Mesa/Boogie Mark Five:25 - 25/10-watt Tube Head - Black Bronco Reviews

Have Mesa,Boogie Five 25 and The Hughes Kettner Grand Master 40 - both Great Amps. Fine I use Mesa most of the time and HK now and then or when need two amps. Mainly use the Mesa I think because it sticks out a little further and easier to reach in my setup.
Like I said both Great Amp . Love their small size and big Clean Sound.

This amp is something else! I play in a power trio focusing primarily on swing and power blues with some heavier tunes as well, so I need a great clean channel with a little bite and a channel that will give me some good saturation yet still be articulate.
I owned a Rocket and a Heartbreaker and can honestly say the Mark V definitely has the best clean channel Ive ever found on a Mesa. I'm running through a 2x12 with a V30 and a G12-80 and a 10x12 with Celestion alnico golds. I have it set to clean and the gain almost dimed (around 4:00). I'm running it at 25 watts with the volume at around 9:00. On channel 2 I'm using the Mark II C+ setting with the gain extremely low (8:00) and am getting unity with the volume at 4:00 but the power set at 10 watts.
Now here's the kicker…the 5 band EQ. Being that it's "assignable" on the clean channel I'm using it as a treble booster with the footswitch however on channel 2 I have it set for "always on" and it cleans the signal up nicely, eliminating some of the "bottom end mud" giving me that nice, smooth Gary Moore sound out of my '99 Les Paul.
Bottom line, this is no bedroom amp, in fact it has replaced my SLO30 because not only can it hang with the volume, but the assignable EQ and assignable power section give me ultimate control of my unity volume and tone for both channels.
Money well spent and special thanks to Joe Schafer for his help in my selection!

I was hesitant to purchase one of these. But I did some trading and got one NIB w/ the 12" sealed Mesa Cab. After spending some time reading the manual fully and sitting down to 'learn it' I must say, I think if I had to only own ONE amp this would be it. I can go from super glassy cleans to a high gain metal with the push of a footswitch. I honestly didn't know if I would like the graphic EQ or not, but honestly, it has helped me 'tweak' in the right settings. Very happy. I haven't pushed it to the 25w setting as at home the 10w is more than enough. I still have some more exploring to do on the amp but I think this is one I will keep for a lifetime. Thanks Mesa!

As the title says, this thing is killer!

I really don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. This amp does not disappoint. Mostly do Hard Rock and Metal, I love it for both. It is very versatile. I was able to dial in about any kind of tone I could think of.

This amp is the best I've had and I've had other Mesa's. I guess the best part, for me is the weight, so easy to take from home to rehearsal to gigs. Second the sound! You can get tones from Metallica, Nirvana, Slipknot, all the way to punk tones like Rancid. Gives you great options and the EQ is what takes you over the top. If I could, I'd have a second one.
Also dealing with Sweetwater and Nick, makes buying Mesa's so easy. Thanks!

This amp ticks all of the boxes for me. Great cleans, great edge of breakup tones and above all else, gobs of chewy distortion.

I was stuck choosing between a handful of choices for what amounted to being my first tube amp. I had always dreamed of owning a Boogie since I was a youngster. I am glad I made the choice that I did. I was worried about not being able to try before I buy but in the state of the world today, it just wasn't possible. Upon arrival, all fears subsided upon hitting that first chord.

The amp sounds great even with the master set at about .1. This is important because anything past 8 o clock on the knob had me making sure my life insurance hadn't lapsed without my knowing.

I paired up the amp with the Thiele cab and can report the union is exactly what I was looking for. Great low end without being flubby.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this purchase and can't help but smile every time I power this thing on.

I have not owned several amps. But this is the best amp out if the ones I have tried. I had switched to a helix earlier but I no longer use amp sims. I prefer tube amps and given the weight this more than meets my needs. It us light and super loud and can keep up with a drummer. The crunch mode on channel 1 is absolutely fantastic. Great amp and Sweetwater customer service is a class apart.

how can this thing be any cooler....great small size badassery of a package......great for any room in your house...
basement or even a bedroom...I have mine sitting on top of an EVH 1x12 cab and it is just killer.....the best sound ever...
give Lindsey Becker a call at ext 1674....she's ABSOLUTELY the best.......

Yeah, so not to duplicate too much. This Mesa Mark Five:25/10 amp has the incredible tone you'd expect from Mesa. You'll want to experiment and read the manual as the knobs are crazy sensitive and small adjustments will impact your tone. This is not a negative to me and makes the amp really fun to tune and play around with!

What I really love and what I haven't seen many folks mention is that the 5-band EQ is switchable on/off using the included pedal. You can use it as a boost where you can tune it as you like, such as scooping mids, boosting highs for leads, or crunching those clean preamp tones. It's a game changer for me and it works on both channels. Also, the effects loop is fantastic and probably the best effects loop on any amp - ever. Placing a volume pedal here will tame the overall volume of the amp (without compromising tone) when you need it. It's very quiet and clean and you'll fall in love with your delay, reverb, and modulation pedals all over again.

Finally, the Cabclone feature had a lot to do with why I bought this amp and it is a great feature, a great investment, and is by far the best DI option I've ever used for a guitar. I've wasted SO MUCH money on plenty of other DI options. I was really excited and encouraged by some but they all fell short in time and in a live setting. This is the first purchase I've made to deliver on real, quality tone direct to PA or DAW although you will likely need/want to tweak you mixer's EQ a bit to satisfy your ears. The dynamics/response will not be as tight and punchy as a speaker cabinet but that's to be expected. Overall the tube/amp tone is there, in the PA, on the mix, and it's very impressive in my opinion.

Sweetwater always delivers and my friend, Jeff Jent was there to offer up some great advice which helped me with this purchase decision. No matter what I buy, I always buy with confidence knowing that if I'm not 100% satisfied, Jeff and Sweetwater will make sure I know how to use it or completely remedy it. I'm way more than a Sweetwater customer, I'm a fan!

In an attempt to keep this short and sweet, it's difficult to do this amazing amplifier justice in a short user comment.
Received my custom ordered Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 (leather handle instead of rubber) from Sweetwater all safe and sound.
All I can say is WOW!! Each of its two channels and all 6 of its modes, pure tone. 2 beautiful cleans, 1 sweet crunch, and OMG 3 ripping gain modes. Side note: very few YouTube videos accurately reflect just how ferocious and capable this little monster can be. From classic rock crunch to harmonic laden high gain articulate grind. Most people have the bass turned up to "normal amp" levels...NOT how to adjust most Mesas. Overall it's miniature in size only but is absolutely packed with features, flexibility and most importantly: tone! Also, don't let the 25 watt rating deter you, it's very powerful, easily driving your cabinet of choice. Although it's quite expensive for a "mini" I'd comfortably say its worth every penny. Very highly recommended.

I have owned this amp for over a year now and I’m very pleased. Tone monster.

If your looking for a amp to experiment with and find your sound look no further. This amp has do many combinations you can spend months finding the different tones you can get. The best way to describe it is ITS A BOOGIE. Matt my sales engineer is great I described what I was looking for and he steered me in the right direction.

Absolute dynamic I absolutely love it the clarity of it is superb recommend to anyone When I first plugged it in And hit a big power cord got goosebumps

No doubt the most versatile lunch box size amp in the market!

Been a fan of Mesa products forever and I was finally in a position to order my first Mesa Boogie. After a few months of deliberation between the Rectoverb combo and the Mark V 25 head along with a few month's of waiting for a custom finish (cream front with white piping), my Mark V arrived earlier today!

My bank account took a punch to the gut and probably wants my head, but the Mark V doesn't disappoint in terms of Mesa's build quality. Everything about this amp is "tank like" except the weight. Even the micro switches feel nice. Speaking of which, the Mark V is even smaller than I thought, and can make getting to knobs and switches a little snug. Not problematic, but worth noting.

