# Mesa/Boogie Mark V info for Canadians



## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

So I called Long and Mcquade today and got the pricing on the Mark 5. The combos is $2750 and the I forget now but it's only $150 to $100 cheaper.

I did some calculations and this is what I came up with:

Long and McQuade
$2750CND x 13% (GST/PST) = $3107.00

Guitar Center
$2099USD x 8.7% (NY taxes) = 2281.61US 
2281.61 x current exchange rate = 2843.14 
x 8% Ontario taxes when going across the border 
= $3070.59CND
Minus gas, no savings at all!!! 

So unless our dollar goes up signifigantly this year, it's not even worth trying sneak it across the border. I read a business journal saying that our dollar may go up to .87 but that's still not enough to justify taking the chance. I've heard the fines can be up to $700, that and the whole ethics thing.

I hope I didn't burst any bubbles. Who knows, maybe long and mcquade will price match based on this.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

theroan said:


> So I called Long and Mcquade today and got the pricing on the Mark 5. The combos is $2750 and the I forget now but it's only $150 to $100 cheaper.
> 
> I did some calculations and this is what I came up with:
> 
> ...


I believe the fines associated with trying to smuggle a big ticket item like this are much higher than $700. If someone is really that eager to get one, I'd strongly suggest getting one in Canada.

Plus, quite often, warrantees offered with products sold in the US are only offered to US citizens.

And finally, if something does go wrong with the amp, do you really want to drag it back and forth across the border to get it serviced?

On a related note - that is an obscene price for a mass-produced amp.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

All the Mark series amps are hand made, which explains the boutique price.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

theroan said:


> All the Mark series amps are hand made, which explains the boutique price.


Yes, hand made using the finest circuit boards - hahahahahaha!

For that kind of money, one can pick up a real boutique amp.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

vds5000 said:


> Yes, hand made using the finest circuit boards - hahahahahaha!
> 
> For that kind of money, one can pick up a real boutique amp.


I got to ask...i'm not in boutique amps..but what makes them so much better?...i was looking at a Dr Z for 2000$...with zero controle no reverbe...and was wondering why on earth it was so expensive!...


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

IMHO Mesa have always been outragesley priced in Canada , why I do not know but at those prices you can do way better with say a CDN made Kingsley amp made right in BC and shipped to you , no sneaking needed . www.kingsleyamplifiers.com


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

nitehawk55 said:


> IMHO Mesa have always been outragesley priced in Canada , why I do not know but at those prices you can do way better with say a CDN made Kingsley amp . www.kingsleyamp.com


with exchange rate, their is barely 3% difference between US and CND price man


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

al3d said:


> I got to ask...i'm not in boutique amps..but what makes them so much better?...i was looking at a Dr Z for 2000$...with zero controle no reverbe...and was wondering why on earth it was so expensive!...


Build quality - in general, boutique amps seem to use better components. The attention to detail is higher as well. Also, when you're dealing with point-to-point circuitry, repairs are easier and less-costly. 

My Bruno (which I just sold last week) had no effects loop and no reverb. Did I miss either - nope. The tone was incredible. I only sold it to pay off some of my debt, plus I didn't really use it too much since buying my Top Hat.

All this being said, when I think 'boutique', I am talking about Bad Cat, Matchless, Savage, Swart, Top Hat, Victoria, etc.

I am not saying Mesa are bad - I have owned a .50 Caliber, a Lonestar Classic and a Mark IIC. I am just no longer a fan of their tone (in general), but they are decent quality. I'm just saying for that kind of money, why not look at other options?

It is almost like comparing an Ibanez Jem with a Tom Anderson.

(I know I'm gonna pay for this post) :smile:


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

al3d said:


> I got to ask...i'm not in boutique amps..but what makes them so much better?...i was looking at a Dr Z for 2000$...with zero controle no reverbe...and was wondering why on earth it was so expensive!...


They're hand made amps - hand built and hand wired, with no Printed Circuit Boards to cause problems in the future. You're paying for the "hand crafted" part of the operation.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Yes, I am considering having my tech build an amp and a cabinet as well. A couple of weekends ago one of his cabs was being used on stage and all of the musicians were gathered in front of it pointing and listening. He had so many people take his contact info regarding the cabinet that it really took him by surprise I think. Then I'll put SHMOUTIQUE on the front as the brand!!


