Mesa MkIII - your thoughts

[braintheory]

I just bought a Red Stripe ++ from Flavatrocious and I love it. I’ve never had a stock Mark III, so I can’t compare the two, but I can turn off the ++ mod and get it closer to stock, and it still kills. It’s very raw and pissed, with amazing saturation with the pull knobs engaged, that literallly drips in tone. It’s like a fatter, more raw version of my Mark IV. It’s become one of my favorite amps ever.

I could be wrong, but I believe with the ++ mod you’re just switching between + and ++ modes rather than turning off the mod, so it’ll never really be exactly like a stock mark iii. At least that’s how my 3 mark modded colis are. On mine pull rhythm pushed in is like a iic+ and pulled is like a iic++. I don’t miss the stock sound of any of them. That’s one nice advantage of iii’s vs a c+ where with the latter you can only have a + or ++. You can’t have both like on a iii++

Either way, I agree that mark iii’s are amazing and always felt they were the best amp out there for the money and just killer amps regardless of price

No, you’re right, and that’s what I meant. I can turn off the ++ and make it a +, but not stock. I believe the + alone is smoother and darker than stock, right?

Hard to say to without direct comparison, but I wanna say yes and no. I think the treble is smoother/rounder and maybe less, but I think I remember having a bit more upper mids and mids and more growl in those areas with the mod, so as whole it comes off more gritty and better to me for power chords and a bit smoother for leads, so smoother and less smooth in the right places. That’s why I never fully agreed with those who say the c+’s are smoother than iii’s because I found the c+’s and iii++’s to have more growl and richness, so less smooth

 

[Snave]

Yeah I foolishly past on a quad preamp a few months back

My other option is an F100 head for a more reasonable 650 USD. I know, I know...

The price is fair, but the F100 isn't that great. It's based on the DC-10 with a fixed lead channel contour instead of GEQ. They're fuzzy and not very tight.

 

[paulyc]

Purple isn't the most desirable stripe, and an amp that old (1986) almost certainly needs service. These aren't simple amps and you don't have the luxury of Mike B. working on it, so that's something to consider.

It's worth half their asking price at most, and even that is fairly steep. If one of your Marshalls has an effects loop, you'd be better off importing a Studio or Quad Preamp and saving a lot of money. A Peavey Rockmaster preamp is a good substitute—very metal tone with a similar voicing.

Is Mike B not doing work anymore ? I just bought a Mark III Coli and was thinking about sending it in for the ++ and general service...

 

[Snave]

Purple isn't the most desirable stripe, and an amp that old (1986) almost certainly needs service. These aren't simple amps and you don't have the luxury of Mike B. working on it, so that's something to consider.

It's worth half their asking price at most, and even that is fairly steep. If one of your Marshalls has an effects loop, you'd be better off importing a Studio or Quad Preamp and saving a lot of money. A Peavey Rockmaster preamp is a good substitute—very metal tone with a similar voicing.

Is Mike B not doing work anymore ? I just bought a Mark III Coli and was thinking about sending it in for the ++ and general service...

Mike B.'s still working. OP is just located in Australia.

 

[Beyond Black]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for an alternatively voiced rock/metal amp to my more Marshally collection. Spotted this one down under:

http://www.greatguitars.com.au/1986.Mesa.Boogie.MK111.head.htm

Yes pricing down here is insane, this equals $2800 USD but ignoring that...

Can't try before buy unfortunately so wondering who's owned one and some general chat. I've played a few Marks but never a III, and the purple/red/green thing confuses things even more.

Do they rock? Are they relaible> Can they do the IIc+ chug thing or what?

thanks

Buy a Mark III in the USA on Reverb or EBay, have the seller ship it directly to Mesa, have Mike B give it a full service and the ++ mod, and then ship it down under. You can even buy a combo cheaper, have Mike toss the shell, which would save you on shipping, and make or buy a headshell yourself. The amp will kill, have a clean bill of health, and still be way cheaper than the wicker Mesa, which probably needs to be serviced anyway.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I grabbed a Blue stripe in near mint condition for $585 last year. It was a cool amp. I think the MarkIIB I had with the loop mod ate the blue stripe up though. Both amps were VERY thick and 3D with HUGE sonic footprints in the room.

 

[thrashinbatman]

I really want to know where you all are finding these cheap IIIs. Every one I see is $900+, and it seems now people are wanting $1200+ for them.

 

[Snave]

I really want to know where you all are finding these cheap IIIs. Every one I see is $900+, and it seems now people are wanting $1200+ for them.

Deals are history for most amps these days. I got two Mark IIIs in 2017 for $700 each. Now you'd be lucky to find a desirable one for less than $1k.

 

[Markedman]

I obsess over Boogie amps and check CL every morning from Boston to NYC, I'm about 2 hours away from both cities, I'm near Hartford, CT. I picked up a Mark V full Stack with covers 8 extra power tubes and midi/speaker cables for a grand last week. I'm fitting it tomorrow with wicker grills that came in today and will list it for about 3G and get 2500.00.

I'll do other amps but it's rare to find underpriced amps that I can make at least $500 on besides Boogie. I've made some $$$$ on Celestion speakers and guitars also, but Boogies make up most of my great deals.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I really want to know where you all are finding these cheap IIIs. Every one I see is $900+, and it seems now people are wanting $1200+ for them.

Found that Blue stripe on CL...a small shop had it listed for $785 and I wound up getting it for $585. It had =C= in it too.

 

[aside]

You don't know how lucky you guys are (when it comes to gear anyway) - pricing in Australia is pretty ridiculous, and that's if you can actually find what you want.

And selling? Can take months to sell a cool item that you've priced very fairly!

I'm going to talk to the shop about a more realistic price but I doubt it's going to work out, maybe time to explor other options.

 

[ultimatemetalguitartones]

I had a mark 3 blue stripe for more than 5 years. I sold it only when I got my mark iv. I was in love with that amp as it was so aggressive and tight at the same time. It could do the old metallica thing in spades. As a matter of fact lots of thrash albums were recorded in the late 80s with this amp. Now the problem with this amp is that it was too bright and for my recording purposes it was difficult to tame. If I were you I d find a red stripe for no more than 1000.

 

[GJgo]

I just bought a Red Stripe ++ from Flavatrocious and I love it. I’ve never had a stock Mark III, so I can’t compare the two, but I can turn off the ++ mod and get it closer to stock, and it still kills. It’s very raw and pissed, with amazing saturation with the pull knobs engaged, that literallly drips in tone. It’s like a fatter, more raw version of my Mark IV. It’s become one of my favorite amps ever.

I could be wrong, but I believe with the ++ mod you’re just switching between + and ++ modes rather than turning off the mod, so it’ll never really be exactly like a stock mark iii. At least that’s how my 3 mark modded colis are. On mine pull rhythm pushed in is like a iic+ and pulled is like a iic++. I don’t miss the stock sound of any of them. That’s one nice advantage of iii’s vs a c+ where with the latter you can only have a + or ++. You can’t have both like on a iii++

Either way, I agree that mark iii’s are amazing and always felt they were the best amp out there for the money and just killer amps regardless of price

No, you’re right, and that’s what I meant. I can turn off the ++ and make it a +, but not stock. I believe the + alone is smoother and darker than stock, right?

...If only there was a video that compared all three modes (stock / III+ / III++) on the same amp...

 

[Tiger1016]

I finally created an account over here for two main reasons.

First, to ask if anyone in this thread ever got around to getting something recorded about these elusive III+ and ++ mods and where the heck we could find them.

Second, and maybe more importantly, ask if any of you hoarders of all of these hidden gem Mark IIIs are down to sell one of them to this poor lonely soul who is starting to really need one in his life now?

Now that I have started to look for a III, I can't seem to find anything close to what I am looking for. I think my ideal solution would be a blue stripe 60/100 with GEQ. If it is not already modded, I would at least be planning to do the R2 master volume mod and I am really intrigued with the ++ mod option as well.

Also, I wanted to take a brief aside to point out a weird observation on how prices for used guitar gear have seemed shot up this year, especially the past couple of months, and this does not just apply to Mark IIIs. I am not complaining too much as I am a net seller at the moment and am in the process of getting rid of a lot of stuff. But I would expect the opposite dynamic right now. The economy sucks, musicians are more or less furloughed, etc. But instead it seems like supply of stuff is weaker than usual while demand is seemingly at least normal (i.e. net undersupplied market) and buyers seem to be showing an inelasticity to prices. Sorry, I am a finance guy in commodities, and this makes no sense to me.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I owned a Mark III Red Stripe that sounded great. I've never owned the IIC+, but against all the others, it's my favorite in the Mark series. That said, I would absolutely not pay that much for one. You live in Australia, I'd buy an MI Megalith Gamma if you want a more modern tone.

 

[Samhain]

I would snag that MK III head in a heartbeat but try it before you buy it.
I have a MK III purple stripe and it destroys.
More gain on tap than anyone could possibly want & the upper register detail is incredible.
All midrange.

 

[kmanick]

I too used to have a Mark III red stripe simul class with the R2 mod done to it.
short head version I really wish I had kept it but sold it to help fund a Mark IV.
they are beastly loud if you can find a Green stripe I believe they have a Triode/Pentode option in them as well as the simul class
so they are a little easier to tame volume wise
My red stripe was a beast very aggressive and nice thick single note definition.
not a great 'bedroom amp" but if yo can open them up a bit....................wow

 

[Exo-metal]

If it hasn't been said here before just snag any version except for the last one it may have been purple or green but beyond the last stripe it can be sent to Mike@mesa and made into whatever version you want. The red is known as the most aggressive but the MKIII is the best amp for the money yes. Good luck?

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

I had a mark 3 blue stripe for more than 5 years. I sold it only when I got my mark iv. I was in love with that amp as it was so aggressive and tight at the same time. It could do the old metallica thing in spades. As a matter of fact lots of thrash albums were recorded in the late 80s with this amp. Now the problem with this amp is that it was too bright and for my recording purposes it was difficult to tame. If I were you I d find a red stripe for no more than 1000.

Main difference between the red and blue stripes simul-class is the addition of the C30 in the red and deletion of this cap in the blue. The blue is brighter.

 

[GJgo]

First, to ask if anyone in this thread ever got around to getting something recorded about these elusive III+ and ++ mods and where the heck we could find them.