Mesa Mark III

Shask said:
I also had a few of the Studio Preamps. I think I got those for $250 or $300 ?? I see those for close to $2k now, and I am just so confused, lol.

I now have a Synergy IICP, and I am happy with it for those tones. It gets close enough for when I want that particular flavor. I reminds me a lot of those Studio Preamps I had.
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I have a hard time understanding it myself. Last time I had a studio pre was about 10 years ago and I bought it for 400 and sold it for about the same, after having had it for about a year. Of course I was thinking if I want to get another one again, I can scrape up 400 bucks. 😂
Late last year, I sold my Quad because the money was too good to pass up. I felt strange listing it at the price I did, as it was two and half times the price I had bought it for (just before Covid). When I listed it, even making it the cheapest one of what I could find, was just 🤷‍♂️
As fun as the pre and the quad are, I just couldn’t see paying what they go for now.
 
This one was a No Stripe DRG with the 105. I knew something was wrong with it the first time I tried it. The board was hacked up so Mike B. replaced it with the CP1H. I forget how good it is.
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braintheory said:
That I don’t know. All I know is when I had compared them all (my 2 blue stripe and no stripe ++ coli) the 2 blues sounded the same to me other than the volume tapers being very different, while the No stripe ++ sounded and felt very different and I remember the red stripe ++ coli I tried also being a little different, but wasn’t able to compare that one to another. My iic+ coli (started life as a b coli) killed all 3 to me when compared
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There are reasons for this issuance of death. :) The IIB coli power section & the late IIB Colis with the limit knobs are the best there is.
 
GJgo said:
There are reasons for this issuance of death. :) The IIB coli power section & the late IIB Colis with the limit knobs are the best there is.
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Yeah mine has a limit knob. I thought my no stripe III++ sounded quite big vs the 2 blue stripe ++'s I had, but they all sounded small vs the IIB/C+ Coli. I've heard some guys say a factory IIC+ Coli doesn't sound as big, but I haven't tried one. I'd guess it would sound probably similarly big to the no stripe III++ coli I had? But with also improved tone and feel
 
Mark 3 and hell razor are the only amps I’m not using a boost for . I think that says a lot imo
 
At low volumes my 3+ Coli can keep up with my c+ Coli. It's when you turn them up that the c+ leaves the 3+ in the rear view mirror.
 
I love my III++ for what it does. It’s the most expensive amp I own and I refuse to pay more for anything IIB+ or IIC+. The differences are there but they aren’t worth $10,000+ more. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze as I just don’t chase that tone enough to care.
 
rstites said:
Anyone know the details of the three common mods talked about in these discussions:
  • +
  • ++
  • R2
I think that's right. Someone let me know if I'm wrong.

Just curious as I can't image these mods are that involved and these circuit boards look pretty simple to work on, if perhaps a bit of a PITA to get to components.
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There are three circuit changes for a iiC+ to a iiC++. On a III, the + mod is a cathode bypass capacitor added to V2b which is the gain boost you hear usually switching from R1 to R2. This gain boost is added to the lead channel.

The ++ mod I'm not sure but it could be the addition of the other two C++ circuit changes which are to make the lead channel a little tighter in addition to the V2b gain boost cap.

The R2 mod is changing a fixed resistor which sets the R2 volume to a pot so you can vary it instead.
 
I had a IIB, IIC+, III Red and still have a IVA. I bought them all new when they came out. Ironically the man I sold the III Red to suicide. The man he sold it to was murdered.
 
more great mark III green stripe demos and
covers the similar range of tones i like to dial from my blue stripe. the only difference is these guys sound like they use hotter pickups.



 
GJgo said:
There are reasons for this issuance of death. :) The IIB coli power section & the late IIB Colis with the limit knobs are the best there is.
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I just realized I’ve watched a few of your Mark III vids on YouTube. You’ve got some good stuff on your channel, some very nice comparisons and educational info.

I literally just picked up a blue stripe DRG after a deal for a red stripe fell through. Now I’m debating on which of my IIIs to have the ++ mod done, the blue or the green. Given your experience with various IIIs, would you recommend having one modded over the other? Will the mod affect one more drastically than the other, or does it even matter which one I choose?

Maybe I should just pick the one I like least as is and have it modded. Haven’t even had a chance to play the blue yet, so I’ll definitely be doing that tomorrow and comparing the two.

My brain is fried from all the info people have been nice enough to share in this thread, and everything else I’ve been reading up on these past several days. I feel like I’m maybe retaining half of it, so apologies to everyone if I’ve become repetitive with my incessant questions.
 
First rule I've learned the hard way, if it's not broke don't fix it. All amps that I loved stock, I loved less after they were modded.

Blue vs green- the green is actually the one stripe I haven't had, and I'd still like to try one. Personally I'm a pentode guy & don't care for triode (soft & weak) so even though I've had my fun with IIIs this is still on the list.

That said blue with the CP1G is so harsh on my tinnitus I can't stand it, so I would for sure put a blue up for the III+ mod (which I have done). However, the 1999 blue I had with the CP1H (which is more common in greens) was the best III I've owned (out of 9).
 
Techdeth said:
Mark 3 and hell razor are the only amps I’m not using a boost for . I think that says a lot imo
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Some amps just don't jive with a boost. But, that doesn't make them better than others that need one; or sound better with one. An EVH amp sounds like ass with a boost IMO. Yet, any JCM 800 2203/4 boosted destroys any and all EVH amps IMO. Like, not even a fair contest.

The Wizard MTL I had hated a boost. The MC100 loved one. I'd take the MC100 every day of the week over that MTL.

Needing/not needing a boost really has nothing to do with how great/not great an amp is. IMO anyway.
 
Racerxrated said:
Some amps just don't jive with a boost. But, that doesn't make them better than others that need one; or sound better with one. An EVH amp sounds like ass with a boost IMO. Yet, any JCM 800 2203/4 boosted destroys any and all EVH amps IMO. Like, not even a fair contest.

The Wizard MTL I had hated a boost. The MC100 loved one. I'd take the MC100 every day of the week over that MTL.

Needing/not needing a boost really has nothing to do with how great/not great an amp is. IMO anyway.
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Yeah it’s just about whatever gets us the desired sound. I feel adding a boost is sorta like adding sauce to a meat. Saying an amp that doesn’t need a boost is better is like saying beef is better than chicken because it doesn’t need sauce or other additions to be juicy. By that logic a Line 6 on the insane channel would also be better than an 800 since it doesn’t need a boost for metal

The only counter I’d say is for some styles of metal I think the EVH or MTL can be a more appropriate fit sometimes than the amps you compared to, but in either case would choose ideally other amps over those anyway
 
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Racerxrated said:
Some amps just don't jive with a boost. But, that doesn't make them better than others that need one; or sound better with one. An EVH amp sounds like ass with a boost IMO. Yet, any JCM 800 2203/4 boosted destroys any and all EVH amps IMO. Like, not even a fair contest.

The Wizard MTL I had hated a boost. The MC100 loved one. I'd take the MC100 every day of the week over that MTL.

Needing/not needing a boost really has nothing to do with how great/not great an amp is. IMO anyway.
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It truly is the user experience
 
Racerxrated said:
For years, I refused to boost anything. Thinking it should be killer without. But, that was close minded imo. After 12 years of boosting anything that would take one, I see the errors of my ways. Lol
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I don’t even remember when I learned boosting . I didn’t live until later . I probably saw it from the internet lol
 
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