Test-Driving a Mark III... What to Watch For?

[Drazden]

Hi everyone,

I'm a longtime fan of Mesa's, and, hopefully, soon will be an owner of one. Long story short, I finally got sick of my Marshall's reliability problems a few months ago and sold it. I was intending on getting an Express 5:25 or 5:50, or even finding an older Studio .22, but on my local used site, a Mark III came up for sale in the last week and I.... well, it's gorgeous.

I've never played any Mark series amps. This particular one is missing one push/pull knob, and has no graphic EQ, but it's got reverb and a 60/100 switch. What else should I watch for when I go to see it? As well, what would be a decent price for one of these, in cream tolex, in decent cosmetic condition but with a few issues--ie, missing a knob or 2? I see the other thread about the guy who got one for $280--that seems like a pretty unreal deal. I've seen guys asking $1200-$1400 for these here in Canada.

Thanks so much for your help, guys! Looking forward to test-driving the Mark!

 

[guitarzan1143]

The things i noticed on mine that were issues were two of the push/pull pots need to be replaced, they cut out, and you need to flip them 3 or 4 times to bring the sound back. might just need cleaning, haven't messed with it yet. Otherwise just rread the manual before you go try it, know what each knob/switch is supposed to do and make sure it performs like its supposed to. the 280 i paid for it was seriously a stroke of luck, i think he really needed the money, it wasn't stolen, i know that for sure. anyways, unless you want to remove the chassis and look for burn marks/bad resistors/caps, thats about all you can do is know how it works, and go see if it works.

 

[Drazden]

I have another quick question... Looking at the pics I've been sent, it seems it's only got 2 power tubes. Shouldn't these amps have 4 powertubes?

Seems to me I was a little premature in saying it has a 60/100 switch. Did all Mark iii's have these? I've got a few pics I can upload if it'll help, but on the back panel, underneath the serial, where guitarzan's (I checked out the other thread--sick amp, man!) says 'Mark III' this one says 'Mesa Boogie Ltd.' and the serial number is much lower than guitarzan's. Is any of that significant?

Oh--other than that, it's exactly like guitarzan's in the other thread. Same color tolex, same knob layout, even same back panel setup, except it doesn't seem to have the female power-plug on the power supply.

Thanks!

 

[tony777]

Pics can tell more than thousand words.
Post front, rear, serial, details details details, pretty much anything you can get.
And you will get all the answers.

Good luck

 

[Drazden]

Alright, guys. here's all the pics I've got. Still waiting on an email back from the seller on when I can come and check the piece out.

 

[Fronzil]

2 tubes makes sense...its class AB, not simul class...other then that I dno much about the IIIs

 

[Drazden]

Any ideas on value?

 

[GD_NC]

Any ideas on value?

I'm my opinion the most valuable "loaded" Mark III combos have: Simul, EQ, Reverb with and EVM Speakers and SUS-shock mounts. One like that will probaly go for $800-1000 depending on condition. More if has a hardwood case shell or is in mint condition.

This one pictured is a 60 watt Reverb model with SUS and a EVM speaker. I'd say $700-$800 is probably in the right ball park. The age and value of the tubes might also effect the overall value. Certailny a factor to keep in mind.

Does it have any kind of marking where the powercord meets the chassis? (Usually a stripe or dot) If so, that can be useful to determine the approximate age and circuit revision.

Edit - Assuming the Push/pull pot is broken, I'd probably ask for $50-$100 off to cover the repair and new knob. It a easy job, but you'd probably have to pay that to get it fixed.

 

[boogiemon]

looks like a fairly early mark III. The metal plate near the power cord is a little sketchy: could be that the chassis was originally cut for an export model (220v). At any rate, it looks like a pretty good amp and is worth somewhere between $700-$900 imho. If there's a permanent ink marker stripe above the power cord connection it would be worth knowing what color it is.


g'luck

Alright, guys. here's all the pics I've got. Still waiting on an email back from the seller on when I can come and check the piece out.

 

[Drazden]

Awesome! Thanks, guys. The guy finally got back to me today. I'm going to call him back tonight or tomorrow and hopefully get down there to play it in the next day or two. I've wanted a cream tolex Mesa forEVER.