Seasoned veterans of the Mark V, why should I get the Mark V

[budlovesaly]

I am a Mesa Roadster user and am about to switch over to something new. I am contemplating the Mark V. I have not played it in person yet (something I will be doing this weekend), but I have listened to some MP3s and some compressed YouTube videos of it. I am not at all familiar with the Mark series at all, but I like the features and the tight sound the Mark V has.

I am really contemplating four amps at the moment to add to my rig: Vox AC30H2, Mark V, Orange AD30TC, and the Electra Dyne. I am not sure that my tastes in music are applicable to this, considering I already have the Recto sound. I just want to add something "different" to my arsenal. Enlighten me.

 

[dmcguitar]

What are your tastes in music? what is your desire out of the new amp? Those 4 amps seem very different in their tonal structure.

Are you leaving the Roadster or adding to it?

 

[shogun]

the recto differs from the mark v like you wouldn't believe.. i have A/B'd them at home.. get the mark v.. it has a great, singing, midranged, lead voice

 

[budlovesaly]

I was thinking about keeping the roadster. I want a sound that will different that what i am used to. i grew up listening to '90s rock and punk and became very familiar with the "buzzsaw" recto tone. i want something different now. something that i am not used to, but a sound that is more toneful than the roadster and dual recs. dual recs have all that gain and power, but i swear they lack in harmonic breakup and tone. i can't even tell when i'm making mistakes at times because of the roadster's natural characteristics. i am not complaining by no means, i just want change.

the vox sounds incredible, but who wants a single channel amp made in china?

the mark looks absolutely incredible, so many settings, and the class a / pentode, triode modes seem like some great options to get more tone.

the orange ad30 is vox like, with 2 channels, although from what i've read, somewhat darker than the vox. also, reliability ive read is an issue with orange.

the electra dyne, from what i've read, is the amp to check out right now. the opinions on the electra dyne forum are crazy good, from people actually stating that they are giving up road kings for them! what scares me about this is versatility, or lack thereof. all i need are a clean and extremely good dirty rock channel, that can get me hard rock to bluesy tones, but i wonder if this can accomplish that with the mode switching.

i want to use this amp for mostly indie/alt rock type music. i want good cleans, and some articulate and harmonic dirt as well. i do not like the roadster's lower gain settings. they seem too flabby and not very dynamic. i even tried putting el34s in it this past week (dropped almost $200 in retubbing) just to find the amp actually worse than before. sure, the gain is definitely more "rock" now, and less metal and thumpy, but the cleans have taken a tremendous hit! although, i will admit that the brit mode never sounded so good!

what do you think based on my revised needs?

 

[Heritage Softail]

Well, I have a MKV and wanted a REC sound too. I ended up buying a REC since that sound was not in the MKV. I am a choosy mother for tone. With those two amps I feel I have the gamut of sounds I want covered, adding a few simple effects. Holy Grail, Keeley comp, Vox wah, Delay. The MKV is pretty good at alot of things. As others posted, months after getting it home, I am finding new sounds with the MKV. Having 5 or 6 guitars will give you many options, some would say too many. I have been working on a 2 disc set of songs to practice, and have had to start writing tone settings and what guitar sounds best. It is not a complicated amp, it is a very simple amp with a huge variety of tones :wink:

With a Roadster and MKV you will be in tweaker Heaven..


Peace

 

[scoden]

WeLL I owned a Roadster for about a year...gigged it /rehearsed with it/ practiced with it daily. I now own a Mark V and have rehearsed and practiced with it for about 2 weeks now.
Please understand the following is my own experience and not meant to dis current Roadster owners.

The whole time i owned the Roadster, I felt like I was fighting it. While the cleans were great and the low end chunk was unbeatable (esp at gigging volume) I had a hard time with a few things. One thing was I could not get the channels to blend well and sit in the same space in the mix. That made switching sounds mid song sound unprofessional. Didnt matter if I switched modes or tube/diodes or wattage...just couldnt get the channels to gain stage in a smooth stepwise fashion. Second, balancing the voulumes between channels was also next to impossible. Last and most importantly was I could not get the mids to sing or crunch the way I wanted....no matter how I eqed or boosted the front end.

