The Mesa Boogie Mark V Demystified
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2020
- As a long-time guitarist and Mesa / Boogie fan, It's come to my attention that there are people reaching out on the internet for some help regarding the proper way to coax tones out of the Mesa / Boogie Mark V 90. If you can rethink the way you generally EQ an amp, the Mark V can be an incredibly intuitive and rewarding tone platform!
Also one quick note:
Make sure you don't have the loop level or master volume too low on the amp, otherwise it will seriously thin out the sound and there isn't much you can do to get a decent tone. Keep Channel Volumes low to keep the master volume in check at low volumes.
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This being my first REAL UA-cam video, I may have left out some crucial info:
- I generally stick to the Mark IV Mode on Channel 3 as the Mark II C+ mode is a little stiff and lacks low end, and Extreme mode is too bass-heavy in my personal opinion.
- I didn't include a Bass track on the playthrough, as I wanted to make sure the Amp was on full display. Might start adding bass tracks to future amp highlight videos if I feel it doesn't detract from hearing the tone of the amp as it's nice having that extra low end.
- While the Cab was mic'd during the tweaking section, I used the Slave Out from the amp going directly into my interface then used an OwnHammer IR for all the guitar tracks in the play through.
- For the Solo I had a Strymon Volante in the Loop of the Mark V
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The Playthrough in the video is a song called Storm Dominion from my band, Arris.
Follow us on SoundCloud: / arrismetal
Website: www.arrisband.com
Instagram: / arrisband
Follow me on Twitch: / mattmkv
Wonderful content. It has the appearance of a channel with years of experience. You have a great cadence of speech. Can’t wait for more and more videos, then some more after that.
Couple “tech-type” suggestions:
1) See if your camera has a focus lock for times when you reach into the field of view. It would be a shame for auto focus to blur an extended portion of your videos.
2) Sounded like you were slightly out of breath... probably nerves if you’re anything like most people haha. I’d edit out big breaths and smooth out with blank room tone constantly playing on a separate track so there aren’t silent bits in your dialogue.
All the best. I hope you post many videos very soon!!!
Thanks for the extremely kind words!
1) Good suggestion, I'll manual focus on fixed content next time. Thank you for pointing that out.
2) It's probably a mixture of me having to bend over because my mic stand wasn't tall enough, it being awkward for me talking while knowing it's being recorded and the heavy compression on the mic because I was using a cheap $20 mic I found in an old box. Definitely need to work on most levels of production, I promise I will in the future!
You didn’t sound out of breath or nervous. Give me a break. If anything, you sounded really relaxed. Great demo brother.
Thanks Matt! This was SUPER helpful! I didn't fully understand the way to shape the tone between the knobs and the sliders until this video! Wow! What a gamechanger in dialing this amp in! HUGE thanks for breaking this down!
I just copied the settings that John Petrucci showcased in his video about the amp some 10 odd years ago, never needed to tweak it since. I have to say the Mark V 90 is one the best metal amps that I have ever tried. To me, it's much more versatile than the Rectifiers, 5150s and ENGLs while similar crushing tones. I am glad I was able to save up to nvest in one.
It's an awesome, awesome amp. Yeah, Petrucci for sure gave us all good advice on how to tweak it. The purpose of this video was to try and get a better understanding of why things are set the way they are and how each setting may effect another. Hopefully it wasn't too close to the Petrucci video to render it pointless! \m/
Dude, i own this thing and it does everything from Neo soul/jazz to Texas blues to metal, and its stupidly good at all of them, not just decent or acceptable, but really good at all.
Very good instructional video for the mark v. I’ve got one and this kinda allowed me to use the amp with greater versatility. Always knew what settings worked, but never knew why. Simple and great!
Awesome and thorough demo of one of my favorite 'misunderstood' amps. Great job!
"Treat the EQ like an overdrive pedel" is the best explanation i have heard yet! I have often tried to describe to people how unique you have to dial these in!
I remember my hate, hate relationship with this amp at first. Slowly but surely I figured out the same thing that you explained in this video. Once I did, I loved it, and can't even think how I hated it before. Now it's super easy to get awesome tones.
Very clear presentation of how to dial in a usable tone with Mark IV setting.
Had an issue last practice with the bass player switching from fuzz to distortion, exposing the significant amounts on honk present with the EQ set relatively flat.
After fumbling around with settings on the fly, I arrived at something very similar to what you have illustrated. Your explanation makes it far clearer why.
Thank you!
I appreciate the video. You have a very professional approach. Will try your suggested methodology. I have been fighting with channel three on this sucker since it’s launch.. my favorite amp and also my most reviled nemesis. Thanks!
Yep. This is key info for any Mark V owner. The Treble, Mid and Bass on each channel are controls that do not exist on normal amps. The graphic and preset controls on the right are the equivalent of the EQ you get on a normal amp.
Also, the channel EQ knobs are wired in series, meaning that the signal goes through the treble to get to the mid, then to the bass. So each one sequentially effects what the next one gets.
The signal flow is Treble -> Mid -> Bass -> Gain -> Presence -> Graphic/Preset.
You can’t think of the channel EQs as normal EQ. For the tone I like, I end up setting the treble at about 10 o’clock, the mid as high as 2 o’clock, and the bass at 11 for clean, or almost off for high gain. Then the Graphic or preset at the end gives the standard mid scoop. And that kind of setting is totally normal.
Once you understand that concept, everything else makes sense. Literally do whatever sounds right with the channel EQ. But turn the Bass up or down depending on how much gain you’re using. And too much Treble/Presence with very high gain can lead to feedback.
Nice. Absolutely a crazy amplifier that can deliver all sorts of unique tones.
Charles Wagner Most definitely. This video was pretty focused on Ch. 3... but honestly if all 3 channels were their own separate single-channel amps they’d all be praised on their own.
Clean/Tweed is spectacular, and crunch/Mk I channel is crunchy and gooey in all the best ways. My name’s MattMKV for a reason!
Great job. I appreciate the explanation. I just bought one of these so I am doing my research now
Great first video! You did very well. Looking forward to your next vids. Perhaps show how you use and dail in the other modes. Always nice to see what other Mark V users use for their settings. I’m planning to upload my first video about the Mark V soon. Keep it up! Cheers from Amsterdam 🤘🏼
Nick van Kempen Thanks man! Yeah I was considering doing the crunch channel as well, but that’s a whole video in itself... all 3 modes in that channel are awesome and that channel alone covers more ground than a lot of other channel switchers can manage. So keep on the lookout for the Channel 2 vid, it’s coming!
Hugely helpful, thank you very much!
This is great, just finally got one of these heads and this is just what I was looking for 👍
It does so much. Quite possibly the most versatile amp ever made 🤘
hey brother great tones and excellent playing.
Thanks, my dude! 🙏
Good job ..I’m getting good stuff outta my JP2C ..but I took awhile to…gonna use these practices you have here to further experiment ..nice work
We're starting at the beginning everybody
Good job, my fellow Lefty!
Thanks a billion! No doubt there are more of us out there than Guitar Makers would like to admit. \m/
Great content, man! Setting the mode to xtreme and lowering the bass slider a bit, will give you a super tight sound, and you can push the gain way up without fizz. Depending on your guitar, you can roll off your volume knob for some killer mid-gain tones while in xtreme. I’ve owned this amp for over 10 years... I absolutely love it - both for recording and live gigs.
Thanks for the info man! You know, the extreme mode was originally what I used. I swapped because it was really hard to balance levels with the other two channels as I like my Ch 1 & 2 lower wattage with the tube rectifier, while the Ch 3 in Pentode mode... so it always seemed like a massive difference in dynamics and overall volume with extreme, so it was hard balancing it out.
Maybe I should take another crack at it though. \m/
lots of people need to see this video that has a mark v 90 watt. so many people out there haven't a clue. thank you
WhipIt45 Yeah it’s a strange one to dial in if you’re used to more traditional preamps. I remember when I first traded my Kemper to get it: while testing it before we finalized the trade I was thinking “did I just make a massive mistake?”
When I got it home though, I dialed in the amp like the little quick start card on top of the amp suggests and BAM tone was there. So remember people: READ YOUR MANUALS! 👍
Subbed a great review as I've been looking at getting a Mesa Mark V at some point to add variety to what I have. A Mesa Mark V and a high gain Marshall modded type amp would be perfect combo.
Great pairing right there. If there's one thing the Mark series struggles with a bit, IMO, is the hairy / loose balls-to-the-wall raunchy tones you can get with Marshall style circuits. We just became a Friedman dealer at my work, super hard not to pull the trigger on a JJ Junior!
one of the most underrated amps of all time. I've owned one for about 8-9 years. Best amp I have ever owned......the versatility of this amp is incredible.
