NAD: Mesa Mark III red stripe

[RJF]

Always wanted one, for that Whitesnake, Metallica, heavy 80's mark sound and finally picked this up to add to my Mesa collection. I wanted a blue or red stripe due to them being the most aggressive of all the stripes IIRC.

This one is loaded with EQ and simulclass. I had a mark 4 and hated it, way too may knobs mixed with push/pull options and thought it was a nightmare to EQ. This mark 3 is not so bad.

It is definitely tighter than my rectifiers, and it's a loud little thing. It's an ugly little thing, but sounds pretty good.

What do the first couple of push/pull pots do? What are some of your settings? I believe mine should be visible in my pic. Any info appreciated.

 

[Mailman1971]

Nice man....that was my Fave Mark series as well.
Had a Blue and Red stripe.
They bring the thunder right?
Took me a minute or 2 to dial it in. Once I did it was awesome.
Still want to snag another one for sure.

 

[fretout]

Nice! Great score! There seems to be a lot of Mark IIIs getting snapped up recently! What stripe is yours? I'm guessing it's a black stripe/dot based on the light-gray-colored GEQ. As for settings, I have some that have worked great for me! PM me if you're interested!

 

[Terex]

Congrats man, great amp!

Also awesome Rectifier collection! Can we get a familyshot of your Mesa collection please?

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Here is a pretty cool thing to help remember your settings when you do dial it in.

http://www.chain-metal.nl/mark3/

and some suggested settings for Master of Puppets tones.

http://www.chain-metal.nl/mark3/metallica.html

 

[Code001]

Pull everything except bass, keep the bass on 1-2, put everything else between 7 to 10 except your masters. Graphic EQ would be in your basic V shape and used to tailor your sound to exactly what you're looking for. I think my exact settings were something like 8 (P), 9 (P), 1, 5 (P), 2 (P), 7 (P), 7 (P). It doesn't say it in the manual, but pulling R2 while in the Lead channel will give you a slight boost in gain. And yeah, the mid knob barely does anything. Almost no difference between 0 to 10, so I just put it on 5.

 

[FourT6and2]

I wanted a Red Stripe for a bit. Tried to buy one locally but the seller's wife called me up the day I was supposed to pick it up and was like, "my asshole husband is NOT selling another amp. He's just gonna buy another one and do it all over again!!!!" Fuckin' weird.

But yeah, I still want a Red Stripe. Congrats or whatever.

 

[Valtyr]

Congrats! Great amps!

I got one a couple years back, not sure what stripe. It is a keeper!

 

[benduncan]

Add it to the list in your sig!

Nice! I really want a mark series amp, it's tied for #1 with the VHT/Fryette deliverance on my list of amps next in line for purchase.

Have you tried blending it with one of your recs? Or are they too similar? I've always wondered how that might sound. I've also heard that you can get it to sound like the VHT pittbull? True?

 

[RJF]

Pull everything except bass, keep the bass on 1-2, put everything else between 7 to 10 except your masters. Graphic EQ would be in your basic V shape and used to tailor your sound to exactly what you're looking for. I think my exact settings were something like 8 (P), 9 (P), 1, 5 (P), 2 (P), 7 (P), 7 (P). It doesn't say it in the manual, but pulling R2 while in the Lead channel will give you a slight boost in gain. And yeah, the mid knob barely does anything. Almost no difference between 0 to 10, so I just put it on 5.

That is pretty much where I landed as far as settings when I played on it yesterday. With the bass pulled it's too boomy sounding. I found that the treble dimed sounded the best, and keeping the presence on the back of the amp around 0-3 depending on brightness of the guitar plugged in.

 

[RJF]

Add it to the list in your sig!

Nice! I really want a mark series amp, it's tied for #1 with the VHT/Fryette deliverance on my list of amps next in line for purchase.

Have you tried blending it with one of your recs? Or are they too similar? I've always wondered how that might sound. I've also heard that you can get it to sound like the VHT pittbull? True?

I have played through my new Mk3 once so far, for about 20 minutes. I work 90+hrs a week, haven't had much time to play anything really. I've played the guitar for about 30 minutes total since March.

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

 

[RJF]

Another couple questions. Explain simulclass to me. I would assume mine is since the outer tubes are EL34's and the inners are 6L6's. But I don't see a class A/ simul class toggle.

Reverb was obviously an option? Some have it and some don't?

 

[jkkkjkhk]

I got a chance to play my blue stripe next to a red stripe into the same cab a couple weeks ago. Both had the same options but the red stripe had 2 6l6's and 2 el34's, all mesa's, where mine has 4 winged c 6l6's. The red stripe was noticeably darker/ less highs, not as aggressive, and less gain. Both sounded great but having been used to my blue stripe I strongly preferred mine. Not sure if it was the tubes or being different stripes that make the difference, but it was MUCH bigger difference than I thought it was going to be. Either way I still want a red stripe next to my blue.

Congrats, they're great amps, and for the record I love how they look. They're instantly recognizable.

RJF: Is there a half power switch? From what I've read that's the switch, they just didn't always label them. Mines simul and has a half power switch.

