Electric Guitars

[docjeffrey]

This is the one I've been waiting for. It has so many features that it will keep us ADD types busy for the next decade. Includes ALL of Mesa's Mark series amps--not models--the actual amps. Multiple wattage options (up to 90 in Simul-Class mode!). Sounds great at studio volume levels. Amazing amp for a fair price. I'm gonna spring for the extra $150 and get this color option:

[Jealousblues]

how heavy is it with all those amps in it?

or is it more of a different circuit type thing or different watt settings?

[FoonkySteve]

Its the ultimate most versatile amp! If i had that kind of cash, that would be my #1 amp of choice.

It has everything, and it is soooooooooo loud, yet compact! Perfect!

[notjonahbutnoah]

My advice: DONT GET THE COMBO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That thing should be a head and head only. That many preamp circuits an you're gonna wanna play with speakers, cabs, and it's gonna be HEAVY. The head is frickin heavy alone. Dude, get the head, you know you'll be happier in the long run, or get the head and buy one of the countless combo shells that pop up on the Boogie Board or ebay as headshells seem to be a little less common, then you've got options. Other than that, looks killer. I wanted one of those HARD for the longest time. Killed many an hour in GC with one, but in the end, unused features just sorta bug me on an amp. I like just enough to really dial in my tone, and I only need 1/2 channels so... yeah. It was overkill for me. Amazing amp, I hope to sing it's praises in your upcoming NAD thread! Wise decision.

[scolfax]

Awesome! I had an Express:50 and it was awesome - you're gonna love this one!

[MyNameIsMok...]

My advice: DONT GET THE COMBO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That thing should be a head and head only. That many preamp circuits an you're gonna wanna play with speakers, cabs, and it's gonna be HEAVY. The head is frickin heavy alone. D

Pretty sure Doc will have the delivery guy put it where it needs to go in his music room, and then he'll be all set. I like his home setup. I would agree if he had to gig five times a week, but his rec room is already like a boutique, so the combo should fit right in with the Voxes, et al, pretty nicely in my opinion.

[Shiny_Surface]

Switch/knob overload :lol:

If he's a flipper it's best to get a head, easier to ship and easier to sell (if it's a local sale doesn't matter as much though).

Mesa combo's are notoriously heavy, I would rather take a modular approach with their products personally.

The modes based on earlier Mark series are more like analog "models", and not exactly like their forerunners imo.

[scolfax]

Pretty sure Doc will have the delivery guy put it where it needs to go in his music room, and then he'll be all set. I like his home setup. I would agree if he had to gig five times a week, but his rec room is already like a boutique, so the combo should fit right in with the Voxes, et al, pretty nicely in my opinion.

Pics of the awesome room!

[Jarick]

I've always been left a little cold by the Mark series amps...but they are incredibly versatile.

[notjonahbutnoah]

Switch/knob overload :lol: If he's a flipper it's best to get a head, easier to ship and easier to sell (if it's a local sale doesn't matter as much though). Mesa combo's are notoriously heavy, I would rather take a modular approach with their products personally. The modes based on earlier Mark series are more like analog "models", and not exactly like their forerunners imo.

All of this is accurate. I would probably still have my Nomad if I'd gone with the head/cab setup... so much better in every way. -Tube Life -Portability -Compatibility -Resale -Experimentation Potential I'm militant about this though, 1x10 is the absolute largest combo I would ever consider owning even for a second. They should just stop making combos. To me it's like if a guitar had pickups you couldn't remove or a car where the axel/wheels/tires were all one solid piece of metal. But if that float's ole Jeffery's boat, then so be it. Like MyNameIsMok said, in all honesty it'll probably be fine for him. Still, I may never buy another combo in my life.

[MyNameIsMok...]

Still, I may never buy another combo in my life.

Whenever I look at my Fender 410 my lower back starts to hurt. But it's awesome. :idk: It's like being in love with a fat wife. I'll never leave her, but god help me if she ever wants to be "on top". (yes, my sig says I'm looking for a Rivera combo...missed out on one at GC that was soooo dope, trust me).

[cratz2]

Yeah, I'm a techy type, a geek type and can latch on to new concepts and patterns pretty quickly, but that amp would absolutely drive me nuts! :lol: I've spent a couple hours playing with them over a couple different sessions. I really dig the versatility of some of the MESA stuff, but good Lordy... Having said that, I do have the hots of the TA15 and came this close (holds up right hand indicating a very small distance) to getting a Lonestar Special, but didn't. Probably the 'most versatile' full tube amp I could realistically deal with is the Tone King Imperial. :idk:

[metallica_00]

The only Mesa I've really dug was the LSS. I haven't played the Mark series, but my experience with the Recto that I owned was that while all the knobs, switches, and settings promise a lot of versatility, it didn't mean that the amp actually sounded good for every style, even if you could tweak the gain, eq, and voicing in such a way that would make you think it covered everything. The LSS though, is a really nice amp, very pure tones

[nuke_diver]

I've not played a Mark V but have heard a lot of good things about them. I'm still totally in love with my TA-15 and I think Mesa's stuff is the Bee's Knee's

[scolfax]

...while all the knobs, switches, and settings promise a lot of versatility, it didn't mean that the amp actually sounded good for every style, even if you could tweak the gain, eq, and voicing in such a way that would make you think it covered everything.

Right. I think the idea of the Express series was a way to combat the typical F-18 cockpit problem that most Mesa's seem to have. You select which 2 channels you want to use (out of 4 options) and you're basically set. But then they had to put the interactive EQ in there to make things more complicated - wish the EQ on that model was more straightforward.

[babybatter]

man id love to mess around with one, but i wonder if the fiddle factor would eventually just get distracting from working on finger factor.

all the blah blah about how jazz folks and death metal heads alike both use the mark IV still make for an enticing sales pitch...

[Jarick]

The kicker for me was that the Mesa did those uber-warm and dark cleans as well as smooth/tight high gain distortion (that NEEDS the EQ circuit for sculpting)...but I'm a real sucker for Bassman cleans and boosted AC30 or JCM800 distortion, neither of which the Mesa really did. Just the voicing of the amp, but possibly the power section too. Kind of stiff feeling. Hard to describe. Only tried the IV though, not the V.

[thunder100]

I just bought the head-->still in the learning phase but is ultra responsive my way was Axe-FX-->TA-15-->Petrucci video's-->Bought Roland

[Guitar Heel]

Doc, That's EXACTLY what I said. Then I played an Electra Dyne.

[metallica_00]

The kicker for me was that the Mesa did those uber-warm and dark cleans as well as smooth/tight high gain distortion (that NEEDS the EQ circuit for sculpting)...but I'm a real sucker for Bassman cleans and boosted AC30 or JCM800 distortion, neither of which the Mesa really did. Just the voicing of the amp, but possibly the power section too. Kind of stiff feeling. Hard to describe. Only tried the IV though, not the V.

That's exactly how I felt about my recto - it did a good job on the extreme ends of the spectrum - pretty good cleans and obviously killed it on the modern high gain side. But I felt like everything else from slightly pushed bluesy sounds to classic rock, even VH levels of gain didn't sound very good, despite about nine switches and a marketing pitch that would make you feel otherwise. It just felt to stiff and fizzy, not organic. I kind of felt that way playing the express too. But I've never played the mark v so take these comments w/ a grain of salt