My Mark III needs some work!

[avapxia]

I bought a Mark III about 4 months ago. I'm not sure the stripe as it has numerous marks on the back by the power cord with various colors. I'll have to put a picture of it up so you all can try to identify it.

Anyway, my Mark III has two issues, both of which I have read about being fairly common in Mark IIIs. The first issue is that R2 is much louder than R1. The second issue is that when switching from LEAD to R1 the volume drops and then swells up again rapidly until stabilizing. I do not remember off-hand if it does the same thing when switching from LEAD to R2, but I would guess that it does.

Where could I send the Mark III off for these issues to be fixed? I know nothing about repairing an amp (I can barely replace tubes!).

Also, where could I send the amp to get it to look aesthetically like a custom shop Boogie with the wicker grill and stained wood box? That's for future reference.

 

[Tuna141]

I suggest you call Mesa Boogie directly - you can get their tel. # from their web site. Mike Bendinelli is the Mesa Mark series guru. Most likely they will connect you to Mike when you call. He's very easy to talk to and you can explain your problems to him. I suspect the'll suggest that you ship the amp to him for the R2 mod and to look the amp over.

BTW - the R2 mod is relatively simple. Instructions can be found on this forum with detailed photos. Unless you live local to MESA (in CA) It would probably be much cheaper to simply buy the pot that is need from Mesa, print the instructions, and bring the amp to a competent amp tech. It should take about 1/2 hour of labor to perform the mod.

Also, I've noticed a slight volume "swell" when I switch from R2 to the Lead channel on my Mark III blue stripe, so what you are experiencing may be normal. Offhand, I don't recall hearing a similar swell when switching between other channels. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn''t actually occur. It just wasn't prevelent enough for me to really notice it.

 

[Buddy]

R2 is much louder than R1.

Have the r2 vol mod done ' or swap out tubes in the v2 spot till your happy with the levels .

The second issue is that when switching from LEAD to R1 the volume drops and then swells up again rapidly until stabilizing.

This sounds like an optocoupler going south .(which is awesome for barbacue) , bad for footswitching .

Where could I send the Mark III off for these issues to be fixed? I know nothing about repairing an amp (I can barely replace tubes!).

There is a place in Petaluma , Cal . or a nearby friendly Mesa service tech .

Also, where could I send the amp to get it to look aesthetically like a custom shop Boogie with the wicker grill and stained wood box?

You might find a cabinet on ebay or have a cabinetmaker build you one .

:wink:

 

[Johnson]

If your looking to get a hardwood/wicker cab for your mk3 i would check out www.vintageboogie.com They are cheaper than mesa, although you won't have a genuine boogie cabinet, but whatever! 8)

 

[avapxia]

Yeah, it's not that the volume swells up when I switch to LEAD. It's that when switching to R1 from LEAD the volume drops way low and then swells up quickly. It is hardly noticeable, but if you are looking for it you can definitely hear it.

Thanks for the vintage Boogie link. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I'll have to look for an amp tech locally.

 

[Johnson]

No problem. I've never bought anything through vintage boogie, but their work appears pretty decent. If you end up buying a cab through them, let me know what you think, as I am thinking about getting a hardwood cab for one of my boogies as well! Goodluck!

 

[Ed Mullins]

I've experienced the volume swell issue as well. Mike B. at Boogie adjusted my green stripe so that the channel switching would happen quicker. This eliminated the volume swell issue. He changed something to do with relays, LDR, er somethin' er other and now the switching is virtually instantaneous with no volume swell issues. Send it to Mike B. Awesome service.

 

[avapxia]

How much did it cost you with shipping and everything?