Should I get a 5150 or Mark V?

JakeAC5253

JakeAC5253

Frozen Sun Audio
Nov 19, 2010
936
1
18
I've got a small home studio going on here and I am in the market for a tube amp. My first actually. I am between the 5150 and the Mark V. Right now I've got a Recto V30 cab and I use an SM57 to record. My main amps now are a Marshall AVT50 and B.K. Butler designed Tube Driver 100w head. No, not the pedal lol, it's definitely a head.

I've never really liked the 6505+ of all the times that I have played it. I mean I liked it, but I've never loved it, but I've also never played it through my cab. I played the Mark V through my cab once and loved it. I've still never played an original 5150 and furthermore haven't played one through my cab. I own a Boogie Recto cab with V30's and I keep hearing how awesome the 5150 and Recto cab are together, that's one of the reasons I want to try a 5150 at some sort of length. Like I said though, I've never really liked the 6505+ into the cabs that I've played it through, but these were shit cabs at Guitar Center and I don't want to write off a generally well liked combination based on something like that. The Mark series aren't really all that popular though, and the new ones seem to get a lot of flak.

I don't know much about Marks to be honest. I was thinking the newest because the three channels are isolated and the clean and crunch are supposed to be improved from past versions. I have a dedicated clean amp (solid state) but it would be nice to have a tube amp that did more than just a really good high gain rhythm/lead sound IMO. I also like the multi-watt and variac feature, if nothing else, it's neat. Although I've heard good arguments that the Mark III's and IV's have a better lead channel sound. And that would be the amp's function 95% of the time so.... I really don't know. Think my brain cells need to duke it out with my wallet for a while and see where I stand when it's all over.

I do think I am leaning toward a V though. At the moment. Maybe. I don't know...
 
I mean, are you looking for a more versatile amp or a single purpose amp? Cuz the 5150 is basically a one trick pony.. so if your looking for versatility I'd say go Mark V...

Of course budget wise the Mark V gonna cost you 2 grand while a 5150 will cost you less than half that...

-P
 
Yeah, you really can't compare the two. They are entirely different beasts.

I love my Mark IV to death, and I'd assume the V gets right up there with it. It can do a bunch of stuff as well and it may even suck your dick. :Smokedev:

If ya got the cash - Mark V. or save yourself almost a grand and go for a IV.

Not so much cash? - 5150/6505

but like said, 2 entirely different animals.
 
I am in southern NJ for the time.

I really don't know what I am looking for, this is more a hobby of mine than anything, I do it for fun. The thing with the 5150 is that I have been recommended it out the asshole by everyone and their mother, so naturally I gravitate towards owning one of those though I've never even played one. I guess it's the product of hype more than anything. I have played a Mark V and absolutely loved it but I wish I had more face time with one to ease the decision making process.

I think I definitely need to own both of them at some point. I think they'd be good tonal compliments and I'd love having both around. Its just a matter of what amp I need the most, which I should get first. Right now (means as of this second, I'm very impulsive mind you) I think the Mark offers me something totally different than anything that I have, and for that reason I may be leaning toward getting the Mark first. Not that the 5150 isn't a good amp or that I don't want one, but the way I see it is this...

I've got a Marshall hybrid amp which can pull off hot rodded Marshall tones and in my DAW I can EQ it to sound somewhat similar to a 5150. Can't nail it exactly, but it's along those same lines. No amount of EQing can give me the Mark sound. That's a whole different amp feel and can't be emulated with a Marshall type amp.

Nothing is final though, so lets keep talking about it. I would like to get more opinions on this if possible.
 
They are completely different sounding. The 5150 has more gain and is much more aggressive sounding. If you want it for any type of modern metal / melodeath / metalcore / death metal / etc., I would take the 5150 over any of the Mesa Mark amps every time. The Mark amps are pretty tight and liquidy smooth for leads... but not as aggressive and kind of overly middy and honky sounding to me. Just listen to the rhythm tones of Dream Theater and Lamb of God for good examples... They can be used for heavy rhythm stuff, but the result sounds kinda weak and honky. They are great for smooth leads, and the clean channel is pretty good also, (I don't like the mid gain channel), but they just don't suit modern metal like a 5150.

