What other amp has Mark V's beloved Tweed mode?

[hendrik84]

I've been thinking lately of selling my Mark V since I hardly ever use it to its full potential. It's a beast of an amp and I really don't have anything negative to say about it and in fact, if I sell it, I'm sure I'll buy it again further down the road for my future recording studio.

However, I absolutely love the Tweed mode. It's so versatile and good sounding, low gain or grinding overdrive it simply sounds amazing and is my favorite mode by far. Is there any other offering, Mesa or not, that will give me this Tweed mode sound?

I've been looking at the TA-30. It has a mode called Tweed as well, is that the same circuit as the Mark V's? Does it sound similar? (I know it's different tubes though.) - Another reason I'm thinking of the TA-30 is because I played a mesmerizing AC30 the other day and I'm intrigued by TA-30's Top Boost channel.

Anything else I should be looking at? Don't worry I'm not jumping ships, I love Mesa's and always will I just want to try another amp now that isn't as tight, if that makes sense. I'm just having a hard time parting with the Tweed mode in the process..

All suggestions more than welcome!

 

[bandit2013]

I like the Tweed of the Mark V if the proper tubes are in the amp. I often find it more brittle but does have a nice chime and bell like tone.

On the flip side, The Roadster CH1 Tweed is incredible. Perfect balance of presence, treble, and low end. Through a class A/B in 50W or 100W with tube rectifier tracking or diode I am overly impressed with the character and response of the Roadster tweed mode. If you want that extra spongy feel, the Roadster also has variac power too (called spongy). Talk about flexibility and versatility. I am flat out impressed with this amp. Sure the Roadster is quite a different amp from the Mark V. In some cases may be darker in tone (depending on channel in use). I have found the Roadster to be endless in the various modes and channels. I generally like my SSS and HSS strat type bolt on neck guitars and they sound amazing through the Roadster. I can get similar response with the Mark V. With Humbucker type guitars (active tone controls or fully passive) both perform well. I am not all for Metal, more so classic rock but I mix the styles with blues and Jazz. I have had my Mark V for nearly 2 years and the Roadster for a few months. RA100 for nearly 9 months and the Mark IV for 14 years. The Roadster surpasses all of them in what I like to use it for. The Mark V is a close second but holds up to the Roadster but with a different character and tone. Note: The RA100 has a lot of WOW factor built into CH1 too. It has a spongy tone to it but does not use Tube Rectifiers. The character of this amp is best with EL34. I can get lost with this amp just as easy as the Roadster or Mark V. The High gain character of the CH2 or Hi/Lo is not as robust as the Roadster or Mark V, it is more of a classic rock tone. It can be dialed up for more Heavy character but just not a Heavy Metal monster like the Mark V, nor will it reach the madness offered by the Roadster or Road King.

On your next venture, when you decide to pull the trigger. Definitely check out the Roadster and or Road king if the Tweed is what you really are after, RA100 is also a great choice for simplicity. The Electra Dyne also has some awesome character to it. Don't forget the Lonestar either. If you are looking for lower power and a smaller package, you may want to consider the Mark V 25, that one really has my interests for future consideration (unfortunately they did not include tweed mode as this is either a 6L6GC or 6V6 tube type tone, (with EL34 it lacks the true nature of TWEED character, similar to EL84 but would have to hear it to confirm). [Edit: Looked into the Lonestar, does not have a TWEED setting but the variac mode they named as TWEED, similar to the Mark IV that uses the same label for the variac power mode. Not quite the same thing but it does add for the spongy charcter. ]

 

[dodger916]

Mark IV.