NAD: Mesa MK5

skoora said:
Nice. I’ve had mine for over 10 years now. Switched to EL34’s soon after getting it and have never looked back. The channel masters on 1 and 2 will have a strong effect on drive and punch for rock sounds. I actually use an attenuator with mine so I can crank it up. Overall master at around 11am and channel masters always above noon. Ch 3 benefit is reduced due to the higher gain in the preamp. But channel 1 on tight or fat clean with the pre maxed and channel master at 2-3 O’clock is like a non master Marshall cranked up.
Like Marks of yore, you will add saturation as you raise treble so it’s a balance between the gain knob and where you want the treble to be. The presence control will act very differently depending on channel and channel voicing. Sometimes it adds a body or size to the sound rather than a top end enhancement.
Don’t change to 10 watts while amp is on, you’ll get a pop. Between 45 and 90 no problem. Throw it in standby for changing to 10. Don’t get caught up in CH1 clean, CH2 crunch, Ch 3 lead. Any channel can melt faces and any channel can be clean or edge of breakup. It will also respond to drive pedals really well. Don’t get caught up in If CH3 can do a legit IIC+. It doesn’t. Just enjoy it as a new and different Mark high gain sound.
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Solid advice. I also learned how much things changed on this amp when you put the master past 11:00. Last night I was running it through my Captor X and I got it cooking to my liking. This amp is giving me a challenge and I love it!
 
There's definitely a big learning curve with the MV, and I don't blame the people who don't like them or give up on them. I considered getting rid of mine the first year I had it. My TC100 got some serious attention in the meantime. It took a lot of time tweaking and then getting the right tube combination to really get it dialed. Now, I would be unwilling to live without it, and I sold off the TC. I run mine with 5881s and a AT7 in V6. This combo pretty much fixed every complaint/issue I had with the amp. It also made the IIC+ mode sound great, vs being unusable before, imo. I run it with an early 2000s Mesa OS and a 1960a with Marshall V30s and DV77s. The range of tones I can get between MV and those two cabs is pretty wild. Once you get the eq(not the graphic eq) figured out, it all comes together. A lot of the issues I had with the harsh upper mids were fixed when I swapped out the 6L6s. So, if that remains an issue for you like it did me, I would also highly recommend you swap to EL34s or 5881s.
 
The Mark V will get you in the ballpark of many Mesa tones but won't nail them. I think as long as you keep this in mind you will be good.
 
Techdeth said:
I was joking . I just wanted to type V ++ to be stupid . Lol I’m dumb like that. I thought it would be funny . But ya mark v has more than enough . I should have kept it .i needed money at the time
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I was just talking with a stranger at the hotel I’m at.
He had a dear friend who pawned a killer 07 historic Les Paul and did not understand how he could have done that and not called him first as he would have gladly bought it.
- I had to think deep & break the ole’:
Me: “You know why crackheads don’t wear masks when they rob banks?”
-Stranger Dude: -shrugs his shoulders while
fervently awaiting my response.
Me: “ Because they simply don’t have the time
to get a mask before robbing the bank”.
-massive laughter-
I’m not comparing actual circumstances here,
Just the solution of -not thinking wisely and a quick fire sale.

-It’s about the troubles not the tones!!!!!
LMFAO man-.
 
Amps that have 100 really good sounds also have 100 really bad ones. There's really no way around that.

With the speaker/cab changes you probably have to drastically change the settings to get the same type of tone, but the combo may just not work. No sense in worrying about that when it does sound great with something you own.

Just leave it with what it likes and enjoy!
 
Devin said:
Post a cover of the Santana classic "Smooth" so we can really judge whether or not it Mraks
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Dude no joke I jammed Black Magic Woman and Samba Pa Ti on the MKI mode with a strat loaded with gold lace sensors to see what it can do and it does get hella close with my Avatar 212 vintage loaded with H30's! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: That mode sings and is ballsy AF.

Ch. 1 and 2 are a lot of fun. Ch. 3 is just so finicky though. Extreme mode is fairly easy to dial in but MKII and MKIV are just so finicky. I found a few different sets of good settings for each mode but still discovering different tone control combinations. For now I'm sticking with jamming on the Mesa OS cab because prior I was driving myself crazy experimenting with too many cabs and not focusing on truly learning the amp.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
Dude no joke I jammed Black Magic Woman and Samba Pa Ti on the MKI mode with a strat loaded with gold lace sensors to see what it can do and it does get hella close with my Avatar 212 vintage loaded with H30's! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: That mode sings and is ballsy AF.

Ch. 1 and 2 are a lot of fun. Ch. 3 is just so finicky though. Extreme mode is fairly easy to dial in but MKII and MKIV are just so finicky. I found a few different sets of good settings for each mode but still discovering different tone control combinations. For now I'm sticking with jamming on the Mesa OS cab because prior I was driving myself crazy experimenting with too many cabs and not focusing on truly learning the amp.
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I tell people that struggle with channel 3 to just embrace extreme mode and leave it there haha.