Not underrated at all IMO, is one of the most respected and valued amps
@@PMO269 its lowly rated among the mark owners circle.
@@0megalul309 thank you for your explanation, probably Mesa circles are a US only thing, here in Europe there’s not such a thing and nobody would ever disregard a Mark V amp. Maybe this is one of the consequences of the fact that Mesa has become a regional North America focused amp builder, who knows
i have a mark five 25 which i LOVE and it took me awhile to figure out the amp. a good read through the owners manual really helped. you just need some patience. i use a mesa flux five as a preamp which is absolutely killer on the mark five 25. then i added a boss sustainer, delay and dimension c all with a noise gate. i also have a mxr phaser. the amp is just killer clean and dirty. the crunch channel is a national treasure as well :)
Only got to tool around with the 25 a little bit when a used one rolled into my work... very impressive how close to the 90 it sounded. Huge, in a word. Also love me some Phase 90!
@@matt_mkv yep the mark five 90 sounds just silghtly fuller than the 25 but i specifically got that amp so i could play any room in the house without pissing anyone off and so far "mission accomplished" i have the MXR Phase 95 so i can get all the awesome mxr phaser tones in one pedal...love it!
I love your sound
Thanks dude much appreciated 🙏
Great walkthrough dude. SM57 on a Vintage30 is the standard for a reason. I love my MKIV and am heavily debating upgrading to the V.
Kyle Labuta I hear the Mark IV is fantastic as well. Never experienced one in person myself, but they say it’s more saturated for heavy tones. Would love watching a rundown of it if you make a video 🤟
@@matt_mkv keep the mark IV, save for the Mark 5. You'll thank me. Keep Rocking
Keep the IV
Mark7 is my new favorite
Its a good video....just ordered one....wanted to see some vid's to get some ideas.
thanks great explanation
Well done ! Have a 90w ran in stereo ! If it weren’t for the Patrucci settings video it would have been overwhelming ! Hot tip with thr gain & treble relation !
Christian Garrett Martin yeah the petrucci video is great!
Great! thank you for taking the time and posting. My amp sounds so much better!
Thanks so Much!
Thanks so much for watching!
@@matt_mkv Great Advice! Keep up the great Work and Your Music!
Setting up any Mesa amp with an EQ is a simple thing. Rotary tone controls are pre-distortion, which controls the available harmonic content in the distortion, and the EQ is post distortion which completes the tone shaping. This is where your thump, honk, sizzle, and scoop are adjusted.
You have your output really low, that will certainly effect the way the amp breathes. I find that turning it up until you hit a big volume bump in the taper (around 10 o clock) really helps the amp sound more natural. For me it's Output and Master first, before I start tweaking at all. Obviously 90 watt is best but if you need to limit the volume consider going tweed and 10 watt.
Thanks for the reply, unfortunately for the high gain stuff tweed is kind of off the table haha. Of course pushing air is ideal, but especially in the high gain modes, most of your tone is coming from the preamp gain stack, so it's the lesser of two evils IMO.
What's the saying? There's more than one way to peel an onion... Or something lol.
Matt, can you tell me what setting you've got on... pentode or triode. Also can you describe the difference sound wise. Thanks!
Hi Matt, great video! Is the cab loaded with V30's? Speaker choice makes a big difference.
Paul Bowers Yes sir, loaded with English v30s... and I agree that speaker /cab and even the room you’re in can have a huge impact on your tone.
I find v30s to be the easiest speaker to mic for heavy music, they just sit in a mix so well with very little tweaking needed 👌
Hey
Matt, killer sound wow!!😍
Remember which Ownhammer IR using for this sound?? 🙏
Hey sorry for the late reply!
I used the Mesa Boogie “Trad” 4x12:
www.ownhammer.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=457
I don’t remember exactly which ir it was, I think it might have been one of the “chunk” mixes. Hope that helps!
Any plans to do similar treatments for the first and second channels or tones for other genres? This was really helpful.
Hey there, thanks for the feedback! I’ll definitely do videos for the other two channels. They are quite versatile so I’m going to have to write a script or be mindful of how long I’m talking... might have a cam set up where you can see me talking / playing guitar so the video isn’t just showing the front panel of the amp the whole time.
@@matt_mkv that would be awesome. The fact that the Mark series has been the go-to for Carlos Santana, John Petrucci, Prince, and James Hetfield (among many others) really speaks to their crazy versatility, and they're really tweakable.
