Played the Mark V today.

[EdgeOfDarkness]

"there are not many amps you can pull right out of the box and know how to dial it in"

Yeah, but after fighting for like ever with my Mk IV to get the tone I wanted (and played channel 1 with TS808 and Zendrive because the 2nd channel was bunk) the Mk V is a HUGE relief

Oh, and I couldn't care less if it doesn't NAIL the Mk IV or IIC+ exactly, because I want the tone in my head...not the one on the LoG or Metallica record.

The Mk V is just SO much easier and has a larger palette. Not that I hated the Mk IV...but I wanted one SOOoooo badly and was always frustrated with it.

Looks like the V has a lot more options, what makes it easier to dial in ?

 

[ryjan]

It must have larger knobs and more pictures instead of all those confusing words. :lol: How can some people own these huge complicated midi setups with recording gear and multiple amps be so intimidated by the mark iv? Talk about picking fly sh!t out of pepper!

 

[danyeo1]

"there are not many amps you can pull right out of the box and know how to dial it in"

Yeah, but after fighting for like ever with my Mk IV to get the tone I wanted (and played channel 1 with TS808 and Zendrive because the 2nd channel was bunk) the Mk V is a HUGE relief

Oh, and I couldn't care less if it doesn't NAIL the Mk IV or IIC+ exactly, because I want the tone in my head...not the one on the LoG or Metallica record.

The Mk V is just SO much easier and has a larger palette. Not that I hated the Mk IV...but I wanted one SOOoooo badly and was always frustrated with it.

No doubt about it, the V is easier to dial in. But you'e still going to get guys who will dial it in like a Marshall and it will sound like ****. The bass and mid really need to be kept below 3 and then use the Graphic EQ for the overall tone adjustment. But looking at the latest youTube clips, i wonder why some guys are running to post up videos when it appears they haven't read the manuals yet?

 

[EdgeOfDarkness]

"there are not many amps you can pull right out of the box and know how to dial it in"

Yeah, but after fighting for like ever with my Mk IV to get the tone I wanted (and played channel 1 with TS808 and Zendrive because the 2nd channel was bunk) the Mk V is a HUGE relief

Oh, and I couldn't care less if it doesn't NAIL the Mk IV or IIC+ exactly, because I want the tone in my head...not the one on the LoG or Metallica record.

The Mk V is just SO much easier and has a larger palette. Not that I hated the Mk IV...but I wanted one SOOoooo badly and was always frustrated with it.

No doubt about it, the V is easier to dial in. But you'e still going to get guys who will dial it in like a Marshall and it will sound like sh!t. The bass and mid really need to be kept below 3 and then use the Graphic EQ for the overall tone adjustment. But looking at the latest youTube clips, i wonder why some guys are running to post up videos when it appears they haven't read the manuals yet?

How is it easier to dial in ?
Does the eq work differently than on the IV ?
Stock tones do not need much adjustment to sound better ?

you guys are not helpin my gas

 

[spacin007]

"How can some people own these huge complicated midi setups with recording gear and multiple amps be so intimidated by the mark iv?"

It's not that the layout is all that complicated, it's the tweakiness I always struggled with.
Just always fighting the amp when playing...

Kind of like "look at me with all my knobs and push/pulls! look at all the tones you can get"...but good luck dialing it in!

Maybe having a IV for so long made the simple layout just made it that much easier to almost immediately get the tone I wanted. I'm super impressed by all three channels, and I already have 6 or 7 tones that I really like, compared to the 2 I used on the IV.

I do have the stock complaint, the IIC+ should be on the second channel, so as to be able to footswitch between the clean - IIC+ - IV

Other than that, this is the amp I wanted the IV to be for a long time and it fits like a glove.

 

[jdurso]

You're central jersey? I'm northern near NYC. We could always get together for a little side by side comparison.
Always happy to jam with fellow Mesa owners regardless of preference.



Can I throw my Black-Dot Mark III into this mix? :wink:

If someone around here in NNJ has a IIC+ then we could make a truly critical comparison between them all. :mrgreen:

Can i come just to watch?? no seriously... please? :?

 

[JohnDNJ]

You're central jersey? I'm northern near NYC. We could always get together for a little side by side comparison.
Always happy to jam with fellow Mesa owners regardless of preference.



Can I throw my Black-Dot Mark III into this mix? :wink:

If someone around here in NNJ has a IIC+ then we could make a truly critical comparison between them all. :mrgreen:

Can i come just to watch?? no seriously... please? :?

Bring your roadster

btw...how do you like the RG-16? Thats next on my list. Is it quiet? Any pops when switching?
Are you running 1 or 2 amps at a time?

 

[ryjan]

"How can some people own these huge complicated midi setups with recording gear and multiple amps be so intimidated by the mark iv?"

It's not that the layout is all that complicated, it's the tweakiness I always struggled with.
Just always fighting the amp when playing...

Kind of like "look at me with all my knobs and push/pulls! look at all the tones you can get"...but good luck dialing it in!

Maybe having a IV for so long made the simple layout just made it that much easier to almost immediately get the tone I wanted. I'm super impressed by all three channels, and I already have 6 or 7 tones that I really like, compared to the 2 I used on the IV.

