Boogie Mark IV and Mark 3 ...

Mark III is more raw, dry & vintage sounding. Mark IV is easier under the fingers, slightly more HiFI / 3D sounding, awesome lead channel. Cleans are amazing on the Mark III - maybe a tiny bit better than on the Mark IV. The controls and tonal options on the Mark IV are 10 times better than on the III. The shared controls make so that you can really only one really good tone at a time without changing the changing the knobs / eq (same issue as on c+). If you can find a good deal on Mark III i'd say go for it so you can see the difference for yourself, they are both great amps. The Mark IV might be the desert island amp for me (ahead of a III and IIC+) given the amazing lead channel and how good the controls are.
 
Ratou said:
Mark III is more raw, dry & vintage sounding. Mark IV is easier under the fingers, slightly more HiFI / 3D sounding, awesome lead channel. Cleans are amazing on the Mark III - maybe a tiny bit better than on the Mark IV. The controls and tonal options on the Mark IV are 10 times better than on the III. The shared controls make so that you can really only one really good tone at a time without changing the changing the knobs / eq (same issue as on c+). If you can find a good deal on Mark III i'd say go for it so you can see the difference for yourself, they are both great amps. The Mark IV might be the desert island amp for me (ahead of a III and IIC+) given the amazing lead channel and how good the controls are.
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I really learn that when it comes to those very raw amps... "tight" its leads tends to be shrill and thin if ya wanna look into lead works... abit of smooth mids and fatten up will be just nice...
 
Yeah the mark iv will be a bit smoother and forgiving for leads i think. However, knobs, graphic eq and various settings can greatly alter the tones of these amps so you can of course make each of them darker/brighter. I've only had experience with a Mark III blue stripe (with + mod done at the factory) which are supposedly brighter / more aggressive so your mileage may very with different revisions.
 
Ratou said:
Yeah the mark iv will be a bit smoother and forgiving for leads i think. However, knobs, graphic eq and various settings can greatly alter the tones of these amps so you can of course make each of them darker/brighter. I've only had experience with a Mark III blue stripe (with + mod done at the factory) which are supposedly brighter / more aggressive so your mileage may very with different revisions.
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I probably pass it... unless i find a green... but i seen a recto multiwatt which also interest me alot.... heard many good about the multiwatter...
 
I guess almost everything that can be said has been said about the III and IV, but let me tell you when I sold my Mark III red stripe for an early IVb I didn't regret it at all. I find III's can be a bit fatiguing on my ears at times, the treble and presence, while the IV has a more usable range of presence and treble to it, at least IMO. It also has more voicing options, like the pull presence, which I love, gives it a nice cutting sound. It does sound a bit more modern though, so if you want a more vintage voiced amp, the III is it.
 
anomaly said:
I guess almost everything that can be said has been said about the III and IV, but let me tell you when I sold my Mark III red stripe for an early IVb I didn't regret it at all. I find III's can be a bit fatiguing on my ears at times, the treble and presence, while the IV has a more usable range of presence and treble to it, at least IMO. It also has more voicing options, like the pull presence, which I love, gives it a nice cutting sound. It does sound a bit more modern though, so if you want a more vintage voiced amp, the III is it.
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Thatd very true!! I take ya advise !! Thx alot guys !! I have the IVB good enough unless i find the Green stripe or a Rev IVA
 
glpg80 said:
I find recordings of a IV rev A sound better and more classic in a good way than a IV rev B, but I prefer a green or red stripe III over both. The IV rev A has this low mid/low end emphasis that is almost recto like that I don’t prefer and the B has this cocked wah attitude going on in the voicing I can’t stand.

I’m comparing non coliseum versions here. I own a blue stripe Coli but not trying to skew bias.

