Mark 4 > Mark 3 ?

[SmashinTestEsWifTone]

Was wondering if getting a mark 4 is really worth the pric difference over a mark 3 blue/green stripe? I understand that all the 3 channels on the mark 3 are all controlled be the same knobs, but other than this is there much of a difference? I've had people tell me the 3 has a more raw and aggressive lead tone with a decent clean, and vice versa. I'll have to buy blind so any input would help. I found a mark 3 green head for 850 on a local craigslist and am thinking of jumping on it

 

[swbo101]

You really need to listen to them. It's more than the III having shared channels. The amps have different sounds. Most on this board have commented that the IV's lead is a bit more compressed and refined opposed to the III's. I own and IV and have played a III, but not in a REALLY long time so I can't remember. At the time when I played both (over 20 years ago) I went with the IV, but that was just my personal taste.

Bottom line, you really need to play both.

Good luck.

 

[Koadogg]

I have a Mark III Blue Stripe and and a Mark IVb. To my ears, The Mark III has a exactly what others said, a more raw/agressive tone. The IV is good as well, a little finer grain distortion but darker to my ears. The four has the advantage with the three seperate channels. I like the clean on the IV a lot but I don't play clean much so for me the II is staying. If I didn't need the money, I would keep both, but unfortunately the IV will be moving. That is just me and my tastes.

 

[stephen sawall]

It is only a matter of taste ... one is not better than the other.

 

[fretout]

As with all things music/tone related, it's all preference. For me, I found the Mark III to have the aggression, attack (this is important), and tone that I always wanted, and will always be a staple for my tones.

With that said, the Mark IV is also a monster, but a tamer monster IMO. It doesn't have the responsiveness that the Mark III has, but the Mark IV is much more flexible and has some really cool features that give it it's own strengths.

So, since we're all musicians here, it comes down to what you'll be using it for. For me, the Mark III is great for recording (I can gig it just fine), but the Mark IV may have the controllability you may want to have when playing shows while also being a great recording amp.

For me, I just need a lead channel and a clean channel. I don't need boosts, a mig gain channel (I just use the guitars volume knob).

 

[bandit2013]

I owned both at the same time. I bought the MKIII perhaps 89 or 90. It had a blue marker line on it. In 2000 I bought the Mark IV. I found the MKIII much darker than the IV (more than likely due to the EVM12L mounted in the open combo chassis). The MKIII was awsome for blues style. Not bad when pushed in the lead channel. It held up over the Drummer and Bass. The odd thing about the band I was in, I had preference for Pink Floyd, drummer was all Led Zepplin, and the bass player was a YES fan. Once the combined styles were mixed up into the jumbled mess we called music, we sounded like a Guns and Roses tribute band without vocals. Go figure...

I found the Mark IV to be a more versatile amp. Only the clean channel and the moderate gain channel shared common parametrics with the exception of the treble control. MKIII was sweet running all 6L6, it was awsome with 5881 and EL34. (original mesa tubes were 6L6 paired with EL34). As for the Mark IV, I kept the power tubes for channel 3 set for pentode mode. I did not use channel 2 all that much, but once in a while I will play through all channels and change settings to keep the pots in good shape.

Shortly after selling the MKIII, I felt something was amiss with the MKIV. I missed the bass response of the EV speakers (I sold the MKIII with a satelite EVM12L cab my exwife's uncle made for me). I bought a black label EVM12L and stuffed it into the MKIV. It will fit but not much room for tube access. The reverb tank needs to be forced back into its location. Of course were talking combo amp here. At gig level the EV performed excellent but when at bedroom level a bit prominent on the low end. I reinstalled the C90 and reserved the EV for rebuilding the rectro 412 cab.

I love my MKIV for its tone and versatility. The mounted casters on it makes moving much easier than having to carry it. They are removable for better stability when playing. When I bought the MKV head to go with my 412 cab, I was not impressed. I liked the MKIV much better. That has changed since I retubed the preamp and power secion of the V. I enjoyed the MKIII for as long as I have owned it. The smaller size means it will take up less room in the cargo hold of your vehicle. One smart feature on the MKIV is where the foot petal mounts, on the back which provides protection for the tubes during transit or storage.

I would have to agree with most, the mark III and IV are both great amps. Either will rip your arms out since they weigh about the same, 65 pounds is not that heavy, but having to extend your arm out to carry it feels more like 120lbs. MKIII is a bit more compact and esier to carry than the MKIV. Either way you go, you will have a great quality amp that should last an extremely long time. They are worth the expense when purchased new, and they hold thier value for resale (except for trade in, had a mesa dealer offer $225 for the mkIII for trade-in when I bought the IV, I kept it for use as a satelite system for stereo effects. 23 years of ownership on the MKIII without any issues says enough on longevity, durability - many gigs (change in location where the band would practice). I got some feedback from the person who bought it as a gift for his son. "This is the best amp EVER".

 

[MrMarkIII]

The Mark IV foot switch is problematic, as it is unwieldy and fragile, especially the connectors. Deal breaker for me. The tones are as described above: Lead is smoother but more compressed, more pedal-like IMO.
The Mark III is raw and agressive, but this can be mitigated by dialling out highs and lows with the Graphic EQ.
Yes, yes, everyone likes the super-scooped mids, but you'll get lost in the mix if you insist on using that EQ live. Mids cut through.
The Green Stripe cleans are very close to the Mark IV, which is very clean, while the Mark III is capable of some dirt in the clean channel when the Volume One is cranked. If you like some hair and sponginess around your clean sound, go with the Mark III.

 

[bandit2013]

I never had any issues with my footpedal with the Mark IV. Compare that to the Mark V, the 8pin Din connector was a mistake. It could be a bad cable that I have with it. As for the MkIII, forget the small pedals, most of the time I never used them. I had both MKIII and MKIV. overall they are both great amps regardless of how you switch channels.

 

[kdorsey]

...I found a mark 3 green head for 850 on a local craigslist and am thinking of jumping on it

What's the worst that can happen? You hate it and turn around and resell it for what you have in it. No biggie. The MkIII green stripe is the closest, design-wise, to the IV, but it is NOT a IV. Depending upon your musical tastes (wild vs. refined) one may be more fitting than the other.

 

[bgh]

I would have to agree with most, the mark III and IV are both great amps. Either will rip your arms out since they weigh about the same, 65 pounds is not that heavy, but having to extend your arm out to carry it feels more like 120lbs. MKIII is a bit more compact and esier to carry than the MKIV.

I have to agree concerning the weight. But, I have spring-loaded side handles on my Mark IV. They make all the difference in the world in picking that puppy up! The weight is now shared between both arms.

 

[swbo101]

I never had any issues with my footpedal with the Mark IV.

I have to agree with this. I've had my Mark IV for over 20 years with no foot pedal issues.

 

[sduck]

I never had any issues with my footpedal with the Mark IV.

I have to agree with this. I've had my Mark IV for over 20 years with no foot pedal issues.

Thirded. If the mark IV footswitch is too fragile for you, you might want to consider how you're treating your gear in general. Guitars are much more fragile.

 

[stephen sawall]

I never had any issues with my footpedal with the Mark IV.

I have to agree with this. I've had my Mark IV for over 20 years with no foot pedal issues.

Thirded. If the mark IV footswitch is too fragile for you, you might want to consider how you're treating your gear in general. Guitars are much more fragile.

Original owner of the 12th one made. Had it about 23/24 years. Did hundreds of gigs with it & never had any problems with the amp or foot-switch.

 

[bandit2013]

On the other hand, I do recall the connector on the footswitch cable became loose. That was an easy fix by adjusting the set screw. It is sometimes difficult to remove, so that can be an issue when transporting the amp frequently.

Either way you go, both are great amps. As for the combo versions, I had both. (repeating, sorry) The EVM black shadow at low volume provided a darker tone but when pushed it performed well. The c90 on the other hand sounds great at low to moderate volume, but when pushed with too much bass it begins to fall flat. I ran both amps through a 412 with V30's and both sounded awsome. Nice thing about combo's when you need that extra punch, use a 412 extension cab.

 

[kramerxxx]

All amps are a little different.
I have a III and a V. The V has more gain and variety, both I'm not getting rid of the III.

There is just something about it, after it gets warmed up, it really sings. I have found it is better to play the amp than let the amp play you. I DON'T use an overdrive with the V, but almost always do with the III. I will set the first volume a little low, say 4.5-5, then use the lead master for my solo boost. So I have
Clean R1,R2,solo, plus the gain pedal with any of those foot switchable settings.

Lately I've been using a PlexiTone, one of the older 3-button models, which has bypass, gain 1, gain 2 and a solo boost.

 

[Markedman]

Was wondering if getting a mark 4 is really worth the price difference over a mark 3 blue/green stripe?

My Mark IV saw the stage only 2 times since Memorial Day, my Mark III 7 times, Mark IIB about 10 times, Marshall twice on stage. I have the IV as a back-up to the others and use it for practice and recording sometimes, but I'm thinking of selling it to justify purchasing a C+ or another pre-CBS stratocaster. It's just a matter of taste when it comes to tone, one man's junk is another man's treasure and I did treasure that IV for a few months but since it doesn't get much stage use it is another anchor.

 

[igfraso]

Was wondering if getting a mark 4 is really worth the pric difference over a mark 3 blue/green stripe? I understand that all the 3 channels on the mark 3 are all controlled be the same knobs, but other than this is there much of a difference? I've had people tell me the 3 has a more raw and aggressive lead tone with a decent clean, and vice versa. I'll have to buy blind so any input would help. I found a mark 3 green head for 850 on a local craigslist and am thinking of jumping on it

Don't overlook the fact that the R2Vol is an easy and very recommendable mod for the Mark III. That will allow you to have independent settings for volume in the 3 channels and get a better balance among them.

I assume that that blue/green stripe comes already with the factory Reverb mod.

 

[megavoice]

I've my first red-one for about 26 years, and (I dont want to strew blossoms down on my head) after 35 years experiences with doing coverrock mostly 70ies all the guitar-players I had liked my III most, as all of them wanred to by.
9 years ago I had one with a IV and a Bogner-cab/Marshall 1960 lead and its sound was nearly identically. He A/Bed them both and said my III would sound warmer and would be "faster" because of less wirings (???)
Now 1 1/2 years ago I bought a second redstripe just to let my fellows play in the band if the'd like to and found out that the second-one isn't that warm as the first but much brighter (same tubes and no mods)
What I like so much with the III is it's absolutely great in the whole band-mix. Sound is never disturbing like i.ex. ENGL Screamer. And unlike many other amps it's very, very tonal and melodic.
There's probably a significant difference to the blue-ones ?????

The Vol. 2 mod is absolutely a MUST for balanced rythm and crunch sounds.

 

[megavoice]

Posting oddity ?

The brand ENGL Screamer dropped out in the sentence:"Sound is never disturbing like i.ex. : ENGL Screamer