YAY! I am finally the Owner of a Mark III

[kmanick]

My red stripe was finally delivered today. (has R2 mod too 8) )
Thank god it came in one piece, and thankfully the seller knew how to package and amp (took out the tubes and wrapped them individually etc)
I just ordered a tube set from Dougs tubes (the usual set he recommends) (it's got all Mesa tubes in it right now yuck)
and a pair of Winged C 6l6s (I have fresh JJ EL34's that are going right in today)
Pic from the Sellers auction (Ill post some up later)

first impressions are pretty good, I orderd a pair of pedals from Mesa during the week so those should be here on Thursday.
I need to print out the manual as I'm not totally clear as to what adds gain, what adds volume etc. It's a loud Mofo , I'm running it thru my hotplate and it's still loud as well.

Do any of you guys use a boost in front of the Lead channel?
is it just as gainy in class A mode as it is in Simul Class?
I'm giddy like a 5 year old on X-mas morning, I've been trying to score one of these for months.
got some firepower going on here now

R2 Mod (I've cleaned up those tube holders )

Red Stripe

 

[tony777]

Congrats
Looks great, and btw mesa tubes are great, don't let people tell you otherwise. :twisted:

 

[EleventhHour2139]

I orderd a pair of pedals from Mesa during the week so those should be here on Thursday.

If you don't mind me asking, what did those run you?

 

[kmanick]

I orderd a pair of pedals from Mesa during the week so those should be here on Thursday.

If you don't mind me asking, what did those run you?

$59.00 each

 

[EleventhHour2139]

$59.00 each

Thanks man!

 

[kmanick]

wow! I threw in a fresh pair of JJEl34's into the outside slots , switched down to Class A and got some beautiful singing sustaining lead tone today.
Digging this amp alot right now
I can't wait to hear it with a full retube. :shock:

 

[#2121313]

Hey, congratulations on the new amp, looks killer!

Curious tho, it almost appear to have a faded blue stripe in behind the red stripe? Is that just a bad pic or was the amp modded?

By the way what brand/model is that hot plate you have in the back there? How do you like it, I'm thinkin of gettin one...

 

[kmanick]

thanks!

that's just the reflection off of the metal, it's definitely a Red stripe.
it has the R2 mod already done to it (but I don't know who did it)
the Hotplate is a THD hotplate, I love that thing. I use it with the mark III and with the Rectoverb all the time. it the 8 ohm model and really let's me use these amps in my house, otherwise I'd have to keep them so dialed down that they would probably sound like crap.

 

[#2121313]

Cool.

So can you get good gainy (metal) tones at low bedroom volumes with ease?

 

[kmanick]

in Class A absolutely

 

[CoG]

Others (notably edward) disagree, but I don't find the mkiii to be very responsive to preamp tube changes compared to other Mesas-- for example, you can make a Recto into a different amp with a different V1 and V3. On my Marks all I hear is the difference in gain, the Mark III tone really swamps the tonal difference in tubes for me. However, the phase inverter and EL34s make a much bigger difference than the PIs and power tubes in other Boogies I've tried.

 

[kmanick]

well this is my first Mark Series amp so I don't really have a response to that, except that with a retube, I'm just looking to maximize the tone and gain as best I can.
Just throwing in the Fresh EL34's made a huge difference in gain and clarity. the tubes that it came with may be fine, and then again they may be old and lifeless. I'll find out later this week.
I do agree with you on the Recto note, my Rectoverb is a different animal
depending on what tubes are in it.
As a general practice I usually retube my amps a soon as I get them, just to make sure I have them set up the way I like them.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Looks killer dude! Congrats! We are waiting for clips... :twisted:

 

[kmanick]

Looks killer dude! Congrats! We are waiting for clips... :twisted:

thanks
As soon as I get my new tubes in there I'm going to get back to recording.
I've barely had time to play lately never mind record anything
This "parenting" thing always seems to get in the way :lol:

 

[vcamargo99]

I don't use the III's gain as much as others here, so I tried experimenting with 12AT7's in various places. Certainly, the gain was reduced, but more importantly to me, it tightened up and smoothed/softened out the "texture" of it. The difference is significant. Most of my playing consists of "crunchier" tones. It's worth experimenting with them, you wont hurt it. Glad you could join the clan!!

 

[rvschulz]

welcom to the Mark III madness ... remember this - NEVER get rid of this amp. you can get rid of everything else in you picture. Not this one.

 

[eldi]

welcom to the Mark III madness ... remember this - NEVER get rid of this amp. you can get rid of everything else in you picture. Not this one.

+1

 

[kmanick]

Well 4 weeks later and the Rectoverb and the JSX are both sold.
this amp just kicks so much butt

welcom to the Mark III madness ... remember this - NEVER get rid of this amp. you can get rid of everything else in you picture. Not this one.

 

[CoG]

Well 4 weeks later and the Rectoverb and the JSX are both sold.
this amp just kicks so much butt

HAHAHA wow, that's a hell of an endorsement because these are actually three pretty different amps. But I know what you mean, when I have a classic JCM800, a Roadster, and my MkIIIs in my basement, it's only the Marks that get any play time...

...admittedly part of that is because the Roadster is dialed in for my buddy's guitar and boost pedal and once you find those settings... :lol:

 

[Vigo1999]

Welcome to the Club! 8)

try this:

Vol: 7,5 - 8
Treble: 6
Bass: 2,5
Middle: 5
Master: 3
Lead Drive: 8
Lead Master: 3,1
Presence: 5
Reverb: 2,5
class A

Use the EQ for boost in solos and be happy

Ah, after some years of MkIII abuse i found that:

- cleans will be better with 6L6 in the outter sockets (duh!)

- for more balanced sound for all 3 channels at a live situation, you should:
a) use 6L6 throughout (otoh if you'll be using rhy 2 a lot, it will work better with ELs on it);

b) not use the shift/bright/deep switches (eg the deep switch makes wonderfull things to your distorted sounds, but simply kills your clean sounds in some settings)

c) balance the bass with the power amp type (class A use more bass, using full power, tame the bass).

d) unless you like really bright sounds, dont pass 7 on the treble, the III's can be really ice picking if you set it wrong (or right, depending the tastes).

just my 0.02, enjoy !!