Boogie MKIIA Rev Eq 60/100W

[mark2boogie]

Hello All,

Finally my 1st Boogie amp is there, and in better condition than I expected...

It has the "noisy reverb issue" as usually found on MKIIA and B, but not the "channel switching relay clicks", fortunately. So I will have to do some search on how the humming reverb is been cured. Any info is welcome, you guess it...

This MKIIA dates from 1979 (on pots, amp S/N° is 4915) and really has that great sound that I expected and read about : "from Crystal clean to Santana" along with a deep, well toned reverb, and the famous "smooth infinite sustain" without the outrageous gain found on later models. So it's a nice mate to go along my TR, DR and PR SF Fenders...

Additionally, I found a nicely figured hardwood cab of the same era :

A+!

 

[dodger916]

Congrats! IIAs rock, and export to boot. Nice!

 

[mark2boogie]

Hi dodger916 & thanks !

Did you faced that reverb hum problem with your MKIIA ?

A+!

 

[McBarry]

Outstanding effort!
And no channel switching popping... extreme bargain!!
Looks nicely clean, has the bias trimpot, though I'd be a little keen to feed it some new PSU caps..
And 4 6L6's - it'll scream like a banshee!!
Was this the one on Evilbay?

 

[zodiac272]

Very nice!

scott

 

[mark2boogie]

Thanks McBarry & zodiac272,

Yes, both come from eBay, along with the flycase "lite" that should be here in the week to come.

I am about working to fix the noisy reverb issue for the moment (I think I have found where borns the problem, and I experiment a modification of the GND routing). Any of you have faced that - or experimented a cure (Mesa official or not) ?

Later, I will work on a set of plates for the chassis-cab adaptation.

It seems that this amp is a kind of "MintPlayer" : regularly well used, but not abused, and well cared. All the tubes are from 2010 (Svetlana). It comes with a MesaBoogie padded cover (which is probably more recent). I am not in a hurry to replace filter caps as the amps has absolutely no PSU hum.

I have paid 1450 Euros (circa 2000USD) for the amp, the hardwood cab, the flycase, and a set of FSW, including shipping to France.
I am pretty akeen to think that it is a good deal...

A+!

 

[dodger916]

Hi dodger916 & thanks !

Did you faced that reverb hum problem with your MKIIA ?

A+!

That wasn't me. I (sadly) never owned a IIA, but I played one and loved it.

 

[igfraso]

There is little information in this forum about the MarkIIA so let's invite every MkIIA lover to discuss your preferred settings.

1) Good basic setting
Vol1: 4
Treb: 9
Bass: 3
Mid: 3
Mast1: 2
LD: 7
LM: 1
Pres: 7
Rev: 4
EQ: out

2) Good basic setting, alternative
Vol1: 6
Treb: 7
Bass: 4
Mid: 0
Mast1: 2
LD: 8
LM: 1
Pres: 7
Rev: 4
EQ: out

3) Jerry Garcia
Vol1: 8.5
Treb: 6.5
Bass: 2
Mid: 8
Mast1: 2
LD: 7
LM: 1
Pres: 3
Rev:
EQ:

4) SRV
Vol1: 7 pulled
Treb: 7 pulled
Bass: 4
Mid: 5
Mast1: 2
LD: 9
LM: 1
Pres: 8
Rev:
EQ:

Hope it helps.
Daniel

 

[igfraso]

I see there is no date written in your chassis. It seems that people were smoking too much those days.

I have a Mark II-A that has no serial number stamped in the back of the chassis. It is not that it has been removed or erased. It has never been stamped.
The chassis has the manufacturing date written in the chassis, though.

 

[McBarry]

Igfraso, mine are really close to yours(no GEQ here though)
I overall run prescence lower (rarely above 3), and courtesy of someones thread here about mids, tend to run them harder at gigs now and am happier for it.
Interesting yours was never stamped.. how curious...
With shipping, and the extras and cond of the beast, personally I think it's a fair price, but it's always difficult to put a dollar figure on subjective issues.
My reverb has a "little" hum, but I'm probably splitting hairs..

 

[mark2boogie]

Thanks to All for your informations,

@ Daniel (Ingfraso) :

For the moment, I am working on the litte issues of my MKIIA (notably reverb hum), but yes, of course I record your setting list for testing it +++.

At the first sight, I did not found a date written on the chassis... May be it is hidden under a PCB ? I'll check further... Nonetheless it's a circa 1979 model, thanks to the component manufacturing codes. The serial number is engraved on the rear faceplate and is 4915.

@ McBarry :

I service tube amps since circa 1980, and I have all the equipement. For me the real issues are mainly the... Cosmetics !

Electronically, it's always possible to sort out of the problems, with a few exceptions like very critical parts not reissued, or if it isn't worth the money, of course. There is nothing major on my MKIIA so I will try to go as perfect as possible with it...

Nonetheless, I use much reverb and this one sounds so deep and well-toned that a significant hum (unfortunately I am not splitting hairs there !) is really unpleasant. By the way, it's a bad ground routing, obviously (a misconception from Mesa on theis model, IMHO), and it's fixable for the best.

There is also a tendency to HF oscillation when the presence control is maxed, plus some Larsen feddback on the reverb maxed at high volume... But again, these are identified problems and fix them definetly is well known !

