How would you rate the cleans on the mark v?

Are they mid scooped like a fender amp or more mid rangey?Fat mode definitely has a mid scoop to my ears.Im curious as Im finding the cleans quiet brittle and lacking body lately,and especially after comparing it to a few other amps.It kind of shocked me actually.I do remember the cleans lacked some low mids when i compared it to a lonestar when i had both for a week or so.Its really starting to bug me now to the point where im running the treble and presence super low to compensate but then the amp just sounds dull and lifeless.How do you guys rate the cleans?

I think they are great, but I put the speaker DIRECTLY on the floor (no wheels or stands), keep the treble at about 10am, kick up the mids, and then use the eq to shape the sound.

diddlydan said:

Are they mid scooped like a fender amp or more mid rangey?Fat mode definitely has a mid scoop to my ears.Im curious as Im finding the cleans quiet brittle and lacking body lately,and especially after comparing it to a few other amps.It kind of shocked me actually.I do remember the cleans lacked some low mids when i compared it to a lonestar when i had both for a week or so.Its really starting to bug me now to the point where im running the treble and presence super low to compensate but then the amp just sounds dull and lifeless.How do you guys rate the cleans?

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Are you playing it alone or in a band? I agree that in isolation its cleans may sound somewhat underwhelming. I mean, they are nice, but nowhere near as deep and resonant as the Lonestar cleans.

In a band, things change a bit. I have 5 Mesas, and I find that the Mark V has the best cleans in that context. The reason: superb note definition. No matter how much noise the rest of the band are producing, i can still hear every note I'm playing, even every single note in a chord. Not so with any other Mesa - my Road King II for example may have prettier cleans on its own, but in a band, its clean chords just turn into mush and sonic canvas.

Both,but its mainly used for studio use.Dont get me wrong they do sound lovely.But it does sounds like there are lower mids missing that cant be dialed back in using the tone controls or the graphic.Its very noticeable when compared to another amp especially.It just sounds brittle in comparison.Tube rectification,45 watts and variac help take some of the sharpness away but 45 watts doesnt have the low end of 90 watts.Cleans are hugely important to me so unfortunately ive got a big decision to make about this amp,which saddens me as ive had it for a few years now.

diddlydan said:

Are they mid scooped like a fender amp or more mid rangey?Fat mode definitely has a mid scoop to my ears.Im curious as Im finding the cleans quiet brittle and lacking body lately,and especially after comparing it to a few other amps.It kind of shocked me actually.I do remember the cleans lacked some low mids when i compared it to a lonestar when i had both for a week or so.Its really starting to bug me now to the point where im running the treble and presence super low to compensate but then the amp just sounds dull and lifeless.How do you guys rate the cleans?

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I rate cleans & reverb better than any Fender (and equal to a Twin).
Very similar to Lonestar Classic & Express 5:50 imo.
So much EQ control on a Mark V I've had no problem dialing in a very wide range of clean tones :mrgreen:

I fight the brittle-ness a bit, too. There's always an upper mid spike or something, unless the treble is so far back that there's no clarity.
I think for me it's best with 90w so there's no extra crunch in the PI/ power tubes.
Keeping the channel master around 10:00. FX loop in. Output 10:00 or less.
Fat, with mid full up, bold, treble around 12:30-1:30, bass to taste. Gain at least 10:00 (if it's clean enough with the pickups on whatever guitar),
higher if possible to minimize the brite cap effect. At least it sounds, to me, like there's a brite cap on all newer Marks.

FWIW the Mk 5 25 sounds a lot more to my liking.
And my Formula clean channel into a Carvin or VHT power amp sounds smoother to me.

My favorite clean is an Allen Encore, 5U4 rectifier and 6L6. Just has the clarity and body I want.

Turn down the treble knob. Turn up the mid knob. Use the eq to taste after that.

What cabinet and speaker are you playing through? I find my V in the combo doesn't sound as good as when I put the chassis in a head. I have a dumble-style 1x12 with a Cannibis Rex that sounds very rich and not thin. I also have a 2x12 with a Weber AlNiCo and a Celestion G12h30 which sounds rich and smooth. Huge difference to my ears from the standard combo with MC-90.

