Just got a Mark iii Drg bluestripe wondering if it needs a service.(pic)

[zacinnc78]

IF i call MB,will they tell me if its ever been serviced if i give them serial #?Also do they still do mods(+mod ,volume mod ,etc) Are these caps originals and can anybody see anything funky with it(it looks pretty clean to me but im not a tech by any stretch of the imagination )thx guys

 

[CoG]

Whether or not they are still doing mods seems to be day-to-day, best to call and ask. Warning, it's $$$. R2 volume is easy for any amp tech.

They can tell you if it was serviced at MB, but could have been serviced elsewhere too and they won't have a record.

 

[pastorofmuppets]

My Mark III green stripe is currently with MB getting the ++ mod, price was $400 not including shipping. I also have a IVB, III red stripe, and IIB+. I asked MB yesterday if they could look up service history by the serial and this was his response,
“No way look back thru all the various RA systems we have had now.
A good ghut pic of each where I can read the writing on the filter caps and that will tell something. Best I can do.”

This was referring to my IV that had brown 16v 10k caps, but were branded RZMM, not Sprague. Anyone reading this who’s curious, he said those are not problematic and only the Sprague ones had issues.

 

[zacinnc78]

My Mark III green stripe is currently with MB getting the ++ mod, price was $400 not including shipping. I also have a IVB, III red stripe, and IIB+. I asked MB yesterday if they could look up service history by the serial and this was his response,
“No way look back thru all the various RA systems we have had now.
A good ghut pic of each where I can read the writing on the filter caps and that will tell something. Best I can do.”

This was referring to my IV that had brown 16v 10k caps, but were branded RZMM, not Sprague. Anyone reading this who’s curious, he said those are not problematic and only the Sprague ones had issues.

good info ,so they let you send them pics to verify if you needed recapping?

 

[pastorofmuppets]

good info ,so they let you send them pics to verify if you needed recapping?

Yeah my initial email was with a picture of the caps as I assumed these were still problematic. His response to the image was,

“Those would be the caps with the "IC" for illinois capacitor label...
I have not seen any particular troubles with them. The definite problem ones were labeled "Sprague" and they all should be replaced.
With IC caps it must be a later mk4 amp so I can't say "you need to get it in"

The usual svc of cleaning pots and jacks and tube sockets, etc. is all

Also rev connections and the tanks need clean up inside sometimes.”

My IV was made in January of 93, so a very early B. Either the caps were replaced at some point, or that issue may have only been for rev A’s.

 

[edge59AlnicoIV]

My Mark III green stripe is currently with MB getting the ++ mod, price was $400 not including shipping. I also have a IVB, III red stripe, and IIB+. I asked MB yesterday if they could look up service history by the serial and this was his response,
“No way look back thru all the various RA systems we have had now.
A good ghut pic of each where I can read the writing on the filter caps and that will tell something. Best I can do.”

This was referring to my IV that had brown 16v 10k caps, but were branded RZMM, not Sprague. Anyone reading this who’s curious, he said those are not problematic and only the Sprague ones had issues.

I had a Mark IVB with this cap issue, come to find out the originally installed cap was under voltage rated and would cause issues like noise and the life of V2B, so they sent me a higher voltage rated cap. It fixed the problem I was experiencing