zeeman
Well-known member
First, let me apologize for not posting this sooner.
The company I work for had layoffs a few months back and I was left holding the bag on many things. Since the layoffs, I have had even more stuff handed to me and in the last couple of weeks, I have been getting creamed/crushed at work.
This past weekend was no exception as work consumed a good part of my weekend.
So, again, my apologies for the lateness.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I went to the Dallas Guitar Show where I had a chance to try both of these amps.
Ever since the show, I have been working on this review on and off adding to it here and there whenever I had time to and I did not get a chance to put the finishing touches on it until just a couple of hours ago. I read through it a few times to check/correct errors and I am sure there is still a couple in there, but at this point, I just wanted to get this out there.
Below is my review of these amps. Let me preface my reviews by saying that what you are about to read are MY opinions and MY experiences with these amps. Some of you may disagree with what I say and, of course, that is fine.
A little about me... I went to Berklee for two years in the late 80’s but I some how ended up as an electrical engineer.
Therefore, the somewhat detailed reviews that you are about to read is from the electrical engineer in me...
ELECTRA DYNE
As I walked into the Dallas Guitar Show and started to look around, I ran into the GC booth - they had the Electra Dyne and the Mark-V and I was like... Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.
Ever since these amps were announced, I was more intrigued by the Electra Dyne then the Mark-V so I decided to first go for the Electra Dyne.
Just as I was about to grab a guitar to plug in, I hear a "Hey, there you are." (or something to that affect). I turned around and it was Steve Mueller from Mesa.
I have known Steve for about four (maybe five?) years.
For those of you that do not know who Steve is, he is featured in the Mesa catalog. A few years ago, he was Sales Manager, as in, he managed all of the sales people, but he also spent a good portion of his time with product development. Steve has since moved up in the company so he can spend more time on product development and other things but I think he still manages the sales team, but to a lesser degree (then again, I am not 100% sure on that, I have been meaning to ask him but I keep forgetting).
For those of you that do not personally know Steve, he is a SUPER nice guy. He even invited me to his house a few times to let me try some of Mesa amps that, at that time, were hard to find in the stores. Now, how many music company big wigs would go to that extreme to help a customer? VERY few, if any.
That is one of the things that I really like about Mesa... I get the "rock star" treatment even though I am not a "rock star".
We talked for a few minutes and I told him that I had been dying to give the Electra Dyne a try - more so then the Mark-V. He was a little surprised since I am more of a heavy metal guy and one would think that I would just go for the Mark-V.
However, I told him that I always wanted Mesa to build a simple amp where I can set it for the ultimate overdrive/lead tone and then forget it.
I grabbed a PRS Prism (this is the Al DiMeola model) and plugged in. The cab we used was a 2x12 Recto cab and I should ad that the power section was set to Simul-Class.
Steve spent a few minutes giving me a run down of the controls. I was already familiar with the basic features from reading about it on the website but the more detailed run down that Steve gave me was much appreciated.
The first channel that we went to was the HI channel. Let me sum it up in one word... AWESOME!!!
I had the bass set at around 6, the mids set at around 4, the treble at around 6, the presence at around 7, and the volume (i.e. gain) set at 10. This is essentially how I have both channels on my DC-3 set (more accurately - on my DC-3, for the clean channel, the gain is set at around 4, and for the overdrive channel, the gain is set at around 7) and I figured that these setting would be a good place to start.
The overdrive was thick and smooth - sustain for days. The amp was at a decent volume but I REALLY wanted to crank it up some more but at these guitar shows, you have to watch out for the "volume police".
I should also ad that the overdrive on this channel is different compared to other Mesa amps so I will not make any comments comparing it to other models. The Electra Dyne has its own voice - much like the Stiletto, which has its own voice and it was nothing like previous Mesa amps. The same applies to the Electra Dyne.
What I also really liked about the HI channel was that, even with the volume (gain) maxed out, the string-to-string definition was outstanding. I would play a complex chord and hear all the notes without it sounding muddy/mushy. Everything was very well balanced.
I played on the overdrive channel for around 15/20 minutes and then Steve suggested that we try the other channels but I was thinking to myself... "Why?" :lol:
Anyway, we switched over to the CLEAN channel and since the volume had been maxed out (from being on the HI channel), there was some breakup.
Steve said that he would go through and set the controls so that the amp more balanced when going from channel to channel. When Steve turned down the volume from 10 to around 7, I was very surprised as to how much the CLEAN channel cleaned up. If I remember correctly, the other controls ended up at around the halfway point.