The IIc+ mode needs some volume, I also like Triode with that and depending on how the high end is sounding with your setup I might actually cut the 6600 a decent amount. It's more of a lead mode than a rhythm mode to me, but I play mainly heavier stuff. I think it would work for more musical 80's rhythm stuff.
 
Cool pickup! The Mk5 is a versatile beast of amp, that is for sure!

I owned one for a couple years and just parted with mine last year. Absolutely loved the power scaling, the clean channel and man, ch2 crunch is just a killer rock rhythm sound. That is where I spent most of my time on that amp. I never did totally fall in love with ch3: it was a channel I feel like I had dialed one day and then had to make small tweaks again the next. I also felt the upper mids in that amp were always a bit too edgy and that did something to the feel of the amp I did not like when alternate picking. Still a cool amp overall and I can say that if channel 3 could dead nuts nail the old mkiv I used to own in tone and feel, that amp would be a lifer.
 
VHTStark said:
Cool pickup! The Mk5 is a versatile beast of amp, that is for sure!

I owned one for a couple years and just parted with mine last year. Absolutely loved the power scaling, the clean channel and man, ch2 crunch is just a killer rock rhythm sound. That is where I spent most of my time on that amp. I never did totally fall in love with ch3: it was a channel I feel like I had dialed one day and then had to make small tweaks again the next. I also felt the upper mids in that amp were always a bit too edgy and that did something to the feel of the amp I did not like when alternate picking. Still a cool amp overall and I can say that if channel 3 could dead nuts nail the old mkiv I used to own in tone and feel, that amp would be a lifer.
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I most notice the upper mid thing on Edge in Ch 2. Lower strings sound fine but single note leads can get ice picky. I found EL34’s helped but it’s a balancing act between the treble and presence to retain top end but minimize that poke. I recorded it one time and damn it sounded just like some of the great 70’s 2203’s I’ve owned in the past. None of the ice pickiness was present on the recording. This was using greenbacks.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
Dude no joke I jammed Black Magic Woman and Samba Pa Ti on the MKI mode with a strat loaded with gold lace sensors to see what it can do and it does get hella close with my Avatar 212 vintage loaded with H30's! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: That mode sings and is ballsy AF.

Ch. 1 and 2 are a lot of fun. Ch. 3 is just so finicky though. Extreme mode is fairly easy to dial in but MKII and MKIV are just so finicky. I found a few different sets of good settings for each mode but still discovering different tone control combinations. For now I'm sticking with jamming on the Mesa OS cab because prior I was driving myself crazy experimenting with too many cabs and not focusing on truly learning the amp.
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The extreme mode was always on for me ! It’s the Mark v sound !
 
Candiria said:
I tell people that struggle with channel 3 to just embrace extreme mode and leave it there haha.

The IIc+ mode needs some volume, I also like Triode with that and depending on how the high end is sounding with your setup I might actually cut the 6600 a decent amount. It's more of a lead mode than a rhythm mode to me, but I play mainly heavier stuff. I think it would work for more musical 80's rhythm stuff.
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Extreme mode is not embraced enough I notice but I can totally agree with you on this. Pre EQ is just not flexible enough IMO. Too interactive and picky.

VHTStark said:
Cool pickup! The Mk5 is a versatile beast of amp, that is for sure!

I owned one for a couple years and just parted with mine last year. Absolutely loved the power scaling, the clean channel and man, ch2 crunch is just a killer rock rhythm sound. That is where I spent most of my time on that amp. I never did totally fall in love with ch3: it was a channel I feel like I had dialed one day and then had to make small tweaks again the next. I also felt the upper mids in that amp were always a bit too edgy and that did something to the feel of the amp I did not like when alternate picking. Still a cool amp overall and I can say that if channel 3 could dead nuts nail the old mkiv I used to own in tone and feel, that amp would be a lifer.
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Yeah that’s definitely a big issue with this amp. I can definitely get ballpark but not close enough to MKIV feel or tone. Too much inherent low mids and a super difficult balance of gain, treble and presence. I’m leaning it better but still a PITA to nail EXACT tone I’m looking for. Pumping volume helps a ton
 
japetus said:
Gimme your heart, make it real..or else forget about it
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this-tbh.gif
 
skoora said:
I most notice the upper mid thing on Edge in Ch 2. Lower strings sound fine but single note leads can get ice picky. I found EL34’s helped but it’s a balancing act between the treble and presence to retain top end but minimize that poke. I recorded it one time and damn it sounded just like some of the great 70’s 2203’s I’ve owned in the past. None of the ice pickiness was present on the recording. This was using greenbacks.
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Ya, I did notice the poky/picky upper mid thing in Edge mode as well....probably why I just stayed in Crunch mode: a little more gain, fatter but still tight lows and more balance in the mids!

Ya, I had played with the idea of el-34's and also doing the 12-au7 swap, but I never did. I think like a lot of people, I had the expectation it was going to sound and feel just like my old mk4 and the mk3's I have played. Tone could get close, but I could never get that awesome mix of immediate punch with saturation that felt so effortless in the older Mark's. I am probably too picky, but I did notice it! Lol
 
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