My new Mark V head arrived last week and I’ve been breaking it in ever since. This is truly an absolutely incredible amp. I don’t think I’ve ever been so satisfied and thrilled with a gear purchase. This is the amp I’ve been wanting for years (and didn’t even know it).
This all started around 3 months ago. GAS had started to settle in for a Mini Rec. Then I saw that the Mark V: 25 had been introduced. After reading all about it, listening to videos, etc. I started to think “hmmm, maybe a mini Rec AND a mini Mark”. I’m sure that would’ve been great but my research on the mini Mark led me to the big Mark. It didn’t take long to realize that I might miss the extra modes and various other bells and whistles that the big Mark offers compared to the mini. So, I sold my Kemper (which I’d planned on doing anyway) along with a boutique pedal I never used and voila! I had the dough for a new Mark V.
A few years ago I owned a Triaxis/2:90 so I at least had an idea of what I was getting into. After all, the Triaxis is a close cousin to the Mark amps. I also read the manual twice and read just about as many forum posts related to the Mark V as I could find. It’s completely baffling to me when I read where people have trouble finding good tones in this amp or it’s hard to dial in. Read the manual! Once you understand the general guidelines for using the tone controls (for example… keep the bass low relative to gain, use the graphic or preset eq to dial low end, etc.) I find this amp incredibly easy to dial in.
Channel 1
Within seconds on this channel I had 2 thoughts: “Wow, this is what a good clean channel sounds like” and “Oh, so that’s what my guitars truly sound like”. This channel just slaughters everything else I’ve ever used for cleans. I used to think , “why fuss over a clean channel? They all sound about the same.” No. No they don’t. I’ve never heard the clarity and richness this amp delivers. I’ve been spending most of my time in Fat mode. Clean mode, while good, may be just a little lean in the lows and mids for my tastes and applications. I haven’t really given Tweed mode a good run through, but look forward to it.
Channel 2
Lots of surprises here. Prior to its arrival, I figured I wouldn’t have much use for the Edge mode. Wrong. Awesome crunch tone here. Amazing clarity and definition. Somewhat Marshall-like yet still retains its own unique character. It’s actually difficult to describe but I may like it even more than Crunch mode.
I don’t have a whole lot to say about Crunch mode. It’s simply a great crunch sound with more lows and mids than Edge. More gain, too. In fact, quite a bit more gain than the “crunch” channels of other amp manufacturers that I’ve played.
Mark 1 mode is a fat, singing, sustaining, smooth lead tone. It’s probably a little more dense in the lows than what I’d use for high gain rhythm but it’s perfect for single-note leads, fusion, or even blues when the gain is backed off. The trick is to keep the bass very low (or off) and the treble and presence higher than most other modes on the amp. I also like using the EQ section (preset or graphic) to add in just a touch more high end in this mode. Mark 1 may be my favorite mode on the amp, which confirms my thoughts when debating over this and the mini. Had I gotten the mini, I surely would have missed this mode.
Channel 3
Not a lot to say here. This channel is just tight, clear, defined high gain that sounds amazing. As with every other mode/channel on this amp, the amount of control you have using the graphic or preset eq is simply incredible. This amp has a ton of mids. That’s why you typically see mids being cut severely in the graphic eq section. Even when you do have a severe “V” shape on the graphic EQ there’s still plenty of midrange. For this reason, I’d say that this amp doesn’t quite have as “brutal” of a high-gain tone (at least not what I think of when “brutal” comes to mind) compared to say, a Peavey 6505 or an ENGL. It’s thick, tight, and focused. IMO, anyone looking for an amp that does the brutal, crushing, modern metal thing may want to demo a Mark before they buy. It might just not be what they’re looking for.
