Mark III Red Stripe first impressions

[IBA]

Got a red 3 combo with all the extras a couple of weeks ago.

It's a wicked amp.

I do think that if you wanna use the 3 channels simultaneously you need the R2 master control added since R2's perceived volume drops compared to the R1.

First of all, I read many reviews saying that it's an amp that 'it takes time to find a good sound'. I couldn't disagree enough with that statement. I'm unable to get a bad sound out of it in any setting. It's so easy to bounce off this amp. The different timbres invite you to play along with what's on offer.

Another statement I must disagree with is that 'this amp shows your playing weaknesses and imperfections'. I think its a lot more forgiving than a 2203, superlead or superbass in any of its channels.

I haven't used the effect loop yet (too hi-tech for me )

The reverb is a nice extra that I might never use... Not as good as my roost session master 100 but if its full on and you switch it on and off it does the trick.

The parametric EQ is a great feature especially for the lead channel. I prefer the R1/R2 without it.

R1 can be very clean and immaculate and all that but personally I really like to make it as dirty as it naturally can. It reminds me a lot of those Peter Green sounds that I adore. Very responsive to the way you play it, like a fender bassman or a superlead or superbass just before they are completely cranked up.

The R2 (probably my favourite one) is very Marshall-esque without sounding like a Marshall. Very rich and responsive. R1 and R2 work really well with boosters in front of them swapping between pauls, strats teles and a p90'd SG and a DS1, pre 250, Tube screamer and a Beano boost you can get an extensive palette of sounds.

The lead channel (or the 'Pure Evil' channel, as I like to call it) is lots of fun. you can get any heavy sounds you want out of it. The amount of distortion you can get out of it is ridiculous. It's the dream sound for my John Sykes moments. Every time I switch it I wanna play Still of the Night or Crying in the Rain. Sustain and squeals on the low E string are ridiculously easy to get. The GEQ is amazing for all those over EQ'd metal sounds in the V shape. A really good EQ.

I'll come back with more feedback as I get to know the little creamy monster a bit better. It makes me laugh to thing that such a small thing is like 3 top quality amps together. I'm sure that even if you dislike 2 of them you will love the remaining one.

I'll probably end up doing the R2 mod sometime. I've ordered a footswitch for the amp to be able to use all the amp's features on the fly if needed. But having said that, I'm a one channel amp type of guy and this amp is very responsive to the way you play it and the use of your tone and volume pots, guitars and pedals.

Personally much better than the rectos and tri-axis I have ended up using in the past (only my personal opinion). This is more versatile and it has more of a 'singing' quality to it.

I will eventually record some sound demos and put the links here. Actually it would be really interesting to find other people with different marks around here in the UK (especially IIC+ and IV) and play and record them all side by side.

Anyone out there reading this in the UK who might be up for it just drop me a line.

Cheers

 

[Neptical]

IBA- Hey there!

I pretty much agree with everything you said. The III is an excellent amp, even if you have to use it for one channel, your bound to just love 1 out of the 3 channels. I do love the clean alot--but the way I set up the lead channel I can't really use the clean the way I want it. I'm looking for another III head to use to switch between the two so I can get them both into my live rig. I may get the R2 mod on one of the III's when the time comes but I'm pretty happy for now working with what I have. I also aree that this amp definitely has more of the singing quality then many of the new Mesa amps. I only wish they would come back to this quality of an amp.

I, as well, would love to see some folks posting more sound clips of their Mark series amps. As soon as I get the chance, I'll record some clips and post them here. Thanks again for your post.

All the Best,
~Nep~

 

[SonicProvocateur]

By the end of the month you'll be able to hear my band's new album recorded on my Mark III :twisted:

Glad you're liking your red stripe! I hear they are pretty close to the IIC+ sound. My blue stripe is waaay crushing. Much closer to the IV voicing, IMO.

 

[mailmann1971]

Just got my Red stripe last week. Love it!
I only played channel 3 so far but that channel has been sounding too good for me to switch off of it yet! :lol:

 

[jpdennis]

IBA - Have fun it will drive you past the point of no return :mrgreen:

I am still getting use to my Mark III no stripe. I have had it since August 09 and actually considering going to Winged C power tubes with TAD pre tubes. I use the Yellow color Mesa tubes [6L6/EL34 since it is simulclass] and am considering the Winged C 19 rated tubes which are the Mesa Green code. I have not tried it yet, but I agree that the EQ is best for solo. I will be putting it in auto mode [lead only] if I can validate the Reverb does not dry up if I do not use the Rev/EQ footswitch. My only remark is that my R2 volume is a little louder then my R1 which seems to be the reverse of what I have read from the other Mark III owners in this forum. To my knowledge I do not have any mods on this amp. And it is signed by Randy not Mike. :?:

Dennis

 

[IBA]

By the end of the month you'll be able to hear my band's new album recorded on my Mark III :twisted:

Glad you're liking your red stripe! I hear they are pretty close to the IIC+ sound. My blue stripe is waaay crushing. Much closer to the IV voicing, IMO.

