Mark V Head : Are you ready to Boogie?

Well, there are so many praises given to this amp that perhaps it is really unnecessary to write another one. So, I'll write it anyway! :-) First of all, with Mark V you have to forget the routine you follow when setting the tone on any other amplifier. The most painless (and quickest) way to set the tone on Mark V is to read the manual. And from there on, just listen to your ears and you'll be on your way to tonal heaven. This is by far the most versatile tube amp that I had pleasure to plug my guitar to and there is an almost infinite arsenal of extraordinary tones waiting to be found. But to be able to find them, you really have to understand how this amp works because the flexibility of shaping the tone on Mark V can be either a blessing or a curse. Also, this amp is greatly responsive to different pickups, cables, picking techniques and string gauges, so be prepared for some serious tweaking. Through that process, your ears will become more sophisticated and your tone will start to improve. In other words, this amp is willing to teach you and to reward your dedication, but you'll have to make some effort. Once you get your homework done, you'll be able to shape Mark V to be either a modern or vintage sounding amp. Or a vintage sounding amp on steroids... :-) All of low to mid gain preamp modes accept the overdrive pedals nicely which further enhances the flexibility of shaping the tone (which is especially useful on stage). The amp's reverb sounds great and it covers almost all of my needs in scenario when I don't need any effect in the FX loop. The problem is that I prefer placing the delay and the modulation effects in the FX loop with the reverb at the end of the signal chain, but this configuration can't be achieved with the amp's reverb because it is placed in the signal chain just before the signal is sent to the FX loop. This is not a design flaw and I can see (or hear) the logic behind it, but in this scenario it just doesn't work for me (my reverb pedal is thankful for that, though). There are many switches and knobs involved in shaping the tone on Mark V, but their layout is really intuitive (with the exception of the reverb knobs which are placed on the rear panel). The overall building quality is excellent (well, it's Mesa/Boogie...) and I'm more than satisfied with the Mesa/Boogie tubes that are factory installed in the amp. Mesa/Boogie Mark V sounds great, feels great to play and looks great. It even smells great! At least for now... :-)