I received my Mesa Mark V combo a couple of hours ago in minty clean condition in original factory packing material and with all accessories, original documents, receipt, hang tags, the whole package. I also received a transferable warranty with the amp!
I've been tinkering with it and playing since it arrived. It really is a fantastic sounding amp! I'm finding a wide array of sounds through the graphic EQ. The clean tones are as nice as I perceived them to be during my demo's of the amp. The combo enclosure and C90 speaker sound great too (I hadn't played a MkV combo until today). I may give an Eminence RWB a go in this enclosure at some point - it seems like it might be a great match al the way around. At volume this thing is amazingly responsive and sounds huge! The high frequencies really come into balance perfectly when the volume is up. Using only the treble and presence controls it is possible to dial in great low volume tones without sounding fizzy. I'm having a blast!
This amp covers a lot of sonic territory, sounds not available in my Fuchs ODS. The Fuchs is also a very flexible amp so my sonic palette is immense at this point and the two amps take up very little space. The Mark V combo is a bit smaller than I pictured it. It's pretty compact and, like the Fuchs combo, will work nicely as a grab-n-go on its own.
I gave the effects loop a go with a Boss SE-70 effects processor. I didn't spend a lot of time balancing levels as it was pretty balanced the way it was set. The loop sounds great! I'm probably going to pick up a TC Electronics G Major (& G Minor foot controller) and rig some custom feet to clear the handle for amp top use as I do with the SE-70 and the Fuchs.
For most general applications away from my home studio I'd likely select the Fuchs most times - it is my ideal amp. I'll definitely take the Mesa to the next couple of jams to see how it works out for me in that setting.
Arthritis shut me down for the night a few minutes ago. Hopefully I didn't overdo it too badly so that I can play some more tomorrow (I'm supposed to pace myself but I was having way too much fun!).
I realize that the above impressions are 'honeymoon' observations and that some enthusiasm may wear off over time. And then again it may not. This is seriously a great sounding amp all the way around. Time will tell. Right now I'm very pleased with this purchase!
Here's a pic:
Follow-up:
I'm really pleased with what I'm hearing out of this amp. I put another hour or so into learning how the controls interact on channel 2. I'm dialing in some really great classic rock tones using the crunch mode, 45w setting, and a bump in the mids on the EQ - low gain Marshall JMP crunch tones that feel just riight under my fingers. Sounds and feels right even at low volume. I'm diggin' it!
I've been tinkering with it and playing since it arrived. It really is a fantastic sounding amp! I'm finding a wide array of sounds through the graphic EQ. The clean tones are as nice as I perceived them to be during my demo's of the amp. The combo enclosure and C90 speaker sound great too (I hadn't played a MkV combo until today). I may give an Eminence RWB a go in this enclosure at some point - it seems like it might be a great match al the way around. At volume this thing is amazingly responsive and sounds huge! The high frequencies really come into balance perfectly when the volume is up. Using only the treble and presence controls it is possible to dial in great low volume tones without sounding fizzy. I'm having a blast!
This amp covers a lot of sonic territory, sounds not available in my Fuchs ODS. The Fuchs is also a very flexible amp so my sonic palette is immense at this point and the two amps take up very little space. The Mark V combo is a bit smaller than I pictured it. It's pretty compact and, like the Fuchs combo, will work nicely as a grab-n-go on its own.
I gave the effects loop a go with a Boss SE-70 effects processor. I didn't spend a lot of time balancing levels as it was pretty balanced the way it was set. The loop sounds great! I'm probably going to pick up a TC Electronics G Major (& G Minor foot controller) and rig some custom feet to clear the handle for amp top use as I do with the SE-70 and the Fuchs.
For most general applications away from my home studio I'd likely select the Fuchs most times - it is my ideal amp. I'll definitely take the Mesa to the next couple of jams to see how it works out for me in that setting.
Arthritis shut me down for the night a few minutes ago. Hopefully I didn't overdo it too badly so that I can play some more tomorrow (I'm supposed to pace myself but I was having way too much fun!).
I realize that the above impressions are 'honeymoon' observations and that some enthusiasm may wear off over time. And then again it may not. This is seriously a great sounding amp all the way around. Time will tell. Right now I'm very pleased with this purchase!
Here's a pic:
Follow-up:
I'm really pleased with what I'm hearing out of this amp. I put another hour or so into learning how the controls interact on channel 2. I'm dialing in some really great classic rock tones using the crunch mode, 45w setting, and a bump in the mids on the EQ - low gain Marshall JMP crunch tones that feel just riight under my fingers. Sounds and feels right even at low volume. I'm diggin' it!