To buy a Mark V or not?? want raw, open doomy metal sound...

[rgx612a]

I'm thinking of getting the big Mark V because of the versatility, and because I want a unique sound. I have some concerns though?? Will this amp be able to get a raw, kinda doomy rock/metal sound without sounding too compressed and polished sounding?? Think Down - nola, or kinda similar tones... and will it cut through in a mix against a 100 watt Marshall 2203 head?? which is a very dominating amp, that the other guy in my band uses.

Oh, and I used to have a Mark III simulclass (red stripe) a couple years ago. I really liked that amp, and hoping this one can get in the ballpark.

 

[thunder100]

I'm thinking of getting the big Mark V because of the versatility, and because I want a unique sound. I have some concerns though?? Will this amp be able to get a raw, kinda doomy rock/metal sound without sounding too compressed and polished sounding?? Think Down - nola, or kinda similar tones... and will it cut through in a mix against a 100 watt Marshall 2203 head?? which is a very dominating amp, that the other guy in my band uses.

Oh, and I used to have a Mark III simulclass (red stripe) a couple years ago. I really liked that amp, and hoping this one can get in the ballpark.

Mark V will cut through better then 2203 as you can EQ it far better.To me you can get all rock/metal sound you ever want to use.

Some say that it hasnt enough gain for Brutalz.I doubt that-with all respect-we talk about noise then.Not harmonics.The only amp with more gain I ever tried was EVH5150 III

My 2 cents

Roland

 

[mesa metal]

@rgx612a,,,,dude this amp will definately give you the brutal sound you want,,just tweak it a little here and there...i have the big markv and the little brother25....however i will say that it does depend on pickups,, guitar wood and changing out the preamp tubes to get that tone.....
i play jackson mahogany neckthru's with a tone zone pup.....and s7g guitar and they sound like death(in a good way)
lately i been listening to swallow the sun,,,draconian,,,and bands like that,,,,and my tone is very close to what they are...
if you have the oportunity to play one first ,,,,,do it,,,,but i love mine...versitile as heck.. :evil:
oh and i see you know about the "ola" effect.......his mkv does sound good though

my 1 1/2 cents....

 

[screamingdaisy]

I use my Mark V for stoner rock into doom. I don't know if I'd call a Mark "raw" sounding as its naturally kind of smooth, but IMO it only sounds polished if you dial it in to sound polished.

 

[rgx612a]

OK, so it should do what I want, hey??

I'm just kinda worried that when I get it, i'll never be able to dial in a raw, old school kinda sound, cause I hear guys like Petrucci dialing in these super smooth, refined metal tones out of the V, and that is just not my thing at all. When I had the Mark III it was no problem dialing in a sound I liked. Wish I never sold it, cause it was a great amp.

Also, I hear people saying that these Boogies don't cut in a mix well, especially against a more upper mid kinda amp like a Marshall? I never had a problem with the III. It stood out against anything it was against.

I was either gonna get the V, or a Marshall jcm800 2203 reissue, but I really need the versatility that the Mark has, so I don't have to get another amp for a long time.

As far as the rest of my rig... i'm using a ESP ltd Viper 1000 with emg 81/85 at the moment, but I will be getting a Gibson SG standard with passives soon... I also have another Viper with a tom anderson H3 that has a great doomy tone. I love the SG style guitars, and I get a really clear, aggressive sound with the EMG's that I like for live use. It seems to work. I also use a Mesa rectifier 4x12 standard cab. so i'm set, i think? Just need the right amp...

 

[screamingdaisy]

You'll probably like IIC+ mode. It's a little more raw and crunchy than Mark IV mode.

Mark IV mode will tend to sound a little bigger and more modern.

The only time a Boogie won't cut is when you dial it so it has no cut.

If you liked the Mark III you'll probably like the Mark V. Same basic sound, but now you can dial all three channels in separately.

 

[elvis]

I recently heard some audio clips where Petrucci compared his actual IIC+ tone to his V in IIC+ mode. That tone didn't sound over-polished to me. It sounded ballsy. If you can find that, it may help you hear what that mode will do. Sounded pretty brutal to me. I was a bit shocked because I am used to the Marks sounding too well-behaved.

I expect that you can probably get literally ANY tone out of a V, but whether you will figure out how to dial in a particular tone in this lifetime is the real question.

Personally I prefer the IV mode because in addition to the more complex mids it gives a deeper bass tone. Sounds huge.

 

[Hypnotoad696]

You'll get whatever tone you want from this amp, might take some patience to get there if you're new to mesa. They're dialed in a lot differently than marshals.

Yes it'll cut through the mix. Not an issue. If anything it'll cut through too well and you'll have to back off.