Looking forward to hearing your music. Let me know. I've never played a 2C+. I'm sure I would love it. I never have played a IV personally but I've been in sessions with guys using then and they blew me away. I wish I could compare the differences with my III now (or maybe better not... I may end up wanting a IV too!!!). My only problem with the IV is that it's got too many buttons and switches and etc. (I love the Fender Champ: just a volume knob and your guitar and wicked cleans/distortion come out of it).

IBA- Hey there!

I do love the clean alot--but the way I set up the lead channel I can't really use the clean the way I want it. I'm looking for another III head to use to switch between the two so I can get them both into my live rig. I may get the R2 mod on one of the III's when the time comes but I'm pretty happy for now working with what I have. I also aree that this amp definitely has more of the singing quality then many of the new Mesa amps. I only wish they would come back to this quality of an amp.

Cheers Nep,

I see what you mean a bout the cleans. I suppose the grit I'm loving in the clean channel is what's bugging you... Can you get the tone you like by lowering the volume on your guitar while playing the clean with 'dirty' settings? I suppose that if you are the kind of player who doesn't like to touch the volume/tone knobs of the guitar, you can still use some sort of volume reduction unit (a volume, EQ pedal or even a boss line selector with lowered level maybe) between your guitar and the amps input. If that does the trick it will be always cheaper than another amp. I guess that if I had to carry 2 amps I would go head on for the full stereo gayness (chorus, delay, tremolo... :shock: ) and make things sound more powerful and even bigger.

IBA - Have fun it will drive you past the point of no return :mrgreen:

Cheers Dennis

It's a shame that at the moment I dont seem to be able to get enough time to play guitar... too caught up with other things But hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have some time to do my own experiments and I hope I'll manage to record something extremely stupid to demo the amp :lol:

I am still getting use to my Mark III no stripe. I have had it since August 09 and actually considering going to Winged C power tubes with TAD pre tubes. I use the Yellow color Mesa tubes [6L6/EL34 since it is simulclass] and am considering the Winged C 19 rated tubes which are the Mesa Green code. I have not tried it yet, but I agree that the EQ is best for solo. I will be putting it in auto mode [lead only] if I can validate the Reverb does not dry up if I do not use the Rev/EQ footswitch. My only remark is that my R2 volume is a little louder then my R1 which seems to be the reverse of what I have read from the other Mark III owners in this forum. To my knowledge I do not have any mods on this amp. And it is signed by Randy not Mike. :?:

Dennis

This one has a couple of Mesa EL34 and a couple of Groove Tubes 6L6. The pre tubes are Mesa too. The speaker (probably replaced) is a G12M 70 by Celestion 4? (useless load if you wanna combine it with another cab...) but it sounds good so far. I leave the Eq in the auto mode too, but the reverb is completely dry if its turned down and without a pedal (I don't know if its been fixed or if it's the right way for it to be). I think having the R2 slightly louder than R1 would be the logical thing if one needs to be louder (it would help the dynamic changes of the music), so if that was the case I wouldnt modify it. I wouldn't worry whose signature appears on the amp, even if its signed by Barry Manilow, if it sounds good it sounds good. And at the end of the day, that's what counts.


Cheers

 

[CoG]

Hey Nep, if you are having the usual "lead channel sounds wicked but clean channel sounds kinda plink-y" Mark III problem and you don't need super clean cleans, I have had really good luck with a very gentle kick from a mosfet boost on R1 (as opposed to a TS-style boost). If you need the cleans cleaner, try turning down the *tone* knob on the guitar to clean up rather than volume. The mark III basically turns all treble into gain, so if you pull out a little treble you decrease the gain as well.

We're also heading into the studio this month and my greenie will be on most tracks, though the JCM800 is definitely getting some play as well. We are doing everything live so it's either-or. In some cases the JCM with a hard kick in the front mixes better with my bandmate's Roadster than the Mark does, so that's the main deciding factor.

