HELP on Mark V Combo or Head/Cab!

[jdonati17]

I know this thread has been brought up a bunch and I have read it over an over. These are my questions to all the Combo owners. Sorry if this seems annoying to anybody.

- how do the C90 speakers sound new? Also what kind of bass response can you get when cranked with high gain
- If you could choose to get the head now would you?
- Any loss in tonal quality with the Combo vs. Head and Cab

In general, I've owned combo's and head/cab combo's for awhile and for the past years all I've been playing are head and cabs. I just want to know if I will be disappointed if I buy the combo over the head in regard to cutting threw the mix and the tone i'll get.

I'll be using a Les Paul Custom, or St. Blues 61 South for my guitars and my main influences are Trey Anastasio, Scott Henderson, Santana, Derek Trucks...etc.

BTW i've never owned a Mesa Boogie Amp. This will be the first

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

 

[yarzo]

If you get the combo you can always run it into any cabinet.

I have the head btw...I love the fact that I can run different cab/speaker combinations. I leave a cab at my jam space and just bring the head.

All in all, I don't think you'll regret either.

 

[Shaner30]

Ive had the same issues...I used to play through a dual rec and 4x12. I sold my giant rig and picked up a mark v combo. The first thing I noticed was the lack of ballsy low end... and I was kinda dissapointed. So I picked up a widebody closed back mesa 1x12 with C90 and it helped bigtime. If I could go back, I may have gotten the head and maybe a 2X12 closed back, but that is generally due to the weight of the combo. But the tone im getting now with the combo + 1x12 is great and I am happy. I play a lot of 7 string stuff and de-tuned so if you dont do that, you might not be missing anything with the combo.

 

[Barry]

Ive had the same issues...I used to play through a dual rec and 4x12. I sold my giant rig and picked up a mark v combo. The first thing I noticed was the lack of ballsy low end... and I was kinda dissapointed. So I picked up a widebody closed back mesa 1x12 with C90 and it helped bigtime. If I could go back, I may have gotten the head and maybe a 2X12 closed back, but that is generally due to the weight of the combo. But the tone im getting now with the combo + 1x12 is great and I am happy. I play a lot of 7 string stuff and de-tuned so if you dont do that, you might not be missing anything with the combo.

Kinda unfair to think a 1X12 combo would sound like a 4X12 ! There is no substitute for a 4X12, they are magical . A pain in the but to move but sound amazing .

 

[Shaner30]

Ive had the same issues...I used to play through a dual rec and 4x12. I sold my giant rig and picked up a mark v combo. The first thing I noticed was the lack of ballsy low end... and I was kinda dissapointed. So I picked up a widebody closed back mesa 1x12 with C90 and it helped bigtime. If I could go back, I may have gotten the head and maybe a 2X12 closed back, but that is generally due to the weight of the combo. But the tone im getting now with the combo + 1x12 is great and I am happy. I play a lot of 7 string stuff and de-tuned so if you dont do that, you might not be missing anything with the combo.

Kinda unfair to think a 1X12 combo would sound like a 4X12 ! There is no substitute for a 4X12, they are magical . A pain in the but to move but sound amazing .

Ya I was sick of moving the 4x12 around and every show i play they mic the cab anyways. I knew there would be a difference....but i guess it was more drastic than I thought.

 

[NR2112]

I owned the MV combo for a few weeks, played a few gigs too. I exchanged it for the head. Here is why:

1. it is lighter
2. The combo sounded thing and and the high gain stuff wasnt really as punchy as I wanted it.
3. Even when I hooked up a 4x12, something was missing. Plus it looked really weird on top of my mesa 4x12 (c90's in it) IMO
4. There seemed to be too much going on in the back of the amp, with those tubes just hanging there, I felt I had to me EXTRA careful with cords and such. And the foot switch WILL NOT fit in the back, as one might think it would.
5. Heads are cheaper ( ive seen them on the used market, some for around 1750!)
6. Head is more versitile.
7. Head looks cooler (IMO)

Good luck on your decision! Either way, i guess you cant go wrong.... or CAN you???? :lol:

 

[boogieman60]

I have a combo and widebody thiele cab, closed back front ported, with one c90 in it. the sound this duo gets is really big. it has plenty of bottom end. I personally like the fact that I can use just the combo for smaller gigs or both for bigger louder venues, stack them or separate them or whatever. I play a lot of differant music with 3 bands so I need the versatility. I think what you are going to use the amp for should determine what you buy...not just the amout of bottom end. Besides this thing has so much bottom I have to trim the bass on all the channels. enjoy...

