Boogie in the house (3)

Besides the inherent drive voicing, in my opinion, the Mark V 25's EQ section is quite the make-or-break factor here. You'd be surprised that the sweep isn't as wide as many of us would expect. In fact, I wasn't convincing in terms of detail.

That's where the other EQ section comes in. The slider range here is like the EQ's equalizer; an internal check of what's already there to begin with.Without hearing the amp in action, many of us would consider this an overkill but this is an important feature in ensuring the amp doesn't stay bland when only the rotary EQ is in use. I particularly fancy the fact that I can tailor my top end to make it sound more pronounced without sounding excessively screechy. On that note, the slider set can be activated via foot switch so it means you have the option to use this as a 'boost' so to speak, especially handy if you are the type who favours some solos via the neck pickup.

Boogie in the house (2)

I'm not a MESA fan. Just like I'm not a Gibson fan, I make it a point to own a Gibson (& then some) in appreciation of guitar workmanship & tone philosophy. I bought the Mark V 25 here because it's the most likable tone in my books & acknowledge the fact that it's one of the landmark amp tones out there in terms of drive/distortion. I also like the fact that it says 'Boogie' there instead of 'MESA' so I believe I'm not drawn to hype but more to functionality & tone. If the Mark V 25 isn't available in this smaller construction, I wouldn't have bothered. Whatever Rectifier models came thereafter, they simply failed to draw me to whatever believable American-esque tone there is to behold; I'm just not a fan of this kind of voicing. Don't remind me the fact that some of the most commercially celebrated bands out there had their tones made by a MESA rectifier of some incarnations, I'm not obliged to tread their paths.

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: