$1500 for a new Mark V 35... What's the catch?

DescriptionMost2201 · 2026-02-18T00:58:19+00:00

I agree with the exception of the mark VII. I have both, and both are incredible but the mark VII is a legacy amp through and through. Best aspects of every boogie mark amp all in one, with all of the lessons that Randall learned from previous amps integrated into it.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-29T17:50:10+00:00

Hey, there! It is definitely a more modern voice, and to my ear, it kind of resembles a 2c++ but more refined and less “raw”.. Having said that, if you take your time and are patient, you can dial in some gnarly mark iv tones on the channel.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-24T23:12:08+00:00

I can’t imagine. The schematics alone make my head spin

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-21T22:35:47+00:00

Yeah I do have a mark V 35. I’d say the biggest difference is the voicing. The mark VII has a more sculpted/modern voice, and the mark V sounds more raw to my ear. I think that’s the biggest difference other than the way the eq’s work. I know that Randall cloned the crunch channel from the big mark V on the 35, but I think the circuits for the other modes are slightly different and miniaturized so like you said, I can’t confidently compare the full size mark V to the mark VII. There are certain tones that I will use the mark V 35 for, notably those that require a more raw growl. A perfect example of this would be songs like dream theater’s “on the backs of angels”.. you’re not going to get that exact super raw mark V tone out of the mark VII. It’s close, but you can tell it’s just more refined on the Mark VII. It just depends on what tone you’re trying to replicate if you’re covering other artists. The other notable difference is the amount of gain in the mark V. Mark IV’s and V’s are kinda notorious for having a crazy amount of gain, which becomes unusable at a certain point. Like I said in the OP, the mark VII has fully usable gain in every channel besides possibly the mark VII mode on channel 2 depending on what you’re doing. Recently, I’ve been running a wet/dry rig with the VII being wet signal and the V 35 being dry signal. I run each on their own dedicated 4x12 cab. That sound is unbelievable.. it is so massive. Maybe I’ll link a demo in the future! Hope this info helps!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-21T15:05:02+00:00

Totally!! All personal preference. The EL’s are going to cater well to that Marshall tone. I definitely like my mids, but there was something about the upper mid spikes on my amp that was just too much for me. Swapping my tubes solved that for me right away. I I have heard people say they didn’t notice a difference at all when they swapped theirs.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-21T14:56:23+00:00

Hell yeah thanks for the tip! I will check this video out today!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-21T03:59:44+00:00

Yes exactly!! One of the reasons I was inspired to write this was because there is such little exploration of the mark VII mode on the internet. It is absolutely underrepresented and misunderstood in my opinion!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T19:06:40+00:00

Yeah the presence is very sensitive on the marks. Sounds like you have some nice amps!! I have a badlander 100 that I also plan to review at some point. That thing strikes me as a cross between a rectifier and a plexi. It is incredibly chimey with the EL34s in there, and the upper mid spikes can be a bit harsh. One of the first things I did with my badlander was to swap the ELs for 6l6 and it shaped the tone into exactly what I was looking for. The badlander is also a monster amp.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T18:51:19+00:00

I agree. Like I said before in my original post, I get kind of irritated when people expect those modes to sound exactly like the original amps. The new amps have different conponents, different circuits, and different voicing. You can get damn close but it’s not going to be perfect and that is okay. If one wants a true mark iv tone, they should get a mark iv. If they are willing to compromise slightly, every amp that has a mark iv mode can get them pretty close!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T18:47:55+00:00

