Mark IV A from 1996????

[mr_fender]

Does anyone know the dates of production and the serial number ranges for the Mark IV A's and B's. I've found a used Mark IV A combo here locally that the seller claims was made in 1996. That seems a bit late to me for a IV-A. I though the A's were only made for a few years, something like 1989-1994 and the rest were B's. He states that he bought it used in 2002. It's a compact combo with blonde tolex, wicker grille, and the EV speaker. From the photos, it looks to be in excellent shape cosmetically and he's asking $1250 for it. Sounds like a reasonable price to me, but what do you guys think? I'm not really that fond of the blond tolex/wicker or the open-back combo configuration, so I'd most likely rack mount it or convert it into a head and sell the cab and speaker. I'm gonna call the guy to hopefully setup a test drive this weekend.

 

[Boogiebabies]

The IVB's started around 6600 or so. All you need is to see a satellite send on the back of the amp to determine if it is a B.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

I'm 99.999999999999% certain it's not an A version if the year of manufacture is in fact 1996.

And yes, $1250 is an excellent price considering it has the EV, wicker and custom tolex.

 

[mr_fender]

I know it's an A from the pics. Dual fx loops and no satelite send. I was just wondering about the "made in 1996" part. I didn't think the A's were made that long. I'm just trying to figure out how old this amp is and if it is really worth $1250. I may just go ahead and shell out the $1850 for a new head with a warranty and forget the rest. However, I'm trying to decide if the extra $600 is worth it to get a new one with the 5 year warranty. Used would be cheaper, but could potentially die on me and end up costing more to repair in the long run. The warranty on a new one insures that I won't have to pay any more than $1850 to have a perfectly functioning amp for at least 5 years (minus tubes of course). I've had such good luck with used Boogies in the past that I'm worried that my luck might change. That is A LOT of money and I can't afford to end up getting burned.

 

[Shep]

as soon as i got my mk iv ( it's a 91 ) i took it to a tech and got him to go over the head.he checked cap ripple,PT,OT,output over each power setting,the EQing,checked for any little cracked solderd joint's and basicly EVERYTHING else..lol


it cost me $120.. and a pretty much clean bill of health..he said this amp had been looked after very well and it should be great for about another 50 year's...lol

there isn't any need to worry about head's like this..they are beautifully put together and will last a life time..

 

[mr_fender]

Thanks for the encouraging words Shep. Boogies really are made very well. The guts of my Rectoverb are a work of art. Everything is so neatly layed out and held in place very solidly. No buzzing or rattling, even at ear-bleeding volumes. I called the seller of the Mark IV today, and he seems like a really cool guy. He's selling it because his car is in the shop, and he needs money. He said he loves it, has taken very good care of it, and hates to sell it, but needs the money badly right now. I feel his pain, since I reluctantly sold my Triaxis rig a few years ago for the exact same reason and have missed it ever since. What are you gonna do... a person has to drive to work. Anyway, I've setup a test drive for tomorrow afternoon. I'm gonna drive out to the guys home studio about an hour away and give it a whirl. If I fall in love with the little blonde Boogie, she'll be coming home with me. I'm as giddy as a kid in a candy store right now. If I buy it, I'll probably take it to a Boogie tech for a general check-up as well. He's also selling a 80's Marshall 1936 2x12 cab for $250 and I'm tempted to take that home too. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Wish me luck...

 

[Boogiebabies]

http://www.gbase.com/Stores/Gear/GearDetails.aspx?Item=1592133


$ 1250 for a wide body IVB combo.

 

[mr_fender]

Guess, what boys and girls... She's home. I'm the proud new owner of a Mark IV A compact combo. The guy was really cool, the amp looked and sounded phenominal, and I just couldn't pass it up. It's in bad need of a bath, but otherwise nearly flawless. I gave the chasis a good detailing last night, and I'll finish cleaning up the cab and tolex today. I'll try to get some good pic's of it when I'm done cleaning it up. So far, it's everything I wanted. The lead just drips with sticky, gooey, syrupy, TONE! (eewww!). The rhythm 1 cleans are unbelievable: great Fender like chime and SRV style dirt when cranked. The reverb is just angelic compared to the bland and dry verb on my rectoverb. Look out Dick Dale! Rhythm 2 is so versatile. It response so well to rolling back the guitars volume knob. Sweet clean to killer crunch to chewy lead. Let the honeymoon begin....

