Mesa MarkV / Saturation 'mod'

Been away for about a week...... could not play my amps as loud as I normally do since I had guests on Vacation. What I like about the Mark V, I can get the gain saturation at a reasonably lower volume level even with the 90W power. I also wheeled over the TC-50 from the studio (have it on a vert 212) and it is much louder than I expected it to be. Running the Mark V with combo and 1x12 speaker.

Considering how well the Mark V90 does with general 12AX7 tube swaps, the side effects will be similar with the AT in V4 or V6. Still the 5751 had merit when using long plate AX verses the medium plate (tung sol, Mullard CV4004, or even 7025. The ECC83s short plate JJ (Mesa) tubes definitely can spice things up a bit as well. It is all good.

Excellent call on the AT7 swap guys, I personally like them in both V4 and V6 at the same time. I purchased my amp new in early 2010 and this is the first time I have really bonded with it.

sherrillsml said:

Excellent call on the AT7 swap guys, I personally like them in both V4 and V6 at the same time. I purchased my amp new in early 2010 and this is the first time I have really bonded with it.

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Welcome to the church of Mark V/AT7 :twisted:
Or is it a cult?

Wayno said:

sherrillsml said:

Excellent call on the AT7 swap guys, I personally like them in both V4 and V6 at the same time. I purchased my amp new in early 2010 and this is the first time I have really bonded with it.

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Welcome to the church of Mark V/AT7 :twisted:
Or is it a cult?

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CULT.

Joined it.

Well done hats off to you guys on this thread.

I've done all 3 of the variations of the swap on the big amp. Settled on V4 on my 2010 built 90watter. It seems to do the business, and I had the gain drop on channel 2 on the V6 and or the V4+V6. Loved the way its altered not only the tone, thunderous and raw, and rich, but the playability. Totally love it. And thats with the Mesa variant.

But I've also done it in V2 of the V:25 and yes its done for that what it did for the big amp too, for my money. Absolute magic and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone with a 25 or 35. (It seems that the 35 has the same valve purpose on V2) Lost very little if anything off of crunch, (it seems bigger sounding if anything) did have that same preamp gain effect on the Channel 2 modes also for my money. Raw, yet rich layers, harmonically alive, massive sound and the same greased up playing liquidity feel, its all there. Even the way it still feels luscious and triodey in feel - just bigger and louder in 25w mode.
Haven't been able to stop playing all week. Or grinning. The joke of "how did that little thing make THAT noise" just got funnier.

The Mark V: The gift that keeps on giving.
Amazing stuff.

Just got the camera out playing with some chug, sustain and all three Channel 2 modes on the V:25.
Will edit some examples into a vid and put it up for you in the next few hours.

Markageddon said:

But I've also done it in V2 of the V:25 and yes its done for that what it did for the big amp too, for my money. Absolute magic and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone with a 25 or 35. (It seems that the 35 has the same valve purpose on V2) Lost very little if anything off of crunch, (it seems bigger sounding if anything) did have that same preamp gain effect on the Channel 2 modes also for my money. Raw, yet rich layers, harmonically alive, massive sound and the same greased up playing liquidity feel, its all there. Even the way it still feels luscious and triodey in feel - just bigger and louder in 25w mode.
Haven't been able to stop playing all week. Or grinning. The joke of "how did that little thing make THAT noise" just got funnier.

The Mark V: The gift that keeps on giving.
Amazing stuff.

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Thank you! I'm a very happy V35 owner, but have been waiting for someone to try this and post the results!

You're more than welcome, Pole.
Feels good to have done my bit.

