Mesa Boogie Mark 5 Twenty-Five demo - Tones For Tache Day 22
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- uk.movember.com...
Day 22 of the Tones For Tache campaign in support of Movember 2014. For more on Movember, please go here uk.movember.com/
Mesa Boogie’s all-new Mark 5 Twenty-Five is a feature-packed amp, cramming a huge number of sounds and textures into a highly portable package. It’s being reviewed in issue 389 of Guitarist, so Mick has snaffled it for a Tones For Tache preview.
The list of features in this amp is immense - we recommend to you head to Boogie’s website to find out more about it. Switchable power levels, two channels, six modes, graphic EQ, CabClone direct out and more.
In this video Mick switches through the channels and modes - all using the full, 25-watt power setting and the amp’s internal spring reverb - with three different guitars. Fender American Vintage ’62 Stratocaster; Gibson Derek Trucks SG and PRS DGT model.
All guitars are plugged directly into the amp with no pedals or other tone modifiers.
This demo is really just the tip of the Mark 5 Twenty-Five’s iceberg as we barely touched the EQ and power features… there’s so much in this amp!
For more on the Mesa Boogie Mark 5 Twenty-Five, please go here www.mesaboogie....
Please also visit the Tones For Tache official Movember donation page. uk.movember.com...
The cleans alone with that Strat.....wow. Beautiful, great winner in this head.
I have a Mark V and it's my pride and joy. I love boogies because it's really hard to find an amp with equally amazing clean and dirty channels. It's usually one or the other.
I really love MB but check out peavey classic 50 410 and costs 1/3 of Mesa.
@@panagispolyzois1359 The Boogie is three times as good,hence the price~!
I like my Orange Rockerverb Mkiii 100, with the attenuator it's the most versatile 100w head out there
I think this is one of the most versatile tube Amp out there. Can't think of others that do clean, crunch, fat, modern gain all in one package. Blew me away completely when I tried it.
Anything that sounds this good on a UA-cam video must be absolutely brilliant in person. Great demo!
All right, glad you guy's did a video on this amp too.
I sure am loving my Mark Five 25.
I tried this amp today, lovely tones! That strat sounds amazing with the twenty-five!
Just bought the 5.25 last week and this video demonstration really persuaded this decision... superb!!!!
Towards the end of the vid, when the PRS was on demo mode already, i think the tubes were already on fire 🔥 Damn this thing is a beast!! 🤘🏼👍🏻
Always in search of a great clean and distorted sound within the same amp and I think I finally found it!
The thing sounds insanely good. Thanks for mic'ing it properly too.
I’m getting this amp on Monday. And I cannot wait. Never thought I’d get a chance to be part of the Boogie fold again after I stupidly got rid of my Dual Rectifier. But if this amp was available back in the 2000’s I would have totally gotten it. I never needed 100 watts of power for the venues I play in.
And man those sounds with the SG were just absolutely killer. I cannot wait to plug in my SG and rock it out like Mick.
it has all the breath of a 100w amp.. incredible...
i try this amp in compare to the dual rectifire and i prefer this one i can belive the facts here is so small how can they make this little box sound that clear and full ???
You like this better than the dual rect?
+Larry Tate is not more powerfull but the cleans are super awsome I not gonna sale my dual but this one is ideal for jazzi or blues tones.. if that make any scense
absolutely man
Perfect sense. Best sounding cleans for that stuff
I use mine with a 19 inches Lonestar 1x12 open back and Mesa thiele cabs.It is so portable and sounds immense.The fun factor is high.All authentic sounds from vintage to modern.
That strat is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen.
Wait till you see my Harley Benton Nick.
best review of this amp i ve seen (except maybe the one with Andy Timmons at mesa warehouse!) Thanks Mick
After watching the Petrucci lounge demo, the Anderton demo, this was nice! Ordered mine today! Been using a Triaxis / Stereo 2:90 with a couple of MB 1x12s, so I am looking forward to a lighter weight option! Thanks again for a well recorded, all playing, demo that really shows the amps strengths. Very much appreciated!
So many sweet tones! You’re a really great player, Mick. Love That Pedal Show, too!
Always loved boogie amps, too bad I'll never be able to afford one. This one sounds killer, but it's not all in the amp. This dudes got some killer chops, and so clean, perfect timing, no missed notes or finger buzzzes.
I have a feeling that this guy could make any amp, guitar, or pedal sound amazing.
Paschalis MusicProductionTips,net
They really aren't that high for an American made amp. Barely more than a Deluxe Reverb.
thTs one bad ass amp. wow. it does everything.
Great playing and great sounds! And that has been the case with all your tones for 'tache :-)
People should keep in mind that "practice" and "dedication" play a big role in the sound you hear coming out of this amp.Sure the Boogie is a great sounding amp but again,being in "the right hands" makes a big difference. I don't want to discourage you but as a player for over 40 years, I'm saying that the more you put into it,the more you'll get out of it. I suggest before you spend a fortune on a boutique amp in the hopes it will make you sound like you dream of sounding,you instead invest in a good acoustic guitar and get to work with a metronome. No effects,no super light strings.You need to build strength in those fingers and develop a good ear and sense of timing. Do it the right way and save the fancy stuff for later and you'll thank me!
Completely agree. And building off of this: if you don't have the technique, a boutique amp has a good chance of making you sound WORSE. When I got my MK V, the added dynamic response and "transparency" the amp has really made shortcomings in my playing stand out. But if the technique is there, those added dynamics really help your playing shine.
DixieXwolF" the added dynamic response and "transparency" the amp has really made shortcomings in my playing stand out"
Absolutely.This unforgiving nature is a good thing for a player with a few years under their belts because it forces them to clean up all the little deficiencies in their technique (or perhaps alternatively,inspires them to use the shortcomings to their benefit)but for someone just starting out however, that much "truth" might be just TOO discouraging.It's almost like deciding you want to buy a motorcycle but instead of starting out on something like a Honda 350 you go straight for the biggest Harley on the road and quickly discover you just aint qualified yet.
Scott Matheson although what kind of beginner buys a $2000 amp head? To be fair to the amp, it's incredibly versatile and as long as you spend your time with the knobs you'll surely find loads of sounds. The thing with this little beast is that it doesn't sound bad until you find the exact settings, considering you don't sound bad from the start (you probably shouldn't look for a valve amp at that point). Yeah, if you don't know how to play, you shouldn't buy a $2000 amp anyway because the chances are you don't know what you're looking for or how to take advantage of it. If you're after one specific sound, you'll get it way cheaper than buying this. If you want that 25 W valve amp with 10 W mode, mk 2C+ and mk IV tones plus bunch of more in a little, very road friendly box, this might be your deal.
Yuppi
You make some good points.While it's true that new players are unlikely to invest a substantial amount of money into pro level equipment I do see a lot of players out there (having been through it myself) who having played for a few years start to develop the gear head disease where you begin to obsess about getting great tone - a fixation that all the guitar mags are happy to feed as it generates billions of dollars a year.Of course there's nothing essentially wrong with wanting nice gear but experience has taught me that you can easily get caught up in an addiction to buying and selling equipment and usually at a loss and the point I just want to stress is "good tone" is at least 75 per cent to do with "good technique." I cringe to think of all the money I personally have spent over the years chasing "the lost tone." The good news is it's much easier now to become a good player. I see lots of players online outplaying me who have only recently reached puberty!
Sure, I completely agree with that, you gotta learn to play too and when you learn to sound how you want, you don't care that much about all the pieces of gear. By that I mean you own them and enjoy them but you may just grab that nylon-stringed acoustic guitar to practice or play few minutes instead of plugging everything in. Although getting new gear can be part of the hobby and revive the passion from time to time, at least I tend to grab guitar a lot more when I'm fascinated by some new equipment. I used to be like that too, always saving money for better gear in my starting years (I did need it though, playing in a band and different music than my gear was suitable for). I did make wrong decisions when purchasing gear because I was passionate for some things that weren't necessary and would have done better with the gear I have now and that doesn't necessarily cost more but is better quality. It comes in good and bad and shouldn't take control over the hobby or life though. The actually needed expensive equipment probably concerns gigging artists more than bedroom players. Like a bedroom guitar hero probably doesn't need this amp. But getting it is neat.
Simple and brilliant playing!
You certainly know your way around this little beast! I’m truly fkn impressed! 😳👍
Why is this cop telling me about a guitar amp?
He's not a cop, he's a fireman.
@@403woak that's not a cop or fireman, that's a Pizza Delivery Guy! ;)
What do u have against cops - if someone breaks into your house you would be hiding in the closet calling one - you little bitch.
@@DougWJ (someone missed the joke) XD
@@DougWJ Bootlicker
Great demo on the amp!!! I realize that this amp respond a lot to the guitar and pickups that we are using... I must change the settings a LOT from one guitar to the other! (LP, Strat, PRS, Ibanez etc)
André Sylvain Yes. It’s not a typical Brit style set it and forget it amp. 🇺🇸🤘🏼
Brilliant tone, excellent licks.
HUGELY underrated amp! Absolutely awesome! Fantastic demo too!
mrcali68 I’ve not read a single complaint about it...
Good audio quality and video. However, you didn't read the manual. The bass control introduces a lot of mud on the gain channel. I barely ever have mine cracking 10:00--and on certain guitars it might get to 11:00. It's fine on the clean channel, but dialing the bass back on the gain channel is apparently a thing with all the Mark series amps.
That being said, what an admirable job you've done though Mick, even with the amp not sounding it's best (in the designer's opinion) you still manage to make it drool worthy. The EQ can get you into all sorts of flavors of amp--british, voxy, etc. Think of it as a voicing control. It's a tough nut to crack, but I've had my Mark V 25 for several years now and I'm still finding out new things.
Those strat tones sold it for me! Sick of so many amps with great potential getting shit on by 50 year olds demoing them who more than likely play in an AC/DC cover band and use boss distortion religiously lol. All about the tone for me and you nailed it with that strat. Next amp is this bad boy
Good demo!
I just got this BEAST of an amp. WOW~........... Does EVERYTHING... it doesn't give you a Marshall tone. Your gonna need a Marshall for that. BUT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the Little Amp that could AND DOES!!!!!!!!!.
Great demo! Amazing tones!
wow! Nice tones! All of them!
It's so nice to see a Mark series amp demo without Metallica riffs or djent chugging. They are capable of so much more than just metal.
Beautiful crunch tones....way better than the now hackneyed Marshall tone....fresh sound.
Oh nice strat nice boogie!!!
Micks Stache Here Helllooooo
I've played a few mark 5 25s and to me all the sounds are great but the crunch channel might just steal the show!!
sounds amazing. 🎸🔥🤘
dude, nice playing and love that SG
950 quid in 1990 ? Holy fcuk !
Sounded great clean with the Strat. But humbuckers sound much better with the gain up to my ears.
Great demo! Thanks
Fantastic demo. Thank you.
that moustache sounds really good!
I’m thinking if I bought this amp I could pretty much sell most of my pedals!
What cabinet and speaker are you playing through?
Sounds great!
A Mesa Boogie is just sittin' there, waiting for the player to deliver the goods. It can handle it, for sure, but can you? Mesa's rewards good/great players, but tends to punish lesser ones. Been a Mesa player for more than 25 years and had my share of headwinds but it was seldom my amps fault, I must admit. On a big stage (forget your bedroom; just play a small practice amp at that), nothing beats a really great valve amp. And a Mesa is just that; give it something to work with and it'll be right there beside you. If any good, it will make it better ...
lol, like any other brand would make a lesser player sound better then he is. Sounds like you need to feed yourself the usual bullshit to justify the outrageous prices they charge. No amp is wurth double the price of any decent other amp in the same range (f.e. Victory V30, Fender Junior of any kind (blues, 68 custom,...) , etc. etc.
Iron883Man Mesa's are actually very reasonably priced, they up-charge a little for the electrical current conversion, but mostly it's the import taxes that screw you. If you buy a Marshall in the USA they're ridiculously expensive and have no ware near Boogie's build quality. I say this as a massive fan of Marshall tone, but the truth sometimes hurts
Gary Moseley Probably so, but I have no way to deduct taxes as I'm not a professional musician so Mesa is too expensive in the EU. On the other hand, Fender is an American brand as well and they seem to be more affordable. Do you know if they have a tax agreement on import or something?
Iron883Man yeah your right there, I have no idea how fender are so much cheaper? Although most of fenders reasonably priced stuff is from Mexico. Fenders are imported in massive amounts though, which always amounts to bigger savings
Iron883Man I've played a .50 Caliber for more than 30 years on stage and it's is still serving me very well, thank you. 5 years ago, I've purchased a Roadster (for bigger stages, upwards of 2.000 ppl). Both amps have payed themselves back a long time ago so I don't need to 'justify' anything. Sure, a good Fender is a great amp and I've played (rented) lot's of gigs with them to . And yes, a fantastic amp is 'wurth' double the money of any decent amp, especially on a longer term basis, absolutely. And yes , lot's of amps are more 'forgivin' than a Boogie, for sure and will make you sound better than you really are ... in your bedroom. They are designed to do exactly that. Boogies are to be mesured on a stage, and only there (and in a studio) they truly make a big difference.
Awesome Demo of a great amp... But, I enjoyed your playing just as much..
Great demo and great playing 😃👍👌
Just sessioned the Mk 5 35 in Petaluma Ca. That amp has everything in it. Fucking everything.
What a great tone. I'd like to know more about how you recorded this and I can't seem to find that information in the comments or above; the cab appears to be a mini-recto straight with v30's, correct? What kind of mic did you use? Thanks very much for a great demo! It's convinced me.
Awesome playing and tones! Are those stock Fender pickups?
This amp is perfect, small head and big sound....
Amazing demo!!!
Wow, how loud was this in the room?! I've been playing this head for five years, and I don't dare turn the volume on CH1 past 10 o'clock without risking a noise complaint. Even with a -16dB attenuator running in-between, I can't get it much past noon without hearing damage.
I’m excited you wrote this. I was a little worried that 25 watts wouldn’t be enough. I get so caught up on the number of watts. But Mesa’s have always been a lot louder than their power rating suggests. I remember getting to play an old Dual Caliber 30 watt and it was LOUD!
@@MrSpeed-lt8gr Don't worry, it is very loud. Even driving a single speaker cab with a Mesa V30 in it, it will fill the room. The biggest thing to keep in mind is the headroom--it's plenty loud for 25 watts, but it starts to break up pretty quickly with medium-high to high gain pickups.
No cabinet used... "the cabinet is not mic'd, instead we take the speaker output of the amp, put it through a dummy load/attenuator (Sequis Motherload/Richter Control)" - great control of frequencies.
Great demo. Is this amp flat/ house friendly (volume wise) or would you be asking for trouble using this at home?
It has a 10-watt low-power mode, Trevor, and with the master volume setup you can play it as quietly as you like. It also has a headphone out socket with the option of muting the speaker, and also a direct/recording output. We'd say it was very flat/house friendly if you want it to be, but also loud enough for gigs. Hope that helps.
Guitarist Excellent, many thanks!
You might also consider plugging a volume pedal into the FX loop to get a more usable sensitivity of the Master knobs. An FX processor in the loop would work too.
+Trevor Beckett it's prrfect
+Trevor Beckett any tube amp is flat/house friendly as long as you run it through a Cab sim like Two Notes Torpedo Studio instead of a real cab
Great sound
Sold!!!