Things to note on initial set up: Set the Channel Select switch on the front to FS (Foot switch) and there is a switch on the back with mutes the speaker. Check these and after that have fun!

I called when I ordered this and talked to ADAM SZMURIO xt 1761 and he took a few minutes to help with this purchase along with fantastic customer support in terms of tracking numbers and updates. Thank you very much Adam!

More later, I have a MESA!!!!

Mesa Boogie, hand wired and made in the USA. Best amp I've ever had. An engineering masterpiece.

I love this amp. I have been playing for about 15 years and have played through a few amps but this is by far the best. Based on the last Mesa I used (dual rectifier) I thought I'd have issues with the array of EQ options but they're startlingly easy to carve out a great tone no matter which of the channels or amp voicings you're using.

The Cabclone is much better than I had heard - it doesn't sound anything like the speaker so it requires a totally different hand with the EQ but since the EQ is so powerful you can still get a great sound. I've ended up running it through the DI out into my Focusrite 2i2 into headphones using the speaker disconnect and it's replaced my Yamaha THR for quiet practice.

This is a whole lot in a small package. i wish I'd have had this when I was gigging years ago. Very impressed so far. Knob twiddling needs to be very judicious and the manual is real helpful. I hope it lasts. Have only used it thus far direct to an Apollo and I suppose I might get around to actual speaker cabinets.. but really there's so much to be had with it just direct... it'll be a while before I get to the cabs. I have a Hughes and Ketner that's a tiny bit bigger and get some great tone out of it, but this adds more girth to the low mids I think when it gets crunchy. Clean is also great for a real chimey tele tone. This was a good buy for me. Thanks Sweetwater

The Mark V:25 is nothing short of awesome. It sounds excellent on any channel/drive level, and the portability can't be beat. I don't know how they managed to pack so much into so much into such a small package, but it's like a "greatest hits" of the full sized 90 watt version. It's just enough of everything to produce super clean all the way up to pure metal.

I had the 90 watt version previously, but I enjoy this one much more for some reason. In particular, the EQ bands seem far more manageable and useful for some reason. All of the knobs take VERY slight changes to make noticeable adjustments to the tones, and there is enough gain here to satisfy just about anyone. Having only two channels is more to my liking (I pretty much like ultra clean and super high gain with few uses for the "in between" of those extremes), so this is perfect for my needs.

Highly recommended.

What can I say, its Mesa Boogie!

Ok, here"s what I can say: the amp came with controls all set to noon and the 25 watt setting. As such the thing roars! Be prepared for volume! I run it through a rectifier 2 x 12, which is definitely a gigging set up. This is not a just practice amp I assure you, even in 10 watts mode. In fact with the 10 W setting its easier to distort but without much loss in volume at all. However, I am running a volume pedal through the effects loop, so I can still crank gain and reduce the volume in the loop and get practice volumes with awesome tone.

At moderate master volume, say 11:00 to Noon (I haven't gone higher), the EL 84 power tubes are extraordinary. For an example, check out Andy Timmons "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" rendition on You Tube, played through this amp and a 2 x 12 rectifier - holy crap, the tone! You are going to FEEL it if you keep the cabinet on the floor instead of lifting it up.

Next, it will deliver just about any possible tone you could hope for, however, it takes a LOT of time to explore. After 2 months I"m still exploring. There are so many different variables, and the controls are sensitive. So a change from 9:00 to 9:15 on the gain controls for example will significantly change your tone. It takes playing with to dial it in to your liking, but that in itself is a whole lot of fun. In my case, once I get a specific tone I like, I take a photo of it so I can get it back exactly - then I continue to explore. Of course, the pickups you are using will also significantly affect the sensitvity of controls and their resulting tone. Hot humbuckers will increase responsiveness in gain and treble over single coils for example.

The only tone I couldn"t really get is the fuzz tone of say the EVH amp, though the XTREME mode in channel 2 comes close. But a distortion + in front with the beefy sound of the boogie behind it would knock down walls! Caution, to avoid getting muddy, you need to dial down the bass as gain and treble increase, then that can be made up by raising the 80 and 240 hz sliders in the EQ. The manual clearly spells this out. So READ IT!

Speaking of.... the manual is probably the most beautifully written of ANY product I"ve ever bought. It includes several different example settings for different styles, which I found useful as starting points. And it gives a multitude of tone tips for each channel and mode. So again, you should read it thoroughly.

Last but not least, My sales tech Zach was fantastic. The personal attention was awesome. He kept me up to date every step of the way and followed up to assure all was good. Which it was. My amp came on time and in perfect condition. All in all, Sweetwater has been a fantastic experience.

I have a Randall RG, a Fender 65 Twin, and a Peavey Bandit, and this Mesa / Boogie Mark V:25. This Mark V:25 blows all of them out of the water in tone and versatility. This amp can do everything. Fender sparkling cleans, a warm Plexi-tone, a classic JCM sound, and a Tri-rec style tone. This amp also takes pedals very well. This amp does have its own reverb; the knobs are on the back of the amp. It comes with a very well made and sturdy foot switch. I must advise first time buyers that even though this amp says 25 watts that it is extremely loud. It is as loud as my 65 Fender Twin.

Would I recommend this amp to anyone? Yes, in a heartbeat. I plan on getting a second one as a backup.

Let me set the scene a bit: I am a hobbyist who plays in a band and lives in a tiny apartment in NYC. I was sick of little practice amps and wanted something that could get a wide array of tones at many different volume levels without sacrificing anything. The Mesa Mark V 25 is that amplifier.

You need to take the time to learn this amplifier to get the most out it (read the manual!). I cannot stress that enough. There are many, many tones contained in this amp. I can get everything from the Strokes, to Anderson.Paak, to Lamb of God without issue. They all sound sublime through my mini-rec 1x12.

You can get everything from bedroom levels to paint-peeling loudness with just the master volumes. However, due to my love of extreme late night practicing (LOG at 1am anyone?) and noise situation, I stuck a volume pedal in the effects loop to act as another master. With that little mod, you can get amp tones so quiet your strings are louder unplugged!

All in all, just a fantastic amplifier.

Finally, Sweetwater and my sales engineer Roc Martin were excellent through the ordering and shipping process. I would happily order from Sweetwater again.

I have had this head for a year now. I started out just dialing in the blues crunch sound. The amp cleaned up so nicely when I would roll back the guitar volume, I would rarely use my OCD overdrive for solos.
I have since started playing harder rock - the sounds are scary good. I have owned a 100W Marshall, a 50W Marshall, Vox AC30 and several fender amps. This Mesa Mark Five:25 is the BEST amp I have owned and played through. Every gig I play, I feel like going back and thanking the amp for it's beautiful tones.

I use this for big stages, small clubs, studio recording, and rehearsals.

The amp head is extremely light so it travels well. The Mini Rectifier 1/12 cabs with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers are a great match.

I have quite a few amps. A Randall RG, a Fender 65 Twin, and a Peavey Bandit. My new Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 trumps all of them. The 25 watts is louder than my 200watt Randall. The tone is unreal, and brings out the best in my guitars and my pedals. As far as pedals concerned, this amp will most of them unnecessary. I still use a Boss MT-2 through the clean for more of a Triple-Rectifier sound out of my Gibson 59 Les Paul, but the distortion on this amp is more than enough. I use a EHX Cathedral Reverb, and a MXR Carbon Copy delay, but that is it. This amp really brings pedals to life. My only recommendation is to save up and get the Mark V:35 if you can the extra headroom makes the difference, but this amp is still one killer machine! If I knew five years ago what I know about amps now I would have gotten this amp and saved myself a $3000 in money on gear I did not need. I am a Gibson and Mesa fan for life.

