Thoughts on these Mesa Marks

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Mark IV RHY2 needs a boost or overdrive if you play heavy stuff.
 
I love the Mark series amps, but I never held onto them. Lots of chug, chunk, and crunch... little in the way of musical character. Getting a Mark to sound its best is a matter of getting the right tubes in it. An adjustable bias would have gone a long way. My favorite Boogie's are (non-EQ) Mark I through Mark IIC+. As much as I loved my 60 watt combo, it didn't have the rhythm character/tone I wanted. I prefer "British" voiced amplifiers.
 
I think I'll probably hold out and keep an eye out for a deal on a Mark V or JP2C.
 
Goat":aqjkz1dc said:
I love the Mark series amps, but I never held onto them. Lots of chug, chunk, and crunch... little in the way of musical character. Getting a Mark to sound its best is a matter of getting the right tubes in it. An adjustable bias would have gone a long way. My favorite Boogie's are (non-EQ) Mark I through Mark IIC+. As much as I loved my 60 watt combo, it didn't have the rhythm character/tone I wanted. I prefer "British" voiced amplifiers.
Mark IIB and especially a C+, are incredibly musical amps, rich in harmonic overtones. I've had a bunch of great modded and stock vintage Marshalls, and none have as much musicality as any of my 2C+s. I'm on my 4th now...a Coliseum which is the rarest of the rare 'big brother' 1x15 ginormous 100lb combo with the 400w EV 15. Not British voiced of course; although I love a hi mid flavored boost in front to give a bit more Marshall-ness to the tone.

I do love my Marshalls as well; and I wouldn't put one over the other. Both are incredible amps stock or modded; boosted or unboosted.
 
Racerxrated":2m1j32qf said:
Goat":2m1j32qf said:
I love the Mark series amps, but I never held onto them. Lots of chug, chunk, and crunch... little in the way of musical character. Getting a Mark to sound its best is a matter of getting the right tubes in it. An adjustable bias would have gone a long way. My favorite Boogie's are (non-EQ) Mark I through Mark IIC+. As much as I loved my 60 watt combo, it didn't have the rhythm character/tone I wanted. I prefer "British" voiced amplifiers.
Mark IIB and especially a C+, are incredibly musical amps, rich in harmonic overtones. I've had a bunch of great modded and stock vintage Marshalls, and none have as much musicality as any of my 2C+s. I'm on my 4th now...a Coliseum which is the rarest of the rare 'big brother' 1x15 ginormous 100lb combo with the 400w EV 15. Not British voiced of course; although I love a hi mid flavored boost in front to give a bit more Marshall-ness to the tone.

I do love my Marshalls as well; and I wouldn't put one over the other. Both are incredible amps stock or modded; boosted or unboosted.
We hear them differently is all. The Mark II models are the best of the line, especially the non-EQ models. Most will say they prefer the GEQ version, of course. It's something with the Boogie low-end that doesn't do it for me. I've owned many MESA/Boogie brand amps, but never held onto them. Great live amps, not my cup of tea for studio and/or small rooms.

Joe Walsh and Don Felder used Fender tweed amps for the HC tracks, Boogie Mark series live...

 
Goat":2cdifnz6 said:
Racerxrated":2cdifnz6 said:
Goat":2cdifnz6 said:
I love the Mark series amps, but I never held onto them. Lots of chug, chunk, and crunch... little in the way of musical character. Getting a Mark to sound its best is a matter of getting the right tubes in it. An adjustable bias would have gone a long way. My favorite Boogie's are (non-EQ) Mark I through Mark IIC+. As much as I loved my 60 watt combo, it didn't have the rhythm character/tone I wanted. I prefer "British" voiced amplifiers.
Mark IIB and especially a C+, are incredibly musical amps, rich in harmonic overtones. I've had a bunch of great modded and stock vintage Marshalls, and none have as much musicality as any of my 2C+s. I'm on my 4th now...a Coliseum which is the rarest of the rare 'big brother' 1x15 ginormous 100lb combo with the 400w EV 15. Not British voiced of course; although I love a hi mid flavored boost in front to give a bit more Marshall-ness to the tone.

I do love my Marshalls as well; and I wouldn't put one over the other. Both are incredible amps stock or modded; boosted or unboosted.
We hear them differently is all. The Mark II models are the best of the line, especially the non-EQ models. Most will say they prefer the GEQ version, of course. It's something with the Boogie low-end that doesn't do it for me. I've owned many MESA/Boogie brand amps, but never held onto them. Great live amps, not my cup of tea for studio and/or small rooms.

Joe Walsh and Don Felder used Fender tweed amps for the HC tracks, Boogie Mark series live...




:thumbsup:

I see that vid, and I feel sorry for Felder...he had it all, but he just wouldn't quit bugging them (Glen and Don) about singing lead on some tunes, plus his cut....Dude just be happy you're in the Eagles for fucks sake! All would have been well....and he'd have been the second lead to Walsh all the way until now.
:doh:
 
ClintN667":23r42h0m said:
Sorry to derail the conversation but I always see mentions of sending amps to Mesa for mods and checkups. Would you guys recommend that for old Mesa's in general? My Mark IV sounds great but I kinda want to have it checked up just cause I really love this amp and want it operating in top shape.


