Mesa/Boogie Mark 5, Owner'S Manual, Page: 13 / 70

Beware too high of settings on the BASS control in Channels 2 and 3, especially when the GAIN is set high. Too much BASS will 9.
produce a flubby, indistinct attack. In the MARK 1 Mode of Channel 2 it is perfectly respectable and even recommended to run
the BASS control extremely low (8:30) or even “off” when the GAIN is set high (above1:30). The Modes in Channel 3 can stand
a little more BASS, but watch it there as well. A basic rule might be this; As the GAIN goes up…the BASS should come down.
The one exception to the prior warning is the Channel 2 EDGE Mode. Here you may want to run the BASS Control higher than on 10.
any other Mode in the amp. The preamp is switched around to focus the bass frequencies in a much higher region and therefore
you can dial in more of it before the sound gets bloated.
The MARK 1 NORMAL / THICK switch in Channel 2 affects only the MARK 1 Mode (middle MODE SELECT toggle down). 11.
THICK adds gain in the lower midrange and fattens the sound for more voice-like single note soloing or more grinding crunch
chord sounds.
The NORMAL / BRIGHT switch in Channel 3 works in all 3 Modes. NORMAL sounds more round, rich and warm and is a pure 12.
solo voice. BRIGHT lifts the veil, allowing a whole spectrum of higher harmonics to soar through unimpeded for that classic
Boogie stacked harmonic spread.
The TRIODE / PENTODE switch (on the left center of the Rear Panel below CH 3 REVERB Control) only affects the wiring of the 13.
power tubes and the sound in Channel 3. It will soften the attack and make the strings feel more liquid in TRIODE and tighten
the attack, add midrange punch and increase the headroom when set to PENTODE.
The RECTIFIER TRACKING switches (right center below CH 2 and CH 3 REVERB Controls only allow switchable rectifier choices 14.
in Channels 2 and 3 in the 45 Watt setting. (Front Panel Multi-Watt Power Select switch located in lower left corner of each Chan-
nel). The tracking allows the choice of TUBE or Solid State rectifier in the 45 Watt Mode. Rectifiers are selected automatically:
(Solid State) in the 90 Watt and (Tube) 10 Watt Modes according to their power requirements and associated sound styles.
Beware of setting the EQ (both SLIDERS and PRESET Controls) to extremes when using the Channel 2 MARK 1 Mode. Be 15.
especially careful of the 80Hz and 240Hz, as these two along with very high settings of the PRESET Control can dump excessive
amounts of low frequencies into the mix. This, combined with the high gain settings of this Mode, can cause flub and mud in the
sound and even damage lower wattage speakers if played at high volumes.
Speaker Impedance has a large sonic effect on the sounds as the 16. MARK V power section is switched between its’ three dif-
ferent Modes. We prefer a matching 8 Ohm speaker load connected to the 8 Ohm SPEAKER OUTPUT for the most balanced
sound and overall performance in all 3 Channels. However, the Simul-Class
™
Output Section is a mysterious animal and will
produce some interesting and musical results when different loads are applied. One favorite is connecting the 8 Ohm speaker
load to the 4 Ohm SPEAKER OUTPUT when using the 45 Watt (Half Power) setting. Feel free to experiment with different load
combinations. You can’t hurt your amplifier and you may discover an impedance scenario that, though is a technical “mismatch”,
produces a unique response that fits your needs. The only penalty might be that your power tubes can wear a bit faster with
certain load conditions, usually with mismatches in the low direction (4 Ohm load on the 8 Ohm OUTPUT).
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