Ok .. I just recently made my first tube amp purchase and i am very stoked. This amp is sooo good I passed by the other amps because deep down I always wanted a Mesa boogie amp . You so much versatility in this amp for tone I bought mine with an Ibanez tube screamer so I could boost the crunch channel and get a boosted metal tone and it does it very well. I got some Slayer type of tones out of that channel with the boost and of course the other channel contains metallica and various other popular metal tones. This amp handles my seven string very very well .Buy it you won't regret it !

This is the first Mesa I've owned, though I've briefly played through them before. I mainly play classic rock, blues, R&B (some metal here and there) and longed for an amp that played them all with aplomb. My amp collection includes a Friedman Runt 20 head, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Traynor YVC40WR, and Blackstar HT20 Studio head. Cabinets include an open-back cab with an Eminence Private Jack and a closed-back cab with a Vintage 30. Both of speaker cabs sound superb with this amp.

I was split between this and the Rectoverb 25, but I just had to find out what the Mark series Boogies are all about. I am not disappointed. This amp is superior to all my amps, though the Runt 20 is pretty cool too. But, sonically, the Runt 20 cannot do what the Mark Five 25 can do. I'm selling all my other amps now; there just isn't a need for me to have so many. My PRS and Strat sound beautiful through this thing. My PRS can sound sterile at times with other amps, but not through this amp.

You can create all the tones you want if you're willing to understand what the controls do. Do yourself a favor and read the manual a few times to grasp what this thing does--it's not your typical amp. And that's a good thing. My favorite modes are Fat mode on channel 1 (very "Fendery") and MKIIC+ on channel 2 (it can absolutely spit sonic fire). Mark IV mode is very nice too. Xtreme mode is a bit too much for me. The 10 watt mode is wonderful and still very loud; the 25 watt mode seems to have more overall girth. I think they are both musical and unique enough to explore tones based on your use case. I've yet to use the CabClone feature, but I've heard mixed things about it. If you're wondering--I've found my Runt 20's XLR DI output to be very good and absolutely convincing through my audio interface.

My only quibbles are small: The spring reverb is just okay--I've been spoiled by Fender spring reverbs in the past. Though it's nothing I cannot rectify with my reverb pedal. And I wish the pedal control options include switchable settings per channel (i.e. Clean, Fat, Crunch on channel 1, etc...) But that's all I have to say negatively about this thing.

I'd pull this thing out from the flames if my house caught fire! Buy one.

Hands down the best amp for small gigs, practicing at home, jamming with friends,etc. This amp sounds killer, there are so many different tones available, it's very light and easy to transport. I 've had this amp only 36hrs and I can't stop playing through it. Very glad I bought this amp. Andrew, my rep, always makes sure I'm takin care of. Thanks Sweetwater.

This is the best sounding amp that I have owned. It is also the most configurable. It sounds great through my 2 X 12 cab and I can dial in such a wide range of tones that I can't see myself getting rid of it. Ever. Its just too useful in so many recording situations! Both channels are great and I find myself preferring different channels and different settings for each of my different guitars. The gain and EQ interactions seem almost infinitely variable. This amp has actually helped me think more critically about the making of artistic choices involved in choosing among multiple excellent guitar tones. No regrets on this one.

As always, my Sweetwater sales engineer Michael Grebe, was awesome!

All these reviews aren't lying. I'm running this head through a Mesa 1x12 widebody closed back cabinet. I own a PRS Custom 22, Gibson LP Standard and a Fender EJ Strat. You can make them all sound great through this amp. Once you understand how the controls work together, it's easy to find the tone you're looking for. Clean or dirty, it's just perfect.Sounds great at low volumes as well. I can't say enough about this amp. If you're looking for a 25 watt amp and you've got the pesos for this amp, buy it.

This is my first Mesa Boogie.
This is my first expensive tube head. I have been a buyer of older used mis, with great clean headroom, able to take pedals, and this is how I shaped my tone. For the past several years, I have been playing live, in small to medium venues. One thing I noticed happening was sound personnel requesting less and less stage volume, which does not lend to the rich driven tone of any 100 watt tube amp. As a result, my tone was becoming inconsistent from gig to gig. Mesa Boogie's Mark 5/25 answers this issue, with great tone and rich tube warmth that can be driven fully onstage and off.
A few people suggested I might not get the volume I needed at rehearsal and live situations, and I disagree. Although I am currently on a live performing hiatus, this amp is super loud! Easily loud enough to push a heavy drummer and second guitarist.
Recording; I have been using the direct feature with decent results. Although the tone is far better when mic'ed into my V30 driven 4/12 Marshall cab, a little EQ makes a huge difference, and takes the direct route to interesting levels and possibilities. To my ear, 10 watts seem a little more spongy direct than the 25 watt mode, while running through a 4/12 cabinet, 10 watts sound killer! I am still chasing tone, tweaking settings, and perfecting a sound that will undoubtedly be incredible. Having the ability to basically use 6 modes of shaping possibilities is fantastic! I have fallen in love with the Channel one dirt tone-even more than the Mark 2C+ channel!
All in all, this amp was a great investment in quality, tone, shaping, and value for a hand wired basically custom amplifier made in the USA. Sweetwater Reps were great, they called to make sure my amp made it, made sure i was satisfied, and shipped the amp as securely as anything i have ever seen. i have had orders filled from different online music stores, and I have to say, Sweetwater take the care to make sure you get what you are selling out your hard earned money, and receive the finest customer service of any online dealers.
five stars

Allen Dean

After a lifetime of searching for the ultimate small amp -this is it. The clean tone of this amp blows away anything else I have ever heard. The variety of sounds it can make will satisfy the wildest tastes and goes beyond what I will ever need. I have a 1x12 MB cab that sounds great but is heavy and a TRM 1x10 cab with a Red Alnico Tone Tubby for travel. Every speaker I hook this up to sounds wonderful. The power option is essential for home use. You will never regret buying this amp. A combo version that was light would be the ultimate. But hey, this is great enough - Thanks Mesa Boogie!

I got one from Sweetwater last January, so I've had plenty of time to use and tweak it. There really isn't much I can add, as it really does sound as amazing as everyone says. I play pretty heavy rock and this lil' beast has SUCH a monster tone. Easily hangs with my other guitarist's Dual Rec (though obviously has less headroom) volume-wise. Only observation is, yes it has 2 channels, and the Crunch setting on channel 1 with the mid/gain knob cranked is a FABULOUS sound. But if I chose to have channel 2 as a boosted solo tone I had to REALLY crank channel 2's volume. I realize with the diminished power I just need to deal with that. So I bought a clean boost and now that's my solo button instead. Love love love the light weight, tweakability and the Cab Clone sounds amazing through FOH. I almost didn't believe the hype until I heard it with my own ears. Love this lil' guy.

I hesitated to buy this amp because of the price. However, dont let that stop you if you can afford it. This little head exceeds my expectations. Talk about great engineering, this is it. I love this little monster. Everybody talks about the searing gain channels, but let me tell you about the clean.It is nothing short of beautiful. After the initial learning curve, I have absolutely fallen in love with this amp. Thank you Sweetwater for such a great head. I ordered this on Thursday morning and it was delivered on Friday. Now that is delivery. I feel that this amp is the holy grail of amps. I noticed that not every dealer can even sell Mesa Boogie amps. This tells me that Sweetwater is worthy. Check them out. You'll Love them.