With the Mark V as complicated it may seem..took me no time to find a great tone in each channel....that seamlessly gain staged with the next so each channel acts as an extension of the last... volumes all balanced intuitively with no difficult gymnastic moves of the masters......and the high gain sound just has the mids voiced where I like them. Now the only time I tweek the settings is to explore a different mode or power setting ....and it sounds good almost anyhwere ( as long as you respect the relationship between gain treble presence and bass.

MAybe I got better at setting Mesas, but I think its just another case of the right amp for the right player.

 

[pathos45]

I never found a good tone outta a recto, mind you alot of great metalcore bands use them or have used them. But ive found that the mark v is by far the best amp for tightness, clarity, punch, and mid cuts. Im so happy i sold my vht for it by far the best fucking choice i made in a long time. But the mark v is not for everyone

 

[budlovesaly]

Out of curiosity, what is about the Mark V that would make it not for everyone? Outside of the sphere of the obvious of course, but compared to other amps that are similar to it, why wouldn't it be for everyone? The Mark V really does seem like a great COLLECTION of amps, rather than a single amp. The Roadster rocks, but while it has many different channels and modes, they all still feel like a boomy recto.

 

[JOEY B.]

Out of curiosity, what is about the Mark V that would make it not for everyone? Outside of the sphere of the obvious of course, but compared to other amps that are similar to it, why wouldn't it be for everyone? The Mark V really does seem like a great COLLECTION of amps, rather than a single amp. The Roadster rocks, but while it has many different channels and modes, they all still feel like a boomy recto.

If your EL-34's are MESA branded, carry them with you to try out the Mark V AND the Electra Dyne with them installed. Any dealer that wants to sell you an amp should have NO problem with you doing this tube comparison.

 

[budlovesaly]

The el34s are Mesa branded of course, and I will do just as you suggested. Is the Mark and the ED good or bad with the el34s? The el34s are great at smoothing out the gain in the Roadster, but really ruin my ideal clean tone. I didn't feel that the cleans could at all cut through the mix. That is why the Mark and the ED look soo good. They both give you some midrange in the gain, while maintaining the round 6L6 clean tone.

I am also interested in the Vox sound and EL84 chime. The Lonestar Special isn't quite Vox, right? It's more of a bluesy style overdrive, no?

While I may seem all over the place, what I want is something that is versatile clean and dirty, articulate, and void of flubby, thundering lows (recto). I am becoming increasingly tone oriented and the amps I've listed seem to give me different options of tone (than what I'm used to), while giving me switchable clean/dirty tones and some midrange cut.

 

[Heritage Softail]

The MKV is excellent for everything except that REC chugging riff. If you don't need to have that, you are probably good to go. The MKV has great lead tones, nice crunch, and a clean Knopfler tone. I will be getting an RG16 to midi switch from the REC on riff to MKV on leads and it will be MY perfect setup. I need a REC. Tonight I was playing a few songs by Cold, you know "Stupid Girl" and a few others off that CD. The REC covers that tone dead, I can't get it out of the MKV. It is frustrating to me playing the wrong amp sound for a song. You can't play Skynryd on a REC, or maybe you shouldn't at some of the biker bars I hang at.

Bottom line, I bought a MKV to be 3/4 of all the sounds I want. It has provided that and a few new tones. I like gear and will always buy more if I have homeless money. I have 5 amps in my music room, not that many, but the MKV gets 75% of the time.

Good luck hunting.

 

[SteveO]

I had a Roadster previously, then bought a Mark V head. I had them side by side for a while, and after about a week I decided that I could live without the Roadster, so it went bye-bye. This is my own personal preference, of course, but the Mark V just does the things that I want, without hardly any effort, and the Roadster fought me every bit of the way. My musical tastes run from the 80s and back, so that is where my head is. For 90s and newer, the Roadster would have been perfect.