Awesome dude, this is exactly what I was looking for. I read below that you might do the crunch channel, that would be awesome. Thanks again
hey thanks! You know, since i made the video I’ve downgraded to the 35w version, mainly just because the 90w was overkill for my apartment and a pain to carry up and down the stairs for practice lol.
I could still do an overview of the crunch channel as it’s largely very similar sounding to my 90w. Any suggestions for tones you’re going for? or are you just looking for my general settings?
In a blind test can you tell the difference from the 35 to the 90? As far as tones go, I would be curious to see how close you could get to a ratt or a dokken tone maybe on the crunch mode. Either way, General settings is a huge help as well. Thanks for the response, Thank you for your time.
@@SuperHotrod4
If you blind folded me I'm not sure I could pick out a whole lot of difference. Maybe the 90w is a touch more saturated and saggy? I will say it sucks having the crunch channel tied to the clean section of the amp on the low watt versions... makes no sense to me and it's the only real reason i miss the 90w.
Trying to nail modded marshall tones would be a fun experiment! As for Dokken stuff, the later Back for the Attack or Lynch Mob Wicked Sensation tones are some of my favorites of all time. I think the Mark V could get close enough to be convincing?
Ahhhh….yeah although I don’t own one of these amps yet, it seems putting the crunch on the second channel would’ve been better.
I agree, love the guitar tone on back for the attack and first lynch mob. Getting in the ballpark would be great doesn’t need to be exact. Awesome dude!
Thanks.
I find the Mark IV lacks fullness, hence why I always use Extreme with thr band, and don't notice low end issues. It still doesn't have the lows of my Dual Rec which is modified. I'll give Mark IV mode another try though. Seems to lack the complexity of Extreme.
You mention loop volume. I have to keep the loop level at unity which is about 11:00 on the back so that there is not a big volume jump or drop when engaging the loop. The only way to keep the loop level higher is to keep the loop always on, and just turn effects on/off on their own.
Are you saying it's best to keep the loop always on and keep the volume up? If so, I could keep loop level about half way and always on. What do you consider too low for loop and master volumes?
On channel volumes, I find clean volume needs to be cranked to balance with other channels. So my clean volume is around 2-3:00.
Have you tried the loop hard bypassed? Amp seems to sound better, warmer and punchier, but you lose the loop and master volume, so I still use the loop.
I do think the amp has a tiny bit more dynamics when the loop is bypassed. It’s a hell of a lot louder, too! I mention the loop because i feel you get a lot of tone suck when the loop level is set too low below unity.
@@matt_mkv Yes, I hear a difference in dynamics and punch. I swear it seems slightly fuller and warmer too, but my ears may be playing tricks. With the loop engaged and removing effects or a patch cord from the loop makes little difference.
Yes it gets very loud and hard to control volume.
Thanks for the loop comment. So it sounds like having the loop at unity is fine which is about 11-11:30 on the dial for me.
I have my amp set up that way. The rhythm sounds great! But i find it too harsh for leads and ice picky. Do you run another pedal for lead tone with this setting?
That’s a good question! I usually have an EQ pedal in the loop with some boosted mid frequencies for leads. It’ll give a slight volume boost, and also make things more chewy in the mids and less abrasive at the top end. This really depends on pickups too, however.
Hey great vid. Good explanation as this amp can be witchcraft sometimes lol. I have a pretty good sound on channel 2 with mark 1 mode. I use the channel without eq and the bass dropped down to 0. Still a little boomy though. I find that channel sounds really good with single coils. What’s your fav channel 2 setting? Thanks again.
Snowy Owl Yeah Mark I mode is definitely rich. I usually put the bass mode near zero as well, and then I’ll have an EQ pedal up front with a “frowny face” EQ curve to tighten it up at the input.
My personal favorite mode in channel 2 is crunch. 45 Watt w/ tube rectifier. While not as gainy and thick as Mark I, it still has this chewy character and smoothness in the mids that is just so perfect. It’s extremely touch sensitive too, and in a pinch I could use it as a clean channel when rolling off the volume pot on my guitar. 👍
@@matt_mkv Great! Thanks for the tips
For MK 1 mode, If you’re using humbuckers dump the bass, leave mids around noon or lower and max out the treble and presence knobs. Bring gain up to taste.
Good stuff! I’m having issues with using the effects loop and losing signal volume. Using the four cable method with a Line 6 M 12 , but I feel it should be bigger and fuller than it is.