I already own a Mesa Road King II and was not looking to replace it but add another Mesa product to my arsenal. The sound and versatility are just as, if not more impressive as online info has shown. See the YouTube video with Andy Timmons and Doug West of Mesa. I love the fat setting on channel one for theclean tones. Then the crunch setting on channel one is unbelievable. Settings lower than 12:00 give nice grind and then if you put a boost pedal in front you get sweet sweet overdrive into hard rock territory. BUT add more gain and you're in metal territory-ON CHANNEL ONE! THEN get to channel two and go from warm OD into modern molten metal territory. I have had this a week an a half and I'm loving the Mark IIC+ and Mark IV settings and I haven't even explored into the XTREME mode.
That's just the TONE settings; now the VOLUME. I barely crack the master to one or two and this is getting to slightly loud in my bedroom. I've gotten the master to only 9:00 and are you kidding me with this power? Now that I've gotten used to a lot of the tone tweaks I'm going to take it to my band's rehearsal room so I can crank it and I know that it will be fine.
I've not yet used the CabClone so I can't say anything about that.
The headphone sound is...so-so. But I need to try knob tweaking to see if that can improve. I would like that the FX loop is switchable on and off but that doesn't change a five star rating. I've only briefly noodled with the true Mark V and having spent time with this smaller version I now want to add the big brother to my arsenal. Randall Smith and his team are tone gods and I bow to them.

I have now had this amp for one year now and has surpassed all of my expectations. I play it through a mesa compact horizontal 2x12 cabinet and the sound is huge. I've been bringing to band practice and it has no problem hanging with another guitarist, bass player, and drummer. We play classic to modern rock. This amp could easily be gigged with in a small to medium size venue. This amp has great clean tone that resembles a Fender amp. The distortion is awesome. Tone shaping capabilities are fantastic. The effects loop is the best have ever used. It sounds great at lower volumes and even better cranked up. I can't say enough good things about this amp. It's a lot of coin but you definitely get your money's worth. I don't regret getting this amp at all. It's a winner!

I have owned many tube amps throughout the years including Marshall JVM 410, Marshall JCM 800 2205, Orange TH 30, Peavey 5150, Peavey 6505+, Peavey 6534+, Peavey JSX, Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue, Fender Blues Junior, Vox AC15 Custom, Vox AC 15 HW, EVH 5150 III, Mesa Mark IV, Mesa Mark V, Mesa Dual Rectifier, Mesa Tremoverb, Mesa Rectoverb, Mesa Express 5.50, Mesa Roadster, etc. and I have to say that this amp is the best in its class with beyond great clean, crunch, and distortion tones. It is so nice, I bought it twice. I leave one at church and one in my room both paired with Mesa 2x12 rectifier cabinets with V30s. I have at the moment my Mesa Mark V 25 sitting on top of my Mesa Mark IV B version and Mesa Mark V, and you have guessed it, you cannot go wrong with the Mark series and even more so with the Mini Mark 25.

It took me a while to save up for this head and a MESA 2x12, but it was worth it. This head can provide any tone imaginable. Anything from chiming cleans, to creamy leads can be found, even without activating E.Q. I don't think I will ever need to buy another amp again seeing as how this amp can play at bedroom levels or with a full band. These 5 stars also go to my sales engineer, Nate Edwards, who made sure I was kept up to date on my order and even let me know when it got to my house!

To be quite honest I was hesitant to try this amp. I decided to order it without ever having heard it in person. I listened to online videos and honestly, wasn't impressed. After receiving the amplifier quickly, I can now say without a doubt, it was because the feel of playing this amp does not come through on a video. This amplifier is extremely touch responsive. The high gain modes are not only usable (all of them) but actually very musical. Even the extreme voicing has a subtlety to it, achieved through pick and volume control. Hard to believe I am going to rate this "blown away" but it's accurate in this case.

In past 3 yaers I had:
-Laney Iron Heart 18 studio
-Laney Iron Heart 60
-Hughes & Kettner Tubemaister
-Blackstar HT 5 Metal
-Marshall JMP1 Preamp with Dual Block 50/50
-Engl Powerball 2
-Marshall JVM 205
-Marshall JVM 210
-Blackstar 100 S1
-Bugera Infinium
-Yamaha THR 10X (for home studio)

And this amp fuc...ing blow me Away...I was shitt..ng by my self when I heard clean and crunch channel.
No compromise!!My first Mesa and last tone!
I just finish to search my own sound.

Highly Recommended!!!!!!!!

I will admit to being caught completely off-guard by how awesome this amp is. I have a small home studio and have been collecting low-wattage tube amps that sound great without waking up the neighbors. I already had a couple of amps (Soldano, Marshall, Friedman, etc) when I heard some rave reviews about the Mark Five: 25.

With a fairly impressive amp collection in my little studio, I didn't really "need" another amp. Still, the thought of one amp that could cover a number of bases was appealing so I went ahead and ordered one. I wasnt surprised that it sounded good...I have had Mesa/Boogie amps before and I know that they make great products. What did surprise me was how many great sounds they managed to fit into this one. Running it through a closed-back Mesa 1x12 cab with two or three guitars (a Strat and a Les Paul mainly) I was able to go from shimmering cleans to crunchy power chords to chunky palm-mutes to searing leads...all with one amp. And they all sounded great. Not good, not acceptable, not "not bad", but GREAT. The cleans were glassy, the mid-range tones were fat & clear sounding (even at "bedroom" volumes) and seriously, nothing beats some of the tones this head can make for metal rhythm. Without naming names, a number of prominent metal bands made their "classic" albums relying primarily on IIC and Mark IV heads (just two out out of the SIX main tones on board here).

If youre wondering what it sounds like, I highly recommend checking out some of the demos on Mesa's youtube channel & then ordering one of these for yourself.

Really loving this amp. Perfect for my needs. I play in a worship setting and it has been outstanding for all varieties of songs. Can't recommend it enough or say enough good things!!!!!!

Best small format amp ever made.....and one of the best any size amp ever made.
1. 2 channels with 3 voicings each with 2 power choices 10 or 25 watts
Clean.....better than Fender 1965 deluxe reverb reissue...way more tonal 3D tone
Fat......think blackface
Crunch......wow just so good you could cut an entire album with just that voice
2nd channel
Mk II C.......rich cascading gain goodness
Mark IV.......rich, smooth, super charged
Extreme....uh. It's extreme......Lamb of God anyone
Now the back side.
Cab clone built in ..with DI out and choice of open or closed cabinet emulation
And ...wait for it.....headphone jack that you can use without connecting any cabs...
So late at night when the kids are sleeping.....Rock On!
This amp my 385 miles is by far the best and most versatile amp made by man....or possibly super
Intelligent Rock Aliens.....either way.....Buy this amp...sell everything , don't pay the water bill, get rid of cable, but buy this amp!

I owned so many amps and this is the best amp I have ever played. Period.

Don't be fooled by the small size. This amp is a BEAST! Absolutely Love it! Everything from clean to scream! I've had many amps in my 40 years of playing guitar. This amp is the most versatile amp I have EVER owned! Most importantly, it inspires me to pick up my guitar and play through it! It's like an addiction now! Well done Mesa Boogie! And thanks to my Sweetwater rep for recommending this amp!

Awesome Boogie! We put this little gem to work in the studio this weekend... This amp has it all; the direct recording via Cabclone is quiet, punchy and seamless. We cut tracks using Clean, Fat, Crunchy, Mk2, MIV and Extreme. Plenty of natural dynamics make your guitar come alive and SING in your hands!

We paired this amp with an open back Mesa 112 Lonestar cabinet... believe me there was plenty of volume at 10 watts and plenty of headroom at 25. Mesa includes the BEST amp owners manual I've ever seen. (it's worth reading from cover to cover. Thank you to Matt, who made buying this amp easy!

Boogie ON!

