It's Time for a Mesa Mark...III or IV

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peckhart

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Interested in picking up a Mesa Mark amp soon. Been stuck on modded Marshall type amps for the past 10 years and feel like trying something different. I never played through a Mark, but heard a Mark IV live a few years back and was really impressed with the tone. I think the whole thing with them being harder to dial in kept me away, but I don't need it to be my main amp out of the gate so I'll have the freedom to mess around and explore.

That said I am mainly interested in the high gain tones available from these amps. I play lead in a 2 guitar band covering mostly 80s hard rock. My rhythm guitarist covers the few clean parts we have on songs in the set list so I am able to ride one channel and just roll back my volume if I need a little less gain in parts.
I was pretty much dialed in on the idea of the IV since it is a tone that has stuck in my head after hearing it, but in my research I came across a lot of comments that the III is more open and raw/aggressive. I currently have a Bogner Helios 100 and Splawn Quickrod and have been primarily gigging the Helios lately. When I did some A/B with those amps I found they could get into similar sonic territories, but the Helios was more open and while the QR is certainly a pretty pissed off amp the Helios seems a little more raw and edgy. So I definitely favor the less compressed feel, but I do find myself wanting the Helios to be heavier at times. I run it in 70s mode, which isn't super saturated...80s mode is too compressed and loses the character I like so much in 70s mode.
All that is leading me to believe the III might be more up my alley. The shared EQ that limits the live versatility won't be an issue, but one thing I do need is the ability to volume boost for leads. Looks like both the III and IV are series loops and these are not PPIMV designs so I should be able to run say an EQ in the loop with only the level bumped up in order to kick in a transparent volume increase only.

I know this has been discussed a lot so I am not really expecting much new here, but if anyone cares to comment it is certainly welcome. And if anyone can verify the EQ in the loop trick works on both that would be awesome.

Thanks!
 
Run a Mark with a parametric EQ in front and stand back...a really great sound awaits
 
I just picked up a MkIII for a good price off ebay a couple of months ago and have really been enjoying it. I never got along with Boogie's back in the day because of the pain they are to dial in. I printed the owner manual off the Mesa site and found the suggested settings very helpful in dialing in some nice tones.

FWIW, the clean/rhythm channel of the MkIII can be dialed in for plenty of gain for heavy rhythm tones. I set mine up that way. I dial in the lead channel just strictly for leads, so I can set it's volume to the boosted level I need. In fact, I find that that shared EQ works out extremely well this way as the clean/rhythm channel retains a bit more bass and as it's cleared it handles riffing on the chords better.

I like it with hot pickups into it, though a good clean boost set to just push it a little is nice too.

I have no experience with a MkIV and I'm definitely not a Boogie guy, so that's all I've got. I'm generally more in the Marshall camp too.
 
Thanks rstites, that's great info. I wasn't counting on running ch 2 for rhythm as I didn't think it would have enough gain. Seems to be the case on the IVs anyway. Would be cool and easier though! My LPs all have hot pickups and my wireless has a built in adjustable boost too so I could kick the front end.
 
Look for a red or blue stripe Mark III. I've owned basically ever iteration of the Mark amps, and the III Red stripe was my favorite. Freaking Metallica in a box!
 
I've had a II, III and IV.
Prefer the IV.
Channel 2 is not very heavy but it's no matter. There's a channel three that is. :rock:
 
peckhart":3a4h18t7 said:
Thanks rstites, that's great info. I wasn't counting on running ch 2 for rhythm as I didn't think it would have enough gain. Seems to be the case on the IVs anyway. Would be cool and easier though! My LPs all have hot pickups and my wireless has a built in adjustable boost too so I could kick the front end.
Click to expand...

Definitely try it. I think you'll be pleased at gig volumes with it. You probably know this, but definitely get one with the graphic EQ. There's music styles that you can play perfectly fine with that amp without the EQ. Heavy music isn't it though. You need the EQ to get enough low end.

However, I definitely play with less gain for rhythm on heavy stuff than others, so it may just be me. I set my SLO up the same way: clean on the crunch channel, crank the gain to 11, punch it with a little boost and love the rhythm. I set the lead channel just for leads. The shared EQ works our similarly for me. The clean has a bit more bass and a bit more definition to it, which I like for riffing.

In both cases, I find that rolling back volume almost all the way on a pickup (and taking away any boost) makes for perfectly fine cleans for what I do in a live situation. For recording, I'd plug that MkIII into an open back cab and dial it in for a pure clean. It really is classic Fender clean there. In either case, I don't have a real clean. I can live with that. It sounds like you can too.

If none of that works for you, I'm sure a boost in the loop would work perfectly fine.
 
If you want a really nice one & not a cheap beat up one it sounds like you want the one I'm selling. ;) This will do what you want it to do. Epic amp, only reason I'm selling is because I just picked up a IIC+ & need to recoup some funds.

I agree with using R2 boosted for all rhythms, and keep the lead channel set up for just leads. Sounds the best that way. The III is IMO more raw & aggressive than the IV, and the red / blue were the most aggressive IIIs they did. To me the IV was the transition to the more modern compressed sound.

https://westslope.craigslist.org/msg/6031232207.html

https://youtu.be/5t339KHoOt4
 
Does R2 on both a III and IV have the same amount of gain?
 
I kind of just skimmed the OP's first post, but I like the MK3 better than the MK4. The 4 was the most confusing and hardest to EQ amp I've ever owned. 3's are a little easier to dial in since they are simpler and I think the tones are just as good or better anyway. Plus, 3's are still a bit cheaper than 4's.
 
Very small sample size here but I owned a III and was gassing for a IV so I tried several at music stores while I owned the III (SRG combo with EV). It may have been different venues/cab/etc but the III seemed a tad more open sounding than the IV. The difference was less than what I hear on clips of the IIC+ vs the III but it seemed real.

This video has noticable differences between the 3. The IIC has more clarity and is more open imo.
 
i vote mark III! one of the best amps ever made and still underrated IMO
 
I love all the Marks but do prefer the Mark IV. To me it just has a grind to the tone the other Marks just can't hit the same.

 
sg guy":3sflwqmo said:
Tone Monster":3sflwqmo said:
I found an old clip of my Mark III Red Stripe. The first minute or so of Master of Puppets....

https://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=9746041

loved that amp. not sure why I ever sold it.
Click to expand...



-the MK III clip sounded great,... The CAMERON clip was awesome!!.. Is/are those clips the real deal or Sims?
Click to expand...

Haha thanks. Those are super old clips and yes they are all the real deal.
 
Mark III amps are more open, raw and aggressive compared to the IV. It does not matter which "stripe" you get, they're all monsters although the ones modded by Mike B. at Mesa are the way to go. The GEQ is mandatory, any Mesa without one is just another amp. An MXR Micro Amp in the loop is the best lead boost IMO and I've tried many. It not only boosts without coloring, it gives the tone a nice sweet singing voice. The IV is fine if that's the only Mesa Mark amp you've ever played but once you've played a III or C+, it's over for the IV love.
A Mark III will cause the Marshall style amps sound anemic in comparison when playing leads and will hold their own with those amps when playing rhythm.
 
Mark III Red stripe DRG, boost R2 if you want, clean boost in the loop if you want. With the right speaker cab. If you want it for the purpose that you say, this will do it.
 
Owner of a III red stripe and IVB. I prefer both of these over the V. The III is definitely rawer than the IV,but theyre both keepers for me.
 
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