 

[jpdennis]

Cheers Dennis

It's a shame that at the moment I dont seem to be able to get enough time to play guitar... too caught up with other things But hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have some time to do my own experiments and I hope I'll manage to record something extremely stupid to demo the amp :lol:

Yes, that is a problem. The bigger problem is that when you do finally have the time everything else will seem less important once you start your tone search :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

This one has a couple of Mesa EL34 and a couple of Groove Tubes 6L6. The pre tubes are Mesa too. The speaker (probably replaced) is a G12M 70 by Celestion 4? (useless load if you wanna combine it with another cab...) but it sounds good so far. I leave the Eq in the auto mode too, but the reverb is completely dry if its turned down and without a pedal (I don't know if its been fixed or if it's the right way for it to be). I think having the R2 slightly louder than R1 would be the logical thing if one needs to be louder (it would help the dynamic changes of the music), so if that was the case I wouldnt modify it. I wouldn't worry whose signature appears on the amp, even if its signed by Barry Manilow, if it sounds good it sounds good. And at the end of the day, that's what counts.


Cheers

You are correct. I am finding that having the R2 louder is better since the way I attack my strings can give me the ability to control the crunch on R2 as well. :wink:

Dennis

 

[SonicProvocateur]

CoG is right. Since all the Mark III's controls are very intimately connected you'll find through your tone-dialing-in experimentations that once you dial in a hot lead your R1 will be blistering loud with some gain on top. I myself solve the problem by being a "volume knob ninja" on the guitar to get my sweet cleans - works like a charm. Mine is a non-GEQ, so I have an EQ in loop, so my tone is probably a bit different than yours. CoG's trick might work better for you. There are lots of ways to fiddle around and find your clean/lead sound and get it balanced.

BTW, CoG, good luck in studio! Have you checked out the FJA JCM800 mods? Siiiick!

Rock on good sirs!
Jay

 

[CoG]

BTW, CoG, good luck in studio! Have you checked out the FJA JCM800 mods? Siiiick!

Rock on good sirs!
Jay

thanks man!

Yeah, I have looked at both them and Voodoo since I'm within driving distance of Voodoo. The tones out of the FJA mods are just killer. But I'm not really missing out on gain in my JCM800 because I get to play pretty **** loud most of the time (I usually have pre and master both around 6) so between volume and a boost in front I am getting all the drive I need. Using it in the band I'm going more for a Scott Kelly (Neurosis) sludge thing than a real high-gain sound, and then the Mark III for the tight riffing stuff. I'll probably get a loop put in at some point though.

 

[SonicProvocateur]

Rad city. Didn't mean to threadjack, IBA lol!

Those FJA moded JCM800 with the KT88s are super sick. I wish I hadn't sold mine!!
Also the FJA moded Dual recs sound alot like a Mark series too! Almost makes me wanna go buy a Dual rec lol. Too bad his mods carry a sick price too!

Hey, IBA, have you ever thought about using your Mark III with another amp to run a wet-dry-wet rig? That's another great use for the Mark III's sweet preamp!

 

[IBA]

Rad city. Didn't mean to threadjack, IBA lol!

It's all cool Sonic Provocateur, I find the threadjack's subject very interesting. I think it's very constructive to read about other people's experiences regarding amps (mesa or not). Im a big JMP/JCM800 fan :mrgreen:


Hi CoG, I wish you all the best for the recording sessions. Let us know how it turns out and any possible links to hear the amps in action.

We're also heading into the studio this month and my greenie will be on most tracks, though the JCM800 is definitely getting some play as well. We are doing everything live so it's either-or. In some cases the JCM with a hard kick in the front mixes better with my bandmate's Roadster than the Mark does, so that's the main deciding factor.

It sounds like a very interesting situation. Depending on the musical style you are going for (by the type of amps and the amount of distortion mentioned I would guess its some sort of metal :?: ) It would be good to know what your opinion is about the possible combinations of the three amps after the recording session.

Don't dismiss bi-amplification for each guitar track. I have the feeling that the MkIII and the Roadster played together must sound impressive (you could always reamp things afterwards). Always check the phasing between the different amps involved since different circuits have different stages of phase inversion, a famous situation for this is combining a 2203 and a 1959...

Personally I'm not too convinced about modded Marshalls. The charm of a good old Marshall is the compression and harmonics of the cranked up power stage. All the mods I've seen are based on getting a high-gain sound at lower volumes being the result too hissy for my taste. I'd rather buy another Mark III for high gain at lower volumes since (in my opinion) it sounds much better than the modded marshals I've heard and the III is far more versatile.

BTW which model is your 800?

Rad city. Didn't mean to threadjack, IBA lol!


Hey, IBA, have you ever thought about using your Mark III with another amp to run a wet-dry-wet rig? That's another great use for the Mark III's sweet preamp!

I never thought of it but I wouldnt mind using 2 of them in stereo...

which stereo power amp/cabs/speakers would you use for a W-D-W setup with the Mark III? We are almost going back to the 80's rack setups here :shock:

 

[SonicProvocateur]

I never thought of it but I wouldnt mind using 2 of them in stereo...

which stereo power amp/cabs/speakers would you use for a W-D-W setup with the Mark III? We are almost going back to the 80's rack setups here :shock:

Well, the guy who sold me my Mark III is a BoogieBoarder here, and was my coworker at the local music store I worked at. He had a green stripe Mark III he had used in stereo before he went Mark V and sold me my blue stripe! I rack mounted mine, and was going to buy a Quad (I also scored a Mosvalve MV-962) and was gonna use that for my ultimate W/D/W rig! I also figured with the Quad/MkIII/Mosvalve setup not only would it be super-boogie, but I could break it down and run a super 6-channel setup (ala Petrucci) too if i was feeling frisky :wink:

I've seen some people using modded Marshall's with loops, 5150's and all sorts of amps in conjuntions with MK III's in W/D/W rigs. Truly because of their price, DI control, tone, and simplicity they are great for blending with other amps for unique tone. As for cabs, alot of ppl turn to Marshall cabs since they like the GT-75s and they are cheaper than Mesa cabs, but I think the GT-75 is kinda trebly and I prefer V30s myself. That's more a taste thing anyway. I kinda like using cheap junky cabs and tuning them by ear anyway.

Here's my Crate V212 that I use live: Its a junker but it sounds like pure sonic gold! Who cares if its not a $1000 cab?!

 

[IBA]

I rack mounted mine, and was going to buy a Quad (I also scored a Mosvalve MV-962) and was gonna use that for my ultimate W/D/W rig! I also figured with the Quad/MkIII/Mosvalve setup not only would it be super-boogie, but I could break it down and run a super 6-channel setup (ala Petrucci) too if i was feeling frisky :wink:

:shock:

I wouldn't even know what to do with 6 channels. I think even 3 channels are too many for me .

I've seen some people using modded Marshall's with loops, 5150's and all sorts of amps in conjuntions with MK III's in W/D/W rigs. Truly because of their price, DI control, tone, and simplicity they are great for blending with other amps for unique tone.

Well, I guess that if you go for the W-D-W setup you need 3 independent power stages that at some point will be reproducing independent sounds from each other. Like 3 Mark III for example or a stereo power amp run from your master amps pre. It would basically be a setup of one master and two slaves separated by different time delay related effects each (delay. reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser). If you use a 5150 or a 'looped' Marshall you would be bypassing their preamps which is a bit of a waste in my opinion.

Then another problem is that not too many effects come with a true 2 way option. For example chorus pedals with stereo out one of the output in stereo mode is dry and the second is chorused, so 2 of the 3 amps would be reproducing exactly the same signal unless you use two different chorus pedals together (one for each slave) with different settings on each. You can get studio units that do that but personally I find it a bit pointless in a live situation.

When I need to use a stereo rig I go for a parallel setup. I carry two similar amps two 2203 mainly with different cabs. So playing in mono thru both amps (no time delays) both preamps and power amps work full on and when I hit the delay (100% wet) it only affects the second amp (with a darker sounding cab) acting as a ping pong delay.

I suppose that for the w-d-w the choice of the power amps/speaker cabs will be very important as well (and it's an extra cab to carry around compared to the parallel setup). I newer explored the 3 way option because of those limitations, but you never know, I'm always open and willing to try new things so any ideas... throw them at me please

As for cabs, alot of ppl turn to Marshall cabs since they like the GT-75s and they are cheaper than Mesa cabs, but I think the GT-75 is kinda trebly and I prefer V30s myself. That's more a taste thing anyway. I kinda like using cheap junky cabs and tuning them by ear anyway.

Here's my Crate V212 that I use live: Its a junker but it sounds like pure sonic gold! Who cares if its not a $1000 cab?!

I agree with you 100%. The 75's are a bit too high voiced for my taste too, they get a bit 'in the way'. I like the V30 myself as well and Eminences replicas (Governor) are really good too. I have also some G12H's, they sound good too but they stick out a bit too much in certain situations. My favourites are the old Fane speakers. I really like their crunchiness and vocal midrange for guitar. I suppose in a 3 way setup we should 'EQ' our cabs a bit so the echoed sounds sound a bit darker and 'behind' the dry sounds.

