So, Should I MOd My Mark III?

[Boogie Bill]

Seems like a pretty standard thing to do the R2 mod and the Reverb mod on a Mark III...

...and that's a good thing right?

So should I do those mods to my Mark IIIs?

Bill

 

[Neptical]

Yup, at least the R2 for sure. The balance of the channels is way better. Go for it.

 

[Tuna141]

I'd do both mods without question. Both will give the amp more versatility.

They are also relatively simple and I don't think they hurt the resale of the amp (I think they actually improve it, as these are standard Mesa mods and they add more features to the amp).

 

[igfraso]

Do both mods; they are standard Mesa mods and are recommended by Mike Bendinelli. They are very inexpensive as well. The VolR2 is a big improvement.

 

[Seanboy]

What exactly are these mods? What do the do? Im a newbie when it comes to these awesome amps. How can I find out more info on these mods?

 

[benjamin801]

What exactly are these mods? What do the do? Im a newbie when it comes to these awesome amps. How can I find out more info on these mods?

The R2 Vol mod corrects what is usually a pretty severe volume drop when switching from R1 (clean) to R2 (crunch). Without it, it's pretty much impossible to get three stage-usable channels out of the Mark III.

I haven't done it, but I don't need three sounds out of mine... :twisted:

 

[jimmyplant]

My Mark lll has no reverb . Is this something they could add ? its a short head 60 .....wouldn't mind doing both mods .

 

[boogiemon]

My M3's don't have the R2 mod & i don't see the need. Switching from R1 to R2 is more like a "fat boost" & R2 is actually a little louder than R1.

ymmv

 

[benjamin801]

My M3's don't have the R2 mod & i don't see the need. Switching from R1 to R2 is more like a "fat boost" & R2 is actually a little louder than R1.

ymmv

Where is your Rhythm volume set? When mine is set around 4-5, what you describe is my experience. When I have it set to 8 or 9, R2 is noticeably softer than R1. Just my experience.

 

[boogiemon]

i keep vol1 up around 7.5

My M3's don't have the R2 mod & i don't see the need. Switching from R1 to R2 is more like a "fat boost" & R2 is actually a little louder than R1.

ymmv

Where is your Rhythm volume set? When mine is set around 4-5, what you describe is my experience. When I have it set to 8 or 9, R2 is noticeably softer than R1. Just my experience.

 

[Seanboy]

My R2 is louder than R1, there's a volume drop when switching from R2 to R1. Is this normal? Should I do the R2 volume mod? Isn't the mod to fix the opposite problem?

Sean

 

[Whoopysnorp]

The R2 mod should let you balance R1 and R2 to your taste no matter which channel is louder in stock form with the way that you set your controls. On my old blue stripe, R2 definitely sounded quieter with the way that I tended to set things. My current purple stripe had the R2 mod on it when I got it, and I love it. R2 is a pretty cool sound to have available. If I ever acquired a different Mark III for some reason, I would make sure to give it the R2 mod if it didn't have it.

 

[kdorsey]

My MkIII still doesn't have the R2 mod. After 23 years I'm just not missing it. However, if I were back in a modern rock cover band, I'd do it in an instant for the flexibility. The classic rock gig doesn't demand it, so much.

 

[CoG]

R2 mod is a fo sho, must have.

The reverb mod is easy enough but I would say don't do it. The Mark III's stock reverb is pretty average and the circuit is a bit of a hack that made sense in 1983. Basically you end up with more crappy reverb that you can never quite turn off. There's so many really good reverb pedals available today that it makes way more sense to just get one of those. I had the reverb mod done on one of my mark iii's and would have put it back to stock if I hadn't sold the amp.

 

[Trey Blue]

My blue stripe mkiii has traces of reverb even with the knob on zero, does this mean I have the mod?


What exactly is the reverb mod?

How would you visually know if you have it?

How do you return it to stock?



Thanks!

 

[taylor51]

My blue stripe mkiii has traces of reverb even with the knob on zero, does this mean I have the mod?


What exactly is the reverb mod?

How would you visually know if you have it?

How do you return it to stock?



Thanks!

If you've still have very faint reverb after you turn the pot all the way off,it's most likely got the mod.

 

[MrMarkIII]

If you have a red "R" written in marker on the rear panel under the A/C cable, you have the reverb mod.

 

[mesaboogie6L6]

WOW! My 91' blue stripe Coli has the red "R"! I have the reverb mod and didn't even ask for it! I bought this amp directly from Mesa, the R2 mod sounds tempting..........But I don't dare ship this behemoth to Mesa, no way, I don't trust ANY shipping company with my baby.

When my reverb is on zero, I hear no reverb at all.

vol-10
treble-4
bass-0
mid-8
master-1, 1.5 is over the top LOUD!
lead master-10
reverb-4
presence-8
graphic-pretty much V, except the 2200 and 6600 are turned down

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[mesaboogie6L6]

Oh ok, thanks, very interesting, thanks again, didn't think my Coli had any mods done to it from the factory.