How to dial in a Mesa MkV Amp.

The Mesa Mark Series are one of the most well-loved and played amplifiers in history. The Who'-Who of guitar players, from Keith Richards, all the way up to James Hetfield have recorded some amazing tones with these amps.
However, these amps are also notorious for being amongst the most difficult amps to dial in and set up. I've had my MkV for over a year, so here's what I have learned.
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NOTE: To view the test tones and their settings, refer to the video here:
• Mesa MkV Test Tones
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TIME STAMPS:
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00:00 - Intro
02:21 - The Clean Channel
04:12 - Misconception #1) The Mark Series are very versatile
07:57 - Front Panel Controls
10:28 - The Second Channel
12:30 - Misconception #2) The Mark Series are mid-scooped
14:15 - The Third Channel
14:48 - Rampant Fanboy Worship
18:17 - GEQ Walkthrough
24:13 - The Dreaded Rabbit Hole
25:20 - How to avoid chasing your tail
27:43 - Conclusions

[@cspiderm]

Man,i thought I was the only one that had trouble dialing in these suckers.Nobody ever believed me when I told them this amp was midrange strong and very fussy and the traditional bass mid treble didn't react as other amps did.great video bruh!

[@felinekaiju4517]

yep, the sliders are like the Recto EQ pre amp controls. I know that frustration. Great vid mate, I'm thinking of grabbing bargain of a mk V.

[@Hoscitt]

I've owned a Mark V for 10 years and still really enjoyed this. Good stuff! 👍

[@gregcameron5079]

I’m a bedroom player and I have the mark v I don’t use it for metal, not my thing but I use all nine modes and I live in the country and can play at any volume as long as the house still stands. But I can use the overall volume control if I need to be quiet. I play on the 45 watt mode for everything except tweed I use the 10 watt mode and the variac setting but for me it’s a great amp, I also have a Mesa express 5:50+ which is also a great amp. I’m completely sold on Mesa products. I use channel three for my smoother gain settings which works really well for me. This video was a great explanation for newcomers. I’ve had mine for a little over a year but the express for nine years so I understood the Mesa philosophy from that amp. It really does help to read the manual because the everything at noon and a touch of reverb doesn’t really apply to these amps.

[@adamlaurie4058]

Most helpful Mesa - dialing video ever! It’s like you cracked the code lol. Plus you articulate everything very well. Thanks!

[@FranzyMorso]

I've purchased the Mesa Mark V 6 years ago, and wow! I was surprised to see another player who shares my philosophy on how to use the amplifier... I thought I was the only one... I agree and confirm practically everything that has been said, especially about its 'strange' versatility and, above all, how to dial with channel 3. One thing that wasn't mentioned, and that I feel like recommending for those who may not have much time or simply don't want to spend too much time, even though in my opinion, they won't fully utilize the amp's true potential, is to activate the amp's preset mode and tweak the knobs until you find an acceptable and satisfying sound... a quick solution if you don't want to feel lost. However, I want to emphasize that finding a cool tone when playing alone is one thing, but cutting through the mix well with the rest of the band is another. I say this because I play in a band that does modern metal in the style of BMTH, Cane Hill, I Prevail... where there are many backing tracks and sounds occupying many frequencies within the band's sound.

[@SubKrypt]

Thanks for the video. Interesting you push the mids and bring the treble down, most people do the opposite on Mark amps.

[@ahaua1]

Adam Jones, (Tool), fan here. Currently have a Marshall DSL 40 amp and I really like it. Using a Diezel VH4-2 distortion pedal. I became really intrigued with Mesa Boogie amps and just ordered a Mark V 35 combo. I keep hearing that Mesa Boogies are "hard to dial in", but definitely impressive once you tweak it properly. Time will tell as I've never heard one live....only KZbin reviews. Thanks for this video!! Great information as it gives me hope for a good outcome...lol

[@aftermathstudios3717]

They really can be a pain. If you've never plugged into one before, don't panic if your first impression is: "Ew" Take some time to get it right. The magic setting is there and it'll be slightly different for every person. Once you've got it sounding in the ballpark, the amp will start to make sense.

[@plectrummx]

I don’t think it was too bad for me (have had a V:35 combo for 5+ years). Read the manual several times and go for it. What this video says is true, that the rotary controls are pre gain. I disagree a bit on the clean and fat modes; I do think they have more range, and the controls respond relatively normal with little to no distortion. But when you crank it, the controls then tell you how much gain you apply to each frequency, then the sliders are the proper EQ. That is what makes it versatile. You can change which frequencies are clipped harder or softer, giving you a huge range of gain tones. I’ve found awesome tones on my V:35 with a Strat, an Epi Les Paul with BurstBuckers and a more modern PRS S2 CU24. And If you like pedals, it also sounds great with them. Good luck!

