M ARK 5 THIRTY-FIVE Owner’s Manual ™
Hello from the Tone Farm Congratulations! The amplifier you have chosen is born of thoroughbred stock that carries worldwide accolades and is still setting trends with top Artists 35 years after its unveiling. The MARK FIVE: 35, like the MARK FIVE it is born from, is really a collection of iconic amplifiers. There are far too many circuits and sounds to think of it as merely an amp...
M ARK 5 THIRTY-FIVE ™ Table of Contents PRECAUTIONS OVERVIEW_____________________________________________________________________________________ 1-7 GETTING STARTED______________________________________________________________________________ 7-8 HELPFUL HINTS________________________________________________________________________________ 8-9 FRONT PANEL THE CHANNELS: MODE BY MODE_______________________________________________________________ 10-11 THE MODES IN DEPTH: CHANNEL 1_________________________
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug.
M ARK 5 THIRTY-FIVE ™ Operating Instructions Overview: NOTE: This section appears on our website. Feel free to skip this section and go straight to “GETTING STARTED” if you have read it there or don’t need a global overview of the amplifier. Following a 35 year tradition of 4xEL84 based power with successful models such as the Caliber™, Maverick™, Nomad™ and Lone Star™, we’re proud to add the legendary and first-ever MARK preamp to the 9-Pin power lineup and include the MARK FIVE™: 35.
a looser feel and enhanced power clip expression. To further bolster its stage-ready resume, we’ve added a Channel Independent SOLO™ Feature, a long-spring tank for the all-tube Reverb, the complete set of Voicing Choices from our CabClone™ with the addition of the VINTAGE voicing mode to its on-board DI Output and an upgraded Footswitch for access to the new footswitchable choices.
What was a switchable On/Off Gain Boost feature on the original MARK I appears here (and on the Carlos Tribute KING SNAKE) as an adjustable MID/BOOST found on the MID Control. From 0 to 5.0 on the MID/BOOST you will find the normal range of a standard MID control in a condensed form. From 5.0 to 10 on the MID/BOOST a wonderful graduation of overdrive possibilities unfold that enhance gain over a wide midrange spectrum and saturate with increasing thickness.
harmonics and even more urgent attack than its cousin upstairs, the IIC+ Mode. This hyper reactive voice jumps at the first hint of pick attack and roars with aggression. It’s further antagonized by the similar response of the EL84 power tubes here in the FIVE: 35 with their fast attack, higher mid frequency and relative lack of sub-low bottom end. XTREME shreds, grinds and thrashes like the angry teen that it is circuit-wise and whatever it lacks in nuance, it makes up for in brash attitude.
used in our Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five and has the ability to enhance many styles. It’s the perfect fit for the 6 versatile preamp Modes in this MARK rendering as well. The 10 Watt setting is great for lower volume practicing, rehearsing and recording and allows more use of the power section as a gain source, enabling you to reduce the preamp’s GAIN Control settings and explore the old school approach to achieving tube overdrive... power saturation.
Overview: Rear Panel The first feature of note starting at the far left is the Series, Fully Buffered, FX LOOP. This is the interface point for outboard processing and it provides a junction between the preamp and power section. The LOOP performs well with both Rack and Pedal type outboard gear with the obvious exceptions being those effects that work better on the INPUT of an amplifier (Wah, Compression, Gain and Overdrive Pedals, Envelope Filters, etc.).
NOTE: When using the SPKR ON position, make SURE you have a working speaker connected to one of the SPEAKER OUTPUTS. Failure to do so may result in damage to your amplifier that is not covered under Warranty. Using the amplifier in the SPKR ON position without a speaker or external load (resistor, soak, etc) will likely cause damage to your output transformer and render your amplifier inoperative. Damage caused in this manner will not be covered under warranty.
SAMPLE SETTINGS Below are a couple of different ways to set up the two Channels for Channel Switching sound (Mode) choices. Remember, there are countless ways to set up the Channels and after reading the rest of this Operating Guide, you will be well equipped to dedicate the Channels to your footswitchable needs quickly and effortlessly.
• The Front Panel CHANNEL SELECT mini toggle (located between the two Mode switches at the left of the Front Panel) must be set to the CENTER FS position for the Footswitch to select the Channels. • The GAIN and TREBLE Controls are the most powerful tone shaping controls in each Channel and should be used with taste. They determine much about the attack characteristic and the overall personality of the sound in all the Modes.