With the volume at 7, the CLEAN channel was very clean, even with the relatively high output pickups on the PRS. The tone was nice and full. I think I would have to say that is probably my favorite clean channel out of any Mesa I tried.
While on the CLEAN channel, I also had a chance to try the reverb. Steve showed me a new feature, the reverb defeat switch, that allows you to defeat the reverb on either the LO or HI channels. For example, if you set the reverb defeat switch to HI, it will turn the reverb off when you switch to the HI channel but the reverb would still be on when you either switch to the CLEAN or LO channels. Similarly, when you set to reverb defeat switch to LO, it will turn the reverb off when you switch to the LO channel but the reverb would still be on when you switch to either the CLEAN or HI channels.
Actually, I did not recall reading about the new feature on the website. Either way, this is a very cool feature since I do not care for reverb on my high(er) gain channels. However, I will admit that I still prefer a digital reverb to a spring reverb. But, I will also say that this is without a doubt, the best sounding reverb that I ever heard on a Mesa.
After playing on the CLEAN channel for around 10/15 minutes, I was curious as to how much the HI channel suffered (for lack of a better word) by moving the volume (gain) from 10 to around 7 so we quickly went back to the HI channel. Once again, I was surprised. The HI channel still had a lot of gain to it. I would say that I lost very little on the overdrive channel when going from 10 down to around 7.
We then moved over to the LO channel. This channel, with the volume still at 7, had more gain then I expected. Just great for those old Pete Townsend sounds or if you want those Angus Young AC/DC sounds. It also cleans up nicely when turning down the volume knob on your guitar. The bottom line is that this channel was more versatile then I would have expected.
Overall, this is one AMAZING amp. This was a very well thought out amp and Mesa did a great job of optimizing the channels so that you can get a wide range of tones even though there is only one row of knobs.
In my opinion, this amp would probably be most suitable for Jazz, Country, and/or old school rock players that want great tones but always stayed away from Mesa’s due to their perceived complexities with all of the knobs, push/pull pots, switches, etc.
This amp would also be suitable for the player that is in a party/wedding band and needs a wide range of great tones but, as above, is not a fan of the other more complex amps that Mesa offers.
I can even see someone using this for hard rock because I am sure that if you stick an overdrive in front of the LO and/or HI channels, you should be able to get more then enough gain for that style of music.
As I said earlier, I am more of a heavy metal guy but I could definitely see myself using this amp. I already have a Dual Rectifier and I can set Channel-2 and Channel-3 for two different heavy rhythm sounds (i.e. Death and Destruction - Channel-2 and Channel-3, respectively) and use the Electra Dyne set (permanently?) to the HI channel with an overdrive pedal for the ultimate FAT lead tone (i.e. Annihilation).
The next thing I want to do is try the Electra Dyne through a Recto 4x12 cab (the GC booth did not have a Recto 4x12 cab) along with a few different overdrives, distortions, and boost pedals.
If I did not already have a Dual Rectifier, I would be more inclined to go for the Mark-V. Speaking of which...
MARK-V
WHOA!!! In typical Mesa Mark series tradition, this thing is loaded with knobs, switches, etc.
There were actually two Mark-V heads at the show. As I already mentioned, the one head was at the GC booth (where I ran into Steve) and it was plugged into a Recto 2x12.
The other Mark-V head was at the booth of Zoo Music (they are the new Mesa dealer in town) and it was plugged into a Recto 4x12.
I should also ad that both of these heads were not for sale - they were brought in by Steve for the show. Here is a little more info about these heads:
1) The head that was at the GC booth had a serial number, if I remember correctly, that was in the low teens. I think it was something like serial number 11 or 13. Steve said that this was one of the prototypes.
2) The head that was at Zoo Music’s booth had a serial number, if I remember correctly, that was in the low twenties. I think Steve said it was something like serial number 22 or 23. This particular head is the first amp off the production line. According to Steve, it was checked out by Randall himself and shipped to Steve just a few days before the show. Steve told me that it was now his job to give this head a one last thorough check and then give Randall the OK to go into production. However, it could still be a while before you get to actually play a Mark-V in the store. That is because Mesa has a bunch of pre-orders for the Mark-V so, obviously, those customers that pre-ordered a Mark-V will get priority.
