Well, I guess the MKV is indeed a reality...

[sbalderrama]

What market are they going after ? Metal....get rectified.

I prefer the Mark as a Metal amp.... its punchy and articulate, fast response, quite a different sound than the rectos. And the Marks can do way more than just metal... go listen to Walter Trout. Also a great jazz fusion amp, although I think the Lonestar has claimed that territory pretty well now.

 

[MarkofXlnts]

+1 on the Walter Trout comment. The rep for my local dealer said that the Road King is replacing the Mark IV. He gave no indication that a new Mark amp was coming.

 

[newfinator]

+1 on the Walter Trout comment. The rep for my local dealer said that the Road King is replacing the Mark IV. He gave no indication that a new Mark amp was coming.

I have a VERY hard time thinking that the Road King is meant to be any kind of replacement for the Mark IV. They have nothing in common tone wise. Unless of course there is to be a Road King III that fills the gap. That would be real nice but still unlikely in my mind.

Mesa Boogie not having a Mark is like Porsche not having a 911. Sure they offer fancier and glitzier models (Road King II/Carrera GT) but they still retain a traditional and assumptive model line that exemplifies the spirit of the company.... or perhaps that's just in my little mind.

 

[GIG4FUN]

I respect Mesa Engineering because of their sound thinking in the past. I think they will make a Mark V. It is not about money/sales. In my book it's about pride. I hope we are on the same page....

 

[sbalderrama]

I could see an "uber king" that has a Mark mode as well as the Rectos. That'd be pretty sweet... Lonestar Cleans, Recto and Mark Distortions.

If they do that, they could maybe do a throwback such as a Mark reissue.

 

[JOEY B.]

The rep for my local dealer said that the Road King is replacing the Mark IV. He gave no indication that a new Mark amp was coming.

Pardon my french, but some MESA reps don't know their ******* from their elbow. Case in point is the availability of the Sylvania STR-415 from the MESA factory. It is a reality, even if there is no mention of them on their website or any price list. If Mesa does not produce a decent replacement for the Mark IV (and I don't mean a revamped Roadking), they will lose a bunch of longtime fans (20+ years), including myself.

Peace Out

 

[MrMarkIII]

I respect Mesa Engineering because of their sound thinking in the past. I think they will make a Mark V. It is not about money/sales. In my book it's about pride. I hope we are on the same page....

Pride and 50 cents, er, sorry, pride and five bucks will buy you a cup of coffee.
The Mark series is history. Learn to live in the present, grasshopper.

 

[GIG4FUN]

I respect Mesa Engineering because of their sound thinking in the past. I think they will make a Mark V. It is not about money/sales. In my book it's about pride. I hope we are on the same page....

Pride and 50 cents, er, sorry, pride and five bucks will buy you a cup of coffee.
The Mark series is history. Learn to live in the present, grasshopper.

...ah, living in the past works just fine for this weed munch.

 

[MrMarkIII]

... Case in point is the availability of the Sylvania STR-415 new from the MESA factory. It is a reality, even if there is no mention of them on their website or any price list.

They're New Old Stock, not new. Might as well call them Private Stock. They are a finite quantity, and I'm sure they get a bazillion calls every day for 'em. Once they are gone, there will be no more, and nothing remaining as an absolute gold standard to build their amps around.

 

[LEVEL4]

1. There will be a new Mark.
2. It will retain the GEQ.
3. We'll know what it is in a couple months.
4. What's different or new is anyone's guess.

 

[Machine Gun]

I can not for the life of me believe that Mesa won't come out with a Mark V. Way too many Mark fans out there. New as well as old.

 

[Fxrs]

It's funny how the MKI's final production run was started what, a year ago? And yet it's still on the website, yet the MKIV was removed without so much as a by-your-leave. This alone leads me to believe there's something coming soon.

 

[MarkofXlnts]

[Pardon my french, but some MESA reps don't know their ******* from their elbow. Case in point is the availability of the Sylvania STR-415 from the MESA factory. It is a reality, even if there is no mention of them on their website or any price list. If Mesa does not produce a decent replacement for the Mark IV (and I don't mean a revamped Roadking), they will lose a bunch of longtime fans (20+ years), including myself.

Peace Out[/quote]
I agree with your comment, the same rep guaranteed me a new Mark IV short head in January. Then he called said they would have to make the medium head. Then he called and said there will be no new Mark IV for me, after 17 weeks of waiting. Bottom line: I don't trust them. I will believe it when I see it. I was just forwarding the message for the masses to see, it appears to be more sales propaganda. Hopefully the Mark line will continue in a respectable form.

 

[dodger916]

I respect Mesa Engineering because of their sound thinking in the past. I think they will make a Mark V. It is not about money/sales. In my book it's about pride..

In Mesa's book, I'd wager they place a greater priority on the color of the ink, i.e., black, not red!

 

[LEVEL4]

I respect Mesa Engineering because of their sound thinking in the past. I think they will make a Mark V. It is not about money/sales. In my book it's about pride..

