The AMP to end all AMPS! Mesa Boogie MkIII
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- If there is one amp that could replace all your other amps it would be a Mesa Boogie Mark Series amp! These are the most versatile amps I've ever played. Today I'm playing a 1988 Mk3 through 3 different cabs: 1) The combo cab it self which features a 1989 EVM12L, 2) a 1960BV cab with 1989 Celestion Marshall Vintage speakers and 3) two 1971 Marshall 1960 cabs. I'm using a 1975 Gibson Flying V. This covers quite a lot of ground!!!
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Just when you thought there couldn't be anything cooler than Johan with a Plexi stack and a Les Paul. Now there's Johan with a Mark Series and a freaking Flying V. I'm excited for this episode.
Thanks :-)
seeing the backside of the Flying-V neck while he's playing a Metallica inspired riff, and seeing how shrimpy that neck profile is compared to his hands. total fretboard dominance. haha
@@JohanSegeborn det hade varit ass coolt om du gjorde en Mk:IIc+ circuit diagram walk through precis som din SLP ‘59 video🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 finns det en tjans?😁😁😁🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
I've owned my loaded MKIII since 1989 and it is all I ever needed in a amp.
I like how Johan is discovering amps in the same order Metallics did, next up we'll have videos with Diezel VH4s and Krank Krankensteins
Oh very versatile amp Johan! I have my practicing place in the same building as Johan and every time i'm there Johan is there as well, it dosen't matter what day it is Johan is there! He put's more work to his videos (playing guitar and testing stuff) than most of us does in band practice. Keep up the good work my brother from another hisingsmother ;)
Thanks brother, it makes my day to hear that!
Wow….I will like that building !
@@neoaureus It is a nice place to be in :)
@@JohanSegeborn I'm looking forward to the next video Johan, I was in the building yesterday and it sounded very good. Very hendrixi vibes when I passed by.
My new mesa mark IV is THE AMP TO END ALL AMPS. Fick den för tio lakan :) riktigt bra pris
Pulled mine out of the closet after 20 years & retubed it so glad I kept it purple stripe! 60 watt head. Awesome channel Johan!!!💪🤘🎸
Thanks Roderick!
I have a late 80's MK111 Simul Class 1X12 combo that is absolutely phenomenal ! Luv it !
Wow, what a great variety of quality tones.
Thanks Andrew!
Perfect title for this video Johan. I've had a MKIII for 30 years & it's my 'Forever' amp.
Glad to hear it, Cheers!
Johan your riffs and chord progressions are always so tasty. You are a class A player Bruder! Thanks for keeping the spirit alive, I would back you up as I play drums for 50 years
These Mesa Boogie era amps are special, they have that distinctive " sound of the times" flavour typical of thst period, the End of Seventies and the Beginning of Eighties, and as you said they cover a lot of that ground! Cheers Johan!
Cheers Vincenzo!
Mesa boogie mk1 15 speaker wicker amp is a extremely awsome amp..
Just like Carlos said, "man, that amp can Boogie "
I wish they were made like that today 😪
I was just playing my Mark V and stoped for the night and bumped into this video. Nicely done. So versatile.
The best sounding Marshall I ever owned was a Mk III Green Stripe head run into a 1/2 back Mesa 2x12 with EV12s. That and a '63 Sparkle Jet was the best rhythm guitar sound I have ever experienced.
I have a green stripe that can m waiting to have fixed
I’ve owned the Mark IV and the Mark IIC+. The Mark series have some of the best clean sounds in the game, especially for a channel switcher. Excellent demo as always Johan!
Cheers for the info on the black album speakers!
Great playing as always, It's why I come back every time.
Yet another video where my main thought is 'I have to have one of those'. Great playing Johan! I enjoyed the background stuff on Patreon as well.
I recorded an album using a Mark iii in the studio and it sounded so good that I went on the hunt for a Mark iv. The mark 4 is like the same heart and soul of the 3 but even more versatile. It’s almost too versatile. It’s the graphic EQ I think that really makes these amps stand out among the competition though.
Those clean tones were interesting. Sounded very dynamic and three dimensional
Thanks Ian!
Vintage Marshalls and flying Vees go together like ,well …perfection… lol… Keep on rocking
I own the MarkIV and I love it. Great video thank you sir!
The Mesa Boogie Colliseum heads are epic as well.
