Look man I'm telling you the hype is real with this one. But here's the secret that some might say isn't possible. You see the mark series has always been separate from it's brother the rectifier series in tone but if you want that rectifier sound out of this thing it's actually possible in a sense. Here's how.

On channel 2 mkvii mode slap a dirty trees peppers pedal over drive in front of the amp. Dial in the tone to taste on the pedal and play with the gain, scoop the EQ,and dial the presence nobe on the amp and you'll find it.

I haven't tried it yet with other Over Drive pedals but I just really like the idea of having the best of both worlds in this beautiful beast of an amp. What you can do with this amp just blows my mind and the tonality of it is so wide due to the sensitivity of the pots on the controls. But you do have to spend time with.

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What can I say, I have really bonded with the Mesa/Boogie Mark VII — and honestly, my impressions line up with what a lot of seasoned players are finding. Here's my thoughts on what hits on the exact things that make this amp special:

Positives:

Massive Gain Range Without the Harshness
The Mark VIIs gain structure is unusually refined. There's no weird bright attack like in so many other amps and that is a big deal, the pick transient on many high-gain amps can feel plasticky or overly spiky. Mesa seems to have finally bridged the Mark IIC+ / Mark IV sweetness with the articulation of the V and JP-2C.

The Clean Channel is Wildly Good

The cleans on the VII really are second to none. The ability to shape them pre-gain without that brittle edge, plus the graphic EQ afterward, makes it possible to achieve any level of clean, from scooped Blackface to chimey Voxish, to warmer Dumble with as much punch and soul as any of the best amps I've owned.

Crunch is the Secret Weapon
Crunch mode is the unexpected superstar. That ability to go from clean to edge-of-breakup to legit Plexi-ish roar (especially with EL34s and a boost) is exceeded my wildest expectations, this is the amp that would have been used by the likes of all of my heroes had they had a choice.

EL34 vs. 6L6
The VII is one of those amps where both sets feel great; in different ways, the 6L6 for width and bloom, EL34 for that chewy vintage midrange and killer ease of power tube clipping that EL34s have.

Pedal-Friendly Higher Gain Modes
Marks used to be picky about boosts, but the VII is the most pedal-friendly one yet. The fact that you can hit it with both clean boosts and ODs and still maintain note separation is just a joy.

Negatives:

Complexity of the internals
I opened her up and the Mark series boards look like a NASA project. It's an incredible design, but definitely not something a random corner-shop tech wants to poke around in. I guess that's the price of all the routing, switching, and multi-channel logic.

Based on the gear I've owned, other Mesas, Two-Rocks, Friedmans, 3rd Power, Dr. Zs, Marshalls, Fuchs, and more; the fact that the Mesa Boogie VII is the one I keep reaching for really says something. It's one of the few amps that can genuinely cover almost everything without compromise.

There is no absolutely nothing falling short, anyone that thinks so has a picnia problem (problem in chair, not in amp).

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Wow... This amp is unbelievable. I have been a Mesa/Boogie fan for quite some time. From the 90's rectifier tones to the 2000's mark's, I am on board with it all. This amp fully embraces nearly every sound that Randall created. You can dial in the 80's and Petrucci 2c+ tones, the 2000s' mark iv tones, crystal clear cleans, and some of the best pushed cleans and crunch tones I have ever heard. This is a one stop shop as far as amps are concerned. As far as the Mk vii mode (channel 2) is concerned, wooahh.... I have never heard that tone come out of a Mark amp before... I have read many opinions stating that it is a bridge between a rectifier and a mark, and I totally agree with this opinion. You can get that loose, spongy rectifier growl on that channel pretty easily. This is a quintessential studio amplifier, and you could probably get just about every tone you want out of this amp. The downside is, I dont play many of my other amps anymore... Special thanks to Josh Sackett (sales engineer) for his help with this sale. Happy man right here!!!

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After a few months with it, I'm absolutely pleased. Everything you could imagine from a top of the line professional boutique amplifier. And don't be fooled by the ability to switch between 3 power levels, 90,45, and 25 watts. All 3 cut through the mix like a knife. Built in reverb, and 5 band eq, took a few pedals off my board. If you can afford it, don't hesitate. Warning though… I don't play any of my other amps anymore..

Never owned a Boogie amp before. Went all in with the Mark VII. No regrets

After having had all the Marks 1 through 5...this is all of them wrapped up into 3 Channels.
What this amp does best, is produce every Driven Tone without any FIZZ!
Yes it will do metal, but found out it does ALL the Rockin Tones you like.
(not a metal guy)...Rock is where it's at!

