.50 Caliber... Mark II??

[thunderkyss]

When I search for history on older Mesa's, I'm finding info about the Mark I, the Mark II, it's variations, the Mark III, and the Mark IV, then the Rectifier series.

the few pictures I've seen, the Mark II's look like my .50 cal.

Is the .50 cal the same as a Mark II by a different name??

I just bought a .50 cal, and know nothing about it.


Another thing. In your opinion, when you think of classic Mesa/Boogie tone, who do you think about??

 

[Tuna141]

The .50Cal is not the same amp as a Mark II, although they look similar. I'm not too sure of all the differences, but I do know that the Mark series was the next step up feature-wise from the Caliber series.

One difference is the .50Cal is 50W and the Mark series is either 100W or 85W that is switchable to a lower range. The Mark series had available Simul-class, whereas Simul-Class was unavailable in the Caliber series, as far as I know. I don't know what the other diferences are - most likely some of the push-pull pot features on the Mark series were not included on the Caliber series.

I believe the .50Cal is voiced similar to the Mark series. I've also heard that it's a pretty good amp, so enjoy it :wink:

 

[metalblitz84]

I had a .50+. That was a badass amp. But they are just a simple layout. 2 channels which share the preamp controls, reverb, 5 graphic EQ and footswitch enabled. I think they were meant to be a lower priced amp, but belileve me, they have a killer sound with intense high gain and real clarity. Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down) still uses those. If I can ever get my hands on a mint/near mint one again...belive me, I will!

 

[Sludgenutz]

I had a .50+. That was a badass amp. But they are just a simple layout. 2 channels which share the preamp controls, reverb, 5 graphic EQ and footswitch enabled. I think they were meant to be a lower priced amp, but belileve me, they have a killer sound with intense high gain and real clarity. Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down) still uses those. If I can ever get my hands on a mint/near mint one again...belive me, I will!

The stars aligned when I bought my .50 Cal +!

I did not want an amp that needed a pedal to goose the drive, as a MAJOR point. Much of the reason why I have a .50 Cal +, IS the Pepper Keenen/CoC connection. I was on a tight budget when I wanted a modern sounding tube amp. Otherwise, I might have spent more for a used Peavy 6505. I bought the .50 Caliber + just on Pepper's tone alone, without ever hearing this series amp before! :wink:

Anyhow, I hear that the .50 Cal series was brought out to be like a "baby Mark", at lower price point. I'm sure lotsa Mark players might disagree, but hey...it says Mesa/Boogie on the front. I do see a smaller/lighter set of transformers (don't discount this...transformers are usually the single most expensive components in an amp section) in the .50 Cal series, than I do with the higher wattage Mark series. Oh well...the transformers in my Sunn, dwarf the Mark series! There is always a "pecking order", but I find my high-gain tone satisfied by the .50 Caliber +.

I find it amazing how much great metal tone can come from an amp so light in weight (the smaller transformers are not a small part of this). Others rave about the clean channel, but I use my Homebrew UFO fuzz/octave on that channel.