Mesa Boogie Mark Five (MKV) amp demo part 2

[highrollerzzz]

I'm in love with this amp.

[GuillermoSmyser]

Plug in and start twiddling? I am twiddling myself just watching all the different demos for this amp.

[hampurilainenXXL]

Where can I find schematics for this amp...? ;)) JK this amp is awesome.

[dusted04]

this demo does the amp no justice

[Aiden057]

nice demo, what an amazing amp. I like how you let the chords ring out.

[elguachinmusical]

God, the other day I just bought a Marshall amp, but I think I might sell it to get this really kick-ass amp!

[joesatriani1200rulez]

OH....MY...GOD!

[emoboi311]

@joesatriani1200rulez so much better than a fucking shitty marshall

[BFGALL]

This amp is ridiculously brilliant! I've played some amps, but yesterday I went to the shop and easily spent one hour of playing. Did I tweak a lot? No. Just plugging in and wail away. The basic sound is so awesome, you have no idea until you played it. The power choice (90/45/10) is one of the best features. You should know that changing only the gain makes HUGE differences already. On top of that all the modes and switches. This amp is so versatile, but still easy to operate! Sonic heaven!!!

[xldh44]

you cannot possibly go wrong with this amp!!!

[UnforgivingCritic]

something in my mind tells me that British people are stupid, or maybe they just sound ridiculous with their accents.

[whatsitallabouthey]

@UnforgivingCritic Rating unintelligent statements on a scale from 1 to 2, yours is a solid 2.

[dusted04]

@UnforgivingCritic i agree with you there accent is so annoying

especially the women

[Matan2222222]

the price speaks for itself

[svenzia]

sweeeeeeeeeet sounding. i want

[gravano2]

I own a Mesa recto verb , I paid 2 G's and it is no way near as versatile .You can use this the rest of your life

[zachsara7]

5 band eq. Not 4.

[sscingi]

I hate to say it, but, this is IT...(for at least another decade)

[zep4life]

This amp is really, In my opinion, Mesa's stab at the newer generation of digital modeling amps (i.e., the AxeFx). They said, ok, you guys want to model our amps, that is fine and good, but we're going to compete by offering all of our REAL amplifiers in one head, for about the same price. In my opinion, this thing smokes. The result of this engineering is one of the most versatile amps ever produced!!

[stratdoc]

Reminds me of John Cleese in "The Meaning of Life"...The class in which sex education and proper foreplay is taught by Prof. Humphrey (John Cleese) by copulating with his wife in front of class: ("Nibbling the earlobe, uhh, kneading the buttocks, and so on and so forth. So, we have all these possibilities before we stampede towards the clitoris, Watson" Ah yes the possibilities with the Mark V!!

[kizmetx]

Randall Smith and the folks at Mesa have definitely outdone themselves yet again.

[sureshrandawa]

I love my MkIII and if i had $2000 to spend on an amp, this would be it.

[rouxeau14]

Awesome! It's not heavy metal. We all know these amps can do a metal sound. Finally we get to witness the sheer versatility of this great amp. I want one.

LOL!

[GuitaristfromHell100]

What an amp, now I want it lol, well I love any mesa haha

[zep4life]

thank you jesus...a real guitarist. this amp actually does sound amazing. it sounds like those fizzy drinks in the other videos

[CarterFilmLtd]

@ocdist did you not watch starting at 2:25?

[house1918tyler]

@CarterFilmLtd thats not really metal, thats a guitar player who knows how to tune to drop D and just chugs some chords lol

[glassprisoner417]

this is the best review of this amp ever, i can actually hear the tonality of the music

[MHU999]

excellent review

[rkl17]

Outstanding review Mick. I was teetering for months on whether to invest in a boutique pure Class A amp, and I have test driven many. But I keep coming back to this amp. Randall Smith has created the ultimate amp, or perhaps better said, the ultimate array of amps and tones, with the Mark V. The sustain of this rig is unbelievable... but it was your review that finally sold me, on what I guess I already knew. Mesa should use your videos for their demo videos on their website. Well Done!

[popkitaristi]

Thanks! Great amp and a great, thorough review!

[PRSguy94]

I'm going to show this to my friend who thinks that Mesa Boogie is only for John Petrucci Disciples.

