Sold My Mark V this is why (lengthy)

[NoiseUnderTheFloor]

It's all a matter of perspective, playing style, venues, guitars, pickups, etc...

I've bought and sold a recto as well as a Mark V, all to keep going back to...

My Mesa F series. I have three of them now - two F50 combos and an F50 head I run with a Mesa 2x12. When a clean one pops up used, I usually buy it.

Heresy, I know. Apparently it was one of Mesa's more reviled amps, but I love it and it works for me.

I had an F-50 widebody 1X12 combo. That amp was a beast! Sold it to fund my RA100, and if I'm honest with myself I'm no better off or happier, should've just kept the F-50.

 

[kalt]

BTW, let's all make lengthy posts every time we sell gear, full of flippant remarks explaining why

Its so odd there are people are are raggin on me for selling it and posting about it in this day and age. Its also odd no one wants to pay anything for it It was hard to sell and I got lucky I just about broke even. I feel bad posting my real opinions about it but theres alot of people out there that are thinking about the switch from a mid 2000's 3 channel rectifier to a MarkV to have a "real amp".
I think if the amp works for you its real enough right?
I had to stretch my wallet a little to get the MarkV and alot of of people might do that because it is a more attainable high end amp then some others. Like Engl Soldano Diezel Rhodes etc; So someone who wants to get a high end mid level priced amp buys it expecting it to fulfill all thier needs and it doesn't and now they are stuck with an amp they paid 2200 dollars for and lose about 800 on it when selling it because some Mini version came out really?
I am just looking out for the little guy who doesn't know any better. Yes the MarkV will make you a better player and tracks amazingly well recording and does a ton of different tones and tastes. I remember when my mom brought in an all in one copy print fax machine home when I was a kid, for her office and yeah it did all this stuff but the machine was so finicky my mom took it back and kept using her seperate pieces of office equipment until they perfected the technology.
I am not saying mesa did not do something great but it could have been done better and who knows when we will see the Mark6 or 7 or god forbid they do a reissue of the MK 2 c+ or a Pre500 Dual to make our lives easier I'd pay 2000 for that shit I'd pay 3. So I am just trying to shed some light on a already confusing subject. You can watch all the youtube footage of Petrucci playing these as you want but you'll never know the feel until the amp is in the room with you. I feel an unmic'd jam with a band is the ultimite test for any amp and rectifier tone passes that in spades hence my opinion on the MKV being an overpriced bedroom amp. If i could get great loud tone that would be great but its not there for me yet maybe the MKX.

You did the right thing. IT's all about what you like and what's fun to play. Heck, even Petrucci ditched his Mark V's for his live rig and went with the Triaxis.

 

[jsp]

BTW, let's all make lengthy posts every time we sell gear, full of flippant remarks explaining why

Its so odd there are people are are raggin on me for selling it and posting about it in this day and age. Its also odd no one wants to pay anything for it It was hard to sell and I got lucky I just about broke even. I feel bad posting my real opinions about it but theres alot of people out there that are thinking about the switch from a mid 2000's 3 channel rectifier to a MarkV to have a "real amp".
I think if the amp works for you its real enough right?
I had to stretch my wallet a little to get the MarkV and alot of of people might do that because it is a more attainable high end amp then some others. Like Engl Soldano Diezel Rhodes etc; So someone who wants to get a high end mid level priced amp buys it expecting it to fulfill all thier needs and it doesn't and now they are stuck with an amp they paid 2200 dollars for and lose about 800 on it when selling it because some Mini version came out really?
I am just looking out for the little guy who doesn't know any better. Yes the MarkV will make you a better player and tracks amazingly well recording and does a ton of different tones and tastes. I remember when my mom brought in an all in one copy print fax machine home when I was a kid, for her office and yeah it did all this stuff but the machine was so finicky my mom took it back and kept using her seperate pieces of office equipment until they perfected the technology.
I am not saying mesa did not do something great but it could have been done better and who knows when we will see the Mark6 or 7 or god forbid they do a reissue of the MK 2 c+ or a Pre500 Dual to make our lives easier I'd pay 2000 for that shit I'd pay 3. So I am just trying to shed some light on a already confusing subject. You can watch all the youtube footage of Petrucci playing these as you want but you'll never know the feel until the amp is in the room with you. I feel an unmic'd jam with a band is the ultimite test for any amp and rectifier tone passes that in spades hence my opinion on the MKV being an overpriced bedroom amp. If i could get great loud tone that would be great but its not there for me yet maybe the MKX.

Yeah yeah, totally ragging on you My only point was, you're blabbering on and on about why you sold this one amp to a group of people who have collectively bought and sold a metric ass load of amps. Honestly, who gives a shit that you sold this one particular amp or why? What would this forum be like if everyone made a post like this for each and every amp that passed through their hands?

I'm actually happy that you sold it, so that you can stop talking about how to make it sound like a Recto

 

[Chris6870]

BTW, let's all make lengthy posts every time we sell gear, full of flippant remarks explaining why

Its also odd no one wants to pay anything for it It was hard to sell and I got lucky I just about broke even.

Well you were asking $1800 when there were several others here and at TGP for $1400 - $1500 shipped! When your amp is not the hot new thing that everyone just has to have, it's going to hurt financially to sell it.

 

[blackba]

I have yet to find and amp that doesn't sound different day to day. Some are worse than others. I have bad days with every amp I have owned.

Big fan of my mark Iva. Never tried a mark v though.

What I find interesting is the mark v still sells for well more than the IV or III.

 

[Racerxrated]

I don't have inconsistency in tone, at least not in the room where my gear is. When I play out I have to re-eq everything but that's to be expected. I had a Mark 3 briefly and that was touchier than a Marshall but I didn't have to re-do everything on the geq...I always have at least one pedal in front though, maybe that's the part that helps with consistent tone..

 

[rocknrolla]

BTW, let's all make lengthy posts every time we sell gear, full of flippant remarks explaining why

Its so odd there are people are are raggin on me for selling it and posting about it in this day and age. Its also odd no one wants to pay anything for it It was hard to sell and I got lucky I just about broke even. I feel bad posting my real opinions about it but theres alot of people out there that are thinking about the switch from a mid 2000's 3 channel rectifier to a MarkV to have a "real amp".
I think if the amp works for you its real enough right?
I had to stretch my wallet a little to get the MarkV and alot of of people might do that because it is a more attainable high end amp then some others. Like Engl Soldano Diezel Rhodes etc; So someone who wants to get a high end mid level priced amp buys it expecting it to fulfill all thier needs and it doesn't and now they are stuck with an amp they paid 2200 dollars for and lose about 800 on it when selling it because some Mini version came out really?
I am just looking out for the little guy who doesn't know any better. Yes the MarkV will make you a better player and tracks amazingly well recording and does a ton of different tones and tastes. I remember when my mom brought in an all in one copy print fax machine home when I was a kid, for her office and yeah it did all this stuff but the machine was so finicky my mom took it back and kept using her seperate pieces of office equipment until they perfected the technology.
I am not saying mesa did not do something great but it could have been done better and who knows when we will see the Mark6 or 7 or god forbid they do a reissue of the MK 2 c+ or a Pre500 Dual to make our lives easier I'd pay 2000 for that shit I'd pay 3. So I am just trying to shed some light on a already confusing subject. You can watch all the youtube footage of Petrucci playing these as you want but you'll never know the feel until the amp is in the room with you. I feel an unmic'd jam with a band is the ultimite test for any amp and rectifier tone passes that in spades hence my opinion on the MKV being an overpriced bedroom amp. If i could get great loud tone that would be great but its not there for me yet maybe the MKX.

Mommy and daddy not give you enough attention or something?

 

[jsp]

BTW, let's all make lengthy posts every time we sell gear, full of flippant remarks explaining why

Its also odd no one wants to pay anything for it It was hard to sell and I got lucky I just about broke even.

Well you were asking $1800 when there were several others here and at TGP for $1400 - $1500 shipped! When your amp is not the hot new thing that everyone just has to have, it's going to hurt financially to sell it.

There were also VH4s that sat around for $2400.


Must be overpriced bedroom amps.

 

[BrentSSL]

Rocknrolla: I think the problem is mommy and daddy paid too much attention

Brokenfusion: I did get 1,800 for it luckily and I completely agree on your points I had not directed anything your way or anyone that was just me speaking in general.

Jsp: as always I agree with you especially about the Mark Recto thing. However I'm not saying just because an amp drops in value its no good I'm saying if you don't get what you need out of an amp sell it for as much as you can lol

 

[VC4Ever]

congratulations...but how on Gods green earth did you sell it for 1800. If it was from someone on this forum then I am doing something very wrong. I'm keeping mine after playing it again and realizing there's no point trying to sell at a huge loss.

 

[BrentSSL]

Got super lucky on my local craigslist

 

[kasperjensen]

Why is there a problem with someone explaining why they sold an amp?

I find it quite useful to hear opinions from both sides of the fence.

 

[anomaly]

I think people make too big a deal out of bias adjustment anyway. I did the bias mod on my 5150 BL, and notice almost zero difference.

I agree. Mesa's are pre-amp based, which require a very clean, powerful power section, so they won't really benefit that much from bias modifying which helps the power section during break up. Also, it's just one more thing that can go wrong on a very complex amp. Having to do bias adjustments after every tube change is a real hassle for some, as most have no idea how to do it.

I guess it is idiot proofing, but most guitarists are idiots

 

[thiswaythatway]

I think people make too big a deal out of bias adjustment anyway. I did the bias mod on my 5150 BL, and notice almost zero difference.

I agree. Mesa's are pre-amp based, which require a very clean, powerful power section, so they won't really benefit that much from bias modifying which helps the power section during break up. Also, it's just one more thing that can go wrong on a very complex amp. Having to do bias adjustments after every tube change is a real hassle for some, as most have no idea how to do it.

I guess it is idiot proofing, but most guitarists are idiots

And everyone wonders why you into a local guitar shop and the guys there have attitude! They deal with morons all the time.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I have yet to find and amp that doesn't sound different day to day. Some are worse than others. I have bad days with every amp I have owned.

Big fan of my mark Iva. Never tried a mark v though.

What I find interesting is the mark v still sells for well more than the IV or III.

It's not the amp. It's your ears. And amp is just an electronic device, and doesn't waiver IMO.

 

[sjk]

I have yet to find and amp that doesn't sound different day to day. Some are worse than others. I have bad days with every amp I have owned.

Big fan of my mark Iva. Never tried a mark v though.

What I find interesting is the mark v still sells for well more than the IV or III.

It's not the amp. It's your ears. And amp is just an electronic device, and doesn't waiver IMO.

Where I live wall voltage can vary 5 to 10 volts + or - just discovered this recently and yes and it can effect your bias and plate voltage readings. Which in turn can effect tone, how much I'm not sure yet. Bought a discontinued furman AR1215 on the cheap and now have constant voltage right around 120, and had to rebias all my amps.

 

[bgh]

Not trying to derail the thread, but I have a somewhat related question. When you guys say that Mesa amps are "touchy" on their settings, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that if you change your bass setting from 3 to 3.5 that it makes a large impact on the tone? Or, are you speaking about adjustments in something like the graphic-EQ?

On my Mark IV, the TMB controls do in fact change the tone. But, they are not what I would consider incredibly touchy. I mean, if I set up a sound with T=8, M=7, and B=2, and then changed it to T=7, M=8, B=3, it will sound very close to the same. Maybe my Mark IV is an odd-ball.

For comparison, the TMB controls on my Nomad are much more interactive. I can change the treble from 12:00 to 9:00 and you will hear not only a drop in the treble, but you will also hear an increase in the mids.

And, lastly, maybe it's me. Maybe my ear is simply not as good as everyone else's.

Anywho, thanks for reading.

 

[dfrattaroli]

Not trying to derail the thread, but I have a somewhat related question. When you guys say that Mesa amps are "touchy" on their settings, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that if you change your bass setting from 3 to 3.5 that it makes a large impact on the tone? Or, are you speaking about adjustments in something like the graphic-EQ?

On my Mark IV, the TMB controls do in fact change the tone. But, they are not what I would consider incredibly touchy. I mean, if I set up a sound with T=8, M=7, and B=2, and then changed it to T=7, M=8, B=3, it will sound very close to the same. Maybe my Mark IV is an odd-ball.

For comparison, the TMB controls on my Nomad are much more interactive. I can change the treble from 12:00 to 9:00 and you will hear not only a drop in the treble, but you will also hear an increase in the mids.

And, lastly, maybe it's me. Maybe my ear is simply not as good as everyone else's.

Anywho, thanks for reading.

My experience has been the same as yours. I had 3 Mark IV's and now the V:25. I find with the TMB controls on a Mark, you basically have 3 major ranges: 0-3, 3-7, and 7-10. Those are your major ranges in terms of tone impact and the way the controls interact with each other. If your tweaks stay within those ranges, you get small but noticeable tonal adjustments. To really alter things you have to go out of those ranges compared to where you currently are.

I think people who don't really know how to dial in a Mark (IE: Haven't RTFM ) may refer to them as "touchy".

Dave

 

[bgh]

Not trying to derail the thread, but I have a somewhat related question. When you guys say that Mesa amps are "touchy" on their settings, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that if you change your bass setting from 3 to 3.5 that it makes a large impact on the tone? Or, are you speaking about adjustments in something like the graphic-EQ?

On my Mark IV, the TMB controls do in fact change the tone. But, they are not what I would consider incredibly touchy. I mean, if I set up a sound with T=8, M=7, and B=2, and then changed it to T=7, M=8, B=3, it will sound very close to the same. Maybe my Mark IV is an odd-ball.

For comparison, the TMB controls on my Nomad are much more interactive. I can change the treble from 12:00 to 9:00 and you will hear not only a drop in the treble, but you will also hear an increase in the mids.

And, lastly, maybe it's me. Maybe my ear is simply not as good as everyone else's.

Anywho, thanks for reading.

My experience has been the same as yours. I had 3 Mark IV's and now the V:25. I find with the TMB controls on a Mark, you basically have 3 major ranges: 0-3, 3-7, and 7-10. Those are your major ranges in terms of tone impact and the way the controls interact with each other. If your tweaks stay within those ranges, you get small but noticeable tonal adjustments. To really alter things you have to go out of those ranges compared to where you currently are.

I think people who don't really know how to dial in a Mark (IE: Haven't RTFM ) may refer to them as "touchy".

Dave

Dave,

Thanks for the response. I know that is definitely the case with the Nomad. The manual for the Nomad actually maps out the ranges of the "sweet spots" (as it calls them).

PS: Great amps.

 

[some dude]

One thing I've learned the hard way is that Marks change as they get hotter. At this stage I believe Mesa knows this and it's intentional as every Mark and Mark inspired design have tubes down chassis in head form whereas their other amps go tubes up.

The way it worked for me is that I'd fire it up cold and it would sound harsh/thin/stiff/etc so I'd reach down and dial in a nice sound, then as it warmed up dial it started to round out and get muddy so I'd reach down and tweak it some more.... only I wouldn't go back to my original settings because in my head those are now bad so I'd try something new, and then I'd tweak and tweak and tweak until I finally wind up on or near my original settings.

Once I stopped dialing in my Mark cold the amp became less "touchy", I stopped chasing my own tail and most of my "it never sounds the same twice" issues went away.