Mark 3 Combo question and EV question

[Paul Secondino]

Found a silly clean Mark 3 combo at a guitar center with a EV 12. Two questions though.

- It's almost too clean. And I noticed that the top of the cabinet has 4 spots on top for a head or something .Indentations like you'd see on top of a Marshall 4x12 so that the casters from a 2nd cab would rest in them. IS it normal to see that ?

-2nd, the Lead channel on this amp was awfully farty and not much gain . Should have double the gain. So I'm wondering if the EV has a loose low end ? I don't think it should .

Maybe someone put a 12au7 or at7where it shouldn't be.Or there's a pooped out preamp tube. So do you know which preamp tube controls the lead channel gain after V1 ? Thanks

 

[edward]

Hi Paul,

The combo cabinet itself may be a "Sus-4" cabinet that has rubber shock absorption between the amp chassis and the cabiniet. Admittedly not likely as this is a later-boogie feature (like my DC5), but it could have been a cabinet from *any* boogie (which would explain why it's so clean)that fits the common size of the Mark's short chassis. The Sus-4 will look like 4 recessed circles, a bit larger than 1" diameter, and the chassis screw going right through the center.

The EVM12L's very "trademark" if you will is its very tight, focused bottom end ...any fartiness is simply wrong. Could very well be incorrect or bad tubes. After V1, V3 controls the the gain stage (a/b side in series) for the Lead channel, then it goes to V2 (which also is the gain stage for the R1 and R2 when selected). Stock, these should be 12AX7s, though I can get *plenty* of gain with AT7s in V2 and V3 ...the reason I mention this is if you find AT7s in there, that's not the reason it sounds bad ...unless they're shot, that is. Got reverb? If so, try swapping out the tubes, or bring your own to check it. Does it have a Graphic EQ?

Edward

 

[Paul Secondino]

Thank you sir. I'm glad you confirmed what I thought. I'd always known the EV to be tight.

The biggest hurdle is that to change tubes properly, I have to pull the chassis.If he lets me do it, I'll give it a shot.

 

[vcamargo99]

It's sounding like preamp tubes to me. Or something is seriously is wrong with it. My Blue Stripe has a very 'bassman like sound when the 1st Volume is set high. The lead channel is brutal. It's stock with the EV speaker and I've never heard any fartiness. On the contrary, I can dime the EQ bass sliders and tone knob and get NO flab or fart. I don't play metal, just classic rock and blues and jazz, but the amount of gain I have on reserve is huge. It's a differrent type of gain though, more open, "in your face", raw.

 

[Russ]

I don't remember having to remove anything other than the tube I wanted to change while in combo configuration with my MarkIV. In head configuration, yes, it is a real PIA to get your hands in there if yours are relatively large like mine. Kinda sucks having large hands... makes your winky look smaller than it is :lol:

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Personally, I wouldn't mention the tubes, and try to get them to lower the price because it will take a little "work" to get it to where it should be, this may not work with one of the more knowledgable staff, but find the dumbest looking worker there to try it on (they're easy to find, usually staring off to space and ignoring the customers, or pointing them to B52's when they ask for something for metal with tubes in it, half the gc staff in some stores sadly).

 

[srf399]

OMG you absolutely hit the nail on the head with how most sales people are in these stores. The last store I dealt with the entire staff was like that. Unfortunately they are the only Boogie dealer anywhere near me. I almost feel like calling Mesa and letting them know that their authorized dealer here doesn't know **** about their products and push Marshall over the Boogies! They didn't know what a 1x12 Thiele cabinet was!!! No one in the store did...nada! My wife had to tell them!!!!