3) I should mention that I first played the head at the GC booth then later in the day, I played the head at Zoo Music’s booth. The one thing I noticed about the head at the Zoo Music’s booth is that the power options were Full-Power and Variac-Power but the head at GC’s booth, the power options were Full-Power and Tweed-Power. Since the head that was at Zoo Music’s booth is essentially the first production head, I will use Full-Power and Variac-Power throughout the review (to avoid confusion).
At this point, I want to step back for a moment to comment as to how much work must go on behind the scenes to get an amp of this complexity out to the market.
As I mentioned earlier, I am an electrical engineer. Most of my responsibilities generally revolve around working on different aspects of getting new products out to market.
In my world, to make a complex chip, we are talking about 100’s of millions of transistors, and tens of thousands of sub-circuits, etc. Sure - we have simulators, and the chip has to be layed out so we have layout tools, and we have other software tools, etc., etc., to help us along the way. However, these simulators, layout tools, etc. are not perfect meaning that they do not foresee all of the potential issues. So, we occasionally run into issues that we did not expect. Not mention that there are bugs in the software that you will not become aware of until it is too late (been there, done that... NO fun).
In addition, before we go into full production, we have to go through a whole series of testing, data analysis, etc. for reliability, performance, and longevity of the chip.
Finally, once in production, we have to get the yields to a point that can sustain the business so it is profitable. (As an FYI: yield is a ratio of good vs. total; if you have 100 chips and only 25 of them work, your yield is only 25% - most business models cannot survive when you only have a yield of 25%).
The above is only a few sentences but believe me, there is a lot of hard work and long hours that it takes to make "IT" happen. Many times when I get home from work, my brain is like wet bread because I am mentally exhausted.
I believe that bringing a high-class tube amp to the market is just as, if not even more, difficult. That is because, as far as I know, there are no good simulators to simulate tube overdrive, or layout tools for tube amps. Yes, there are layout tools that will do the layout for you but how will the layout tool account for the possibility of oscillations, noise, etc. that you will get with a high gain tube amp? Simply put, I do not think they can.
There is no question in my mind that when Randall works a new design or layout, I am sure that he has a set of rules that he goes by. He knows that he can do this and he can do that and he knows he cannot do this and he cannot do that. All of that knowledge comes from what he learned during the 40 years of designing and building tube amps, not from a simulator or layout tool or some other software.
However, I am sure that Randall runs into some issues that he has not seen before or did not expect. Then, with due diligence, I am sure that Randall tries to track down the root cause of the issues (i.e. oscillations, noise, etc.). If he cannot, then he may have to junk his original design and/or layout and start all over from scratch - or, at the very least, redo a good portion of it.
So when Mesa comes out with these new complex amps, for me, as an electrical engineer, it is very inspiring because I have a very good idea of what they went through to make "IT" happen. I am sure that Randal feels it even more since he also has a company to run.
Therefore, a big kudos goes out to Randal Smith, and of course, the rest of the Mesa team for the hard work they do so we can enjoy their amps.
OK, back to the review...
As before, Steve gave me a run down of all the features and each channel.
Once again, we started off with Channel-3 (i.e. the lead channel). All I can say is... Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
What MONSTEROUS tones Channel-3 has. Simply INCREDIBLE. Actually, I think I will stop with the descriptions because I really cannot come up with words to adequately describe it. All I can say is that it will put a HUGE smile on your face.
I spent a few minutes switching between the different options and switching from Variac-Power to Full-Power. Every combination of settings I tried was pristine. As with the Electra Dyne, with the gain maxed out (actually, on the Electra Dyne, it is the volume that is maxed out), the string-to-string definition was outstanding regardless of which combinations of settings were selected. I could play a complex chord and hear all the notes without it sounding muddy/mushy. I was totally blown away by this... VERY IMPRESSIVE given the massive amounts of gain this channel has.
My favorite combination of settings was with the Mark-IV option, bright enabled, 10W mode, the contour set at around 3/4, and the power switch set to Variac-Power. Actually, in my opinion, the "Mark-IV" switch option is a misnomer because I think it sounds way better then a Mark-IV. It really should be called "Mark-IVC+".
I played with Channel-3 for around 20/25 or so minutes and then we decided to switch over to Channel-1.
It was at this point, I realized I had already consumed a little more then an hour of Steve’s time and I felt a little guilty. I mentioned that to Steve but he was OK with spending more time with me but I still felt guilty about it. Either way, I also wanted to go and check out the other stuff at the show.
So, we went through Channel-1 and Channel-2 kind of on the quick side.