FRONT PANEL MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 35 W EQ FS 10 W 25 EQ MK IV PWR O SOLO 1 SOLO 2 POWER STANDBY ON 25 EQ FS XTREME ON 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ INPUT EQ ON O 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 M ARK 5 10 W THIRTY-FIVE CAUTION: Unplug power before servicing MADE IN PETALUMA, CA WITH THE WORLD’S FINEST MATERIALS MARK FIVE: 35™ VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIER THE CHANNELS: MODE BY MODE FX 2A SLO BLO SPEAKERS SPKR ON PATENTED 6,621,907 6,724,897 7,6
CHANNEL 2 This Channel is the higher gain channel of the MARK FIVE: 35 and is dedicated to creating the best saturated gain sounds from our fabled MARK II-C+ and our MARK IV. Though the entire channel is aimed at high gain sounds, many expressive and dynamic medium to low-gain sounds can also be found here with the GAIN control set lower (below 11:00). Again, this channel defies classification as to style and is extremely versatile for both lower and high gain, chording and single note sounds.
THE MODES IN DEPTH: CHANNEL 1 CLEAN As discussed in the previous section, this is the lowest gain of the three Channels in the MARK FIVE: 35 and will cover all your “more-stripped”, brighter needs for clean rhythm and solo styles as well as slightly driven chording sounds. As with the Modes in each of these two MARK Channels, we start with the slimmer, tighter voice of CLEAN, move up the girth scale to FAT, and finally to the higher gain, mid-saturated architecture of CRUNCH...
FAT works great for chording and rhythmic work, but in contrast to the CLEAN Mode, FAT sings with a huge, lush voice that fills-in a mix and casts a halo of harmonic richness around the entire instrument. The sonic footprint is much wider than CLEAN and can carry a part such that it becomes the backbone of a song without any processing. The gain structure of FAT is tapered so that it’s more suited to threshold and clipped sounds with more gain lower, and presenting sooner on the GAIN Control.
The MODES IN DEPTH: CHANNEL 2 Channel 2 in the MARK FIVE: 35, taken directly from the MARK FIVE’s Channel 3, is a tribute to the entire line of MARK series Channel Switching amplifiers and contains three circuits from the pinnacle of that architecture. The two most sought after of these, the MARK II-C+ and the MARK IV, provided both the starting points and ultimate reference for this collection of Modes.
Hints For The Best Results With The MK IIC+ Mode • Use the Graphic EQ if you need extreme low end with high GAIN settings - this comes later in the circuit and will have less tendency to get loose and tubby than that of the rotary BASS control. • Work with the GAIN, TREBLE and PRESENCE in fine increments when searching for your ideal lead voice as these interact greatly and have a big effect on pick attack sensitivity and focus.
path at a point earlier in the preamp to get the job done correctly. This “early bass” gets amplified over and over until it turns to flub, where as the Graphic EQ comes at the end of the signal chain and adds low end to the “finished preamp sound”. IMPORTANT! A Few Words On Pickups Pickups are a huge factor and ingredient in the overall character of your Tone.
XTREME The last Mode in Channel 2 is named appropriately and is all about more! More gain, more attack, more punishing mids, more tight, huge lows and as you have probably discovered by now, more output volume. Though it’s one letter short of its forbearers’ name, it performs here in the MARK FIVE: 35 with equal fury and is by far the most radical of this amp’s Modes. XTREME traces its lineage back to a feature on the MARK IV that resided on the Channel 3 (LEAD) PRESENCE control of that amp.
THE CONTROLS INPUT This ¼ inch jack is the INPUT to the preamp. Connect your Instrument here using a good quality, shielded cable (grounded) of preferably no more than 12–15 feet in length. Longer cables may compromise the sound and roll off top end due to increased capacitance. MID FAT CLEAN BOOST EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O CRUNCH 25 ON SOLO 1 SOLO 2 POWER STANDBY NOTE: Like every part in an electronic signal chain, cables can have a fairly dramatic effect on the sound.
The Channel 2 Modes offer up their most iconic, focused and detailed sounds in this middle zone. As these sounds are all higher gain than their Channel 1 counterparts, the best dynamic response and attack characteristics are at the lower end of this range. As you approach 2:00 there will be plenty of saturation to keep chords grinding and single notes hanging and you will start noticing increasing compression of the sound.
MID/BOOST: CHANNEL 1 This is actually two controls in one, hence the two names. In addition to the power of a standard MID control, this pot endows Channel 1 with a whole region of dial-to-taste extra gain in the warm round middle frequencies and is found on this control’s upper region (5.0–10). This feature first appeared on Original MARK I models of the Seventies as an ON/OFF switch. Here we’ve given you an adjustable pot where once you had to choose from opposite extremes with an On/Off switch.
From there on up (1:00–5:30) the MID introduces an aggressive range of sounds that are both full and forward as the dominant frequencies become those present under control of the MID. In this range you may choose to increase the BASS to add back in the richness and warmth that gets overshadowed when the MID control is set high.
