My MKIII Is Back

[AMG1]

For those that might remember I bought a MKIII purple strip long head about a month or so ago .

I was conserned about it being in good shape so I sent it to Mesa.

Good thing I did send it to them. Although everything seemed to be working fine all was not well.

It took a power cord, some bias caps, a new quiter fan and an OT. I also had the R2 MV mod done.

On one hand I was a little disappointed because of the added cost. I'm into the amp for a little more than its resale value. On the other hand I've got this old MKIII that runs perfect now and is realiable. I was'nt planning on selling it so time will heal the extra cost. I still got a great head for a price well below anything in its class.

The R2 MV mod is the best thing I could have done. I can get very good sounds on all three channels and switch between them. Also switching between R1 and R2 is excellent.

As an added bonus Mike B called me up and as many have said he was very nice. We talked about my amp of course and had a nice conversation about C+'s and his wifes amp cover business. For all the questions this guy must field about C+'s he had plenty of energy to talk about them and answer questions. For those who are'nt sure if you come up with a MKIIC they will still convert it if you want . Only thing is it has to be a C.

Anyway the amp sounds great. I'm having a lot of fun with it and expect to keep it a lifetime.

 

[Marshall_Fascist]

sp they don't do the + mod for the III? danm

 

[BPski]

It took a power cord, some bias caps, a new quiter fan and an OT. I also had the R2 MV mod done.

What was wrong with the OT?

 

[AMG1]

It took a power cord, some bias caps, a new quiter fan and an OT. I also had the R2 MV mod done.

What was wrong with the OT?

They told me there was the wrong size fuse in the amp and someone must have been using it that way for awhile and it damaged the OT. It was running at 15 watts and was about to stop working. What that means exactly I'm not sure. I'm not techy enough.

 

[BPski]

Sounds like the output tubes were drawing high current and kept blowing the fuse. Someone put in a higher value fuse (instead of changing the tubes) to stop it from blowing but the high current kept flowing, for who knows how long, damaging the components in the power supply and output section. Yikes! Sounds like you have a bullet-proof winner now. And Mike Bendinelli is a great guy. Very helpful and knowlegable. Enjoy the amp!!

 

[AMG1]

Sounds like the output tubes were drawing high current and kept blowing the fuse. Someone put in a higher value fuse (instead of changing the tubes) to stop it from blowing but the high current kept flowing, for who knows how long, damaging the components in the power supply and output section. Yikes! Sounds like you have a bullet-proof winner now. And Mike Bendinelli is a great guy. Very helpful and knowlegable. Enjoy the amp!!

Its interesting! Thanks.

It did have Tube Store tubes in it. Not sure what kind other than type. I have bought tubes from them before and if you tell them what amp you have they will give you the right tubes. Maybe the last owner did'nt tell them what he was using them in. The thing I wonder about is the amp seemed to function well in the store. Is there any way to tell by listening to and playing an amp if its having transformer problems?

 

[AMG1]

sp they don't do the + mod for the III? danm

I didnt ask if my amp could be converted. Mike did say though if I found an old Boogie it had to be a IIC. So I took that as the only amp he'd do it to. Maybe theres exceptions but he did'nt mention any.

 

[Joey707]

Mike can convert a IIC to a C+ but can't convert a IIB or any Boogie made before the IIB's to a C+. I don't remember why. It's been too long since we talked about. He can do a C+ mod to a MK III. I have a few of those. They're great sounding amps. I'm very happy with mine.

 

[dandan]

hey joey i have an MKIIIblue with the C+ mod done to it

i think you helped me out before

so is there any difference in a red or blue with the +?

I love how my amp sounds

I think it sounds a little "tighter" on the gain than a stock MK III red stripe

 

[4nkam]

I'm pretty sure it's like this....The only amp that can become a true C+ is a Mark IIC. Other amps will only be modded to be *similar* to the C+.

MJ

 

[Joey707]

Dandan, I have a red stripe and a blue stripe that had the C+ mod. I really can't tell any difference in them.
I would agree that doing the C+ mod on a MK III doesn't turn it into a true C+. It does however get you pretty darn close. I own a C+ and several MK III's that have been modded. There is a difference, but it's not night and day. It's a subtle but noticeable difference. But for me I actually ended up liking the modded III's more. In fact one of those MK III's is the best Mesa I've ever owned. It's my desert island amp.

 

[dandan]

i'm really curious as to what the previous owner of my Mark III actually said to have done. Actually.. the guy i bought it from bought it from somebody ELSE and thats the guy that had the work done.

I'm looking at the form and i'm assuming Mike B wrote this in the description
___________________________________________
Serial #24739

Check up Test All A-ok

Serial #24739

Do "DBL Plus" Mod to amp like "dbl +" IIC AMP
__________________________________________

Joey you have any idea?

seems like you might be the guy to know..

or if anyone else knows I would love to hear about it

I called Mike B and left a message. I didn't want to hassle him before cause he would have to dig ou the #RA form from his files at home since it was some side work.

According to my serial # it was a blue stripe before right?

What im wondering is if the previous owner just told Mike B to bring it closer to a "C+" in general or what exactly.

 

[Joey707]

Well I'v never heard of a "Dbl Plus" mod. I hope it's not like "double secret probation". Be seriously folks, just cause I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. That's a question for Mike. I believe he keeps a record of the amps he works on. So he should able to answer this for you. Two of my modded MK III's were originally black dots (now blue stripe), and the other was and still is a red dot. It's serial number is 21xxx. So your amp is probably a blue or green stripe.
I would like to know if there is a "Dbl Plus" mod and what it is. Let us know if you find out.

 

[AMG1]

Hmmmm! It might be one + better than everyone else's! :shock:

Man! What would a guy pay for a triple +?