 

[Barry]

Ive had the same issues...I used to play through a dual rec and 4x12. I sold my giant rig and picked up a mark v combo. The first thing I noticed was the lack of ballsy low end... and I was kinda dissapointed. So I picked up a widebody closed back mesa 1x12 with C90 and it helped bigtime. If I could go back, I may have gotten the head and maybe a 2X12 closed back, but that is generally due to the weight of the combo. But the tone im getting now with the combo + 1x12 is great and I am happy. I play a lot of 7 string stuff and de-tuned so if you dont do that, you might not be missing anything with the combo.

Kinda unfair to think a 1X12 combo would sound like a 4X12 ! There is no substitute for a 4X12, they are magical . A pain in the but to move but sound amazing .

Ya I was sick of moving the 4x12 around and every show i play they mic the cab anyways. I knew there would be a difference....but i guess it was more drastic than I thought.

I used to use combo amps but I have completey gotten away for them . I think they are designed primarily for convenience and you give up a little in sound for that . The external cabs are tuned a bit better than combos and offers another tool to further dial in your tone .

 

[phyrexia]

I owned the MV combo for a few weeks, played a few gigs too. I exchanged it for the head. Here is why:


3. Even when I hooked up a 4x12, something was missing. Plus it looked really weird on top of my mesa 4x12 (c90's in it) IMO
4. There seemed to be too much going on in the back of the amp, with those tubes just hanging there, I felt I had to me EXTRA careful with cords and such. And the foot switch WILL NOT fit in the back, as one might think it would.
5. Heads are cheaper ( ive seen them on the used market, some for around 1750!)
6. Head is more versitile.
7. Head looks cooler (IMO)

Good luck on your decision! Either way, i guess you cant go wrong.... or CAN you???? :lol:

These are all in your "head" haha
3. There's no difference between a combo and a head's circuit. It looked funny and you thought it sounded funny because of it.
4. Just as many tubes hanging in the back of your combo as the head, so I don't understand this one at all. And the footswitch will absolutely fit back there, but it is a tight fit and will fit in only one orientation, but if you didn't find that orientation, not the end of the world.
5. Heads are, of course, cheaper. There's less wood and less speaker.
6. A head is not any more versatile. You have a head and a speaker cab, that means you have one speaker choice. I have my combo and speaker cab, so I have two speaker choices.
7. Fooey

 

[phyrexia]

So if you are a weakling and don't want to lift an 80lb combo, I completely understand. But I am glad I got my combo. I can take the combo to a jazz gig, a pop gig, a country gig, some rock gigs, and I'm not missing anything. But I can take my combo and thiele cab to a harder rock gig, a metal gig, and I'm not missing anything either. Frankly I wanted this to be the last nice amp I had to buy. And a year later, it's still doing that job.

What you really need to consider is what kind of music you'll be playing, and what kind of speaker cab you'd match a head with. Clean styles will generally sound better through an open back cab. Distortion can sound better through a closed back cab.

Now I swapped my C90 out (just as it was getting broken in and sounding good hehe) for an MS-12 which is a beefier speaker with more lowend. I also ran the combo with an EV 12L for a while which, as I predicted, shook the earth just fine.

I like the fact that I can make one trip from the truck to practice/venue with the combo in one hand and the thiele cab in the other hand. Then another trip for my guitars and pedals.

 

[Barry]

I guess my situation is a bit different as our band has an equipment truck and i dont have to load my gear into my car , All of my gear is in road cases on wheels as well . Im just not a combo guy but glad its working well for you , thats why they make the two formats , so we will all find favor in the end result .

 

[ryjan]

My preference would be a head and a couple cabinets. I will list them next to numbers so I will fit in with everyone else. :lol:
1. Two thiele cabs cost roughly the same as a 4x12 and will sound about as good.
2. Depending on what you want to do you can take both cabs for a thick, spread-out sound or one for ease of transport.
Tres. That's three in spanish.
4. Bob at Eurotubes wrote about how having a speaker that close to power tubes in a combo is not a good thing. Any truth to this? I dunno, but the theory seems sound.
5. Two widebody ported 1x12 cabs stacked up with a head on top is frikin cool looking. 8)

 

[jdonati17]

Man Thanks guys, those replies are awesome. When it comes down to it, I'll be playing bars and large college parties (pay very well) in the coming months. I'm in college and right now I run a JCM800 through at Soldano 4x12 with effects out in front. It works great but I'm sick of the tone I'm getting. Pedals can make great tone but I've heard great things about the Mark series cascasding gain circuits. We do your typical classic covers and what not but will the Boogie Mark V hold up if I want that Santana/Trey Sustain/legato/Henderson/badass tone? And I noticed quite a few Mark V owners play metal and heavy drop tunings music...I will not be in that cateragory so if that helps narrow my sound down then cool.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the head and cab option but the combo just has the cool compact "its all there in one place" package. Anyway let me know what ya'll think.

