Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 settings
Each channel has its own Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence and Master and a three-way mode switch: Clean, Fat or Crunch on Channel 1, MK IIC+, MK IV or Xtreme on Channel 2. Channel 1's mid knob is Mid/Boost: up to 5 it works as a mid control, and above 5 it adds gain. The 80, 240, 750, 2200 and 6600Hz graphic EQ sliders are shared, each channel's EQ switch sets them on, off or to the footswitch, and each channel's reverb level is set on the back panel.
⚡ Match a tone on this ampHow do you dial in a specific tone on a Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25?
A valve amp does not respond to a knob the way a number on a page suggests. Where the Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 sits in its own gain range changes what every other control does: the same treble setting is bright at low volume and harsh once the power section is working. That is why copying an artist's numbers onto this amp gives the wrong answer, and why the settings here are written against this amp's behaviour rather than the one the record was cut on.
Name the song you are chasing and Tonelify returns the settings for this exact guitar amp, not the settings the original artist used. Those are two different things: the recording was made on gear most players do not own.
Settings for this amp only ever use controls it actually has, because its front panel is stored in our gear database. You will not be told to set a knob that is not on the amp.
What controls does the Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 have?
Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 specifications
- Power
- 25W, switchable to 10W
- Channels
- Channel 1, Channel 2
- Voicings
- Clean, Fat, Crunch, MK IIC+, MK IV, Xtreme
- Front panel
- Gain, Treble, Channel 1 Mid/Boost, Channel 2 Mid, Bass, Presence, Master, 5-band graphic EQ, EQ switch, Reverb (back panel)
What the Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 panel means when you dial it in
25W, switchable to 10W. There is enough headroom to hold a clean setting at band volume, so the gain control does the driving rather than the master. It has a presence control, so the top end above the treble band is set separately from the tone stack. That is the control to reach for when a setting sounds close but harsh. Gain and master volume are separate, so the preamp can be driven hard at a volume that is liveable. Where a tone sits between the two is part of the answer, not a detail. Reverb is onboard, so a tone that needs it does not need a pedal in the chain. 2 channels, Channel 1 and Channel 2, and a setting only means something once the channel it belongs to is named. The selectable voicings are Clean, Fat, Crunch, MK IIC+, MK IV and Xtreme. Picking the voicing comes before the knob positions, because the same numbers land somewhere else on each one.
Tones to try on a Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25
Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 questions
What are good starting settings on a Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25?
Start from the middle of the range on Gain, Treble, Channel 1 Mid/Boost, Channel 2 Mid and move one control at a time. There is no single correct set of numbers for this amp, because the target changes with the song. Tonelify writes the values for a named tone against this amp's actual panel: Gain, Treble, Channel 1 Mid/Boost, Channel 2 Mid, Bass, Presence, Master, 5-band graphic EQ, EQ switch, Reverb (back panel).
Can the Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 get a metal tone?
It depends on how much gain the amp makes on its own. Where a valve amp runs short of gain, a drive pedal in front of the input adds saturation and tightens the low end at the same time, which is how most of the amp's own range gets extended. Tonelify says which of the two routes a given tone needs on this amp.
Does Tonelify support the Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25?
Yes, and its front panel is stored, so settings only ever reference controls this guitar amp has: Gain, Treble, Channel 1 Mid/Boost, Channel 2 Mid, Bass, Presence, Master, 5-band graphic EQ, EQ switch, Reverb (back panel). You will not be told to set a knob that is not there.