Question on the Amp models in a Mark V

[thunder100]

Dear All

As novice Mark V owner(and Axe FX owner) I have a strange question

What are the base amps for the several channels?

CH1
Clean-->Fender Princeton ??
Fat-->seems to be a Lonestar??
Tweed

CH2
Edge-->??
Crunch-->??
Mark I

CH3
Mark IIC+
Mark IV
Extreme-->a Markk III on steroids?

If somebody could be so kind to fill my ????

thanks

Roland

 

[SBG200]

Dear All

As novice Mark V owner(and Axe FX owner) I have a strange question

What are the base amps for the several channels?

CH1
Clean-->Fender Princeton ??
Fat-->seems to be a Lonestar??
Tweed

CH2
Edge-->??
Crunch-->??
Mark I

CH3
Mark IIC+
Mark IV
Extreme-->a Markk III on steroids?

If somebody could be so kind to fill my ????

thanks

Roland

In today's digital modeling times where everything is meant to sound like something else, Mesa might have done themselves a disservice by suggesting the V is meant to emulate other amps. It really isn't. The sounds are all pretty distinctly Mesa. That being said, you can get a pretty decent Tweed Deluxe or Bassman-ish sound in Tweed mode, Edge had hints of a Vox AC30 with it's brightness and cut, and the Crunch can get you in Marshall territory, especially with the preset EQ. But I think when they were designing the amp I doubt they had specific other amps in mind while voicing the channels & modes, except maybe Ch3.

 

[sevycat]

Being a ex mark III green stripe owner, I would say that the extreme mode on my mark v sounds different then my old mark III.

As for the clean mode sounding like a fender amp, I can't say.

 

[thunder100]

In today's digital modeling times where everything is meant to sound like something else, Mesa might have done themselves a disservice by suggesting the V is meant to emulate other amps. It really isn't. The sounds are all pretty distinctly Mesa. That being said, you can get a pretty decent Tweed Deluxe or Bassman-ish sound in Tweed mode, Edge had hints of a Vox AC30 with it's brightness and cut, and the Crunch can get you in Marshall territory, especially with the preset EQ. But I think when they were designing the amp I doubt they had specific other amps in mind while voicing the channels & modes, except maybe Ch3.

Got It

I thought that as it is in reality like a Randall 3 amps with several different circuitry(at least preamp) that they are based on something(like the 5F6-A Tone stack of the Bassman).

Of cours its Mesa but an original Mark I is a basically a highly modded Princeton.

The question occurs as

1.) I am Mesa half Novice-->still need time to find my sound and even the right way to set up
2.) I have a TA-15 which has a Vox(ish) and Marshall(ish) voice/channel and I dont know wether to keep it.For the time for sure as I (see 1) could not yet get to the Marshallish tone with the Mark V (always with same V30)
3.)I use Axe Fx for the other amps in question(and will keep it) like the Hiwatt when I play Gilmour-Pink

But filled my map allready better

Thanks

Roland

 

[satch4u3]

The manual states that the Extreme mode traces back to the Mark IV's lead channel with the presence control pulled out (Fat Mode).

 

[Rkorn]

Roland[/quote]

In today's digital modeling times where everything is meant to sound like something else, Mesa might have done themselves a disservice by suggesting the V is meant to emulate other amps. It really isn't. The sounds are all pretty distinctly Mesa. That being said, you can get a pretty decent Tweed Deluxe or Bassman-ish sound in Tweed mode, Edge had hints of a Vox AC30 with it's brightness and cut, and the Crunch can get you in Marshall territory, especially with the preset EQ. But I think when they were designing the amp I doubt they had specific other amps in mind while voicing the channels & modes, except maybe Ch3.[/quote]

Couldn't have said it better.
This amp is a modern day amp, with a modern way build and a modern way thinking.
Don't think you want the sound from another amp... build your own sound!!!!
What's with people asking how to turn the knobs??? (i know that is not what you asked, but a lot of people do)
isn't it strange???

 

[thunder100]

So in a way I misunderstood(as usual) marketing

Mark V is Mesa's best of the best and the full Mark History(+ some add ons)
Transatlantic Series is a kind of modelling amp(in all tube as the others are usually (even Bogner/Line 6) are SS or SS with tubes)

And yes a lot of knobs to turn-->some channels are easy (1) others are beyond my ability (3 except Mk IV) yet.But still easier then with the Axe-Fx

Roland

 

[>Photi G<]

CH1
Clean- Fender BF Bassman/ MB Mark I
Fat- Lonestar in Fat mode.
Tweed- Boosted Fat mode?

CH2
Edge- Marshall JTM/1959-esque
Crunch- Mark III/IV Rhythm 2 mode
Mark 1- Mark 1 input 1

CH3
IIC+- Mark IIC+ in Lead mode, Pull Deep pushed IN, Bright/treble shift pulled OUT
IV- Mark IV in lead mode, in Harmonics mode, presence shift pushed IN
Extreme- Mark IV in lead mode, Harmonics mode, presence shift pulled OUT

Thassal Hope it clears things up.

 

[Vogelsong]

CH1
Clean- Fender BF Bassman/ MB Mark I
Fat- Lonestar in Fat mode.
Tweed- Boosted Fat mode?

CH2
Edge- Marshall JTM/1959-esque
Crunch- Mark III/IV Rhythm 2 mode
Mark 1- Mark 1 input 1

CH3
IIC+- Mark IIC+ in Lead mode, Pull Deep pushed IN, Bright/treble shift pulled OUT
IV- Mark IV in lead mode, in Harmonics mode, presence shift pushed IN
Extreme- Mark IV in lead mode, Harmonics mode, presence shift pulled OUT

Thassal Hope it clears things up.

Just out of curiosity you came to these conclusions how :?:

 

[Scary]

Clean - Mark IV clean channel. Skinny
Fat - Lone Star clean channel.
Tweed - pure awesome

Edge - Sounds like an old marshall
Crunch - So many options
Mark 1 -

Mark II -
Mark IV - presence pulled
Extreme - Mark IV presence pushed in. Tien Lawrence says this in the NAMM video, if memory serves.

 

[>Photi G<]

Just out of curiosity you came to these conclusions how :?:

I have access to a MKV schematic, so I compared circuits with the other amps, and came to the conclusions that I did. Also, a bit of Mesa history comes in handy, as well as company/other videos. Plus, the manual has some subtle hints at the tones in different modes. My analysis is just a conglomerate of multiple sources, and of course, listening to the amp in these modes helps. :mrgreen:

One thing I really wasn't sure how to label was Crunch mode in CH2. It sounds similar to the Mark III/IV Rhy2 channels, but the signal path is completely different. Marks tend to have their distortion stages placed after the tone stack, while in CH2 of the V, the tone stack is placed after the distortion stages. This channel was tailored to fit the Mark 1 mode, which has its distortion preceeding the tone stack, and Edge, since it emulates a Marshall sound, fits the bill as well. Crunch sounds like it's based off of earlier Mark amps, but it really is a sound unique to the MKV.

BTW, in the NAMM '09 video, I think Tien got the modes mixed up. He said that Extreme is Pres.Shift pushed in, and IV was pulled out, while it is the other way around. I could be wrong though.

 

[Vogelsong]

Just out of curiosity you came to these conclusions how :?:

I have access to a MKV schematic, so I compared circuits with the other amps, and came to the conclusions that I did. Also, a bit of Mesa history comes in handy, as well as company/other videos. Plus, the manual has some subtle hints at the tones in different modes. My analysis is just a conglomerate of multiple sources, and of course, listening to the amp in these modes helps. :mrgreen:

One thing I really wasn't sure how to label was Crunch mode in CH2. It sounds similar to the Mark III/IV Rhy2 channels, but the signal path is completely different. Marks tend to have their distortion stages placed after the tone stack, while in CH2 of the V, the tone stack is placed after the distortion stages. This channel was tailored to fit the Mark 1 mode, which has its distortion preceeding the tone stack, and Edge, since it emulates a Marshall sound, fits the bill as well. Crunch sounds like it's based off of earlier Mark amps, but it really is a sound unique to the MKV.

