NAD: MESA/Boogie Mark VII

[texhex]

Oi !! Get off my Fat mode!!!

Channel 1 - Fat is my favourite cleans on this channel. Tweed is cool if you want to set to 10watts, crank the gain, and have a nice driven kind of thing.
Channel 2 - Edge and Crunch switch really nicely between each other. Mark I mode is basically useless to me.
Channel 3 - Mark IV is the only mode I need on this tbh. IIC+ is cool, but I'm not sure it gives me anything I am missing from Mark IV mode. Extreme is cool, but same thing there really.

Word for word exactly how I feel about the V.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Word for word exactly how I feel about the V.

Does the V have a bunch of pull modes and all that kind of thing? Are there multiple variants of the V?

 

[Orvillain]

Does the V have a bunch of pull modes and all that kind of thing? Are there multiple variants of the V?

The only pull thing it has is the mute function. Pull the solo knob to mute the amp.

Each channel has three modes you can select from, and a single "tweak" switch....

On channel 1 is enables the 'bold' mode. More low end and a bigger sound. I have it enabled.
Channel 2 it enabled 'Mark I tracking' mode. But only for that mode. I don't really know what it does!
Channel 3 is a bright switch for all modes.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Oh lord. Oof.

 

[spawnofthesith]

No different versions outside of the lower wattage

I've heard claims that the transformers have changed maybe twice throughout its life time? Not sure on that though

 

[JiveTurkey]

The only pull thing it has is the mute function. Pull the solo knob to mute the amp.

Each channel has three modes you can select from, and a single "tweak" switch....

On channel 1 is enables the 'bold' mode. More low end and a bigger sound. I have it enabled.
Channel 2 it enabled 'Mark I tracking' mode. But only for that mode. I don't really know what it does!
Channel 3 is a bright switch for all modes.

No different versions outside of the lower wattage

I've heard claims that the transformers have changed maybe twice throughout its life time? Not sure on that though

How 'necessary' is the graphic EQ? For me; that was a huge attention timesuck "oh look I can sculpt the tone! oh look a squirrel!"

 

[spawnofthesith]

How 'necessary' is the graphic EQ? For me; that was a huge attention timesuck "oh look I can sculpt the tone! oh look a squirrel!"

If youre after the famous tight brutal high gain Mark tone, it's absolutely necessary. Just pop a V shape and your good to go (sorry @la szum )


It does allow for plenty of other tone shaping options too, or you can just turn it off for more marshally sounds on channel 2 etc.



Marks are very mid heavy though. Removing all mids in all possible area is still more mids than a recto with the mid knob on 10 imo

 

[Desertdweller]

Oi !! Get off my Fat mode!!!

Channel 1 - Fat is my favourite cleans on this channel. Tweed is cool if you want to set to 10watts, crank the gain, and have a nice driven kind of thing.
Channel 2 - Edge and Crunch switch really nicely between each other. Mark I mode is basically useless to me.
Channel 3 - Mark IV is the only mode I need on this tbh. IIC+ is cool, but I'm not sure it gives me anything I am missing from Mark IV mode. Extreme is cool, but same thing there really.

Ha I was thinking more Mark VII than Mark V, but I hear you. The Mark VII IIC mode is absolutely crushing, and the IV mode is a bit more saturated, so having them on separate channels would be ideal for me, but I hear you. FWIW the Tweed mode is by far my favorite clean mode on the Road King II, it absolutely dwarves the clean and fat modes on that amp IMO.

 

[Orvillain]

How 'necessary' is the graphic EQ? For me; that was a huge attention timesuck "oh look I can sculpt the tone! oh look a squirrel!"

'V' it up and leave it alone, IMHO.

 

[TubeStack]

So far I like Crunch A LOT better on the VII than the V. Also like VII mode better than any of the high gain modes on the V, but I’m not a metal guy. And as mentioned, I am loving IIB mode for pushed/gritty cleans.

I’m enjoying those tones so much, I still haven’t even tried the other modes. I just instantly got what I wanted out of Crunch, VII, and IIB.

 

[TubeStack]

And I’m using the Graphic EQ for a mid boost on all three channels, when needed.

 

[la szum]

If youre after the famous tight brutal high gain Mark tone, it's absolutely necessary. Just pop a V shape and your good to go (sorry @la szum )


It does allow for plenty of other tone shaping options too, or you can just turn it off for more marshally sounds on channel 2 etc.



Marks are very mid heavy though. Removing all mids in all possible area is still more mids than a recto with the mid knob on 10 imo

Those Mids are why a Mark can sit so well in a mix, and why a Recto can get so easily buried
and become Mud.