I've owned several Boogies (50+ Caliber, Mark IV and the Mark V, all combos). With each one I was more pleased than the last. I read all the reviews and watched all the videos when this amp first came out. Our guitar player was constantly having heartaches with his Mark IV, so I told him about this little bugger. He got one. He and I were totally convinced this is definitely worth every pennie.
I ordered one from Sweetwater and got it in a few days. I've had it for about 2 weeks, used it on a gig and was completely please with all aspects. The weight (my lunchbox weighs more). Ease of dialing the perfect tone (our soundman says it sounds just like the Mark V). The built-in Cab-Clone is to die for (no more cab-mics).
All n all, I'm a very happy fella!!!

Listen, I knew this would be good. With that said I can't believe the huge tones that come out of this. I paired it with the 1/12 recto cab with the Vintage 30 and omg. I have owned Marshalls, Fender, other Boogies including the Mark V Flagship, Mojave, on and on....
I love the size of the amp because I'm tired of lugging heavy amps as I age but I didn't want to compromise an ounce of tone and punch. Mission accomplished. If you're on the fence about this don't be. I much prefer it to the larger Mark V. It seems like I was always fiddling trying to get the tones. This was boom, Instant. I thought I wasn't a fan of EL-84's.........wrong. They match to these circuits perfectly.
The mid boost is brilliant and the reverb sounds great. Just a Joy to play through so money well spent. If you need an amp worthy of your talent and you don't want to spend some ridiculous sum of money on an over priced hyped boutique amp. This is the one.

Here’s my five day review of my new Mesa Boogie Mark V 25 amp and my current impressions of it’s overall performance. I would right out of the gate say that it is the most versatile amp I’ve ever played through..., period. The tones available to its owner are almost endless with a quality that is hard to put into words. . Is it a plug and play amp, absolutely not! The sensitivity of the controls and their interplay with each other will make you wish you never bought this little guy if you don’t approach it’s setup correctly. I would highly recommend starting with the owners manual and watching YouTube, gleaning examples of tones from those sources that you like. As a foot note apparently there isn’t alot of support and or sharing from Mesa owners as to there setups which seems very clichy to me. As someone who plays my renditions of Clapton, Timmons, Zaza, and many more I find myself putting my style in the classic to modern rock category. This amp covers all my wants in the tone and drive areas that I mentioned above. It can be very loud but easily tamed for studio / bedroom use with no real loss in quality of tone, highly unusual for any amp to achieve. I’ve also plugged the amp into various speaker cabs that I own and it seems to be happiest with my 1x12 Celestion Vintage 30 with an open back cab. Fuller base response with a more breathy voice with the open back cab, in my opinion. Again remember I play classic rock and in all likelihood a closed back would work better for you metal players out there. Overall I would recommend this amp to anyone willing to sit down and spend some serious time with it...., it'll be worth your efforts I promise.

Amazing - just the best ever

This is the greatest amp i've ever owned. There is absolutely nothing i would change about it. I use a compressor and a slight boost in front of the amp for solo boost, but it is rarely used and then a volume pedal. In the effects loop are my delays and reverb. The channel switching pedal is the only overdrive or distortion pedal I will ever need. I found it easy to find tones that work well for my guitars. I needed an amp with low wattage, because I where I normally play it can't be loud. I needed two channels, clean and dirty that is foot switchable, and an effects loop. I use the eq section of the amp for a solo boost when the time comes other than that it really isn't used much. This amp has everything I could ask for.

I have a big 100 watt full size half stack of a different brand. I love it but it is too big for a lot of smaller gigs. So I set out to find a smaller portable amp set up. But I wanted to also upgrade my overall tone as well. After a lot of research, I picked the Mark Five: 25. I also looked at the Rectoverb but ended up choosing the Mark Five: 25 because of the internal silent speaker load feature. If the venue stage is small I only need to bring the head, which is very small and light and DI into FOH. As for the tone, its fantastic. The small size shouldn't fool you about its volume. I bought a mini Rec 1x12 cabinet to pair with mine and it gets loud. I set it up to use the first channel nice and clean and the the second channel nice and dirty. Its a fantastic amp. Its very clear and and articulate. It makes you play better. Note separation, even on heavily distorted tones, is very clear. The clean channel is beautiful. You can't quite get the amount of gain you'd get from a Rectifier but it gets pretty heavy. What an amp! I am glad I bought it. Sweetwater was fantastic to deal with and shipping was first rate.

I have had the Mark 5:25 for 4 months now. I am blown away by it. I have been a die hard classic Fender man until this Tone monster came on the market. I sold my 40 yr old Princeton to buy it and do not regret that decision at all. The cleans are as good or better than that of the Princeton and reverb sounds angelic.
My favorite mode on the clean side is the "Fat" setting and it sounds just that. The bridge pickup on my p90 equipped Les Paul sounds more like the neck pickup as it fattens up the tone and adds to the low end of the sound greatly. The neck pickup sounds beautiful as well and sounds bigger and beefier still.
The Crunch setting on the Clean channel is real good for hard rockin classic rock or at high gain settings classic metal(Maiden,Sabbath,etc.)
Channel 2 is where I live most of the time when playing. The Mark IIc+ mode is the most versatile IMO .It goes from a nice smooth Overdrive all the way to Classic Metallica with the twist of the gain knob and switching in the 5 band EQ just makes it that much better. JUICY would be the way I would describe the structure of the tone. Even at Apartment volume it sustains for days.
I run a Moog Analog Delay and an Eventide Space through the loop and it sounds simply amazing.
I started with running in to an open back cab I had around the house. I have since gotten a matching Mini-Rectifier Cabinet and It tightens up the low end a lot and just makes it sound even meaner than it already did.
I have also run a tube power amp I had kicking around out of the second channel of the Space which in fact gives me 2 channels of Boogie preamp goodness and an *** kicking stereo mini rig.
All in all I dont regret selling my classic Fender to buy it and This new Boogie will probably be the last guitar amp I should ever need or want. It does it all
I must also add that this amp is LOUD!!!

First, I have a full-size Mark Five that I had been using for 3 years and was very happy with. I'd been looking at smaller amps because hauling my full-size head in a road case was quite heavy with me playing a lot. So, it was very intriguing when this came out. I thought about it and wondered if I could get by with 25 watts, since I was using my regular head at the 45 watt setting. Then I saw the video of John Petrucci playing one and was blown away by the tone he got from it. I ordered one and couldn't believe when it arrived and I ran it through a Marshall 4x12 cab. Same incredible tone and was very loud. I set it up for a gig with my band (loud 80's rock and metal) and had absolutely no problem getting loud enough... running the volume at about 11 o'clock, which means I had more room to go. And this was after someone at Mesa Boogie told me it wouldn't be enough if I was used to my full-size head (keep in mind that I was only running it in 45 watt mode). The Cab Clone also lets me run direct and sounds awesome. All I can say is, I couldn't be happier... buy one and be amazed like me.

I've owned lots of equipment over the years but by far the Mesa Boogie Five 25 and two 12 cabinet is the best. I don't have to turn any pedals on the sound is right there. Thanks Anthony L. for pointing me in this direction. Thanks to Sweetwater for their support.

I have to admit I didn't like the amp the first time I played through it. This is my first time owning a Mesa Mark series amp and read some reviews about how different they are from your everyday one trick pony amps. After I read the manual and set channel 1 and 2 to some recommended settings from the manual a light bulb kicked on my ears perked up. Wow... this amp is the real deal it sounds incredible once dialed in. Covers any style you throw at it. I play blues..funk..jazz and blues rock and this amp is perfect. Will also do Metal etc. Considering the size and weight, the built in cabclone, and just about unlimited tonal options, this is probably the best gigging amp and studio amp ever. Did I mention it's built to last. Made well and looks flawless. Thanks Sweetwater and Ben Robinson for the stellar service.

