Is the Mark V right for a blues based rocker?

[Fogdog]

Greetings to all! I am a newbie and about to purchase my first Mesa amp so I guess I'm looking for a bit of advice. I mainly play blues based rock and in the stable are the Fenders, Gibsons and a P90 Collings. Also the amps I own cover the same ground from Fender to Marshall.

The reason I decided to purchase a Mark V was more for its versatility than anything else. I don't really see myself dialing in a metal sound so there are some features I may never get to experience much.

I am curious if there are a great many Mark V blues rockers out there on the forum and what your over all experiences are? I do know that it will take some time to dial in the sound that I am looking for so I won't be posting any reviews in the immediate furture.

I'm looking forward to a very long and educational experience here on the Boogie Board.

Thanks!

 

[miqueas92]

So, you already have the amp?

The one thing that is hard to get out of the V is a loose sound. It is tight and that is that!

Having said that, you can get a Ton of tones out of this thing. I did a whole set at Church a couple of weeks back in IIC+ mode with the gain to about 3pm, just using my volume and tone knobs. From brutal to nearly clean.

I have a MusicMan Reflex, so that also gives me a lot of choices in one guitar.

If you like the Mark sound, you can play the blues.

Mick

 

[treewiz]

Walter Trout comes to mind using the Mark V Head, check him out on YouTube.

 

[jmontgomery]

Blues based rock is all I play also. The Mark V is perfect.

 

[Mrjason]

The Mark V is great for blues. Walter Trout can play just fine but his tone is too distorted for my taste. I aim for a Robben Ford type tone myself.
I think I do pretty well with both the clean channel and the Edge mode with a zendrive in front of the amp.
I came from a rectifier to the Mark V looking for that Robben Ford sound I couldn't get out of a rectifier. I couldn't be happier two years later and counting.
I also like classic rock and the once in a while EVH and Metallica tones of my high school days.
Having an amp that can be tweaked into all of the tones of my past and present influences is pretty awesome.
That is the main attraction of the Mark V to me. If you want to play blues only ... get a Fender twin or blues jr.
I prefur the whole enchilada!

 

[carlygtr56]

MK V is GREAT for blues/rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAjTSPF4lzY

 

[JEB3]

Tons of great tones for blues in Channel One and Channel Two. Variac power, 10W, or 45W with rectifier power, gives a great loose feel to your playing. Download and read the manual. It has a wealth of useful information. Channel One, Tweed mode is just plain fun, there is a whole world of great blues tones in that one mode. Congrats and enjoy.

 

[Fogdog]

Well I closed the deal last night for the Mark V…****, it weighs as much as my Fender 57 Twin Reissue.

Remarkable how this one amp has so many different sounds. I noticed when I tried to engage the reverb on channel 2 it was not as wet as channels 1 and 3. One things for sure it's going to take some time to figure this amp out but I'll have fun doing so.

I didn't know Walter was using a Mark V but if he can get the tone I'm sure I'll enjoy this amp for many years to come. Thank you all for your guidance.

I need to cheat though, can somebody tell me where the Angus Young tone is?

 

[thunder100]

Hi

I am same direction Blues to Hard Rock

I play any day "Still got the blues" on Mark II C + , and apart that the late Gary Moore plays Muuuuch better then me you will be immediately there.

From time to time that is also possible on Mark I , but that is a serious beast to dial in and seems to have a kind of woman like daily behaviour change( nothing against lady's though)

Roland

 

[screamingdaisy]

IMO, Marks are great blues/blues rock amps. As a hot-rodded Fender it was their heritage up until they became popular in the rock/metal community.

I need to cheat though, can somebody tell me where the Angus Young tone is?

In a Marshall JTM-45.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Hi

I am same direction Blues to Hard Rock

I play any day "Still got the blues" on Mark II C + , and apart that the late Gary Moore plays Muuuuch better then me you will be immediately there.

From time to time that is also possible on Mark I , but that is a serious beast to dial in and seems to have a kind of woman like daily behaviour change( nothing against lady's though)

Roland

I agree with this guy. The clean channel on the MKIIC family is really good. It gets the fame for Metallica usage, but the clean channel sold me. I love he high gain, no doubt. An epic tone. But the clean channel is so good when it gets hot. You never hear of a tele and a MKIIC, but it is a sweet match.

And congrats on your new amp OP.

You got one Swiss Army knife of an amp there. Well done!

 

[miqueas92]

Ok, so last night, at church, I put my V on tweed, variac, 10 watt mode... cranked the gain and... holy guacamole :shock:

Talk about blues tone! Outstanding.

Then hit the lead button for the leads. Wonderful.

 

[toneseeker911]

I've managed to get good blues rock tones in all three channels
1) Ch1 Tweed mode
2) Ch2 Edge mode
3) Ch3 MkIIc+ with low-medium gain and backing off the guitar volume

Try variac and the low wattage modes in all the three above. You can also throw a boost in front. This amp has endless possibilities and is very versatile in a live situation.

 

[SteveO]

I need to cheat though, can somebody tell me where the Angus Young tone is?

Channel two, crunch mode. Use just the tone knobs (no slider or graphic EQ), and keep the gain relatively low. You'll get even closer with EL34s and a Vintage 30 speaker.

 

[HwyStar]

Do you think I can get a Deep Purple tone similar to the sound Blackmore got on "Made In Japan?" Strange kind of Woman and Lazy sound great on that LP.

 

[carlygtr56]

Do you think I can get a Deep Purple tone similar to the sound Blackmore got on "Made In Japan?" Strange kind of Woman and Lazy sound great on that LP.

Run a treble booster into the crunch ch or one of the lead channels w/ the gain low

 

[HwyStar]

Thanks for the suggestion Carlygtr56.

Here is a YouTube link to the original:
Youtube

It is interesting to hear JP play the same song on the DT - MIJ album. Notice how much more distortion he uses in his sound (2006):
JP version

 

[thunder100]

But be carefull

Actually Deep Purple plays much less distortion then one may think

You can listen all or from 9.00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-36Z3ENIDQU

Have fun

Roland

 

[HwyStar]

Thanks for the Youtube link Roland!

Every one of the guitarist playing the purple songs on that video had about twice as much distortion as compared to RB on MIJ. Now... on the other hand RB was playing his amps at about 115-120db and the natural sustain he would get at those volumes allowed him to play those songs "like" he had twice as much distortion. I'm surprised he isn't deaf. I don't want to play that loud. I already have enough tinnitus and can't afford anymore hearing issues/loss.

Thanks again Man!

 

[ricorocks]

No it's NOT right, it's THE BEST: Period :wink: