Mark IV Going Bad!

[Inspired]

Something is definitely wrong with my Mark IV. It sounds horrible. Noisy, extremely stale, you name it. All of the tubes are good. I went through every one of them with the same results: Stale, muddy sound and a crackling noise that is persistent no matter what setting is used. I can't record with this thing, let alone play a gig with it.

I've had way too many problems with Boogies through the years. I'm seriously thinking about giving up on using them. I strongly prefer tube amps, but I'm debating on whether or not to trade my Mark IV in on a Line 6 Flextone III combo. I like the idea of giving Boogie one more chance, and trying out their Lone Star combo, but I think it's a little more than I can spend right now.

Thoughts?

 

[Boogiebabies]

Bad preamp tubes. No doubt. My MK IV is phenominal beyond words.

 

[Inspired]

Bad preamp tubes. No doubt. My MK IV is phenominal beyond words.

At one point I had all brand new Electro Harmonix 12AX7s in it. The crackling noise was still present and the tones are simply not impressive. I believe something is wrong with my Mark IV. I realize that by nature tube amps make some strange noises, but the "crackling" noise that my Mark IV makes is non-stop and out of the ordinary. Try recording with something like that.

Here's my current 3 ideas:

1. Take the Mark IV in to my local Boogie tech and have him diagnose it.

2. Trade the Mark IV in on a Lone Star 1x12 combo. (I know I'll get screwed, but at least I should have a better amp.)

3. Trade the Mark IV in on a Line 6 Flextone III 1x12 combo. (This is my last resort, because I hate the idea of not having a "real" tube amp.)

Thoughts?

 

[radmo]

Definitely take some time to think about it before you regret it. I recommend to take it to the shop.

I got my Mark IV used, came with the lead knob sheared off. I replaced the potentiometer, and tried my best to get it to sound good. It sounded like crap, very thin, etc., and I seriously thought of getting rid of it, for reasons such as too many knobs, can't dial in tones I like, etc..

Mostly, it just wasn't sounding as good as it should, squealing alot, sounding thin, etc.....

I bought a Line 6 Flextone II Special Edition, and Floorboard, and use it to gig, but although it sounds ok, it doesn't breathe and you don't "feel it" like a good tube amp.

After retubing with a Eurotubes kit (6l6s + 2 EL34s and 5 preamp tubes for $140.00 What a bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I also checked the soldering job on the potentiometer I replaced. I saw a cold solder joint, resoldered it, and now the amp sounds great! My only true issue now it how loud it is! heh heh. I hope to remedy that by getting an attenuator soon...

Anyway, after this long post, what I am trying to say is that even the finest cars need a tune up, and sometimes you STILL have to take it to the shop.
Keep the Mark-IV. You'll regret it if you get rid of it and take a beating towards whatever you get, especially if you've already had it for awhile, enjoyed it, and have only become disenchanted recently.
As far as the Lonstar, and Flextone III, it sounds like you're suffering from GAS!!!!!!!!
Good Luck..............

 

[RussB]

Tube amp require maintenence from time to time. All tube amps. No exceptions!

At this point, stop throwing tubes in it, and have it looked at.

Mesa Mark series amps are notably "rugged" amps, that can take a lot of "abuse".

Consider sending it directly to Mesa for repairs. It's tough to find a good tech who will both fully understand the quirks of your MKIV, and be willing to spend the time to troubleshoot and fix it.

 

[Reeko]

Crackle huh?

My brand new MKIV made a crackling noise that I narrowed down to after the preamp (by running the loop signal to a seperate amp where it was clean. You might try that to help isolate the problem).

In my case, it was a leaky/bad cap in the Graphic EQ section. BUT, my local Mesa certified tech couldn't find the problem after 2 tries, so I had to send it to Mesa.

 

[Boogiebabies]

I have had a dozen or more new preamp tubes bad out of the box. Some crackled worse than the ones that were in there. I had a seriously bad run of GT 12AX7M's. I had 10 go bad out of 20, but I love the tube. More tone than buzz saw gain.