Dear Mark V users

I have the 5:50 Express combo and although I like it, I have been gassing to upgrade to a Mark V combo for added versatility. However, of all the YouTube videos, sound clips, and postings on various boards, the issue of the long learning curve with the Mark V leaves me a bit apprehensive.
My question is; Is the upgrade worth the extra $$ over the 5:50? I'm not a Metalhead & play mostly blues, rock, & jazz oriented originals and covers in my band. Is the clean channel as good as it's made out to be?
How rough is the learning curve out of the box? Like anyone else, when playing live I can't afford to tweak settings between songs and would rely on pre-set modes switching between channels. Is this possible? Is the amp geared more for heavy overdrive than clean & thick, blues? In short, do I have to have an engineering degree to tie full advantage of what the Mark V has to offer?

Thanks for any input.

Don't let the V intimidate you - there's no reason to. While it can probably be tweaked to produce more different sounds than any previous Mark amp, it is actually easier to figure out than many previous models, thanks its more intuitive design. With older Marks, you typically had a dozen different pots that you had to use in conjunction with each other to sculpt your tone, plus switches, plus push-pull pots that (esp. in the case of the older models) were not even properly explained in the manual (beyond "it makes the amp sound different" or words to that effect).

With the V, you get 9 different 'modes' to use as starting points for sculpting your tone. There are just a handful of pots per channel, and while it takes some experimentation to learn how they interact, it is mostly very intuitive. The manual is comprehensive and very helpful.

Having said that, finding the ideal sounds may indeed take some time. But that is largely because there are so many sounds the V is capable of.
And in any case, you will be able to dial in nice sounds very quickly, provided that you read the manual. And dial 'with your ears', not with your eyes.

Yes, it does have a channel dedicated to high-gain sounds. But it also has two channels dedicated to clean/crunch sounds. And those clean/crunch sounds are among the best Mark series amps have ever offered. Actually, it seems to me that high-gain players favor older Marks, while players whose tonal preferences lie towards the tamer end of the gain spectrum find more appreciation for the V.

LesPaul70,

Thank you for that informative reply. Much appreciated!

"My question is; Is the upgrade worth the extra $$ over the 5:50?"

The answer is... yes!

The learning curve is the best part. You will learn that there are so many sounds in the V that it will become a joy to "tweak". As you learn your amp, you will get your "go to tones" and be able to dial them in a matter of moments.

LP70 said that there are 9 "modes" in the V and that is true but, I like to think of it as 9 different amps! On the hi gain side, just turn the gain down and there are better crunch tones than in channel 2. Turn the EQ off, different amp, different feel, different tone.

Channels 1-2. Add a pedal or two, now you have another 6-8 tones and on and on it goes. Put in EL34's (I have not done yet) and you have another amp. Full power, tweed, 90, 45, 10 watts all give you different tones, rectifier-diode, different tones. Someone should do the math on how many different options there are with the V.

Sorry to have carried on so much.

Here is an analogy someone wrote in here a few months back, and I’m paraphrasing “You have been driving a Toyota and now you are driving a Ferrari”. That basically explains the “Learning Curve”.

Upgrade? Or addition to? Yes, get a Mark V but personal experience and advice from Dad, always buy never sell. Keep your 5:50 if possible.

The Mark V is an awesome amp.

miqueas92 said:

On the hi gain side, just turn the gain down and there are better crunch tones than in channel 2.

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Awww, if you really think so, you just haven't tweaked your channel 2 enough yet! :wink:

I'm curious,,,,,. for those that gig with the marl v, do you set your tones an all three channels and just switch between them while playing. I mean , when do you have time to "tweak?". I also wonder what type of pedals (if any), you use with the MatkV?

bridger said:

I'm curious,,,,,. for those that gig with the marl v, do you set your tones an all three channels and just switch between them while playing. I mean , when do you have time to "tweak?". I also wonder what type of pedals (if any), you use with the MatkV?

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I'm always tinkering with the amp at home and I have gotten to where I can dial it in in just a few minutes. I'll set the wattage (10, 45 or 90) and then adjust for the room. Very little tweaking during a job other than volume. I always seem to start off too low on the volume.

I gig with mine and at times I switch between channels during a song but not all that much. I don't look at the amp as a three channel amp, as in a Clean, Crunch and Drive. Only one song we play do I go from the clean channel to either of the drive channels. I am a volume runner and I will use one of the drive channels through an entire song running the volume up and down, picking lighter or using my fingers depending on what I feel fits for Dynamics.

Effects: I put an Original Cry Baby in front (Guitar into CryBaby into amp) In the effects loop, in order, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal then 2 MXR Carbon Copy pedals the first set with a nice usable delay the second with just a little longer delay, then into a Boss CH1 Stereo Chorus One of the outputs sent back to the amp to a 2x12 Vertical Cabinet. The other side is sent to a power amp and to another 2X12 Vertical Cabinet.

The Volume Pedal in the effects loop was someones' idea on the Mark V Board and it is killer, keep the drive but lower the volume. I use it on a few songs. The two Carbon Copy pedals make the Clean channel freakin FAT with huge depth (Andy Timmons). Sometimes I kick the second one in on driven leads, it gives them a little more sustain and makes them thick.

