Mesa/ Boogie: MARK V 25W

Naturally, if you are a high gain fan, you'd like that crushing drive tones coming from a Mesa Boogie Dual/ Triple rectifier. The amp simply offers another perspective to the ferocious American-type aggression. After a personal audition, the Dual/ Triple rectifiers were more hype than impressive (to me). I wasn't into what these amps had to offer; they sound like something wasn't turned up right, it lacks the terrifying bite of a VHT/ Peavey 5150 (those were the standards back then). Upon close listening, the only Mesa/ Boogie tone I liked was that of John Petrucci's early Dream Theater releases but those were not Dual/ Triple rectifiers doing the job, it's the bigger brother of the amp you see here.

The Mark IV/ V had always been the definitive Mesa Boogie drive tone but it wasn't in the limelight. Everyone who's been with the Mark V kept it their little secret; it's a worthy discovery & shouldn't be something to shout about. The prices were arguably prohibitive anyway. This fall, the Mark V is re-introduced as a little menace (25W + 10W option available) by the manufacturer with some extras to boot. For instance, it has its siblings tone gutters in there to make it a worthy value-for-money purchase- you get the amazing cleans from the Mark IIC as well as the tasty crunch from a Mark IV. The Mark V channel completes the amp in terms of aggression (the most extreme coming from the amp). The key attraction to the 'Mark's is its slider EQ section which was lifted off the bigger brother unadulterated (go ahead & measure the dimensions). Hear this one in action & understand why the Mesa/ Boogie drive is one of the most sought after in terms of amp overdrive: