Gigged my Mark V 25

[elvis]

Small bar. The MV25 was plenty. Worked great. Sounded good, but I could have used more time to tweak it. Not enough time to soundcheck due to some baseball thing on the TV :roll:

Worked perfectly with my amp gizmo and pedalboard with no extra care. Works amazingly well with my OD808!

You can see my Mini Rec underneath. I used the power amp to run a stereo feed to the other side of the stage.

 

[Rectifried]

That's great Elvis, 2 quick questions if I may -

1) It's implied by what you said, but would the MV25 be loud enough by itself? Looks like you have the Master up beyond noon on the gain channel.

2) Does the mini rec power section sound identical to the MV25 power section? I am guessing yes.

Thanks for all the info and GAS

 

[elvis]

You're welcome!

I use the G System to control volume, and I had it way down. I have played this particular venue before with just the MR so I know that either amp is loud enough for it. Also, my cabinet on the other side got buried behind the bass rig, so it really didn't add to the overall volume. This was sad, actually, because I went to extra trouble to bring it and set it up. I guess the drummer was able to use it as a monitor, so all was not lost.

Another weird thing is that I have to run the lead channel volume way higher than the clean channel. I think it has a lot to do with the EQ, which suggests the EQ loses a lot of signal level on the way through. Makes sense, since I am cutting the mids a lot. But it feels wrong.

To me the two power amps are too close to tell the difference, but I haven't made a huge effort to differentiate. Works great, though. And this way I have the MR in case the MV fails mid-gig. 10 seconds to swap cables and I am back up and running.

I like the MR gig bag way more than the MV cover. I wish they had done a bag for that as well, with pockets.

 

[Rectifried]

Ah ok, i have done the same thing with my G Major so i know what you mean.

That's great information, thank you!

Now to sell some stuff

 

[blackoutshred]

Thanks for sharing dude! I've got one question tho... :roll:

Can you compare the mini Recto/Rectoverb 25 vs the Mark 25? I'm interested in getting one mini head to travel.

gigging volumen?
low bedroom level?
better sounding head? (I know this is subjective but I mean, quality wise :?: )

Thanks in advanced,

Alan.

 

[elvis]

I have been gigging with the MR/Rectoverb25 for 2 years. I really love it. The volume has never been an issue because I use a Radial JDX into the PA, but the times I have gone without reinforcement at rehearsal or gigs, even with acoustic drums, it has been enough. It does push the clean channel to the limit, though. The Mark V seems to be as loud, though the EQ seems to sap volume from that channel. More on that later when I figure it out.

The Mark V Mini has a completely different tone. I think it covers a wider range, does classic tones well, does modern rock tones well. The EQ is a really helpful feature. I can add one to the Mini Rec, but it's really nice that it is built into the MV25. The cabclone is also a great feature.

I can't really say one is better, though the features in the MV25 win. I think that the MV25 is more versatile, but it does have it's characteristic tone. I can see the beauty of it, and I have a lot more playing to do with it before I figure it out.

Bottom line: I love the tone of both, and I don't think they overlap at all. Either could do any kind of gig or music, though each with its own character. The MR is more scratchy/punchy/rectifier-y, the Mark is Mark-y. Who could choose? I will likely continue to use both.

I was not joking when I wrote that I will use it as a stereo 4-channel Mark-tifier.

Last gig I did use the Mark V, with the MR as more of a backup amp. That's really because it is new. When I have run the Mark for a few rehearsals and gigs, I expect to go back and forth with the two and see what really works for me.

Given that the resale on the MR is pretty awful, I recommend picking one up cheap used as a complement/backup for the MV25.

 

[sawyer]

Hey Elvis, been following your posts about the mini mark and the rectoverb, playing unmicced with an acoustic drum set do you feel that these mini heads struggle in the mix? I currently have an evh 5150iii 50w, that i love, but temptation with these mini heads is far too great! I play in an alternative rock band with a 2x12 with v30 , and a medium hard hitting monkey...ups I mean drummer. Do you have any live performing clips to show those heads in action?

 

[elvis]

Sorry, don't have a clip of the MV25 yet.

For volume, I haven't had an issue being heard, especially with the MR, since it has a very punchy, mid-heavy tone. However, I am currently migrating to a more low-heavy tone and I suspect I may have more trouble with volume there. And for sure I have had some trouble getting a real low-end thump from the minis. Bottom line, low-frequencies take a ton of power and current, neither of which are easy to get from a small tube and transformer.