Over the past few years I've been using Mark IV's but sold one last year to get a Mark V because I wanted a better rhythm and clean channel. Yes, the V has the better clean and crunch channel but the lead channel on the IV.....to me.... is soooo much better than the V. When I gigged with the V I was never using the lead as I preferred the 2nd channel with an OD pedal. And funny thing but my Mark V took a shit on me to where it wasn't worth fixing and I sold it for 1k. Since I bought it for $1300 I just wanted it gone. It wouldn't channel switch to the clean channel and a repair from Mesa was going to cost me close to $400. But I was never happy with the lead channel on the V. It always has this.....hollow, boxy, kinda empty feel to it. The IV sounds thick, grind, and 3D. There's a video on Youtube where the guy compares a JP2C to a IV and IMHO the IV crushes the JP. That the same experience I got with the V-IV.
 
Goat":jo5sshvv said:
Racerxrated":jo5sshvv said:
Goat":jo5sshvv said:
I love the Mark series amps, but I never held onto them. Lots of chug, chunk, and crunch... little in the way of musical character. Getting a Mark to sound its best is a matter of getting the right tubes in it. An adjustable bias would have gone a long way. My favorite Boogie's are (non-EQ) Mark I through Mark IIC+. As much as I loved my 60 watt combo, it didn't have the rhythm character/tone I wanted. I prefer "British" voiced amplifiers.
Mark IIB and especially a C+, are incredibly musical amps, rich in harmonic overtones. I've had a bunch of great modded and stock vintage Marshalls, and none have as much musicality as any of my 2C+s. I'm on my 4th now...a Coliseum which is the rarest of the rare 'big brother' 1x15 ginormous 100lb combo with the 400w EV 15. Not British voiced of course; although I love a hi mid flavored boost in front to give a bit more Marshall-ness to the tone.

I do love my Marshalls as well; and I wouldn't put one over the other. Both are incredible amps stock or modded; boosted or unboosted.
We hear them differently is all. The Mark II models are the best of the line, especially the non-EQ models. Most will say they prefer the GEQ version, of course. It's something with the Boogie low-end that doesn't do it for me. I've owned many MESA/Boogie brand amps, but never held onto them. Great live amps, not my cup of tea for studio and/or small rooms.

Joe Walsh and Don Felder used Fender tweed amps for the HC tracks, Boogie Mark series live...


They used Mesa's live? I never knew that. Do any pics exist with them showing the back line? That video looks like Fenders.
 
I've heard so many horror stories on the mark iv rhythm crunch but I don't think it's that bad. Then again I rarely use it.
 
danyeo":elgc089c said:
They used Mesa's live? I never knew that. Do any pics exist with them showing the back line? That video looks like Fenders.
Yes. Take another look at the back line...
 
Racerxrated":3lh6oya9 said:
I see that vid, and I feel sorry for Felder...he had it all, but he just wouldn't quit bugging them (Glen and Don) about singing lead on some tunes, plus his cut....Dude just be happy you're in the Eagles for fucks sake! All would have been well....and he'd have been the second lead to Walsh all the way until now.
I suspect his exiting the band may have had more to do with money. Don Felder was basically 1/3 owner and CFO of the band. No Don Felder = more $ for Irving Azoff, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. Joe Walsh was never a contract member of the band, nor did he want to be. He wanted his freedom as a solo artist. "Heavy Metal" (Takin' A Ride) was suppose to be on The Long Run album, but didn't make the list. IMO, "Heavy Metal" would have been the best song on the album. The vocals sound good to me... not strong, but still good. Good enough to be a hit for Don Felder.

 
Goat":3dfs19wd said:
Racerxrated":3dfs19wd said:
I see that vid, and I feel sorry for Felder...he had it all, but he just wouldn't quit bugging them (Glen and Don) about singing lead on some tunes, plus his cut....Dude just be happy you're in the Eagles for fucks sake! All would have been well....and he'd have been the second lead to Walsh all the way until now.
I suspect his exiting the band may have had more to do with money. Don Felder was basically 1/3 owner and CFO of the band. No Don Felder = more $ for Irving Azoff, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. Joe Walsh was never a contract member of the band, nor did he want to be. He wanted his freedom as a solo artist. "Heavy Metal" (Takin' A Ride) was suppose to be on The Long Run album, but didn't make the list. IMO, "Heavy Metal" would have been the best song on the album. The vocals sound good to me... not strong, but still good. Good enough to be a hit for Don Felder.

Good tune, and a great soundtrack. I’ve owned the album since I was 14.
 
danyeo":1kkj4tmx said:
ClintN667":1kkj4tmx said:
Sorry to derail the conversation but I always see mentions of sending amps to Mesa for mods and checkups. Would you guys recommend that for old Mesa's in general? My Mark IV sounds great but I kinda want to have it checked up just cause I really love this amp and want it operating in top shape.


Over the past few years I've been using Mark IV's but sold one last year to get a Mark V because I wanted a better rhythm and clean channel. Yes, the V has the better clean and crunch channel but the lead channel on the IV.....to me.... is soooo much better than the V. When I gigged with the V I was never using the lead as I preferred the 2nd channel with an OD pedal. And funny thing but my Mark V took a shit on me to where it wasn't worth fixing and I sold it for 1k. Since I bought it for $1300 I just wanted it gone. It wouldn't channel switch to the clean channel and a repair from Mesa was going to cost me close to $400. But I was never happy with the lead channel on the V. It always has this.....hollow, boxy, kinda empty feel to it. The IV sounds thick, grind, and 3D. There's a video on Youtube where the guy compares a JP2C to a IV and IMHO the IV crushes the JP. That the same experience I got with the V-IV.

I agree! For lead tones, in
Y own personal preference, the IV such better feel and lead channel than V or JP2C. Those are also killer amps, but, like you, I found the V lead boxy and a little artificial sounding for me. I liked the IV mode the best. The JP2C was just too aggressive for me, did t have that vintage feel of the IIC+ or the bendable singing fat soul of the IV!
 
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