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heads on fire « A perfect tube amplifier. »
Published on 11/28/11 at 12:061 x 12" Combo with C90 Speaker
10/45/90 Watts
4x6L6 (or 4xEL34), 7x12AX7, 1x5U4
Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34)
Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
Full Power/Variac Power Switch
3 Fully Independent Channels with 9 Modes
Footswitchable, Channel Assignable or True Bypassable All-Tube FX Loop with Send Level Control (over all channels when activated)
Output Level Control (over all channels when activated)
Footswitchable Solo Level Control
True "Hard" Bypass Switch removes FX Loops, Output Level & Solo Level Controls from signal path
Tuner Output w/Footswitchable Mute
Slave Out w/Level Control
Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch
External Switching Jacks for Channels 2, 3 (channel 1 is default), EQ & Solo
Aluminum Chassis
4x4 — 8 Button Footswitch
Casters
Slip Cover
22.5" W x 19" H x 10.5" D
Simul-Class Power Amp with Multi-Watt and Duo-Class technologies for 3 power and three operating class options
Wattages are channel assignable via 10/45/90 Watt Power Switches
Choose 2 power tubes operating in pure vintage Class A (single-ended), producing 10 Watts
2 tubes running in time-honored Class A/B producing 45 Watts
4 tubes running in Mesa's patented Simul-Class Power that blends the best of Class A and Class A/B simultaneously to produce 90 Watts
UTILIZATION
I don't give a lot of these 10 ratings out, but this is a perfect amplifier. The Mark V can produce nearly any natural guitar tone one can think of at three convenient wattages. 3 separate channels can each be configured for seemingly infinite options, changing gain structure, EQ curves, and the overall feel. This amp can achieve convincing results of nearly any of Mesa's past beauties, yet without any modeling - it's all tubes, transistors, resistors, transformers, diodes...no chips.
SOUNDS
The reverb may possibly be the best reverb I've heard in an amplifier - it's a nice spring verb that can be set for different levels on each channel, so switching from clean to dirty to liquid soloing doesn't have to include an extra step of fumbling with turning on or off the reverb as well.
Cleans are sparkly, glassy, and can get gritty if desired. Distortions range from 50s power amp distortion sounds to modern death metal, and absolutely everything in between. The EQ is incredibly powerful, letting one carve to surgical precision the desired tonal timbre.
OVERALL OPINION
This may be the greatest tube amp I've yet played. The options are vast, yet it is easy to get a great sound of. The vacuum tube was obsoleted in the 1960s and 70s for most electronic products, but this amplifier may be the crowning achievement of any tube circuit. Mesa thought of everything on this amp - they included a fan to cool the circuit to prevent overheating, yet it has an on/off switch in case silent operation is necessary, such as for studio applications. This amp is a perfect 10.
10/45/90 Watts
4x6L6 (or 4xEL34), 7x12AX7, 1x5U4
Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34)
Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
Full Power/Variac Power Switch
3 Fully Independent Channels with 9 Modes
Footswitchable, Channel Assignable or True Bypassable All-Tube FX Loop with Send Level Control (over all channels when activated)
Output Level Control (over all channels when activated)
Footswitchable Solo Level Control
True "Hard" Bypass Switch removes FX Loops, Output Level & Solo Level Controls from signal path
Tuner Output w/Footswitchable Mute
Slave Out w/Level Control
Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch
External Switching Jacks for Channels 2, 3 (channel 1 is default), EQ & Solo
Aluminum Chassis
4x4 — 8 Button Footswitch
Casters
Slip Cover
22.5" W x 19" H x 10.5" D
Simul-Class Power Amp with Multi-Watt and Duo-Class technologies for 3 power and three operating class options
Wattages are channel assignable via 10/45/90 Watt Power Switches
Choose 2 power tubes operating in pure vintage Class A (single-ended), producing 10 Watts
2 tubes running in time-honored Class A/B producing 45 Watts
4 tubes running in Mesa's patented Simul-Class Power that blends the best of Class A and Class A/B simultaneously to produce 90 Watts
UTILIZATION
I don't give a lot of these 10 ratings out, but this is a perfect amplifier. The Mark V can produce nearly any natural guitar tone one can think of at three convenient wattages. 3 separate channels can each be configured for seemingly infinite options, changing gain structure, EQ curves, and the overall feel. This amp can achieve convincing results of nearly any of Mesa's past beauties, yet without any modeling - it's all tubes, transistors, resistors, transformers, diodes...no chips.
SOUNDS
The reverb may possibly be the best reverb I've heard in an amplifier - it's a nice spring verb that can be set for different levels on each channel, so switching from clean to dirty to liquid soloing doesn't have to include an extra step of fumbling with turning on or off the reverb as well.
Cleans are sparkly, glassy, and can get gritty if desired. Distortions range from 50s power amp distortion sounds to modern death metal, and absolutely everything in between. The EQ is incredibly powerful, letting one carve to surgical precision the desired tonal timbre.
OVERALL OPINION
This may be the greatest tube amp I've yet played. The options are vast, yet it is easy to get a great sound of. The vacuum tube was obsoleted in the 1960s and 70s for most electronic products, but this amplifier may be the crowning achievement of any tube circuit. Mesa thought of everything on this amp - they included a fan to cool the circuit to prevent overheating, yet it has an on/off switch in case silent operation is necessary, such as for studio applications. This amp is a perfect 10.