LesPaul70
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I'm sure there are many opinions on this, here's mine.
I find that the Mark V gives you enough gain for any sane application. You just need to know how to coax that gain out. The character of that gain is very different, though, from a Rectifier or a 5150/6505 or a Diezel. It is not as big sounding or supersaturated "wet" sounding. The voicing of the V is more focused on the middle frequencies, tight and defined, not the kind of wide frequency spectrum blast some other amps offer. Which is why it is so common to reduce the middle-heaviness a little with the middle GEQ slider for the heavier tones - the MkV will still be pushing out more middle frequencies than many other amps.
But the Mark V is definitely no slouch in the gain department. I'm not into "modern metal" with downtuned guitars and screamed/growled vocals so I'm not qualified to comment on how well (or badly) it performs there, but the amount of gain available shouldn't be the issue.
The key to unlocking the gain your Mark V has on tap is in understanding the difference between the channel TMB knobs and the 5-band GEQ/preset EQ. The channel knobs are before the preamp gain, the GEQ/preset EQ is after it. What this means, in practical terms, is that your channel knobs will have an effect on how hard those frequencies hit your preamp and they can be used, to some extent, to boost certain frequencies and sculpt your distortion character. This is totally different from, say, a Rectifier. The channel knobs on a V are not as useful for EQ'ing your final post-preamp distorted sound, you need to use the GEQ (or the preset EQ, or even an EQ pedal in the loop) for that.
Your Gain pot can only reach a portion of the gain available on its own. You need to use the other channel knobs in conjunction with it to get the best gain from your Mark V. The most important is the Treble knob - don't think of it as an EQ pot, think of it as a built-in treble booster. It is really the key to unlocking the best high gain your Mark V can offer. The Bass knob, on the other hand, needs to be kept low - otherwise your low frequencies will turn into mush in your preamp. You can bring the low end back later with the GEQ.
For what it's worth, I have achieved by far the best channel 3 high-gain sounds (in a band setting) with the Extreme mode, 90W, Pentode (and, oh yes, Svetlana =C= EL-34s). Different voicing from my Rectos (obviously more midrange-focused) but just as heavy, aggressive, and ballsy. The other two modes were too refined and, especially in a band setting, too piercing bright, boxy, stiff and/or shrill sounding to my ears no matter how I tweaked them (YMMV). What I didn't try with them was my MXR 10-band EQ in the loop, I wanted my channel 3 to sound awesome without any extra pedals. And the Extreme mode did, after years of tweaking (literally!) and "dialing with my ears".
So my answer is, yes, the Mark V has "nuff gain". Without any extra pedals even, once you learn how to use the channel knobs to boost your gain.
I find that the Mark V gives you enough gain for any sane application. You just need to know how to coax that gain out. The character of that gain is very different, though, from a Rectifier or a 5150/6505 or a Diezel. It is not as big sounding or supersaturated "wet" sounding. The voicing of the V is more focused on the middle frequencies, tight and defined, not the kind of wide frequency spectrum blast some other amps offer. Which is why it is so common to reduce the middle-heaviness a little with the middle GEQ slider for the heavier tones - the MkV will still be pushing out more middle frequencies than many other amps.
But the Mark V is definitely no slouch in the gain department. I'm not into "modern metal" with downtuned guitars and screamed/growled vocals so I'm not qualified to comment on how well (or badly) it performs there, but the amount of gain available shouldn't be the issue.
The key to unlocking the gain your Mark V has on tap is in understanding the difference between the channel TMB knobs and the 5-band GEQ/preset EQ. The channel knobs are before the preamp gain, the GEQ/preset EQ is after it. What this means, in practical terms, is that your channel knobs will have an effect on how hard those frequencies hit your preamp and they can be used, to some extent, to boost certain frequencies and sculpt your distortion character. This is totally different from, say, a Rectifier. The channel knobs on a V are not as useful for EQ'ing your final post-preamp distorted sound, you need to use the GEQ (or the preset EQ, or even an EQ pedal in the loop) for that.
Your Gain pot can only reach a portion of the gain available on its own. You need to use the other channel knobs in conjunction with it to get the best gain from your Mark V. The most important is the Treble knob - don't think of it as an EQ pot, think of it as a built-in treble booster. It is really the key to unlocking the best high gain your Mark V can offer. The Bass knob, on the other hand, needs to be kept low - otherwise your low frequencies will turn into mush in your preamp. You can bring the low end back later with the GEQ.
For what it's worth, I have achieved by far the best channel 3 high-gain sounds (in a band setting) with the Extreme mode, 90W, Pentode (and, oh yes, Svetlana =C= EL-34s). Different voicing from my Rectos (obviously more midrange-focused) but just as heavy, aggressive, and ballsy. The other two modes were too refined and, especially in a band setting, too piercing bright, boxy, stiff and/or shrill sounding to my ears no matter how I tweaked them (YMMV). What I didn't try with them was my MXR 10-band EQ in the loop, I wanted my channel 3 to sound awesome without any extra pedals. And the Extreme mode did, after years of tweaking (literally!) and "dialing with my ears".
So my answer is, yes, the Mark V has "nuff gain". Without any extra pedals even, once you learn how to use the channel knobs to boost your gain.
