How would a Mark IV blend with a Mark III?

[xT00BZRG00Dx]

I was thinking they'd be pure tits together.... The Mark IV's lower mid, daker, smoother, and more mid based prog tone, and the Mark III's higher mid, bright, agressive, more scooped tone better for thrash. And I could use the Mark IV for leads and cleans with my Mark III for rhythm. Like 3 great channels right there. But, i'm not sure I could afford a Mark IV without selling my Mark III. I have always wanted a Mark IV, but I love my Mark III (Red Stripe, GEQ, Reverb, Non-Simul), would it be worth it to sell my III for a IV, if I have too? By Christmas, I could get around $800-$900 bucks without selling the III. I could probably vouch for $1000-$1200 for a Mark IV if I save a few more months. Would it be THAT hard to find a Mark IV combo for that? And isn't the combo cheaper? Or it more expensive? Sorry for the long post, I just have many questions.

TL;DR:

1. How would a Mark IV go with a Mark III?
2. Would it be worth it to sell my III for a IV, with cash, if I have to?
3. Could I find a Mark IV combo for under $1200?
4. Which one is more expensive, the head or the combo?

 

[mr_fender]

1. It depends on how much separation you want between the two tones. The two sound pretty similar overall, so they may step on each other a bit. To me, the IV seems to cut through a bit more, but it entirely depends on how each is EQ'd and what speakers/cabs each is pushing.

2. Purely subjective. To me the IV is a bit more flexible with the extra controls, etc., but if you like the MKIII's tone, keep it. Honestly, if you're willing to spend the $$$ to upgrade to the MKIV, I'd seriously look at a Mark Five for even more flexibility.

3. Depends on the market and the amps condition. If you don't mind a little "character" you could probably find one thats a little beat up physically for a bit cheaper. Keep in mind changing broken pots in a MKIV is a huge pain in the ass.

4. Combo is more expensive due to the speaker and larger cabinet. Otherwise the two are identical. I find the heads to be more versitile and quieter to record since the fan is not right behind the speaker cone. I like the lighter weight of the head too. My MKIVa combo with an EVM12L weighed about 90lbs. My back got tired of that really quick, so I converted it to a head and the EVM12L went into a DIY thiele.

 

[edgecrusher]

Well, they would sound great together, though I'm not sure it would really be worth it for $1200. I think a Satelite combo, DC-5, or a Recto 2:100 poweramp would work just as well (better IMO with the 2:100) and be much cheaper.

The DC-5 is pretty similar to the IV (more so than the III), almost like a IV and Recto mixed together, though with less gain.

With the 2:100 you could slave your III preamp into it using the direct out and have your strait Mark III tone coming out of one cab, with the Recto powered Mark tone into another cab. It sounds awesome, the modern mode of the recto power amp adds huge balls to the Mark tone; thats what I do when I want to set up a wall of doom.

 

[GD_NC]

Well, they would sound great together, though I'm not sure it would really be worth it for $1200. I think a Satelite combo, DC-5, or a Recto 2:100 poweramp would work just as well (better IMO with the 2:100) and be much cheaper.

The DC-5 is pretty similar to the IV (more so than the III), almost like a IV and Recto mixed together, though with less gain.

+1

I'd consider a DC or maybe a Recto as a complement.

Honestly, a Mark IV with a tubescreamer (or similar) can give you a really wide range of sounds on the fly. I think if you decided to go to a IV you would leave your III behind pretty quickly (unless you are super attached to the tone). I had a Mark IIB and Mark IV for a while but I couldn't justify keeping both.

If you are patient and willing to negotiate a little, you can find a IV for around $1000 with a little road rash. Just be ready to drop another $150-$200 on tubes and a thorough amp service.

 

[halfnote]

Not mine, but they can be had in your price range.
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2438992