TGF Official Amp Mesa Boogie Mark series. Join the fun and get one today!

[laxu]

Then a question for Mark V:90 owners. How much gain do you have on channel 2 Edge or Crunch mode?

I've been watching some Mark V videos, and it seems as if mine has quite a bit less gain even with my highest output guitar (Fenix LP custom with Mastertone active pickups). Like Crunch mode with gain maxed on my amp still seems like less gain than I see people getting with gain at about 2-3 o'clock.

I need to find my tube stash and try some preamp tube rolling this weekend.

I would not be surprised to find the amp still has original Mesa branded preamp tubes. Maybe some of those aren't in the best shape, or just plain suck in the first place. It's hard to find concrete info what relabeled tubes Mesa 12AX7s are as they seem to have changed over the years.

 

[EOengineer]

Then a question for Mark V:90 owners. How much gain do you have on channel 2 Edge or Crunch mode?

I've been watching some Mark V videos, and it seems as if mine has quite a bit less gain even with my highest output guitar (Fenix LP custom with Mastertone active pickups). Like Crunch mode with gain maxed on my amp still seems like less gain than I see people getting with gain at about 2-3 o'clock.

I need to find my tube stash and try some preamp tube rolling this weekend.

I would not be surprised to find the amp still has original Mesa branded preamp tubes. Maybe some of those aren't in the best shape, or just plain suck in the first place. It's hard to find concrete info what relabeled tubes Mesa 12AX7s are as they seem to have changed over the years.

Not a V owner, but it’s not uncommon for Mesa owners to swap a 12at7 or 5751 into the preamp - definitely worth taking a look if you’re getting atypical results.

 

[laxu]

Not a V owner, but it’s not uncommon for Mesa owners to swap a 12at7 or 5751 into the preamp - definitely worth taking a look if you’re getting atypical results.

Yeah, with the preamp tubes hard to access even in the combo and covered by tube covers I didn't want to tear it apart yet.

 

[la szum]

That said, the things I'd truly miss if I went from V -> VII would be the variac power, tweed mode and global master volume. I'm glad I got the V just for cost reasons, but also because it's more like tons of amps in one - even if you have to reconfigure a lot of stuff to make that happen.

It's definitely the broadest Mark in terms of tonal variation and feel. I'd throw in the
Rectifier options on the V that the VII doesn't have as essential for me. Bold/Spongy.

The VII is certainly a more condensed and streamlined Mark.

 

[la szum]

Then a question for Mark V:90 owners. How much gain do you have on channel 2 Edge or Crunch mode?

I've been watching some Mark V videos, and it seems as if mine has quite a bit less gain even with my highest output guitar (Fenix LP custom with Mastertone active pickups). Like Crunch mode with gain maxed on my amp still seems like less gain than I see people getting with gain at about 2-3 o'clock.

I need to find my tube stash and try some preamp tube rolling this weekend.

I would not be surprised to find the amp still has original Mesa branded preamp tubes. Maybe some of those aren't in the best shape, or just plain suck in the first place. It's hard to find concrete info what relabeled tubes Mesa 12AX7s are as they seem to have changed over the years.

I'll snap a pic of my settings tomorrow when the light is better.

 

[newholland]

Not a V owner, but it’s not uncommon for Mesa owners to swap a 12at7 or 5751 into the preamp - definitely worth taking a look if you’re getting atypical results.

argh. 12ay or 5751s makes sense, but the idea of a 12at in any tone generator makes me cringe. a pi, maybe... but never ever a gainstage. its like using a chainsaw to drive nails.

 

[EOengineer]

argh. 12ay or 5751s makes sense, but the idea of a 12at in any tone generator makes me cringe. a pi, maybe... but never ever a gainstage. its like using a chainsaw to drive nails.

I don’t like them either but I see it all the time.

 

[Orvillain]

How much gain do you have on channel 2 Edge or Crunch mode?

Oh, loads. Almost as much as what I can get out of channel 3 on Mark IV and Mark II C + channels.

 

[laxu]

Oh, loads. Almost as much as what I can get out of channel 3 on Mark IV and Mark II C + channels.

Yeah I definitely need to check them tubes then. I had the ch2 gain on max and still felt that wasn't excessive on Crunch mode. Ch3 has way more than I'd ever use by comparison.

