Can you give me your opinion before I buy my 1st MESA amp?

Hi!

Sorry if this is going to be a long winded message but hey, a MESA amp is not something you buy everyday, and I'd like to get this right.
Please feel free to give me your honest opinion - the lengthier and juicier, the better - as that will influence my purchase.
My money is (kind of) in your hands!

I'm almost 40 now, been playing guitar non-professionaly for 20+ years. Bought and sold a lot of crap throughout the years, and I think it's time to gift myself a proper amp that stays with me for the next 10 to 20 years. So I really don't care about price for this purchase. Not that I am rich or anything (far from it!), but if I'm purchasing something for the next two decades, how stupid would it be to choose the wrong product for a few hundreds of dollars of difference (or Euros, in my case...).


The gear

Ibanez PGM100 (the original Paul Gilbert model) equipped with the stock PAF-pro humbuckers (two of them, bridge and neck) and a Fender single-coil which I don't use on its own, but mixed with the humbuckers. I replaced the original single coil because it sounded too thin, and I happen to like guitar sounds with good boosted mids.

At this moment, I'm using an ENGL combo (this one here: http://bit.ly/1HPEvoD), with the output plugged into an open-back 2x12" cabinet loaded with a couple of Greenbacks, and usually the powersoak activated for 5W power, down from the 15W full power. Still, everytime I push the volume knob upwards from the 2nd position (9 o'clock, if you prefer, with 0 being at 7 o'clock) I get into trouble with my neighbors.
I like its sounds, especially when mixed with the pedals. Higher gain stuff is easily achievable, although I have great difficulty getting "clean cleans".

I also like using pedals, and that's something I would like to keep doing with my new amp, even if it has amazing distortions. I have a Wampler Pinnacle, a Randall RGOD, Deuce RAT, an Aphex Guitar Xciter, and a couple of Strymon pedals for fx (Timeline delay and BlueSky Reverb), and a lot of oldies that I only use every now and again but don't keep them on my pedalboard.

Regarding what I play, it's usually a bit of metal sounds (30%), rock/hard (30%), clean-dly'd-fx'd-sounds (20%), and lately some mellow jazzy-bluesy stuff (20%).
It's in this latest 40% of stuff that I feel most the lack of mid-freq definition of my actual sound.


Why MESA Boogie?

I've searched for low-wattage amps that don't cut corners just because they can play at low volumes.
My girlfriend is deaf (one problem sorted... :wink: ), but unfortunately my neighbors are not.
So I need something that can play well at low volumes, as I live in an apartment.
And I play at night (working during the day...).

It's amazing how difficult this search has been!
Sure, there's no lack of 1W to 5W amps in the market, but they all look like dumbed down versions of their bigger brothers.
As far as I can tell, MESA Boogie seem to have the only amps that can play with such low wattages while still maintaining all the nice features we've come to expect from bigger items (two individual channels complete with their own independent EQ, Reverb in some cases, fx loop, etc.).

QUESTION 1: having to play at such low volumes (95% of the time, at least), am I going to feel a qualitative difference from what I'm using now? Or will the essential "soul" of the MESA amp shine through even at the low power settings?

And now, because I don't own a MESA yet, because I don't have a single dealer in my country that has a couple of them in stock (let alone most of them), meaning this will be a blind purchase, here is my own personal face-value opinion of the contenders I've choosen, purely based on the reviews I've read and the videos I've watched for the past months (from the MESA website and elsewhere on YouTube).

Please tell me where I'm getting it wrong. Thanks!
Order is not important, and not indicative of any personal preference.


THE CONTENDERS

Contender no. 1: Mark V:25

Pros: loved its sound in almost every demo I've seen, there's a lot of modes and settings to try, has a headphone output, and a direct output for recording.
Cons: it only goes down to 10W. I wonder if it can be played at low volumes.



