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Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

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  • Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

    I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of Mesa yet again. Expect a few threads relating to it.

    I always hear about the Mark series being a versatile, jack of all trades amp, but so many demos are Petrucci, Fusion or Metallica style. I know the lineage is Fender and each channel has several gain stages/voicings.

    For those that are using Marks (specifically Mark V amps) how are you setting them up and using them?

    Boogie Bill, I know you’ve got all three Mark V amps and you are playing a wide variety of genres. How do you setup each amp and what tones are you getting?

    (background, I’ve had a Road King for well over a decade, so I’m familiar with the Rectifier side of the Mesa formula)
    Oh no.....


    Oh Yeah!

  • #2
    Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

    I run Channel 1 on Fat, bright switch on gain @ 1:00, Presence/Bass/Treble @ 12:00, Mids @10:30. Channel 2 on Edge, Gain/Presence/Mids/Treble @1:00, Bass @ 10:00. Channel 3 on MkIV, Gain/Treble/Mids @ 1:00, Presence @ 11:00, Bass @ 9:00, and the Graphic EQ on in the classic V with the Treble slider about even with the upper mid slider. All channels on 45W, Master Volume @ 12:00 and individual channel volumes set to desired balance. I also use a clean boost in front of the amp. I mainly play hardcore, punk, pop-punk, post rock, ect.
    Mesa has some videos of all of the channels/modes with different settings that are a good starting point.
    sigpic
    Gibson LP Trad Pro II->Various pedals->MEsa Boogie MkV->Owensby/219 Guitar Works Vertical Slant 2x12 w/WGS ET-65 and Veteran 30.

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    • #3
      Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

      Mark V 1x12 is a great amp for a studio and live.

      My only problem with Mesa in general is they tend to out think themselves on many designs in the last 25 years -sometimes too much is too much -so many of their modern amps make the same mistake Peavey made in the 80s trying to go into the high valve amp market -trying to be TOO versatile and have too many features which creates a very heavy, less reliable, complicated, and often an amp that looses core tone through all the features.
      “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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      • #4
        Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

        I just had an abcessed wisdom tooth extracted. I'll chime in when I start feeling better, and a little less loopy from the pain killers.

        Thanks for referencing me. I hope I can help.

        Bill
        When you've had budget guitars for a number of years, you may find that your old instrument is holding you back. A quality guitar can inspire you to write great songs, improve your understanding of the Gdim chord while in the Lydian Mode, cure the heartbreak of cystic acne--and help you find true love in the process.

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        • #5
          Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

          If you happen to own one of the fore mentioned amps, right now is the time to just start fiddling with the dials.
          See what you can come up with!

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          • #6
            Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

            Originally posted by Demanic View Post
            If you happen to own one of the fore mentioned amps, right now is the time to just start fiddling with the dials.
            See what you can come up with!
            If I had one, I would be!

            I’ve got a few amps, the Fender is set and forget, the Victory has a bit more tweaking, but it’s a single channel, clean to slight breakup amp as well. Both are pretty straightforward. The Splawn is Marshall based and like a lot of Marshalls, it’s got a few sweet spots where is does best. The Road King is my versatile amp. Lots of options for clean/edge of breakup in the clean channels but there gain channels are pretty standard Dual Rectifier. You can try to get other tones, but for the most part it’s at its best in the recto sweet spots.

            I’m wondering if the Mark is more versatile or if it has sweet spots as well.
            Oh no.....


            Oh Yeah!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

              Originally posted by allbutromeo View Post
              I run Channel 1 on Fat, bright switch on gain @ 1:00, Presence/Bass/Treble @ 12:00, Mids @10:30. Channel 2 on Edge, Gain/Presence/Mids/Treble @1:00, Bass @ 10:00. Channel 3 on MkIV, Gain/Treble/Mids @ 1:00, Presence @ 11:00, Bass @ 9:00, and the Graphic EQ on in the classic V with the Treble slider about even with the upper mid slider. All channels on 45W, Master Volume @ 12:00 and individual channel volumes set to desired balance. I also use a clean boost in front of the amp. I mainly play hardcore, punk, pop-punk, post rock, ect.
              Mesa has some videos of all of the channels/modes with different settings that are a good starting point.
              Thank you.
              Are you getting a little breakup on Channel 1? Decent crunch on 2 and pretty heavy saturation on Channel 3?
              Last edited by PFDarkside; 04-08-2020, 01:00 PM.
              Oh no.....


              Oh Yeah!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

                I almost sold my Mark IV (B version) for a V:25 but glad I didn't, there is something very raw about the IV that the V I tried didn't have. Don't get me wrong, it was still very nice!

                My only cab is an Ear Candy BuzzBomb 2x12, but I've plugged into 4x12 when they're at gigs. For a lot of live use for the last 8 years or so, I've run my head on Tweed power, with the poweramp switches set to Pentode / Class A / Harmonics (lead channel only). I used to try and keep it on full power and Simul-Class but realized I could get a better juicy, squishy-yet-firm all-around sound that is plenty loud and dynamic in every channel. Presence controls are always pulled out on RHY2 and LEAD

                There is almost always a boost on for the gain channels, like Fulltone FB3, FD2, or Horizon Precision Drive. Anything tends to tighten up the lows and add some juice.

                My clean is fairly neutral (B/M/T/P - 2/4/6.5/4) with gain on 6-7 with the bright OFF. For most things I tend to use RHY2 and roll back the volume to get clean anyway, so RHY1 doesn't get too much use.

                RHY2 cleans up very well even with a boost! It is my main rhythm and clean sound for everything from classic rock to our brand of hard prog/rock a la Tool, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, System of a Down etc. The bass and mid are shared so I bump the treble to 7.5 and presence control is pulled, set at 4-5. Gain is usually 6-7 with pull FAT, for some songs I'll push it in. With the boosts, this channel will do pretty much anything I need.

                There is a lot of hate for RHY2 on this amp, and I used to hate it too! But just before playing some Rush tunes at a gig in 2012, I had a tone moment where I thought, "I'm already using the FatBoost, maybe I should push the FAT in and try lower gain for this". It felt weird and different under the fingers but when I listened back from a friend's camera recording, I was really surprised at how much I liked the sound. So ever since then I've used the crap out of the second channel for almost all my gain sounds, and have realised how much range is really in that channel. The tone is definitely more vintage in the attack, I would describe it as more open, bassy, with extended top end that is almost scratchy but in a good way. But it holds together and is a little stiff. Not bad stiff, just another texture. Using the amp on Class A and Tweed power softens this up enough for my liking.

                LEAD - what can I say. It is the legend of the amp. I like both the PULL FAT and leaving it pushed in, but I don't think my settings have changed much in years. B/M/T/P are 1/3/8/4, drive is usually 5-6, and gain 7.

                I have used the EQ in a non-standard way, for the Mark legend at least, where I leave the first two sliders at neutral, bump up the 750 Hz a bit, drop the 2200 Hz below centre, and bump 6600 Hz a bit. This cuts like a mofo as a lead boost and sings beautifully for heavy playing and more dynamic leads alike.

                WHEW what an essay. It's very easy to go down the rabbit hole and given how much I have spent tweaking over the last 13 years I've had the amp, I can't imagine how much deeper you could go on the Mark V with more modes, more switches... Dear lord. I've found my voice I think with the Mark IV and keep finding more as time goes on.

                But luckily I've found what works in most contexts with the variety of classic and modern rock we play.

                Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk
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                • #9
                  Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

                  Originally posted by PFDarkside View Post
                  Thank you.
                  Are you getting a little breakup on Channel 1? Decent crunch on 2 and pretty heavy saturation on Channel 3?
                  That's how I would describe it, with the boost pedal on. And I could get there without it by turning up the gain on the amp, but IMO it's more dynamic this way.
                  sigpic
                  Gibson LP Trad Pro II->Various pedals->MEsa Boogie MkV->Owensby/219 Guitar Works Vertical Slant 2x12 w/WGS ET-65 and Veteran 30.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

                    I have one and love it, I with a booster like a tube screamer I can get in the neighborhood of any tones I want

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

                      Originally posted by PFDarkside View Post
                      I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of Mesa yet again. Expect a few threads relating to it.

                      I always hear about the Mark series being a versatile, jack of all trades amp, but so many demos are Petrucci, Fusion or Metallica style. I know the lineage is Fender and each channel has several gain stages/voicings.

                      For those that are using Marks (specifically Mark V amps) how are you setting them up and using them?

                      Boogie Bill, I know you’ve got all three Mark V amps and you are playing a wide variety of genres. How do you setup each amp and what tones are you getting?

                      (background, I’ve had a Road King for well over a decade, so I’m familiar with the Rectifier side of the Mesa formula)
                      The Mark V 90 is an incredible amplifier. Its been Mesa's pinnacle amp for over a decade. The Mark IV people always seem to have an issue with it. I'm not sure why. I had a Mark IV many years ago and the Mark V for many years currently.
                      I see the Mark V as an improvement over the Mark IV in terms of tonality, and of course the extreme versatility of the Mark V makes it the most complete Jack-of-all-trades amp in existence.
                      The only problem I have with the Mark V is that the complexity of the amp makes it prone to potential problems. Have you ever seen the board in this amp? The sheer number of circuits in this amp is unbelievable. Most do-all-be-all amps miss the mark and end up not doing anything very well. The Mark V shatters that contention. It's one of the few amps that can cover almost every genre. Add a tubescreamer and you can get some serious metal sounds. The clean channel is the best clean you'll find outside of a Jazz Chorus.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Mesa Mark V - Boogie Bill!

                        I am guessing at some point, there will be a Mark VI. Anyone her anything yet?
                        Administrator of the SDUGF

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