Hollowway
Extended Ranger
If i'd known there was a english teacher grading my post I would have edited it for you
No worries. There's always next time.
Sold my Mark V heres why (lengthy)
- Thread starter BrentSSL
- Start date
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No worries. There's always next time.
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Cobhc221
Well-Known Member
this is exactly why im a plug in and go player.
i hate having to fiddle around with knobs for a ridiculous time period.
Just because John Petrucci uses it doesn't sell that mark V for me. Because, i know his cant be a regular one.
i member playing a mark V and just wasn't satisfied no matter what i did to it.
im so glad i opted out for Engl Amplifiers. getting a tone from ANY Engl is simple and most importantly a stress reliever.
but for the price of a Mark V you can have a powerball II.
Engl Powerball II 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head | GuitarCenter
i hate having to fiddle around with knobs for a ridiculous time period.
Just because John Petrucci uses it doesn't sell that mark V for me. Because, i know his cant be a regular one.
i member playing a mark V and just wasn't satisfied no matter what i did to it.
im so glad i opted out for Engl Amplifiers. getting a tone from ANY Engl is simple and most importantly a stress reliever.
but for the price of a Mark V you can have a powerball II.
Engl Powerball II 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head | GuitarCenter
jc986
Tone Enthusiast
I find it pretty simple and straightforward to dial in just about any sound I want from my Mark V in a short amount of time. The key is reading the manual to get a good understanding of how the tone controls interact with each other, and the concept behind each of the modes.
Why wouldn't John Petrucci's Mark V be a "regular one"? The amp was designed with his input, so there would be no reason why Mesa would need to tweak one offs just for him. I'm not saying they wouldn't if he wanted something further tweaked, but I think assuming this is the case is a bit of a reach.
I don't think you can just go into a music store and sit down with ANY Mark series amp for 15-20 minutes and get a good feel for it (unless you went in after having read the manual, and attack the amp with that understanding).
I'm glad you enjoy your ENGL amp, they are great sounding too. It's awesome that there are so many different options on the market to cater to different tastes.
Cobhc221
Well-Known Member
that was actually the case in had unfortunately.
i was only allowed 2o minutes with the Mark V.
im also very impatient. i hate having to sit down and find waldo for tones.
my friend has one and it sounds amazing for what he needs. but, i love my invader and its the best thing i've ever bought. not saying its a bad amp but its not for me.
jc986
Tone Enthusiast
The Invader is a great amp. I agree there is definitely something satisfying about playing an amp where it is hard to dial in a setting that sounds bad. I haven't played an Invader, but I have a lot of experience with the Fireball, Powerball, and Blackmore amps, and they are definitely easier to dial in than any Mesa amp. Mesa's interactive tone circuit can be maddening if you don't take the time to learn the interactions between the controls.
Hollowway
Extended Ranger
I think the issue really is that the Mark series amps (and many of Mesa's other amps) just aren't plug and play type of amps. They're really designed for those who want a zillion different sounds out of one amp. The Mark V is probably the most tweakable amp in their lineup. It would make a great studio amp, a great cover band amp, and a great amp for someone who likes fiddling. I don't have a Mark V, but I wanted a Mark IV for a looooong time, and I remember one tiem I was at GC and the guy asked what kind of tone I was looking for, because he warned me that I could fuss with it for hours and get nowhere if I didn't know what I was doing. I told him, and he dialed in a pretty sweet sound right there. But there were knobs in the front, knobs in the back, switches everywhere. I'm with you guys on this. While I LOVE and respect Mesa tremendously, I know that when I practice I tend to play just one sound all the time. Even on my POD I don't think I've changed the patch in 10 years.
Cobhc221
Well-Known Member
Exactly. plus, i wasn't expecting the invader to be mine. i was originally looking at the EVH 5153 Head until i saw that glory of a head come into my local guitar center. the mesa did feel way too twitchy for me. it also sounded flabby for the tone i go for. i play Death Metal so i need that UMFFEEEHHHHH.
im now very fond of EL34s now. i love that there's no fizz either its tailored to my needs. its very brutal but can be very articulate. im a proud owner of two engl setups and couldn't be happier. i only GAS on the Victor Smolski head tho.
If i'd known there was a english teacher grading my post I would have edited it for you
He has a legit complaint, as I didn't make it through it, either.
Also, with 18 posts I think we should lay off the "I'm a tough guy of teh Interwebz" crap, K?
This. I know people that have spent years spouting hate for Rectos, and I can usually clear up their misconceptions in five minutes of hands-on with the amp. Mesa's tone stacks don't work like you expect.
Not trying to be a "tough guy" just don't care for internet micro management lol and what are you saying about Mesas tone stacks thats a tad I think I know what you are saying but elaborate a little
Amen. I was lucky enough to have guys like Mike on here to advise me on how to eq my recto when I got it.
