MK V Fat channel & Mesa boogie Lonestar Clean

Hi All,

Just wanted ask your thoughts on something Doug West mentions in the mesa mk v 25 video of the mk v Fat channel being the same as the lonestar clean channel.

Whats the thought on this?

I have the Mk v but im considering changing to a lonestar but if the channels the same as the mk v then im not sure if itwould be worth it.

Thanks in advance.

He probably means that the preamp circuit is the Lonestar circuit, and it may well be.

However, the power amp is different and will have a significant effect on the overall sound and amp feel. Try a Lonestar and you'll notice that its response is very different from a Mark V.

Not saying one is strictly better than the other but they are different.

I have them all- a Lonestar Classic, Mark V, and Mark V:25. They do feel and sound different, although they have the same heritage. You could dial them in to be very similar. To me, the Lonestar, with a simpler, more traditional circuitry ( no multiple modes, etc) has a more organic, vintage vibe. It is designed solely to deliver that specific tone/vibe. The mark V is much more of a "Swiss army knife" with many modes and ways to shape the tone. It is designed to deliver a wide palette of tones.

I love the Fat mode of Channel 1 of the MV, but is I really want a purer clean tone all by itself, I'd probably go to my Lonestar. The MV and MV:25 are my gigging amps for my band, though.

I remember reading maybe in the manual the clean channel is from the Mark IV.

Thanks peeps...

I like my mk v but I really dig the lonestar clean tone, with what was said in the video I didn't know if I would be spending a fair amount of money on getting something i may of already had in the mark v.

All good though

It seems like you should be able to find a used LSC to try out. Or, you should be able to buy used in the $1000-1100 range. If you don't dig it, you should be able to get your money out in resale.

But, if you dig and use channels 2 and 3 on the MV, don't swap it out for a Lonestar. The cleans are close enough, and you can't get near all the other higher gain options with the Lonestar as you can with the MV. Just my $.02 adjusted for inflation.