[pinoyblues]

damn!!! I have to save for this amp!

[squirttilithurts]

this amp is just awesome

[possum2big]

And, it can be re-biased for EL-34 power tubes. That would be a great back to back comparison.

[ksmithdc]

@6:18 - this is getting close to Brian May's amazing tone. I'll bet with a Red Special clone and a bit of EQ tweaking, they can nail the sound.

[81giorikas]

terrible video. So many amateur videos that sound better. Even guitar world could make a better one and they make the worst. You are almost tone king level which low.

[ruderocker]

Mark I mode is eerie.

[TheThim51]

i want a mesa soo bad, but theyre so freaking expensive

[eatsandsleeps]

Thanks for including a clean demo for the MkV. Although Mesa is obviously known for their crunch and distorted tones the cleans are also quite nice too. 

[TheDjangojunkie]

thanks for the great review.

[squirttilithurts]

that clean tone is absolutely amazing... OMG

[TheJerryludlow]

@squirttilithurts Yeah, so warm even on single coils. Superb amps.

[jhop5150]

Fun fact: The Mark II C+ is what Metallica recorded Master of Puppets with. It still sells for much more than the original retail price. This amp has Mesa's best in it for sure!

[jp6l6]

There are too many possibilities for my playing but I have to admit it sounds great. I think I'd have enough with a Lonestar classic but this one could be interesting to experiment new sounds.

[CrazyDiamond1968]

Incredible amp, beautiful guitar playing skills...great demo.

[ilivestrong25]

would the combo be suitable for small gigs?

[ilivestrong25]

would the combo be suitable for small gigs?

[gitarrenvogel]

The mic could have been a bit closer to the center.

I think it's easier to hear, what an amp sounds like, if the sound is less muffled.

[Natesmitguitar]

@gitarrenvogel If the mic is put closer to the centre, it will pick up more of the higher frequencies and possibly be harsher. Off-centre is usually good. But that's a totally subjective opinion. In the scenario of mic-placing, do what you want!

[bballgod237]

Good demo. I dunno what kinda mic that is but wouldn't it have been better to use a 57? And it doesn't really look like they have the mic in the right spot either

[levonhelmet]

looks like he is using a neuman( an actual recording mic) which is much better than a 57 for this typw of use.

[bballgod237]

not necessarily tho, the 57 gives pretty much the beef of the recording. Yeah the neuman is a great mic and used a lot but most of the time its a 57 against the cab and another mic or 2 for "room ambience"

[MyLifeChanger]

@levonhelmet the sm57 is also an actual recording mic.. most used mic ever both live and in the studio

[74LesPaul]

Randal Smith who is a friend of mine told me that he took a few guys into his studio who are hard core Mark C+ types. He said, "These guys know what a Mark C+ should sound like." He put their amps behind a curtain with a Mark IV - the Mark IV dialed to the C+ tone. He said, not looking at the amps, they were unable to tell them apart. Point made, even the Mark IV can be dialed in to sound right on with a C+.

[74LesPaul]

Head and cab keeps the tubes from vibrating with the amp. . but there are some who believe that the combo with the tubes catching some vibrations actually enhances the tone? Something to research I guess. I would probably go with the combo in this amp due to the fact that Randal has taken a lot of time to match the speakers correctly. . and might be less to haul around. . and less money?

[creation23]

Also, should I get the combo version or the Head and Cab version?

[74LesPaul]

Great Demo. . but the EQ should have been scooped further. . with the mids below the mid line. Thanks.

[JAustinMunn]

That'd be good and dandy, but if you scoop the mids too much, you'll get lost in the mix.

[creation23]

@74LesPaul

Don't scoop the mids completely, do what Mark Morton does: Bass 4.5 Mids 6 Treble 8.5 Then have the Mesa V EQ on. Don't get lost in the mix and amazing sound too.

[leftyguitarguy]

finally, thanx for a great review, been trying to find a demo that actually showed what this amp can do , if you play different styles, how could you not want this, much appreciated !!