In Mesa's book, I'd wager they place a greater priority on the color of the ink, i.e., black, not red!

I was told that Mesa had some new financial advisors on-board, and that this is part of the reason for the model changes/reductions. I know, the Mark IV is like Valhalla to us, but to the general guitar-playing public, many are only familiar with Crate, Line 6, Peavey, Marshall, and other, more retail-oriented amps (distribution-wise). I mean look at the HUGE sales numbers for the solid-state Marshall, Crate, and Line 6 amps. That market doesn't have a clue. But they are HUGE in numbers.

How many $499 Marshall MG100HDFX half-stacks (yes, I know they suck ass) do you think are sold, compared with how many $2,000 Mark IVs are sold in the US? My bet is, it's as much about profit as it is about wanting to engineer the next great Mesa amp.

 

[dodger916]

It's funny how the MKI's final production run was started what, a year ago? And yet it's still on the website, yet the MKIV was removed without so much as a by-your-leave. This alone leads me to believe there's something coming soon.

...that and what rabies said.

But your point is well taken, and if we accept there is a Mark V, it leads me to wonder what their marketing "strategy" is. By not formally announcing the end of the Mark IV, are they:
1) protecting their dealer inventory? Not likely, as it seems Mark IV's were only built to order.
2) bolstering the used gear market? yeah, right!
3) providing the fuel for us knuckleheads to speculate wildly about what's next, thus piqueing our interest in the new product while Mesa spends $0 on promotion and advertising?

Perhaps their market research has shown that the absence of information is a more potent enticer than glitzy adds and fancy slogans. This whole Mark IV/V thing seems so unorthodox, but wasn't that how the Mark I was created?

 

[dodger916]

I could see an "uber king" that has a Mark mode as well as the Rectos. That'd be pretty sweet... Lonestar Cleans, Recto and Mark Distortions.

As a player, I'd love to see that. But from a product line standpoint it might put a serious hurt on the Rectifier/Lonestar models. As I view the signatures of the posters here, I notice many multiple-Mesa owners. What would happen to Mesa's profit if players needed only one amp instead of three? Either that or it would be a pretty expensive "Mark-tifier-star"!

Plus, a jack of all trades is often a master of none. In my mind, Mesas have always been more rifle than shotgun. But the times they may be a changin'!

 

[LEVEL4]

As I view the signatures of the posters here, I notice many multiple-Mesa owners. What would happen to Mesa's profit if players needed only one amp instead of three? Either that or it would be a pretty expensive "Mark-tifier-star"!

Plus, a jack of all trades is often a master of none. In my mind, Mesas have always been more rifle than shotgun. But the times they may be a changin'!

I agree. I'm betting Mesa's simply working on a more modern version of the Mark IV. RK-like switching/routing with good 'ole, Mark IV voicing. Possibly, adding a bit of Lonestar "flair" to its clean channel, more to help as a marketing tactic, perhaps. But, I doubt Mesa is planning to do anything radical to change the Mark's signature sonic palette. But, then, what do I know?

 

[GIG4FUN]

These posts are making sense. I also see a trend in Marketing.

Off topic but yet akin to marketing style:
Take a look into what Apple just did with their Iphone. They pulled the current model about a month ago off of their webstore and listed it as "Currently Unavailable" and the rumor mill has been thrashing about with Iphone V2 rumors ever since. People go so far as to track container shipments and post and post about what the new one will be etc. I wonder if that is the new marketing style they think will rattle up interest. I have been hit by it twice now. I tried to get a Mark IV built 3 weeks ago, and I had a new/OLD Iphone in my hands 3 weeks ago that was shipped straight from China. Apple was so kind and I returned it to a retailer here in the states and received a full refund. I returned it based on nothing but internet hype. I do believe there's a new Iphone being released June 9. I will buy the new model....and I am damn glad I don't have their "old" one now. Why won't Apple share the end with us and talk about their new model phone? Why won't Mesa Engineering share the end of the Mark IV run and their new model? I think they must be clients to the same marketing agency.

relating URL's:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&node=home/shop_iphone/family/iphone&sf=wHF2F2PHCCCX72KDY

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/iphone

 

[psychodave]

[Pardon my french, but some MESA reps don't know their ******* from their elbow. Case in point is the availability of the Sylvania STR-415 from the MESA factory. It is a reality, even if there is no mention of them on their website or any price list. If Mesa does not produce a decent replacement for the Mark IV (and I don't mean a revamped Roadking), they will lose a bunch of longtime fans (20+ years), including myself.

Peace Out

I agree with your comment, the same rep guaranteed me a new Mark IV short head in January. Then he called said they would have to make the medium head. Then he called and said there will be no new Mark IV for me, after 17 weeks of waiting. Bottom line: I don't trust them. I will believe it when I see it. I was just forwarding the message for the masses to see, it appears to be more sales propaganda. Hopefully the Mark line will continue in a respectable form.[/quote]

Sorry to hear about you not getting a new Mark IV. Not to say I told you so, but after the way I was treated, I knew they were not going to treat anyone else better... :roll: