Boogie Mark IV and Mark 3 ...

H

hopkinWFG

Well-known member
To all Boogie Mark collectors.... i just thought my quest for high gain amps has about to reach am end point in my opinion .... but recently i just wondering how big a difference is there between the IVs and IIIs ?

I currently owns a Mark IV its amazing but seeing that single eq channel Mark III and all the talks out there on the various Strip colors... so just wanna know the Mark IV plays out compares to Mark III ? And is there really a different put there to own both IV & III ?
 
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I believe that if you have a IVA then every III EXCEPT for green stripe III’s is close enough not to warrant investment.

If you have a IVB then they’re different enough regardless of stripe color that it would be worthwhile but you need to play whatever you find first because the mids of III’s don’t sit in the same location as IVBs.

If you find a green stripe III with EQ and reverb just click add to cart because they deliver in a way no IV can. Killer amps.
 
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The III I have is a blue stripe simul-class. I've owned a bunch of IVs. My 3 is rounder and deeper in the low end than any of the IVs I've owned. The highs are a bit more extended on my III as well. The presence on the III can go from very smooth (think Santana) to very aggressive (Faith No More Angel Dust or the early Living Colour albums).

The closest 3 to the IV is the green stripe because the "Class A" sockets are wired in pentode. Everything before that was wired in triode.

They're just different flavors. I like them both.
 
glpg80 said:
I believe that if you have a IVA then every III EXCEPT for green stripe III’s is close enough not to warrant investment.

If you have a IVB then they’re different enough regardless of stripe color that it would be worthwhile but that whatever you but you need to play first because the mids of III’s don’t sit in the same location as IVBs.

If you find a green stripe III with EQ and reverb just click add to cart because they deliver in a way no IV can. Killer amps.
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Wow.... the one eyeing is a blue stripe... has two 6l6 probably a 75watter amp? Its a small head package thou....

@glpg80 will ya describe how the mids on the blue is like? I felt the IVB is good enough its a scoop out metal amp imo.... if IIIs blue gonna have more an upper mids its fine it comes with a Graph EQ it sould be killer i guess !!?

I believe i have mine is a IV Bs in a long headshell format... i like the IVBs thou thats why i been thinking if the Mark III blue would be a different enough amp in the Mark alley...

I guess picking a Mark III wont be glorious enough.... its so rare lets see what the Blue stripe could do...
 
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Loved my Mark IV. I'll probably buy another in the not-too-distant future, assuming prices stay sane (they've been going down lately, which is nice).

Everyone I know who's owned a Mark III got it as a compromise of sorts. Which isn't to say they're not great amps, but the IV seems to be the more influential amp of the two, after the IIC+.

Unless you're looking for something really specific tone-wise, I'd say stick with whichever Mark amp you prefer and invest the money in something else.
 
Here's my take on Boogie Marks, and I've owned plenty of them from Mark I, II's, IIB, IIC+, III and IVB's.

The key thing with these amps is right hand feel. They are all capable of vicious, furious high gain on the Lead Channels, but their Clean R1 and Crunchy R2 channels are killer as well.

Pretty much, the earlier the amp, the more spongy compression you're going to get, like the old Blackface Fender amps they're based on. But even a MKI doesn't have near the bounce and squish of a vintage Blackface.

The MKII's combine that addictive compression with raging tight high gain. The III's are tighter and quicker again, getting brighter and more Treble pushed as you go from No-Stripe/Black Dot, through the Black, Purple, Red, Blue and Greens as they were competing with Marshall split channels at the time and modded JCM800's.

The IV's and particularly the IVB's are as good as your going to get in terms of that classic Mark high gain and modern tightness.

The freakshow in this whole lineup is the IIC+. It should be physically impossible to get that kind of brutal gain, clarity, tightness and compression all out of the one amp, but by God they did it, and they never got it again.
This is why they're hunted, because Boogie caught lightning in a bottle with those amps. Ferocious metal gain, insane tone and the fuckin FEEL which makes you play like an absolute bandit. Incredible amps.
 
jdel77 said:
Here's my take on Boogie Marks, and I've owned plenty of them from Mark I, II's, IIB, IIC+, III and IVB's.

The key thing with these amps is right hand feel. They are all capable of vicious, furious high gain on the Lead Channels, but their Clean R1 and Crunchy R2 channels are killer as well.

Pretty much, the earlier the amp, the more spongy compression you're going to get, like the old Blackface Fender amps they're based on. But even a MKI doesn't have near the bounce and squish of a vintage Blackface.

The MKII's combine that addictive compression with raging tight high gain. The III's are tighter and quicker again, getting brighter and more Treble pushed as you go from No-Stripe/Black Dot, through the Black, Purple, Red, Blue and Greens as they were competing with Marshall split channels at the time and modded JCM800's.

The IV's and particularly the IVB's are as good as your going to get in terms of that classic Mark high gain and modern tightness.

The freakshow in this whole lineup is the IIC+. It should be physically impossible to get that kind of brutal gain, clarity, tightness and compression all out of the one amp, but by God they did it, and they never got it again.
This is why they're hunted, because Boogie caught lightning in a bottle with those amps. Ferocious metal gain, insane tone and the fuckin FEEL which makes you play like an absolute bandit. Incredible amps.
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Ya Gassing me up lol but the closest to a Mark IIC+ will be the JP2C series right?
 
glpg80 said:
I believe that if you have a IVA then every III EXCEPT for green stripe III’s is close enough not to warrant investment.

If you have a IVB then they’re different enough regardless of stripe color that it would be worthwhile but you need to play whatever you find first because the mids of III’s don’t sit in the same location as IVBs.

If you find a green stripe III with EQ and reverb just click add to cart because they deliver in a way no IV can. Killer amps.
Click to expand...
Yeah the Green is a little extra beastly being pentode. I know you dig pentode. ;)
 
hopkinWFG said:
Wow.... the one eyeing is a blue stripe... has two 6l6 probably a 75watter amp? Its a small head package thou....

@glpg80 will ya describe how the mids on the blue is like? I felt the IVB is good enough its a scoop out metal amp imo.... if IIIs blue gonna have more an upper mids its fine it comes with a Graph EQ it sould be killer i guess !!?

I believe i have mine is a IV Bs in a long headshell format... i like the IVBs thou thats why i been thinking if the Mark III blue would be a different enough amp in the Mark alley...

I guess picking a Mark III wont be glorious enough.... its so rare lets see what the Blue stripe could do...
Click to expand...

I’d personally recommend going for a 100W. The mids of a III blue stripe sit fairly neutral if a bit naturally scooped just as they should be with the mid slider centered. Blue is super aggressive tonally but stupid bright without the ++ mod to tame the top end a bit. I keep mine in ++ all of the time.
 
jdel77 said:
The freakshow in this whole lineup is the IIC+. It should be physically impossible to get that kind of brutal gain, clarity, tightness and compression all out of the one amp, but by God they did it, and they never got it again.
This is why they're hunted, because Boogie caught lightning in a bottle with those amps. Ferocious metal gain, insane tone and the fuckin FEEL which makes you play like an absolute bandit. Incredible amps.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
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
 
Sermo Lupi said:
Can you elaborate at all? Hadn't heard anything like that.
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Mark VII depending on speaker arrangement don’t sonically sit in a mix well for some.

I don’t own one so I can’t comment further. I want to try a VII and a V as a potential next amp.
 
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