Mesa Engineering Mark Five: 35 Head & 1X12 Combo

113
APRIL 2016 GUITARIST
review MESA ENGINEERING MARK FIVE: 35 HEAD & COMBO
The CabClone
direct output makes
direct-to-desk
connections child’s
play, either live
or in the studio,
and powers the
headphone output
5
Sounds
The Boogie’s smooth-acting tone controls
have a wide range, making it easy to find a
sweet spot for practically any guitar. The
mid control has a much-extended range,
with settings above five acting more like a
mid-boost. The lower gain settings on the
upper channel sound superb. Clean is a very
sweet ‘blackface’-inspired tone with lots of
headroom and sounds great with pedals.
Fat pushes up the midrange for subtle drive
tones with a very touch-sensitive bite, while
Crunch adds more gain for a gutsy, powerful
drive sound that cleans up well with the
guitar’s volume control yet retains plenty of
drive and sustain for solos.
The lead voices on the lower channel
add even more gain: MK IV does a good
job of emulating the rounder midrange
punch of the classic Boogie lead sound,
while MK IIC+ faithfully reproduces the
edgier scream of the late-80s Mark Series,
which has become the most sought after
for modern rock soloing. This voice would
satisfy any gain fiend, but the final Xtreme
voice really pushes things over the edge,
with a blistering, fast attack, tight bass
and razor-sharp treble. All the sounds are
highly usable, the only black mark being a
noticeable ‘pop’ when switching channels.
The famous five-band graphic EQ can
be pre-set to either or both channels or
activated from the footswitch, while both
channels also have three power-output
settings, with a choice of 10, 25 or 35 watts,
making it easy to mix preamp gain with
power amp drive.
The reverb is smooth, with a long decay
that enhances sustained notes, while the
refined CabClone direct output makes
direct-to-desk connections child’s play,
either live or in the studio, as well as
powering the headphone output. The
combo, with its single 12-inch Black
Shadow driver, is easily loud enough
to handle any live gig, while the head
1. The 35’s two-channel
control panel is
simpler than the Mark
V, but there’s still an
impressive feature
set, with six different
voice settings, the
assignable and
footswitchable graphic
EQ and separate
output power options
for both channels
2. There’s an enhanced
version of the
CabClone direct-
to-desk output,
with three speaker
emulation choices
3. Both channels
have a separate
footswitchable solo
control. It’s wired
in parallel with the
channel master, so
unlike typical solo
level controls, it can
be used to lower the
volume as well as
raise it
4. The included four-
button foot controller
features a clever solo
‘preview’ function that
tells you if the solo
level is active or not
5. The combo’s single
12-inch Celestion
Custom 90 ‘Black
Shadow’ driver will
take care of any
live gig
GIT405.rev_mesa.indd 113 19/02/2016 09:39