Cost of Mark IV footswitch / Wiring diagram required

[jappy]

Hi everyone,

First post here - I'm just about to purchase a second hand Mark IV combo!

The amp I am about to purchase does not come with the footswitch - I just got a quote from a Mesa dealer for $700 AUD for the footswitch.

I was very surprised - is this the normal price for a Mesa footswitch?!

Is there a cheaper alternative to the official Mesa footswitch?

 

[Platypus]

It's like 250US I believe.. it's pretty unique in design so I doubt you can get a replacement that isn't an official Mesa footswitch. Your best bet is to buy one online or find someone in the states to buy it and ship it to you.

 

[jappy]

What about any MIDI switching alternatives? I'm not very well acquainted with this option, but I have heard it is possible.

 

[Blueracer]

What about any MIDI switching alternatives? I'm not very well acquainted with this option, but I have heard it is possible.

Midi switching is a viable alternative. Here is a link to the Mark IV manual. Midi switching is described on page 14 (it is page 18 to the pdf reader).

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/Mark%204.pdf

Midi switching actually controls more functions than the foot switch. Hope this is helpful.

Gary

 

[MKIII]

*on soapbox*

Unfortunately, down here in the Colonies we get stiffed by certain 'distributors' and it is usually cheaper to track Mesa bits down in the US, considering the nice exchange rate we currently enjoy.

$700 is massively over the top, when you consider that the whole **** amp second hand is about $2K.

I still don't understand how a new MKIV costs us nearly AUD$5500, when you consider the list price from Mesa is USD$1950 (ish). Now convert that to AUD and you get $2235!

Where does the other $3K odd go? Helluva distributor margin.... :x

*off soapbox*

 

[jappy]

Yeh seems to be a pretty common occurrence down under :x

I'm picking up this amp for $2,600 second hand, which is a bit high now that I know how much a new footswitch costs!

Can anyone tell me the minimum gear I would need to get started on MIDI switching? Could I just get a Behringer board and be done?

At the end of the day, all I wanted to do was to switch channels!

I simply cannot believe a footswitch could cost as much as a new amp (albeit not a Mesa)!

 

[MKIII]

Hmmm, I paid $2350 for a mint MKIVa short combo with EV speaker - one careful owner, always in the flightcase, never dropped or raced....

We don't see many good, old Mesa's in Oz, so it might not be too much after all. How old is it and if you're getting it from other than Weebay, you could maybe try negotiate it down due to the lack of a footswitch?

I was happy with what I paid, because good one's don't appear all that often.

Weebay is your friend, or I can open mine up and take some pics for you - it can't be that hard to build one....

 

[jappy]

Did you get yours from a certain jylo83?

If so, I had my eye on it as well, but couldn't afford it at the time.

The one I'm getting is a combo, and it's pretty good condition, so I was happy with the $2,600. What I didn't count on was having to cough up another $700 for a footswitch!

Needless to say, I'm going to exhaust all possible avenues before coughing up the dough.

 

[MKIII]

No - didn't get that one, scored a better one.... :lol:

There will be another option; maybe one of the other forum members can hook you up? Maybe put a listing in the Classified's section as a WTB? One might pop up...

 

[MusicManJP6]

Ebay is your best bet. They pop up now and then. They usually go for about $120-$150 on there. Much better than the $250 for a new one and the wait time to get it.

 

[organometallica]

To answer one of your questions... No you cannot just buy a behringer midi pedal to switch all channels. The behringer has a relay so you can switch between two channels but not all three. You need a midi interface that has relays to switch channels.

Here is what I did, I bought and Axess CFX4 which is midi controlable and use a behringer FCB pedal. With the CFX4 you can also get a custom cable for the Mark IV which plugs into the CFX4 as well as into the XLR socket where the footswitch usually plugs in. This allows you to switch between all of the 3 channels, as well as turn the eq on or off.

Here are some pictures

http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12254&hilit=

 

[jappy]

Does anyone know where I can obtain a wiring schematic of the Mark IV footswitch? I might have a crack at making one myself.

 

[chipaudette]

Did anyone ever come up with a schematic for a Mark IV footswitch? The guy on the thread below might be talked into building his own fooswitch. I want to take a look at the schem to decide if it'll be easy or a nightmare...

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=58714&p=412657#p412657

Chip