MK III purple stripe combo

[6L6-wreck]

Just got one, what can you tell me about this amp ?

Wiki sez the purple stripe MK III lead channel is very close to the MK II C+.

What say you ?

https://reverb.com/item/27109455-mesa-boogie-mark-iii-simul-class-3-channel-75-watt-1x12-guitar-combo-1986-black

 

[dlpasco]

Hi there, I did a purple stripe review and a couple of videos a few years ago. It's a really sweet amp. The one I was looking at didn't have an eq and was still superb.

I'm flying at the moment, so youtube isn't coming up, but here's one demo that I did and some of the other ones I did should come up under the "Watch Next" section https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GpABco8ysM

 

[6L6-wreck]

Outstanding, thanks Dan, that was awesome !

 

[donkost]

These are awesome and versatile amps. I bought one new and still have it. Can go from a Fendery clean, to Marshall crunch, to metal. I have the 60W combo with no EQ and the EVM12L speaker. A few years later I bought a Thiele-ported cab with the same speaker. A real stack killer in a small package. Someone who is OCD can go crazy with the knobs and the push/pull features. lol

 

[6L6-wreck]

Called MESA support, they assured me an 8 ohm out into a 16 ohm cab was a safe mismatch.
The MK III sounds amazing with my 1978' Marshall Blackback cab.
Got a gig today, just the combo, can't wait.

 

[donkost]

Yes I still have the manual and the suggested settings page from when I bought it new. I think there are scanned PDF files of these as well, probably on this site. Well it's just a few pieces of paper put together, not really a manual. It encourages ohms mismatches to see what kinds of tonal differences can be achieved. Not something you usually see in an amp manual. hehe

 

[6L6-wreck]

Yep been a Marshall guy 40 years. Still have them. The MK III can hang all day long with a Marshall.
I remember during Master of Puppets era when Metallica was using MESA's. But they were very secretive about their gear back then & there were no internet spies.
Last year Metallica used all Fractal live, no tube amps at all for the consistency.
Can't say i blame them because they've used it all over the years.
Wish i could have had a IIC+ or MK III in the 80's but i wasn't lacking what i had anyway.

 

[donkost]

The "secret" back then was a mic'd up Boogie behind the wall of Marshalls. I remember selling most of my gear by around '86 or '87. I was going to get out of the music scene, band had broken up a few years earlier, time for a more serious lifestyle. lol I had been playing guitar since '76 and as you know you just can't get it out of your system. When I saw that new Mark III combo in a music store I had to have it on the spot. Previously when I was selling gear it didn't mean much to me at the time, but I sold a big chrome old-style Morley Wah / Volume to Richie Kotzen who around that time was in a local Reading PA band called Arthur's Museum. I had it listed with other gear in a local paper and he just popped over to my parent's house to buy it. Said it was going to be for their keyboard player, which I thought was odd but at least it had a buyer. He ended up doing pretty well for himself.

 

[6L6-wreck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgyCd34tSnI&feature=youtu.be

 

[dlpasco]

That sounds great! What did you record it with?

 

[6L6-wreck]

That sounds great! What did you record it with?

Zoom Q3HD.

 

[6L6-wreck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-6PXKdCCgw&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0J4qfgaoz4VmNRLSZ8AORaEJdUXPkIVZm4EyKZN5s-tiBpXfZUSNfaGQQ

 

[StolenMesaMarkStack]

I had one for 4 years before foolishly selling it the cleans channel will out Fender a Fender
Great Amp !

 

[redrabit1]

I have a purple MK 3, 100 watt with EQ and reverb and SimulClass- I think it is the most enjoyable MESA yet. I can't think of needing more than this amp, it covers sooo much ground - especially with the EQ. I am running EL34's on the outers and running Class A is mostly my thing. As I look at it I believe it to be a purple stripe. I bought this from a big store a couple years ago after they discounted it because it '"didn't put out sound". Knowing it is a serviceable amp I bought it for half of its value and put in a new set of tubes when I brought it home. Sounds terrific. My other Boogies don't really get played now.
Brad (redrabit)

 

[dlpasco]

I recently had a chance to buy the Purple stripe head I demoed previously and sent it back to Mike B for an overhaul and the R2 mod.

The amp - a 60 watt head with no reverb or graphic eq - is almost certainly one of my favorite amps now. The settings I have it on are typical (volume way up, treble at noon, low bass, midi a little under halfway, lead volume halfway, presence pretty low) and sound fantastic on all three channels. I don't just mean useable, I mean GREAT.

I started using a parametric eq in the fx loop if I want to run scooped and I like it better than the five band eqs on my other Boogies.

I'm waiting for a new head shell to show up for my IIC+, after which I'll do a little more A/B work, but so far, I just love this machine.

Edit: I just posted these two clips to soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/homeworld - pretty, ambient stuff
https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/catharsis - heavier stuff

 

[xdg999]

The clips sound good! Did you have Mike B. do the III+ mod?

 

[dlpasco]

The clips sound good! Did you have Mike B. do the III+ mod?

Nope, I never really thought it needed it. Kinda thinking about having it done to my blue stripe, someday. Maybe.

 

[cpw]

I did (III+) and it's totally worth it. Especially if you like to play in the "in between." I think it's quite close to a IIC, transformer notwithstanding. 60W is a different transformer anyway.
=CPW=

 

[dlpasco]

I did (III+) and it's totally worth it. Especially if you like to play in the "in between." I think it's quite close to a IIC, transformer notwithstanding. 60W is a different transformer anyway.
=CPW=

That's good to hear. What stripe is yours?

 

[xdg999]

If you want c+ alternative and can't find a Mark III with the 105 transformer the 60 watt III's are a great option. I already have one Black Dot III+ SRG but I picked up another later production SRG (Serial number 27xxx) because R2 has more gain. It's at Mesa now getting service, III+/R2 mods and a pentode/triode switch.