The amp’s 10-Watt mode utilizes two tubes operating in Class A/B Triode for lush harmonics and liquid feel at lower volumes.
Petaluma, CA (September 24, 2014) -- Mesa/Boogie is excited to announce the addition of the new compact Mark Five: 25 to its renowned line of award winning Mark Series amplifiers, hand-built in the company’s Petaluma, California shop.
During years of development, Mesa’s team looked back to the wellspring of past Mark amps for inspiration on the new Mark Five: 25. Revisiting the coveted Mark II-C+ and comparing the vintage icons to the production 6L6 powered Mark Five, which many believe is the brand’s best work to date paying tribute to the II-Cs, the team confirmed that many of the Mark Five modes absolutely had to be included in the new mini package. The key requirement being that, in the end, the new Mark must truly sound on par with or even better than the original II-C+. Given this challenge they set out to find a layout that would accommodate 6 incredible modes in a sub-compact chassis size. Mesa’s research overwhelmingly confirmed that players preferred two, and only two, preamp channels for a tiny Mark amp. With pedals now offering such a personalized, quick-change approach to getting different sounds, Mesa set to work defining the Five: 25’s two channels. Mesa claims the result is a collection that includes the very best of the Mark IIC+ and the Mark Five in a package that many will find unbelievably powerful and versatile for its size.
“Our goal was to do something quite reMarkable with the Mark Five: 25. We set out to pack the stylistic width, versatility, aggressiveness and tone of our full sized Mark amps in the most useable, compact format we could dream up, based on feedback from our community. In combining the power of the Mark Five preamp with our Dyna-Watt 2xEL84 power section in the Mark Five: 25, I think we’ve created a new Mark amp of unprecedented portability, clip-ability and high-speed, tactile expressiveness. I believe the Mark Five: 25 will firmly carry the Mark amp lineage far beyond the current “little amp” trends of today to define a new sonic territory and class of amplifier hard to ignore in any size or wattage category for years to come,” said Doug West, Director of Marketing at Mesa/Boogie.
At only 16.5 pounds, 8 inches tall and only 14 inches wide, the long list of features included in the new Mark Five: 25 will quickly draw any guitarists attention. Features include Mesa’s patented Multi-Watt channel assignable power amp and proprietary Dyna-Watt technology providing two power levels with different wiring configurations via independent 10/25 Watt power switches for each channel. According to Mesa, the amp’s 10-watt mode utilizes two tubes operating in Class A/B Triode for lush harmonics and liquid feel at lower volumes while the 25-Watt Mode utilizes 2 tubes operating in Mesa’s exclusive Dyna-Watt Class A/B Pentode for maximum power, punch and clarity.
Delivering two fully independent channels with six style modes, the Mark Five: 25’s Channel 1 features clean, fat or crunch modes with a Multi-Watt power switch offering of 10 or 25 Watts. Channel 2 features the legendary Mark IIC+, Mark IV and Xtreme Modes with a Multi-Watt power switch of 10 or 25 Watts. The new model also includes Mesa’s selectable 5-Band Graphic EQ which is footswitchable, channel assignable or bypassable. Rounding out an expansive feature set, Mesa fans will also find the brand’s classic all-tube, spring reverb with independent channel control via the rear panel, a fully buffered, tube FX Loop and a Mesa amplifier first, a built-In CabClone Cabinet Simulator with internal amp load and headphone output – featuring closed-back and open-back voicings, speaker on/off and ground lift switches.
For more information:
Mesa/Boogie
Want to know how tubes shape your tone? Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he breaks down preamp vs. power tubes, tone tweaks, and biasing, in this ultimate beginner's guide to tube amps. From Fender cleans to Marshall grit, learn how to unlock the full potential of your amp!
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Want to know how tubes shape your tone? Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he breaks down preamp vs. power tubes, tone tweaks, and biasing, in this ultimate beginner's guide to tube amps. From Fender cleans to Marshall grit, learn how to unlock the full potential of your amp!
The Tube Store Guitar Amp Tube Packages
Here you will find brands like Fender guitar amps, Marshall amps, Vox amps, Mesa Boogie guitar amps, Orange amps, and many other tube amps listed. You will find replacement tube sets in different option levels ranging from Value to Premium to Ultimate. Purchasing guitar amp tubes couldn't be easier.
Tube Amp Doctor Tube Sets
Go and see the doctor: Find all of our products here: our newest product line of high-end Redbase tubes, our famous premium selected tubes, and the equipment we manufacture like our Class A Converters, the Bias Master or the Silencer. Furthermore our TAD reverb cans, condensers and of course the amp kits on boutique level.
Dynamic and pitch control of delay textures pave roads to new compositional and playing approaches in another unusual effect from Latvia’s foremost stompbox provocateurs.
Impressive control over parameters. Coaxes new playing and compositional approaches for players in a rut. High build quality.
Interrelationships between controls will be hard to grasp for many.
