the crunch mode come to???

I cant say really, other than it crushes my 900 at reasonable volumes. At least plugged into a 2x12. With 2 4x12's it was way easier to get good tone at lower volume out of the 900, but I don't need a full stack for the bedroom!

 

[golfnguitarz]

and how close to a Marshall (say JCM800,900,2000) does the crunch mode come to???

IMHO, with the 6L6's, not that close. I mean, it is a perfectly usable sound, but I don't think it has that (may not be the right terms) mid-rangey breakup that I seem to hear on my old Marshall. I think Mark I mode gets closer to that, but you gotta dime the treble/pres. Now, with EL34's in the MarkV, I think Crunch gets really close, Edge also sounds great with EL's. Channel 2 just plain sounds awesome with EL34's.

 

[Scary]

and how close to a Marshall (say JCM800,900,2000) does the crunch mode come to???

IMHO, with the 6L6's, not that close. I mean, it is a perfectly usable sound, but I don't think it has that (may not be the right terms) mid-rangey breakup that I seem to hear on my old Marshall. I think Mark I mode gets closer to that, but you gotta dime the treble/pres. Now, with EL34's in the MarkV, I think Crunch gets really close, Edge also sounds great with EL's. Channel 2 just plain sounds awesome with EL34's.

I run el-34's in mine, overall I like them better. It sounds like that's the route for rabies too.

 

[wezzley]

Perhaps i misunderstood your post, but if you're after the marshall sound, why not just buy a marshall? buying a mesa and trying to make it sound like a marshall as your main tone doesn't seem like the best idea to me.

if you are looking for versatility, the mark v is a great choice; it can do a lot of different styles very well, both with 6l6's and el34's.

 

[DrummerChas]

and how close to a Marshall (say JCM800,900,2000) does the crunch mode come to???

IMHO, with the 6L6's, not that close. I mean, it is a perfectly usable sound, but I don't think it has that (may not be the right terms) mid-rangey breakup that I seem to hear on my old Marshall. I think Mark I mode gets closer to that, but you gotta dime the treble/pres. Now, with EL34's in the MarkV, I think Crunch gets really close, Edge also sounds great with EL's. Channel 2 just plain sounds awesome with EL34's.

I run el-34's in mine, overall I like them better. It sounds like that's the route for rabies too.

+1 on all this. It really sounds like the Mark V with a set of EL34's is going to be your best fit.

 

[rabies]

+1 on all this. It really sounds like the Mark V with a set of EL34's is going to be your best fit.

ok so how do I demo a Mark V with EL34's at a store? I'm pretty sure mesa hollywood (nearby) won't do it....

:?:

and if you return the amp (within 5-10 days), you don't get a refund, just store credit. oh yeah.

 

[rabies]

so anybody have a Mark V with EL34's near pasadena want to jam at a studio so I can check it out?? I have a $3000 Rivera s120 you can try in return...

 

[rabies]

Peavey 6534 - intriguing. not nearly as flexible compared to the Mesa amps (same issue with Marshalls), but maybe worth a try at about half the price???

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-6534-Plus-120W-Tube-Guitar-Amp-Head?sku=430708

 

[Dr.Jackle]

Well, this is a Mesa forum so of course everyone recommends Mesa. Forgive me for my harsh sounding words, but If "The Thing" for you is the british kind of sound, then I have to ask, why buy Mesa in the first place? They're not very british sounding, neither they will be exactly british sounding even if you put EL34s to them. Yeah, I know, many people say that you can get this and that sound out of your Mark V, and the CH2 can sound like a Marshall. Well I disagree. The Mark V is the best amp I have played, very versatile and a likely candidate for desert island, but it's no Marshall and neither it will be, unless of course the division is this: more gain = Boogie, less gain = Marshall. :-D

I'm a Mesa guy myself, but there are lots of great amps out there that in my humble opinion would more likely do the trick for you.