I went back and forth between the Mark V:25 and the Rectoverb 25 for a few weeks before ordering the Mark V:25. I'm absolutely happy that I got the Mark. This little monster is everything I expected and more. So much more articulate and toneful than the other lunchbox head I was using made by another California company. This thing flat out rocks, gets loud, and makes me want to play guitar 24x7. Very inspiring tones. Get this head now.

I am completely blown away by this amp! Like most guitarists, I used to run 100 watt heads into 4x12 cabs thinking that was the only way to "feel" the amp. Well I got tired of carrying around a 40lb Dual Rec head, and 80lb cab. I still wanted an amp that could peel paint off the walls if I needed it to, but also wanted something that didn't kill my back. I tried other low wattage amps, and NONE compared to this thing! The pure sound quality and volume and "push" that this little 16.5lb head can put out is jaw dropping. And versatility was also necessary for me, I'm in a cover band that plays a very wide variety of music. This amp nails any tone I need. I was also considering the Mini Rectifier, it sounded just as good, but just wasn't quite as versatile. If you are worried about it not being loud enough, don't be! When I run this head into a 4x12 with V30s I only need the volume about 1/3 the way up to be heard. And I can still drop the wattage and play at bedroom levels at home. This amp is everything I needed and wanted. And the quality of the components and construction is top notch. MESA makes the best amps in the world in my opinion. And this is no exception. So in closing, no obviously it isn't as loud as a 100 watt head, but unless you are playing in an arena it is MORE than loud enough. And you can get any sound your head can imagine out of this thing. And it is a dream come true for home recording. Thank you MESA for making this sonic marvel, and thank you Ryan Wiltermood for setting me up and letting me put this amp thru its paces before buying it! Sweetwater rules!!

I love this amp! It is super versatile and the cab clone feature serves its purpose well. I had high expectations of the amp and low expectations of the cab clone and I am blown away by both!

I've had the pleasure of owning this gem for the last two months now and I couldn't possibly think of any other amp that could replace it. It was purchased along with a Mesa Boogie vertical 2x12 so I could have the matching "1/8 stack".
First off, the versatility in respect to how you can run this amp is a pure joy. I can run it into my speaker cab all by itself or run an XLR cable from the built in cab clone to my PA if I need a little extra volume (unnecessary so far) or want to run a wet/dry/wet stereo rig. On nights where I want to practice late but don't want to wake the kids I can run it into my studio monitors and with a slight tweak it sounds just like the guitar tone on any Metallica album.
I have owned several other Mesa Boogie amps including a Mark IV, Triaxis/2:90, and a Roadster. The Mark V:25 has an incredibly musical mid range and feel to the strings that no other amp I've owned has come close to having. I don't know if it's the amp's circuit or the EL84's but there is something very special about this amp and I will say with all honesty that I've never been so satisfied with a gear purchase more than I have with this little amp.
The service I received at Sweetwater was absolutely wonderful and I really felt their appreciation of me as a customer. All around great experience.

This is truly a extraordinary amp. I have not one thing to complain about however, If I could there would be two things I would like to change about it. first thing I would like to have different is on the overdrive channel I would like to have a mid boost like on the clean channel . Second thing I would like to add is this head size particularly the width dose not make sense that its not to the 17 to 18 inch ish standard for rack mounting.

This amp is a small masterpiece. Forget its diminutive size (which is impressively small). EL84 tubes are actually perfect for a Mark series Boogie. So musical and responsive. I use it mostly for recording and bedroom/house level playing.

A while back, I gigged a Mark IV combo and moved on to smaller, less explensive amps that fit my space and my needs (Egnater Tweaker, Blackstar HT, Fender Mustang) and missed the soul, the feel and the balls of my Boogie.

Here are a few notes:
1. This thing is LOUD. Bedroom levels sound very good, but you'll be below "1" on the master volume
2. The 10W and 25W modes are about much more than VOLUME - the feel, responsiveness and harmonic content of the sound are totally different in each mode. Each sounds great in its own way
3. The clean sounds provide plenty of headroom, but you'll start to get that warm breakup with humbuckers at as low as 4-5 on the master volume in 25W, Fat and Crunch modes. The CLEAN channel mode has more headroom
4. The Crunch voice is somewhat volume mismatched to the other clean voices
5. Channel ONE is louder than CHANNEL 2 - it's actually easier to get bedroom level dirty sounds
6. The dirty voices are each amazing and very different. The "Mark IV" voice really does sound like a Mark IV. The Mark IIc and Mark IV voices allow for bluesy "just at breakup" sounds all the way to heavy chigga-chugga beef
7. The controls are POWERFUL - unlike some other amps, where it's almost hard to dial in a "bad tone" - each control on this Mark 5:25 can make a dramatic impact on the tone. It's easy to dial in a total crap sound. if you don''t know how your guitar, the amp and the control relate to one another. Read the manual and tweak to learn
8. The direct out amp sim / load circuit is amazing. You'll have to dial in your sounds and EQ a little different, but getting really good tube-driven recording sound in total silence is really possible.

Last thing - and to conclude. I cannot exploain how or why - but I felt it 10 years ago with my first Mark amp... these beauties really FEEL different. You can almost feel the bounce and pop in your fingers when you play. Like the guitar's strings just want to bend to her will . It's the only amp you'd ever need to own and you can spend years exploring what it can do for you.

YES - get it.

A very well built amp. Many features for each channel allows for more of a tonal selection than most especially with the five band EQ. The Cab Clone does a very good job in regards to the headphone out but I can't speak for the DI feature considering I have not used it. It is a loud amp but controllable. Good buy

I've been wanting a Mark V for quite a while, and after seeing Petrucci play through the Crunch mode on this one, I was pretty much sold. The amp is absolutely amazing. It can give me any tone that I want and sound excellent with each of them. Cleans are clear and can do pristine, chimey, deep, edge of breakup, dirty cleans...everything between the 2 clean modes and the EQ. I'm a metal guy and a home recording guy, so I've been really wanting something that can fulfill my heavy needs in a small package and this amp does that. I have been a 5150 fan for a long time, and had yet to find an amp that I liked better until now. You can go from 80s glam tone to Metallica anything from Puppets to Load tone, to Lamb of God and KSE tone, to your own flavor of modern tone. I tend to stick on the Mark IV mode with the EQ on for my particular sound, but I like to switch over the Extreme to jam out to some LoG stuff or IIC+ and jam some Puppets. All those tones are in there. Its pretty incredible.

If you want that Mark tone and vibe in a small, easy to carry, SUPER easy to record and get to the sweet spot at non-murderous volumes, grab one of these. If you have never played a Mesa and are looking for something that would be perfect for recording any style in a home studio, this is, IMO, the perfect amp for that.

I bought this from Sweetwater right when it came out. I can tell you that this is THE BEST overall small amp out there. I have had several Mesas and this is as good or better that their flagship models. This thing can do anything well. Country? - it's there. Jazz? it's there, Rock? It is there. Metal - it is there. I would go as far to say that, for most people this amp will sound better and perform better than the regular Mark V.

If you look at the artist that use that Mark V it is incredible (from Al Dimeola to Lamb of God to John Petrucci) In essence, all of the best tones of the Mark V are here without having to tweak for 3 months. Don't get me wrong, if you are a tweaker you can do that all you want. But if you just want to plug and play, you can pretty much do that too. I went to Mesa's youtube video of John Petrucci demoing his settings on the big Mark V and just copied that. Ten minutes and I was in tonal bliss. It was amazing, I got almost the exact tones from this little guy.

If you are looking for that EVH brown sound this is not the amp for you. However, this does just about anything else very well. This amazing thing is that you can get these tones from any volume level. It is a great amp for late night practice while the kids are asleep AND if you want to, it is LOUD enough to melt the paint of the walls. I don't know how they did it but it is phenomenal.