When we switched over to Channel-1, I was like "WOW!!!" what a great clean sound. Steve spent a few seconds dialing in a great clean tone. I spent a few minutes just strumming some chords and doing my sorry *** impression of a Jazz player (Berklee was a LONG time ago). As with Channel-3, I went through the different combination of options and switching from Variac-Power to Full-Power.
My favorite setting was with the FAT option, 90W mode, and power switch set to Variac-Power. Sorry I cannot remember if I had Channel 1 set to NORMAL or BOLD. However, as good as Channel-1 is on the Mark-V, I think the Electra Dyne CLEAN channel is a little better (again, just my opinion).
After about 10 minutes, we moved over to Channel-2.
One of the things that I was never really fond of on the Mark-III and the Mark-IV is that Channel-2 on those amps never had enough gain (well, at least not for me) to serve as a really heavy rhythm sound or as second lead tone. In other words, I would prefer Channel-2 to be on the more-gain side as opposed to being on the less-gain side... think Dual Rectifier (which is probably why I love my Dual Rectifier so much).
However, Channel-2 on the Mark-V is what I have always wanted Channel-2 to be. I was VERY happy with this channel be cause I could get that heavier rhythm sound that I always wanted and with higher gain settings, it can serve as a second lead channel.
As with Channel-3, every combination of settings I tried was stellar and even with the gain maxed out, the string-to-string definition was still there.
My favorite setting was with the CRUNCH option, 10W mode and power switch set to Variac-Power. With the CRUNCH option enabled, the Mark-1 NORMAL and THICK channel options do not apply.
Overall, this is without a doubt the best and most versatile Channel-2 that Mesa has ever had on a Mark series.
A couple of more things I should mention:
1) I did not switch between the graphic-EQ and contour controls as much as I should have. When I initially tried Channel-3, it was on the contour option with the control set at around 3/4. I really did not pay much attention to which EQ option (i.e. graphic or contour) when I switched to Channel-1 and Channel-2. Sorry about that. Steve had set the amp up to get a great sound and I guess I was too way too enamored with Channel-3 too really care.
2) I did not get to try the other things like the effects loop, line out, etc.
I spent around an hour with this amp and I do not feel that I even scratched the surface with what the Mark-V can really do.
At this point, I wanted to let Steve go since I had consumed well over an hour and half (probably close to 2hrs since we were doing a lot of talking while testing/playing) of his time and I went on my way to check out the rest of the show/booths.
Before I left, Steve and I talked and I told him that I was totally blown away with both amps and that it was obvious that they worked VERY hard on these amps, especially the Mark-V.
Steve then asked me how it compared to the Mark-IV and I will tell you guys what I told Steve.... "Steve, if I were to compare the Mark-IV and the Mark-V on a scale of 1-10, I would have to give the Mark-IV a... well... a 4, and the Mark-V gets a 12.".
I really feel that the Mark-V just smokes the Mark-IV. In my mind, there really is no comparison. If you are saving your money to buy a used Mark-IV... do not even bother. I would wait a few months, save some extra money, and go for the Mark-V. It would be worth every extra penny you spend.
As far as musical styles go, this amp can do every music style with no problems.
The only type/style of player where the Mark-V would probably not be suitable for would be the old-school big box Jazz player that just uses a clean sound. For this type of player, the Mark-V would be overkill since they probably would never use Channel-2 or Channel-3. This type/style of player would, in my opinion, be better off with the Electra Dyne (or maybe one of the other amps that Mesa offers like a Lonestar or Express).
Now to make you all drool even more...
Later in the day, I swung by the Zoo Music booth to try the Mark-V through a full Recto 4x12 cab. The guitar I used was one of the newer Charvel’s that had a Floyd Rose and I think they have Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio pickups.
All I can say is... HOLY SH$T!!! Everything was MUCH better with the full Recto 4x12 cab. :mrgreen:
Obviously, the first thing I tried was Channel-3 with my favorite settings as described earlier. I just could not believe the tone I was getting. STUNNING!!!
I quickly went through the other two channels and, as expected, they were immaculate... but then I went right back to Channel-3. :twisted:
After playing the Mark-V through the Recto 4x12, I think I have to knock the Mark-IV down another notch.
OK, last but not least... I know everyone wants to know "How does the Mark-V compare to a Mark IIC+.".
Well, I am not going to answer that question but here is what I will say...
You can consider the Mark IIC+, the Mark-III, and the Mark-IV along the lines of a Mercedes S-class S550/S600.
But the Mark-V is a Mercedes SLR-class.
Enough said.
Hope you all enjoyed the review.
zeeman
The company I work for had layoffs a few months back and I was left holding the bag on many things. Since the layoffs, I have had even more stuff handed to me and in the last couple of weeks, I have been getting creamed/crushed at work.
This past weekend was no exception as work consumed a good part of my weekend.
So, again, my apologies for the lateness.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I went to the Dallas Guitar Show where I had a chance to try both of these amps.
Ever since the show, I have been working on this review on and off adding to it here and there whenever I had time to and I did not get a chance to put the finishing touches on it until just a couple of hours ago. I read through it a few times to check/correct errors and I am sure there is still a couple in there, but at this point, I just wanted to get this out there.
Below is my review of these amps. Let me preface my reviews by saying that what you are about to read are MY opinions and MY experiences with these amps. Some of you may disagree with what I say and, of course, that is fine.
A little about me... I went to Berklee for two years in the late 80’s but I some how ended up as an electrical engineer.
Therefore, the somewhat detailed reviews that you are about to read is from the electrical engineer in me...
ELECTRA DYNE
As I walked into the Dallas Guitar Show and started to look around, I ran into the GC booth - they had the Electra Dyne and the Mark-V and I was like... Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.
Ever since these amps were announced, I was more intrigued by the Electra Dyne then the Mark-V so I decided to first go for the Electra Dyne.
Just as I was about to grab a guitar to plug in, I hear a "Hey, there you are." (or something to that affect). I turned around and it was Steve Mueller from Mesa.
I have known Steve for about four (maybe five?) years.
For those of you that do not know who Steve is, he is featured in the Mesa catalog. A few years ago, he was Sales Manager, as in, he managed all of the sales people, but he also spent a good portion of his time with product development. Steve has since moved up in the company so he can spend more time on product development and other things but I think he still manages the sales team, but to a lesser degree (then again, I am not 100% sure on that, I have been meaning to ask him but I keep forgetting).
For those of you that do not personally know Steve, he is a SUPER nice guy. He even invited me to his house a few times to let me try some of Mesa amps that, at that time, were hard to find in the stores. Now, how many music company big wigs would go to that extreme to help a customer? VERY few, if any.
That is one of the things that I really like about Mesa... I get the "rock star" treatment even though I am not a "rock star".
We talked for a few minutes and I told him that I had been dying to give the Electra Dyne a try - more so then the Mark-V. He was a little surprised since I am more of a heavy metal guy and one would think that I would just go for the Mark-V.
However, I told him that I always wanted Mesa to build a simple amp where I can set it for the ultimate overdrive/lead tone and then forget it.
I grabbed a PRS Prism (this is the Al DiMeola model) and plugged in. The cab we used was a 2x12 Recto cab and I should ad that the power section was set to Simul-Class.
Steve spent a few minutes giving me a run down of the controls. I was already familiar with the basic features from reading about it on the website but the more detailed run down that Steve gave me was much appreciated.
The first channel that we went to was the HI channel. Let me sum it up in one word... AWESOME!!!
I had the bass set at around 6, the mids set at around 4, the treble at around 6, the presence at around 7, and the volume (i.e. gain) set at 10. This is essentially how I have both channels on my DC-3 set (more accurately - on my DC-3, for the clean channel, the gain is set at around 4, and for the overdrive channel, the gain is set at around 7) and I figured that these setting would be a good place to start.
The overdrive was thick and smooth - sustain for days. The amp was at a decent volume but I REALLY wanted to crank it up some more but at these guitar shows, you have to watch out for the "volume police".
I should also ad that the overdrive on this channel is different compared to other Mesa amps so I will not make any comments comparing it to other models. The Electra Dyne has its own voice - much like the Stiletto, which has its own voice and it was nothing like previous Mesa amps. The same applies to the Electra Dyne.
What I also really liked about the HI channel was that, even with the volume (gain) maxed out, the string-to-string definition was outstanding. I would play a complex chord and hear all the notes without it sounding muddy/mushy. Everything was very well balanced.
I played on the overdrive channel for around 15/20 minutes and then Steve suggested that we try the other channels but I was thinking to myself... "Why?" :lol:
Anyway, we switched over to the CLEAN channel and since the volume had been maxed out (from being on the HI channel), there was some breakup.
Steve said that he would go through and set the controls so that the amp more balanced when going from channel to channel. When Steve turned down the volume from 10 to around 7, I was very surprised as to how much the CLEAN channel cleaned up. If I remember correctly, the other controls ended up at around the halfway point.