Contender no. 2: Recto-Verb 25 head

Pros: although I saw a lot of negative opinions about this amp for some reason, fact is I liked the sound in every demo I've heard, just like on the Mark V:25. Seems to have a lot of balls from hard/metal stuff, although I'm not sure if the clean sounds are good.
Cons: same as the Mark V:25: it only goes down to 10W, the volume will be difficult to control.



Contender no. 3: Express 25:5+ head

Pros: goes down to 5W and turns into a single-ended Class A (Class AB for the 25W/15W settings) so I would effectively have a single-ended Class A for low volumes and a push-pull Class AB for higher volumes - the best of both worlds. Has the Reverb knob at the front.
Cons: Not even gonna mention the lack of Presence knob... fact is, don't get me wrong, maybe it's the quality of the video-demos at the MESA website or something, but I didn't hear any sounds that made me turn my head (like it happened on the Mark V:25 and the Express 25:5+). Seems like it lacks something, some kind of depth or balls, can't really explain it... maybe I should check a few more videos from other sources.


Contender no. 4: Lonestar Special head

Pros: goes down to 5W (single ended Class A), looks lovely (c'mon, try to convince me you don't care a bit about that! ;-), seems to have a very good clean channel which I'm not sure it can be replicated with other models. Would it be the last Clean channel I'd ever need to use?
Cons: seems that (from countless other posts I read in this forum) the Drive channel is a bit muddy and not usable unless you do some kind of modding to it. Not sure if I'm ready to part with this kind of cash for something that needs to be tunned/modded right from the get go...

And now a question for Lonestar Special owners: if I want to, can I push this amp into hard-rock/metal territory with ease (alone or with some of my pedals to boost the front end)? Or will it get too muddied and fuzzed?


And that's it!
I've also been looking to another amp, but that's probably a question for another forum... (this one here: http://bit.ly/1AbLwzF )

I'll gladly take each and every user opinion under consideration. I need to hear from people that use these equipments.

Thanks for taking some of your time to read this.

And thanks in advance if you plan on leaving your opinion here.

Cheers!

Andre' Toscano

I have the Express 5:50+ head with an Avatar 2x12 cab with a Celestion Vintage 30 and Celestion G12H30 and play a Les Paul classic. First off, if you haven't seen these demos of this amp, check them out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-ny5nRZz0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llcmifs2kio

This is one of the best amps I've ever played and I've tried a lot of different amps from boutique amps (Dr Z, 65 Amps, Divided by 13, etc.) to Marshall to Fender (vintage, reissues, etc.) to other Mesas. Let's just say from a sound stand point I wouldn't trade it for any of them (except for maybe the Mark V and possibly a Marshall Bluesbreaker reissue - but that isn't near as versatile). I sold my Marshall JVM210H head and 4x12 cab to get this and would never go back. It goes down to 5W, as you probably know, so there's really no point to the 5:25+ unless you want the EL84 tone or to save 10 pounds +/-, but I'll take 6L6 tubes every day of the week, personally. At low volumes this amp sounds very, very good. We have an infant and two toddlers so I almost am never able to play it loud anymore, but when I do get to turn it up, it blows my socks off. You'd be surprised at how loud 5W can be, but at low volumes, again, it sound amazing. Best clean channel I've ever heard even at low volumes. Nice creamy higher gain sounds (at high gain settings in crunch, and in any gain setting in burn). Couple that with the EQ preset (contour) or the 5-band EQ and you have a tone machine. This thing is a gigging dream, due to the amazing tones, great effects loop, EQ options, and solo feature (that and the EQ are footswitchable), along with a nice tube reverb.

With this amp you can set the settings and forget it, or you can tweak to your little heart's content. I'm somewhere in between, I often experiment with different tones, but I have my own "go to" settings.

My dad owns the Mark V:25 and I like my amp better, for what it's worth.

The best tone I've ever had comes from my Electra Dyne. That is way too loud for you.

