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[CorrosiveMatter]

The VII has my interest for sure, trying hard not to add to my current 11 amps though, maybe I could trade the JP2C for a VII .

 

[EOengineer]

The VII has my interest for sure, trying hard not to add to my current 11 amps though, maybe I could trade the JP2C for a VII .

OOC what is the VII going to give you that you aren’t getting from the JP2C? Maybe the crunch modes?

 

[CorrosiveMatter]

The JP2C is just so mid forward to my ears and almost a 2 trick pony compared to the V.

The V is such a great amp and I hear Randall saying how proud he is of the VII and it makes me want to try one. I am done buying amps to try them though. Rule I am trying to live by now is try before you buy. Almost never return things so I have too much gear I don’t “love”

 

[AlbertA]

You fuckers got me looking at a Mark V 90 now…

 

[2dor]

You fuckers got me looking at a Mark V 90 now…

I'd take a VII for a spin ... I just need to produce the $$ for it lol

 

[László]

Rule I am trying to live by now is try before you buy.

Best rule there is for buying gear!

I'd take a VII for a spin ... I just need to produce the $$ for it lol

Took me a little while, too.

 

[laxu]

I went for

Just got back from GC. That VII head is still just sitting there with its $3500 price tag. They didn’t have a cab to put it through so I didn’t bother. It’s probably more of a Q2/Q3 2026 move so I’m not scrambling GC staff to hook it up at this point.

I am leaning VII right now for two reasons:
1. I don’t need/want the extra master volume/boost/solo functionality. I don’t use it and it’s just adding complexity that could be expensive to maintain/repair.
2. Dem MIDIs. This inevitably gets incorporated with either the HXFX or Stadium as one rig to rule them all.

The price tag really stings on this one. I’m seeing some used so hoping that’s still an option when I’m ready to move on one.

The global master and solo features are genuinely practical. It makes no sense to me they removed these. I would've just turned them into dual masters like the V:25/35 because that's easier to manage.

MIDI can be added to V via EM Custom boxes. It's bullshit it wasn't MIDI from the start though.

The VII price tag at 4400 € / $5150 is hideous in Europe. I'll probably never own one because of that and would rather buy another V 90.

I feel like the VII could've been much more forward thinking. It feels to me like an iteration of the V rather than an evolution like every Mark amp number bump before.

 

[EOengineer]

I went for

The global master and solo features are genuinely practical. It makes no sense to me they removed these. I would've just turned them into dual masters like the V:25/35 because that's easier to manage.

MIDI can be added to V via EM Custom boxes. It's bullshit it wasn't MIDI from the start though.

The VII price tag at 4400 € / $5150 is hideous in Europe. I'll probably never own one because of that and would rather buy another V 90.

I feel like the VII could've been much more forward thinking. It feels to me like an iteration of the V rather than an evolution like every Mark amp number bump before.

The solo master just isn’t something I use on my amps that have it but it’s a very small piece of the decision pie right now anyway. I wouldn’t avoid a V because of it. The MIDI is really what I’m after, and I’d use the IIB quite a bit.

There are features I really like on the V. I could see getting utility out of the GEQ preset and switching options. I’m really interested in its crunch mode, which I understand is a bit different than the VII as well.

The V and VII are both great amps, I’d be happy with either. I think once I have a fresh sit down with each I’ll know which direction to go.

 

[JiveTurkey]

So I have up to now successfully avoided EQ slider Preset and Preset depth control definitions. I have my channels set to slider and it just sounds great. Did a bit of reading in the manual (shocker!) and this bit of functionality is great! Might have a play around with it today Global master output and Solo is awesome. I have it on the Multiwatt as well and if I gigged these amps; I would absolutely use both features live.

 

[Orvillain]

You know how you read people's opinions, and most of the time you go "yeah okay, gotcha, that aint what I think, but I can see how you came to that conclusion" ????

This aint one of those amps for me. I genuinely cannot fathom how every single guitarist on the planet isn't jizzing over the Mark crunch and high-gain sounds.

I have a lot of amps, but the Mark V genuinely makes me feel like I should just flog all the others!!!

Obviously I'm not going to, because I know I go through phases, but in the time I've had it, there hasn't been a single time where I was uninspired to play. Which is not true of all of my other amps.

 

[Orvillain]

MIDI can be added to V via EM Custom boxes. It's bullshit it wasn't MIDI from the start though.

