Get the Mark Five:25 here: reverb.grsm.io/... Playthrough and Review of the Mesa Boogie Mark Five:25 Head. All sounds have been recorded directly into my audio interface with the built-in CabClone circuit.
Take it from a pretty "old school tone" guy. I have really no interest in metal, and the Mark V 25 has been perfect for me. Amazing crunch, blues, fat liquid cleans. Can get that dirty, gritty old school sound. It is far too overlooked by non-metal guys.
+The Guitar Geek I agree totally. Not a metal head either, though appreciate the skill etc. My single rec is great for a cover band for many styles, though I'm super impressed with this head. I would definitely recommend this amp for a cover all tones type of amp.
I totally agree with you as far as the mark 5 25 being the best boogie in a long time. I got my first boogie when I was a teenager, dual rectifier and haven't owned any other brand since. I hate when people call boogies "metal amps ".they are what ever you need them to be.
Brian Jewell Yes, I couldn't agree more. There are and have been so many players from totally different genres and styles who play/played Boogies. They are definitely not only made for heavy stuff!
+Frank Fleckenstein I can also most certainly attest to this. I have the Mesa Boogie mini Rectifier, which is supposed to be a Dual Rectifier in compact form, which is an amp that most often assume is a metal amp. While it can get ridiculously raw distorted tones, it is actually EXTREMELY useful for my primary playing style, which is playing worship music in church! Boogie's are phenomenal!
This is currently the amp I'm looking to save up for. I don't have a use for most of the channels in the regular Mark V so saving some money should be nice. Sick guitar by the way
Ok so a definite newbie question here. Im just now getting set up where i can record and play like he is doing through some monitors/speakers. When folks like Frank demo something through a direct out like the cab clone are they able to jam straight through studio monitors with no latency? or is he just overlaying the video of him playing and syncing up the audio he recorded prior? If hes in fact playing in real time with the video, is a proper interface all you would need to play the mark V 25 using cabclone and experience no latency? I had endless trouble before with a cheaper M Audio unit. wasnt sure if it was just the interface or my computers sound card as well.
Well im about to find out soon. Different amp though. Going with a Laney IRT studio. If you are interested I'll repost how it works. The Laney has a direct USB out so i think it will work through monitors
No latency. I play through Logic X late at night for practicing and I even use the Cab Clone on stage and sometimes I cannot take a cabinet so I just hear myself through the house monitors.
Frank, how have you found the 10 watt mode for recording? Just got my Mesa mark last week, but my studio is being remodeled. Is 10 watt more spongy than 25? It seems so, when using it through my Marshall 1960B cab
Yeah, it's definitely more spongy and breaks up earlier when pushing the channel volume. Lots of fun when playing in the first channel. It's incredible how many flavors this little thingy has.
Do I need to plug the cabinet while playing with headphone or cab clone? I have heard that is dangerous playing without the cab...thanks and congratulations for the video!
could you share your settings for the rythm guitar in the first part of the video? I think It sounded amazing and would like to get something like that on my Mark V25 I just bought
Hey man. If you check how the amp is set up in this frame, you got the settings I used for that tone: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Tq9ZCiWwiW4.htmlm17s
this vid was even better because you spent a good amount of time with no backing tracks just the guitar and little/no effects. If you have a chance I'd really like to see you do the same type of vid with the Zerrer as yes, I still have not made a decision on these two yet!!
hello ,is it loud enough for live condition ? i play AIC,Gojira,Tool...rock /metal style no death or extreme stuff and i would like an advice between le V-25,the Archon 50(cheaper but without cab sim) ,the Runt 50 . thanks
It's plenty loud! If you want more clean headroom on the cleans before break up than the 35 watt will give you more. However they're both loud as hell playing on channel 2. Can't turn mine past half way. I have the 35 watt but even in its 25 watt mode I can't.
hello. great video and jam! i have a question, with the cabclone circuit through the XLR, do you still need an actual cab for the voltage load? Even with the speaker outs turned on.
What do you think about the DI out on this amp? Does the cab clone actually send a clean DI signal from this amp or is it always effecting the signal with some sort of speaker emulation?
I think the DI out does a good job for most applications. However, you cannot send a clean DI signal out for later reamping. You could send a raw signal without cab sim and work on a cabinet simulation later in your DAW, that's possible.