Its just a cam in the room. 3and a half feet from the 1x12 ported cab, about 40-45 degrees off axis tops.
The master is barely on right now, as I have it so low. This is so loud now lol
Far from a playing demo, it is a standard and dropped d attempt to show similarity with the initial Apeman vid. But this is much closer to the amp,
and its closer to the front of it. So bare that difference in mind.
The vid starts off with more IIC+bits than anything else and progresses to MarkIV mode, then the last couple of mins are Xtreme.
The gap between full size and smaller wattage models just got closed a little. I kept the same graphic levels more or less through out.
Had to take Mark IV down a little gain wise. What a beast.
The highs you can get like the big amp post mod, are ferocious, and smoother less pointed. But I went more for a tone that took that smoothening aspect higher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8LQvpWFhM Here it is. Its all channel 2.

Markageddon said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8LQvpWFhM Here it is. Its all channel 2.

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That's freaking hot. Awesome tone and really coming through well considering how it was recording. Great job.

dlpasco said:

Markageddon said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8LQvpWFhM Here it is. Its all channel 2.

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That's freaking hot. Awesome tone and really coming through well considering how it was recording. Great job.

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Thanks...!! And thats straight in the front with the Flying V with passives. No boost at all.
On the next vid I'll connect it to a Recto horizontal 2x12 and let it clear it's throat. And maybe even get a TS9 involved.
The master vol is barely on. Boog-geddon will surely occur when that dial gets as high as '1'. haha

Markageddon said:

dlpasco said:

Markageddon said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8LQvpWFhM Here it is. Its all channel 2.

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That's freaking hot. Awesome tone and really coming through well considering how it was recording. Great job.

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Thanks...!! And thats straight in the front with the Flying V with passives. No boost at all.
On the next vid I'll connect it to a Recto horizontal 2x12 and let it clear it's throat. And maybe even get a TS9 involved.
The master vol is barely on. Boog-geddon will surely occur then that dial gets as high as '1'. haha

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That sounds brutal .. so raw.. Thank you for doing the vid. What a great amp the Mark V is .. love it through n through

You're welcome Bankim..!! Glad you're liking it. A little glimpse of your future sound there maybe...! A very, very crunchy one.

Markageddon said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8LQvpWFhM Here it is. Its all channel 2.

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Iommi would have sh!t himself if he had that tone for the early Sabbath albums! Might have scared Ozzy into staying on the straight and narrow. Imagine how different the world would be today haha.

LOL Indeed. :lol:

He gave it a good go on the 80s era tours, had a Mark III or IV, if memory serves...!!
Why couldnt he go back an recut those tracks then...? One of the great tonal rock 'what ifs'....

New vid. Completely on axis. From 5-6ft cam distance.

1x12 at cam level, and 2x12 horizontal Recto cab under it. Doing the 4 0hm outs into 2x8 0hm method.
Sad but True has a Jackson V with EMGs, Standard Gibson V for the rest of it with stock passives.

Same settings as prev vid too. (After the Metallica riffs)
The beginning Metallica riffs were the typical V shape. On the graphic but with the dialled settings from the prev vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5F6_b2cLoE

Used a TS9 on the Machine Head riff.

Quality, amp sounds evil in a very good way. Paranoid made me smile too. Did notice some squeeling during the manson riff though? You notice that?

Hahaa cheers. That went out to you with your Iommi reference. Children of the grave too.
The ring you hear is unmuted string ring past the head stock on the flying v....will have to get a sock round it for future high gain excursions for real.
Yes its scary also that its still not even up to 'one' on the master. Its vicious and smooth and sounds like the end of the world.

Good egg, thanks for that. Love me a bit of Sabbath. Glad the ring was not a microphone tube too.

Gotta try get me some playing time soon so i can get some more clips up.

Nice to know the mod works on the Mark V's younger brothers too. Happy days.

Wayno said:

Good egg, thanks for that. Love me a bit of Sabbath. Glad the ring was not a microphone tube too.

Gotta try get me some playing time soon so i can get some more clips up.

Nice to know the mod works on the Mark V's younger brothers too. Happy days.

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Most welcome. Ahhh I see....yeah would have been a logical suspicion there. Definitely no probs with any tube ring to report.

Looking forward to em .. being following your progress in this thread since day one. Can't wait to see what you guys muster up with all the increased shaping options. \m/