$329
Gamechanger Audio Auto Delay
gamechangeraudio.com
From the outset, it must be said there are easier ways to get a delay sound than using Gamechanger’s Auto Delay. But if simple echoes were the sole objective of this pedal, I doubtGamechanger would have bothered. As you may have gleaned from a listen to the company’sBigsby Pedal,PLASMA Pedal fuzz, orLIGHT Pedal reverb, the Riga, Latvia-based company rarely takes a conventional approach to anything they design or release. But what is “conventional” from a guitarist’s point of view, may be something quite different for musicians determined to bend notions of what sound and music are, how it’s made, and by what means.
By Gamechanger standards, the digital Auto Delay (along with its stablemates the Auto Reverb and Auto Chorus) is almost straightforward in concept. It utilizes existing concepts of dynamic delay, control voltage, and modular synthesis as essential parts of its functional underpinnings—which are not exactly unusual in stompbox design. Yet the way the Auto Delay’s functions interact make it feel and sound unique. And while not every player will want to take the time to explore the sometimes complex interplay between its functions, at its best, the Auto Delay prompts unorthodox thinking about the ways touch dynamics or pitch relate to the delay colors you can create, prompting unexpected compositional vectors and a kind of extra-dimensional relationship to the fretboard.
Beat of a Different Drum
Gamechanger’s path to building such unusual sound manipulation machines might seem a curious one when you consider that founder Ilja Krumins and his fellow founders Mārtiņš Meļķis and Kristaps Kalva are rockabilly heads with tastes that include the soulful earthiness of J.J. Cale. But the more accessible side of the Gamechanger design team’s musical interests likely informs the most approachable aspects of the Auto Delay. You can use it like you would any ordinary stompbox echo and take advantage of its three very distinct voices (tape, analog, and digital), copious 2-second delay time, and rangy tone control in order to fashion many compelling delay sounds. This is, needless to say, a vast underutilization of the Auto Delay’s powers.
Routing, Rearranging, and Raging Like a Lunatic
Though you can get lost in the Auto Delay (in good ways and bad), it isn’t necessarily the headache that its patch bay, LEDs, and many switches and knobs suggest. The idea behind the patch bay is simple: Routing a cable from one of the two dynamics or pitch automation input sockets to the level, tone, repeat, or time input sockets means that a change in, say, your picking intensity (dynamics) or where you play on the fretboard (pitch) increases or reduces the value for the parameter you linked to the dynamics or pitch socket. Even if you’ve not been indoctrinated in these methods via modular synthesis, it’s not as complicated as it sounds, and trial-and-error experimentation yields intuitive understanding of these interactions quickly.
The tape, analog, or digital voice can drastically reshape the tone and response of interactions. But so will the fast, rise, and gate dynamics modes, which determine the nature of the dynamic response. Setting thresholds for the dynamic and pitch response is easy. You simply hold down the “auto” footswitch or the bypass footswitch and twist the respective knobs until you reach the desired threshold, which is indicated by the adjacent LED. Like the other functions, getting a feel for how these thresholds work within your playing style takes time. As you might guess, we’ve really only discussed the most fundamental functions here. But in addition to these, you can use alt mode to assign different values to the secondary knobs and toggle between primary and secondary knobs using the auto switch. You can also manipulate the stereo spread or control the clock via MIDI.
The Verdict
The Auto Delay is not for the faint of heart or impatient. Grasping the interrelationships between the controls takes time. In fact, understanding how those interrelationships feel and respond musically will be more challenging for some than understanding how they work conceptually— which, while not elementary, can be sussed out with a careful read of the manual. But when you do find a rhythm and flow with the Auto Delay it can be richly rewarding and even meditative.
Because it can reshape your relationship with the fretboard and your sense of touch, this is a great tool for extracting yourself from ruts, whether in technique or mood. And if you’re a musical tinkerer, the Auto Delay can provide much of the same satisfaction and sense of discovery you experience working with a synthesizer—particularly if you enjoy working in the hardware realm rather than on a computer screen. One should consider the scores here as especially subjective and on a sliding scale. The Auto Delay’s many sonic and functional idiosyncrasies will be nectar to some and poison to others. And more than most pedals, you should probably have a firsthand experience with the thing before you decide how and if it fits your musical objectives. For many restless players, though, the Auto Delay will be a deep well of musical provocation and ideas.
Gator Cases offers custom cases for Flying V and Explorer style guitars in their Traditional Deluxe Series.
Constructed from plywood with a black Tolex exterior, both cases offer protection against bumps and dings during transit.
Each case features a custom-molded interior tailored to fit the unique contours of its specific guitar. The inside is lined with thick plush padding to gently cushion the instrument, ensuring its angular body shape is supported at every point. The precise fit prevents movement during transport, reducing the risk of damage.
For added convenience, the cases include an internal storage compartment for accessories, keeping essential items stored alongside the instrument. Both cases feature chrome-plated hardware with three latches, including one that locks for added security.
In addition to the Traditional Deluxe Series cases, Gator offers a wide selection of guitar solutions, including gig bags, instrument and patch cables, molded cases, guitar stands, and pedalboards.
For more information, please visit gatorco.com.