leib10
Well-known member
Went to the local GC today, they had a bunch of Mesa stuff there, including a Mark V, a Dual Rec, and a bunch of cabs. So I went all the way home and grabbed my Twin Jet to do a quick comparison. All amps were played through a Mesa Rectifier cab, and I was using my white Schecter C1-FR Custom with SD SH-8 Invaders.
I'll start with the Dual Rec. I really wasn't impressed. The sound was really thin, the clean channel was kind of bland, and I can tell that you need to really, REALLY crank it for the gain channels to sound good. Kinda flubby too. Maybe I'm just used to the huge saturation of the Bogners, but it really wasn't my thing. I stopped playing after five minutes.
The Mesa Mark V is a different story. It reminds me of the Twin Jet when it's with the KT88's- really aggressive and tight, if somewhat dry and thin (in comparison to the Twin Jet). It really doesn't need a boost at all and is a really easy amp to play and dial in (only considering the knobs). Tons of features, to the point that it's kinda too many for my tastes. You'd spend weeks trying to understand all the switches, knobs, and sliders and their functions. That being said, if I owned it and took the time to learn about it I'm sure that the added versatility would grow on me. It paired really well with the Rectifier cab. It's pretty expensive- about $2000 new- but it's a LOT of amp for the price. You get three channels, lots of options between them, and they all sound really great, even the clean and crunch channels. All of them sound really nice at bedroom levels, which is an important thing for me. It's also a good deal smaller than either the Dual Rec or the Twin Jet.
The Twin Jet was last. I had it loaded with EL34's today. I immediately noticed how the saturation was so much more apparent in comparison. The distortion is really, really thick, and it had this low-mid growl that I couldn't even approach with the Mesas. It was a bit flubbier than the Mark V, but boosting it with my TS-9 took care of that and was probably because I had the EL34's in. I really liked it paired to the Rectifier cab; I bet on some days I'd actually prefer it to the Uberkab, probably due to it being loaded with all V30s and thus having a bit more aggression and bite to it. The Twin Jet was also a bit more articulate than the Mesas, as well as having less background hum despite having a lot more distortion on tap. I should say that this thing has more gain available than the Mark V and certainly the Dual Rec; I was at 2:30 on the TJ and maxed out on the Mark V and they were at similar levels. Channel One on the Twin Jet is what I would use for live applications, as it cuts a lot better than Channel Two, which is what I would record with. Both channels sound surprisingly good at low levels, but I should say that it's hard to get a nice clean sound at higher levels on Channel One. Semi-clean is as good as it gets at that level, and I would see it being a problem to switch between clean and distorted tones in a live situation. It's also the most expensive by far at $2800 new, but they can be had at around $1800 used (like mine). Lastly, it's a bitch to move around.
Overall, I would rank them in this order if I was to get them:
1. Mesa Mark V
2. Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet
3. Mesa Dual Rectifier
The Mark V won out because it's smaller, a lot more versatile, would be pretty easy to use live, and has a dedicated clean channel and a very good high-gain channel. However, for really thick and aggressive distortion, the Twin Jet is still king. There's that distinctive low-mid growl and huge low-end that Uberschalls are famous for, and if that's your thing (like it is mine), there's no replicating that. I was really disappointed with the Dual Rectifier, especially considering how popular they are. Maybe I'm used to more saturated and compressed gain, but it really wasn't my thing, especially if I have to crank it to sound good (NOT happening in an apartment!). I really loved the Rectifier cab too, especially with the Twin Jet.
EDIT: After throwing the KT88's back in, I decided to amend these conclusions. If you need a dedicated clean channel, go with the Mark V. If you only need semi-clean all the way up to ridiculous gain, go with the Twin Jet.
I'll start with the Dual Rec. I really wasn't impressed. The sound was really thin, the clean channel was kind of bland, and I can tell that you need to really, REALLY crank it for the gain channels to sound good. Kinda flubby too. Maybe I'm just used to the huge saturation of the Bogners, but it really wasn't my thing. I stopped playing after five minutes.
The Mesa Mark V is a different story. It reminds me of the Twin Jet when it's with the KT88's- really aggressive and tight, if somewhat dry and thin (in comparison to the Twin Jet). It really doesn't need a boost at all and is a really easy amp to play and dial in (only considering the knobs). Tons of features, to the point that it's kinda too many for my tastes. You'd spend weeks trying to understand all the switches, knobs, and sliders and their functions. That being said, if I owned it and took the time to learn about it I'm sure that the added versatility would grow on me. It paired really well with the Rectifier cab. It's pretty expensive- about $2000 new- but it's a LOT of amp for the price. You get three channels, lots of options between them, and they all sound really great, even the clean and crunch channels. All of them sound really nice at bedroom levels, which is an important thing for me. It's also a good deal smaller than either the Dual Rec or the Twin Jet.
The Twin Jet was last. I had it loaded with EL34's today. I immediately noticed how the saturation was so much more apparent in comparison. The distortion is really, really thick, and it had this low-mid growl that I couldn't even approach with the Mesas. It was a bit flubbier than the Mark V, but boosting it with my TS-9 took care of that and was probably because I had the EL34's in. I really liked it paired to the Rectifier cab; I bet on some days I'd actually prefer it to the Uberkab, probably due to it being loaded with all V30s and thus having a bit more aggression and bite to it. The Twin Jet was also a bit more articulate than the Mesas, as well as having less background hum despite having a lot more distortion on tap. I should say that this thing has more gain available than the Mark V and certainly the Dual Rec; I was at 2:30 on the TJ and maxed out on the Mark V and they were at similar levels. Channel One on the Twin Jet is what I would use for live applications, as it cuts a lot better than Channel Two, which is what I would record with. Both channels sound surprisingly good at low levels, but I should say that it's hard to get a nice clean sound at higher levels on Channel One. Semi-clean is as good as it gets at that level, and I would see it being a problem to switch between clean and distorted tones in a live situation. It's also the most expensive by far at $2800 new, but they can be had at around $1800 used (like mine). Lastly, it's a bitch to move around.
Overall, I would rank them in this order if I was to get them:
1. Mesa Mark V
2. Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet
3. Mesa Dual Rectifier
The Mark V won out because it's smaller, a lot more versatile, would be pretty easy to use live, and has a dedicated clean channel and a very good high-gain channel. However, for really thick and aggressive distortion, the Twin Jet is still king. There's that distinctive low-mid growl and huge low-end that Uberschalls are famous for, and if that's your thing (like it is mine), there's no replicating that. I was really disappointed with the Dual Rectifier, especially considering how popular they are. Maybe I'm used to more saturated and compressed gain, but it really wasn't my thing, especially if I have to crank it to sound good (NOT happening in an apartment!). I really loved the Rectifier cab too, especially with the Twin Jet.
EDIT: After throwing the KT88's back in, I decided to amend these conclusions. If you need a dedicated clean channel, go with the Mark V. If you only need semi-clean all the way up to ridiculous gain, go with the Twin Jet.