I’ve had both a Boss MS-3 and GT1000 and one thing that was apparent to me was, when using 4CM, I always lost a little “something” or “edge”. I chalked it up to all the D/A and A/D conversion going on with digital equipment... but what it may be is a mixture of that and low quality buffers.
Try turning off the buffers in the pedal and running shorter cables as a test. If your tone becomes more open and responsive, you found the issue. If not, it might just be all the digital conversion going on when using 4CM.
Maybe trying only using time-based FX through the loop and plugging your guitar straight into the amp? Good luck dude 🤘
@@matt_mkv Thanks for the reply! MB gave me no real solution, I appreciate the advice. The only effects unit I’ve had success with was the TC Elecronic G Force...and of course it died on me. Thanks again for a possible solution. ✌🏻
@@evhwannabe6590 The G-force always worked perfectly with the Mark IV, love that thing. I only use an El Cap with the 5 though.
Have you tried a 12AT7 in v4 or v6 position ? There is quite an improvement when I changed the v6 on mine from a 12AX7 to a12AT7 .. Maybe you can do a video with the tube change n compare them .. just a thought..
I've heard good things about tube rolling these amps... but have never been bothered with doing it haha. If I'm ever in the position where I'm unhappy with my tone I may just try it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Ive been debating getting one of these for awhile. Everyone keeps telling the cleans are bland, and no sparkle to it at all. How true is that? I need something to play country and metal, an everything in-between.
Really cool song to show off the amp.
Is it from your band or was it made specifically for this video?
It’s a little thing I wrote for the video. Now, that isn’t to say it won’t end up in the band in some form. Glad you enjoy it!
Dude the original piece at the start was SAVAGE!! I absolutely loved it. Sounded really fresh and different. Top man!
@@johnwardle9667 Dude thanks a billion! I really appreciate it. The band kinda fell apart after lockdowns and all that... I'm sure that happened to a good number of bands, but I've been trying to polish up and finish the album even if it's just me alone lol.
I've had mine since 2011, it really is a daunting amp. Not because it's hard to find a GOOD tone, but it's hard to find a good tone to stick to.
The only thing I don't like about it is how difficult it is to retube the damn thing. The easiest method I've found is to remove the reverb tank and then flipping the head on its...head and retubing the preamp section from the bottom.
Yeah it's quite a tight squeeze in there. Pretty amazing when you consider how many features it has combined with the compact chassis. I have pretty small hands and it's still been a struggle for me. What I found is to make sure the preamp tube in the v1 position is always the last tube out and the first one back in... it's almost impossible with the other tubes in there haha.
Not a tube-roll friendly amp as you pretty much have to take the power tubes out to even have a hope of swapping out the preamp tubes.
@@matt_mkv I’ve seen a video where a guy cut a hole in the wood on the front of the amp behind the removable panel. I usually replace every tube at one time just to make it worth my while to get in there.
Awesome video. Followed your steps, my Mark V Ch.3 does sound better now... but I am still not in love with the sound. Which is frustrating, because I know people HAVE gotten really good sounds out of their Mark V.
Leo Chang sometimes your sound could be limited by other factors. What kind of cabinet do you have? What speakers are loaded into it? What kind of pickups do you have?
One thing I noticed about this amp is that it’s really sensitive to your picking dynamics. I find you have to really dig in on this amp to get an aggressive metal tone, where something like a 5150 kinda just sounds aggressive regardless of how light you pick.
Thanks for the kind words, hope you find some awesome tones hidden in your amp!
What do you think of the presence? I find keeping it low or off makes it tighter and less harsh.
I was also starting to leave the channel 3 bright at normal.
I guess a lot of that depends on a lot of things. When close-mic’ing v30 speakers with an sm57, i tend to keep it on noon and attenuate high end with mic position.
Depends on the pick ups in your guitar, room size / reflective surfaces, how close the speaker is to your ear. Presence below like 3 or so seems to lack pick definition to these ears with my guitar in my room... your settings might be perfect for your setup, though 🤘
@@matt_mkv Good point. Speaker cab is Splawn 412 with Mesa V30/Celestion Redbacks speakers.
I either us the amp in my badent studio or band's rehearsal space which is a large garage. I sometimes feel have to turn up thr bass in the practice space.
Awesome! What are your thoughts on channel 2?