Wow...had no clue there was to be another Mark. Well, actually I figured Mesa would eventually come up with something past MKV, but haven't given much thought with sale of company to Gibson. I got a random email from Mesa one day intro to the MKVII.

Figured what the hell, this might be Randall's last Mark creation before he kicks the bucket. This and the California Tweed 4:40 will be my last Mesa's. I have no faith in Gibson carrying on Mesa's principals as they've ruined themselves more than once.

As far as the MKVII I can't add anything new to anybody elses it's all so subjective anyway. I've already got 2 MKIV Rev A's and one of the last production runs on the MKV. I love them all and overlook the typical Mesa marketing hype as there is no way in hell the legacy Mark approximations can sound like the originals. I ignore the MKI, II, IV mode names and just go by what sounds good/different. I'm pleased with them all mostly because I have no expectations of it sounding like something it's not.

I've been a Mesa fan many years. Too bad they are slowly and slightly cheaping out on materials. The footswitch and cable connections are flimsy and slightly fragile compared to MKIV components (even early production runs of MKV for that matter). No more metal spring preamp tube covers but cheap cover with rubber o-ring between it and chassis.....sad.

Hoping my MKV and MKVII will be as durable and dependable as my 30 plus year old MKIV Rev A's.....not counting on it.

Time will tell.

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Folks I have owned many amps in my 58 years and I have to tell you Mesa nailed it with the Mark V11. I also had the Mark V and JP2C and although they are great amps on their own the form factor and flexibility of tones on this amp make i something special. We all know once we find out sound on each channel thats pretty well where we keep it for life. Its not suppose to sound like a rectifier or any other amp so when I read comments about people comparing I take them with a grain of sult. The Mark V11 is its own amp and sounds absolutely awesome. You may say to yourself you dont need all the features but I am here to tell you having all those feature allow you to dial in exactly what you like. As far as the price tag, yes its allot of money and if spending that money effects your life or if you are the type of person that thinks you can get just as good of amp that will keep you happy for $ then buy the cheaper amp. I am here to tell you if you buy this amp you will not regret it one bit. Its so ispirational, and its not just a heavy metal amp. It does everything well.Do it right and just buy this amp, its incredible!!

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My first "pro" amp was a .50 caliber in the early 90's so kinda grew up on that sound. Did a lot of recording with it. Later owned dual rec's and went through that journey. Later turned more to the Marshall vibe with Bogners and Friedmans. They are all great and unique. And I have kept most of them for reference.

I got a Mark V last year for nostalgia but didn't vibe with it. Loved the cleans but the various gain modes were too "vocal" for my taste.

Decided to re-up on the Mark VII...and very happy I did. Same great cleans, love the Mark IIB as middle ground, the Mark VII mode is still a Mark sound, but takes a little of the "honk" out. Agree with other review that Mark IIC+ and Mark IV are pretty much the same (and good).

I find the touch sensitivity and overtones to be more tactile on this amp than my previous Mark V...just my experience. Also, read the manual...the EQ dials are way more involved on this than other amps...you do have to tweak it but I like the sensitivity....Same with the 5 band....gotta dial with care!

Also like the reverbs being on the front face and no add'l master volumes/solo etc. Simpler to dial in.

I have my late 80's nostalgia tone back!!!

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So the amp sounds good. The Mark seven mode is definitely a fatter Mark sounding type of thing. You have to really eq it to get a sound like a rectifier which it does but it is not convincing as a real rectifier.
Mark 2C plus mode is really good and the feel is really really nice. It's basically the 2C plus mode from the mark five with little less compression/harshness and sounds better at lower volumes. The mark four mode is pretty close to an actual mark four believe it or not.
But for the price, it's not worth keeping. Also you can tell Gibson really skimped out on some of the parts on the amp. The faders feel like rubber and flimsy. The faders don't have the sweep that other marks have.

Mark IIB is mark I mode from the mark V with less bass inherently and a little more gain. Clean channel is awesome but not as good as the mark V.

They did really well with iic+ and mark IV mode on this amp. Those are the highlights.

Overall gain is less than other marks as well. You have to really push the gain and treble to get it what some
may be used to. Not worth the price of admission IMO.

Mesa could have done so much more with the amp for the price. If you are debating this or a mark V, go with the mark V or JP2C.

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