 

[jkkkjkhk]

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

That's surprising, did not think they would have sounded anything alike.

 

[johnpace2]

I got a chance to play my blue stripe next to a red stripe into the same cab a couple weeks ago. Both had the same options but the red stripe had 2 6l6's and 2 el34's, all mesa's, where mine has 4 winged c 6l6's. The red stripe was noticeably darker/ less highs, not as aggressive, and less gain. Both sounded great but having been used to my blue stripe I strongly preferred mine. Not sure if it was the tubes or being different stripes that make the difference, but it was MUCH bigger difference than I thought it was going to be. Either way I still want a red stripe next to my blue.

Congrats, they're great amps, and for the record I love how they look. They're instantly recognizable.

RJF: Is there a half power switch? From what I've read that's the switch, they just didn't always label them. Mines simul and has a half power switch.

I preferred the blue stripe over the red stripe I had.

 

[borninwinter]

Another couple questions. Explain simulclass to me. I would assume mine is since the outer tubes are EL34's and the inners are 6L6's. But I don't see a class A/ simul class toggle.

Reverb was obviously an option? Some have it and some don't?

Simulclass means the outer pair is running Class A while the inner pair is simultaneously running Class A/B. If it's not a Simulclass it should have a 60/100 watt switch. Sometimes the Class A/Simulclass toggle is labeled "Full/Half Power".

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

That's surprising, did not think they would have sounded anything alike.

The prototype recto was a modded Mark IV. There's a video with Randall Smith on youtube showing the amp. It's the Mark IV chassis with the added rectifier tubes sticking out the side.

 

[jkkkjkhk]

Another couple questions. Explain simulclass to me. I would assume mine is since the outer tubes are EL34's and the inners are 6L6's. But I don't see a class A/ simul class toggle.

Reverb was obviously an option? Some have it and some don't?

Simulclass means the outer pair is running Class A while the inner pair is simultaneously running Class A/B. If it's not a Simulclass it should have a 60/100 watt switch. Sometimes the Class A/Simulclass toggle is labeled "Full/Half Power".

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

That's surprising, did not think they would have sounded anything alike.

The prototype recto was a modded Mark IV. There's a video with Randall Smith on youtube showing the amp. It's the Mark IV chassis with the added rectifier tubes sticking out the side.

Cool, did not know that.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I got a chance to play my blue stripe next to a red stripe into the same cab a couple weeks ago. Both had the same options but the red stripe had 2 6l6's and 2 el34's, all mesa's, where mine has 4 winged c 6l6's. The red stripe was noticeably darker/ less highs, not as aggressive, and less gain. Both sounded great but having been used to my blue stripe I strongly preferred mine. Not sure if it was the tubes or being different stripes that make the difference, but it was MUCH bigger difference than I thought it was going to be. Either way I still want a red stripe next to my blue.

Congrats, they're great amps, and for the record I love how they look. They're instantly recognizable.

RJF: Is there a half power switch? From what I've read that's the switch, they just didn't always label them. Mines simul and has a half power switch.

One time we had a couple of IIC+ amps together and they sounded very different from each other.

 

[fretout]

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

That's surprising, did not think they would have sounded anything alike.

With my rig and my settings, they sound nothing alike. The a rectifiers have a much more "3D" sounding type tone, and sounds warmer and rounder. My Mark IIIs, however, track much quicker, sound much more urgent and aggressive, and somewhat colder, but the feel is much more responsive.

I've always though of my rig like this: Rectifiers = low mids, Marks = high mids. With both amps running in stereo, I don't think there's a tone out there that I couldn't dial in between these two amps.

 

[fretout]

Another couple questions. Explain simulclass to me. I would assume mine is since the outer tubes are EL34's and the inners are 6L6's. But I don't see a class A/ simul class toggle.

Reverb was obviously an option? Some have it and some don't?

Simulclass means the outer pair is running Class A while the inner pair is simultaneously running Class A/B. If it's not a Simulclass it should have a 60/100 watt switch. Sometimes the Class A/Simulclass toggle is labeled "Full/Half Power".

I did blend a recto and mark 4 together, back when I owned a 4 for about 2 weeks. (it's butt hit the door quick). I had them dialed so close together that I had both of them on, with an ABY pedal and my buddy playing. I told him to guess which was which. He got it wrong, since both sounded nearly identical.

That's surprising, did not think they would have sounded anything alike.

The prototype recto was a modded Mark IV. There's a video with Randall Smith on youtube showing the amp. It's the Mark IV chassis with the added rectifier tubes sticking out the side.

I never knew about this either! Very cool! Any links you could post? I have pictures of the insides of both the Mark IV and early Dual Rectifier chassis, and they aren't similar at all.

There was some speculation that the Mark III Blue Stripes were the "fork in the road" where Mesa branched the Rectifier series off of, but it was all speculation. I know that the Rectifiers were based off the Soldano SLO, and were planned as their own line, and not associated with the Mark III or Mark IV, but is be interested to see some early pictures/videos of the early Rectifiers in development.