Channel 2 would be worth the price of this amp alone. The crunch channel in particular has a gooey drive that sounds absolutely awesome for mid-gain 70s rock. Takes pedals and ODs fantastically. Mark I mode is also awesome for lead sounds, just make sure you drop the bass on the preamp EQ to almost 0 otherwise it easily gets out of control haha.
@@matt_mkv When will we see a video on channel ? I would love to know your settings for this 70s rock sound :)
@@James-Hetfield I really should make a video, as channel 2 alone has more to explore than half of the other multi-channel amps out there. It’s been long overdue, and I’ve really wanted to dive back into making youtube vids again, so consider this now at the top of my list. 😉
Mark series amps are the only ones I can think of that the eq knobs are pre distortion.
I'm intrigued, why do you use master and solo knoob at zero on the right side? Thanks.
Nuno, Master is low because I live in an apartment and don't want to murder my neighbors with volume. Solo is zeroed out because I don't use it and sometimes I can hit the button on the footswitch by accident and I don't want any surprises lol.
Ok thanks
Sweet!! Could you do a channel 2 mk1 mode video?
Man, that Mk1 mode is CREAMY. Will definitely look into making a video for that, thanks for the suggestion. \m/
@@matt_mkv Hell yeah!
I second that. I’m pretty happy with my mark 1 setting, but can’t get the other modes on that channel to work for me so I’m curious what you like. Thanks!
Came across your video looking for something. I see that you said in your description that you plugged the Slave Out into your interface.....I was under the impression you can't do this because of the load or something like that? Or are you using something like the the Torpedo Captor too?
Oh yeah, the head still needs to be plugged into a cab or load box when using the slave out. So as silly as it sounds, the amp was still plugged into my cab while the slave out was sending directly into the interface. The reason the intro song was recorded this was I only had one single mic at the time, but was live streaming myself writing / recording the song heard in the video. Silly setup lol.
@@matt_mkv I was under the impression that even when a cab was plugged in you couldn't do that with the Slave Out from something I read in a forum post. I guess they were wrong. Good to know.
Great content man. I have this amp it sounds amazing using ur philosophy. But I notice that this amp doesn't work well with my delay pedal. When the delay is on. The amp sounds muddy. I found that many people have this issue with the amp. How do you deal with it what delay pedal you use on this amp. If you can make another video about this that would be much appreciated.
Hm, are you using the delay into the input of the amp or in the effects loop? With high gain amps delay can get really muddy in front of the amp.
@@matt_mkv Thanks for the reply. Surely my fx are in the loop. I find that mk5 doesn't work well with some analogue delay pedals with high gain mine was an analogue delay pedal. It seems like this problem is caused by the output volume of the pedal. I switched to another delay pedal and now it sounds pretty good.
@@xianlinsu1512 Oh, interesting! I’ve tried the amp with the following delays: MXR Echoplex, Strymon volante, Boss DD200, meris polymoon, and currently using a Keeley Eccos (yeah I’ve got a pedal flipping problem lol)
Never noticed a mud problem... one thing i stay away from are the bucket brigade-style analog delays. I kinda find them muddy on all the high gain amps I’ve tried them on. Maybe that’s the issue?
Knowing my constant delay pedal carousel, I’ll probably run into a muddy one at some point!
Sound at the beginning was brutal! EMG's?
Hey, thanks! The pickup for the Rhythm guitars was actually a Seymour Duncan Nazgul passive pickup in the bridge. I use EMGs in my explorer and it sounds crushing with this amp as well!
@@matt_mkv ever compared the 90 watter to the 35?
@@guitarwilly81 Hey man thanks for the reply! Sorry for the late response, I just bought the 35 watt today so I'll be doing a video on it!
Thx for the video. I have a question. I cant turn off reverb on my Mark V.
Ones it gets on it is ON. Even if I dont turn it on.
When I press the button on the footswich, lamp turns off but not the reverb.
I can turn it down on the nob behind but that aint right. Anyonw know what the problem is, what I can do?
I'm in Sweden so Mesa tech non existing where I live
Hm, first thing I’d check is the cable. I had a broken pin on my old footswitch cable and my EQ wouldn’t disengage even though the light would turn on and off. Have you tried another cable?
@@matt_mkv no. Have to finde and buy one first. I acctualy have tjat problem too with the EQ. And that is totally cabel or contact where the cable goes in.
Anyways, change of cable seems a right thing to do. Thx!
@@HarunHadzimusic There is a Mesa quick fix for your issues by bending the footswitch DIN jack.
