Unveiled at the most recent NAMM, the Mesa/Boogie Mark V might just be company founder Randall Smith's crowing achievement, with an impressive array of tone-shaping options and no fewer than nine patented circuit design elements.

We might even be inclined to call the Mark V "stupid versatile," but so as not to be misconstrued, we'll call it "ever so versatile." The three channel Mark V is capable of nine distinctly different voices, as each channel has a three-way mode selector switch. Think of it this way:

• Channel One:
  • Clean
  • Fat
  • Tweed
• Channel Two:
  • Edge
  • Crunch
  • Mark I
• Channel Three:
  • Mark IIC+
  • Mark IV
  • Extreme

As you can see by the some of the mode names, the Mark V is capable of tones from some of Mesa/Boogie's best selling amps of the past, as well as some tones they've never fully explored before. In addition, channel one has a normal / bold switch, channel two's Mark I mode has a normal / thick switch, and channel three has both a normal / bright switch and a pentode / triode switch. A total of seven 12AX7 preamp tubes are arranged in various configurations, with some tubes being shared by all channels, and some tubes

The amp is made even more versatile with the classic five-band EQ, which can be integrated on a per-channel basis, and is also footswitchable. Finally, the amplifier can be biased switched to either accept 6L6, EL34, or even 6V6 power tubes, and each channel can be individually set to one of three wattages: 10, 45, or 90.

Other clever functions on the Mesa/Boogie Mark V include a built-in solo/boost function that can be set to either boost or mute the overall output, and is setup as a secondary master volume. There's also variac wired to the power switch, so that the amp may be run in a Vintage-sounding "brown-out" power mode, which creates a looser, easier to clip amp characteristic.

The Mesa/Boogie Mark V is currently in production, possibly even shipping by the time we post this article, and will come in both a head verison and a Celestion C 90 1x12 combo. Expect a street price of about $2,000 for the head and $2,100 for the 1x12 combo.