Also I have a personal simul class recipe to experiment on it, which works well on Fenders, using the GND switch which is useless here in France. So I would have a 15/30/60/100W amp at a flick of 2 rear switches. Wait and see.

A+!

 

[SpongeRob]

Hi mark2boogie!

Very nice set. I notice the Mark III/IV hardwood Combo. Did you try to put your IIA in this. I'm not sure but i think Mesa used the SUS-4 System in the Mark III Era. And the Hardwood Combo doesn't have the footswitch fittings from the Mark IV. So it looks like a Mark III Hardwood Combo. And the holespacing was changed somewhere in the Mark IIB Series. So i don't know, if this will fit in the Combo. Also i notice, that the Combo might not be from this era because it doesn't look like an original Mesa Shell. More like a good aftermarket. And building Hardwood products i know where to look.


Rob

 

[mark2boogie]

Hi Rob,

Did you try to put your IIA in this

Not yet... I am busy fixing some hum problems on it.

So it looks like a Mark III Hardwood Combo

The guy who sold it to me told me that the amp originally installed in it was a MKIIB, which is now since a long time installed in a metal rack.

And the holespacing was changed somewhere in the Mark IIB Series

Exact : the hole spacing is 416x135 on my MKIIA, and this hardwood cab is 400x135.
It is fitted with the SUS-4 system and the underneath rubber foam line.

So i don't know, if this will fit in the Combo

If we except the hole spacing (that is manageable), it should... Wait and see...

Also i notice, that the Combo might not be from this era because it doesn't look like an original Mesa Shell

Well, it should be original, but it may be also an aftermarket production... I am not qualified to tell the difference. Nonetheless it's a good imitation, with a quite nice figured exotic wood (which one ?), and obviously, this cab - even well treated - isn't a recent one. I compared the baffle and grille routings with my 1979 tolex MKII cab : these are the same... So I am pretty akeen to think that it is an original one, but with no certainity, indeed !

And building Hardwood products i know where to look.

Rob, I can post here additional detailled pictures if you are willing to make an accurate identification and comments, as you're a talented and skilled cab builder... Please let me know.

A+!

 

[megavoice]

Hi Mark2Boogie,

Just tell us a bit more about about the hardwood. Is there a shield on top/inside with little two wires with a little ring for the mounting-screws ? And is there a holder fixed on the left side for a 12Ax replacement-tube when you look inside from behind. It's likely, if it's a aftermarket, if these both things are not installed, but must not.
And I'm wondering about the kompletely round hole for the speaker-mounting. I think originally it's straight on top and bottom.
The structure of the wood looks very original as that of the pictures in my old catalogue from '86.
A few more pictures from inside would be appreciated.

 

[mark2boogie]

Hi megavoice and rob,

Here's what the previous owner answered me about the cabinet to correct my assertions :

All I know is, that the cabinet was bought direct at a MESABoogie dealer as a MesaBoogie Mark III SimulClass ComboAmp. So, in my opinion it is an original Mesa OEM cabinet and no aftermarket product. The new head cabinet for the amp looks more shinny and more like a photo finish. It is not as deep and not so beautiful grained like the one you have bought. I have seen some MesaBoogie ComboAmps of this time (from the late 80s and early 90s) and all of them have had that deep grained, dark coloured wood. The newer ones all have that shinny kind of grain which looks like a photo flame on a Mexican Strat, as you know what I mean.

I would like to have a head cabinet instead of the combo amp, so that you are able to combine the amp with different speaker cabs for different situations. So the head cab is fine for that situation, but not as beautiful as the combo cabinet!

No problem to post additional pictures and details, for more accurate identification ! Let me take them and load them to post them here - coming soon.

A+!

 

[mark2boogie]

Hi again, here are additional pictures of the hardwood cab presumably original :

So according to you, is it a Boogie-made cab or an aftermarket model ?

A+!

 

[breogan]

My cab is exactly the same but with black tolex.

 

[megavoice]

Yes, looks very original. The colours of all wooden parts inside look like all of my Mark 3. On the right side you see the screws where the coolin' fan had been fixed. On the left side, what you missed to let us see, must be the tube holder. And the wicker-cane is aged to brown outside.

 

[SpongeRob]

Same here! Looks original. But isn't necessary. I saw some good reproductions. Mostly saw those kind of cabs here in Germany! But you're located in France. So don't know if they reached France. I already got one of this reproduction Cabs. Those were not of very good quality. And they were made the same as all other. SUS 4 System, shielded, foamed. Maybe a swap from an old Tolex Combo. I had an original Mark III Hardwood Combo. It was dated on the Back Plate with the Name of the Wood and Date of the Cab. The Side Support made from wood were not screwed! Each Hardwood Product a have and had original from Mesa is glued and stapled. Maybe some early Hardwood Mesa products were screwed. The front upper edge isn't rounded this much. So this catched my attention. But than again. If it was bought directly from a dealer as a Mark III Combo Amp there should be somewhere a date and the kind of wood. But can't say if this is everywhere the case.

Here's a pic from a IIB with the Upper Edge from an ended Ebay Auction in Germany

 

[megavoice]

Yes, the name of the wood should be written inside on the rear protection plate or maybe elsewhere.
What about the dovetail joint. Can't recognize on your pics. Is the fitting perfect ?