Mark V or Mark III+ for IIC+ tone.

[exbest182]

Getting ready to pick up some Mark series stuff, about a year after I ditched my Mark V (which I loved btw) - I used Mark V can be had for 1600-1700ish - or I have local options for the same price.. I can get a 60w Mark III+ head with EQ, and a Mark IV for $1500... for both. I don't need all the options of the Mark V as I lived on channel 3 when I had it.. in IIC+ and IV modes.. so I'm thinking with these 2 heads, I can save some cash, and still have everything I want tone wise..

I'm thinking the III+ will sound closer to a IIC+ than the V does... but I haven't had a chance to compare.. stoked either way... NAD incoming regardless!

 

[fretout]

I haven't tried a Mark III+, but my Blue Stripe gets closer to the C+ tone than the Mark V's setting, at least to my ears. YMMV...

 

[exbest182]

I haven't tried a Mark III+, but my Blue Stripe gets closer to the C+ tone than the Mark V's setting, at least to my ears.

I'm thinking the same... I wasn't actively looking for a III+, I was looking for a purple stripe and then a bud of mine, happened to have a purple... that was converted - and for $700, i'm not going to turn it down.... i'm going to roll down and check it out.. but i expect that i'm going to pick it up.

 

[fretout]

I haven't tried a Mark III+, but my Blue Stripe gets closer to the C+ tone than the Mark V's setting, at least to my ears.

I'm thinking the same... I wasn't actively looking for a III+, I was looking for a purple stripe and then a bud of mine, happened to have a purple... that was converted - and for $700, i'm not going to turn it down.... i'm going to roll down and check it out.. but i expect that i'm going to pick it up.

The first Mark III I ever tried was a long chassis Purple Stripe for sale locally. I went down to the guys house, dialed in my settings, and just let loose. He told me his roommates were home so we couldn't turn it up loud. After about 15 minutes of playing, the master eventually made it's way to 4.5, and the guy said "I never knew these could sound that great...I don't know if I want to sell!" After playing around with channel 2, I pretty much decided it's best use was a gritty clean channel (I couldn't get it to crunch without a boost), but man, that Purple sounded amazing. I wish I would have picked it up, but I found the tone to be "rounder" than what I wanted at the time.

Definitely try the Purple. They are killer amps. For Rock and Metal, the Mark III is like a IIC+ on steroids. One thing owners of both amps tend to agree on is how responsive the IIC+ is compared to other Mesas, but the way I have my settings, the more I dig in, the angrier it gets, and the more gentle (he he) I play, be more it cleans up. For me, the responsiveness is already there.

 

[kkanne20]

Tried a V briefly, iic+ mode, didn't have enough time to fiddle with it
As for my mkiii+ blue simul GEQ with upgraded preamp tubes.....*drool*

 

[okgb]

I believe there is a Doug West interveiw where he says they checked out several
of his C+ 's [ finding a slight difference between the graph and non graph ]
and that the V ver. is exactly the c+ circuit .

I thought I recalled the IIc 's lead drive is broken between two different tubes
which no other Boogie does ?

 

[JOEY B.]

I thought I recalled the IIc 's lead drive is broken between two different tubes
which no other Boogie does ?

Mark IVB is wired this way.

 

[themisfit138]

I think that the Mark III sounds alot closer to the IIC+ than the IV does. With the Black dot I could dial it in almost identical to the IIC+, but the III is a little more aggressive.
Also, When I played the V, I thought it was close to the IIC+, but is didn't sound as open as the II and III are. It was a little more modern(compressed) sounding to me anyways.