Well, I guess the MKV is indeed a reality...

[chris_EIT]

ok, to be COMPELTELY honest when I first got the Mark IV I was also confused about how it worked, it was the relationship between the bass, mid, treble knobs to be exact. After working it out I figure any other amp with less buttons knobs etc is not flexible enough. Every lovable tone I can think of this amp does. I have other amps BUT it just always comes back to the mark iv.
i hope they ADD more knobs and buttons! XD

 

[Octavarius]

ok, to be COMPELTELY honest when I first got the Mark IV I was also confused about how it worked, it was the relationship between the bass, mid, treble knobs to be exact. After working it out I figure any other amp with less buttons knobs etc is not flexible enough. Every lovable tone I can think of this amp does. I have other amps BUT it just always comes back to the mark iv.
i hope they ADD more knobs and buttons! XD

Amen to that!

 

[voodoo_child]

what the hell is so complicated about the mark IV?
i mean really?
unless you're constantly drunk or stoned, anyone with half a brain can figure out how to use one in 5 minutes. especially if you have the manual.

You can't deny that some people struggle with a MKIV initially - you only have to read the amount of posts to that effect in various forums to see that. No point in insulting these people.

The fact is, Randall Smith is in business to sell amps, and these 'brainless stoners' you're looking down upon are prospective customers. If some guy plays a MKIV in a store and can't get a good sound in ten minutes, that could be a missed sale.

I understand Randalls comments ('simpler than a MKIV') to mean an amp that instantly sounds awesome with all the tone knobs at noon. And without so many push-pulls, prescence shifts, etc.

I don't really see a problem with that. If it introduces a new generation to the delights of the Mark series, its got to be a good thing.

 

[guitardude05]

The fact is, Randall Smith is in business to sell amps, and these 'brainless stoners' you're looking down upon are prospective customers. If some guy plays a MKIV in a store and can't get a good sound in ten minutes, that could be a missed sale.

Truth.

The only problem i have with this amp is, everyone talks about how great their tone can be... you just have to tweak it a lot.

Why not make an amp that sounds great no matter what the settings? And the better you tweak the amp the better the already great sound is! (wishful thinking ) I'd say 90% of the combinations of settings on a mark iv can sound like crap on any given day, but that 10% can be magic... almost.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

what the hell is so complicated about the mark IV?
i mean really?
unless you're constantly drunk or stoned, anyone with half a brain can figure out how to use one in 5 minutes. especially if you have the manual.

lol +1

 

[bryan_kilco]

even drunk and stoned I can work my Mark IV! :lol:

 

[JAZZGEAR]

I'd say 90% of the combinations of settings on a mark iv can sound like crap on any given day, but that 10% can be magic... almost.

B.S. :!:

The same can be said about any instrument...if not intonated properly, or the player lacks talent...

....oh, and the Mark IV is an instrument. Go try playing a PRS, or any other highend guitar, out of tune, and let's hear that magic :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

I just KNOW the GEQ is probably going to disappear.

I hope so. The one thing I didn't like about my Mark III was how the knobs did nothing and I was constantly tweaking the EQ. I saw my DR as a huge improvement after owning it.

 

[Whoopysnorp]

I just KNOW the GEQ is probably going to disappear.

I hope so. The one thing I didn't like about my Mark III was how the knobs did nothing and I was constantly tweaking the EQ. I saw my DR as a huge improvement after owning it.

The knobs on a mark series do a lot. It just happens to be somewhat different from what they do on other amps.

 

[chris_EIT]

hmmm, a mark series amp WITHOUT the tone shapping characteristics of the first 4 marks.... doesn't sound right to me, BUT I understand where people are coming from.
It's like oh ok, new amp, Bass 7, mids 4, Treble 6... WTF??? Why does it sound like this....? That's the mark series right there. I guess if a little more change was put in the overall effect of the 3 tone controls, then we could be in for an interesting change. I just hope it still sounds tight and chunky with a channel 4 JUST for real leads, Make channel 3 of the mark iv the channel 4 of the mark V and make a bigger sounding channel 3 for rhythm THAT would be sick. I'd be so upset if they became a VERY different amp though

 

[dodger916]

hmmm, a mark series amp WITHOUT the tone shapping characteristics of the first 4 marks.... doesn't sound right to me,

Gotta agree here. To me the GEQ has become one of the defining features of the Mark series. Hell, it wasn't even an option on the Mark IV (or Mark III?).

I'm far from being an expert here, but it seems to me Mesa has done a good job of providing instruments that 1) added "new voices" to the musical soundscape (Marks, Rectifiers?) and/or 2) captured the sounds of other amps while adding the unique Mesa voice (Stiletto, Lonestars, etc..). I think a "dumbed-down" version of their flagship line could damage Mesa's image as an innovator, especially considering the length of time they had to replace the Mark IV. The Express is filling the role of the simplified Mark in the product line. In order for the Mark V to be the successor to the Mark legacy it will need to add a new voice. And while my hope is it will be as groundbreaking as the Mark I or as innovative as the Mark IV, I also realize that's a tall order nowadays.

From a business standpoint, the Mark V must offer something the previous versions don't. Otherwise, musicians would opt for the older used models, the sales of which Mesa does not profit.

 

[chris_EIT]

i agree, this Mark V needs to be as the Mark IV WAS. The most up do date, innovative piece of gear Mesa has ever produced. Otherwise as you said, it will simply slip into the endless amounts of mediocre amps that already exist

 

[rgx612a]

The fact is, Randall Smith is in business to sell amps, and these 'brainless stoners' you're looking down upon are prospective customers. If some guy plays a MKIV in a store and can't get a good sound in ten minutes, that could be a missed sale.

Why not make an amp that sounds great no matter what the settings? And the better you tweak the amp the better the already great sound is! (wishful thinking )

You mean a Marshall? 8)

 

[Octavarius]

 

[Buddy]

 

[gonzo]

LOL

talk about tap dancing.

 

[Octavarius]

Please also notice the "Kill Audience" button on the pedalboard. That's only on the custom model for JP, though (inside YouTube joke).

 

[camsna]

Is World Domination Mode still accessed from the rack?

 

[polaris20]

I think the Mk IV will drop more than a little after a V comes out. Watch for "clearance" sales of the IV, that would generally give an indication of a new model coming out.

Mesa doesn't let dealers set their own prices, I severely doubt they would allow "clearance" pricing. Anybody ever seen any dealer Boogie for sale at anything less than retail?

Yes, I've seen Mesas discounted at GC when I worked there, post discontinuation. They're just not allowed to while the amp's in production. The Rectoverb Series I was discounted pretty decently when I was there.

So if a GC actually has a Mark IV upon discontinuing it, then I suspect they will discount it. The thing is, I've not seen one at a GC for quite a long time. It's always Stilettos, F/Express series, Rectos.

 

[Octavarius]

I know someone else who has played a prototype apparently too.

The run down (things may have, or may still change):

3 channels, multiple modes per channel.

1). Clean. One of the sounds is apparently a very good vintage-vibe Fender clean.

2). Overdrive. It's apparently very much what they were trying to do with the Stiletto... touch sensitive British sounding. Supposed to be much better than the Stiletto, for that matter.

3). MkIV, MkIIC+ and sort of "Ultra high gain" mode (the last of which wasn't all that, and could be why the amp isn't out yet)

I don't know how faithfully it gets either Mk tone. It is said to have sounded very good, though.

Graphic EQ.