The most useable amp I've had is my Mini Rectifier. That, plus a cab clone, would give you a great low-power solution. It has a very nice clean tone and a very flexible lead channel. It needs to be run loud to get the best tone, so even 10W mode is not going to be neighbor-friendly.

The most flexible amp is the Mark 5:25. That can get any tone (except for rectifier...) and has the cab clone built-in. At home I play mine in 25W mode with the speaker off and the cab clone output into a small powered monitor. Works amazingly well. Again, needs to be loud, so direct out is your best bet.

I sold my 5:50+ to buy a Mark25. They are both excellent sounding amps. The 5:50+ has a better taper on it's master volume so it is easier to get great tones at very low volumes.
The Mark25 is my favorite of the two but it's master volume knob is touchy at the low side. It's not a problem for me because the lowest volumes I play at home are more like "above average TV volume". If that make since.

FlamencoD said:

I have the Express 5:50+ head with an Avatar 2x12 cab with a Celestion Vintage 30 and Celestion G12H30 and play a Les Paul classic. First off, if you haven't seen these demos of this amp, check them out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-ny5nRZz0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llcmifs2kio

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Well, I've saw those videos, heard them twice with my headphones on and eyes closed, and I have the same feeling as before. I like what I hear, but none of what I've heard so far for this Express+ line made me have that "Holy sh%t!" reaction.
For some reason, both the Mark V:25 and the Dual Recto-Verb 25 left a better mark on my brain.
But again, that's probably because I haven't heard enough demos. I will keep trying.

It goes down to 5W, as you probably know, so there's really no point to the 5:25+ unless you want the EL84 tone or to save 10 pounds +/-, but I'll take 6L6 tubes every day of the week, personally.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely right!
I didn't even consider the Express 5:50+ because I thought it was just an inflated/higher-powered version of the 5:25+.
But since I would be playing them at the 5W setting roughly 90% of the time, with the 5:50+ the difference would be having some extra power and headroom available (for when it's needed), with a very low price difference between them.

Now, wether I prefer the sound of the 6L6's or the EL84's, my experience doesn't go that far...
I've never had the fortune of playing with very good amps, mostly pre-amps and simulators, some crappy amps, and that was it.
This ENGL I'm now using was my first proper amp. So I guess I only have some limited experience with the EL84's.

Do you reckon there would be much of a difference between them (6L6 or EL84) at the lower 5W power setting?

At low volumes this amp sounds very, very good.
[...]
Best clean channel I've ever heard even at low volumes. Nice creamy higher gain sounds (at high gain settings in crunch, and in any gain setting in burn). Couple that with the EQ preset (contour) or the 5-band EQ and you have a tone machine. This thing is a gigging dream, due to the amazing tones, great effects loop, EQ options, and solo feature (that and the EQ are footswitchable), along with a nice tube reverb.

Click to expand...

This is good. Thanks!

My dad owns the Mark V:25 and I like my amp better, for what it's worth.

Click to expand...

Having had the chance to try them both, can you develop on this?
What did you most prefer about the 5:50+ (apart from the higher power available... and well, the psychological bias, given that you invested in a 5:50+)?

Thanks for your time.

The most flexible amp is the Mark 5:25. That can get any tone (except for rectifier...) and has the cab clone built-in. At home I play mine in 25W mode with the speaker off and the cab clone output into a small powered monitor. Works amazingly well. Again, needs to be loud, so direct out is your best bet.

Click to expand...

Thanks!
This argument (along with the fact that I really enjoyed the Mark V:25 demos I've heard so far) is pratically selling me on this amp!
Direct out/Cab clone/headphone output looks very convenient, and being able to turn the speaker off and listen to the amp blowing away through the higher power settings sounds enticing!

Does the cab clone work well? I mean, is it really convincing?
I'm a bit suspicious about cab simulators as I've had terrible results with them. But then again, I haven't used anything new in that department for the past half a dozen years...

The most flexible amp is the Mark 5:25. That can get any tone (except for rectifier...)
[...]

Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on this?
I've been searching information, but honestly - apart from the graphic EQ and minor differences at the inputs/outputs stages - do you know what really are the differences between the "Rectifier" lines and the rest of the MESA amps?
The Mark V:25 being so flexible, why can't it replicate the sounds of the Rectifier line?

Thanks.

jmontgomery said:

I sold my 5:50+ to buy a Mark25. They are both excellent sounding amps.

Click to expand...

May I ask why you've made this decision?
There's another chap about two posts above that prefers it the other way around.
Soundwise, what exactly can you do with your Mark V:25 that you couldn't do with the 5:50+?

The 5:50+ has a better taper on it's master volume so it is easier to get great tones at very low volumes.
The Mark25 is my favorite of the two but it's master volume knob is touchy at the low side. It's not a problem for me because the lowest volumes I play at home are more like "above average TV volume". If that make since.

Click to expand...

This is very interesting information!
Are you telling me that you can control identical (lower) volumes better with the higher powered 5:50+ than with the V:25?

Best regards!

I bought the Mark25 shortly after it came out when a used one popped up in the classifieds. I had a Mark 5 years ago so I knew I'd like the Mark25, and I do.
I sold the 5:50+ to recoup the funds I spent on the Mark25.
The cleans are comparable between the two, with the 5:50+ having more headroom at 50watts.
The crunch tones on the Mark25 are better in my opinion. The crunch tones on the 5:50+ are excellent but I prefer the tones in the Mark.
I had the 5:50+ blues mode dialed in to a killer SRV overdrive tone with my Strat. It sounded great at both low and high volumes. It took me a couple of days to find that tone in the Mark25 but I found it in the fat mode with the mid knob about 1:30 on the dial. As in a clock face.

The master volume on the Mark25 comes on quick. Its touchy at the lower end and it may jump from off to "a bit to loud for sleeping kids" if you have thin walls at home. The 5:50+ has a very smooth taper with no jump in volume coming off of "off".
I haven't used the built in cab clone so I cant answer how it sounds. Using the Mark25s cab clone thru a set of monitors might be the perfect solution for low volume. I'll let someone who's tried it answer that for you.

You'd be happy with either I suspect.

andretoscano said:

FlamencoD said:

I have the Express 5:50+ head with an Avatar 2x12 cab with a Celestion Vintage 30 and Celestion G12H30 and play a Les Paul classic. First off, if you haven't seen these demos of this amp, check them out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-ny5nRZz0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llcmifs2kio

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Well, I've saw those videos, heard them twice with my headphones on and eyes closed, and I have the same feeling as before. I like what I hear, but none of what I've heard so far for this Express+ line made me have that "Holy sh%t!" reaction.
For some reason, both the Mark V:25 and the Dual Recto-Verb 25 left a better mark on my brain.
But again, that's probably because I haven't heard enough demos. I will keep trying.

It goes down to 5W, as you probably know, so there's really no point to the 5:25+ unless you want the EL84 tone or to save 10 pounds +/-, but I'll take 6L6 tubes every day of the week, personally.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely right!
I didn't even consider the Express 5:50+ because I thought it was just an inflated/higher-powered version of the 5:25+.
But since I would be playing them at the 5W setting roughly 90% of the time, with the 5:50+ the difference would be having some extra power and headroom available (for when it's needed), with a very low price difference between them.

Now, wether I prefer the sound of the 6L6's or the EL84's, my experience doesn't go that far...
I've never had the fortune of playing with very good amps, mostly pre-amps and simulators, some crappy amps, and that was it.
This ENGL I'm now using was my first proper amp. So I guess I only have some limited experience with the EL84's.

Do you reckon there would be much of a difference between them (6L6 or EL84) at the lower 5W power setting?