They are in different price ranges anyways though. If you want a versatile 3 channel head that can do modern metal very well and is in the same price range as the Mark IV/V, I'd look at the EVH 5150 III. Great clean channel, better mid gain channel than the one on the mark series amps, and the 3rd channel does the infamous high gain 5150 sound very well... It's not identical, but still very good sounding nonetheless.

EDIT: Just noticed you have an Arch Enemy avatar..... I'd definitely go 5150 or 5150 III if you're into the modern melodeath sound...
 
JoshuaLogan said:
They are completely different sounding. The 5150 has more gain and is much more aggressive sounding. If you want it for any type of modern metal / melodeath / metalcore / death metal / etc., I would take the 5150 over any of the Mesa Mark amps every time. The Mark amps are pretty tight and liquidy smooth for leads... but not as aggressive and kind of overly middy and honky sounding to me. Just listen to the rhythm tones of Dream Theater and Lamb of God for good examples... They can be used for heavy rhythm stuff, but the result sounds kinda weak and honky. They are great for smooth leads, and the clean channel is pretty good also, (I don't like the mid gain channel), but they just don't suit modern metal like a 5150.

They are in different price ranges anyways though. If you want a versatile 3 channel head that can do modern metal very well and is in the same price range as the Mark IV/V, I'd look at the EVH 5150 III. Great clean channel, better mid gain channel than the one on the mark series amps, and the 3rd channel does the infamous high gain 5150 sound very well... It's not identical, but still very good sounding nonetheless.

EDIT: Just noticed you have an Arch Enemy avatar..... I'd definitely go 5150 or 5150 III if you're into the modern melodeath sound...
Click to expand...

+1 to all of this
 
Stop being a turd and just buy a 5150 already, Jake... jeez. :lol:

You've been asking for everyone's opinions everywhere. No one's opinion matters but yours if its for YOUR hobby. Play both through a Recto cab... whichever sounds better to you, go for it.

I'd also buy a MKIV before a MKV.
 
lolzgreg said:
Stop being a turd and just buy a 5150 already, Jake... jeez. :lol:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know I'm being a turd, just a little :D

lolzgreg said:
You've been asking for everyone's opinions everywhere. No one's opinion matters but yours if its for YOUR hobby. Play both through a Recto cab... whichever sounds better to you, go for it.

I'd also buy a MKIV before a MKV.
Click to expand...

That makes perfect sense, but you see that's the complication. The only Guitar Center near me doesn't carry 5150's or 6505's and no one that I know near here owns one. That's why I'm asking everywhere I can for advice, cutting out the niche bias, and seeing where I can go from there.
 
If it means anything to you, a while back I mic'd up my cab.....played thru the 5150 and then the Mark IV, same mic placement. The IV won to my ears and the rest of the band. Just more open and full sounding. and yes, the IV you can get for probably almost $1,000 cheaper than the V....or you could just go 5150 and spend maybe $600.
 
bryan_kilco said:
If it means anything to you, a while back I mic'd up my cab.....played thru the 5150 and then the Mark IV, same mic placement. The IV won to my ears and the rest of the band. Just more open and full sounding. and yes, the IV you can get for probably almost $1,000 cheaper than the V....or you could just go 5150 and spend maybe $600.
Click to expand...

Sounds great dude. What cab?
 
Should I rail the super hot chick that wants to do me or the other super hot chick that wants to do me? Such hard choices to make. :loco:

If you have the kind of cash laying about to buy a Mark you should buy a used 5150 first. What you pay for the used 5150 will be a drop in the bucket compared to the price of the Mark. Then you can save up just a little bit more and buy the Mark in a couple of months.
 
I'm not hating on the Mark series amps, but really the amps sound nothing alike. If you want an amp that excels at prog rock/smooth fusion lead playing, get one of the Mark series amps. If you want an amp that excels at various types of modern metal, get the 5150. If you want something capable of both, get the EVH 5150 III. :p
 
JoshuaLogan said:
If you want an amp that excels at prog rock/smooth fusion lead playing, get one of the Mark series amps.
Click to expand...

LOL :lol:

You are just saying that because JP uses a Mark. I don't think that's an accurate assumption of the amp's capabilities to be honest. I've played one in person through Recto cab and boosted with an OD808 and it gets down and dirty with the best of them. It's not a dated amp in any way, it can get very aggressive if you really dig in.


But I give you props for making me laugh :kickass:

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I like the idea about getting the 5150 first and then saving up for a Mark. That's a good idea.
 
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