I really like your gear. The TT is a great amp (missing a bit of headroom for clean sounds when I play with a band). And your V is really cool too. And I'm sure your cab sounds great with the V30. The cab I normally carry around is an old JCM800 1936, its slightly smaller than my 4x12's but a lot lighter and it sounds great (when it's sitting on the floor, if I lift it up it sounds like a Second World War radio. Too thin and boxy ).

I think I will take the Mk III to my next few gigs and see what happens... I look forward to it!. :twisted:

PD. Born a poet, died a slave... Tragic, but great!!!

 

[CoG]

It sounds like a very interesting situation. Depending on the musical style you are going for (by the type of amps and the amount of distortion mentioned I would guess its some sort of metal :?: ) It would be good to know what your opinion is about the possible combinations of the three amps after the recording session.

Don't dismiss bi-amplification for each guitar track. I have the feeling that the MkIII and the Roadster played together must sound impressive (you could always reamp things afterwards). Always check the phasing between the different amps involved since different circuits have different stages of phase inversion, a famous situation for this is combining a 2203 and a 1959...

Personally I'm not too convinced about modded Marshalls. The charm of a good old Marshall is the compression and harmonics of the cranked up power stage. All the mods I've seen are based on getting a high-gain sound at lower volumes being the result too hissy for my taste. I'd rather buy another Mark III for high gain at lower volumes since (in my opinion) it sounds much better than the modded marshals I've heard and the III is far more versatile.

BTW which model is your 800?

It's a 2204, Canadian spec, 1983.

We record all our rehearsals anyway so we have a pretty good idea of how things work already. The Mark/EL34-Roadster mix is generally a good thing. Neither of us is using a whack-ton of gain and on our Mesas we tend to go for pretty focused, articulate sounds. However, when I'm on Lead and he's on Ch3 or 4 it's a lot of low mids in one mix and it can get muddy. The JCM has that slight scoop in the low mids so there's a really good "fit" with the Roadster, though it's also a more conventional "shelved" kind of guitar mix.

I've done reamping in other projects; it's a good way to go if you're really trying to sculpt a particular guitar sound. I have talked to one guy in TO who produces mostly metalcore and similar stuff and he says that no matter what rig the guitarist brings in he does the exact same reamping on it through a Rec Pre and a 5150 and the band always says "oh, man, yeah, that's exactly how we wanted the guitars to sound!" even if the kid came in with his brand new Rockerverb or Uberschall :lol:

We're doing this record off the floor-- if we can't get the take live, it doesn't go on the record (we don't have vocals, so this is actually feasible)-- so reamping would be cheating in this case

 

[Neptical]

IBA- Hey there!

I do love the clean alot--but the way I set up the lead channel I can't really use the clean the way I want it. I'm looking for another III head to use to switch between the two so I can get them both into my live rig. I may get the R2 mod on one of the III's when the time comes but I'm pretty happy for now working with what I have. I also aree that this amp definitely has more of the singing quality then many of the new Mesa amps. I only wish they would come back to this quality of an amp.




Cheers Nep,

I see what you mean a bout the cleans. I suppose the grit I'm loving in the clean channel is what's bugging you... Can you get the tone you like by lowering the volume on your guitar while playing the clean with 'dirty' settings? I suppose that if you are the kind of player who doesn't like to touch the volume/tone knobs of the guitar, you can still use some sort of volume reduction unit (a volume, EQ pedal or even a boss line selector with lowered level maybe) between your guitar and the amps input. If that does the trick it will be always cheaper than another amp. I guess that if I had to carry 2 amps I would go head on for the full stereo gayness (chorus, delay, tremolo... :shock: ) and make things sound more powerful and even bigger.

Hey there again friend. :wink:

I love the grit in the clean, it's great. The way the amp is EQ'D after setting the lead doesn't really cater the cleans to me in what I need for what the band does. I really love way the III cleans up too, it's too bad for the shared eq. Doesn't stop me from loving the amp, though! Like mentioned before, I'm on the look-out for purchasing another one to throw into a rollable rack/head case anyways, plus having a back-up III is not such a bad idea. 8)

Actually, I play with the volume and tone knobs alot when I'm on the lead channel. I love cleaning up the dirty lead sound into nice warm jazzy tones ala Scofield..or some Di Meola. It's pure sweetness cleaning up the lead channel. I think I learned that from Alex Skolnick ( Testament) some years ago.


Thanks for your suggestions!

All the Best,
~Nep~