Specific III & IV ?'s for Blues

[JackButler]

Hey guys, first post here!
Long sotry short, been through tons of boutique amps and am now going to revisit a Boogie!
This amp will be a/b'd with a Soldano.
I played a green stripe III today and really liked it. The cleans were perfect for what I want. Rythmn and lead channels left a little be desired, but I know they really take tweaking. They sounded good nonetheless.
I have read the threads here and eslewhere all day, so time to pony up.
I play hard Blues mainly. I am going for a smooth lead/rhythmn tone.
So...
Does the IV have a smoother gain than the III's?
Is the clean as good or how does it lack if so?
The green I played, I liked it just wished the gains were smoother overall if I had to complain.
So do I go for the IV or find a III? A blue came up fairly resonable I might snag, but will surely pay the extra for a IV it is more in my vein.

 

[AustinK]

A mark IV is smoother. The mark III is notes for being very aggressive. For blues i would vote for a IV but either amp will due great.

 

[eltrain858]

i cant comment on the comparison but the Mark IV clean is sick

 

[satisfied5582]

that sounds like a cool set up, what soldano are you using and how are you going to use it? i used to run a soldano hot rod 50+ with my dual rect, it was pretty cool.

 

[rvschulz]

can't speak for a Mark IV, my Mark III is great ... however - LoneStar Classic for the win. much better control to hit that "sound" for blues. not as aggressive immediately as a Mark III. Mark III is great though.

 

[Tuna141]

Tough call...either will work for blues, but I'd lean slightly toward the IV.

I have both a III blue & a IVA.

IMO, the clean on the III is better than the IV's. I find the IV's clean kind of dull and lifeless. It's usable, but nothing great. The III's is more chimey and Fenderish. You can get some nice bluesy crunch from all 3 channels of the III if you crank the Volume 1 gain. The III is more aggressive and can get a little heavier than the IV. The Lead channel of the III is very thick and aggressive. R2 is more vintage/open sounding. Any of the 3 channels could work for blues.

The IV has a very nice R2 channel, which is perfect for sounding tones - it would be very nice for blues. I find the Lead channel darker and much smoother/rounder. There are tons of switching options for the IV, so you should be able to find "your tone" eventually. The footswitch is excellent for playing live.

The class A or simul-class switching options are both handy when playing blues. The IV also has a tweed setting which is nice too. I recommend buying one with a graphic EQ.

I use my IV when playing in my cover band - standard club stuff - from 70's to current. I've never been very satisfied with the Lead channel (I don't play metal) and I live in R2 most of the time. I find R2 works for just about everything and has a nice cutting, but open tone. It sits well in a band mix, whereas the Lead channel tends to get lost unless I use the EQ to boost some of the hi-end.

To sum up: The IV would give you more tonal options and a great footswitch. If money is no object I suppose I'd go with a IV. If you have a budget or come across a good deal on a III then snag it.

 

[JackButler]

Thanks for all the info guys, truly appreicated!
So I pulled the trigger on a IV combo w/eq. I believe it to be an A series as it has the 4 jacks for the loop, right? I never use verb or a loop.
I loved the greenstripe I played cleans, so we'll see. I figured this is worth a shot, if it doesn't work for me I'll snag a greenstripe I guess.
One question, why do the combos seem to sell for considerbily less than the head versions? Hope I didn't goof up!

 

[Tuna141]

Would anyone suggest a Mark IIB?
Easily as affordable if not more so and I hear the cleans are very very good.

From what I've heard, I would think a IIB would work fine for blues too (never played one though).

I have a IIC (not the + version), and it has an awesome clean (better than my III & IV). It sounds absolutely killer with a hollow body guitar and is great for classic rock type stuff. The lead tone can be very in your face though, so you may not like it if you are going for a smooth lead tone.

LoneStar Classic for the win. much better control to hit that "sound" for blues.

+1

 

[Tuna141]

I almost always use a Thiele with my Mark combos. A 1x12 Thiele really makes a Mark combo sound almost as big as a 4x12 cabinet. The Thiele adds some nice bottom end and compliments the open-back combo well. Sometimes I mic both cabs when playing live.

Or better yet I can make you a head cab!

BTW - gts (George) has made some very nice cabinets...