At low volumes this amp sounds very, very good.
[...]
Best clean channel I've ever heard even at low volumes. Nice creamy higher gain sounds (at high gain settings in crunch, and in any gain setting in burn). Couple that with the EQ preset (contour) or the 5-band EQ and you have a tone machine. This thing is a gigging dream, due to the amazing tones, great effects loop, EQ options, and solo feature (that and the EQ are footswitchable), along with a nice tube reverb.

Click to expand...

This is good. Thanks!

My dad owns the Mark V:25 and I like my amp better, for what it's worth.

Click to expand...

Having had the chance to try them both, can you develop on this?
What did you most prefer about the 5:50+ (apart from the higher power available... and well, the psychological bias, given that you invested in a 5:50+)?

Thanks for your time.

Click to expand...

I like the big glassy cleans of my setup over his, mainly, the piano-like bass. It could be due to him using a 1x12 with a Celestion Greenback vs my 2x12 with Celestion Vintage 30 and G12H30, as well as the EL84 tubes, vs. the 6L6 tubes in my amp. I wish I could have played his amp through my cab, but he lives in Texas and I in Oregon so unfortunately that isn't happening. I also really like the preset contour EQ on the 5:50+, I use that more than I use the 5-band EQ; I'd say I use the 5-band about 30% of the time, and the preset EQ contour 70% of the time. I almost never run without one of them on. Also, for live gigs, I really like the solo feature of the 5:50+, it allows for a volume boost via the footswitch. It's perfect for solos and getting out in front of the rest of the group without having to use a pedal to do that.

The clean channel can be super clean and rich, or fairly dirty, depending on where your gain and treble/mids are set, as they affect the overall gain as well, as well as where the master volume is set, particularly in the 5W mode. With a high master volume setting and a high gain setting, amazing dirty tones are to be had as there's a combination of pre-amp drive and power section drive. But at high gain and master volume settings in 5W, that will be way too loud for an apartment, or for sleeping kids.

The burn channel is great in my opinion for that rich boogie lead tone.

All that to say, I am pretty sure you'd be happy with either, and as the other poster has said, the crunch and overdrive channel on the Mark 5:25 is very very good. I'd say IMO they are as good as the crunch/burn modes on the 5:50+, but for me, feature wise, it's the clean channel, 5W Class A setting, clean head room, preset EQ contour, and solo feature that separates the two, as least for the two different setups that I have tried as described.

andretoscano said:

Does the cab clone work well? I mean, is it really convincing?
I'm a bit suspicious about cab simulators as I've had terrible results with them. But then again, I haven't used anything new in that department for the past half a dozen years...

The most flexible amp is the Mark 5:25. That can get any tone (except for rectifier...)
[...]

Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on this?
I've been searching information, but honestly - apart from the graphic EQ and minor differences at the inputs/outputs stages - do you know what really are the differences between the "Rectifier" lines and the rest of the MESA amps?
The Mark V:25 being so flexible, why can't it replicate the sounds of the Rectifier line?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I have used the Radial JDX for a couple years with excellent results. I have been using a cab clone and the Mark 5:25 direct out for a few weeks with quite good results. Nothing will sound like a cranked amp when run at television volumes, as you really need to move some air and a lot of the tone comes from the speaker and your ear. However, a lot of the tone and dynamics (touch) do translate well.

As for Rectifier vs. Mark, each has a characteristic tone, much as Marshall and Vox have their own characteristic tones. None can duplicate the others, but each may be used for more or less any style of music with good results.

In Mark vs. Rectifier:

Marks are known for a liquid lead tone (smooth, not a lot of harshness or fizziness), plus good cleans. The later Marks also capture a lot of different versions (IC+, IV, etc). A Mark can be dialed to get a nice tight metal tone, but, in general, lacks the buzzy grind of a rectifier.

Rectifiers are known for a lovely midrange grind, sometimes referred to as "rocks in a clothes dryer". They have a great thick tone that has enough harmonic content to cut through other amps and whatnot in a mix. They do not have a smooth lead tone. They also have a really nice bright tone for rock when the gain is dialed down a bit. Some people think that the F-series and Express-series amps sound a lot like rectifiers. I have had a couple F-50s and I agree. I would call their tone "scratchy", with lots of dynamic punch.

