Mid - Mesa/Boogie Mark Five Owner's Manual

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NOTE: The MARK I Mode in Channel 2 responds well to slightly higher TREBLE settings (1:30 – 2:30) when looking for high gain
chording and single note solo sounds. This scheme adds gain in the right place, focus and tighter-tracking pick response.
NOTE: High settings of the TREBLE (2:30 – 5:30) can put extra stress on (even borderline) microphonic preamp tubes (ones that
are susceptible to high pitched ringing and noise) and cause them to begin ringing or show other signs of instability. Many tests were
run on the set of tubes that shipped in your MARK V to ensure they were stable at the time of construction. However, tubes are not
perfect devices – much like light bulbs – and can change over time and become more microphonic. Luckily you can remedy most
tube problems with a simple tube swap. Avoid these settings (especially in Combo amplifiers – where the added sympathetic and
vibrational forces put even more stress on the tubes) to ensure trouble free performance.

MID:

The MID control acts much more like a standard tone control and doesn't have quite the massive global shaping power of
the VOLUME and TREBLE controls, yet its setting does impart a strong character on the sound of all three Modes. It brings in and
CLEAN
F
A
T
TWEED
CH 1
NORMAL
EQ ON
CH
GAIN MASTER PRESENCE
O
TREBLE MID BASS
1
EQ FS BOLD
90 W
45
10 W
more resilient and create an easier to play, more elastic feel on the strings. Single coil guitars work very well here for the slinky, rubber
band attack and bouncy bass character associated with Blues, R&B and Country clean styles.
The middle region (10:00 – 1:00) is where the punch and attack begin to come on with more urgency and this is where mahogany
guitars really like to see the MID set for adding the cut and definition. Here the top end begins to creep into the mix of the MID controls'
spectrum and chording sounds start to chime and slash with a more forward – and very present – character.
From here on up (1:00 – 5:30) the MID introduces an aggressive range of sounds that are both full and quite forward as the dominant
frequencies become those present under control of the MID. In this range you will likely have to increase the BASS to add back in the
richness and warmth that gets overshadowed when the MID control is set high. If you like the attack and urgency found in this range
of the MID, all the other controls (except maybe the MASTER, which you may have to back down as the sound gets more forward)
may have to be set higher to keep up with the MID dominant curve. This is fine although there will reach a point of diminishing return
as the headroom in the preamp gets eaten up by this tonal arms race and you begin to clip the preamp with the high signal from the
Tone control string.
For gain sounds in the Channel 2 and 3 Modes a similar story unfolds as the MID is increased. Lower settings (7:30 – 10:30) will
produce wider sounding, more elastic feeling chordal sounds and the single notes will have a more creamy, smooth character. High
harmonics created by the gain and controlled largely with the TREBLE and PRESENCE, will put a patina of three-dimensional haze
on things that smears with vintage soul. As the MID is increased past this region, more thick "gut punch" and low-Treble region attack
creeps in and the sound becomes more forward.
NOTE: Be sure to experiment with the MID in all the gain Modes of Channels 2 and 3, paying special attention to the feel as well as
the sound. The MID really changes the dynamic content as well as how the strings feel to play. The EDGE and CRUNCH Modes of
Channel 2 really can be shaped radically by the setting of the MID. Lower settings here work well for more creamy, scooped single note
solo sounds, where as higher settings deliver Classic Rock crunch rhythm sounds that kick ass with authority, punch and detail.
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out a broad band of midrange frequencies and - as we have mentioned earlier – along with these rides
a fair amount of higher "low treble" range frequencies. These highs are lower than that of the TREBLE
or PRESENCE but they are important for the punch and cut of the amplifier in a mix.
For rhythm playing in the CLEAN and FAT Modes of Channel 1, a lower MID setting (7:30 – 10:00) scoops
some of this midrange attack and makes the bottom end breathe more. This range will also make things
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