NAD: Mesa Mark V:90 1x12 combo

[laxu]

So interestingly, back in 2007/2008 I bought a Rectoverb 2x12 combo. This was just as TNBD was just getting started, and I took it to the first few rehearsals. I kept getting lost in the mix, and I just hated how it sounded. Years later, I now mostly put that down to the C90 speaker. Because since using V30's I've never had that problem; even with my Dual Rect and Mark V.

I see others describe the C90 as dark but mine seems to have an absolute ton of upper mids where it gets loud very quick. Hard to imagine it would not cut. I have to check what is in the amp.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I’m personally a big fan of the C90

Actually let me clarify that…. I’m a big fan of the C90 in a closed back cab

In open back combos? Well… not a fan….



I don’t find them dark, honestly I think they’re nice and balanced lol.

 

[newholland]

I’m personally a big fan of the C90

Actually let me clarify that…. I’m a big fan of the C90 in a closed back cab

In open back combos? Well… not a fan….



I don’t find them dark, honestly I think they’re nice and balanced lol.

im 100% with that. c90s are kinda the quintessential support speaker. to my ears, they dont really call attention to themselves, and in a full sized box theyre just thick and fill out the space above bass, and they just dont have an enormo amount of top end. i think theyre just okay in a combo, but lend themselves to being kinda dull with the wrong amp. theyre downright despicable in the lone star, which is just a dullard of an amp in the first place unless you hate exciting rock music in which case its exactly what you need.

 

[Whizzinby]

Badass @laxu

 

[Will Onyx]

Congrats on the V combo! I wasn’t a big fan of the c90 in that amp either. If I ever end up with one again, I’d really like to try the 90w Celestion alnico cream in it.

 

[EOengineer]

Definitely did not see a Mark V coming!

FWIW these amps REALLY want a sealed back cab. Greenbacks, V30s, T75, 12L, and the usual suspects all sound great in a sealed or at least mostly sealed, big cab. Doesn’t have to be a 4x12, can be something like an oversized 1x12.

 

[la szum]

Well done, laxu. Well done!

It combines second to none tones, and unparalleled versatility.
Once you get a handle on it, the amp can pretty much do it all,
while sacrificing nothing in the process. Kind of unheard of, to
be honest.

 

[la szum]

I used mine religiously with a Mesa 4 x 10 semi open back Cab and the Amp
in Class A Tweed Mode with Tube Rectification for more gigs than I used it
for the Chuggs, or Crunches. It's so good if you love those kinds of tones.

Crazy to think there is an amp capable of being a Metal Machine, or a Prog Rock
Paradise, and then backing up an Harp toting American/Blues Artist like I used
mine with for several years.

Finding the proper Speaker/Cab match for what you are going for is great advice
when it comes to the Mark V. I think it delivers if paired with the right Cab/Speakers.

Big/bold Fender-esque cleans = open/semi-open back... and maybe even Alnicos.

Want a decent Crunch then pair it with 2 x 12 Greenbacks and use 45W Mode.

Going for the Chugs then get some V30s in a close-back Cab.

I am not a fan of the one speaker to rule them all methodology for the Mark V. It
rewards the effort to get a few different tone/genre specific speakers/cabs if space
allows.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

Love the Mark V. Head. The combo just sounds too small for me. Don’t like the C90. Prefer that amp with V30s.

 

[laxu]

I am not a fan of the one speaker to rule them all methodology for the Mark V. It
rewards the effort to get a few different tone/genre specific speakers/cabs if space
allows.

I was kinda hoping the 1x12 combo would help me with that, but it would be just annoying to reconfigure literally everything if swapping cabs.

I do feel there's often a cab or speaker that sounds "just right" to you for nearly every tone. Like any Marshall-based amp through my 4x10 GBs is great, whereas a Vox style amp needed a 1x12 Alnico Gold to really shine.

I'm likely going to use the Mesa with my 4x10 (as the original idea was to get an amp to go with it) and see how it goes. If I like what I'm getting I'll make a headshell for the amp.

 

[laxu]

This is where I ended up with the Mark V connected to my Bluetone 4x10. Ch1 set to 10W, Ch2 to 45W diode, ch3 to 90W triode. BluGuitar for scale.

The Mark V sounds way better through the 4x10. Ch1 and 3 sound great. I was surprised how many ways there are to dial those channels.

I aimed for ch1 to have a sweet, thick sound that goes to a bit of breakup if I really hit the strings hard. I wish this channel had more gain on tap earlier so the bright cap wasn't completely out of play by the time you get it to break up even in 10W mode. I guess I need to explore the Tweed mode.

Ch3 is almost begging for you to dial that Mesa chugga-chugga sound. IIC and IV modes are very nice, haven't explored Extreme properly. Compared to the BluGuitar the Mesa has this immediacy to its high gain sounds that is pretty addictive.

Ch2 is missing the good Marshall sizzle and harmonics that I get so easily from the BluGuitar. When I was younger I hated the sizzle, so I would have loved the Mark V probably. Now it feels like something is missing on that channel, where it's fine, but not divine.