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

al3d said:


> with exchange rate, their is barely 3% difference between US and CND price man


More like 30% from what I have seen . Some years back when Murch Music in Cambridge ON was selling them ( now an L&M ) his pricing was way beyond what you could buy them for in the US . Glenn himself told me it was the distributer causing the largest difference in price 
Buy used if you do go that route , used can be bought for a lot less than new .


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

nitehawk55 said:


> More like 30% from what I have seen . Some years back when Murch Music in Cambridge ON was selling them ( now an L&M ) his pricing was way beyond what you could buy them for in the US . Glenn himself told me it was the distributer causing the largest difference in price
> Buy used if you do go that route , used can be bought for a lot less than new .


Not initially though. With Mesa, you have to wait until the hype dies down a bit - usually takes about 12-18 months. Otherwise, you're paying through the nose even for a used piece.

For instance, I sold my Lonestar under a year after they started selling here in Canada. It sold in under a week for $1400. Some guy from Montreal actually drove down to get it (I live in the Niagara Region). At the same time, there were 3 Mark IV's on Craig's List (Toronto) selling for $1200-1400 and all 3 sat and sat and sat. At least 2 of them were mint, with one being newer than my Lonestar.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

al3d said:


> I got to ask...i'm not in boutique amps..but what makes them so much better?...i was looking at a Dr Z for 2000$...with zero controle no reverbe...and was wondering why on earth it was so expensive!...


Did you plug into it, or just look at it?? Serious question..

CT.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

CocoTone said:


> Did you plug into it, or just look at it?? Serious question..
> 
> CT.


no unfortunaly i did'nt have time to try it....i know they are supposely realy good, so i'm not passing judgment realy


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

al3d said:


> no unfortunaly i did'nt have time to try it....i know they are supposely realy good, so i'm not passing judgment realy


I think if you try a few boutique amps out, you may start to re-evalute your Mesa. 

I had my Mark IIC the same time that I had my Bruno. Both amps were capable of high gain. However, they were like night and day. With the Mesa, once the amount of gain reached moderate levels, it was very difficult to distinguish between 2 guitars with the same type of pickups (e.g. My Hamer Strat vs. My Fender Strat). With the Bruno, even at high gain levels, you could differentiate the differences in tone between the two guitars.

My playing can get sloppy, and with the Mesa - most of that sloppiness was hidden - the Mesa could get downright muddy sounding. This did not happen with the Bruno at all. Any and all mistakes I made in my playing showed through.

I guess it all comes down to what your priorities are: bells & whistles, or tone. Personally, if I want bells and whistles, I'd just get a Line 6.


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## Harvest (Oct 6, 2007)

vds5000 said:


> Not initially though. With Mesa, you have to wait until the hype dies down a bit - usually takes about 12-18 months. Otherwise, you're paying through the nose even for a used piece.
> 
> For instance, I sold my Lonestar under a year after they started selling here in Canada. It sold in under a week for $1400. Some guy from Montreal actually drove down to get it (I live in the Niagara Region). At the same time, there were 3 Mark IV's on Craig's List (Toronto) selling for $1200-1400 and all 3 sat and sat and sat. At least 2 of them were mint, with one being newer than my Lonestar.


There was a Mark IV combo sitting in L&M here for at least 3 years (actually it might still be there ) for $2400. They didn't drop the price at all on that thing. Granted the Mark IV is one of the most-hyped amps this side of a Plexi or JCM800, but you'll never get a real deal buying an amp from a chain store.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

vds5000 said:


> I think if you try a few boutique amps out, you may start to re-evalute your Mesa.
> 
> I had my Mark IIC the same time that I had my Bruno. Both amps were capable of high gain. However, they were like night and day. With the Mesa, once the amount of gain reached moderate levels, it was very difficult to distinguish between 2 guitars with the same type of pickups (e.g. My Hamer Strat vs. My Fender Strat). With the Bruno, even at high gain levels, you could differentiate the differences in tone between the two guitars.
> 
> ...


I think wanting say a reverb in an amp is a far cry from a line 6 man, but i get your point...


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

al3d said:


> I think wanting say a reverb in an amp is a far cry from a line 6 man, but i get your point...


Trust me, if you find a tone that literally 'knocks your socks off', you won't miss the reverb as much as you think. My Bruno didn't have reverb. My Top Hat doesn't have reverb. My Bad Cat has reverb, but believe it or not, I don't use it.

Most boutique amps take to pedals well, so if someone is really dying for reverb, they could always put a unit in front of the amp.

I recently put a Dimarzio 'Fast Track' (single coil-sized humbucker) in my Fender Japanese Strat and played it through my Bad Cat for the first time last week. I was just noodling around, not paying too much attention. Then it hit me - the tone sounds as good as any tone I've ever heard on any professional recording. This too me is a big deal because the tones we hear on professionall recordings are usually 'massaged' to sound their best. It was the first time a guitar tone made my jaw drop and I was speechless. I have never felt that way with any of my Mesas or Fenders, or Ampegs (and I've owned 3 Mesas, 12 Fenders and 3 Ampegs).


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Paul said:


> I bought my Victoria in part because I wanted the reverb and tremelo. I always have a touch of reverb on, and I use trem far more often than the aaaav-er-age bear.


I guess it would also depend on the physical characteristics of the room you're playing in. If the room has plenty of carpeting, drappery, etc., it may be a bit tougher to get away with having no reverb on an amp if you're used to reverb. I don't have any carpeting in any of my rooms and I use blinds, not drappery, so my house has plenty of ambience, so there is a little bit of natural reverb already occuring.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

So Long and Mcquade called me yesterday. The Mark V should be there late May or early June. REALLY EXCITED!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Some people just happen to actually like the mesa tone *shrugs*.

I want a mesa, I will own a mesa. I'm just going to own a Peters first, is all.


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## passenger (Feb 10, 2006)

theroan said:


> So Long and Mcquade called me yesterday. The Mark V should be there late May or early June. REALLY EXCITED!


wow, that's good to know. Gotta give it a try then. Better start saving some dough from now...


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

Luckily I have a Mark IV to sell to help pay for it. But the reviews are great. The clean is supposed to be better than the Lone Star, a British inspired 2nd channel and channel 3 has Mark IIC+ and Mark IV options. It's all I could need in an amp.


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

theroan said:


> Luckily I have a Mark IV to sell to help pay for it. But the reviews are great. The clean is supposed to be better than the Lone Star, a British inspired 2nd channel and channel 3 has Mark IIC+ and Mark IV options. It's all I could need in an amp.


I have a Roadster and let me tell you it is an awesome amp. The versatility is incredible. The Roadster being my first Mesa has got me hooked on Mesa amps.
Based on the clips I've heard, I will be getting the Mark V as well.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

See I wasn't all that thrilled with the Roaster. Does it sound better cranked?


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

vds5000 said:


> I guess it all comes down to what your priorities are: bells & whistles, or tone. Personally, if I want bells and whistles, I'd just get a Line 6.


Line 6 over a Boogie?

I guess your ear isn't as good as you claim.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

theroan said:


> See I wasn't all that thrilled with the Roaster. Does it sound better cranked?


Every boogie sounds better cranked


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

theroan said:


> See I wasn't all that thrilled with the Roaster. Does it sound better cranked?


Rectifiers sound like thin, buzzy crap until you get the master volume above 4 (and preferably up around 6)... at which point it morphs into a raging monster with extremely aggressive attack and thump.


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

screamingdaisy said:


> Rectifiers sound like thin, buzzy crap until you get the master volume above 4 (and preferably up around 6)... at which point it morphs into a raging monster with extremely aggressive attack and thump.



For practice levels my master is at 4, gigs at 6. I find the Roadster sounds great at any level. Far from thin sounding to me, but I have mine set up for more classic rock tones as opposed to high gains.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

The Mark V having a 10 watt mode for all channels is going to be sweet for bedroom playing/recording.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

ne1roc said:


> For practice levels my master is at 4, gigs at 6. I find the Roadster sounds great at any level. Far from thin sounding to me, but I have mine set up for more classic rock tones as opposed to high gains.


I used mine with the orange channel gain on 5. It was alright on low volumes, but generally sounded like a buzz box until it was turned up.

I say this because when the average dude plugs into a Recto at the guitar store he's lucky he gets the MV up to 1, then next thing you know he's on the internet telling everyone how much and why the Rectumfrier sucks, despite the fact that he's never actually used one properly.


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