Many people with rectifiers struggle to get a liquid-y lead tone, while Mark users can struggle to cut through in a mix. The two amps do very nicely when used together.

elvis said:

Mark users can struggle to cut through in a mix.

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While in general I agree with a lot that you wrote, here I beg to differ. I find the exact opposite to be the case: a typical Recto (Dual, Triple, Roadster, Road King) needs to be dialed more carefully or it can get lost in a band mix. If you scoop the mids and crank the bass (like some people like to do), you get nothing but a cloud of distant mud that your bass player tramples over.

A Mark amp, with its much more pronounced midrange focus, can and will cut through anything, and there's little you or your bandmates can do to prevent that - even if they wanted to. :wink:

jmontgomery said:

The master volume on the Mark25 comes on quick. Its touchy at the lower end and it may jump from off to "a bit to loud for sleeping kids" if you have thin walls at home. The 5:50+ has a very smooth taper with no jump in volume coming off of "off".

Click to expand...

I wonder how "unadvisable" would it be to perform this mod on the Mark V:25?
Basically, switch the taper on its master volume to change its logarithmic function just enough to allow a more broader control over the volumes at lower powers.
Which would naturally come at the expense of precise control over the larger power settings, but I - and a lot of folks like me, I suspect - could easily live with that.
Maybe this is a question to put in the MarkV:25 section?

jmontgomery said:

You'd be happy with either I suspect.

Click to expand...

I'm also sure of that. Any one of these amps should be comparatively better at their job than I am as a guitar player!
But a little homework before such an important purchase never hurts anyone...

Thanks!

FlamencoD said:

All that to say, I am pretty sure you'd be happy with either, and as the other poster has said, the crunch and overdrive channel on the Mark 5:25 is very very good. I'd say IMO they are as good as the crunch/burn modes on the 5:50+, but for me, feature wise, it's the clean channel, 5W Class A setting, clean head room, preset EQ contour, and solo feature that separates the two, as least for the two different setups that I have tried as described.

Click to expand...

Like I've written in my last reply, I'm also sure any one of these amps will be a giant leap in quality compared to what I'm used to.
At least they are probably comparatively better at their job than I am at playing my instrument (i.e. my guitar...).

And while I know it's futile to be looking for the perfect-jack-of-all-trades-amp, this way I can at least start to have an idea of where to lean to.
But I like this capsule-review of yours, feature wise. Sums up all the useful features in one paragraph. Handy information.

Thanks!

elvis said:

I have used the Radial JDX for a couple years with excellent results. I have been using a cab clone and the Mark 5:25 direct out for a few weeks with quite good results. Nothing will sound like a cranked amp when run at television volumes, as you really need to move some air and a lot of the tone comes from the speaker and your ear. However, a lot of the tone and dynamics (touch) do translate well.

Click to expand...

I completely agree. Or put it another way, if the Cabclone (or any of the different hundreds of similar technologies from other manufacturers) would actually do their job properly and sound 100% like the real thing, then why have speakers and big cabinets in the first place?
Just wanted to know if the CabClone was actually in the "usable/decent" category or the "crappy/to-forget" one.
And from what you say (and what I've heard on the web) it's pretty much a decent recording/direct out alternative, which adds to the flexibility of this amp (especially given that the CabClone on itself is about $300 as a stand-alone product).

elvis said:

As for Rectifier vs. Mark, each has a characteristic tone, much as Marshall and Vox have their own characteristic tones. None can duplicate the others, but each may be used for more or less any style of music with good results.

In Mark vs. Rectifier:

Marks are known for a liquid lead tone (smooth, not a lot of harshness or fizziness), plus good cleans. The later Marks also capture a lot of different versions (IC+, IV, etc). A Mark can be dialed to get a nice tight metal tone, but, in general, lacks the buzzy grind of a rectifier.