THANKS!!

 

[ryjan]

Whatever you play, the Mark V will get you there.

 

[Barry]

Man Thanks guys, those replies are awesome. When it comes down to it, I'll be playing bars and large college parties (pay very well) in the coming months. I'm in college and right now I run a JCM800 through at Soldano 4x12 with effects out in front. It works great but I'm sick of the tone I'm getting. Pedals can make great tone but I've heard great things about the Mark series cascasding gain circuits. We do your typical classic covers and what not but will the Boogie Mark V hold up if I want that Santana/Trey Sustain/legato/Henderson/badass tone? And I noticed quite a few Mark V owners play metal and heavy drop tunings music...I will not be in that cateragory so if that helps narrow my sound down then cool.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the head and cab option but the combo just has the cool compact "its all there in one place" package. Anyway let me know what ya'll think.

THANKS!!

have you considered the LoneStar or Electrodyne ? both are awesome as well

 

[phyrexia]

Man Thanks guys, those replies are awesome. When it comes down to it, I'll be playing bars and large college parties (pay very well) in the coming months. I'm in college and right now I run a JCM800 through at Soldano 4x12 with effects out in front. It works great but I'm sick of the tone I'm getting. Pedals can make great tone but I've heard great things about the Mark series cascasding gain circuits. We do your typical classic covers and what not but will the Boogie Mark V hold up if I want that Santana/Trey Sustain/legato/Henderson/badass tone? And I noticed quite a few Mark V owners play metal and heavy drop tunings music...I will not be in that cateragory so if that helps narrow my sound down then cool.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the head and cab option but the combo just has the cool compact "its all there in one place" package. Anyway let me know what ya'll think.

THANKS!!

Frankly when I read your influences (trey, derek, etc) I really thought a combo would be the way to go for you. Mark series amps are kinda known for the Santana sound (as Carlos essentially added the word "Boogie" to the company name ) and you won't have any problems getting a nice thick legato sound.


I've played with several guys with 4x12s and honestly the combo/thiele setup I have has shat all over them: Triple Rec/Recto Cab, Dual Rec/Carvin Cab, lee jackson XLS1000/marshall cab.


If you're thinking about getting a head, what kind of cabinet would you be using with it? It's not that I don't like the sound of a 4x12 and the Mark V, it's just I can get an equally great sound with the combo and the thiele. So long as you don't want to shake the world with bass (and let's be honest: if that's your goal, Mark amps aren't the best choice) I think you'd be fine either way.

 

[SteveO]

I chose the head, mainly because it better suits my personal needs. I have an Express 23 1x12, a closed-back 1x12, a 3/4 back 2x12, and a Recto horizontal 2x12. All but the Recto cab will fit in the trunk of my car, the head sits nicely in the back seat. The combo won't fit in my trunk unless I remove the subwoofers for my car stereo (NOT gonna happen!), and the combo is heavy enough that it is not something that I would want to attempt to lift in and out of my back seat (my car is a two-door).

 

[golfnguitarz]

Head, get the head. You won't regret it. Your back will thank you. As your needs/tastes change, so will the cabs you plug into. As everyone else has mentioned, the Mark V will get you whatever you want. It may take a while, but you can tease just about anything out of this boogie mo'chine. It just takes a while to adjust to it and just when you think you know it all, you will find a little something else.

 

[boogieman60]

One thing I like about the combo is the sound that surrounds you on stage. the open back is very pleasing to my ears....also about the tubes being near the speakers not being good????? most of the sounds many modern day amps emulate comes from vintage amps that almost always were combos. I think that some of the really great sounds come from a slightly microphonic tube interacting with the speaker. And that is going to happen to some degree with a combo or a head at stage volumes. It's all good guys and dolls......

 

[sted]

Dont think you'll go wrong with either, the combo is heavy but the head isnt exactly light either! I use mine on its own or on top of a 2x12 and it sounds massive, I chose cab speakers that enhance the C90 in the combo and the cab has removeable panels so you can tune the sound to the room a bit more I find. I dont play high gain stuff but the mid ranges on these amps are awash with classic rock tones and lovely cleans, takes some breaking in though!

Of course the Mark series was born as a modded combo.............

*Runs for cover* :lol: