Debating between a Mark V head and a .50 Caliber, opinions?

[Dumple Stilzkin]

I'm looking into the 90 watt Mark V head, and for whatever reason I decided to research .50 Caliber heads and they seem like really solid heads too. Have any of you tried both? I want something versatile, good cleans and can do dirty all the way down to the heavy meddles.

 

[budda]

Do you sell things? If yes, mk v.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

Do you sell things? If yes, mk v.

No, not really. Amps in particular I like to have quite a few on hand and don't ever sell them.

 

[Jon Pearson]

Both great, the V is going to be better at more things. The .50 cal may need a bit more TLC depending, it's an older amp. For that matter, depending on if it was earlier or later in the run, the V is getting close to needing a full check-up.

The V is going to be more versatile though if that is really important to you - it just has more stuff

 

[OneTwoThrill]

No debate !
The V !
Calibers or F series are sold because of the Mesa Boogie logo.

 

[MASS DEFECT]

If you are going for Calibers, go for the .50+ or the later multi-channel DC5/10. The non-plus .50 Caliber sounds lacking in gain and harsh when I tried one. The non plus calibers have EL84 tubes. The plus have 6l6 tubes. The plus sounds bigger in a room. Also, the old Calibers are old and I assume need more TLC.

The Mark V is a better choice IMO. Does the Caliber sound and the Mark sound, no problem. Newer components, independent channels, and multi wattage options.

 

[Crungy]

.50 will kick harder, you might want one of these

 

[youngthrasher9]

.50 will kick harder, you might want one of these

View attachment 136760

I have so many thoughts on this.

 

[eaeolian]

The .50 Cal is a pretty unique amp for Mesa, kind of like a budget-line Mark II in the 6L6 version. They have a very raw, open feel compared to the Mark, though. The EL34 version is different, more Santana-ish and lacking the EQ (at least I've never seen one, although they probably exist.)

I like Mark 5, although I ended up not buying one because it lacked a few things I wanted at the time. Very versatile, can get nasty.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I've never tried any of the Caliber series amps, but I've had a Mark V 90w head for several years. I would lean towards the V for the extra modes and dedicated controls for each channel. The Caliber seems to be pretty versatile, but the shared controls would probably be an obstacle for dialing in cleans vs dirty.

The DC-5 would land somewhere in between, although it still wouldn't have the multiple modes per channel like the V does.

 

[Marked Man]

These two aren't directly comparable. The MkV is a flagship with all the usual Mesa excess, a Samurai.

And the .50 Cal a stripped down budget street brawler. Both can be fun.

 

[Roadsterjosh]

The .50cal+ is a seriously good amp, but won't cover nearly the same ground as the Mark V. The caliber struggles to match useable volumes between the channels, the controls are exceptionally sensitive and extremely interactive, more so than I've found other Mesa amps. I had days where I absolutely loved mine, and days where the exact same settings sounded like trash. I kept mine for years because when I liked how it sounded nothing compared.
I have no experience with the full size Mark V so I can't comment, but if it is versatile and incredible as so many claim there wouldn't be a comparison for me.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

You want the Mark. 3 independent channels (MkV) vs 2 shared channels (50 Cal). I imagine it's a massive headache trying to balance the channels of the 50 Cal. I had that issue with a Mark III.

Plus I just think the Mark series (IIC onward) has a better overall sound. Like said above the 50 Cal gets pretty raw, gnarly and gritty but in a way I don't like. I'm not too familiar with the cleans, but the Mark-series cleans are consistently *great*.

​

 

[DarkstarII]

Writing as someone who owns both a JP2C and a DC-5, go for the Mark V. DC-5 and Caliber’s in general are a tad more Recto in the dirty channel and a bit less “Mark”. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.

 

[Marked Man]

The .50cal+ is a seriously good amp, but won't cover nearly the same ground as the Mark V. The caliber struggles to match useable volumes between the channels, the controls are exceptionally sensitive and extremely interactive, more so than I've found other Mesa amps. I had days where I absolutely loved mine, and days where the exact same settings sounded like trash. I kept mine for years because when I liked how it sounded nothing compared.
I have no experience with the full size Mark V so I can't comment, but if it is versatile and incredible as so many claim there wouldn't be a comparison for me.

It took Mesa quite a while to master the art of balance between channels. They nearly perfected it with the MKIV, although the crunch channel is lacking in gain by metal standards, even though it is fun to explore.

The MkV nailed it, although I think the JP-2C is the formula I need. I'll find a mint used one this year for sure. I've got a new card with 0% interest on all new purchases for 15 months.....waiting to pounce.

 

[BabUShka]

I just wondered about the same thing... Is your YT channel suddenly full of 50cal+ high gain video suggestions, or is it just me..?

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

I just wondered about the same thing... Is your YT channel suddenly full of 50cal+ high gain video suggestions, or is it just me..?

I wouldn't say full, I got one video recommendation and just looked into it more as I wasn't very familiar with them.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I just wondered about the same thing... Is your YT channel suddenly full of 50cal+ high gain video suggestions, or is it just me..?

Algorithm lol

Also more people are probably buying the Cals/DCs/F series amps over the Marks because the Marks are stupid expensive nowadays. Even though those lower end Mesas doubled in price as well lol

 

[ArtDecade]

Whichever one is lighter.

 

[Marked Man]

Whichever one is lighter.

Won't be the Mark.