I'm not good with all the technical stuff, but I've played several shows over the years on large PA's with the DI instead of mic-ing the cab, and it's absolutely brutal.
hey i just got this amp. Does the spearker need to be on to get a good recording using cabclone? DO you use impules? Attenuater? Im trying to get record some heavy riffs
+Joel Raymaley No, you can actually choose to turn the speaker off and you will get a good recording tone out of the CabClone. I didn't use impulses with the Mark V:25 and if you want to lower the power amp's wattage, you can do so on the front of the amp for every channel!
Great video!! I'm assuming you played bedroom/low volume? Can the Mark V 25 handle low volumes esp with 1x12 cab (I live in an apartment)? Thanks - keep rocking!
Bis Channey Thanks, man! I didn't have to play at bedroom level thanks to the built-in CabClone unit. You can plug the amplifier directly into an audio interface or studio monitors via an XLR output. You could also use a 1x12" at low volume by reducing the power amp to 10 watts, but I prefer the DI solution.
Quick question. Do you have to have a cab connected to use the DI? Because i know if you run a tube amp without a cab or load box through the speaker outputs it could blow the amp.
Bruce Morgan Hey Bruce, the Mark Five:25 comes with a built-in CabClone, which features a load box as well. You can simply connect the amp straight to your audio interface without a cabinet.
Noise Under The Floor Hey man! That depends on the headphones' impedance value (should be kind of low). It works fine with a Beyerdynamic DT770 and my Focal Spirit Pro.
Thanks man! Well that certainly depends on the musical environment and how loud the other band members go! I guess if you always use a mic you should be fine.
+Frank Fleckenstein hey you still working on that mini rectifier review? it would really help us who don't have access to try one out. Thank you in advance
JAFOpty No, first of all because I don't own a Triaxis and second because the performance of the preamp is very much depending on what power amp you use with it. The Mark Five:25 is performing super well, because all parts are working hand in hand.
Warning constructive criticism ahead: I would like to see you revisiting the Mark V 25 not using the shabby Cab Clone DI outlet. For clean and crunch it sounded quite okay and i was suprised how well it sounds in a mix. "BUT" the sample with the DT-Riff in extreme mode just sucked badly. Huuuge lack of lowend - waaay to fizzy highs. Your original recording may have sounded better on monitors or good headphones "BUT" youtube makes it sound even worse. (...I listend to it in 1080p and with my Audio-Technica ATH-A900X headphones). I am not intended to offend you in any way. Your playing is awesome man and I also really, really dig your style of reviewing "BUT" just with a single SM57 it would have sounded tremendously better. I think it just doesn´t do this awesome amp justice using the DI for showing how incredible it can sound. Cheers and keep your good work up.
***** Hey man, first of all thanks for the comment. To me, all kinds of comments or criticism is welcome. I agree that the sample lacked of low end, but I checked it on my monitors and my Focal Spirit headphones... and in both cases the low end was too heavy, so I re-recorded it with a little less bass. Maybe that's why it didn't translate well, especially if YT makes it worse. I am planning to use the Mark Five:25 in another video next week, but this time I will use my Thiele 1x12" cabinet and a mic. Cheers and all the best, Frank
Sorry but the CAB CLONE sounds like shit. I wish Boogie would have put another option to the 4x12 and 2x12 mode called NONE! So you could load your own impulse response via DAW or a device like a two notes Cab or Axe Fx or Helix. I do own the Mark V 25 and I hoped the CAB Clone sounded better than the stand alone Cab Clones but it doesn't. But what would one expect when a brand uses the cheapest load box option available. It will never sound or behave like a real reactive-active load box that costs on it's own +500Bucks. I just don't get the sense of this feature. I do own a Line6 Helix and the Helix recorded direct with a Mark IV Simulation sounds better than the Mark V 25 in Mark IV Mode with the Cabclone recorded. The absolutely best sound is Mark V 25 with a Mesa 2x12 and a e906 for me.
+Gogleinski Suksinski do you not see the irony here? You judge him for having gauges but call me judgmental? Open your mind and accept everyone regardless of appearance.
Ryan Hitchman Do you not see the irony? I judged no one. You did. All I said was I can't take them seriously. That's not a judgement. it's a statement of my feelings. Conversely you tell me that I am ignorant and prejudiced. Those, my dimwitted friend, are judgments. You have judged me as a person based on one silly offhand comment on some random video. Then you have the gall to get all self-righteous. Take a look in the mirror bro, before you start pointing fingers. Also, obtaining a basic understanding of the English language would help you as well. Good luck with that.