Mark III or IV?

[TheSandman]

Here's the situation, I'm selling my Rectoverb combo and want to go with either a Mark III or IV. Is the Mark III and good head? I play a lot of heavy metal, drop tune stuff. I can only go used on both (of course the mark III), I can purchase a Mark III now, but if I went mark IV, i'd have to save some money for one. What would you guys recommend? I like the 2 channel with different EQ's on the Mark IV, but there's so much other things about these amps I don't know about........

 

[dodger916]

Here's a real nice no stripe Mark III combo on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MESA-BOOGIE-MAR...ryZ43374QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Simul, pedals, roadcase, EVM 12L. $875 BIN. Not mine!

 

[Anonymous]

I've yet to try a Mark IV yet, but I love my Mark III for metal right now. Sure, I still feel the urge to go rectifier, but that's probably just out of curiosity. :lol:

Actually, a few metal bands used the Mark III before switching over to rectifiers. Two that come to mind are Faith No More and Foo Fighters. I don't know though, a lot of good bands also use the Mark IV. You can't go wrong with either IMO.

 

[Shep]

you would want a head and sealed back cab.. recto 2x12 or 4x12 and a mk IV or a mk III both are Really good..

 

[disassembled]

If you're patient you can find a Mark IV for under $1000. Now may not be the best time to buy (tax season) but keep your eyes peeled on the bay and craigslist for the best deals. If you go head I suggest the short head because you can pair it with the short 112 cab (open back or the thiele) and it makes for a great little setup.


Greg

 

[TheSandman]

thanks guys, I have found a 2x12 recto cab that I'm going to buy. I've been thinking of either a red or blue stripped Mark III, since the blue has higher gain. I'll keep a look out, as I would like to go with a Mark IV

 

[trem]

I've been thinking of either a red or blue stripped Mark III, since the blue has higher gain.

Mark IIIs of any stripe have so much gain that the word "higher gain" is meaningless. How much gain do you need seriously?

~trem

 

[TheSandman]

well I meant from reading the different stripes, the red is supposedly higher gain the others. It's always better to have more then less 8)

 

[Buddy]

I've got a redstripe combo and gainwise , it is armageddon in an Imbuya box . With an added ev/theile I have to file an environmental impact statement in certain states to play it .

 

[satisfied5582]

"I've got a redstripe combo and gainwise , it is armageddon in an Imbuya box . With an added ev/theile I have to file an environmental impact statement in certain states to play it."


That is hilarious, so clear something up for me which has more gain the mark III or the mark IV? i've been thinking of going to a mark IV, but this thread has got me researching the mark III now.

 

[Tuna141]

I have a Mark III blue stripe and a MarkIVA.

IMO, the III's distortion is more agressive, and the IV is smoother. Both amps have lots of gain, and I never use it all. The III is more of an "in your face amp" - little more brash than the IV. If I had to pick the one with the most distortion, I would proably say the III.

Overall, I prefer the tone of the III to the IV, but the IV has a much better footswitching system and more tone options.

The amps have similar tones, and either one would be a good choice.

 

[Paul Secondino]

The Mark 4 has a little more gain tha nthe mark 3 (any stripe) But the big difference is that the mark 4 has the more modern voicing. The preamp produces more chunk due to the extra compression. The Mark 3 series sounds a little more like a very hot rodded Marshall as the Mark 3 treble response is more peaky than the Mark 4

So if by Metal , you mean, Queensryche, George Lynch ,Quier Riot,etc the Mark 3 will suit you.

IF Metal to you means Pedal Tone chunk , Killswitch Engage, etc then go for the Mark 4.

 

[jerseydrew]

I had a MKIII and sold it to buy a MKIV. I never looked back. I couldn't deal with the shared EQ on the MKIII. And like a previous poster said, the MKIV footswitch kicks ***.

MKIV all the way, no doubt.

 

[vcamargo99]

+1 on what TUNA said!! I had them both for a little while and the III is definately more "in your face" and has more edge to it. The IV was a smoothie. But I preffered the III for the tone *I* was looking for. And the III had more gain and bottom than the IV during my short tenure with them together. I don't switch between channels a lot so the footswitch didn't come into play. A clean, a couple OD pedals to add dirt (and different types), and the Lead channel and I'm good to go!!

I would not recommend either one over the other. They both are great. To me the III is more "classic" sounding (but hot rodded) and the IV is more modern. YMMV.

 

[carlosasi]

Boogie Member Bullen offered a real nice comparison in this post.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=21229

 

[Bullen]

Boogie Member Bullen offered a real nice comparison in this post.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=21229

Why, thank you very much!

 

[carlosasi]

Dude,

You're welcome. Your comparison, I felt, acurately described the major sonic differences between the iii & iv.

 

[AustinK]

i have a red stripe and all i can say is it is a metal monster. What kind of metal do you play? I dont know if it can do death metal as i never play that but thrash is perfect on these amps as they are so tight. Either way the III and IV are great amps and you cant go wrong between the two.