[@travisfritts6262]

This worked so incredibly well! Your method was the missing piece from my puzzle. I've gotten really good tones, but after less than 30 minutes using your method, I now have GREAT tone from all three channels - AND - a much better understanding of why! Bravo, sir! Thanks for unraveling the Mark Mystery! Gamechanger of a video!

[@aftermathstudios3717]

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad it worked out for you!

[@JA12258]

Great video! Thank you! Exactly what I needed.

[@chrisalvarez4405]

Thank you this was really helpful, I’ve had my MarkV 35 for over a year and some days I love it and some days I get so frustrated.

[@jkdsteve]

Nice Explorer! Channel 2 and the MKI mode was the biggest surprise for me on this amp.

[@themog4911]

Excellent video, helped me loads. Liked and Subscribed :)

[@kosmonument2682]

I don't know why people think they're hard to set up. There are so many tone options described right in the manual. Set one and tune to taste.

[@GuitarJesse7]

I’ve had a Mark five for a very long time, and while I agree with much of what you said about it, being unlike other amps in how you dial it in, and either being confusing or frustrating to some people that don’t read the manual, yes that is very true. However, I will definitely have to disagree with you about calling its versatility a myth. I have owned or played through quite a few other amps over the years, solid state and tube. I also have a home recording studio and used to play in a cover band with this amp specifically. The Mark V is incredibly versatile and useful in both live and recording environments, especially compared with many of the other classic amps like Vox, fender, Marshall. The Mark V really can do a decent tribute to all those amps if you’re not being too not-picky, but I’m pretty sure none of them can do the Mesa high gain rhythm and lead sounds. Now for those that are going for a more specific sound from an amp that has one really good flavor, or someone that gets their core tone more from pedals, then this might not be the amp for them, even though it does take pedals pretty well. But how many tube amps out there do jazz, blues, classic rock and metal? No added pedals. I’m sure there’s others out there, but probably not too many. Now all that being said, is this the amp I would recommend to someone? It depends on their level of playing and what kind of sounds they need and what their budget is. And now that I’ve had it for a while and there are other things that have come out, would I choose it again?I don’t know, I haven’t been in the market for a new amp for a long time. I also think the Mesa’s are probably too expensive, like a lot of other amps and I think there are more affordable ways to get good sounds. Not trying to pick a fight or anything, just offering some friendly pushback since I’ve had the amp a long time and used it on stage and in studio with a variety of styles. Thanks!

[@aftermathstudios3717]

I think in hindsight, I would describe the amp as versatile but not flexible. It can do a lot, but it's very specific about how it's going to do it.

[@coalfacechris1336]

Great vid, mate. Terrific point regarding getting the sound you want before engaging the graphic. Also, trying to explain to the casual punter that Mesa Mk's are mid-heavy seems to be a difficult task. After being a Marshall guy for 30+ years, picked up a Mkiii Greenstripe head in a trade pre-pandemic. The amp is a time capsule of early channel-switcher technology. Don't know if there is something wrong with my ears, but I prefer not to have the graphic engaged, except if pumping an EMG-loaded axe into it for that thrash thing. That's where your "misconception #1" comes to the fore - with the right guitar (say HSH Superstrat), my Mkiii (though the R2-mod channel is a little bit of fighter) is one of the most versatile "simple" amps I've owned. As commented though, there isn't a Marshall sound when you need it. And I still need that. Like your channel, mate. Hope it grows.

[@aftermathstudios3717]

Yeah the GEQ isn't necessarily "required" at lower gain. For mid-gain you can get away with not using it. I would argue you only really need the GEQ for high gain because the more gain you add, the more mids you add, so I reckon you need to tame those mids at least A LITTLE bit at higher gain. It's a very different amp to Marshall for sure. I'm gonna do a similar video going through all the modes on my JVM. After doing a big deep-dive on the Mesa, plugging into the Marshall was a bit of culture shock at first!

[@adamgorner4944]

Haha, I love Metelliker!

[@christophernettleton8381]

There’s one thing you could do in a second set of videos. The MkV voicings can sound wildly different tweed vs clean for instance or Mk1 vs crunch or indeed IIc vs Extreme on the lead. Also the power settings are as much about tone as power. The 45w with valve rectifier is much sweeter and browner than the more ‘hard’ and punchy 90w. Significantly different tone. Anyway. Great vid. Love my MkV because the crunch channel is much much more versatile than previous Mark series iterations.

