Many people on this forum seem to prefer mark III red, blue or green stripe versions of this amp with various differences in preamps,having owned a triaxis which is supposed to be like a catolog of mk amps I decided that I liked all the Mark I sounds on the triaxis,so I bought a mark I reissue and I am very happy with it.My question is what do the early stripe versions of mark IIIs no stripe, black dot, purple stripe, the R1 in particular sound like since they seem to evolved closer to the IIc+ that many like in the later versions? do the early versions sound more like a mark I.what I would like is a mark I sound for RI with class A/simul class option.This seems to be sound of the new 5:50 express and the new lonestar because they went back to a fender blackface type clean and I am thinking of buying one of these amps but I have still have an interest in mark IIIs any suggestions?
MK series preamps and stripes
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Shep
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yeah i agree..but there is alittle nicer feeling tone from the blue and red stripe and the green is heap's different becasue being in pentode..
ToneAddictJon
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I'd echo what has been said, all the stripes are very similar, with the green stripe being the furthest away from the rest. The blue stripe I had and the red stripe I currently have sound almost identical, but the green stripe seems to have a bit more of everything.
well I have tried a couple mkIIIs with blue stripe and simulclass and also a mk IV at guitar stores and I liked them, the clean channel or R1 on these amps seemed to be close to the triaxis rhythm yellow which they describe as a hyperclean IIc+ or MK IV clean. The triaxis green rhythm is described as Mk I to be looser sounding. I am wondering if anyone has done any comparisons with the early mk IIIs no stripe, black stripe only a couple hundred made, to see how the R1s compare since later stripe versions were trying to get closer to a C+.I looked on tubefreak website that has a schematic for mkIs and mkIIIs but ony one mkIII version.
Boogiebabies
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King Tone said:
All MK's have the same DNA, yet none sound equally alike. It is true that the IIC+ does not sound like anything produced after, but the III and IV offer timbres and tones unique in their own right. I have settled on letting the C+ be the C+, The III being the III and the IV being the IV. I absolutely feel immense joy from what each gives me and the wide palette of tones, related, yet unique in their own right. I don't look at these amps and try to get the same tones. I use them for what they are. Amazing amps from the C+ lineage.
Boogiebabies
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The MK I would be the furthest from the actual modern Boogie. With the IIA, IIB, IIC and IIC+ there are incremental increases in gain and revoicing to make the gain useable. I would say the MK I would be the smoothest, most organic Boogie, but it has no where near the gain of the III. It would be sufficient to say that the MK I has the same gain at 10 that the III has on 5 (Or so), yet you can still get the same smooth tone and hear the lineage even though the preamp was voiced differently.
sbalderrama
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I tend to think of the Lonestar Classic as the Mark 1 perfected in many ways. My early Mark 1 has absolutely the best clean tone of any of my Marks, including my IIC+.
Boogiebabies
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sbalderrama said:
It's the most pure, or unadulterated circuit. There is not that much to get in the way, so to speak. I don't think Boogie has another clean that could really compare sonically with the LS or RK II clean. Whenever I fire up the RK II, I usually sit on the clean channel for an hour before realizing there are three other channels and 11 other modes. Granted, I really like the C+, III and IV clean tones, they are just not as polished as the LS or RK II.
Boogiebabies
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Seven. 
Boogiebabies
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carlosasi said:
Recto ground. It's not going to give that MK series feeling, but the cleans are **** sweet.
sbalderrama
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The Mark series cleans are super punchy with huge dynamic range. Whack the strings a little harder than you usually play and the sound hits you in the gut. The LSC is a bit softer.
sbalderrama said:
Interesting description. Having never played an LSC but ALWAYS curious about it (having read so much praise of it), I've always wanted to try one. Still "curious" now, but not so much so since I DO love that very punchiness that makes my III so dang addictive. Thanks for that ...now I don't feel so compelled!
Edward
sbalderrama
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edward said:Interesting description. Having never played an LSC but ALWAYS curious about it (having read so much praise of it), I've always wanted to try one. Still "curious" now, but not so much so since I DO love that very punchiness that makes my III so dang addictive. Thanks for that ...now I don't feel so compelled!
Edward
Might be the tube rectifier that does that.... I'll have to dig it out and try just the 100watt setting with solid state rectifier and I'm sure it wont' be quite so soft.
You should still try a LSC though.... Channel 2 is one of Mesa's best lead tones, although you do have to have a bit of volume going for it.
