I spent more time with this amp over the weekend and set up an a/b between it and my Fuchs TDS100. Each running through an EV loaded Mesa Theile and the MKIII really holds it own with the Fuchs. There are differences for sure, but the differences are not as stark as they were with the MKIV. The MKIII has the same style of gritty distortion like the Fuchs, but has a tighter low end, the Fuchs is still more touch sensitive, but is more focused to the mids. the cleans of the TDS are much cleaner and bouncy than the MKIII's, but the MKIII's cleans break up in a very soft traditional way, like an old Fender. MY old MKIV seemed to break up in a more harsh manner in the clean channel. The reverb on the Fuchs is miles better, but you would expect that from a 3K+ amp. All in all, I am very happy with the MKIII. My settings are from left to right: 7 pulled, 7 1/2 pulled, 5, 3, 1-3 pulled, 5, 4-5, EQ in a short "v", pres 5, rev 0. So my set up now consists of A: Fuchs TDS 100> EV Theile; B: MKIII> 2-EV Theiles; C: Red Iron T-Rex> Emi CR Port City Wave Cab; Wet for TDS: LSC open Back 2X12