Stringman Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 Guys: I have placed an order for a Mesa Boogie Mark 5:25 mini amp head. Two channels, 6 overall tones and built like a tank they are telling me. It has reverb and EQ for each channel. On line it sounds very good. Anyone have any experience with this amp? I know it's very new and untried, but at 16.5 pounds and 2 EL84's it sounded right up my alley. Your thoughts? Thanks. Stringman
duhvoodooman Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 My thoughts are....I think I want one. No, actually I know I want one.
Stringman Posted April 3, 2015 Author Posted April 3, 2015 Mr. Vodoo: Have you had an opportunity to play one? I haven't but the place I'm buying it from offers free shipping back if you don't like it. It's kind of a no risk proposition. I'm anxious. Thanks. Stringman
duhvoodooman Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 No, I haven't, but I've listened to the same demos you have, most probably, and I've had an Express 5:25 for a couple of years, which gives me some feel for this type of amp. BTW, if you haven't seen the John Petrucci video, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjkfArHfV6Q
gpuma Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 I have the big brother mark V and it's absolutely incredible.
Stringman Posted April 13, 2015 Author Posted April 13, 2015 More than 10 days and counting for my amp to be received by my dealer and then shipped to me. I'm hoping to have it for an upcoming "MoTown Revue" we are performing on April 25th. I don't have great hopes of having it by then. Patience is a virtue I am told.
Conneazoo Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I love Boogies! Probably because I find that 6L6 bottles have really helped me in my tone search. I gigged a lot with a Nomad 55 2x12 combo and had absolutely no issues. Now I've moved on to a Dual Rectifier Roadster half stack. Load in and out is more of a hassle, yes, but I'll take the improvement in tone any day. You cannot go wrong with a Boogie. Cool vid Voodoo!
Gitfiddler Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 More than 10 days and counting for my amp to be received by my dealer and then shipped to me. I'm hoping to have it for an upcoming "MoTown Revue" we are performing on April 25th. I don't have great hopes of having it by then. Patience is a virtue I am told. You might check in over at The Gear Page in your search for actual owners/players using this cool little Boogie. They seem to really dig it. Also, Mesa has a rep. that chimes in now and then, which adds to the commentary. I love my old Boogie Mark IV and Studio DC22! Let us know how you like your new amp, and how the Motown gig goes.
JeffB Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Its a great amp. Its fun and sounds good. But... I love the MkV a lot. I dont find the mini mk fills the spot for me and that annoys me because there is a sizable difference in price. The el84's vs the 6L6's and the lower watts are a big difference and the Mini doesnt have the 2nd channel of the MkV and all that resides in it. I really like the 1st and 2nd ch's of the MkV and I dont need the or want the 3rd channel. Other than it not being an amp that suits me, it is a great little head full of good sounds if you have a need for them. Hope it arrives sooner than later and meets your needs.
Stringman Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 Thanks, Guys for the moral support. I could have bought the amp from a "big box" store but opted to buy it from a company I've done some business with out of New Hapshire. (60th Anniv. Strat and Gretsch 6120) Their service and return policy keeps me shopping there. You don't like a product, ship it back and they'll pay for it. I fully intend to like/love this amp. I've listened to all the YouTube demos and feel it's the right amp at the right weight and size for me. Thanks again.
Stringman Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 Guys: Notified today that my Mesa Boogie Mark 5:25 has shipped from the factory and I should be receiving it very soon. Hoping to love it. Missed the gig I wanted to try it out on, but there will be others. I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed this time. Take care. Stringman
Gitfiddler Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Great news. I know you are very excited about this little gem of an amp. Did you know that Mesa builds amps only as they are ordered by dealers? Sounds kinda like a boutique builder to me!
duhvoodooman Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 Just received my Five: 25 from Sweetwater today. Only had a few minutes to try it out before leaving for work, but it's a freakin' BEAST....albeit a little one. In a word....WOW!! The range of tones from the Clean through the Extreme settings is stupefying. I can hardly wait to spend some real time with it over the next several days and see what it can really do. A major factor for me in making the purchase is the built-in speaker-emulated direct output. I really need this feature for use with our church praise band. All the instruments go through DI boxes into the mixing console, with one exception--I've been mic'ing an amp that's inside an adjacent equipment closet. The problem is that the sound of the amp bleeds out through the door, so people sitting near that door are getting a "double dose" of my guitar. Makes it impossible to get a uniform mix throughout the room. But with the Mark Five: 25, I can turn the speaker output off and go from the DI XLR output right to the mixer. Now, I REALLY need to sell that Express 5:25 I've had posted HERE for over a month....
Stringman Posted April 29, 2015 Author Posted April 29, 2015 Duh............. Not sure how or if I will use that direct out feature. It certainly gives some latitude to the guys who need that though, like yourself. A great feature. I loved the tonal ranges demonstrated on the web and MOSTLY I went for "LIGHT WEIGHT". I'm a seasoned citizen (65+) and I needed a light weight amp/cab combination. I have a Mesa 1X12 cab that I put a light weight neodymium (sp) speaker in and I would guess it to weight about 20 pounds, max. Now with a 16.5 pound amp head, I should be all set for light weight. My back just won't allow for the heavy weight amps I have used in the past. Time to go light. Take care. Stringman
jaminben55 Posted May 1, 2015 Posted May 1, 2015 I have the Mark V:25 and absolutely love it! It has a great clean tone and you can also get a a good clipped tone on channel 1. Very versatile and the CabClone is a nice feature. You do have to EQ a little to compensate for EL84 tubes vs the 6L6's, if that is what you are used to. You will be very happy with this amp and the Graphic EQ is a powerful tone shaping tool. I have the closed back 1x12 wide body cab, changed out the C-90 for the V-30, more to my taste.
Stringman Posted May 12, 2015 Author Posted May 12, 2015 Mesa Boogie Mark 5:25 now shipped. Will have in a very few days.
Stringman Posted May 15, 2015 Author Posted May 15, 2015 Mesa Boogie Mark 5:25- All I'll say, for now is: "Oh My God". Received today. Played for a short time. It is killer. (Playing combo was: Mark 5:25 into a Mesa 1X12 wide body cab with Neodymium speaker replacing original (reduce weight) and playing a Gibson CS-336.) Channel 1 (Clean) is a far as I got and it is just fabulous. Both the 25 and 10 watt settings were "Fender-like" and highly usable. Didn't kick in the EQ yet as the tone knobs were adjustment tools enough. I think I'm going to like this amp.
Stringman Posted May 19, 2015 Author Posted May 19, 2015 Guys: The jury is in on the Mesa Boogie Mark 5:25 Amp: It's a keeper!!! This little amp has all the tools. It sounds great, has way too many different settings for a player like me, but it is just what I was looking for. At 16.5 pounds and with the 1X12 cab with a neodymium Celestion speaker in it, I'm light weight all the way and NOT sacrificing tone. I'm sure happy with this rig. Thanks for looking. Take care. Stringman
Gitfiddler Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 Congrats on finding a great little amp!! My back is envious. I still drag my Mark IV to clubs now and then. Is yours loud enough to handle a drummer and horns?
Stringman Posted May 19, 2015 Author Posted May 19, 2015 Hey Gitfiddler: I have been playing a Traynor 20 watt with a drummer and horns for years. Love the tone, but hate to carry the darn thing. It's only 40 pounds or so, but my old tired back can't take much lifting. So, hopefully this amp at 25 watts will crank out enough sound for the venues we play. I had wanted the amp in time to do a gig on April 25th, but it didn't arrive in time. We'll see, but I'm thinking 25 watts will be plenty. My other amp is a 1975 Deluxe Reverb and at 22 watts it has always been loud enough. Thanks for asking. Stringman
Stringman Posted June 22, 2015 Author Posted June 22, 2015 Tonight is the big test for my new Mesa Mark 5:25. I am in rehearsal for a "Motown Revival" to be performed at a local band shell. The intstrumentation is as follows: 3 Trumpets, 3 Saxaphones, 1 Trombone, 1 Bass Guitar, 1 Piano (electric), 1 Synthesizer, 1 Percussionist, 2 Guitars, 1 Drummer and background vocals besides the lead singers. We'll see if the Mesa will cut through. In practice sessions up to now, it has done well, but we'll be in the band shell tonight and that's going to be different. I'm telling you, this is one very versatile amp. From Fender Cleans to Marshall Crunch it has all the tones I could ever want or use. More after tonight's rehearsal and tomorrow's performance.
DetroitBlues Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 Good luck, but with the tools you have on hand, I think you'll be perfectly fine.. By the way, which Traynor model have you been using? I had a Traynor Guitar Mate 4 for awhile... Very cool amp.
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