Mesa Boogie...Mark V ---> Mark IV now out of production

[GodOfRhythm]

yeah, that's why I hope they make the new one with lots of balls and agression of 300 while featuring all the other stuff too

I doubt, in this day and age, they'll ever again make something with the output capacity of the Coliseum. It was overkill, even in the 80's, and is DEFINITELY overkill now. That being said, I still love them too. My best friend has one of those and NOTHING compares to that thing driving a full stack of 4x12....Feeling your heart literally MOVE in your chest from the monstrous tone is an earth shattering experience.


I guess they could try and 'emulate' the feel by voicing options and whatnot, but it still wouldn't be the same for purists. And it would probably put the Mk V too much in direct competition with the recto range of the Mesa Boogie line.

[Endrik]

yeah that's why It's my fav. amp and the only amp I'll never get rid of...
I was hoping to get that tone from new Mesa amps because MKIII has shared controlls wich sometimes can be limiting although it is insanely versatile amp

[MSGfan]

Well, in all honesty, that has more to do with the enormity of the power section and tranfos in those Coliseums. Something you pretty much can't find in ANY other amp.

You got that right!, that's why Mesa Triple Recto's, tone wise, sound different than Dual Recto's! They're not just "Louder" like most people think.

[GodOfRhythm]

Picture OF a framed picture, taken at Rudy's musicstore in NYC.

accompanying comment:

The mark V picture from rudys. Went there during lunch. You cant really make out what it says in this pic cuz it was through my phone, but it has recto tracking, 10/50/100 watt capability, and what looks like a tuner output, and adjustable slave output, and bias switching. THats all i could really see

[GodOfRhythm]

That thing is gonna give the RK a run for its money feature-wise, holy fuck!

[GodOfRhythm]

I refuse to let this slide down to the second page. SACRILIGE

[thetroy]

I still want a Mark IV. No way I'll be able to afford the V despite how awesome it might be.

[loose Cannon]

Has anybody got a verdict on the new Mesa V ?? and comparisons to other mesa mark series?? Are they making the Mark V in hardwood cabs & wicker grill as well????

[ezbprimerib]

there was a recent owner and review of a Mark V on harmonycentral. I'd like to A/B the MkIIC+ with the real deal but I sold mine years ago.

[AK47]

Its meh...tastic!

Not a replacement for a Mark II C+ but it can get close.

Will not buy one.

[mr_dj07]

Recently I've been spending like crazy on gear. Got a Charvel model 5, modded it with fixed kahler and EMG 81tw and 85, bought a Mesa 4x12 Rectifier cab with V30s, and some pedals, like a sonic maximizer by BBE.

Here are some features of the amp:

-3 Channels, 3 modes per channel.
-Graphic EQ and general tone knob
-Master Volume and Solo switch for lead pushes
-Independent reverb control per channel
-Independent wattage control per channel (10w=class A, 45w= class AB, 90w=SimulClass)

For more features you might wanna check out the mesa boogie website about the Mark V.

So here's my review, channel by channel.

CHANNEL 1

Known as the clean channel, this channel is simply fantastic. Some of the most beautiful clean tones I've heard in my life. I head the clean channel is comparable to the Lonestar Classic. Very articulate, very bright and warm. The three modes on this channel are Clean, Fat and Tween. Clean and fat are pretty similar, but the fat mode gives you a lot of bottom end and a lot of warmth. The tweed mode is really cool, gives you a kind of vintage fenderish clean, and a lot more gain than the two other modes. The clean and fat modes have a lot of headroom. In general, that channel is to die for.

CHANNEL 2

This is the first dirty channel. The modes are Edge, Crunch, and Mark I. Personally I found to prefer the Crunch mode, because of it's badass mid punch. Edge is very bright, not very usable for me. And the mark I channel is supposed to have the exact circuit of the older Mesa Mark I. The Mark I mode is reaaaaally dark and thick, and has tons of gain too. I haven't had the amp for a long time so I haven't been through 100% of the tones I could get yet. I found a great tone with the crunch mode, but I'm still searching for something that suits me with the Mark I. I mostly use this channel for classic/hard rock. It's got balls

CHANNEL 3

Now this channel is pure insanity. I'm really into metal, and this channel delivers. The three modes are Mark IIC+, Mark IV and Extreme. The extreme is a Mark IV in some "extreme" mode. More volume, more gain, more bottom end. I found the extreme mode to be a little too much, since I'm already geared up to get perfect tones with the two other modes and with the mix of my pedals and cab. The Mark IIC+ mode is great. Has this very clear, very tight distortion. In addition to the graphic EQ, here comes scopped mids land. I can EASILY get that Master of Puppets tone, at least something pretty close to it. The Mark IV mode is quite similar to the MarkIIC+, but with a little more gain on top, and less defined. More edgy. Definitively has that Lamb of God tone. That one is really easy to get with the Mark V. And as I said, the extreme mode is... pretty extreme. Similar to the Mark IV mode but with more volume, more gain and a lot more bottom end.

One thing I was aware before buying the amp, is that even if could consider this a high gain amplifier, it doesn't have the huge bottom end the Rectifier models are known for. Of course you can tweak is, but it's not the same bottom end. Though the bottom end on my Mesa cab is 1000 times more powerful than my traynor 40w combo I plugged on the cab, it's not as "moderne", tone-wise. It really has that edgy distortion a lot of metalcore bands have (think Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, ect ect ect), and also those older thrash metal bands of the 80's tones.

I never played a mark series amp before, but read a LOT while I was waiting for it to come up to the store. The thing is that these amps a pretty special, veeeery touchy feely EQ and you gotta know some things about your amp to tweak YOUR sound. Unlike a Marshall Plexi, you cannot crank everything to 10, thinking this wanker will drive me crazy ! You really have to fine tune your tone. Some weird comportments, like pushing the treble to a certain point only adds gain. You can't put too much bass or it'll sound flubby, a bunch of stuff like that.

One cool thing is that you have 3 types of EQ. Each channel can choose it's own. You have on every channel the Treble, Mid and Bass knobs, but you also have a sort of Tone knob per channel, + a general graphic EQ. So, per channel you have the choice between no extra EQ, the graphic EQ or a tone knob. So you really have a... huge array of sounds. It's really incredible.

And in Canada, I live in Montréal Québec. I put an order at my local mesa dealer around early april, and was the second one for the store to order a Mark V head. I got a really low serial # too... Mine is #311 !

For sound clips, I'll have to see what I can doo, because I leave the amp in my jam room, and have nothing to be able to record. Maybe sometime ! If you want a good idea of the sounds this amp can push, there's a german guy doing AWESOME demos of the Mark V combo, with 3 different guitars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BRrmG2yF4E

And finally, YES, it's worth the 2800 $ :P