BTW, in the NAMM '09 video, I think Tien got the modes mixed up. He said that Extreme is Pres.Shift pushed in, and IV was pulled out, while it is the other way around. I could be wrong though.

Very cool reply. Thanks.

 

[igfraso]

My 2 cents and most probably I am wrong anyway.

I never owned a Triaxis but, to me, the Mark V looks like a full-amp version of the Triaxis preamp with 9 preamp modes instead of 8 modes:

- a Tweed rhythm mode was added in Channel 1 (coming from the Mark II-A, maybe?)
- an Edge mode was added in channel 2 (coming from the Stiletto, maybe?) by freeing up the Triaxis Lead 1 Yellow "Modified Mark I" slot (replaced in the Mark V by the "Mark I Thick" mini switch?)

Mark V & Triaxis comparison
- Channel 1/Rhythm = Clean/Yellow (Mark IV), Fat/Green (Mark I input 2), Tweed (Mark II-A)
- Channel 2/Lead 1 = Edge (Stiletto), Crunch/Red (Rectifier Vintage), Mark I/Green (Mark I input 1)
- Channel 3/Lead 2 = Mark IIC+ Lead/Yellow, Mark IV Lead/Green, Extreme/Red (modified Mark III or IV Lead)

The power amp looks like a Simul-Class 2:Ninety (mono; not stereo) and the controls lay-out looks like a Nomad. Nothing seems to get discarded in Mesa!

 

[theroan]

Edge and Crunch are really the contentious modes. I think you nailed the others except that Extreme is based on the Mark IV, though I wish I could have made that kind of sound on my Mark IV when I had one. In a lot of ways Extreme is unique to the Mark V in my opinion.

To me Edge is more Voxy than it is Marshall. It's a little brighter and skinnier. Crunch I would say is Marshall but can also be eq'd to an older Mark sound.

 

[Oldschool]

In my experience, Extreme mode sounds nothing like a Mark IV...

 

[Bullen]

BTW, in the NAMM '09 video, I think Tien got the modes mixed up. He said that Extreme is Pres.Shift pushed in, and IV was pulled out, while it is the other way around. I could be wrong though.

Yes, you are wrong
Extreme = presence knob PUSHED IN!
Trust me, I own both amps.

My take on the Mark V modes:

Clean-classic Mark series clean with the bright engaged. Similar to my Mark III and IV (but better!?!)
Fat-Mark I input 2/Lonestar clean.
Tweed- gainier version of clean (somewhat similar to rhy 2 on the IV, but so much better).

Edge-Mesa´s take on vintage british amps, pretty Vox sounding with the right settings.
Crunch-Mesa´s take on the british amps from the 80´s.
Mark I-Mark I input1, with the thick switch from the Lonestar lead channel.

IIC+-non eq equipped IIC+ (less sub lows as explained in the manual) with the treble shift pulled.
Mark IV-Mark IV lead mode with the Gain knob pulled (Fat) and the presence PULLED OUT!
Extreme-Mark IV lead mode with the Gain knob pulled (Fat) and the presence PUSHED IN!

All Mark series amps sound different from the model before it, so don´t expect the V to nail it´s earlier siblings tones. For example, both the Mark III and IV are honkier in the mids with a tight thumping low end and the V is brigther (than the IV atleast), less middy and slightly saggier in the lows.

 

[Bullen]

In my experience, Extreme mode sounds nothing like a Mark IV...

Well, that´s pushing the truth a bit in my opinion.
I find that Extreme is actually pretty close to the IV lead mode with the presence pushed in, but they don´t sound identical, no. Nor is it supposed to since, according to the manual Mesa tweaked Extreme a bit to sound warmer than the IV. As I stated above, the IV is a more mid frequency centered amp and the V is brighter, less middy so there´s difference between them for sure.

 

[LesPaul70]

IIC+- Mark IIC+ in Lead mode, Pull Deep pushed IN, Bright/treble shift pulled OUT

Let me check if I understood this correctly. So Pull Deep is permanently off and both Pull Bright and Pull Shift are permanently on in the Mark V's Mark IIc+ circuit? Factor in the smaller coupling cap, and you've got just about one of my least favorite Mark IIc+ setups (aside from the Pull Shift being pulled out - that's ok). And then you've got the Normal/Bright switch on MkV Channel 3 for even more extra brightness. Uggh.

At least now I know how I want to mod my Mark V when the warranty runs out. Swap the Mark IIc+ circuit coupling cap for a bigger one, and either replace the "Normal/Bright" switch with a "Normal/Deep" switch or permanently "push in" Pull Bright and "pull out" Pull Deep on the Mark IIc+ mode.

 

[borisson]

BTW, in the NAMM '09 video, I think Tien got the modes mixed up. He said that Extreme is Pres.Shift pushed in, and IV was pulled out, while it is the other way around. I could be wrong though.

Yes, you are wrong
Extreme = presence knob PUSHED IN!
Trust me, I own both amps.

My take on the Mark V modes:

Clean-classic Mark series clean with the bright engaged. Similar to my Mark III and IV (but better!?!)
Fat-Mark I input 2/Lonestar clean.
Tweed- gainier version of clean (somewhat similar to rhy 2 on the IV, but so much better).

Edge-Mesa´s take on vintage british amps, pretty Vox sounding with the right settings.
Crunch-Mesa´s take on the british amps from the 80´s.
Mark I-Mark I input1, with the thick switch from the Lonestar lead channel.

IIC+-non eq equipped IIC+ (less sub lows as explained in the manual) with the treble shift pulled.
Mark IV-Mark IV lead mode with the Gain knob pulled (Fat) and the presence PULLED OUT!
Extreme-Mark IV lead mode with the Gain knob pulled (Fat) and the presence PUSHED IN!

All Mark series amps sound different from the model before it, so don´t expect the V to nail it´s earlier siblings tones. For example, both the Mark III and IV are honkier in the mids with a tight thumping low end and the V is brigther (than the IV atleast), less middy and slightly saggier in the lows.

could you post settigs for the Vox sound in the Edge mode?
thanks

 

[Bullen]

IIC+- Mark IIC+ in Lead mode, Pull Deep pushed IN, Bright/treble shift pulled OUT

Let me check if I understood this correctly. So Pull Deep is permanently off and both Pull Bright and Pull Shift are permanently on in the Mark V's Mark IIc+ circuit? Factor in the smaller coupling cap, and you've got just about one of my least favorite Mark IIc+ setups (aside from the Pull Shift being pulled out - that's ok). And then you've got the Normal/Bright switch on MkV Channel 3 for even more extra brightness. Uggh.

At least now I know how I want to mod my Mark V when the warranty runs out. Swap the Mark IIc+ circuit coupling cap for a bigger one, and either replace the "Normal/Bright" switch with a "Normal/Deep" switch or permanently "push in" Pull Bright and "pull out" Pull Deep on the Mark IIc+ mode.

No, the bright switch is not permanently on. That´s what the normal/bright switch is for. So there´s no "double bright" thing going on.

But otherwise, that´s correct, The treble shift is on and the bass shift and Deep are off.

The IIC+ mode is pretty lean (ie tight, thin?) sounding and could use a deep switch and the bigger coupling cap to get a fuller, fatter sound.