Mark 3 Simlus Class VS Non-Simul Class

[ltd2recto]

Lookin at buying a Mark III blue strip 1X12 combo. He sent me a couple of pics. It has GEQ & reverb. He said that it has simul class but told me it was a 100W combo. Ive read the 100 watters are not simul class. The back pic doesn't show the right side where the switch is. Im just assuming at the moment it's not simul class.

Is there is difference in sound being able to run EL 34's in the outer sockets? Even in 85W mode I would think there would be more of that mid range bite that I want. The youtube video I seen of a mark III 100W playin metallica didn't sound as good to me.

Thinkin if I'm gonna get a mark series I might as well do it right the 1st time.

 

[EleventhHour2139]

Lookin at buying a Mark III blue strip 1X12 combo. He sent me a couple of pics. It has GEQ & reverb. He said that it has simul class but told me it was a 100W combo. Ive read the 100 watters are not simul class. The back pic doesn't show the right side where the switch is. Im just assuming at the moment it's not simul class.

Is there is difference in sound being able to run EL 34's in the outer sockets? Even in 85W mode I would think there would be more of that mid range bite that I want. The youtube video I seen of a mark III 100W playin metallica didn't sound as good to me.

Thinkin if I'm gonna get a mark series I might as well do it right the 1st time.

Personally I don't miss simul class. But then again it's hard to miss something you never had lol.

Sometimes I wish I had a chance to try one out, if only to see if there even is a difference at all. But eq'd correctly, my 100 has no problem whatsoever with metal. Whenever I played out or jammed I was always complimented on my tone, and it always had PLENTY of mid cut. Usually enough to bury the other guitarist if I so chose lol.

So my advice would be to demo the amp if you can prior to purchasing. But rest assured, I've NEVER heard complaints that any III was lacking in mid cut, simul or otherwise.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Well, it can be 100 watts, or it can be Simul-Class, but it can't be both. This is a very common error.
A blue stripe Simul-Class is 75 watts (switch up), or 15 watts Class A (switch down). The later (and last) stripe, the green stripe, is 85 watts Simul-Class and 25 watts Class A.
The 100 watt also has the switch, but it turns off a pair of 6L6s for 60 watts, so they are usually referred to as 60/100 models. Note that you can't use EL-34s in the 60/100.
Get a photo of the switch, and you'll be sure.

 

[boatright]

You found a youtube video of someone playing Metallica through a Mark series?!?! Where?

Seriously, though... The previous post answered really well. Wattage doesn't mean much with these amps. Keep in mind too that most 100 wat amps are cranking in the 80's. Amp companies do the same thing Motorcycle companies do with horsepower. They juggle the numbers. Mesa has been pretty honest and let the sound speak for itself. My Mark III in 85 watts is almost as loud, if not equal, to my V4B with a quad of 6550s. The V4 will go louder, but starts pushing the cabs way too hard. What matters most is the efficiency of the design, and the output transformer.

I've had amps with EL34s, 6L6s, 7027s, KT88s, and my favorites are the V4Bs with 6550s, but the Mark III is close if not superior in pure tone. I always felt like 6L6s were missing what the El34s had, and vice versa. Seriously. So Simul-Class makes so much sense to me, short of playing two heads. You can really hear the combination working together.

Check the threads on how to tell if an amp is simul or not. Honestly you're probably encountering most people saying 100 watt head just because it has 4 power tubes. It's likely still Simul.