Play with the amp. For me Clean was the hardest to get without any clip or scratch when I had the Chorus pedal engaged.

I use mine as a 3-channel amp for gigs.
Don't really play anything other than ch.3 at home as I enjoy it the most so the individual
masters are more or less set and I just lower the output at home.
Balancing the channels has not been a problem live. maybe subtle changes in volume in between songs but not necessary in every gig.

It is a tweaker's amp but IMHO there's nothing wrong in dialing 3 useful sounds and stick with those unless you do different band projects and need to adjust for style. But i don't believe the amp is underutilized if you just nail 3 tones, 1 per channel and stick with those. And when you feel like it try smth else. I recently changed from MkIV to Extreme in ch.3 as it is a bit more open and helps clear up my strat's neck PU. but that's after I had stayed on MkIV mode for 4 months. It's not that I didn't like it but one day I thought "hey, why not" and got smth useful out of it. I think of the modes as extra "presets" to help find my tone or make the amp work better for an application. Not something that I necessary have to explore and use just because it's there.

Pedals: a Xotic ep booster always on in the loop, along with a tc flashback and a tc chorus and a Vox wah on the front

I'm coming from a 4 knob Dr. Z (and have been for about 9 years). I've had several Rectifier amps, but the Mark is a different beast and I was scared, but took the plunge. I've spent about 4 or 5 hours playing with it and getting to know it and I feel I have a pretty good grasp of it now and would feel confident playing any type of show with the Mark V, from Jazz to Country to classic rock to metal.

I was mainly worried about the clean tone, but to be honest... The Mark V has one of the best, actually 3 of the best, clean tones I've ever heard. I can get Fender Twin LOUD clean tones and some nice "British", early breakup tones on channel 1. Since you already (currently) have a Boogie, you have a head start on where I was when I got mine.

I did play with a Mark IV once and that scared me... The Mark V is much easier to dial in than a Mark IV (IMO).... Maybe not as easy as a Dual Rectifier or even a Road King, but it's pretty logically laid out.

Also important to note that if you change a mode on a channel you will have to tweak your settings a bit. They aren't like incremental gain modes they are different sounds which is great. Its not marketing it really is 9 amps in one. The only big overlap between modes is bold/clean. Tweed on channel 1 is killer. There are just so many sounds int he amp. I like channel 3 gain up guitar volume rolled down, an awesome warm clean tone.

bdubbs said:

Also important to note that if you change a mode on a channel you will have to tweak your settings a bit. They aren't like incremental gain modes they are different sounds which is great. Its not marketing it really is 9 amps in one. The only big overlap between modes is bold/clean. Tweed on channel 1 is killer. There are just so many sounds int he amp. I like channel 3 gain up guitar volume rolled down, an awesome warm clean tone.

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So true. The volume pot is my best friend. Plus playing Telecasters I really enjoy the full spectrum of rolling off the volume to clean. Doing this also makes the dynamics of the guitar/amp jump out. Drive up on the amp, volume on the guitar down, sparkly clean then dig in or pick lightly with the pick and get awesome dynamics. Killer blues, hit a note and start bringing up the volume over the top drive and then back it back off.

I love the Mark V.

LesPaul70 said:

miqueas92 said:

On the hi gain side, just turn the gain down and there are better crunch tones than in channel 2.

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Awww, if you really think so, you just haven't tweaked your channel 2 enough yet! :wink:

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+1 on CH2 (definitely set up by ear and not your eyes).

CH2 crunch is by far my favorite. Boost the gain, 90W and set EQ to "preset" and it makes for the perfect Heavy Metal mode. This is one reason why I will not let go of my Mark V! I cannot get this from my Roadster (close but different), RA100 or Mark IV. I also like Mark IV mode and Xtreme in CH3 set with the power section set to pentode. I would also recommend Triode too.

The Mark V is not hard to dial in as many say it is. If you want a challenge, find a Mark III. Even a Mark IV can be difficult between RH1 and RH2 since they both share common mid and bass controls. That is why I love my Mark V, all channels do not share anything common with the exception of the master volume control when using the FX loop in active mode. In Hard bypass, you can adjust the masters for each channel accordingly. Very versatile amp and still remains one of my favorite amps as long as I am playing though it. That being said, it is hard to have a favorite when comparing the RA100, Roadster, Mark V and Mark IV.

I would hold on to your 5:50 if you can. I kept my Mark IV combo for that same reason stated. I only wish I had kept my Mark III combo now that I think about it. Some of the amps may sound similar but yet they are all different. I can get certain tones and character from each of my amps that cannot be duplicated by the others. My Mark V started as a head but was recently converted to a combo. I can still drive one or two 412's with it or just use the combo speaker or combine it with and extension cab. Overall, that has increased the versatility of the amp as it has a different character with open cavity cabs compared to sealed. The only difference, the head is much lighter in weight compared to the combo but still weighs less than either of the 412 cabs.