Do you guys find that the Ch2 Edge mode has some kind of nasty "chirp" to it that you can't dial out no matter what? It goes away completely with the Crunch mode.

I recorded some clips but need to go through them with a better audio system and fresh ears.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Historically I almost never used edge mode on CH2 at all, but lately its been my go to on that channel, not sure I know what you mean about a chirp, perhaps a chirp but I don't personally find it nasty?

 

[Will Onyx]

Edge definitely had some top end bite. I always dialed it in as an alternative clean that sounded like a cross between a Vox and a Tweed.

 

[laxu]

Historically I almost never used edge mode on CH2 at all, but lately its been my go to on that channel, not sure I know what you mean about a chirp, perhaps a chirp but I don't personally find it nasty?

Might depend on the cab. I find it to be some high mid frequency that is unpleasant. I don't think it was as bad with the C90.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Side tangent, but don't discredit using a boost with crunch mode on channel 2, may or may not yield the "sizzle" you're missing

On my first Mark V years ago I had epic results using a BB preamp (the custom version with the midboost knob)

 

[laxu]

Side tangent, but don't discredit using a boost with crunch mode on channel 2, may or may not yield the "sizzle" you're missing

On my first Mark V years ago I had epic results using a BB preamp (the custom version with the midboost knob)

Might give that a try. Atm I use Crunch with gain on max and then roll back my guitar volume.

 

[laxu]

Some musings on the amp's design.

Front panel:

• I can see why they've pared back the modes a bit on the Mark VII. The Clean and Edge modes are the ones I'll probably end up using the least because Fat and Crunch are just better. Tweed and Extreme need more experimentation.
• The mini switches feel like I should paint the tips a different color so I can actually see where they're set.
• I can understand why Fractal Audio says the graphic EQ design sucks. It has a lot more dramatic effect at the extreme ends of the slider rather than being consistent across the whole range.
• The EQ preset feature is not that useful.
  • I feel like I'd want another graphic EQ, or a 3-knob lo/high shelf + mid filter like BluGuitar.
  • Since you basically need the graphic EQ for ch3 to get the best sound out of it, and the V curve just doesn't work that well for ch2, so you compromise by not having EQ on that channel.
  • Ch1 is fine without EQ.

Back panel:

• I wish they had included a decay knob for the spring reverb. It can be a bit too long for my tastes where I'd like to turn it higher, but it overstays its welcome.
• The way the switches and jacks are arranged is less than ideal.
  • I've turned the fx loop off a few times when I wanted to set ch3 to triode.
  • I have had to really look hard to make sure I have the right speaker out connected because they are right next to the slave/tuner outs.
• Fan noise is not too bad! I can tell it's on when I start it but when I start playing it just becomes a non-issue so I've left it on.
• Before owning this I thought the Tuner out and Mute switch were mostly useless features.
  • But they've been surprisingly handy for just turning off the sound when I want to swap guitars, or listen to a recorded track without hiss from ch3.
  • I'd still take a built-in noise gate any day.

Other features:

• I kinda like the foot pedal so I don't think I'll pursue MIDI with this one.
• Changing tubes seems like a real pain in the ass by having to remove the metal protector grille, possibly power tubes as well to reach the preamp tubes. My understanding is that the head is twice as bad because it's more cramped.
• I like that the combo has a small pouch built in that fits the footswitch. The amp cover even has a slot where you can cram in the manual.
• Being able to easily remove the wheels from the combo without tools is cool. This is the first amp I've owned with wheels so I don't know how standard this is.
• Single handle on a ~29.5 kg combo? Never good.

I think mine is an older model. It seems at some point they swapped the channel/fx loop knobs in the back for a different design and renamed "Variac power" to "Tweed power".

 

[Orvillain]

The only mode I don't like is the Mark I mode. Because in order to make it sound anywhere near good, you need to use the GEQ to carve it up properly, and that ultimately ruins the ability to use it for the other channels - well... you can use the preset mode, but it has a few too many mids for me.

I don't agree the GEQ sucks. In fact, I'd rather Fractal completely ape the curve for each band.

I don't think the built in reverb is all that. I'd happily take the tank out myself.

I haven't been using the fan in my head. It was annoying.

I like the foot pedal, but since I don't like the reverb, don't use the mute, and my FX loop is on all the time (good master volume for the entire amp!) I could happily lose the entire top row.

The Morningstar MC6 Pro is a very good alternative. It is small, has screens, and relay outputs. I've set up the bottom rows to switch channels on my Recto and Mark 5.

 

[laxu]

The only mode I don't like is the Mark I mode. Because in order to make it sound anywhere near good, you need to use the GEQ to carve it up properly, and that ultimately ruins the ability to use it for the other channels - well... you can use the preset mode, but it has a few too many mids for me.

If the Mark I mode didn't have so much bass that I feel like I need an extra 25% down from zero, I could make it work. It is a weird mode and I feel like they could have swapped places of Mk1 and Extreme modes.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Build Your Own Mark with modes of your liking would be No matter what Mk I look at; all the modes I like end up on a single channel it seems. So option overload, schmoverload; I end up using it as a single channel amp