I do have the stock complaint, the IIC+ should be on the second channel, so as to be able to footswitch between the clean - IIC+ - IV

Other than that, this is the amp I wanted the IV to be for a long time and it fits like a glove.

Isnt that part of the fun though. I mean being able to endlessy tweak and adjust your amp to get "your" perfect tone? I havnt played the mk v so I have no opinion (other than its a boogie so it automatically kicks a$$). I just hope that they didnt sacrifice some versatility just to make it a little more user friendly. My suggestion for the mark vi however is an four channel with ch1 and 2 the same as the mk v but have ch3 in the mk iic and mk iii voice and a fourth channel with mk iv and a new proprietary voice for the new amp. Pretty cool huh?

 

[ryjan]

Also, being able to walk up to any mark series amp and understand how to get a great sound from it should be a source of pride.

 

[jdurso]

Bring your roadster

btw...how do you like the RG-16? Thats next on my list. Is it quiet? Any pops when switching?
Are you running 1 or 2 amps at a time?

Love the RG-16... its the brain of my rig and well worth every cent. its stupid easy to use and the only pops i get when switching comes from the Roadster, but thats an issue with the Roadster not the RG-16. Beauty of it is it keeps my signal super clean when not using fx and the buffered input prevents any signal loss.

 

[JohnDNJ]

Bring your roadster

btw...how do you like the RG-16? Thats next on my list. Is it quiet? Any pops when switching?
Are you running 1 or 2 amps at a time?

Love the RG-16... its the brain of my rig and well worth every cent. its stupid easy to use and the only pops i get when switching comes from the Roadster, but thats an issue with the Roadster not the RG-16. Beauty of it is it keeps my signal super clean when not using fx and the buffered input prevents any signal loss.

Maybe we can get together one day before I pull the trigger on it and play around with yours

 

[Aart]

What's up with the Mark IV bashing in this topic/subforum? I don;t really get it. Yes, the Mark V looks good, and will probably sound good, but it seems like people that didn't even play the V bash the IV because of its 'lack' of options and it sounding not good enough..?

The Mark IV isn't a bad amp, hell no, it's one of the better amps ever made imo. The IIC+, III and IV were on par and they all had their own voicing that was cool in their own way. The V won't differ from that I think, it has more options, but that isn't making it a better sounding amp. I guess the V will be just another Mark amp with its own voice, not worse, not better.

 

[jdurso]

What's up with the Mark IV bashing in this topic/subforum? I don;t really get it. Yes, the Mark V looks good, and will probably sound good, but it seems like people that didn't even play the V bash the IV because of its 'lack' of options and it sounding not good enough..?

The Mark IV isn't a bad amp, hell no, it's one of the better amps ever made imo. The IIC+, III and IV were on par and they all had their own voicing that was cool in their own way. The V won't differ from that I think, it has more options, but that isn't making it a better sounding amp. I guess the V will be just another Mark amp with its own voice, not worse, not better.

who's bashing the IV?? I think your last statement is dead on and what people should approach the V as... "the V will be just another Mark amp with its own voice, not worse, not better"

 

[lesterpaul]

can someone who actually owns one/owner's manual tell me if you can use both el-34 and 6L6's in the power section, or is it just one OR the other??..maybe I am missing something...my apologies if it is posted somewhere

 

[JohnDNJ]

It's either\or...right from the website\specs:

Simul-Class™ Power Amp (Patents 4,532,476 & 4,593,251) featuring Multi-Watt™ (Patent Pending) and Duo-Class™ (Patent 7,173,488) technologies which provide three power and three operating class options that are channel assignable via 10/45/90 Watt Power Switches: Choose 2 power tubes operating in pure vintage Class A (single-ended), producing 10 Watts - 2 tubes running in time-honored Class A/B producing 45 Watts or 4 tubes running in Mesa’s legendary, patented Simul-Class Power that blends the best of Class A and Class A/B simultaneously to produce 90 Watts of pure tonal magic / 4x6L6 (or 4xEL-34), 7x12AX7, 1x5U4

• Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34)


http://mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Mark_Series/mark5/mark5.html

 

[phyrexia]

6L6s on the inside and EL34s on the outside is still A-OK. From the horse's mouth.

 

[JOEY B.]

6L6s on the inside and EL34s on the outside is still A-OK. From the horse's mouth.

With the bias select in the 6L6 position?

 

[phyrexia]

yah sorry. when it's in 6l6 mode it's just like a IV. 34s are always biased coldish out there anyway. 'cept on your C+s Joey.

 

[nicoroy123]

yah sorry. when it's in 6l6 mode it's just like a IV. 34s are always biased coldish out there anyway. 'cept on your C+s Joey.

Sorry for the newb question here but you are confirming that we can use EL34 and 6L6 at the same time in the V as in the IV?
Any limitation in terms of power section settings ?

 

[JohnDNJ]

yah sorry. when it's in 6l6 mode it's just like a IV. 34s are always biased coldish out there anyway. 'cept on your C+s Joey.

Sorry for the newb question here but you are confirming that we can use EL34 and 6L6 at the same time in the V as in the IV?
Any limitation in terms of power section settings ?

and where is that information? in the manual? hear it from a rep?

the site clearly states 4 6l6 or 4 el34...nowhere does it say 2 and 2.
if this is indeed the case ill ask the guys at my shop to throw 2 34's in it so
i can try it again.