 

[pathos45]

Out of curiosity, what is about the Mark V that would make it not for everyone? Outside of the sphere of the obvious of course, but compared to other amps that are similar to it, why wouldn't it be for everyone? The Mark V really does seem like a great COLLECTION of amps, rather than a single amp. The Roadster rocks, but while it has many different channels and modes, they all still feel like a boomy recto.

The mark has a distinct tone that you can tell its a mark. No matter what cd or band im listening to when they use marks i know. Its just a prefrence to tone and sound.

 

[Scary]

The el34s are Mesa branded of course, and I will do just as you suggested. Is the Mark and the ED good or bad with the el34s? The el34s are great at smoothing out the gain in the Roadster, but really ruin my ideal clean tone. I didn't feel that the cleans could at all cut through the mix. That is why the Mark and the ED look soo good. They both give you some midrange in the gain, while maintaining the round 6L6 clean tone.

I am also interested in the Vox sound and EL84 chime. The Lonestar Special isn't quite Vox, right? It's more of a bluesy style overdrive, no?

While I may seem all over the place, what I want is something that is versatile clean and dirty, articulate, and void of flubby, thundering lows (recto). I am becoming increasingly tone oriented and the amps I've listed seem to give me different options of tone (than what I'm used to), while giving me switchable clean/dirty tones and some midrange cut.

I've had my Mark V since last june, and from what you've posted it seems like it would be the right amp for you. It has so many different great sounds in it, I don't see how anyone could live without it in their collection. EL34's are great in it also, and I have no problem getting great cleans or gain. Demo it if you can, and see if you can get someone who knows how to use it when you do. It is possible to get imbalanced or ugly tones out of it in the wrong hands. Have fun and good luck.

 

[MBJunkie]

I can't comment about the Vox and Orange amps that you are considering, however, I own a MkV 1x12 combo and most recently an Electradyne 1x12 combo. Both excellent amplifiers!

I have been playing mostly MB amplifiers since I started playing 20+ years ago. I have owned a DC-5, MkIV (still own), Lonestar, Road King I Head, Lonestar Special, Express 5:50 1x12.

The ED offers modes which all sound killer....great clean, low gain and hi gain sounds available. Each one can sound fantastic on its own and footswitchable when running the controls in the medium ranges (except the master volume...I don't set it past 9 o'clock in 45 watt mode). You have been warned! ;-) The ED definitely has a british vibe going on with the low and hi gain modes (with 6L6's)!

While I really like the ED, The MkV is the holy grail amp for me! It offers everything that I have always wanted in a powerful tube amp...great cleans, crunch and hi gain lead sounds with options on the graphic EQ, solo boost, power settings, etc....

Seeing that you are a current Roadster owner, you are not new to "tweakability" in a tube amp. Whether you are into combos or heads, single coil or HB guitars.....I feel that you will be blown away by the MkV, but do give the ED a go as well because it is a fantastic amp in its own right!

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

 

[budlovesaly]

I can't comment about the Vox and Orange amps that you are considering, however, I own a MkV 1x12 combo and most recently an Electradyne 1x12 combo. Both excellent amplifiers!

I have been playing mostly MB amplifiers since I started playing 20+ years ago. I have owned a DC-5, MkIV (still own), Lonestar, Road King I Head, Lonestar Special, Express 5:50 1x12.

The ED offers modes which all sound killer....great clean, low gain and hi gain sounds available. Each one can sound fantastic on its own and footswitchable when running the controls in the medium ranges (except the master volume...I don't set it past 9 o'clock in 45 watt mode). You have been warned! ;-) The ED definitely has a british vibe going on with the low and hi gain modes (with 6L6's)!

While I really like the ED, The MkV is the holy grail amp for me! It offers everything that I have always wanted in a powerful tube amp...great cleans, crunch and hi gain lead sounds with options on the graphic EQ, solo boost, power settings, etc....

