Mark V...wonder if it will fit my needs?

[al3d]

Ok..like the title sais, Mark V...wonder if it will fit my needs? i presently run a Marshall 2203 1978 for metal tone of the 80's. But i will need more versatility soon. a Clean chanel to start with. i love my marshall, but it only does ONE thing. I had'nt considered the Mark V because of it's price new, but i saw one used and it got my thinking about it. Unfortunaly i can't find any good demo of the amp on youtube. I usually like to check Guitarwold's demo..but they don't seem to have done one with the Mark V yet.

I had my eye on the new DIAMOND NITROX amp..sounds awsome, simple and in a good price range. AND it's a El34 amp. I know the MarkV is a good amp, but i owned a Mark III a few years back because there was to many push pull knobs and you could loose your tone in a flat second and everytime i would take the amp somewhere, it would take forever to reset it basicaly. So that's the main reason i stayed away from boogie since then.

I need a good clean AND an VERY high Gain sound as well. not talking DEATH metal here, but High gain.

SO..any tought?

 

[Deaj]

The Mark V sounds like a great fit IMO. Will you have any opportunity to demo one prior to making a decision?

 

[spawnofthesith]

I think it should fit your needs perfectly. One of the best clean channels I have ever heard on an amp, and the high gain is awesome, especially when playing leads. My advice is to run EL34s in the MV if you get it (this is quite simple to do due to the switchable fixed bias switch on the back between 6L6 and EL34). This really brings a HUGE improvement to channel 2, and makes channel 3 better too, imo. The Mark V doesn't have a ton of push pull knobs like the previous mark series amp did. And the knobs are a bit firmer and more recessed, so they won't move around as easily as the Mark III might of when moving around

 

[scott7d]

The V has the best clean channel of any amp I've owned......and I've owned a lot!!

I am a huge fan of the stock 6L6 tubes, but hear people raving about EL34's all the time. Coming from a Marshall, maybe the 34's would be the way to go for you.

Even though there are a lot of things on the amp, it is laid out efficiently and easy to use. My only problem with the amp, is trying to decide which mode to use on channel 3 before a gig because I love them all. It seriously stresses me out :lol: :lol:

 

[al3d]

well..my dream just have been shattered for getting a Mk V..it does NOT have a 16ohm output..how seriously lame is that!...

 

[eudaimonia02912]

I played a Nitrox at length shortly before buying my Mark V.

The Nitrox has a good clean tone, and some great tones for brootz. It is okay for in-between tones as well. If all I played were death metal, I'd probably get the Nitrox over the Mark V. For 80s metal, progressive metal, and for non-metal, the Mark V is better.

 

[al3d]

I played a Nitrox at length shortly before buying my Mark V.

The Nitrox has a good clean tone, and some great tones for brootz. It is okay for in-between tones as well. If all I played were death metal, I'd probably get the Nitrox over the Mark V. For 80s metal, progressive metal, and for non-metal, the Mark V is better.

hum..interesting. i play a wide range of stuff, from hendrix, to maiden more recent metal...nothing like death metal doh..but getting a Mark V would mean loosing my beloved Marshall 4x12 Cab with Greenbacks...and it sounds WAY to good in my 78 marshall to ever consider selling it. and i don't want 2 4x12 in my house..AND..i would'nt afford it either

 

[spawnofthesith]

well..my dream just have been shattered for getting a Mk V..it does NOT have a 16ohm output..how seriously lame is that!...

Not at all dude! Mark Vs aren't sensitive to impedance mismatches, and just looking at my manual, it says that the safe mismatch for the 16 omh cab would be to go into the 8 ohm output on the mark v

 

[LPJunky]

True you can run safely a 16 ohms in an 8ohms output on the MarkV. What about rewiring your cab to have all 4 16ohms speakers in parallel? It would give you a 4 ohms cab and you could switch the output selector on the 2203 on the 2203 to 4 ohms....

