Mark III Blue Stripe

[enuenu]

I had my heart set on a dual rectifier but alas the prices for used units here in Oz seem very high. New ones are very pricey. I have found a Mark III and the owner described it as follows;
"Blue Stripe head that is the 100w/60w version, not Simulclass/Class A"
How does this place this amp in the Mark III range, one of the better ones or not? What does it mean?
I like dark overdriven tones (Gibson Explorer) but want to avoid muddy tones. I also like to play clean on occasion. Do you think this head is bad enough for slow down tuned evil tones?

I just can't afford a recto. For example I have found;
*New vintage styled Dual recto head + Quad heavily discounted discounted to $6,200
*Used dual recto head $3,000
*New dual recto head $4,700
*New Mark IV combo in maple $5,000
The Aussie dollar buys USD$0.95. Not sure what you pay in USA for these amps. I know there are a heap of USA models down here being powered via step down transformers. Makes me think that plenty are buying in USA and spiriting them back to Australia.
Anyway, what's the deal with this Mark III I am thinking about?

 

[MrMarkIII]

A Simul-Class Mark III blue stripe is 75 watts in Simul and 15 watts in Class A.
So a 100/60 is going to be a tad bit louder and cleaner.
The catalogs of the time (mid to late 80s) actually describe it as more "clinically correct".
If you need max headroom and volume, this is the way to go.

 

[JD]

You cant go wrong with the blue stripe if you want tight metal tones to blues its all there
I paid $900 US for my mark 3 and got it shipped over for about $190
It was a blue stripe with the 3+ mod

Like the IIC+ with its famous plus, these stripes were located over the power cord with Mike B.'s initials below. They are merely a swipe with a Jiffy Marker of the appropriate color. The five stripes were as follows:

In order, the stripes were:

None or Black Stripe
Purple Stripe
Red Stripe
Blue Stripe
Green Stripe

As with all things MESA, what these various stages represent are a matter of opinion with respect of the sound character. Don't let anyone pass on a bunch of bullshit about one being better than the other. They represent snapshots in time of the development of an amplifier line. If the amplifier gets you the tone you want, the jiffy marker is nothing more than a mark of its vintage. Much anxiety is generated in the Mark III group by this extensive evolution, much because of misinformation about what these stripes represent.

#1 - No mark or a little dot. Only a few hundred then some balck marks or "+"'s .

- Lean and powerful amp with more output power than a IIC+

#2 - Purple: reshaping of R2

- R2 was shaped to be more "rounded" and less gain, with improved level

#3 - Red: R2 is like current Mark III

- R2 further developed and very hot. Lead mode is also tweaked to close in on the IIC+ sound

#4 - Blue: Reshaping of R1

- More aggressive preamp gain - reshaping of R1, Power section made akin to IIC+

#5 - Green/Simul-Class: Final R1 and Lead Channel reshaping

- Cleaner R1, Lead channel reshaping, and unlike other Simul amps, these Mark III's were wired in Pentode - NOT triode in the Class A sockets for more power. Power section is same as Blue otherwise.

So there you have it, the story of the dot series. More legend than reality, they are all great amps, just find the one that is right for you. I hope that you find this helpful.

 

[enuenu]

Thanks for the great detail. The amp sounds like a good one. I've yet to play a Mesa I didn't like, except a small Express series that was OK but nothing special.
The Mark III is on ebay with a start price of $2000, and I note you got yours shipped over from the USA and paid half that. This USA v Aust Mesa price difference is a pain. Getting one shipped is becoming a real option.
The voltage is the only hassle. I know you can get step down transformers but I am just not interested in stuffing around with a transformer. I want a Mesa as it came out of the factory.
I have seen that the Mark series amps sometimes have a switch on the back so you can change the input voltage, the Mark III I am interested in has this. Would Mesa have sold the same amp (with variable voltage) in the USA, or were the variable voltage models specially made for export only I wonder?
If all Mark IIIs (maybe also MarkIIs and IVs?) were built the same whether sold in USA or elsewhere (with variable input voltage switch), maybe I could find one with this variable voltage switch in the USA and get it shipped and solve all my problems in one fell swoop.
Do you know which amps came with the input voltage switch? I have only seen this on Mark series amps unfortunately, it seems Rectos are manufactured specifically to suit only one particlar voltage.

 

[MrMarkIII]

What you are referring to is the red switch on the rear chassis. That's for the Export Transformer, an extra-cost option on Mark IIIs, just like reverb, Simul-Class, EV speakers, and the Graphic EQ were options.
They weren't all made with them.
They were sold in the USA, but obviously for folks who intended to take them on tour to Europe and elsewhere.
They pop up on eBay every once in a while.

 

[JD]

I have step down trannys for mine which is no real hassle you just plug your amps US plug into it so the amp stays as it was when it came out of the factory nothing to change on the amp. Just make sure you get at least a 500w tranny.
Mesa prices in Australia are crazy To buy a Mark 4 here was $5000 to buy brand new in US was $2000.
Especially with the aussie dollar as it is.

 

[Nomad]

Well boy howdy how much would you pay for a Red Stripe Loaded with all the goodies?

 

[enuenu]

Not sure about a price for the red stripe, just double or triple what you would pay in USA to get an idea. Maybe using a transformer is inevitable for me. Hello USA eBay!

 

[Nomad]

The reason I say is I have one on the way to me. I am in search of a Mark I so I might sell it to you if you were interested.

Dont know anything about shipping oveseas though.

 

[enuenu]

Is it the red stripe combo as detailed in your signature that you may sell?

 

[Boogie Woogie Man]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270251724988&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017
Here's one on Ebay. The shipping to UK is phenomenal, it works out cheaper to get one locally.

 

[Nomad]

Yes. I dont even have it yet. He he. I'm picking it up tomorrow. Though I have looked at plenty of pics of it and its mint. The guy I'm getting it from is the original owner. He has taken good care of it.

I'm doing a deal on it and when it's all over I'd like to sell it and turn it in to a different Boogie so I'd have more than one cool Boogie Combo but them not be the same.

 

[enuenu]

I was probably after a head so I can blast through a quad box.