@@ashleyjl my brain isnt with me. How do you mean "bending the footswich DIN jack"
I also own a Mark V and I mic it with a SM57. The cab is a Mesa 2x12. My problem is it always sounds way to bright so how do you mic your amp?
It really depends on a couple factors. What room you are in, what’s around your cabinet, and how loud you are playing. In my experience, if you aren’t playing loud enough for v30s to start getting that barking mid-range, you start pointing the mic more and more off-axis (pointed towards the edge of the cone) the quieter you are playing.
@@matt_mkv thanks man that helps a lot. Is ist normal if the mic is very far outside the cone like halfway or so? And another question im sorry haha, how loud do you record respectively what are the settings on your amp. Because in the video it looked like youre playing pretty quietly and it sounds really good.
@@marcoschmid4504 ignore what your mic placement looks like and trust your ears. In the video I’m playing at bedroom loud talking levels. The setting on the video are accurate to what it sounds like in real-time, so those are the settings. Keep experimenting and good luck! 🤘
@@matt_mkv Thank you very much! 🤘
Have you tried to get the brown sound from this amp? Could be a fitting time to pay tribute plus for the life of me I have been able to figure it out:)
That's a great idea. I've already been kicking around the idea of a Channel 2 - focused video and I'd love to do a little tribute to VH as him and Fair Warning in particular were a huge influence on me. I'll be sure to leave a shout out if I steal your idea \m/
That would be great If you figure it out please keep me posted. Also Alice in chains. Figure I’d push my luck and kill
Two birds with one stone 🤪
@@TheZakkmylde hm, we’ll you know I’ve been thinking of picking up one of those JJ Junior Friedman heads... so maybe I can do an AIC shootout and see how close I can get the MKV to JCs own amp lol.
I’ve never saw a mk5 in person but my Mesa is a mk2a
How are you running a 90 watt head in an apartment? Do you use an attenuator? What kind of cab are you using?
No attenuator, I just keep the master volume low. I find that this amp has one of the best master volumes out of any of the amps I’ve had. Before this I had an Archon 100 and it simply did not work in my apartment. I was either getting no sound at all, or getting yelled at by my neighbors, no in-between lol.
My cab is a Mesa Recto Oversized 2x12 w/ v30s.
@@matt_mkv Man, that’s awesome. My local Mesa dealer has a 90 watt Mark V and keeps cabs in stock. Well, I need a graduation present anyway. Say a prayer for my credit card.
How do you have it connected to the cabinet? On mono or stereo?
The head? It’s mono so it can only be connected in mono. I’d need two Mark Vs to connect it in stereo, and that sounds too complicated for a simple metal guitarist like me lol.
I have the 90 watt Mark V and I struggle with bright tones. I like darker tones that are tight and big. I can't seem to dial in my high end. :(
Try setting up the amp like the video, but push the sliders on the far right of the eq lower until the high end is where you like it.
Could also be your cabinet / speakers. What cabinet are you using? Is it open or closed back? Are the speaker model known to be bright?
@@matt_mkv HI!
So when I try to set the high slider low or the treble low it gets too dull and not as tight
My Splawn 412 has Mesa Boogie V30s and Redbacks. Redbacks are faulty dark.
I also have a cab with just Redbacks and one with Mesa C90s.
What speakers are you using?
I have the 90watt head so not sure it's voiced the same. Is yours the 35 watt head?
@@Bognerman14 hey, also have the 90w head through v30 speakers (oversized Recto 2x12). I used to have the widebody 1x12 with a c90 in it and that was noticeably darker.
One thing about this amp that’s pretty unique as far as high gain amps go is how responsive it is to pickup output and the picking dynamics of the player… in my experience you need to really dig in to get a percussive and tight tone. Could be a pickup mismatch, perhaps?
Make sure ch3 is in pentode mode (setting in back of amp) as well, as triode isn’t as tight and less punchy.
Hope that helps \m/
@@matt_mkv Thanks. I do take those into consideration. I will say that I like this amp more wirh my PRS SC250 and the bridge pickup is like the Tremonti. My LP with Suhr Aldrich is brighter and not as tight with this amp. I think the PRS and stock pups is darker and tighter.
For me it's more about taking the highs...
Do you keep the high treble faded, flat? I have to check the video again.
Do you find the Mesa. C90 too dark? I'm about to get new speakers for my one 412, and I am researching what I want.
Hi. Whats the year of your amp? Thanks
I believe this one was a ‘13! I have moved to a 35 watt now though.
What speakers you using?
The intro song is done using the slave-out into my interface with an Ownhammer Impulse Response.
The rest of the video are v30s loaded into a oversized Rectifier 2x12 cab.
Why not have it on 10 watt mode so both your volumes don't have to be at 1?!
That's a good question. What I found was that the lower wattage modes on Ch. 3 softens up attack and also makes the bottom end a little looser. For my style of playing, I prefer the tighter sound in 100 Watt mode.
That said, I do use the lower wattage modes on Ch. 1 and 2!
What do the 'preset depth' knobs do?
The preset depth knob acts as a EQ curve sweep that over-rides the graphic EQ sliders. It mainly effect the mids. So basically, you can set any of the 3 channels to use their preset knob instead of the main graphic EQ.
Say, for example, you set up your graphic EQ for channel 3 like I do in the video… but you wanted a different setting for your channel 2 sound: in that case you would switch channel 2 to “preset” and then twist the preset knob until you get an EQ curve you like.
I forget exactly how the preset knob effects the eq curve though… I think anything under 12 o clock is scooped mids and anything over is boosted? Anyway, that’s it in a nutshell.
@@matt_mkv so if I set channel 3 to a certain EQ, and then mess around with the sweep knob, is it taking my settings and changing them or overriding them completely? It has to be taking my settings and doing something with them. Also, what's the knob setting for "off"? Middle?
@@guitarwilly81 It’s overriding the graphic EQ settings completely. You can completely bypass the preset knob either by assigning it to the footswitch, or by switching it off… but yes I believe the curve is flat at noon.
@@matt_mkv how do I switch that knob off? Is it the preset vs eq switch?
@@guitarwilly81 Sorry for the confusion, switches next to sliders swaps the graphic EQ from sliders to preset knob per channel. You can assign the graphic EQ to the footswitch or forced off/on with the EQ switches on the left of each channel preamp section.
You mention keeping the master higher but it's almost off in your video.
I don’t remember mentioning master volume outside of saying i have to keep it very low because I live in an apartment. Sorry if there’s any misinformation in there.
All the tone of this amp comes from the cascading gain stages in the preamp, and bad things happen to tightness for high-gain metal (think tech death styles and fast thrash) when you crank the channel 3 master volume.
As for overall master volume of the amp, i feel there is a a bit of throw between 0 and 1 where there is not enough signal and it greatly hurts tone... so you do need to have it at least a little higher than “almost 0”
... if that makes any sense lol. Sorry for the confusion.
@@matt_mkv Thanks again! In your video, you have a special note where you say to not have the loop level or master volume too low as it will thin out your tone. It was an additional note you wrote. I tried to do a copy, but it's there. No worries, just curious.
I keep thr master at about 8-9:00 and adjust channel volume down from there.
Do you find it detrimental to have channel volumes too low? Thanks.
@@Bognerman14 Oohhh I see. Yeah I guess I should have been a little more clear on what “too low” was haha.
As for the channel master volumes, from what people on the grailtone forums say and from what I’ve seen from my experience, the lower the channel volume the cleaner and tighter the tone will be. At least on channel 3.
@@matt_mkv OK, got ya! I don't hear a big difference with channel volumes low or a little higher. If there is, I think it's minor or like you said, just a bit cleaner and tighter.
\m/👹😁
Does loop level matter if you don't have anything in the loop? haha
I believe the loop needs to be active to use the master volume, which in that case, the loop level does need to be pretty close to at least 50% to get good tone from the lower end of the Master volume range.
settings on the back? there is all kinds of witchcraft going on there!! LOL
Make sure Ch.3 is in Pentode mode for the tightness. Also, make sure your effects loop level isn't too low or it kills your tone at low volumes. \m/
@@matt_mkv Cool thanks!
Theses dam heads are just tooooooooo expensive......
Matt did you ever play any clubs with this app? I realize it has a master output, but I’m curious if this amp is just too loud to play smaller clubs or theater type venues or sometimes volume is an issue. Do you think it would lose saturation or bite at lower volumes? Thanks dude
Hey Matt, just curious if you ever performed in a club with this amplifier? I know it has a master and output volume, but is this amp way too loud to be practical for a small club or theater type show? Curious if you turn the master output down if you lose that pushed tone?
well, almost all the tone of this amp comes from the preamp section, so you might lose a tiny bit of saturation at low volumes, but as long as you have enough volume to move the speakers it’ll sound great.