I "Downgraded" from Mark V to Mark 1

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babow2

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Joined
May 27, 2008
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Location
Petaluma, CA
So, I've been a Mesa player since before the Mesa brand. As a teenager in Marin County, I had a modded Fender Dual Showman head from Randy at Prune Music before he branched out to start Mesa. My first real Boogie was a new Mark IIB I ordered in college. Over 35 years, I progressed through a MkIII, MkIV, Road King, LSC and eventually a Mark V and a Mark V:25. I had to have the next great technological Mesa advancement. I loved the Mk V and thought it was "all that and a bag of chips". Along with my LSC, I thought my tone quest was done with those two amps.

Then I played my buddy's Mark 1 Re-issue last year. Granted, this amp is a one-off - with Simul-Class and Tweed Power, running 6v6s. But, the cleans were so organic and much more natural sounding than the MkV's and the classic Lead channel also sounded so organic and pure. Suddenly, I found myself tending to run to his place to play that M1RI.

Well, now that amp is mine. All my other Mesas are gone. I've added a couple pedals to cover the various flavors of OD and gain. I find that Barber pedals, especially the Burn Unit, integrate seamlessly to create a Boogie tone IMHO. The amp is a "set it and forget it" rig. I can run through the clean channel and gain up with pedals, or run through the lead channel and ride the volume knob on the guitar and both make me smile.

So, I guess I rode the technology advancements all the way up the ladder only to come back down to the original Boogie tone. A few knobs, no modes, no power assignments, no tone shaping technology. But, it is a pure, simple tone machine that sounds the same every time I turn it on. It only took me 40 years to learn that sometimes less can be more. Make no mistake, I see the Fillmore, and my eyes get all big and I wonder....... But, I think for now I'll just be content.

Am I getting older? yeah. Wiser? debatable. Happier? yes.
 
I've been on the lookout for a MKlRI.
I think the amp comes in at 55lbs., which may be a bit heavy for my senior body to be lugging around.
Dropping a neo speaker in it could bring it down to a lighter weight in the 46lb. range.
I have owned a Mark V and it was a superb amp,but the compactness and simplicity of the MKl RI are calling out to me.
I did audition a Fillmore 50 combo,but it was not my cup of tea.
I think the MKl Rl would have the clean muscle that I seek.
 
I've never played a Mark I personally. But, the Mark 1 MODE on the V has a pretty dark sounding tone, quite dark and rounded off. I do use that MODE once in a while for a nice thick crunch. How "true" is the Mark 1 MODE compared to an actual Mark I amp? Are their personalities in the ball-park to each other?
 
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