[strmopizdin]

This review of the Mark V is so good cause it shows the tones that are in the amp and not necceserally of the metal variety. Truly amazing amp. I play a "bit" heavier type of music in terms of gain (think of Dream Theater, James LaBrie, Dali's Dilemma, TOOL, APC - Mesa Boogie type of heavyness), and this thing amazes me in terms of versatility. I almost bought Mark IV earlier last year, but now I know what is the next amp to buy.

[levonhelmet]

awesome i want one!

in fact i am going to sell my whole triaxis rig to get it!

[1234guitardaddy]

What a waste of money !

Buy a Mesa Boogie Quad Pre-Amp, plug it into any reasonable combo's power amp in preferably an old Boogie and you get all these tones and more

[sXeSnowmansXe]

@SwampAshHSS I'm looking forward to seeing a really, really comprehensive and in-depth review of it, where they show what this amp can do across all the spectrums, metal, blues, rock, country, and everything in between.

[RediForKing]

@SwampAshHSS Hey watch your mouth!

This amp is obviously a metal amp.

And this demo sucks because of no high gane sound.

[MrJackanthony]

@RediForKing Tell me how its so obvious this amp is made for high gain? Don't say because its a mesa.

[RediForKing]

@MrJackanthony Not because it's a mesa but because it's a Mark.

[MrJackanthony]

@RediForKing That's even worse than the answer I was expecting(not to sound cocky) Come on pal you can do better.

[sittingontherooftop]

@RediForKing Funnily enough, one of the first to popularize the mark was santana...not exactly a metal player is he? MArks have always been very versatile, and suited to many different styles of music. After all, they were born as hot rodded fenders.

[cast390]

@SwampAshHSS Stupid metal heads? Go fuck yourself cheese dick

[misztal2112]

@SwampAshHSS Finally a proper review PERIOD!!! it seems like every demo out there involves some joker that can't play. This guy is straight and to the point. Great review!!

[Caboose2320]

@SwampAshHSS HEY! Im a metal head!!!! I love this amp!! BUT i love steve and the fast paced jazz!

[74LesPaul]

@SwampAshHSS

Exactly. . agreed

[munchy040]

@SwampAshHSS dude this amp is known for metal as well as other things and this demo dosnt really give a very good idea of what the amp can really do ... as i have owned 1 and these tones in this demo are far from what it can do !

[GuillermoSmyser]

That tone is thick enough to cut with a knife!

[b4zii12]

@GuillermoSmyser So not thick at all..

[GuillermoSmyser]

@b4zii12 No, usually sound/tone is just rippling air. Bread, on the other hand, is thicker than air and can be cut with a knife. This tone, though not as thick as bread, is still rather thick.

[b4zii12]

@GuillermoSmyser Aah, like that..

[Spocksbrother]

6:22 top gear! lol

[jpetrucci05]

Excellent demo, thanks man

[jayco4]

i just called Steves music in montreal and they say the Mark V combo is 2,499$

[blinkdude182]

thats not as bad (pricey) as i thought it'd be lol :).

[ddisgood]

that's sick, my rectifier cost the same price, and it isn't even a combo

[wizzear]

i bought mine (head) with rectifier 2X12 cab) at italmelodie and it's tagged at 2550$

got it for 2300$

[Grapowi]

That amp is amazing! I tested that amp last week. Simply amazing. Only minus is the price. it costs here in Finland over 3100€ which is like 4400 dollars. :S

Very nice playing btw!

[backmaskmetal]

Gotta love the intrusive R. Messer Amps!

[jockercyril]

une vraie tuerie cet ampli !

[Ramrodicus]

Thanks for posting these detailed vids. As a Mesa/Boogie player, I've been wanting to hear this thing.

First impression: I like the cleans better than the hi-gain tones.

[innerblades]

Yes I find the rectifier has better hi gain tone. The clean and mid gain tone is amazing though.

[aksnowman11]

it sounds like he didn't adjust the eq accordingly as he was switching modes/channels, which he should have done. if he would have cut the bass for the high gain stuff it would have sounded much tighter. on a mesa, as the gain goes up, the bass needs to come down, or the sound loses definition. its just how they work. the lesson here: USE GAIN WITH DISCRETION

[reening]

that is one heck of an amp.

[blekidud]

@reening

with one heck of a price.

[q2w3bn876]

@reening No wonder that e.g. Carlos Santana has played Mesa for many, many years. Great, great amps !