I have the Recto one, and it works for the V mostly too. Certainly for channel switching. Haven't tried the other functions, because I don't really use them. FX loop is either always on, or always off.

 

[newholland]

You know how you read people's opinions, and most of the time you go "yeah okay, gotcha, that aint what I think, but I can see how you came to that conclusion" ????

This aint one of those amps for me. I genuinely cannot fathom how every single guitarist on the planet isn't jizzing over the Mark crunch and high-gain sounds.

I have a lot of amps, but the Mark V genuinely makes me feel like I should just flog all the others!!!

Obviously I'm not going to, because I know I go through phases, but in the time I've had it, there hasn't been a single time where I was uninspired to play. Which is not true of all of my other amps.

its funny cause ive played lots of amps and i have come back to mesa over and over again, and ive never used either crunch nor high gain XD i stay fairly low gain in the modern world, but i like how they give ,and thats pretty consistent across most of em, save for the cursed redheaded stepchild lonestar. the only other amps ive ever really gravitated back to were hiwatts for similar reasons.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The JP was the most expensive amp I had ever bought at the time. I got it, it was noisy af and overcomplicated in ways I wanted out my modeler, not my amp. I was fine with dialing in a Mark but hadn't succumbed to zero mids life.

Then the VII came along even more expensive, about as noisy and adding an additional "hey all the good modes are on one channel" thing that my brain just didn't like. Add in my dumb fx loop requirements for gigging and I was out.

The V has some noise but is instant gratification on clean, crunch and heavy sounds. Add a boost on the latter two channels and you are melting faces. Bonus points x infinity that I scored it for peanuts comparatively and there's just no way I could begin to be 100% objective comparing the 3 amps. I still say the V slays. The VII I feel, at least from what I read here (I know, microcosm); is a great draw for people who want variations of cleans and rich lower gain tones or classic Boogie sounds from earlier eras before we collectively realized even these old ass 80s amps could rip your head clean off when gained up. I'm here for them all, even if I don't in any way gravitate towards those clean or lower gain sounds.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[JiveTurkey]

@la szum really needs to pop back in and yell at us

 

[laxu]

You know how you read people's opinions, and most of the time you go "yeah okay, gotcha, that aint what I think, but I can see how you came to that conclusion" ????

This aint one of those amps for me. I genuinely cannot fathom how every single guitarist on the planet isn't jizzing over the Mark crunch and high-gain sounds.

I have a lot of amps, but the Mark V genuinely makes me feel like I should just flog all the others!!!

Obviously I'm not going to, because I know I go through phases, but in the time I've had it, there hasn't been a single time where I was uninspired to play. Which is not true of all of my other amps.

For me the V Crunch is good, but it could use more gain on tap (which the VII seems to have) and more Marshall style sizzle to it. It's this pseudo-JCM800 thing that doesn't quite get there, and I feel my BluGuitar Iridium does it better.

3rd channel is great in all modes.

I really wish the preset EQ was a 3-knob EQ instead of "how V curve it gets". I currently use preset EQ for channel 3 because I managed to dial it very close to how I set the sliders. This leaves the sliders for ch2, and ch1 doesn't need GEQ.

 

[Orvillain]

For me the V Crunch is good, but it could use more gain on tap (which the VII seems to have) and more Marshall style sizzle to it. It's this pseudo-JCM800 thing that doesn't quite get there, and I feel my BluGuitar Iridium does it better.

Yeah you've said this before. I dunno, I don't really lack for gain, but I'm using Duncan Distortions and they're quite high output, with big booty ceramic mags. I don't really struggle in that respect tbh. Every time I switch from channel 3 to channel 2, I have a moment of wondering if channel 2 should be my main rhythm instead.

I guess if I had a VII I could actually do that. But if the crunch sounds different, it might not be the one. I mean, it probably would be sick as fuck anyway.

 

[dbagchee]

I was jamming the Extreme mode on my Mark V:25 yesterday. I hadn’t spent much time in that mode for a long while and forgot how much it opens up the amp. With the negative feedback removed it really opens up the amp and makes it sound huge.

The Mark V isn’t available in the short head right? I have the VII on my radar now. I really want a 6L6 Mark - I’ve been looking at Mark IIIs but I’m realizing they not be best for me since I can rarely open my amps up fully. I know the V and VII can be managed a bit better at lower volume. Also the Cab Clone IR would be welcome even though I know they aren’t as well regarded as the Suhr reactive load.