Special thanks to my sales engineer - Andrew Plassman. He was super helpful at all times even if I called him several times just to ask stupid questions. Great service!

This amp is amazing. I have never owned a Mesa amp before and I am blown away! I have been playing for 30 years and I have been through a lot of amps. Fender, Peavey, Randall, Line 6, Marshall, along with a few amp sims. Eleven Rack, Zoom, Line six, Bias etc. None of them compare to the amount of tones and the quality of tones you can achieve with this amp. This amp can give you any sound you are looking for, from country to extreme metal. If you are worried that it is not loud enough, let me reassure you that it is. You could absolutely Gig with this amp. Build quality is top notch. I would like to thank Nick Schenkel my Sweetwater sales rep for pointing me in the right direction and helping me find the amp that I have been looking for, for a long long time.

I love and own several low-watt tube amps, and this may well be the best I've used. I'm particularly impressed with the cleans (think "blackface" style but even more crisp and articulate), and on the high-gain channel I've never heard preamp gain give off such musical harmonics. The tone-shaping possibilities are pretty much endless, but as a new boogie user I didn't find it hard to use. In 25-watt mode with a decent cabinet, it's definitely loud enough for many gigging situations. For home recording, it's a brilliant piece of kit. Tonally, its articulate nature makes it a little less squishy and forgiving than more vintage-style amps, but that's part of what gives it the tight, modern sound that tracks your picking so well. And once I get the volume up enough that the el-84 tubes get going, I get some nice power tube distortion going along with the outstanding preamp gain. It does have a fan that's always on but it's not loud or distracting. Wish it had a 5-watt mode like the Express 5:25, but I can drop the master volume and play at levels that won't wake my sleeping kids and still get nice saturated tones out of it. The headphone sound is actually pretty good too.

It has exceeded my expectations. I own the Mark V, Mark lll and an original Mark 2 C+ (also a Mesa Express 5:50 Plus). The Mark V 25 is a terrific 10/25 watt Amp for the price. It has a great clean channel that with some adjustments, I ve been able to pull an acoustic "like" sound out of. The distorted channels are Superb as well n all of them can be used for rock, hard rock or metal. The "crunch" also is a very good sounding channel, great for Bluesy playing. The reverb on this Amp is more than enough. I ve been playing mine through a Mesa 4x12 cab and it sounds incredible. If your a Mesa Boogie fan and have the cash, I highly recommend the Mark V 25. Oh, and it only weighs 16 pounds and feels much lighter but its Killer loud even at just the 10 watt setting.

Mesa/Boogie Mark Five 25 watt head. Is there anything else I really need to say?

For months my Sweetwater sales rep Joe Schafer (ext 1393) has been tirelessly working with me on finding the perfect amp for my needs. I wanted an amp that gave me an array tones without compromising the options I wanted the amp to have such as reverb and the ability to switch wattage.

This amp does it all and does it better than most. Set the levels to noon on either channel with any of the 6 styles activated and you’re instantly hit with incredible tone. Switch on the 5-band EQ to really expand the tonal variety this amp has to offer.

Thanks to Sweetwater for delivering this amp safely and quickly and a big thanks to Joe for putting up with all the questions!

Really loving this amp. Great cleans and all the dirt you could want.
my one gripe is the Cabclone. I can't get a good clean tone with that, it sounds compressed and has a lot of bite.

with a cab (1/12 Thiele) the Clean is awesome...just with the cabclone, not so much...I don't know, maybe it's my Interface or setup...

all around a great amp that can cover a lot of ground. I'd buy it again.

Highly versatile and hangs with a full band on 25 watts. I like the versatility of the two low gain settings on channel one. They are both extremely usable. Still working with the crunch setting. As many have commented across loads of reviews - wish it was foot switchable within the channel. But, my Mesa Express Plus 25's crunch setting takes pedals better than I've been able to get with the Mark. I have had better luck with the gain on the channel one's fat option, but the crunch preamp on my Express+ is somewhere in between the two (in terms of gain). Bottom line is, the tonal and gain differences between the two Amps (for me) may have more to do with using my Express+ at 5 watts running a single EL-84. Two EL-84s at 10 watts isn't the same. On the Mark, sounds like less power amp distortion in the signal - greater overhead prior to breakup.

The five band works identical to the one in my Express+, I assume they are the same. My Express+ head is not that large, but it certainly isn't a lunchbox amp like the Mark. The second channel is where I often have the Mark set. All three higher gain options are useful and the no negative feedback option lets the notes just flow and sustain.

I have an old model 2015 (owned about a year). It has the "infamous" noisy fan. Hasn't been an issue for recording. Although, I have mostly used the built in cab clone to record - it is excellent. The fan is obviously not an issue at playing volume. Same reverb as my Express+. Guess the spring length could be a bit shorter, but sounds the same. One last nod to the Mark - the loop. Always needed to buffer the loop on my Express+ (I run volume pedals and time based effects through my loops). The one on the Mark doesn't seem to suck any tone without buffering.

I've always dreamed of owning a Mesa boogie half stack since I was a teenager. Money, the sheer loudness, and just the fact that it takes up a lot of room has stalled my efforts in obtaining a 50-100 watt Mesa half stack (either a rectifier or mark). But with technology improving for low wattage tube amp heads, a more affordable Mesa boogie is available and it is reasonable in terms of volume and size for the non-gigging guitarist.

The Mesa Boogie Mark V 25 delivers. It is truly versatile! Talk about twangy clean sounds, full fat cleans, bluesy solo sound, classic crunch, tight scooped high gain tone, dynamic solo, fluid solos, and the list goes on and on! All available at practicing volume. And yes, this thing can get loud enough for jamming with a full band.

Sweetwater customer service is #1 in the buisness. These guys are helpful, friendly, and provide a service far and above any other.

This Amp is impressive. Had been looking for an amp with an excellent clean channel for a long time and this is the one for me (short of a Two Rock, which is 4x the price). I'm amazed how much the Mesa engineering team fit into this small form factor while maintaining professional level quality and tone at this price. It's at least three classic amps in one and all of them high quality with plenty of adjustment. The tone options for each channel/mode are vast. I've had fun adjusting and tweaking, so far just with the 3 band tone controls I haven't had the chance to explore the EQ yet. I can hear the differences in my guitars better than any other amp I've owned. The woody mellowness of my semi-hollowbody is goooood. Highly recommend. So much in this little guy for a very fair price.

This is a very good all around amp. With the 5 band eq it really adds to the tone possibilities. Fat clean is a beautiful warm creamy sound. The crunch mode with the gain and the mid boost/gain pushed past noon really screams!. I haven't dialed in a perfect heavy tone yet but still experimenting. So far the Mark IV mode is my go to heavy sound.

This head rocks for sure. I love the versatility and design of the signal path. Watch the online video by the technical designer for more details. Having this head in the arsenal means no more imported British goods if you know what I mean. I would rate it at a full 5.0 if the speaker emulator sounded more like a red box 5. At some point I will end up purchasing another one. BTW, I also purchased the Mesa 2x12 cab. Love that too!

The tone and response is very robust and fat. To the point that it requires zero pedals to drive it. Can you say self-indulgent? You can use the footswitch and EQ as a solo boost.

Great job M/B!

Awesome amp. I play mainly metal and it is loud. Tone is great no matter what setting your in or how you have the eq set. Nothing is perfect though, thats why it gets 4.5 stars.You cant go wrong with Mesa,it is one of the best brands and its made in the U.S.A., gotta love that. Ive only had it a little while, and no regrets so far.