 

[al3d]

True you can run safely a 16 ohms in an 8ohms output on the MarkV. What about rewiring your cab to have all 4 16ohms speakers in parallel? It would give you a 4 ohms cab and you could switch the output selector on the 2203 on the 2203 to 4 ohms....

yes..that's what i was thinking also. Thing is i can't TRY the damn amp before buying since it's quite a distance from here. and some of the boogies i've tried over the years were always on the muddy side for gain stuff. some people like that, but not my thing..so still trying to find some good realistic demos

 

[golfnguitarz]

True you can run safely a 16 ohms in an 8ohms output on the MarkV. What about rewiring your cab to have all 4 16ohms speakers in parallel? It would give you a 4 ohms cab and you could switch the output selector on the 2203 on the 2203 to 4 ohms....

yes..that's what i was thinking also. Thing is i can't TRY the damn amp before buying since it's quite a distance from here. and some of the boogies i've tried over the years were always on the muddy side for gain stuff. some people like that, but not my thing..so still trying to find some good realistic demos

I haven't played other boogies, but I think this amp is anything but muddy. It is very brightly voiced to my ears.

 

[Barry]

I feel the Lonestar has the best clean sound of all Mesa amps . Having said that the mark V has a nice clean channel but not as nice as the LS IMHO

 

[ryjan]

If all you need is a clean channel and a dirty channel you should check out the Electra Dyne too. They are much easier to dial in than the Mark amps.

 

[Barry]

Electradyne is indeed a great amp . not as gainy as the Mark but much simpler and a bit marshally as well .

 

[al3d]

Right now the only reason i'm considering a Boogie is because of a decent deal on a Mark V realy. i need a lead boost wich most boogies don't have, but mark V does

 

[Heritage Softail]

well..my dream just have been shattered for getting a Mk V..it does NOT have a 16ohm output..how seriously lame is that!...

I had the same ohm mismatch question, and I called Boogie tech support. I was told not to worry about mismatches going as the old saying about ohms and speakers cabs applies here. You can put 8 people in a 16 person car, as in 8 ohm output into a 16 ohm cab, but you can't put 16 people in a 8 person car.

On the amp gain issue: I thing the MKIV mode has a good bit of gain, and I run and Xotic AC Boost to drive it way over the top and also to add another channel to the clean end of the amp. The MKV has quite a bit of gain. A pedal can get you to the pomise land with most amps. There are a few clips of an Xotic BB preamp on this forum. Pretty hot for smokin leads.

Just thinking out loud here. If you like the flavor of the basic Mark series Boogie tone, and that is the key, if it is the tone you want to modify, then you can boost the MKV to do what you want. Atlanta Discount Music has a used one. I was there today. I have also done tube swapping, I agree with the other posters that it heats up and great leads in ch2 & 3. IF there is a fault to the MKV, it is that the thing is so very versatile. It is not complicated..... it is just very very versatile. Not a bunch of bells and whistles per channel, the tone knobs and EQ have a huge ammount of tone shaping power. You can literally tweak for a month.

Good luck on your tone quest.

 

[phyrexia]

Right now the only reason i'm considering a Boogie is because of a decent deal on a Mark V realy. i need a lead boost wich most boogies don't have, but mark V does

Most "Boogies" will have the Graphic EQ, which can be easily used as a boost.

 

[espmaster1]

What style do you play? Oh wait don't answer that because I can confidently say it will do it and do it well.

 

[germangallardo]

What style do you play? Oh wait don't answer that because I can confidently say it will do it and do it well.

+1

 

[spawnofthesith]

What style do you play? Oh wait don't answer that because I can confidently say it will do it and do it well.

This is so true. I mean sure there a plenty of versatile amps out there that do multiple things well... but not like the Mark V. It does EVERYTHING extremely well. Hell, the mark iv could, but the V made even further imrpovements by making the second channel actually usable (well usable is putting it lightly, but you get what I am saying :lol: )