With the volume at 7, the CLEAN channel was very clean, even with the relatively high output pickups on the PRS. The tone was nice and full. I think I would have to say that is probably my favorite clean channel out of any Mesa I tried.
While on the CLEAN channel, I also had a chance to try the reverb. Steve showed me a new feature, the reverb defeat switch, that allows you to defeat the reverb on either the LO or HI channels. For example, if you set the reverb defeat switch to HI, it will turn the reverb off when you switch to the HI channel but the reverb would still be on when you either switch to the CLEAN or LO channels. Similarly, when you set to reverb defeat switch to LO, it will turn the reverb off when you switch to the LO channel but the reverb would still be on when you switch to either the CLEAN or HI channels.
Actually, I did not recall reading about the new feature on the website. Either way, this is a very cool feature since I do not care for reverb on my high(er) gain channels. However, I will admit that I still prefer a digital reverb to a spring reverb. But, I will also say that this is without a doubt, the best sounding reverb that I ever heard on a Mesa.
After playing on the CLEAN channel for around 10/15 minutes, I was curious as to how much the HI channel suffered (for lack of a better word) by moving the volume (gain) from 10 to around 7 so we quickly went back to the HI channel. Once again, I was surprised. The HI channel still had a lot of gain to it. I would say that I lost very little on the overdrive channel when going from 10 down to around 7.
We then moved over to the LO channel. This channel, with the volume still at 7, had more gain then I expected. Just great for those old Pete Townsend sounds or if you want those Angus Young AC/DC sounds. It also cleans up nicely when turning down the volume knob on your guitar. The bottom line is that this channel was more versatile then I would have expected.
Overall, this is one AMAZING amp. This was a very well thought out amp and Mesa did a great job of optimizing the channels so that you can get a wide range of tones even though there is only one row of knobs.
In my opinion, this amp would probably be most suitable for Jazz, Country, and/or old school rock players that want great tones but always stayed away from Mesa’s due to their perceived complexities with all of the knobs, push/pull pots, switches, etc.
This amp would also be suitable for the player that is in a party/wedding band and needs a wide range of great tones but, as above, is not a fan of the other more complex amps that Mesa offers.
I can even see someone using this for hard rock because I am sure that if you stick an overdrive in front of the LO and/or HI channels, you should be able to get more then enough gain for that style of music.
As I said earlier, I am more of a heavy metal guy but I could definitely see myself using this amp. I already have a Dual Rectifier and I can set Channel-2 and Channel-3 for two different heavy rhythm sounds (i.e. Death and Destruction - Channel-2 and Channel-3, respectively) and use the Electra Dyne set (permanently?) to the HI channel with an overdrive pedal for the ultimate FAT lead tone (i.e. Annihilation).
The next thing I want to do is try the Electra Dyne through a Recto 4x12 cab (the GC booth did not have a Recto 4x12 cab) along with a few different overdrives, distortions, and boost pedals.
If I did not already have a Dual Rectifier, I would be more inclined to go for the Mark-V. Speaking of which...
MARK-V
WHOA!!! In typical Mesa Mark series tradition, this thing is loaded with knobs, switches, etc.
There were actually two Mark-V heads at the show. As I already mentioned, the one head was at the GC booth (where I ran into Steve) and it was plugged into a Recto 2x12.
The other Mark-V head was at the booth of Zoo Music (they are the new Mesa dealer in town) and it was plugged into a Recto 4x12.
I should also ad that both of these heads were not for sale - they were brought in by Steve for the show. Here is a little more info about these heads:
1) The head that was at the GC booth had a serial number, if I remember correctly, that was in the low teens. I think it was something like serial number 11 or 13. Steve said that this was one of the prototypes.
2) The head that was at Zoo Music’s booth had a serial number, if I remember correctly, that was in the low twenties. I think Steve said it was something like serial number 22 or 23. This particular head is the first amp off the production line. According to Steve, it was checked out by Randall himself and shipped to Steve just a few days before the show. Steve told me that it was now his job to give this head a one last thorough check and then give Randall the OK to go into production. However, it could still be a while before you get to actually play a Mark-V in the store. That is because Mesa has a bunch of pre-orders for the Mark-V so, obviously, those customers that pre-ordered a Mark-V will get priority.
3) I should mention that I first played the head at the GC booth then later in the day, I played the head at Zoo Music’s booth. The one thing I noticed about the head at the Zoo Music’s booth is that the power options were Full-Power and Variac-Power but the head at GC’s booth, the power options were Full-Power and Tweed-Power. Since the head that was at Zoo Music’s booth is essentially the first production head, I will use Full-Power and Variac-Power throughout the review (to avoid confusion).
