After giving the mini-head revolution a kick up the backside with the Mini Rectifier back in 2011, Mesa/Boogie has returned with a new compact offering that promises to be the culmination of decades of tonal refinement: the Mark Five: 25.
Combining the tonal response of the Mark series preamps and the Mini Rectifier's Dyna-Watt EL84 power section, the Mark Five: 25 aims to provide a huge range of tones from its lightweight 16.5lbs (7.5kg) chassis, spanning the past 45 years of guitar amp evolution.
Fuelled by two EL84 power valves and six 12AX7 preamp valves, the amp's two channels offer three modes each: clean, fat and crunch on channel 1, and Mark IIC+, Mark IV and Xtreme on channel 2. These can all be tweaked via the classic Mesa five-band EQ.
To provide further tonal flexibility, the head can be switched between 10 and 25 watts, and Mesa's Multi-Watt design allows you to assign a wattage to each channel, too. 10-watt mode uses two valves operating in Class A/B Triode, while 25-watt mode features two valves operating in Dyna-Watt Class A/B for maximum power.
As well as an all-valve spring reverb and buffered valve effects loop, the Mark Five: 25 also includes Mesa's new Cab Clone cabinet simulator for direct recording, which boasts a headphone out for silent practice.
The Mark Five: 25 will be available in the UK from October 2014, with an RRP of £1,379. Check out the video below and the Mesa/Boogie website for more details.