[@albertarmen4839]

Interesting take... yea Misconception #1... agreed, it's really about the gain stages and variability of them, not amp imitation. The V:90 is certainly unique in comparison to any of the previous Mark models. If you have patience and enjoy a tonal journey the V:90 can be extremely rewarding. But if you really want a Marshall... get a Marshall :) Would like to add the features in the power section are almost as important as the preamp, but do add another layer of complexity. The V:90 unlike previous Marks has tube rect (45W). 10 W mode with pentode/ triode 90W simulclass, variac etc. All play into the tone and feel.

[@aftermathstudios3717]

You are correct that there's a bunch of features here that I didn't discuss, but...ultimately it comes back to what I was talking about for Misconception #1. The amp decides how it's gonna sound and you tweak the amp to suit the sound the amp has decided on, rather than telling the amp how it sounds. So messing with different wattages, modes, variac etc. all will have a noteworthy impact, but ultimately, I would suggest that the goal remains the same. Tweaking the amp to get it to make the best version of the noise it has decided to make. If I went through every possible combination on this amp, we would be here for several hours! Yet after going through all of that, I believe we would have ended up at the same spot. It's why the Mark VII doesn't really interest me. The only NEW Mark Series amp which would interest me would be one that got rid of all the modes and switches, and just had 3, really awesome sounding channels, rather than multiple modes per channel and wattages and clipping modes etc.

[@jakebenigni]

nice video. luckilly for me my first tube amp i bout in 1991 was a mark series so i do not have to unlearn things. i have no problem having treble on 8 mids on 2 and bass on 0. lol

[@FlankinspanK]

very interesting. itd be cool to mention front end boosting

[@aftermathstudios3717]

In general, I don't recommend it for a MkV. The MkV wants to do ALL the work for you and doesn't like being kicked in the face with any sort of gain pedal. Happy with hot pickups, loves EMGs interestingly enough, but hates being boosted.

[@karlhector2049]

Unless I missed it, you didn't mention the Preset EQ at all? In my experience, some of the best sounds come from maxing the depth of that rather than fiddling with my own GEQ slider positions.

[@aftermathstudios3717]

@@karlhector2049 didn't mention it, because...I honestly kinda hate it. But there are a lot of people who like the result so go nuts 😊

[@Genociv]

When dialing in a sound on a Mesa Mark amp, use your ears, not your eyes. That's the best advice one can give you. And as a matter of fact, that's the best advice you can get when dialing in any tone on any amp. Stop looking at your dials : listen.

[@fixedgear37]

Yep. So many people only care about where the pointer is on each setting. "Everything should be at noon or a couple degrees either side and nothing more". I have no problem dialing in all kinds of tones on MK amps.

[@Soloist1983]

I keep hearing the Mark V is the one to avoid, I ended up buying a 3, and a 7, well, and a JP. Set the the tone controls to B 0/M 0/T 10, simple V curve on the EQ...done, sounds brilliant. But true, coming from any other amp, it IS different

[@wurzlgaming]

btw - most of very expensive audiodevice like NAIM do not have an EQ. because - you cant do better. at higher pricerange seldom people can buy better quality, only different characteristics. i own this amp and i treat it like my second child .. i just love it ... but my conclusion comes from high end stereo audio devices. .. so maybe im wrong.. do you maybe know how many hours those tubes can take ?

[@johnnyelvis]

After wanting this app for the past 2 years, I'm now convinced this probably isn't the amp for me. Now back to the drawing board to find a versatile amp; that can do everything from sparkling cleans to high gain and everything in between.

[@aftermathstudios3717]

Marshall JVM. I'm working on a video about it.

[@johnnyelvis]

@@aftermathstudios3717 awesome can't wait to see it.

[@twintriode]

How to know you are not the typical Metallica loving Boogie player 13:05. My "V" is inverted of that.

[@grahamokeefe9406]

I had a Mark IV and I got rid of it because it was too much of a pain in the ass to dial in. If you moved a knob a quarter of a notch, it would completely wreck the tone. Never liked that tone stack.

[@aftermathstudios3717]

Yuuuuuuuuup. There's a reason why it took me half an hour to explain how to set these bastards up. AGAIN. When set up, they are amazing but goddamn.

[@grahamokeefe9406]

@@aftermathstudios3717 It wasn't worth it. Even if I got it set up right, it'd get knocked out every time I moved it. You don't have 30 minutes to dial in a tone at a gig. Sold that MF, and got a Lone Star Special. That amp was a dream.

[@m.thephilosopher]

i think the Background Music is needless and also a bit annoying ! I try to think my way into the subject and are constantly distracted by the music!

[@albertorockmaster1836]

I've played with Mark Five 90 for some years now, maybe what happens to a lot of people is that they think you gotta use someone else's presets, i started tweaking the way Petrucci did on a Video, it sounds good but i made some changes and it worked for me, i think presets or an artist settings should be used as starting point, once you have the starting point you tweak according to your needs, and let me tells you this is a monster amp and i love it