Thinking of selling my Mark III...

[Anonymous]

So I have a Mark III blue stripe head, and I'm not really digging the tone right now. It sounds trebley as hell and kind of thin (or at least not as big sounding as I'd want). I can't even use some peoples EQ settings because it's so bright that it physically hurts my ears. Here are my settings:

http://www.chain-metal.nl/mark3/?bg=0&d1=70&p1=1&d2=60&p2=1&d3=20&d4=50&d5=30&p5=1&d6=80&d7=40&p=0&g1=85&g2=60&g3=30&g4=45&g5=35&t=

That's the only way that I can set the EQ to make the treble bearable, but it still doesn't sound good. There is something about the treble that doesn't sound right. It sounds kind of peaky, like the frequency is all jacked. And to top it all off, the bass is weak sounding. I mean, it may have enough bass in quantity, but it doesn't sound full. If this is what a Mark IIC+ sounds like, I really don't see what all of the hype is about. Or am I just one of those people where the Mark III just doesn't cut it as an alternative to the IIC+?

I'm using this with a Marshall 1960A cabinet and I hear that Mesa cabinets would make it sound fuller and darker, but I don't see why it would cause it to sound to this extent considering that tons of musicians use the same cabinet I have. Is the Mark III just not for me or is something wrong with it?

 

[scottcrud]

How much do you want for it? Seriously, have you tried experimenting with preamp tubes? A JJ 12ax7 will darken it up a bit. what type of pickups are you using?

 

[Anonymous]

Seriously, have you tried experimenting with preamp tubes? A JJ 12ax7 will darken it up a bit.

Honestly, I don't even know what kind of preamp tubes are in it. They are unlabeled and the power tubes are a mix of GT6l6's and Sovtek 6l6's. I think I'll probably retube it before trying to sell it.

what type of pickups are you using?

Dimarzio Tone Zone in bridge and Virtual PAF in neck. I really like these pickups, so I doubt they are the problem.

 

[srf399]

I'm feeling that way about my MKIV. You should probably do a re-tube first then judge how you like it. I've done that and I'm moving on as soon as I can. I'm going to a Stiletto Deuce... The nice thing about Mesas is they hold their value pretty good and you can move around until you find the sound that inspires you. Try the re-tube first though

 

[Tuna141]

I agree, that you should mess with the preamp tubes and also make sure that power tubes are OK.

You may want to reduce your Presense setting too. I run mine around 2 and find that the amp sounds harsh and thin at higher settings.

Also check your cabling to ensure good connection - move them around to remove any oxidation that may have occured - especially the reverb connections. Also check the effects loop jacks - work a cable in and out to ensure they are making a good connection.

Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

So would you agree or disagree that this is what a Mark III sounds like? I just don't want to dig in too deep only to figure out this isn't the amp for me.

 

[boogietone]

I have a 60 watt bluestripe. I have the treble almost dimed and bass and mid at 0. GEQ in classic V with lowest and highest sliders at the top line. Presence turned down a bit to keep the fizz out. It has Tungsol preamp tubes from Musician's Friend in it as well as Mesa STR454 power tubes. I run it through a Mesa 2X12 Recto cab loaded with EV12L's. All my patchcords are Monster cables. The amp sounds brutal! Especially with a Treblebooster out in front of it. Definitely check all your tubes. If possible, try a different cab with it. MKIII's sounds awesome. I like the tones of my MKIII better than in my MKIV though they are close. III's are amazing amps!

 

[edward]

When I first got my greenie simul, I was NOT impressed. Even worse, I was just ok with the clean but truly disappointed (annoyed!) with the OD in the Lead mode, and the R2 was this ugly, useless thing I couldn't understand why Mesa engineerd.

Then I played with eq-ing further, and eventually got closer. I started to "get it" ...this thing tweaks/responds differently than even my other boogie (DC5 and long-time gigger). Better.

But then, I went into swapping tubes and wow! That was the ticket. From preamp to power tubes, some understanding and experimentation and I found that I now love this amp! It is as versatile as it sounds good. Speaker choice is also an important consideration with the III.

So while you can sell it if you like, you could try and see if there's "your sound" in there. And if not, move on

Edward

 

[MusicManJP6]

The Mark IV was a great amp but not for me. I ended up trading it for a Roadster, and the Recto tone is much better FOR ME. The Mark was just TOO tight. I'm gonna get flamed one of these days for saying that! Haha. In any case the Roadster SCORCHES compared to the Mark IV IMO. The Mark was more vintage sound but truth be known the Roadster gets close to the voicing of the Mark when in 'vintage' mode. 'Modern' is where it's at though!