I agree that the cleans can be frustrating at times. It can feel stiff and the upper mids can be hard to tame. I always run the amp with the variac on when playing cleans for long periods. It helps warm things up a bit. Try that in 90 watts first. If you want want it even softer go 45 watts with the tube rectifier. The strings will have a little more bounce to them and it rounds out the sound. I really like playing cleans in 10 watt class A, but that won't work very well if you need to be super clean and have any volume.

The Mark V cleans are better served up in an open back cab. I generally run the clean channel with all the tone knobs about 10:00 or just a little less. Drop in gain though, keep it set below clipping. Presence about the same level as the tone controls.

for a combo, probably the best speaker I have used for the clean channel of the V was the Jensen Jet Blackbird Alnico speaker. However it will get a bit throaty in the CH2 or CH3 and make some weird noises. Actually my preference would go to the Celestion Cream Alnico 90W. Awesome on all channels. Also with the Crème 90W, it was the first time I ever really liked the Mesa STR440 power tubes, but it sounds great with others too.

Rating: clean and fat : A+, Tweed: D- (tweed voice just does not sound good at all as it tends to be brittle, I guess I will have to revisit this after I changed speakers in my combo. The Roadster has clean tweed on CH1 that is to die for so hands down in my books as the tweed CH1 Roadster is the winner)

Tonal range and frequency response of the speaker is important for a really good clean channel, as well as the tubes you are using. Note: if you are running EL34's or in the case of Mark V 25 or 35 (EL84) will have more british flavor in tone and will compromise how clean the clean will be. I think the EL84 will be better sounding than an amp that uses EL34s. However, the RA100 at 50W using EL34 channeled into the Celestion Crème 90W speaker sounded incredible as well.

What qualities in the clean channel are your preference? something more natural acoustic guitar sounding? or just a tad of dirt at the from the early 50's to mid 60's? The Mark V does a great job, but on the latter stages of clipping the signal or getting a gritty clean like you can get with the Roadster is a bit more difficult unless you kill the presence.

Hi,
Just wondering how long since you've changed the power tubes and have you always thought the same about your cleans or has something changed?

I really like the cleans in the V. During rehearsal once while getting a song down, I had a basic clean sound going, likely had the guitar vol dialed back a touch. The other guitarist comes over has a listen and comments 'Sounds like a piano'.
The fact that the V can put out a crisp clean is gold.
Mine is a combo, play it on the ground, never any issue with low mids.

Ory

I think the cleans are breathtaking. For sparkle cleans I run treble low and presence high. Channel volume maxed and gain as volume. Best I've ever heard. Through a closed-back cab I'd normally add a compressor.

OryCheyne said:

Hi,
Just wondering how long since you've changed the power tubes and have you always thought the same about your cleans or has something changed?

I really like the cleans in the V. During rehearsal once while getting a song down, I had a basic clean sound going, likely had the guitar vol dialed back a touch. The other guitarist comes over has a listen and comments 'Sounds like a piano'.
The fact that the V can put out a crisp clean is gold.
Mine is a combo, play it on the ground, never any issue with low mids.

Ory

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Yup ive just given it a full retube in the last month or so.Dont get me wrong,the cleans are nice but i do remember comparing them to the cleans on a lonestar special when i had both.There was definitely some low mids missing in comparison to the LSS as i tried them both through the same cabinet.Ive tried it with plenty of different guitars too.I always blamed it on the 2x12 recto cab, i swapped the lonestar for(with cash) and especially the v30's.I picked up a 1x12 open back widebody with the c90 and an oversized recto 4x12 but the problem is still there.Its **** near impossible to get rid of the pointy sharp tone without losing the clarity.Its especially noticeable when compared to some other amps.Im going to replace the neck pickup in my musicman silhouette special to a dimarzio cruiser to help smooth it out.Thats definitely a part of the problem,but i guess after a few years with the V im just becoming frustrated with it.Ive changed everything in my rig 3 times over to accomadate it but im still not happy with it.Maybe its just time to move it on although I really dont want to.

If you don't need the power of the big MK V, seriously give the 25 a listen.
I really think the clean channel is smoother. It doesn't spike me like the big guy.

The lead channel has most of the stuff I like about the big one, too.