TheGreatGreen
Well-known member
I remember the first time I tried to mimic an AC30 with my V25. Obviously the V25 is not a Class A amp with no negative feedback, but it does have a 25w EL84 power section compared to the Vox's 30w EL84 poweramp so it's not as far off as you might think.
Set the V25 to Fat mode, TMB to noon (or bump up the Treble to simulate Top Boost) dime the Master and start out with the Presence dimed as well. Use the Gain as your volume and Presence as Hi Cut. Bump the 80Hz slider on the GEQ to approximate the Vox's exaggerated low end thanks to its power section's lack of negative feedback. Congrats, you're basically within reaching distance of an AC30.
The Mark V25 is as versatile as anything I've ever played. I think the secret to that is the mix of its insane preamp flexibility thanks to the pre-gain EQ section, and its relatively low wattage power section which allows you to blend in poweramp breakup at less-than-nuclear volumes.
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ewill52
Well-known member
$1100? You stole that amp!
Markedman
Well-known member
I'm taking it out tomorrow for the first time to a practice and then an open-mic.
The Thiele design cabinet with an EVM12L was the winner in the end. Once I turned the amp's volume up, this cabinet was fuller sounding, not as harsh, and held the low end together better.
Mesa Boogie Mark V35 & Boogie EVM12L Thiele designed cabinet by John Bazzano, on Flickr
So what do I like about this amp?
It’s like driving a new car. It starts right up without having to wait 10 minutes for it to even start to sound warm.
Every time I play it, it sounds like the same amp that I played the day before.
I like the solo function and how it works. The solo is just a second independent master volume so if it’s set below the channel volume, when you kick in the boost, it’s actually at a lower volume.
It’s a condensed version of the mark V with the sound and snot of a JP2C.
I haven’t played it up against my older boogies, but I’ve done that in the past with my other modern marks so I know what I have and it’s perfect for me.
The Thiele design cabinet with an EVM12L was the winner in the end. Once I turned the amp's volume up, this cabinet was fuller sounding, not as harsh, and held the low end together better.
Mesa Boogie Mark V35 & Boogie EVM12L Thiele designed cabinet by John Bazzano, on FlickrSo what do I like about this amp?
It’s like driving a new car. It starts right up without having to wait 10 minutes for it to even start to sound warm.
Every time I play it, it sounds like the same amp that I played the day before.
I like the solo function and how it works. The solo is just a second independent master volume so if it’s set below the channel volume, when you kick in the boost, it’s actually at a lower volume.
It’s a condensed version of the mark V with the sound and snot of a JP2C.
I haven’t played it up against my older boogies, but I’ve done that in the past with my other modern marks so I know what I have and it’s perfect for me.
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jeff5
Active member
I feel like the V 35 will go down as one of Mesa's iconic amps, more than the 25 even.
I had a full sized Mark V and while I miss some of the features, the V 35 beats it imo. I also currently have a Mark IV, and while I love that amp, the Mark V 35 makes me feel like I could get rid of it too. Amazing piece of gear.
I had a full sized Mark V and while I miss some of the features, the V 35 beats it imo. I also currently have a Mark IV, and while I love that amp, the Mark V 35 makes me feel like I could get rid of it too. Amazing piece of gear.
Markedman
Well-known member
There was a mark four combo with the electro voice speaker available for $1200. I thought about it but then I realized I would have to have a recap that I’ve already had at least three mark fours before and although I love the tone and loved everything about the amp, I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole again as I have other Mesa amps, and I think you’re right about this 35 being one of the best they’ve ever made.
pintspiller
Active member
this, in spades!
Markedman
Well-known member
I posted this over at the Boogie Board, of course now I’m staring at the Mark VII thinkin,…..
“First of all, I’d like to preface this review that I have owned every mark that has been made.
To sum up this amp, it’s basically a two channel amp with six separate pre amplifiers altogether. It was not made to switch modes without having to change the volume and EQ settings. This amp is a modeler killer, as it has just about any amp that was ever made available inside it, it is very loud and has tremendous thump to it.
As with the vintage models, this amp has an abundance of gain available. But, unlike vintage models, this amp warms up within minutes not 20 minutes to a half hour before it sounds warm. Also, it sounds exactly like the amplifier I was playing the day before unlike vintage marks which sound somewhat different every time I play them.
It is similar to the mark five in lay out, but it has more gain on tap and is simpler to use. I thought that the Mark four was the Chamaeleon of all amps, but this amp has an even a wider range of tones to it. There are plenty of guitar forums which list tone settings for black face fenders, dumbles, and Marshall Tones.
Although I prefer the 35 watt setting playing at low volume at home, when I go to open mics, the 10 watt setting keeps the volume from peeking, and I’ve gotten many compliments on the tone and the volume level when I play out.
Personally, I play along with Slayer, Pantera, and Metallica and I can nail the tone of these three bands exactly like they are. When I play with my band which is classic rock and at open mics or filling in for guitar players, this amp really shines through and excels with beefy classic tones.
The key to getting great tones is knowing how the graphic equalizer works. There are also other great functions such as the gain boost on channel one. When the mid gain knob is turned up to full, it cuts off the treble and bass knobs, which gives you a very Marshall like tone which is shaped by the graphic equalizer.
I am known as a Gainiac, in other words I love a lot of gain. I rarely have the gain turned up past 2 o’clock on this amp, turning the gain up to 10 does not turn it into mush. It’s just too much for me as I prefer a little more Crispness.
A real highlight of this amp is both the cab clone and the solo function. The solo function is a complete separate master volume. What I mean by that is it doesn’t start where the other master volume leaves off. It’s independent of the other master volume so that if it’s set lower than the first master volume, when you kick in the solo it will be lower volume. The cab clone is an incredibly great line out. The closed cabinet sounds a little more boxy than the open cabinet voicing. It sounds good enough that you don’t even need to have a speaker coming off the amp, you can just play through the house speakers and monitors and get that same great tone.
To sum up this review, I have found nothing I don’t like about this amp. Some people complain about the volume jump between modes but as I said, this was not meant to be two separate amplifiers, but three amplifiers on two channels that are snapshots of previous mark amplifiers. if you know what tone you need for a certain song, it’s very easy to set up two different channels with those tones.
I imagine it has more JP2C & Mark VII DNA in it than Mark V.”
“First of all, I’d like to preface this review that I have owned every mark that has been made.
To sum up this amp, it’s basically a two channel amp with six separate pre amplifiers altogether. It was not made to switch modes without having to change the volume and EQ settings. This amp is a modeler killer, as it has just about any amp that was ever made available inside it, it is very loud and has tremendous thump to it.
As with the vintage models, this amp has an abundance of gain available. But, unlike vintage models, this amp warms up within minutes not 20 minutes to a half hour before it sounds warm. Also, it sounds exactly like the amplifier I was playing the day before unlike vintage marks which sound somewhat different every time I play them.
It is similar to the mark five in lay out, but it has more gain on tap and is simpler to use. I thought that the Mark four was the Chamaeleon of all amps, but this amp has an even a wider range of tones to it. There are plenty of guitar forums which list tone settings for black face fenders, dumbles, and Marshall Tones.
Although I prefer the 35 watt setting playing at low volume at home, when I go to open mics, the 10 watt setting keeps the volume from peeking, and I’ve gotten many compliments on the tone and the volume level when I play out.
Personally, I play along with Slayer, Pantera, and Metallica and I can nail the tone of these three bands exactly like they are. When I play with my band which is classic rock and at open mics or filling in for guitar players, this amp really shines through and excels with beefy classic tones.
The key to getting great tones is knowing how the graphic equalizer works. There are also other great functions such as the gain boost on channel one. When the mid gain knob is turned up to full, it cuts off the treble and bass knobs, which gives you a very Marshall like tone which is shaped by the graphic equalizer.
I am known as a Gainiac, in other words I love a lot of gain. I rarely have the gain turned up past 2 o’clock on this amp, turning the gain up to 10 does not turn it into mush. It’s just too much for me as I prefer a little more Crispness.
A real highlight of this amp is both the cab clone and the solo function. The solo function is a complete separate master volume. What I mean by that is it doesn’t start where the other master volume leaves off. It’s independent of the other master volume so that if it’s set lower than the first master volume, when you kick in the solo it will be lower volume. The cab clone is an incredibly great line out. The closed cabinet sounds a little more boxy than the open cabinet voicing. It sounds good enough that you don’t even need to have a speaker coming off the amp, you can just play through the house speakers and monitors and get that same great tone.
To sum up this review, I have found nothing I don’t like about this amp. Some people complain about the volume jump between modes but as I said, this was not meant to be two separate amplifiers, but three amplifiers on two channels that are snapshots of previous mark amplifiers. if you know what tone you need for a certain song, it’s very easy to set up two different channels with those tones.
I imagine it has more JP2C & Mark VII DNA in it than Mark V.”
midnightlaundry
Well-known member
What happened to the Jesus Cab??
GearGasms
Doctor Love
Same here! I'm still learning it and discovering new levels of greatness!
Little B
Well-known member
I love the 25 & 35.And I've said for years now,if and when comes a time( and I see none for a looong time), that I can't gig/ play my coliseum's or iic+ anymore, I would take a lunch box amp over a modeler every day and even the 8th day of the week...I can see an exotic wood mk35 head w/ matching 1x12 cab sittin in the living room in the future.
Speeddemon
Well-known member
Same here. Went the 'modeler' route back in the day (Boss GT3, Digitech Genesis, POD X3) and the only reason I keep the X3 around now is for quick demo recordings and the shitty resale value. ;-)
Since I got a Torpedo Live, I can get my direct in recordings sound like the actual (connected) tube amp in the room. And the Mark V:25 works great for that!
Markedman
Well-known member
So I decided to try a tube screamer in the front and it’s quite a revelation. I started out using it for the clean channel as a boost, and then decided to try it with the heavy channels, and it really adds a new dimension to the tone.
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