FS: Mesa Coliseums - Mark IIB/III no-stripe/III blue-stripe

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narad

narad

Well-known member
Decided to trim down my coliseum collection now while the yen is quite weak. These are rare and super powerful Mesas, each with 6 6L6 power sections.

The IIB is the most special, as it was previously owned by Aerosmith and then (last year) went to Mike B for a full reworking of the preamp and loop mod (in addition to cap replacement). A lot of work - I think I paid Mesa $2k in total, one of the last amps to get the original blue caps. It's just an absolute monster with no NFB. It is somewhat both extremely crushing and simultaneously vintage -- you can be playing Metallica and have it be a super punishing rhythm amp, and then play some chords more gently and have it sound very classic rock. The finger feel on leads is also kind of hard to describe, maybe "chewy", but quite unique among both mark series and all my amps (have 27 atm). This one has a wood headshell. A lot of these prefer these to the IIC+/IIC+ colis (okay, well some, not many people actually have played both :D)

The no-stripe is probably the rarest. It's one of the very earliest of the Mark III colis and voiced totally different from the later ones. It has more mid range, and is a bit smoother and less aggressive overall.

The blue-stripe is possibly the most aggressive Mesa Mark ever -- the most stripe voicing, it is brash and bright and cutting, together with the massive power section and a ton of thump. John Sykes used these.

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Price-wise, asking:
$6500 for the IIB
$3700 for the no-stripe
$3500 for the blue-stripe

These are prices without tubes, and shipping worldwide is about $380. I ship the headshells and chassis separately, and have just ordered custom boxes for each. The reason I don't like to ship with tubes is that it really puts me in a spot when someone receives an amp and says they want an extra pair of tubes. I really have no way to verify, and there's no visual indication, and there's nothing at fault in the packing really, either. It is possible also to work something out with tubes but I think maybe it's easier to just discount the price from the usual going rate.

I have a huge collection of amps, and there are a few things I'd like to try out. If you have something interesting feel free to hit me up (would likely need to be metal oriented). I could possibly take delivery from within the US as well (though I'm currently in Japan).
 
glpg80 said:
That blue stripe Coli is calling your name. I don’t even think Sykes had his modded. Plug in and go.

All you need is to send it to Mike for ++ treatment and full pentode conversion and you’re in for a world of amazement ?
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Yup, that turned a beast of an amp into a WMD.
 
Techdeth said:
Mark 3 is my favorite marks , grab it . Just do good
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I have mine with Mike B now getting the ++ treatment. I gotta move this Friedman before I can do anything. This blue stripe coliseum.. the + modded III also for sale on this forum.. fack!
 
xpoopx said:
I have mine with Mike B now getting the ++ treatment. I gotta move this Friedman before I can do anything. This blue stripe coliseum.. the + modded III also for sale on this forum.. fack!
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I kept the 3++ Greenstripe. Sold my other 4 marks
 
My blue stripe III++ Coli is here to stay. Most expensive amp I own and what it does it does better than anything else I’ve ever come across. Makes my 4x6500 loaded 74 Marshall seem sonically small in comparison.
 
Jason is a known good dude & a member of my Coliseum owner's group, buy with confidence. :)

That loop modded IIB is the prize. I know numerous guys, myself included, who have a loop modded IIB Coli as well as a IIC+ Coli, who would all sell the C+ first.
 
@narad what Preamp Board version of the IIB is your Coliseum (RP-9C, RP-9A, etc.)?
 
glpg80 said:
That blue stripe Coli is calling your name. I don’t even think Sykes had his modded. Plug in and go.

All you need is to send it to Mike for ++ treatment and full pentode conversion and you’re in for a world of amazement ?
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I thought Sykes famous one was a black stripe?
 
journeyman73 said:
I thought Sykes famous one was a black stripe?
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You’re correct - the 87 album was recorded in the fall of either 85 or 86 meaning black stripe era. You’ll have more gain on tap with the blue and green era than the black/no stripe though. The blue stripe circa 1988 is the brightest most pissed off era and created at the height of the 1980’s just before glam took over. Black/no stripes aren’t impossible to find (seller has one here) but the no stripe era/black stripe era is hard to vouch for given the similarities in price to a blue stripe, and even less once you’ve sent a III in to Mike B for +/++ treatment IMO.

Also as seller stated Sykes did use blue stripes later on. There’s a reason blue and green reign supreme and are in high demand. No stripe/black stripe just have a different voicing that either you like or your don’t - it’s period correct for the time given what was available but I’d take a blue over a no stripe/black stripe anyday.
 
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Thanks for the info! I didn't know Sykes experienced both flavors of Mark III Coli!

The blue stripe was basically my go-to for 2-3 years, and the amp that lives on the Mesa 2x EVM 2x MC-90 cab, so for the most part I agree with that sentiment and my heart lies a bit more with its over-the-top nature. But sometimes on that cab it could be a bit too brash -- it seems weird given what I expect from those speakers spec-wise or even my experience with them when they were in separate 2x12s, but at the moment that cab is one of the harsher cabs I have. The blue stripe into that can definitely be an ear fatiguing experience. But then the no-stripe into that feels right, and the blue-stripe into the 2x12 with DV77s feels more pleasurable - still has the cut, but not making my hair stand up on end when playing on the top strings either :D

So I think people who want like an 80s guitar virtuoso sort of sound are going to like the blue-stripe more, and people who want to sort of round out a Mesa collection with a new flavor are going to like the no-stripe a bit more, but for me changing the speakers around can do a lot to move them into either direction. The geqs don't seem to be enough to really alter the inherent voicing of each model though -- I can't sit there on the same cab and tweak the EQ and get them to sound particularly close to each other. The best way I can describe it and what my friend agreed with when we were A/Bing, is the no-stripe probably can sound closer to the master of puppets recording, and the blue stripe probably sounds closer to what you want MoP to sound like.
 
narad said:
Thanks for the info! I didn't know Sykes experienced both flavors of Mark III Coli!

The blue stripe was basically my go-to for 2-3 years, and the amp that lives on the Mesa 2x EVM 2x MC-90 cab, so for the most part I agree with that sentiment and my heart lies a bit more with its over-the-top nature. But sometimes on that cab it could be a bit too brash -- it seems weird given what I expect from those speakers spec-wise or even my experience with them when they were in separate 2x12s, but at the moment that cab is one of the harsher cabs I have. The blue stripe into that can definitely be an ear fatiguing experience. But then the no-stripe into that feels right, and the blue-stripe into the 2x12 with DV77s feels more pleasurable - still has the cut, but not making my hair stand up on end when playing on the top strings either :D

So I think people who want like an 80s guitar virtuoso sort of sound are going to like the blue-stripe more, and people who want to sort of round out a Mesa collection with a new flavor are going to like the no-stripe a bit more, but for me changing the speakers around can do a lot to move them into either direction. The geqs don't seem to be enough to really alter the inherent voicing of each model though -- I can't sit there on the same cab and tweak the EQ and get them to sound particularly close to each other. The best way I can describe it and what my friend agreed with when we were A/Bing, is the no-stripe probably can sound closer to the master of puppets recording, and the blue stripe probably sounds closer to what you want MoP to sound like.
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When you do the ++ it really removes that harsh top end blue stripes are known for and helps round things out. A blue stripe III++ is really hard to contend with. I wish more people could play one.
 
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