If i hadn't, I would have probably taken a lot lot longer untill I got something I like.
The tone stacks aren't the same as other amps.
molsoncanadian
Crunchy Riff, Eh?
Yeah, I certainly have an issue with OP saying doesn't live up to the hype.
I have owned 2 now, I sold the first to go for an axe fx, boy was that a mistake. Glad to have one again and will probably never sell.
I'm not terribly bothered by people disliking the amp for its tonal characteristics, but when they spout off that it sucks, this and that, I would almost guarantee 75% of the time they sat in front of the amp, did the usual tone tweaking like they do on every other amp, and expected immediate results.
Then get butt hurt because it's not djenty or whatever the kids like these days.
I fully submit that there are probably more than a few competent users that understood mesa's interface, and still disliked it, no beef with you guys.
To echo the same sentiments shared across hundreds of forums, repeated 3000 times.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Not posting this with the intent of taking a jab at the OP, just hoping his post doesn't ruin others interest in this this amp. It is so so so versatile and if you can read, you can pull amazing tones from this amp.
I have owned 2 now, I sold the first to go for an axe fx, boy was that a mistake. Glad to have one again and will probably never sell.
I'm not terribly bothered by people disliking the amp for its tonal characteristics, but when they spout off that it sucks, this and that, I would almost guarantee 75% of the time they sat in front of the amp, did the usual tone tweaking like they do on every other amp, and expected immediate results.
Then get butt hurt because it's not djenty or whatever the kids like these days.
I fully submit that there are probably more than a few competent users that understood mesa's interface, and still disliked it, no beef with you guys.
To echo the same sentiments shared across hundreds of forums, repeated 3000 times.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Read the manual.
Not posting this with the intent of taking a jab at the OP, just hoping his post doesn't ruin others interest in this this amp. It is so so so versatile and if you can read, you can pull amazing tones from this amp.
Hi molsoncnadian I'm the OP and I did read the manual I did dial with my ears. But I like to cut through the extras of an amp and find a true powerful loud and thick tone because I didn't find usable tone for the tones on the MKV I like I sold it. Since I posted this I have realized mark series Mesa amps distortion is kinda meh just my humble opinion.
op1e
Spirit Taker
I love LoG's tone. They have to have a golden ratio to pull that off all the time live? Their mids are so fantastic. There's a "squish" to the tone, but still so defined with all that fast upper register work in their rhythms.
MattThePenguin
Well-Known Member
I was wondering when Lamb of God was going to be mentioned! It's a shame that their best selling album had the worst guitar tone. The tones on Resolution and As The Palaces Burn are fraken BRUTAL.
Ola's Mark V mini video had the perfect Resolution tone, I could hear the guitars from the album as he was playing haha
Ola's Mark V mini video had the perfect Resolution tone, I could hear the guitars from the album as he was playing haha
jc986
Tone Enthusiast
LOG doesn't use Mark V's. Mark is using a Mark IV mixed with a Royal Atlantic and Willie is using Mark IV's. They tried Mark V's briefly but pretty quickly switched back to Mark IV's. I can definitely dial in convincing LOG tones on my Mark V though.
onefingersweep
Well-Known Member
That could not be more true.
That being said, the Mark V really is a tone wise step down from the old Mark II and III's.
Made a comparison with my IIC+ once, and the V had this "Blanket over the speakers" muffled sound that I just couldnt dial out. But I would never call it a bad amp or an overpriced bedroom amp. Well.. maybe a little because i'm european and Mesa thinks it's fair to charge double prices overhere
You could argue that they are overpriced bedroom amps. If you design an amp in this day and age without it being 100% MIDI controllable and then sell it for a ridiculous amount of money I'd say it's in actuality a very expensive studio (or bedroom) amp.
I mean, ENGL has done this since the 80's and most other high end amps does it. But some people in California (not only Mesa) refuse to do it
Sure he use regular Mesa amps, but he's not a regular guitar player, thats all
Well, they're different. In the Recto, the treble control is king. In the Mark, knobs set the gain character and pre-shape the tone, and then the graphic EQ sets the final tone (showing it's Fender roots, since the tone stack is before the preamp.) For a good Mark tone I usually set the midrange stupid high on the tone stack (most of the way up) and the bass and middle at about noon, then scoop the middle back out in in the classic "V" shape to taste. Petrucci's vid on the Mesa site is very useful in this regard.
TheWarAgainstTime
"TWAT" for short
I took a similar approach to dialing in my Mark V. I had the gain and treble at or just above noon, then mids nearly all the way up, bass at 10:00ish, presence just above noon, then master to about 11:00 and used the "preset" knob for the EQ around noon or 1:00. Sounds a lot thicker and meaner than scooping the mids and boosting the treble with the knobs IMO