At this point, I want to step back for a moment to comment as to how much work must go on behind the scenes to get an amp of this complexity out to the market.
As I mentioned earlier, I am an electrical engineer. Most of my responsibilities generally revolve around working on different aspects of getting new products out to market.
In my world, to make a complex chip, we are talking about 100’s of millions of transistors, and tens of thousands of sub-circuits, etc. Sure - we have simulators, and the chip has to be layed out so we have layout tools, and we have other software tools, etc., etc., to help us along the way. However, these simulators, layout tools, etc. are not perfect meaning that they do not foresee all of the potential issues. So, we occasionally run into issues that we did not expect. Not mention that there are bugs in the software that you will not become aware of until it is too late (been there, done that... NO fun).
In addition, before we go into full production, we have to go through a whole series of testing, data analysis, etc. for reliability, performance, and longevity of the chip.
Finally, once in production, we have to get the yields to a point that can sustain the business so it is profitable. (As an FYI: yield is a ratio of good vs. total; if you have 100 chips and only 25 of them work, your yield is only 25% - most business models cannot survive when you only have a yield of 25%).
The above is only a few sentences but believe me, there is a lot of hard work and long hours that it takes to make "IT" happen. Many times when I get home from work, my brain is like wet bread because I am mentally exhausted.
I believe that bringing a high-class tube amp to the market is just as, if not even more, difficult. That is because, as far as I know, there are no good simulators to simulate tube overdrive, or layout tools for tube amps. Yes, there are layout tools that will do the layout for you but how will the layout tool account for the possibility of oscillations, noise, etc. that you will get with a high gain tube amp? Simply put, I do not think they can.
There is no question in my mind that when Randall works a new design or layout, I am sure that he has a set of rules that he goes by. He knows that he can do this and he can do that and he knows he cannot do this and he cannot do that. All of that knowledge comes from what he learned during the 40 years of designing and building tube amps, not from a simulator or layout tool or some other software.
However, I am sure that Randall runs into some issues that he has not seen before or did not expect. Then, with due diligence, I am sure that Randall tries to track down the root cause of the issues (i.e. oscillations, noise, etc.). If he cannot, then he may have to junk his original design and/or layout and start all over from scratch - or, at the very least, redo a good portion of it.
So when Mesa comes out with these new complex amps, for me, as an electrical engineer, it is very inspiring because I have a very good idea of what they went through to make "IT" happen. I am sure that Randal feels it even more since he also has a company to run.
Therefore, a big kudos goes out to Randal Smith, and of course, the rest of the Mesa team for the hard work they do so we can enjoy their amps.
OK, back to the review...
As before, Steve gave me a run down of all the features and each channel.
Once again, we started off with Channel-3 (i.e. the lead channel). All I can say is... Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
What MONSTEROUS tones Channel-3 has. Simply INCREDIBLE. Actually, I think I will stop with the descriptions because I really cannot come up with words to adequately describe it. All I can say is that it will put a HUGE smile on your face.
I spent a few minutes switching between the different options and switching from Variac-Power to Full-Power. Every combination of settings I tried was pristine. As with the Electra Dyne, with the gain maxed out (actually, on the Electra Dyne, it is the volume that is maxed out), the string-to-string definition was outstanding regardless of which combinations of settings were selected. I could play a complex chord and hear all the notes without it sounding muddy/mushy. I was totally blown away by this... VERY IMPRESSIVE given the massive amounts of gain this channel has.
My favorite combination of settings was with the Mark-IV option, bright enabled, 10W mode, the contour set at around 3/4, and the power switch set to Variac-Power. Actually, in my opinion, the "Mark-IV" switch option is a misnomer because I think it sounds way better then a Mark-IV. It really should be called "Mark-IVC+".
I played with Channel-3 for around 20/25 or so minutes and then we decided to switch over to Channel-1.
It was at this point, I realized I had already consumed a little more then an hour of Steve’s time and I felt a little guilty. I mentioned that to Steve but he was OK with spending more time with me but I still felt guilty about it. Either way, I also wanted to go and check out the other stuff at the show.
So, we went through Channel-1 and Channel-2 kind of on the quick side.