You can think of the PRESENCE as a control that allows you to either clamp the power amp down, compressing it and darkening things, or open it up and let the full spectrum of upper harmonics come blazing through. It also has a great deal to do with how dynamic the signal is and how a sound will cut through the mix in an ensemble environment. At low settings (7:30–10:30) the sound will be warm and round with a more compressed feel and dynamic fluctuation will be somewhat limited.
The MASTER here in the FIVE: 35 is really nothing more than a variable resistor that offers an infinite range of settings possibilities and makes the amplifier many times more versatile with no sonic penalty. If you prescribe to this old school approach, then by all means, use the MASTER that way… it won’t hurt the amplifier. However, you will be severely limiting the potential sounds you can achieve by removing the nearly limitless great sounding combinations of GAIN and MASTER settings.
0Hz In each Channel you can decide which of three ways you want to apply the EQ: EQ ON 35 W O 25 MASTER ON EQ ON (toggle up) - EQ ACTIVE all the time in that Channel 10 W EQ FS PWR EQ SOLO 1 SOLO 2 POWER STANDBY 35 W EQ ON O ON O (toggle center) - BYPASSED all the time in that Channel 25 EQ FS 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 M ARK 5 10 W THIRTY-FIVE ™ EQ FS (toggle down) - CONTROLLED BY THE EQ BUTTON ON THE FOOTSWITCH MADE IN PETALUMA, CA WITH THE WORLD’S FINEST MATERIALS SPEAKERS CH 1
where the 35 WATT setting would still be clean and have ample headroom. 25 WATTS offers that perfect window… easy to push into clip and loud, but not too loud… powerful enough to play with a drummer, but not so powerful that you’re melting eardrums in the front row. And finally, we HAD to include this Mode… the success of the MARK FIVE: 25 was so strong, we dared not risk leaving that magic combination, one of the most usable wattage ranges of all, out of its bigger brother’s trick bag.
MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 35 W EQ FS 10 W REAR PANEL 25 EQ MK IV PWR O POWER STANDBY ON 25 EQ FS XTREME ON SOLO 1 SOLO 2 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ INPUT EQ ON O 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 M ARK 5 10 W THIRTY-FIVE CAUTION: Unplug power before servicing MADE IN PETALUMA, CA WITH THE WORLD’S FINEST MATERIALS MARK FIVE: 35™ VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIER FX SPEAKERS PATENTED 6,621,907 6,724,897 7,602,927 2A SLO BLO SEND FOOT SW.
1. Connect the SEND jack on the MARK FIVE: 35 Rear Panel to your processor’s INPUT using a high quality shielded cable of the shortest possible length. 2. Connect the RETURN jack of the MARK FIVE: 35 to your (last) processor’s OUTPUT also using a high quality shielded cable of the shortest possible length. 3. Adjust the processor(s) Output level stage (hopefully your processor has an OUTPUT LEVEL control) to match the volume present after connecting the device(s) to the MARK FIVE: 35 FX LOOP.
NOTE: Introducing a bit of internal REVERB into the mix or even an outboard processor into the FX Loop set to a Delay Preset can help the HEADPHONE Output sound more alive and natural, as it helps compensate for the air and “expansion” present when using a speaker cabinet in a live room. The MARK FIVE: 35 is the second, and probably not the last, MESA amplifier to include the CabClone™ D.I. circuitry and associated HEADPHONE Output.
R later in this manual regarding speaker impedance and speaker hook-up schemes. No matter how unusual your speaker setup, it is usually possible to get optimum, safe performance through various speaker wiring techniques. NOTE: We prefer an 8 Ohm Cabinet (Impedance) Load whenever possible and feel it provides the optimum impedance matching and delivers the best performance.
ing SPKR ON defeats the internal Load and connects the signal to the SPEAKER Outputs. DO NOT USE THE AMPLIFIER IN THE SPKR ON SWITCH POSITION WITHOUT A CABINET (LOAD) CONNECTED! Damage to the amplifier will likely occur and is not covered under the Warranty! NOTE: REMINDER! If you have everything ON...
CabClone™ D.I. This male 3-pin XLR Output provides a balanced signal for direct interface to a Console. Use a standard 3-Pin XLR mic cable (of any reasonable length) to connect to your direct interface destination of choice. Next choose whether you wish to record with the CabClone™ speaker compensated signal alone, or whether you wish to blend a live speaker cabinet with this Direct signal using the SPKR OFF/SPKR ON mini toggle to the left.
NOTES
FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS FAT CLEAN / II-C+ LEAD MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ OPTIONAL EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV O 25 EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 10 W TIGHT CLIPPED / II-C+ BLUES LEAD MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ OPTIONAL EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV O 25 EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 22
FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS II-C+ CLEAN / II-C+ SOARING LEAD MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ OPTIONAL EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV O 25 EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 10 W CRUNCH SOLO / MARK IV TIGHT RHYTHM MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 220
FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS CRUNCH MODE BLUES / II-C+ LOW SOLO MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ OPTIONAL EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV O 25 EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 10 W LITTLE AMP MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS INPUT EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ OPTIONAL EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV O 25 EQ FS XTREME 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600
USER SETTINGS MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME MID FAT CLEAN BOOST FS 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W 25 EQ PWR MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME FAT MID BOOST FS 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W 25 EQ PWR MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME FA
USER SETTINGS MID FAT CLEAN BOOST CRUNCH FS EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W O GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER 25 EQ PWR 35 W EQ ON MK IIC+ MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME MID FAT CLEAN BOOST FS 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W 25 EQ PWR MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME FAT MID BOOST FS 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 GAIN TREBLE MID BASS PRESENCE MASTER EQ ON 35 W EQ FS 10 W 25 EQ PWR MK IV 25 O EQ FS XTREME FA
TUBE NOISE & MICROPHONICS: You may occasionally experience some form of tube noise or microphonics. Certainly no cause for alarm, this quirky behavior comes with the territory and the Tone. Much like changing a light bulb, you don’t need a technician to cure these types of minor user serviceable annoyances and in fact, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to cure tube problems...
DIAGNOSING PRE-AMP TUBE PROBLEMS: Because your amplifier is an all tube design, it is quite possible that you will at some point experience minor pre-amp tube noise. Rest assured - this is no cause for alarm and you can take care of the problem yourself in a matter of minutes by simply swapping tubes. Let us begin by saying; It is a “very good” idea to keep at least a couple of spare pre-amp tubes on hand at all times to insure uninterrupted performance.
SPEAKER IMPEDANCE MATCHING & HOOK-UP GUIDE: IMPEDANCE: Wiring up speakers to provide the most effective load and making sure that all of them are in phase will help in creating the best sound possible. This is not too difficult, as long as you understand a few things about loading and how to connect your speakers to provide an optimal resistive load. MESA/Boogie amplifiers can handle 4 and 8 ohms effectively.
SPEAKER IMPEDANCE MATCHING & HOOK-UP GUIDE: (Continued) PARALLEL: When wiring in parallel, the resistance of the speakers decreases. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in ( hooked-up ) Parallel results in a 4 ohm load. It’s easy to calculate the effect of a resistive load when all the speakers are all the same resistance. It is really not suggested to wire different resistive load values in Parallel ( 8 and 4, 16 and 8 etc.
WIRING SCHEMES...
6 WIRING SCHEMES...
WIRING SCHEMES...
WIRING SCHEMES...
12AX7 V2 12AX7 V1 INPUT JACK 12AX7 V3 12AX7 V4 EL84 V7 12AX7 V5 EL84 V9 10 Watts = V7, V8 Triode 25 Watts = V7, V8 Pentode 35 Watts = V7 - V10 Pentode POWER TUBES 12AX7 V6 BEFORE CHANGING TUBES FLIP POWER & STANDBY SWITCH TO OFF 6 x 12AX7 EL84 V10 V6A&B- Driver/Phase Inverter V5A- FX Loop Return V5B- 5th Gain Stage CH2 V4A- Reverb Return V4B- Reverb Send FRONT OF CHASSIS MARK FIVE: 35 HEAD TUBE REPLACEMENT EL84 V8 PREAMP TUBES V1A- Input Stage CH1 & CH2 V1B- 2nd Gain Stage CH1 CLEAN &
MK IV FS PAGE 47 MK IIC+ FS MK IV CRUNCH CLEAN 120 V~ 60 Hz 2A GAIN 2A SLO BLO TUBE GUIDE 6 x 12AX7 4 x EL 84 FUSE: 795101 HOLDER: 790346 EXPORT FUSE: 790200 HOLDER: 790347 120 V~ 60 Hz 2A 2A SLO BLO TUBE GUIDE 6 x 12AX7 4 x EL 84 PATENTED 6,621,907 6,724,897 7,602,927 JACK pt# 613600 SEND MID RETURN 3x JACKS pt# 619391 FX RETURN HEADPHONE MARK FIVE: 35™ VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIER BASS HEADPHONE MARK FIVE: 35™ VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIER 590794 BASS 590794 REVERB CH 2 590151 REVERB
15/11/05