It's so funny to me that I have become so accustomed to dialing in Marks and Rectos nothing
like what most people suggest. It's just what my ears gravitate towards. I like Mids and articulation.
That often means dropping the Bass, bumping the Mids, and not rolling off the Treble too much.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Those Mids are why a Mark can sit so well in a mix, and why a Recto can get so easily buried
and become Mud.

It's so funny to me that I have become so accustomed to dialing in Marks and Rectos nothing
like what most people suggest. It's just what my ears gravitate towards. I like Mids and articulation.
That often means dropping the Bass, bumping the Mids, and not rolling off the Treble too much.

I typically find myself running presence and treble much higher on marks and rectos than many recommend, but I’m a treble junky lol. The exception being the IV, I run the presence lower than in normally would compared to other amps

 

[JiveTurkey]

@spawnofthesith ; are there the effects loop volume jumps when using your looper in different channels on the V?

 

[spawnofthesith]

@spawnofthesith ; are there the effects loop volume jumps when using your looper in different channels on the V?

Yes, not quite as bad as the roadster but its still there. My work around is running clean channel in 90 watts and channel 3 in 45 watts to completely balance the levels. Or I also just put up with it sometimes and get it as close as I can because I like 90 watts more better

So far the only Mesa that -flawlessly- meets my looper needs is the Mark IV, but it only even works properly then if I have the presence knobs on channel 2 and 3 pulled. Which is fine because I think it sounds better like that anyway

Badlander is almost there but of course they had to go and put the channel masters post FX loop. So it works there fine as long as I have both masters set EXACTLY the same lol

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yes, not quite as bad as the roadster but its still there. My work around is running clean channel in 90 watts and channel 3 in 45 watts to completely balance the levels. Or I also just put up with it sometimes and get it as close as I can because I like 90 watts more better

So far the only Mesa that -flawlessly- meets my looper needs is the Mark IV, but it only even works properly then if I have the presence knobs on channel 2 and 3 pulled. Which is fine because I think it sounds better like that anyway

Badlander is almost there but of course they had to go and put the channel masters post FX loop. So it works there fine as long as I have both masters set EXACTLY the same lol

If I ran it as a 3 channel amp; I'd probably go Tweed, Crunch, Mk IV. Could I balance it across those three channels/modes? I never switched channels on the Badlander because I just ran it as a crunched up amp and boosted with an OCD/Klone as needed. That's one thing that gets me on the Mark stuff is the paranoia of having a difficult time level matching from one channel to the next. Whether I have overblown it in my own mind or not

 

[spawnofthesith]

If I ran it as a 3 channel amp; I'd probably go Tweed, Crunch, Mk IV. Could I balance it across those three channels/modes? I never switched channels on the Badlander because I just ran it as a crunched up amp and boosted with an OCD/Klone as needed. That's one thing that gets me on the Mark stuff is the paranoia of having a difficult time level matching from one channel to the next. Whether I have overblown it in my own mind or not

The channels themselves balance just fine and easily across any mode/wattage setting plus you've got a master output unlike on the VII

and the loop thing doesn't impact my FX or anything else like that, just my hyper specific looping shenanigans

If you have the intention of integrating modeller preamps into the power section I can do some tests with the stomp later, but I feel like that would be easier to work around/adapt too if it did end up being an issue at all

 

[JiveTurkey]

The channels themselves balance just fine and easily across any mode/wattage setting plus you've got a master output unlike on the VII

and the loop thing doesn't impact my FX or anything else like that, just my hyper specific looping shenanigans

If you have the intention of integrating modeller preamps into the power section I can do some tests with the stomp later, but I feel like that would be easier to work around/adapt too if it did end up being an issue at all

I am drawn to it. All it took was one vid from the Orv and the Not Yet Official Status to be deigned to the Mark series and I was rehooked

My channel switching fear combined with my "oh I have an LX and it is much better as a poweramp for my modeling stuff and therefore can't justify having both" is probably strong enough that I can hold out. That and my unrequited JVM fling phase that has yet to happen with the actual amp.

 

[TubeStack]

Maybe it’s me, but the V sounded like I was using three very different amps, which is cool but I’d rather have channels that can sound like extensions/variations of each other. The VII has been easy to get this happening with, for me (without channel cloning).

 

[JiveTurkey]

Maybe it’s me, but the V sounded like I was using three very different amps, which is cool but I’d rather have channels that can sound like extensions/variations of each other. The VII has been easy to get this happening with, for me (without channel cloning).

Biggest thing I see on the V is I would never want to switch modes within a channel like I did with the VII. At least based on name alone. Extreme mode? No thank you