WOW! The ultimate demonstration video to end all demonstration videos! Bravo 👏‼️🔥🎸😎
Thanks ;-)
Had. Mark III head. Loved it. After gigging with it and then an AC30 for a few years I plugged into my old trusty Marshall. Sold the other amps. The Marshall just works for rock. Sits in the mix perfect. Still loved the Mk III.
I remember when I got mine. I saw this guy playing through one at the Mesa Boogie booth at a guitar show in Hollywood. I didn't have to hear anything else. That was what I wanted. Got a lot of complements over the years from that tone. Very versatile. Can radically change your sound depending on settings, pickups, guitar type, and cabinets. Just amazing.
There it is, out of the background of videos and to the front. I've been waiting, and it did not disappoint.
Sounds Absolutely Awesome ! The recording / Tone & your playing......
Thanks Mark, I’m really glad to hear that!
Hi, Johan!
This is really one of the most powerful amps. It's sounds very nice and versatile! Thank you for the explanation!! Have a nice weekend!!
See you
Zigfrid
Thanks man, have a great weekend!
Awesome array of sounds and playing!
Boogies have given me the impression that they require a bit more dialing in as a consequence of their versatility?
Is that your experience Johan?
been with that amp on stage and in the studio, played a 4 12 orange box with celestions G 12 30 and a 2 12 with EVs, man simul class is unbeatable!!! i had two 6550 and two EL 34!
Amazing tone bro...that clean breakup in the beginning was gorgeous as well. Very nice. Great video.
Awesome- great tones, and that V!🤘🏻
I love Mesa Mark amps!
I've had my purple stripe new since 86 with a 4x12 EVM 12L cab. Stunning!
Johan, this was kick ass video. Gibson into Mesa MkIII = BLISS
Cool video Johan! The Mark series is really versatile from sparkling cleans to full blast, and everything in between!
Thanks Andrea!
thanks for sharing. love your videos. very helpful. happy easter!
I used to go to a rehearsal studio that had MKIIIs - always enjoyed playing through them at band volume.
A Boogie, some blue Crocs and a Flying V is all you need to rock and rock hard! Incredible tones Johan. God bless and have a great weekend 👍😎🎸
Thanks J, have a great weekend you too!
At least I got one of them. Unfortunately it's the crocs. Can't say that I'm unhappy about them though!
This is really awesome sounds, from cleans to dirty. ... I - NEED - this - amp !!
Beautiful sounds.Well done , Johan.
I played through a MK3 Simul C when I was very young.I couldn't get my head around it.But now I wonder about how much more I would love it
Yeah, the first time I plugged my Les Paul into one of these I was utterly blown away by how great it sounded, regardless of how I set it.
I have a Mark III Red Stripe and I feel very similar about it. My Mark IV Rev A takes a lot of dialing in. Where as the Mark III can do so many tones effortlessly. It's that Pull Shift on the Treble knob that makes the magic happen for me.
I have this amp since years, struggling to find the sound I was looking for. Took me time and research to understand this amp. But now, I'm enjoying my time with. It's a great and powerful amp for sure.
any tips? much appreciatef
@@chillpillology Hi Velvet, first, I have no credit, I started with this guy here : ua-cam.com/video/xf8vUM78Hkc/v-deo.html, plus this one for a boost ua-cam.com/video/ujMolek4orE/v-deo.html. So, I ended with an xotic Super Clean and I tweak knobs and EQ for my taste. Hope this help. TY.
This one rocks, hard! Seems to have a broad spectrum. Again thanks for good demo, appreciated that you play a variety of tones.
The "EVM12L inside" did a good job (as did the Marshall cabs also, of course).
Thanks Bengt! Glad you like it
Always loved Mesa.Great playing here Johan you were really feeling that Boogie amp.
Awesome V! The Mesa Mark 3 is and beast. Always regretted selling mine.
I waited for two years and bought a mkiii red stripe long head. I bought it about 4 months before Gibson bought out mesa and that thing has doubled in value. It's the greatest amp I have ever played by miles and will probably be by my side until I die.
I have the same exact amp. It will be my bed until I die as well! Got mine 5 years ago. Cant believe the price they are going for these days.