 

[scottcrud]

Well, me and the other guitarist in my band both use MKIII's and neither of ours sounds like you described, that's why I'm suggestion new tubes. Try a high gain JJ12ax7 in V-1 and V-3. A quad of JJ 6L6's or Winged "C" 6L6's wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, me and the other guitarist in my band both use MKIII's and neither of ours sounds like you described, that's why I'm suggestion new tubes. Try a high gain JJ12ax7 in V-1 and V-3. A quad of JJ 6L6's or Winged "C" 6L6's wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I've never really been one to experiment with tubes because with all of my previous amps, whenever I retubed, it never really made much of a difference. Maybe it's different with Mesa Boogie? :?

Right now I'm set on SED 6l6's, but I've always been pretty clueless when it comes to preamp tubes. I've heard that a Tung-sol 12ax7 sounds good in V1.
How can I tube it to get it to sound more modern?

 

[vertigo_]

The Mark IV was a great amp but not for me. I ended up trading it for a Roadster, and the Recto tone is much better FOR ME. The Mark was just TOO tight. I'm gonna get flamed one of these days for saying that! Haha. In any case the Roadster SCORCHES compared to the Mark IV IMO. The Mark was more vintage sound but truth be known the Roadster gets close to the voicing of the Mark when in 'vintage' mode. 'Modern' is where it's at though!

+10000000

 

[diafebus]

Well, me and the other guitarist in my band both use MKIII's and neither of ours sounds like you described, that's why I'm suggestion new tubes. Try a high gain JJ12ax7 in V-1 and V-3. A quad of JJ 6L6's or Winged "C" 6L6's wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I've never really been one to experiment with tubes because with all of my previous amps, whenever I retubed, it never really made much of a difference. Maybe it's different with Mesa Boogie? :?

Right now I'm set on SED 6l6's, but I've always been pretty clueless when it comes to preamp tubes. I've heard that a Tung-sol 12ax7 sounds good in V1.
How can I tube it to get it to sound more modern?

For a modern sound buy JJ/Tesla 12AX7A in V1, V2 and V3 ^^

 

[Anonymous]

The Mark IV was a great amp but not for me. I ended up trading it for a Roadster, and the Recto tone is much better FOR ME. The Mark was just TOO tight. I'm gonna get flamed one of these days for saying that! Haha. In any case the Roadster SCORCHES compared to the Mark IV IMO. The Mark was more vintage sound but truth be known the Roadster gets close to the voicing of the Mark when in 'vintage' mode. 'Modern' is where it's at though!

If the Mark III doesn't cut it after retubing, I'll probably end up buying a Tremoverb. It seems that all the tones I'm trying to imitate are coming from that amp. But then again, I'm in love with Petrucci's IIC+ tone.

 

[timjtitus]

i kinda have the same problem as u. i bought an mxr 10 band eq and it's been a godsend. but it in the loop and droop the highest slider (16khz) almost all the way down and then compensate with the 6600 slider on the graphic. at low volumes this has a minimal effect but when you get the master around 3 it makes a huge difference. for some reason on mine when i get to 3 on the master it seems like it activates a treble boost that is totally unneeded. doing this gets rid of almost all of the buzz as well. this makes it so much thicker sounding but when u take out that much high end u have to adjust everything else too.

 

[Fxrs]

I'm feeling that way about my MKIV. You should probably do a re-tube first then judge how you like it. I've done that and I'm moving on as soon as I can. I'm going to a Stiletto Deuce... The nice thing about Mesas is they hold their value pretty good and you can move around until you find the sound that inspires you. Try the re-tube first though

So...you're moving to a Stilletto because your MKIV is too trebly?

 

[srf399]

No... I'm moving to a Stiletto because I don't like the mushy crunch. I like the tight midrange crunch that the Stiletto gets... The MKIV just can't do that. Sorry guys it isn't there. Great lead sound but I want a great lead sound AND tight crunch. Secondary is the fact that every time I play my MKIV I turn it off frustrated with tweeking it. I want a consistant plug and play amp that leaves me wanting to play it more. Stiletto did that for me... MKIV left me thinking it had upside but was never attainable on a consistent basis. So for me I'm saving my $$ to trade in the MKIV is a few months.