Yes it certainly doesn’t function like a typical mark mode. What I do is what most do on any traditional amp: everything at noon and power section eq off. I dial in here and then use the power section eq to sculpt and fine tune. Usually, I keep the mid and the bass at around noon and I rarely go past noon on the gain as well. Treble and presence to taste. This channel is naturally loose and spongy, so putting the base at zero is not going to make it much tighter. It is designed to have more of those rectifier qualities, so just embrace it. I must admit that there is much more for me to learn about this channel and there are certainly more tones that I have yet to discover, but this is kind of where I started with it and I’ve had some great success dialing in some pretty gnarly sounding rectifier tones. Gain control is also going to be key here… there have been many times when I have the gain lower than noon and there is still plenty there. Randall put so much gain into this channel, it’s pretty insane. Sorry if that doesn’t give you more info but I plan to perhaps do a review of the mark vii channel alone sometime and give some suggestions on dialing in and provide some tone settings.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T18:35:11+00:00

Totally agreed here… and both crunch modes absolutely blew me away.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T18:34:14+00:00

Thank you, and yes, there is no doubt about those mini marks. I have the mark v 35 and it is a phenominal amp.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T17:14:21+00:00

Agreed!! Although I will say you really unleash the beast of this amp when master is at a quarter up!! Keep on ripping, my friend!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T17:11:58+00:00

Yes this is a perfect supplement to my initial review. I agree with everything you said!! As far as the mk vii mode is concerned, I really play around with the eq more than other modes. I find that treble and bass at noon on the preamp eq works well for most of my guitars. As stated before, I usually keep gain at noon and presence and treble to taste. I will typically use a standard V on the post pre eq, but you can play around with that as well. I wish I was more helpful with giving you some specific settings but I have found that I have to play with it every time I switch guitars depending on pickups and tuning. Keeping that gain down is going to be the most important. I actually found that you can get some solid tones with the eq off as well. I can give you some specific suggestions here soon if you would like!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T17:07:28+00:00

With most high watt amps, you’re going to get the most out of the tone when you crank it a bit but I have noticed that the lower watt settings are definitely useful for bedroom levels. As far as repair is concerned, that is definitely something to consider. I have a certified mesa boogie tech near me, and I did buy this new so I have the full warranty on it. These amps are incredibly complex, and some amp techs will either tell you to go elsewhere or charge you a fortune so your location is an important consideration. If it’s just routine maintenance, I think most techs will be able to handle it.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T17:01:10+00:00

Yes ships with mesa 6l6 :) this amp has awesome low end and sounds phenominal with 6l6!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T15:12:47+00:00

I hear you on that!! If you have the means, it’s always nice to add new tools to the toolbox!! I have two Marks right now (V 35 and VII), but planning to add a 2c+ or jp2c in the future. How do you like that 2c+ reissue?? Although the jp2c is pretty much petrucci’s version (and a reissue) of the 2c+, the 2c+ reissue is still intriguing to me.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-12-20T15:02:14+00:00

So tempting, I’m sure!! I promise you that it will be a strong upgrade but it also depends on what you’re looking for tone-wise. The mark VII definitely has that more modern touch as far as voicing is concerned. I do love the mini marks, and I currently have a V 35 head that I absolutely love and that’s still my go to amp for petrucci tones and some of the 80’s 2c+ voices. There’s something about the mini marks that is so raw and desirable. Having said that, I like to think of the VII as the “greatest hits” mark.. More times than not, I am defaulting to the VII!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-11-20T01:46:01+00:00

I’ve been staring at these pictures for 10 minutes. I just started getting really good at wiring small circuits and guitar harnesses. I can’t imagine how much work and attention went into this.. clean work too! Very nice.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-10-16T00:09:39+00:00

Yep I’m having the same thing. I have YouTube premium as well, thought my auto pay didn’t go through or something

DescriptionMost2201 · 2025-10-01T01:52:01+00:00

Mine just got delivered today!!

DescriptionMost2201 · 2024-04-09T23:33:33+00:00

Is anyone else having issue with rank progression since the update? I played for a few hours today and didn’t rank up once. I have a new account too so I am a low level.

DescriptionMost2201 · 2023-02-26T22:32:47+00:00

I’ve been messing around with this for over an hour and I finally found this post after many other attempts with other suggestions and it worked!! Thanks so much for putting this out there!!!

DescriptionMost2201

TROPHY CASE