Mark III 15watt mode - Who uses it?

[herrball]

So I'm curious and thought I'd ping the board.....

I'm playing a lot of smaller clubs these days and recently thought about picking up a lower wattage amp to use and let it cook.

Then it occurred to me.....why not break out the MKIII and use it in 15watt mode?

I play funk/fusion/Carlton/Landau/Ford type stuff and don't need all that wattage anymore.

Anyone doing the same? Any issues you've found running those class-A tubes as the primary workhorse?

 

[benjamin801]

I'm going into the studio this weekend and fully intend to use 15 watt mode for my leads. I think it adds a nice juiciness that's very appealing and easy to play.

 

[Betos]

15 Watt mode isn't much quieter than simul-class mode. It breaks up sooner thought.

 

[kdorsey]

15 Watt mode isn't much quieter than simul-class mode. It breaks up sooner thought.

I have to disagree, at least with a Simul-Class green stripe. Class A mode is used 80% of the time for my indoor gigs with master at about 2...about the max output SPL (and I believe that pentode mode Simul's are at 25W). Setting the master above that is pure power stage distortion. Tasty, tasty, tasty. 8) But for anything that needs clean headroom or more clarity and projection, like outdoor gigs, I flip back to Simul-Class and it delivers a solid volume increase. Maybe it's not louder at lower volume settings, but push class A to its limits and you WILL get a definitely louder output when you flip the power switch.

 

[MrMarkIII]

How quiet or loud "Class A" is depends a great deal on the rest of the band.
15/25 watts can be too loud (above "2") with one band I rehearse with in a small garage with an electronic drum kit, but I lose headroom quickly with a heavy-handed drummer in a live setting in a large room. It's great, though, to be able to crank that Master up to 6 or 7 and wail.
Who needs channel-changing?

 

[gts]

So I'm curious and thought I'd ping the board.....

I'm playing a lot of smaller clubs these days and recently thought about picking up a lower wattage amp to use and let it cook.

Then it occurred to me.....why not break out the MKIII and use it in 15watt mode?

I play funk/fusion/Carlton/Landau/Ford type stuff and don't need all that wattage anymore.

Anyone doing the same? Any issues you've found running those class-A tubes as the primary workhorse?

Never an issue. In fact the Mark series Simul-Class tone can be quite nice in 15watt mode.
Like others have said if and when you need more headroom just switch it over to Simul.

The tough part about Mark series amps in small rooms is they are a lot of amp to lug around.
75-85 pounds to carry around and you're barely getting to tap into the power on hand.
Still all things being equal you can usually find decent tone settings for lower volumes.
Btw imho mark series amps are for "funk/fusion/Carlton/Landau/Ford type stuff".

 

[benjamin801]

15 Watt mode isn't much quieter than simul-class mode. It breaks up sooner thought.

My own anecdotal evidence: I had my Mark III in the studio this past weekend. I recorded my rhythm tracks in Simul-Class and my leads in Class A mode. For the rhythm tracks, my Master Volume was at about 3.5 and my Lead Master was at 5. When I went to cut the leads, I switched to Class A and brought up the Master Volume until the SPL hitting the mics was the same. I had to turn up to 6.

Incidentally, I'll post clips/songs here in a few days for anyone who wants to hear some Mark III goodness.

And here's a pic, because pics are fun:

 

[dearlpitts]

theres some good equipment.

 

[RR]

theres some good equipment.

I'm thinking the same thing, the Mark III, red Marshall, 6x10 MESA Bass cabinet, ... etc ... then peculiar the retro galvanize trash can and unmatched drum kit. :lol:

 

[benjamin801]

theres some good equipment.

I'm thinking the same thing, the Mark III, red Marshall, 6x10 MESA Bass cabinet, ... etc ... then peculiar the retro galvanize trash can and unmatched drum kit. :lol:

:lol:

Yes, that was a guitar iso room (I opened a sliding plate glass door to take that pic) that doubled as storage. The Mesa rig, of course, is mine. That Mesa bass cab had an old Acoustic brand bass head on it, and I wish we'd had the chance to fire it up. The red Marshall is actually a clone that the studio owner/engineer built himself. The unmatched drum kit is actually extra toms for the several drum kits that were set up in the main tracking room. The retro trash can is a mystery.