I first played through a Boogie in the late 80s, when the band I played with had to use another band's gear in an emergency. It was a Mk3 combo and it completely blew my mind, because it was the most responsive, touch sensitive amp I'd played through. The notes seemed to bloom and blossom in size as they left the speaker in a really unique way. I bought a Mk4 combo when it was released and it was an absolute monster that would put most head/4×12 rigs to shame. I have no experience with modern Boogies, I currently use a Triaxis, but only because I couldn't find a Quad anywhere.
I have a Studio preamp for sale if you're interested.
Just like with Marshalls, I never really connected with the modern Mesa amps and assumed I didn't like them... until I played an old one that opened my eyes with its immense touch sensitivity. In Mesa's case it was a Mk IIB :-D
Same here, few amps designs from the 80s onwards sound as reactive as these old Mesa Boogie. If I can't get an old Fender or Ampeg, give me a Mark Series any day!
Loved mine. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t regret selling it
I have a mark2 a, a mk4, studio pre and quad. The mark2a is the absolute winner, it has such a distinctive character. The mk4 is much cleaner and tame compared
Thanks the graphic Eq. That's THE tool to add to any amp.
Oh man! I took a look to your master and lead master settings...they are insane! I have a Mark IIC since 1994 and it's a beast, I never used it at more than 3.5 master setting. You are a warrior, ahaahah! Anyway...the old Marks are gems 😉
Great Video 🤟😎 I have a MK3 Red Stripe Simulclass metal head box , I think the metal case makes it extra quiet. When you stop playing even at full gain there's no noise.🤟😎
My first boogie was a .50 and that was actually my 2nd amp that was the just learning how to play stage and that’s when I actually went from liking and wanting to learn how to play to becoming obsessed with playing.
The MKIII was my first gigging amp and I went all out on that one, fancy wood finish and tweed speaker grill combo with extension cab. Then I had a MKIV head with 4x12.
I had both those amps till the early 2000’s, I was never in love with the IV, the III is really versatile and built like tanks.
In the 90’s I started messing around with rectifiers, had a love hate relationship with those and finally ended up using a heartbreaker for a few years.
After it has all been said and done and years of different boogies I ended up with just two, my .50 cause it just sounds so good in the studio and all the blood and sweat I poured into buying that amp, it was $1,000 bucks and I worked a horrible job I hated for minimum wage, it felt like forever!!.
I’ll get a lot of flack for this but the boogie I fell in love with is the 100 watt Tremoverb, weak tremolo, muddy effects loop and a horrible sounding amp all around, but that vintage Orange channel is simply the best amp tone boogie has produced, over the years I played strats and moved to P-90 and Duncan Paul’s 59’s, APH-1, phatcat’s, JB-4, and PRS guitars with mainly JB-4’s, I just don’t care for channel switching, all I need is volume tone knobs and pick up switching for tone.
I loved the MKIII but like I said the 100watt vintage orange is a hidden gem but like I said the rest of the channels are meh.
Other than that I started using orange amps more and more the newer boogies just don’t really interest me.
You have some amazing gear man!. Love your channel
Great video 👍
I just picked one of these up with the 1x12 extension cab. I’m excited to dig in.
Great demo as always Johan...Years ago I had an incredible MkIV rack mount but like an idiot sold the damn thing...however last year I bought a brand new MkV-25 combo and it has quickly become my favorite amp. I run it through a 12" Greenback in addition to the 10" Creamback in the combo and can play anywhere with it. At only 25 pounds I will never have back issues, either!
These amps have aged well, kind of heralded the boutique market that really started to take hold in the nineties, they've aged well, and you know what, so has Johan, looks the same as when he started, haha P.S, love the idea of a graphic equalizer on the amp
Amazing tones and riffs!
This is why I got a mesa quad preamp! Mesa is amazing!!!
Never heard of these before but I’m well impressed. They seem to be able to cover just about any tone.
Thanks, glad to hear it
Mark III blue stripe long head, fully loaded: Best single amp I ever played.
Johan, fantastic job! These are beautiful sounding amps! I've wanted to hear you push one of the MK-s and a Mesa Nomad Fifty-five for a while! Also a Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend little known jewel, the 68-69 SUNN S-200 bass amp head! Clean, loud and proud with a ton of headroom!
Thank you for doing one of these! Great job on your channel as always!
Sounds Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing
Great playing and video, what I learn is that first we must have a house with big amps….
Johan pumping up the stock of vintage Mesas now 😂👍
and in the hands of the only man that can put that in real tones ....wonderful Johan ...will be very intresting to see what the 'new' Gibson do with the Boogies ...sweet !
