Mark V Combo Cabinet Size?

[Monsta-Tone]

I went ahead and bought my friend's Mark V head.
He offered it to me for a great price under a "Long term loan" because I just don't have any cash right now. He's a business partner, so he knows that he'll get the cash when we start a big job that is coming up......


I'm not really a head/cabinet guy.
I'm much more of a combo on top of a closed 1x12 guy.
I simply don't have much space and most of the venues here are freakishly tiny, not enough room for even a 2x12 in most places. Plus, my kids weigh more than the V combo and I lift them all the time.

Will a Mark V chassis fit into a DC-5 or Mark IV Widebody combo cab?
billbar has a DC-5 combo cab that I would like to take off his hands if it will fit. All of the dimensions look correct, but I wanted to make sure that there were no unforeseen issues that I am not thinking of.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bandit2013]

I did measure up the Mark V to the Mark IV wide body combo. (they did make a narrow MarkIV early on). It appears that it would fit but have not done so. I was considering it since I was wondering what the combo sounded like compared to a half stack. You may have to remove the bumper on the inside of the combo unit in order to fit the reverb tank. You can also remove the 5x5 ac fan since the Mark V does not have an AC outlet to plug the fan in. (also already has a small brushless dc fan connected to the chassis). The suspender bolt pattern of both the Mark IV and Mark V is the same, chassis depth is the same, but I have not confirmed if the head chassis will fit the Mark IV wide combo. If I get bored this weekend perhaps I will confirm the fit.

 

[bandit2013]

I made the attempt to install the Mark V head chassis into a 2000 Mark IVb Combo enclosure.

IT IS NOT A DIRECT DROP IN ASSEMBLY!

It almost fit, but there was a problem. The panel that the speaker is mounted to would have to be cut to allow the Mark V chassis to fit properly. The bottom surface of the Mark IV chassis is flat where as the Mark V has an angled chassis for clearance of the control circuitry.
The attached image link below shows the Mark V chassis facing the Mark IV chassis. Mark V is on the left, Mark IV on the right. The chassis size is the same, bolt patters are the same, however, the layout of transformers and such are quite different as to be expected. I could have managed to get the Mark V chassis into the Mark IV wide body enclosure but I was not willing to risk damage by modifying the enclosure. Note: the grill will clear the Mark V chassis, the angled extrusion interference with the speaker panel was the issue.


http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/bandit2013/media/P5250104_zps3c99c4a0.jpg.html

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Thanks!
You have gone above and beyond to help me out!
I have a couple more questions if you don't mind......

If I were to attempt the retro fit anyway, and simply bevel or cut the speaker baffle.

1. Would anything else (like V1) hit the baffle or the speaker?

2. Does the speaker sit low enough on the baffle board to allow the top of it to be beveled? Or....would the top ring of the speaker be in the way of the chassis if I got it to this point?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[bandit2013]

It appeared that the Mark V chassis would fit without issue if the baffle was trimmed. I attempted to install with the speaker in place. It did not pose any issues. There was approximately 1/2 inch to go before it got stopped by the chassis.

Speaker sits low enough so there would be plenty of clearance to mod the baffle without interference with the speaker.

If you plan to use the C90 you will have plenty of clearance for the chassis, if you opt for a EVM12L, there would be no clearance unless you mount the EV from the front of the baffle (you would have to modify the grill frame to do that and probably not feasible ). All of the preamp tubes would be no issue. V1 sits far off to the one side so no problem there. The Mark V head chassis is the same used in the combo version. If you want a combo, why not see if you can order a replacement cabinet for the Mark V?

As for transfer of the serial plate, I did not look to see how they were mounted. I have attached a link to another picture that I took when attempting the swap. I was hoping it would fit but, oh well. The Mark V is on the right, Mark IV on left. Both are oriented in the same direction. The preamp tubes have a longer offset from the front of the chassis compared to the Mark IV.

http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/bandit2013/media/P5250103_zpsaa51b3fd.jpg.html

 

[jmontgomery]

One thing to keep in mind, the Mark V canvas a brace that holds pressure on the transformer.

 

[bandit2013]

Both the Combo and head enclosure sport the brace. Is it even necessary? That would reduce shearing of the transformer screws since it is flush mount to the bottom of the chassis. The filament transformer may look bigger on the Mark V compared to the Mark IV, but they are the same size. The transformer of the Mark IV is recessed into the chassis and mounted with Hex cap screws. The brace was designed into the cabinet for a reason.

 

[rjg]

Hello all, this is an interesting discussion concerning the similarity of these amps/ cabinets and interchanging them. Another relevant question is: would the MK IV chassis from a widebody combo fit nicely in a MK V head shell without any problems? Would there be room for the fan, etc...would it be a nice clean drop-in change? Thank you very much in advance,

Ron