I actually like the mark V in IV mode over actual IV recordings. The repeat concerns of a VII not being able to cut in a live setting are concerning as sonically it’s important high gain amps have somewhere to sit sonically in a mix.
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I find that wah thing you're talking about with the IVb only happens when you dime the treble or use very mid present pickups. I can get mine dialed in nice without that annoying trait. That low end, low mid thing you are talking about is because the pre-amp bass control doesn't zero out completely on the IVa, it lets a bit of sub sonic bass through even with the bass dial at 0, also the low mids are in slightly different spots on the IVa and IVb.
 
anomaly said:
I find that wah thing you're talking about with the IVb only happens when you dime the treble or use very mid present pickups. I can get mine dialed in nice without that annoying trait. That low end, low mid thing you are talking about is because the pre-amp bass control doesn't zero out completely on the IVa, it lets a bit of sub sonic bass through even with the bass dial at 0, also the low mids are in slightly different spots on the IVa and IVb.
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This all makes total sense and supports my personal opinion having not owned one.

I do agree III are sonically fatiguing and that’s still the case with a + or ++. I don’t get the same sonic fatigue from my 101B but the KRG can wear you out sonically and physically since they’re not easy to solo on at all and very stiff on high registers but super fun to riff on at lower registers (the stiffness goes away for riffs but is very prominent at higher registers)

I’m between a 5150 iii stealth, mark V, or a mark VII. It will be a while before I make a decision. I know the IV isn’t my jam though. I like the classic mark aggressiveness in the III and the additional gain over a IIC+. I’ve never liked a IIC++. Ruins what makes a IIC+ a IIC+
 
I own both and could easily say I would keep the the III Red over the IVA if I had to absolutely release 1 of them. It also depends on what sound you are going for. The III can’t really pull off truly “modern” sounding tones IMO. Doesn’t mean it isn’t still outrageous sounding, because it is. IMO it’s a bit of a far cry from the IV, which can pull off anything.

III - Raw, cutting, powerful. Huge percussive lows and ratty sharp highs (a good thing in moderation).

IV - Super smooth, sub low end punch, MEAN modern chugs with the right boost pedal, singing highs, easier to dial in.
 
anomaly said:
the pre-amp bass control doesn't zero out completely on the IVa, it lets a bit of sub sonic bass through even with the bass dial at 0,
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i've never heard this, but i totally believe it. i keep my bass at zero with my explorer, and 2 with my strat. rarely ever go higher.
 
I sold my iv and kept my green stripe iiii . Just a better amp tone wise . It’s more agressive than the iv . I also sold all my other marks . The green stripe just slays
 
Sermo Lupi said:
What are your thoughts on the Mark VII and JP2C? You seem to hear it both ways, that the feel isn't exactly the same, or more commonly that the IIC+ modes can be tweaked until they're nearly identical to the original. I've never played a IIC+, so I can't really weigh in here, but the demos I've heard online are very convincing.

My only reservation is that I never found the Mark IV mode on the Mark V very close to my Mark IVa, despite demos making them sound similar as well.
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...That's because close mic recording is far from the sound (and feel) in the room. If you're only after recording, the modern Marks are great & arguably more versatile. They're more sterile to play, though.
 
Sermo Lupi said:
Can you elaborate at all? Hadn't heard anything like that.
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I was at least one of those guys. The VII was actually pretty impressive in the bedroom & recording, however in the band it had a mushy attack and pushed all the air of a modeler. A/Bing it live with a MkIV was a massive difference in percussiveness, attack & movement of air.
 
braintheory said:
III's are more raw, gritty, intense in the highs (can be harsh for some guy's taste) and more scooped. IV's are generally smoother, more polished, and fatter, more low mids. Personally if I had both, I'd just sell both and buy a IIC+ and not need the other mark amps
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IMO the IVb does something no other Mark does (for high gain) and is worth having separately- where the IIs and IIIs are "more" interchangeable. The IVb is the last of the kick ass Marks and is a sweet spot of rawness, compression, 3 dimensionality & good mids. Honestly I prefer it in the live band to the IIC+ and IIIs. Only my IIB+ Coli is as good (better) in the live band.
 
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