All 3 modes are great. IIC+ probably has the least amount of gain (still plenty) and isn’t quite as full in the lows/mids as Mark IV. Extreme is fairly similar to IIC+ but with considerably more lows, more volume, and a bit more gain. I actually find Mark IV the gainiest. I seem to like Mark IV more for leads and Extreme more for tight, clear, punchy rhythms. This amp doesn’t quite have as much gain as some high-gain amps on the market. For example, I also have a Peavey 6505, which has considerably more gain. Plenty for me, though. I hardly ever run my 6505 past 10:00 on the dial anyway. With the Mark V, I’m at about 2:00- 3:00 for high gain tones. What’s really nice about this amp is that you have sustain in spades, even at fairly low gain settings. Goes to show there’s more to achieving sustain than just high gain.
I’m using the Mark V head with a 2x12 horizontal Rectifier cab, which seems to make a good match. I’m also running it through a Torpedo Reload. The Reload gives me attenuation and loadbox capability. I use the loadbox to run a signal into my audio interface>DAW>IR loader for direct tones. Being able to blend in direct tones from my studio monitors while also playing through my real cab is awesome. It’s a huge sound when it’s coming from 3 sources at once. This amp performs really nicely at low volumes. I do notice a slight improvement when using attenuation and setting the overall master to at least 9:00, but there’s really no reason why someone shouldn’t consider this amp even if they primarily play in the bedroom, especially when you consider the multi-wattage options (10/45/90).
There are a couple of things I like best about this amp. First, is how versatile it is. I like playing a variety of styles. On any given day, I might play modern metal, 80s metal, blues, fusion, classic rock…you name it. This amp covers just about everything I do well. Also, my tastes in tone change from day to day. I get bored with one-trick-pony amps. It’s nice to have flexibility.
Second, this amp, like nothing else I’ve ever played, is seriously dynamic and really allows for complete expression with your guitar. It allows you to get very creative in terms of phrasing, how hard you pick, and with different settings on your guitar’s volume knob. I’ve had several other amps over the past 20 years and all of them seemed compressed sounding compared to the Mark. I’ve been through modelers, too, including the Axe Fx II and Kemper. While I’ll admit they’ve come along way, there’s really just no substitute for a good tube amp like the Mark V.
This all started around 3 months ago. GAS had started to settle in for a Mini Rec. Then I saw that the Mark V: 25 had been introduced. After reading all about it, listening to videos, etc. I started to think “hmmm, maybe a mini Rec AND a mini Mark”. I’m sure that would’ve been great but my research on the mini Mark led me to the big Mark. It didn’t take long to realize that I might miss the extra modes and various other bells and whistles that the big Mark offers compared to the mini. So, I sold my Kemper (which I’d planned on doing anyway) along with a boutique pedal I never used and voila! I had the dough for a new Mark V.
A few years ago I owned a Triaxis/2:90 so I at least had an idea of what I was getting into. After all, the Triaxis is a close cousin to the Mark amps. I also read the manual twice and read just about as many forum posts related to the Mark V as I could find. It’s completely baffling to me when I read where people have trouble finding good tones in this amp or it’s hard to dial in. Read the manual! Once you understand the general guidelines for using the tone controls (for example… keep the bass low relative to gain, use the graphic or preset eq to dial low end, etc.) I find this amp incredibly easy to dial in.
Channel 1
Within seconds on this channel I had 2 thoughts: “Wow, this is what a good clean channel sounds like” and “Oh, so that’s what my guitars truly sound like”. This channel just slaughters everything else I’ve ever used for cleans. I used to think , “why fuss over a clean channel? They all sound about the same.” No. No they don’t. I’ve never heard the clarity and richness this amp delivers. I’ve been spending most of my time in Fat mode. Clean mode, while good, may be just a little lean in the lows and mids for my tastes and applications. I haven’t really given Tweed mode a good run through, but look forward to it.
Channel 2
Lots of surprises here. Prior to its arrival, I figured I wouldn’t have much use for the Edge mode. Wrong. Awesome crunch tone here. Amazing clarity and definition. Somewhat Marshall-like yet still retains its own unique character. It’s actually difficult to describe but I may like it even more than Crunch mode.
I don’t have a whole lot to say about Crunch mode. It’s simply a great crunch sound with more lows and mids than Edge. More gain, too. In fact, quite a bit more gain than the “crunch” channels of other amp manufacturers that I’ve played.
Mark 1 mode is a fat, singing, sustaining, smooth lead tone. It’s probably a little more dense in the lows than what I’d use for high gain rhythm but it’s perfect for single-note leads, fusion, or even blues when the gain is backed off. The trick is to keep the bass very low (or off) and the treble and presence higher than most other modes on the amp. I also like using the EQ section (preset or graphic) to add in just a touch more high end in this mode. Mark 1 may be my favorite mode on the amp, which confirms my thoughts when debating over this and the mini. Had I gotten the mini, I surely would have missed this mode.
Channel 3
Not a lot to say here. This channel is just tight, clear, defined high gain that sounds amazing. As with every other mode/channel on this amp, the amount of control you have using the graphic or preset eq is simply incredible. This amp has a ton of mids. That’s why you typically see mids being cut severely in the graphic eq section. Even when you do have a severe “V” shape on the graphic EQ there’s still plenty of midrange. For this reason, I’d say that this amp doesn’t quite have as “brutal” of a high-gain tone (at least not what I think of when “brutal” comes to mind) compared to say, a Peavey 6505 or an ENGL. It’s thick, tight, and focused. IMO, anyone looking for an amp that does the brutal, crushing, modern metal thing may want to demo a Mark before they buy. It might just not be what they’re looking for.
All 3 modes are great. IIC+ probably has the least amount of gain (still plenty) and isn’t quite as full in the lows/mids as Mark IV. Extreme is fairly similar to IIC+ but with considerably more lows, more volume, and a bit more gain. I actually find Mark IV the gainiest. I seem to like Mark IV more for leads and Extreme more for tight, clear, punchy rhythms. This amp doesn’t quite have as much gain as some high-gain amps on the market. For example, I also have a Peavey 6505, which has considerably more gain. Plenty for me, though. I hardly ever run my 6505 past 10:00 on the dial anyway. With the Mark V, I’m at about 2:00- 3:00 for high gain tones. What’s really nice about this amp is that you have sustain in spades, even at fairly low gain settings. Goes to show there’s more to achieving sustain than just high gain.
I’m using the Mark V head with a 2x12 horizontal Rectifier cab, which seems to make a good match. I’m also running it through a Torpedo Reload. The Reload gives me attenuation and loadbox capability. I use the loadbox to run a signal into my audio interface>DAW>IR loader for direct tones. Being able to blend in direct tones from my studio monitors while also playing through my real cab is awesome. It’s a huge sound when it’s coming from 3 sources at once. This amp performs really nicely at low volumes. I do notice a slight improvement when using attenuation and setting the overall master to at least 9:00, but there’s really no reason why someone shouldn’t consider this amp even if they primarily play in the bedroom, especially when you consider the multi-wattage options (10/45/90).
There are a couple of things I like best about this amp. First, is how versatile it is. I like playing a variety of styles. On any given day, I might play modern metal, 80s metal, blues, fusion, classic rock…you name it. This amp covers just about everything I do well. Also, my tastes in tone change from day to day. I get bored with one-trick-pony amps. It’s nice to have flexibility.
Second, this amp, like nothing else I’ve ever played, is seriously dynamic and really allows for complete expression with your guitar. It allows you to get very creative in terms of phrasing, how hard you pick, and with different settings on your guitar’s volume knob. I’ve had several other amps over the past 20 years and all of them seemed compressed sounding compared to the Mark. I’ve been through modelers, too, including the Axe Fx II and Kemper. While I’ll admit they’ve come along way, there’s really just no substitute for a good tube amp like the Mark V.