 

[JOEY B.]

I wish that I had bought one of these when I got my Triple Rectifier in the mid '90s. It took 9 years, but I've come full circle back to the Mark series, with the attitude "don't try to fix what isn't broken".

 

[mr_fender]

Yeah I'm pretty sure my rectoverb combo will be on the market soon. The Rectifier series is good for what it does, but it can't do all that the Mark IV can. The Mark series amps just have more finesse compared to the agressive brute force of the recto's. I'm surprised by the drastic difference in response the Mark IV has between my Les Paul and my Strat. It's awesome. The true personality of each just shines right through even at extremely high gain settings. It's got such an expressive and responsive feel. My Recto sounds quite similar with each guitar, being just a bit brighter with the Strat, especially on the gain channel.

 

[mr_fender]

Well, while I was cleaning up the amp I found the date "7-91" written underneath next to the V1 tube. Also the serial is IV2918. I was pretty sure 1996 was a bit late for this amp and turns out I was right. I finally got it all cleaned up and it looks great. As good as it sounds, the tubes in it are OLD! STR420! 6L6's and the preamp tubes have the old style mesa labeling on them. I'm gonna order up a fresh set for it, and I'm trying to decide between JJ's from Eurotubes or stock Mesa. Anyone out there have any input on these? The full set of JJ's is about $50 cheaper, but if they are not as good I'll spend the extra $$$ for the Mesa tubes.

 

[Shep]

dude JJ's are the way to go with these amp's..i love them


the serial number on my is.....


MK IV2968

small world..

lol

have fun..

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[mr_fender]

Well... seeing is believing! Enjoy.

She's a beauty, ain't she.

 

[mr_fender]

So far, the Mark IV is just what I've been missing. However, I'm not a huge fan of the EV speaker. I plugged the mkIV into the C90 in my ROV combo and it sounded a lot better to my ears... smoother and fatter with more bass response. The EV sounded kind of "honky" to me. I tried the Rectoverb throught the EV as well and the results were the same - very honky and trebly with a lot less bass than the C90. Maybe it's just this particular EV speaker, but it's just not for me. I'm still wanting to go the head route (much lighter) with a closed back 2x12 w/ Celestions. I'm not sure I want to part this chasis from its custom cab, so I may try and find a newer mkIV head and sell this one back. We'll see... the jury is still out.

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[JOEY B.]

If you found an amp that you like, round up an empty head cab and swap out the chassis. I have some doubts about the combo cab being the original MkIV anyway. It has no footswitch mounts on the rear. That is the beauty of the short chassis Mark series. Head to rackmount to combo and back. I also do not like the MkIV with an EV speaker in an open back cab. But in a 1x12 closed back thiele cab, it's a whole different animal. In my opinion, the head/1x12 thiele setup sounds better than the combo, and is MUCH easier to carry. If you decide on the C90 speaker, I would get two of them (2x12). There have been reports of the C90 not being able to handle the MkIV's power in a 1x12 format.

 

[UsrName]

Congrats! Even though it's not original, it still looks great! I agree with Joey, for a smaller rig a Thiele cab simply can't be beat. Mine came with the EV. That went into an empty Thiele, and I've got a C90 on the way for the combo itself. Enjoy!

Oh, what kink of music are you playing through it?

 

[mr_fender]

I play a little bit of everything. Mostly rock, classic rock, metal, blues, country, etc. I dabble a bit in Jazz too. I sometimes sit in with my brother's cover band for weddings and parties and such. Been playing for a little over 10 years now (man, no wonder the frets on my strat are so worn!). Mostly just a hobby and stress reliever at this point, but I'm a gear addict (perpetual GAS). My wife and I are moving to Austin later this year, so I know I'll be able to find some cats there to jam with. I've been eyeing the 2x12 cabs from Avatar. I've heard nothing but good things about them and their prices are outstanding. We'll see.

 

[UsrName]

My wife and I are moving to Austin later this year, so I know I'll be able to find some cats there to jam with. I've been eyeing the 2x12 cabs from Avatar. I've heard nothing but good things about them and their prices are outstanding. We'll see.

Yeah, I've heard the music scene in Austin is happening. Good luck!