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Works perfect. If you only need channel switching on your Mark V, here's the answer.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I have no complaints as far as how fast the product got here it was very protected in the box it came in the preamp just one channel work I had to put it in the shop as soon as I got it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As a moderately talented guitarist for over 50 years, I've had the opportunity to sample and use dozens of guitar amps, both solid state and tubes. By far, the tube amps rule! And, within the "tube world" of amps, I've found two brands that reign, Fender, and now Mesa Boogie. I've owned and played many Fender amps, and found the Twin Reverb to be about the best Fender amp. I originally had a blackface, and stll have a 1972 Silverface, with JBLs in mint condition. So why did I even try a Mesa Boogie? I can give you several reasons. First, Paul Reed Smith (PRS) makes some of the finest guitars commercially available. I own eight of them. PRS has used a Mesa Boogie (MB) for years as his "final inspection" platform. I assume PRS knows what they're doing. Second, my band mates have told me for years that MB was the amp of choice for PRS players, and they were/are right. Finally, when I tried the MB I was amazed at how clean a sound it produced, and at the same time how easy it was to go to crunch. That set me on the difficult path of trying to figure out which MB I should select. To digress a minute, one of the tube amps I acquired over time was a Peavy Heritage with Black Widow twin 12's. It was a screaming amp (still is) but, it has always been a nightmare to dial in because of the confusing controls. I find it extremely difficult to replicate a good sound once I find it. Very frustrating! So, looking at the range of new and used MB's had me worried. I ruled out some of the top of the line MBs such at the Triple Rectifiers, as well as some of the low end MBs. When I looked at the MB Mark series, I started seeing a feature I knew I wanted. Settling on the Mark (MK) IV, it has a six button foot switch that lets you set up three distinct modes (Rhythm 1, Rhythm 2, and Lead)that perfectly suited my work in a band. Most of the time I need a clean channel (Rhythm 1) for background work on the classic rock songs. Then I need to get gritty (Rhythm 2) on ths Stones, BTO and groups like that. When it comes to Skynyrd and Allman Brothers, I have the lead channel. To top it all off, the footswitch lets the user switch in/out and effects loop, an EQ, or a Lead EQ. Nirvana! And, it does all this in a raesonably sized cabinet, pushing 85 watts (W) through a 12" Black Shadow speaker. Probably a better bet for me would have been the MK V, which has tow distinct advantages: Each of the three channels has it's own discrete bank of controls, and it offers multiple power ranges, including 10W and 90W. The one advantage of the MK IV over the MK V is the Mark IV is out of production, making them more affordable than the MK V's, which are usually north of $2k, a bit out of my price range. As far as usability, the Mk IV has been very consistent. It only took me a brief time to dial in desirable settings (helped by duplicating the previous owner's settings as a starting point). The manual has reproducable diagrams (page 16) you can mark up with the settings you like. The amps are solid, heavy, well made units with cooling fans. The sound is exquisitely clean and true to the settings. Overdrive/crunch can be had at any volume. In a nutshell, I've bought my last amp. If it aint broke, don't fix it!Read full review
Been a fan of Mesa Boogie amps since attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma some 20 years ago. My roommates had some variant of the Mesa Boogie Mark series and I always loved the sound. I was partially paying my way through school and was never able to buy one let alone convince my parents to fork up the $1500 (1994 prices) for an amp. --- A year after leaving Boston, I picked up a Boogie Quad Preamp. Essentially, this was a Mark I, Mark IIb and a Mark III in one relatively large rackmount unit. Kinda big once you put everything in a rack and added a 4x12 cab. After 5-6 years, I downsized to a 5150 2x12 combo. I could fit the amp into my car AND drive my singer to gigs. The amp worked out amazing but I always missed the Boogie sound. -- A few years later I scaled down my Quad rig with a smaller power amp & 2x12 speaker cab. It took up slightly more space than the 5150, but I was back with my preferred sound. -- Gigs increased to 3-4 times a week by 2008. That's a lot of carrying gear back and forth. I needed to chop one trip from the car. Might not seem like much, but at 2:00am, it's a chore. -- Bought Mesa Boogie DC-5 combo. Sweet! This thing fits in the front seat of my car even though I transport it via hatchback. Between guitars, effects, and amp. I can do the entire backstage load-in in only 3 trips. --But enough with the history lesson. Tell us about the Mark IV. --I started looking at a Mark III since they were easy to find under $1k USD and I liked the sound of my roommates Mark III. After weeks of not finding a specific Mark III, I came across a MINT Mark IV in flame maple and wicker for under $1k. Yup, I bought it. -- The good: It's more or less a Mark IIb and III in the 1x12 combo package. -- Rhy 1 gives a great shimmer to my G&L Legacy. A few knob turns, my PRS Orianthi gets a nice full tone with focused bass. Nice funk tones with single coils, and can get musical clipping by adding some gain. -- Rhy 2 gets me any crunch sound ranging from ACDC, to Led Zeppelin and many classic rock sounds when using humbuckers. Single coils give SRV Fender-ish tone. -- Lead gives that hi gain late 80's/early 90's sound. Sustain for days from the natural tube compression. There's five 12ax7 and four 6l6 power tubes. The footswitch lets me change to any of the three channels and assign the 5 band EQ to any or all the channels for added tone versatility. -- Add a TS808 or Tube Screamer (or clone) as a boost, and you can reach virtually all modern metal sounds from black metal to Djent. ---- The Bad: 80 pounds. Get casters or a flight case with wheels. A dolly will help. Find out if you have stairs before your gig. Guess why I say that? Lol. -- Not really a plug and play amp. Read the manual. You need to reference other peoples sounds. The controls react differently than most other amps. ie. If you turn up the treble, the bass will shift. You turn up the mid and the gain also increases. Take some time to dial in the sounds. Learn what each knob accentuates and how it affects the other tone controls--- Bottom line:-- I alternate between the DC-5 & Mark IV. They are different amps. Playing in a cover band requires that I have multiple sounds available. The Mark IV allows me to play 60s thru 90s and modern rock without added distortion pedals, although I will use delay and chorus pedals through the effects loop. If we play some of the heavier tunes, I have a metal pedal on my board if I need itRead full review
Hello all ! This mesa was deliverd about 2 mounths ago . And i am very happy with sound and packages .The packing was just excelent . Every thing works with it , but i was a little bummed about that all the little lights on the amp didn't work . And the screws that hold the amp to the cabinet was loos and it seems like it has to do with that they have been damages to the chassis so the screws cant bee tigtnend hard enough with out get loos . And it did not look like this on that i can see on this picture . But i have to say all n all i am very satisfied , the amp sounds amazing and everything on it works except for the lamps . I gave him four out'a five