I used to use an F50 and a 50/50, and those are really my favorite for huge sound. The 6L6 is just a way more powerful driver. I also have a Blackstar HT20, which is rated at 20W, but has huge low-end. I think it has a pair of EL34 set up as cathode-followers, which again would give tons of low-frequency power. I had a 20/20 way back, and it totally ran out of steam at an outdoor gig, even though two 20W amps should hold up at least as well as one 50W amp. I've never run out of steam with a 6L6 amp. And my Electradyne has ridiculous low-end capability. As much as I love the big bottles, I just don't need them at the little clubs I play and I really don't want to carry them. My Dyne would likely damage most places I play.

My plan is to dial in as much thump as I can without wrecking the overall tone. I'll post the results. I expect that it will be a perfect storm of cabinet(s), tone and EQ settings.

 

[dbagchee]

How are you sending the Mark V 25 output to the Mini Rec?

I've only had the Mark for a day but I'm picking it as a better bedroom amp out of the two (if you can only have one). You can play the Mini Rec fairly quiet but the pre amp section is pretty audible with the master at very low settings (especially with higher gain settings) so I find I have to turn it up enough to take what the pre amp is giving it. The Mark on the other hand gets a nice tone at the very quietest setting and I can't hear the pre amp working.

I think this is because the masters are wired different - the Mini's masters act like a send volume to the power amp and the Mark's masters act as a return volume.

 

[elvis]

Stereo out from my G System to the MR FX return. I plug a patch cable into the send to break it out of the signal chain. Not very elegant, but it works.

I wasn't aware that the Mark master was wired post-return. That's good to know. Thanks!

 

[dbagchee]

Very cool thanks!

Yeah I read the whole 40 page manual last night to find that little tidbit on the post return

 

[elvis]

My next move will be to wire the MR preamp into a loop in my G System, then I will have the stereo power amps plus access to the two channels of the MR. The hardest part will be deciding which amp will do what. Right now I am thinking:

MR ch1 pushed set for clean
MV ch1 set mild-medium crunch for classic rock
MR ch2 set for metal rhythm
MV ch2 set for heavy rock rhythm/lead

 

[Rectifried]

My next move will be to wire the MR preamp into a loop in my G System, then I will have the stereo power amps plus access to the two channels of the MR. The hardest part will be deciding which amp will do what. Right now I am thinking:

MR ch1 pushed set for clean
MV ch1 set mild-medium crunch for classic rock
MR ch2 set for metal rhythm
MV ch2 set for heavy rock rhythm/lead

This is a great idea! I'm wondering how you will bypass the channels in the MV when using the MR channels and still keep a stereo system... Seems like you may need to put the MV preamp in a loop as well?

 

[elvis]

Yup! MV is in a loop now. I have 5 loops, so I can put the MR in a second loop.

 

[Rectifried]

Awesome! I'm on a mission now... :mrgreen:

 

[knotts]

My next move will be to wire the MR preamp into a loop in my G System, then I will have the stereo power amps plus access to the two channels of the MR. The hardest part will be deciding which amp will do what. Right now I am thinking:

MR ch1 pushed set for clean
MV ch1 set mild-medium crunch for classic rock
MR ch2 set for metal rhythm
MV ch2 set for heavy rock rhythm/lead

This is what I was thinking too. It pretty much mimics my roadster setup (swap the bottom two) for CH3 and CH4 on my roadster. I can't imagine that volume would be an issue in any small clubs. Ideally I would plug them in to a 4x12 where one input is wired to 2 12" speakers and the other input is wired to the other two 12" speakers in an X pattern. Run it through an ABY switch so you can get them both going in stereo. I did this with my roadster and lonestar through 2 4x12's but it was just too loud for practice.

 

[CudBucket]

For stereo did you just run FX send from the V:25 to the FX return of the recto?

Also, by anychance, can the amp gizmo switch modes on channel 1? So you could go from clean to crunch?

Thanks!

Dave

 

[Authorized Boogie]

For stereo did you just run FX send from the V:25 to the FX return of the recto?

Also, by anychance, can the amp gizmo switch modes on channel 1? So you could go from clean to crunch?

Thanks!

Dave

Modes are not a foot-switchable option on any of our amps. Thanks!

 

[CudBucket]

For stereo did you just run FX send from the V:25 to the FX return of the recto?

Also, by anychance, can the amp gizmo switch modes on channel 1? So you could go from clean to crunch?

Thanks!

Dave

Modes are not a foot-switchable option on any of our amps. Thanks!

Thanks.

 

[elvis]

For stereo did you just run FX send from the V:25 to the FX return of the recto?

Also, by anychance, can the amp gizmo switch modes on channel 1? So you could go from clean to crunch?

Thanks!

Dave

I ran the MV25 send to a stereo FX unit and the stereo outputs from that to MV25 return and the MR return.