Great video. I’ve the mark V combo and I can’t play very loud. I’m usually using 10 w at a very low master volume. Is it true that, mark V can get break up dynamic sound even at lower master setting?
this is a nice video
This video made me realize that I have one of the best sounding amps in the world, (Mesa Mark V:25) silly of me to consider something else.
Juan Romano I agree. I have not also but always think I’m missing something. I realized that while I love my 90’s+ guitar tones, I’m also a 70s-80s dude and I need that Marshall midbark honk. I wound up getting a 2525 and I think I’m set. 🤘🏼
@@JohnPArgueta Those little EL84 power tubes bring that Marshall vibe whilst retaining the Mesa sound. I too have a little Mk 5:25 and the only amp I'd replace it with would be the 5:35 which has a bit more volume and projection. It also has the 'solo' alternate master volume which would come in useful in a live environment.
Lovely playing - great review... :-)
Jump in volume from clean to dirt?
Great demo!
Hi Mick, is this fender american vintage all stock? Pickups? Great sound! Best.
What microphone did you guys use to record the amp? Thanks!
I love this tone..... What the hell is that buzz tho?
Scoop the mids or the lead channed will sound too muddy! The mark series boogies have tons of mids! This is why most rock - metal players engage the famous"V' EQ. Nice video!
In what issue do you have the review? in the November issue the PRS Arcon has a review while the Mesa Boogie just has a little description on page 29 and in the December issue i didn't find any review??? where is it?
some great sounds on this video, how do you like the Mark V 25 vs your Lonestar Mick ?
The Fat channel is a Lonestar recreation, according to Mesa's manufacturer, Randall Smith.
Needs the bass pulling out of channel 2 pre amp to get into metal territory for those interested 👍🤘
Ridiculously great sounding amp. Has Boogie ever made a clunker?
Noob question
I notice you have the master volume high and are sitting in the same room. I am running my through a 4x12 and as soon as it hits past 7 o'clock it's too loud.
Is this because of my speaker configuration?
Great tone!
How does it sound with EQ in inverted V...?
All reviews are with EQ in V.... Don't you people like mid??
Inverted mids sound nasal and boxy, but they cut through in a band mix
Petrucci' s boys like that tone
Nice video demo. What do you think is the best boogie for being loud enough to play with a drummer and also good for recording?
This one loud enough to play full band with a loud drummer and bassist?
Even in the 10 watt mode it is plenty loud
Larry Tate you can play almost any tube amp with a band. If you're hesitant, just go to your local store and ask to test their smallest tube amp. I actually recommend That Pedal Show's episode about how big of an amp do you need. It's a show with Mick (the guy in this video) and the episode shows pretty well that there's next to no difference between 30 W and 100 W valve amp in terms of loudness, the only actual difference being the headroom (the amount of volume in clean before it starts to distort). 1x12" cab compared to 4x12" also makes difference in loudness.
If it had a footswitch for clean crunch and lead it would be mine...
That would be useless because the volume jump is massive, and they share the same eq.
Check out the Mark 5 35
Hi Mick where you using the amp reverb? Great demo by the way.
Hi James, thanks for the kind words. The reverb is the amp's own built-in spring reverb - the controls are around the back. There are separate controls for each channel, which is cool.
best demo ive seen for this amp head
just one simple question does this amp really sound this good through a 1x12 boogie speaker cab?
thanks
thanks they do seem great amps
i ended up buying an F 30 boogie, they are about 20 years old now lets hope it still has some life in the box for me
shakesquire7 que
The extreme channel got a bit of a Pink Floyd/Big Muff vibe there.
Hi great tone. which specific duncan pickups are those? i know you said antiquity but there is antiquity II surfer or the blues one. would you happen to know which one it is?
What speaker os in that 1x12 cab?
Is the mesa 5-25watt loud enough to play 1 by 1 with classic drums ?
I like this amp but I wish channel 2 was identical to channel 1.
Sorry for the dumb question, but what the underside knobs do? There's no name, no indicator
That would be a perfect amp only if it had 3 channels! I would use first dirty channel for rhythms in mark 2c+ mode and second dirty channel in mark iv mode for leads. BTW I used to have this amp and it was the best one I ever had or heard. Unbelievable tones. Got it dirt cheap too, $1000 for a used one in brand new condition.
Just out of curiosity, what made you part ways with this amp?
You've got the Bass knob way too high, that's why all the high gain stuff sounds really woofy and boomy.
Every one has different taste. I like a good amount of bass in my guitar tone. I'd say the humbuckers are the problem. Humbuckers = mud.
PaidthePryce lmao you’re mud
came here to say this
@@PaidthePryce Typically with the Mesa Mark series amps, when the gain goes up, dial back the bass knob. If you need more bottom end use the graphic eq. That way you get rid of the bass flub. But, if it's flub you want then go for the bass knob!
Killer!!!
Please which Mesa Boogie amp choose for only the clean sound ? (Studio use) Thanks Nicolas
Is it just me or is the amp starting to clip/break on the clean with the humbuckers?
which pickups you have in the strat? it sounds amazing. of course the amp also
I ask the same question and he answer in another video. He use a Seymour Duncam Antiquity pickups. Probably the one with alnico 5.
What pups are in the PRS? (Everything) sounds great!
Mick says: "Hi Teodor and thanks for the kind words. It's a 2008 DGT model, so just has the standard pickups that were in the guitar at that time. Designed by David Grissom and Paul Reed Smith, from what I understand. It's a superb guitar."
Thank you for the answer. I can imagine that, it certainly sounds superb
Hi @guitarist What mic did you use to record this demo?
What are the pickups in your Stratocaster and sg? They really sound awesome.
Mick says: Thanks Mike, and to everyone asking about the guitars, this is what they are...
The Strat is an American Vintage model, c2000 that was part of a limited edition run in connection with The Beatles Gear book by Andy Babiuk. I bought it used around 2003/4 and just loved it straight away. It has Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups and a Fatboy pickguard. Though to be honest, if it were a new (post-2012 spec) ’59 American Vintage Strat, I'd just keep the stock Fender pickups as I think they're every bit as good. The old ones were good too, but we just can't help tinkering, right? The bridge pickup is wired to the tone pot, which is essential for me. It also has titanium saddles, and the only reason they're on there is because I reviewed them for the mag years ago and liked them enough not to take them off. Whatever, this guitar just works for me, and has been my main guitar ever since.
The SG is a Derek Trucks signature model that belongs to Gibson who will soon be asking for it back, no doubt! It's totally stock from the factory, so has Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers. I absolutely love this guitar so really should part with the money for it!
Hope that helps.
Guitarist it does. I've heard a lot about those Seymour Duncans you have and they really sound good. That sg has a FAT TONE. You might not find another like it.....bird in the hands kinda stuff. If you could demo Catalinbread Octopussy it's a octavia type pedal but you can play chords and leads all over the guitar neck. Especially in the bridge pickup position. BeeGood and thanks for responding.
04:30 OH GOD:'(
Was this going into a cab or em? Details?
Anyone know what cabinet and speaker he is plugged into?
it's a little beast!
Anyone played this amp with a USA Deluxe Tele? Giving the combo version serious thought.
I have to roll the bass down whenever I add gain in channel 2.
+Brian Jewell Makes sense. Boogies have a lot of bass end, and it doesn't get compressed out like it does in most amps when you crank up the gain. It is just the nature of the brand.
+Alex Wright Too right - it's all in having a really efficient power supply and negative feedback circuit. Many find that Mesas are too bass and treble heavy, but they're actually very lively in every frequency band because they have extremely efficient power amplifier circuits. You just need to be prepared to dial them back a bit.
+Brian J Very common with boogies.