When we switched over to Channel-1, I was like "WOW!!!" what a great clean sound. Steve spent a few seconds dialing in a great clean tone. I spent a few minutes just strumming some chords and doing my sorry *** impression of a Jazz player (Berklee was a LONG time ago). As with Channel-3, I went through the different combination of options and switching from Variac-Power to Full-Power.
My favorite setting was with the FAT option, 90W mode, and power switch set to Variac-Power. Sorry I cannot remember if I had Channel 1 set to NORMAL or BOLD. However, as good as Channel-1 is on the Mark-V, I think the Electra Dyne CLEAN channel is a little better (again, just my opinion).
After about 10 minutes, we moved over to Channel-2.
One of the things that I was never really fond of on the Mark-III and the Mark-IV is that Channel-2 on those amps never had enough gain (well, at least not for me) to serve as a really heavy rhythm sound or as second lead tone. In other words, I would prefer Channel-2 to be on the more-gain side as opposed to being on the less-gain side... think Dual Rectifier (which is probably why I love my Dual Rectifier so much).
However, Channel-2 on the Mark-V is what I have always wanted Channel-2 to be. I was VERY happy with this channel be cause I could get that heavier rhythm sound that I always wanted and with higher gain settings, it can serve as a second lead channel.
As with Channel-3, every combination of settings I tried was stellar and even with the gain maxed out, the string-to-string definition was still there.
My favorite setting was with the CRUNCH option, 10W mode and power switch set to Variac-Power. With the CRUNCH option enabled, the Mark-1 NORMAL and THICK channel options do not apply.
Overall, this is without a doubt the best and most versatile Channel-2 that Mesa has ever had on a Mark series.
A couple of more things I should mention:
1) I did not switch between the graphic-EQ and contour controls as much as I should have. When I initially tried Channel-3, it was on the contour option with the control set at around 3/4. I really did not pay much attention to which EQ option (i.e. graphic or contour) when I switched to Channel-1 and Channel-2. Sorry about that. Steve had set the amp up to get a great sound and I guess I was too way too enamored with Channel-3 too really care.
2) I did not get to try the other things like the effects loop, line out, etc.
I spent around an hour with this amp and I do not feel that I even scratched the surface with what the Mark-V can really do.
At this point, I wanted to let Steve go since I had consumed well over an hour and half (probably close to 2hrs since we were doing a lot of talking while testing/playing) of his time and I went on my way to check out the rest of the show/booths.
Before I left, Steve and I talked and I told him that I was totally blown away with both amps and that it was obvious that they worked VERY hard on these amps, especially the Mark-V.
Steve then asked me how it compared to the Mark-IV and I will tell you guys what I told Steve.... "Steve, if I were to compare the Mark-IV and the Mark-V on a scale of 1-10, I would have to give the Mark-IV a... well... a 4, and the Mark-V gets a 12.".
I really feel that the Mark-V just smokes the Mark-IV. In my mind, there really is no comparison. If you are saving your money to buy a used Mark-IV... do not even bother. I would wait a few months, save some extra money, and go for the Mark-V. It would be worth every extra penny you spend.
As far as musical styles go, this amp can do every music style with no problems.
The only type/style of player where the Mark-V would probably not be suitable for would be the old-school big box Jazz player that just uses a clean sound. For this type of player, the Mark-V would be overkill since they probably would never use Channel-2 or Channel-3. This type/style of player would, in my opinion, be better off with the Electra Dyne (or maybe one of the other amps that Mesa offers like a Lonestar or Express).
Now to make you all drool even more...
Later in the day, I swung by the Zoo Music booth to try the Mark-V through a full Recto 4x12 cab. The guitar I used was one of the newer Charvel’s that had a Floyd Rose and I think they have Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio pickups.
All I can say is... HOLY SH$T!!! Everything was MUCH better with the full Recto 4x12 cab. :mrgreen:
Obviously, the first thing I tried was Channel-3 with my favorite settings as described earlier. I just could not believe the tone I was getting. STUNNING!!!
I quickly went through the other two channels and, as expected, they were immaculate... but then I went right back to Channel-3. :twisted:
After playing the Mark-V through the Recto 4x12, I think I have to knock the Mark-IV down another notch.
OK, last but not least... I know everyone wants to know "How does the Mark-V compare to a Mark IIC+.".
Well, I am not going to answer that question but here is what I will say...
You can consider the Mark IIC+, the Mark-III, and the Mark-IV along the lines of a Mercedes S-class S550/S600.
But the Mark-V is a Mercedes SLR-class.
Enough said.
Hope you all enjoyed the review.
zeeman