My guess is the previous owner may have changed some of the tubes to lower gain ones, or maybe there's an issue with the V2 gain stage or something.

I read the boogieforum for a bit and there's this one guy who posted a shitload over the years, and all the more technical, tube swapping or speaker swapping discussions are straight up dominated by him due to the sheer amount of posts. So a lot of that "put this and this tube in this spot" advice came from basically one guy and people either liked it or not. Seems he's moved over to the Mark VII now.

 

[Orvillain]

I read the boogieforum for a bit and there's this one guy who posted a shitload over the years, and all the more technical, tube swapping or speaker swapping discussions are straight up dominated by him due to the sheer amount of posts. So a lot of that "put this and this tube in this spot" advice came from basically one guy and people either liked it or not. Seems he's moved over to the Mark VII now.

Kill him.

 

[la szum]

I read the boogieforum for a bit and there's this one guy who posted a shitload over the years, and all the more technical, tube swapping or speaker swapping discussions are straight up dominated by him due to the sheer amount of posts. So a lot of that "put this and this tube in this spot" advice came from basically one guy and people either liked it or not. Seems he's moved over to the Mark VII now.

 

[la szum]

I swear I didn't even see @Orvillain 's reply until after I posted that GIF.

 

[Mikael Dez]

Replaced the nickel chassis straps - I have to black out the handle hardware myself, I think.

 

[TDbooger]

Don’t see too many JPs around here so I’ll add one

 

[EOengineer]

Don’t see too many JPs around here so I’ll add one
View attachment 40437

This gives me unparalleled anxiety, but it also looks awesome.

 

[EOengineer]

Not EXACTLY Mark, but the Studio Preamp just came back with new caps, as well as the bass pull shift being added to the bass knob, and pull deep added to the middle knob ala the Quad preamp. Also found a cap that was shorting out on the back of the circuit board.

I’m beyond excited to hear what kind of hell this is going to unleash through the 2:90 with the deep and modern modes engaged.

 

[laxu]

So John Petrucci used to have his Mesa Mark V settings on his website, until it was redesigned to something boring that goes into much less detail.

I dug up the pictures via Wayback Machine and put them together, plus did a bit of color correction and brightening.

The "Additional settings" were marked only that, I think they are from his "smaller" one rack tower, two amp "B-rig".

 

[texhex]

Then a question for Mark V:90 owners. How much gain do you have on channel 2 Edge or Crunch mode?

I've been watching some Mark V videos, and it seems as if mine has quite a bit less gain even with my highest output guitar (Fenix LP custom with Mastertone active pickups). Like Crunch mode with gain maxed on my amp still seems like less gain than I see people getting with gain at about 2-3 o'clock.

I need to find my tube stash and try some preamp tube rolling this weekend.

I would not be surprised to find the amp still has original Mesa branded preamp tubes. Maybe some of those aren't in the best shape, or just plain suck in the first place. It's hard to find concrete info what relabeled tubes Mesa 12AX7s are as they seem to have changed over the years.

Channel 2 Crunch, Gain at 6, Presence and Treble to taste and I hit it with a SD-1.

Replaced all the preamp tubes with these STR SPAX7-A tubes:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MBSPAX7--mesa-boogie-spax7-preamp-tube

 

[newholland]

hee hee... i retubed the iib about three four weeks back and finally got beyond the 'new glass' smell on my guitar sound sounds damn glorious!

i also got one of those jhs black speaker boxes, basically a pot to attenuate your loop, and man... if you ever feel like a mark combo isnt living up to its potential at low volumes... chuck one in it, and crank up your lead master. at 7 with the master up even to two... whole amp comes alive, and its completely reasonable volume.

i actually use it on a fussy, tweaky fender solid state head, and it has the same effect. i dunno how i functioned without the thing before- its that helpful with a series loop!

 

[EOengineer]

So John Petrucci used to have his Mesa Mark V settings on his website, until it was redesigned to something boring that goes into much less detail.

I dug up the pictures via Wayback Machine and put them together, plus did a bit of color correction and brightening.

The "Additional settings" were marked only that, I think they are from his "smaller" one rack tower, two amp "B-rig".

View attachment 40837

That’s a deep dip at 750 - amazing he’s able to cut through.