Mesa/Boogie Mark Five Owner's Manual page 6

O :
verview frOnt panel (Continued)
CHANNEL 2 is the transitional channel between the low gain sounds of CHANNEL 1 and the high gain fury of CHANNEL 3. This
channel contains the biggest differences between modes and there is definitely dialing required as you toggle through the voicing
Modes. A stripped, British-inspired EDGE (switch up) unleashes low to mid gain aggression. Low mids are added for a thicker,
throatier CRUNCH sound that travels up the gain scale while retaining a tight attack. And finally, MARK I flips the architecture to
arrive at the iconic high gain voice that put MESA on the map back in 1970 with the little Boogie amp. This creamy voice is infused
with thick bottom end and works great for fattening up single note solo sounds. You may want to run the BASS control very low (off
to 10:00) when the GAIN is high in this mode to retain the best attack characteristic and avoid flubbiness. There is also a NORMAL/
THICK switch that affects the MARK I Mode only to add extra gain in the mids for added single note focus.
CHANNEL 3 goes on from there to encompass the best of the MARK Series Overdrive sounds. Beginning with the MK II C+ (switch
up) the sound is pure, blistering focus and this is the classic Boogie voice of the 80's that became the foundation for players like
John Petrucci, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, as well as a staple for L.A.'s first call session players of the day Steve Lukather, Mike
Landau, Dean Parks and many more.
The classic "V" curve on the Graphic EQ became an integral part of this sound and went on to be the sound of choice for some of the
hardest hitting Punk and Hardcore bands of the 90's and 2000's and is still currently used by many top acts. The original II C'S bring
many times their original selling price - if you can find one - and this faithful recreation of that burning sound is the cornerstone of
CHANNEL 3. The MARK IV is also represented here in FAT (toggle center) where a dose of thick midrange gain is added combined
with a rounding out of the upper harmonic peak. Finally EXTREME (switch down) unleashes all the aggression and attack of this
circuit for a full gain assault that cuts through any mix. (Beware, the volume jumps up when EXTREME is selected.) There is also a
NORMAL / BRIGHT switch included that affects all three Modes in CHANNEL 3.
EQUALIZER:
The on-board 5 Band Graphic EQ has been an iconic trademark of MARK Series Boogies since they first appeared on the MARK I
back in 1970. The shaping power of this feature can't be denied, especially when combined with the MARK II's tight, focused gain
sound. In the '80's the classic "V" setting of the EQ on MARK II and III models became a new sound in Heavy Rock and etched the
on-board Graphic a place in Rock history.
While the MARK V Tone Controls are accurate and effective over a wide range, they come earlier in the signal chain and can only
achieve so much shaping before they produce possible imbalances in certain Modes. (One example might be the Bass Control in
Channels 2 and 3 - where in the MARK I and MARK II-C Modes - too much bass dialed up early in the preamp will cause the sound
to be tubby and unfocused.
The Graphic EQ comes at the very end of the signal chain so you can shape the final sound with the only consideration being how
much of a certain frequency your speakers, cabinets - and ultimately your ears - can handle. (Extreme settings of the two lowest
Bands – 80Hz and 240Hz will use up power quickly and overall headroom will be affected, especially in the 50W and 10W settings
of the Channel Power switch).
Each Channel is fitted with a mini-toggle to select the 5 Band Graphic EQ, but the fun doesn't stop there. The MARK V gives you
the choice of two ways to utilize the power of the Graphic EQ for each Channel!
The mini-toggle within each Channel (center mini-toggle) allows you to decide whether you want the EQ on all the time in that Chan-
nel - EQ ON (toggle up), off all the time in that Channel - EQ OFF (toggle center), or activated by the EQ button on the Footswitch
- EQ FTSW (toggle down).
A separate mini-toggle for each Channel located in the left side of the Graphic EQ section allows you to select whether you will use
the actual SLIDERS (toggle up) to shape your individual EQ curve or, a PRESET contour (toggle down) based on the ever- popular "V"
curve. The PRESET Mode is fitted with a PRESET DEPTH control that allows you to dial in the right amount of the PRESET contour
PAGE 2