Seeing that you are a current Roadster owner, you are not new to "tweakability" in a tube amp. Whether you are into combos or heads, single coil or HB guitars.....I feel that you will be blown away by the MkV, but do give the ED a go as well because it is a fantastic amp in its own right!

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Thanks for the help everyone! I will definitely have to try both the Mark V and 'Dyne out, and, from I've read, it sounds like I will have a tough decision to make. I am leaning towards the Mark though. I like the fact that some of you have said that El34s sound good in it. If that is true, then you've just sold me on it, without playing it. I like the fact that you can get Class A clip, Class A/B clip, and have the extra headroom for cleans.

I love the Roadster, but I don't love the flub that is apparent in most of the channels. While that amp is very versatile and does take considerable tweaking to love, I can't get the articulation that I want from it. From what I've read, it appears that the ED will give me a lot of articulation. The whole thing that worries me about the ED though is the drive and the switching modes thing. From what I've heard, you can't really combine the chimey clean tones with the volume set around 10 o' clock, and still have footswitchable high gain for rock/hard rock. That kind of makes the ED out of my range if that is truly the case.

How different does the Mark sound though with EL34s? In the Roadster, it just gave everything a smoother and slightly brighter feeling to it. Also, at high gain it made soloing feel a bit more "liquidy" than the grainy 6L6 recto feel, although a bit quieter and not as immediate. What could I expect with the EL34s in the Mark V? I can't even imagine I'd want to drop EL34s in there in the first place, considering the midrangey tone that is already there. Man, just writing that gets me excited. The Roadster is so good at what it does, but when you don't want all that low-end bark, the Roadster is pretty hard to live with. Lately, I've been more indie rock oriented, and not as hardrock/punk influenced. I may not need high gain for all my rhythm, but it would be nice to have for soloing -- and from what I've always gathered from any Mark amp, is that liquid soloing can be accomplished with ease.

I really like the low gain sounds that I've heard from the Mark so far. The "tweed" mode has never sounded better, especially with the 10 watt mode. I am glad that the Mark V still retains the tuner out feature. I love that feature on my Roadster and truly hated the days when I'd put the Boss Chromatic Tuner pedal in the effects loop or out front. I really liked the Roadster effects loop and found it pretty transparent with the SPAX7 tube. How is the Mark or ED loop? Any complaints?

It's weird getting a Mark anything. I've always associated them with '80's stuff. I grew up with Boogie being synonymous with Recto chunk. Just looking at the Mark amp with the face plate that reads "Boogie" seems strange. All aesthetics aside, at the end of the day I am looking for something more dynamic and articulate.

Also, is the ED or MKV as responsive as the Stiletto Deuce. Man, that amp is killer in the crunch mode, while feeling a bit too bright for my tastes.

 

[budlovesaly]

Scratch that, I think NoFX used Mark IVs, and they sounded great. Very different style of punk, compared the usual Recto/modded Plexi sounds that are associated with that genre. Actually, come to think of it, if the NoFX gain and soloing is Mark sounds, count me all in! Seriously! While I admit that punk and skating aren't so much my thing anymore (I turn 29 tomorrow!), I do love that tone. The Mark does excel though at low gain settings, no? I want to be able to get some nice bluesy crunch and clip when needed, kind of like Keith Richards' crunchy tones.

 

[budlovesaly]

How heavy is the combo? The Mark footprint is a lot smaller than the Roadster footprint, right? The Roadster head is a beast to lug around. I am pretty sure that the Mark comes with the caster slide things on the bottom, no?

 

[eudaimonia02912]

The combo comes with wheels. I think it's 60 lbs. It's significantly lighter than my Peavey XXX or 5150 combos were.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Buying the head has advantages in being able to lug the speaker enclosure appropriate for the need. Some people are getting good tone with 1x12, I like my 2x12, but the 4x12 sounds MASSIVE, just not too portable and slight overkill for my needs. I am thinking Santa will bring me a 1x12 Thiele next year.