Rectifiers are known for a lovely midrange grind, sometimes referred to as "rocks in a clothes dryer". They have a great thick tone that has enough harmonic content to cut through other amps and whatnot in a mix. They do not have a smooth lead tone. They also have a really nice bright tone for rock when the gain is dialed down a bit. Some people think that the F-series and Express-series amps sound a lot like rectifiers. I have had a couple F-50s and I agree. I would call their tone "scratchy", with lots of dynamic punch.

Many people with rectifiers struggle to get a liquid-y lead tone, while Mark users can struggle to cut through in a mix. The two amps do very nicely when used together.

Click to expand...

I know you guys are probably used to read these questions all the time.
But for someone who never used MESA's products, it's a bit overwhelming to fish out the differences between these amps at first sight, especially given that their price ranges are somewhat similar and I am not able to test them thouroughly in my country.

This way I'm starting to get a broader picture.
Thanks!

LesPaul70 said:

elvis said:

Mark users can struggle to cut through in a mix.

Click to expand...

While in general I agree with a lot that you wrote, here I beg to differ. I find the exact opposite to be the case: a typical Recto (Dual, Triple, Roadster, Road King) needs to be dialed more carefully or it can get lost in a band mix. If you scoop the mids and crank the bass (like some people like to do), you get nothing but a cloud of distant mud that your bass player tramples over.

A Mark amp, with its much more pronounced midrange focus, can and will cut through anything, and there's little you or your bandmates can do to prevent that - even if they wanted to. :wink:

Click to expand...

I agree, I was more trying to differentiate the two. In my experience, you can dial a Mark to cut or not, BUT you only have so many channels (two in the 5:25), so you can either choose smooth or cutting, but not both. Most people seem to scoop the Marks via the EQ, and run quite a lot of gain, both of which tend to get the amp lost in the mix.

Hi again!

Just wanted to take a couple of minutes to thank all the members who voiced their opinion about these wonderful products.
I've been studying MESA amps *a lot* for the past weeks, watched all the videos, listened to sound clips, read all the wonderfully written and detailed manuals, etc. etc.
While the perfect scenario would be to purchase one amp from each model, a realistic decision had to be made.

So I've opted for the Mark V:25. A tough call, head-to-head with the Express5:50+.

Ultimately, it was the juicy, creamy sound of the Mark V:25, and the inclusion of the CabClone and Headphone output, that made me gravitate towards it. It's the most appropriate tool for my lifestyle at this moment.

Anyway, thanks once again.
Hopefully I will be a future contributing member to this forum, helping others the way you guys helped me.

Cheers! And have a fantastic 2015!

Andre' Toscano

Glad we could help, and I'm sure you'll really enjoy that amp. My Dad certainly does!

Did you buy a Mesa speaker cab to go along with it? Or will you be using the direct out/ headphones only, initially?

FlamencoD said:

Did you buy a Mesa speaker cab to go along with it? Or will you be using the direct out/ headphones only, initially?

Click to expand...

I have a 2x12" (home made) loaded with a couple of Celestion Greenbacks, so I'll be using that.
Has served me well for the past year, hopefully it will be a good match to the Mark V:25.
That and the Direct output will have to do for a while.

Thanks.

A day late and a dollar short. If you wanted something with full potential but yet has good manners at low volume or low power, I would consider a Mark V. I do have a preference for the Roadster and RA100 but lowest power setting for both of those is 50W (sure the RA100 has a power soak to drop the output even further). The Mark V on the other hand with the Class A mode set to 10W sounds really good without shaking the walls down.
I have yet to play though a Mark V25 but the recordings of the amp do sound great. For the money, I would consider the Mark V 25 head which leaves you a choice of what speaker setup to choose from. I converted my Mark V head to a combo which I am happy with but it is not a light weight option (the cab did not come with casters so it is a back breaker to move long distance).