Best clean channel I've ever heard on a high gain amp! I particularly like the "fat" setting. It's just big, fat, punchy, awesome tone. The clean channel on this amp can get BRUTAL on the crunch setting with the gain and boost turned up. I think I like it more than the high gain channels, although the MKII, IV and Extreme settings are awesome as well. Overall, an awesome sounding, very versatile amp.
I wouldn't complain if this amp were a couple inches longer and a couple pounds heavier. It seems like they tried to cram too much into a tiny package and ran out of room on the front. I believe that all the controls you use frequently should be on the front of the amp where they are easy to access. The reverb pots, cab selector switch, speaker on/off switch, and headphone jack are all on the back. It's a minor inconvenience, but I would prefer them on the front personally.

This is a really good amp. For the size and wattage, you can't beat it. My only drawbacks were the clean tone and endless squealing from the dirty channel. The clean tone on the original mark v is the best I have ever come across. So when i purchased this bad boy I figured "same circuit, same sound". Not so much. It was a good clean tone, but not great like the bigger mark V. The distortion channel was actually better to my ears on this than the big Mark V but having the volume just past 9 o'clock (1/4 the way up) and it squealed out of control. I had it checked out and no tubes were bad. So I decided to send mine back. Overall, I am willing to give this amp another shot in the future since I have changed cabinets but for now, I will wait and see what Mesa has to offer in 2016.

Don't get me wrong, the "Crunch" channel alone is worth the total cost and I'd give it 5 stars by itself. "BUT" - It just makes me want to scream that they chose to group the crunch setting with the cleans settings. As awesome as the other channel is (Mark II, IV, & V settings), I'd trade the amp it in a heartbeat for a simpler 2 channel version that's foot switchable between clean and crunch and with a switchable boost rather than having the boost connected to the mid control . Since I love the crunch channel so much I'm going to go to a two amp and ABY switch system to pair this amps crunch channel with a dumble/Hiwatt type clean amp I have.

I have the 90 watt version and love it. I play mostly metal while occasionally messing around on the clean channels. The reason I bought the 25 is for bedroom practice as I don’t keep the 90 watt at my house and wanted something to practice quietly and still sound similar to what I use normally. They advertise the headphone out and I thought that would be perfect for late night practice. It is useless. Very low volume and horrible sound quality. I contacted Mesa customer service and I **** you not, they actually told me I need to purchase a headphone amp in order to make use of the headphone output on the amp. Can you believe this? I can’t. Very disappointed in a brand I love so much and think so highly of. Lost some of that love for sure with this.

I've owned a Mark IV for about 10 years and am a big fan most of the Mark series amps. I was so excited when this was announced that I could have a smaller, lighter, quieter alternative to my ~65lb combo amp. I was disappointed after playing through it however. I a/b'd this head with a full-size Mark V through the same speakers and guitars and came to the conclusion that the Mark V:25 captures the general character of the Mark V and other Mark series amps in the way that a good amp modeler captures the sound of a real amp. It sounds very similar but lacks a lot of the depth and detail that makes those amps so great (in my opinion).

That said, it's a great amp for the price. It would be great for someone that doesn't mind giving up some tone for the extra $1000+ and convenience of its small light-weight format. Depending on the type of music you're playing, the place you're playing and your skill level, you may not even notice the difference.

After trying to like my Mark V:25 for about 5 years, I've finally given up and decided to sell it. Several things about this amp always made me prefer playing through my other amps. For example, much has been said about the amps versatility. This is actually true. You can play anything from clean country to death metal on this amp. But for me, all the options (six amp circuits each with its own controls) ended up being too cluttered. I could never remember my setting when I found a good one. This is a personal preference, but I've come to appreciate more "plug and play" amps that I don't have to fiddle with constantly to find a good sound.

Also, from day 1 I have gotten a hiss/crackle from the amp that I've never been able to locate and has gotten worse over time. Since its completely random, I have never been able to reproduce it in front of an amp tech.

The cab clone and headphone features are convenient, but still don't make the amp great for me. I've recorded guitar parts using the built in cab clone, but found it lacking in quality; If I'm going direct now, I prefer an amp sim to the cab clone. The headphone jack should be on the front, but even so, the sound quality is terrible. My advice to the buyer is not to buy this thinking that you'll use it for headphone practice, as the experience is inferior to just using a cheap practice amp like the Vox and Fender Champion models.

It could just be a case of trying to do too much in one little amp instead of focusing on one or two things well. If you play across many different genres, I can see the value in having such a versatile amp. But if you stick to pretty much one style of play (country, metal, surf, whatever), you may find that you just don't use a lot of the amps features, which means they just get in the way.

I've owned old mesa boogies so I thought I'd buy one of the newer amps. The first time I played it I really did fall in love; however, once I played it in a live band setting it fell short all too quickly. First problem I had was the volume difference between Ch. 1 and Ch. 2. You'd think the 2nd channel would be louder; but it wasn't even close. When Ch 1 was set at noon I had to set Ch 2 with the volume cranked in order for it to balance. Second problem was that crunch mode. It's a real shame that the crunch sound on Ch 1 wasn't its own separate channel. It was far better than any setting on Ch 2. Not to say Ch 2 drive sounds weren't great; they just didn't compare to Ch 1's crunch. That sound was to die for, but I couldn't sacrifice the clean sound (as there is no way to switch modes via footswitch). The third problem and final strike was how it took boost pedals. I usually keep my tube screamer or my OCD on at all times. However, this amp did not like those pedals at all. The amp has such a natural mid range push to it, that any time I engaged a boost pedal the sound got way out of hand. Not smooth sounding, more like harsh on the ears. I even tried tweaking the EQ for a couple of gigs but to no avail. If you're a studio musician, this is probably the best amp you can get. For a gigging musician this is a nightmare.

I ordered this amp hoping for something small, lower wattage, compact, but with that Mesa crunchy punch.

What. An. Absolute. Total. Letdown...

The first one I received I returned, thinking it was a lemon due to the flubby and undefined low end (even on the clean channel). The second one was just as awful sounding. I tune down to D standard, but a hard strum on an open Dm chord sounded completely terrible. A hard pick on single notes with the clean tone sounded so absolutely horrendous on the low E string. Palm muted minor chord chugs with channel 3 sounded like the speakers were going to rattle right out of the cabinet. I honestly don’t know if it’s because of the EL84 tubes in the smaller version compared to the 6L6s in the big brother, but no tweaking of the eq could get this thing to sound the way I feel it should have as a Mesa with a price tag of $... I was completely disappointed...

I have a heavy picking hand, so who knows... maybe the amp just doesn’t work for someone who picks hard with a heavy gauge pick, but this amp did not deliver the heavy, punchy and crunchy tones I used to associate with Mesa Boogie amps. The EVH 5150III 6L6 I traded the second head in for sounds so much better for $... less. If you want metal tones, decent clean tones that aren’t flubby if you pick hard, then I do not recommend this amp. Not. At. All.

The EVH? I love it...

I bought this amp on a recommendation from my then sales engineer. Worst thing I could have done. I spent $ on the amp and a Mesa Boogie 1X12. I should have sent it back but my sales engineer said this amp takes some time to learn how to dial it in so I kept working with it after my return date. I still haven't got a descent sound out of this amp and it's been 2.5 years. I have owned over 20 tube amps in my life and I must say this was the biggest disappointment in an amp I have ever had. How boogie sells this blows me away. Plus the tubes have all ready failed. If this is the best Boogie has I'm definitely "NO BOOGIE FAN". Good luck with this overpriced piece of furniture !

This amp right from the get go was questionable, tone wise. Reading all reviews discussing how you really have to tweak it to get good tone; I decided to give it more time. Then a few weeks later the volume kept dropping out completely. Over and over again. Customer service response was to send one tube and let me trouble shoot it one tube at a time. That's exactly what I want to do on a $1400 amp I just bought. Careful when you actually face something not working right.