Mesa Boogie Mark Five 40th Anniversary Combo Custom

This amp is such a huge accomplishment for Mesa Boogie, They have fit most of their Mark series amps into one. The only one they are missing is the Mark ll which is my favorite and many other too. This amp is a custom version with the matching cab of the standard black model. you get the same great features and tone as the other Mark V amps just in a custom cream color tolex covering.

This amp is a beast. I would say that the Road King is the most versatile amp in the Mesa Boogie line up this amp is right up there with that one. This amp has more features and control knobs on it that make a airplane control room look small. It looks like the amp could take flight if give wings. Well, I have had this amp around many situations and I have to say it has some soaring features and tones that make it a lot of fun playing with.

It is basically three channels from the earl Mark up to the modern Mark series amps. The best part of this amp in my opinion which is on all Mesa's which makes me love Mesa is the self biasing features it has. Not having to pay some amp tech to pull your amp out of the chassis and spending the money is a plus.

The Mark V is such an amazing amplifier that makes Mesa Boogie look good. This is an amp that has some crushing tone and operation. This amp sounds fantastic with just about any guitar.

It sounds great with a Gibson Les Paul or any other humbucker pickup style guitar. Even a nice Fender Telecaster it will sparkle and chime on the lower settings for the clean stuff. But, the Mesa Boogie sounds the best in my opinion on the modern settings of channel 3 and the extreme mode. This ting is a beast and will crush just about any other amp that tries to square off against it.

Mesa is the king of solid built guitar cabinets. Their cabs are so heavy and so rock solid that it would take a steam roller to crush them. They are the quintessential American made product. When I think of solid American made products I think of care and quality put into the manufacturing and assembly on what ever product that may be.

This combo is priced at $3000 which is a great price for a custom color matching amp and cabinet.

Specifications:

Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34)
Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
Full Power/Variac Power Switch (Patent 5,091,700)
3 Fully Independent Channels with 9 Modes (Channel 1 = Clean, Fat or Tweed, Channel 2 = Edge, Crunch or Mark I, Channel 3 = Mark IIC+, Mark IV or Extreme)
Normal/Bold Switch on Channel 1, Normal/Thick Switch on Channel 2 (Mark I mode only), Normal/Bright Switch & Pentode/Triode Switch on Channel 3
Each Channel features: Independent Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Master, Footswitchable or Auto-Assignable Contour Depth Control, Footswitchable All-Tube, Long Spring Reverb Control, Rectifier Tracking (Auto-selects Tube for all 10 Watt Modes, Diode for all 90 Watt Modes, selectable Tube or Diode for 45 Watt Modes on Channels 1 and 2, Diode for 45 Watt Mode on Channel 3 - Patents 5,168,438 & 7,193,458)
5 Band Graphic EQ is Footswitchable, Channel Assignable and Selectable between 1 group of 5-Band Sliders or 3 channel specific, variable depth Contour Controls
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 – Patent 6,724,897 (over all channels when activated)
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 • New 4x4 - 8 Button Footswitch (Bottom Row: Channel 1, Channel 2, Channel 3, Solo – Top Row: Reverb, FX Loop, EQ & Tuner Mute)

Performance Features:

120 Watt
V30 Speakers
Closed Back
8 Ohm
Slant Cabinet

Finish & Construction:

Marine Grade Baltic Birch Cabinet
Trak-Loc Removable Casters
Slip Cover

This is an excellent amp to boot. It has a growl and drive that many amps only dream of having. This is the same amp as the standard black but just with an upgraded tolex and grille cloth. The tolex has a dark midnight blue color that is very unique looking. The tweed grille cloth on the front has a gold and black tweed design that looks like something Fender should have done years ago.

This amp is a beast. I would say that the Road King is the most versatile amp in the Mesa Boogie line up this amp is right up there with that one. This amp has more features and control knobs on it that make a airplane control room look small. It looks like the amp could take flight if give wings. Well, I have had this amp around many situations and I have to say it has some soaring features and tones that make it a lot of fun playing with.

It is basically three channels from the earl Mark up to the modern Mark series amps. The best part of this amp in my opinion which is on all Mesa's which makes me love Mesa is the self biasing features it has. Not having to pay some amp tech to pull your amp out of the chassis and spending the money is a plus.

Mesa/Boogie Mark V 40th Anniversary Combo Special Features:

* 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


Mesa/Boogie Mark V 40th Anniversary Combo Features:
# 1 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

SOUNDS

The Mark V is such an amazing amplifier that makes Mesa Boogie look good. This is an amp that has some crushing tone and operation. This amp sounds fantastic with just about any guitar.

It sounds great with a Gibson Les Paul or any other humbucker pickup style guitar. Even a nice Fender Telecaster it will sparkle and chime on the lower settings for the clean stuff. But, the Mesa Boogie sounds the best in my opinion on the modern settings of channel 3 and the extreme mode. This ting is a beast and will crush just about any other amp that tries to square off against it.

OVERALL OPINION

At new this amp comes in at $2399. That is a couple hundred dollars more than the standard black combo. It think it is worth it in this color since this looks very stellar. You can get this amp online or even ask Mesa Boogie to make you one off. They have a custom shop where you can actually design your own color or tolex and grille combination.

This is a workhorse amp. It will be ready to rock with you night in and night out. Mesa is good at customer service as well. You can call there anytime during the work hours and speak to someone who is helpful. They are big company with small company standards and people skills. I highly recommend them to anyone.

This is the amp that all other Mesa Boogies and for that matter all Mark V's should bow down to. This is made from beautiful exotic wood which i believe is sapele and a wicker from grille cloth. Just a beautiful piece of artwork.

I am a huge fan of Mesa Boogie. From their cabinets to their amps they have done a great job at building high quality products that most people can afford. Even their lower end smaller products they still build with excellent quality and precision.

This amp carries with the tradition of American excellence. The Mark V takes all of the previous Mark series and put them into one convenient amp combo. I feel that Mesa really took some pride in designing this amp fr the person who like the Mark series greatest hits.

UTILIZATION


Mesa/Boogie Mark V 40th Anniversary Private Reserve Combo Features at a Glance:

Simul-Class Power Amp with Multi-Watt and Duo-Class technologies for 3 power and 3 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 Class A/B producing 45 Watts
4 tubes running in Mesa's patented Simul-Class Power that blends Class A and Class A/B simultaneously to produce 90 Watts
1 x 12" Combo with C90 Speaker
10/45/90 Watts
4 x 6L6, 7 x 12AX7, 1 x 5U4
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 Effects 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 Effects Loops, Output Level, and Solo Level Controls from signal path
Tuner Output with Footswitchable Mute
Slave Out with Level Control
Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch
External Switching Jacks for Channels 2, 3 (channel 1 is default), EQ, and Solo
Aluminum Chassis
8-button Footswitch
Casters
Slip Cover

SOUNDS

I am more of a Mark lll type person so I like to keep the tone way over on the 3 channel on the Extreme side. I find this setting to be the closest to my Coliseum tone that I had a long time ago. I always like playing the Mesa to their full gainy potential. So I inherently use a Les Paul or some other humbucking style guitar.

I am not a fan of the tone of the combo as much as the head. I don't think the 1x12 speaker does the amp justice. Try using the speaker output and running it into a 4x12 from Mesa. I find that to be a much better situation.

OVERALL OPINION

For those of you who love the Mark series then this is the best of the early additions. This amp is more versatile than any Mark series that had previously come out. At new these units come in at around $3850. Not a bad price for a 3 channel monster amp.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who lives the tone of a Mark series especially the highly sought after MkllC+. This sounds just about as close as you are going to get to that tone. I do feel that it isn't exactly like that, but they are hard to find nowadays.

This amp is the exact same amp as the regular 40th Anniversary combo with and update to exterior of the cabinet. First if Boogie has given it a red win taurus tolex cover which is juts very nice and sharp. The next thing they added what a wheat grille cloth on the front which just compliment the red tolex. this is an upgraded feature and will cost a bit of an up charge from the regular version.

I am a huge fan of Mesa Boogie. From their cabinets to their amps they have done a great job at building high quality products that most people can afford. Even their lower end smaller products they still build with excellent quality and precision.

This amp carries with the tradition of American excellence. The Mark V takes all of the previous Mark series and put them into one convenient amp combo. I feel that Mesa really took some pride in designing this amp fr the person who like the Mark series greatest hits.

UTILIZATION


Mesa/Boogie Mark V 40th Anniversary Combo Custom Features:

* Wine Taurus custom vinyl with Tan grille
* Simul-Class power amp with Multi-Watt and Duo-Class technologies for 3 power and 3 operating-class options
* Wattages are channel assignable via 10-/45-/90-watt power switches
* 2 power tubes operate in pure vintage Class A (single ended), producing 10 watts
* 2 tubes run in time-honored Class A/B, producing 45 watts
* 4 tubes running in Mesa's patented Simul-Class Power that simultaneously blends the best of Class A and Class A/B to produce 90 watts


1 x 12" Combo with C90 speaker
4 x 6L6 (swappable with EL34s - not included), 7 x 12AX7, 1 x 5U4
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, and 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, and Solo
Aluminum chassis
4 x 4, 8-button footswitch
Casters
Slip cover

SOUNDS

I am more of a Mark lll type person so I like to keep the tone way over on the 3 channel on the Extreme side. I find this setting to be the closest to my Coliseum tone that I had a long time ago. I always like playing the Mesa to their full gainy potential. So I inherently use a Les Paul or some other humbucking style guitar.

I am not a fan of the tone of the combo as much as the head. I don't think the 1x12 speaker does the amp justice. Try using the speaker output and running it into a 4x12 from Mesa. I find that to be a much better situation.

OVERALL OPINION

For those of you who love the Mark series then this is the best of the early additions. This amp is more versatile than any Mark series that had previously come out. At new these units come in at around $2430. Not a bad price for a 3 channel monster amp.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who lives the tone of a Mark series especially the highly sought after MkllC+. This sounds just about as close as you are going to get to that tone. I do feel that it isn't exactly like that, but they are hard to find nowadays.