Still the best amp I own. Simulclass with EVM……..if only I could lift it off the ground!
Love the flying V! Need to find one just like that.
Great sound Johan..Love it
Tremendous. Really enjoy your videos. Thank you
Mesa Boogie is every service techs worst nightmare, but they sound great when working.
I have the same mark amps from the mid to late 80's with the factory sylvania tubes and have never had a failure in one of them, built like tanks and I've even done my own modding with mike b from boogie telling me what i needed to do and im not an electronics guy, pretty simple to mod and have never needed to send one back due to failure.
Love every Mesa Boogie I've ever owned. The best was a mid 80s MK3C. Incredibly touch responsive with a warm, rich tone.
I don't care what anyone says. The Mesa Boogie Mk3 is the best thing Mesa Boogie has ever made, ever!!!
maybe, but still one of the worst guitaramps ever...
@@frankdou4132 Why would you consider it one of the worst amps of all time? Mesa amps can be tricky to dial in and have a lot of stuff going on, but I wouldn't call them bad.
@@frankdou4132 to be fair, they do have a pretty distinct tone. especially the older ones.
@@bucknasty69 yes, they are tricky to dial in. you spend too much time twiddeling the knobs to get kind of a useful sound. to my ears they have terrible high frequencies, that kill me, no matter where you turn the knobs, which is partly caused by the EV speaker. but I heard Boogies with other speakers, that have the same problem. they allways sound cold, overprecise, with not much sweet overtones. that is why they cut thru a mix pretty well sometimes, but it just doesn't sound good. I guess it has to do with my style of playing too. next thing is, they are PCB, and I would expect an amp in that pricerange to be point to point handwired. they are a pain in the dark side of the moon, if you have to repair them, they are way too heavy, and they don't look very sexy (a nice fender amp, marshall stack or even vox ac 30s just look great on stage, no?)
@@hussledupgamejam screeching fingernails on a chalk board in school is a distinct tone too... ;o)
Nearly my exact rig...except my V is an '81 and Mark III an '89 (blue stripe)!
LOVE this video, but maybe expand on it. Just scratching the surface here! Thank you, Johan!
Your playing is wonderful.
I have had them all, still do, and sold them all back in the 80's working at strings and things in Memphis. the mark iic+ mark 3 purple and red stripe, mark 3 blue stripe and the last one mark 3 green stripe, they are all so close almost no real discernible difference between all of them. they are all the same amp with minor tweaks. Mike at boogie will tell you that. Even the mark IV was so close in sound, it just got more technical with some separate eq where the others shared the eq across the channels. it makes sense all of them being a mark series amps, if they were vastly different they wouldn't have just swiped each version with just a magic marker swipe or a black dot or a + sign. The big difference in the IIC+ and the Mark III was the third channel. Mesa got noticeably different with the Mesa badging vs the Boogie badges. The Rectifier series,The lone star, Road King,Nomad, etc came later and did sound different... The stiletto was probably the most different being EL34 based shooting toward the Marshall tone. Even my newer Mark 5 EL84 based amp sits in my studio with the older mark III'S and it too sounds really close even all these years later with totally different power section/ tubes. The petrucci amp is a modern Mark amp and you can line up all the Mark series amps and NO one in the audience would ever know the difference and most guitar players blind folded couldn't pick them out one from the other especially with the transparent EVM 12L black shadow speaker or an MC-90 black shadow. The IIC+ landed in the right time to become the flagship vintage boogie. Thats when 80's music was huge and that amp was produced at the right time for the players who made it famous. I would argue a Mark III purple, red, blue or green could have been used by the players who made the IIC+ famous and those albums and concerts wouldn't have sounded any different.
I own a Mark IV & Single Rectifier. Both are outstanding amps. I have all I need between the two of them.
Do you recall the Mesa Heartbreaker? Even though it was released as the 25th anniversary of the Mk l, several players have argued that it doesn't cop the Mark series vibe. Thoughts..? Thanks.
I bought mine new in the mid 80's, black dot, Short head w/ two 1x12 open backs; a nano stack. In the last 35 years it has been both the best sounding and most frustrating amp I've ever owned. Twice after gigs I watch our singer forget he was holding the head and dropped it on the sidewalk. Numerous times I've turned around to watch my stack fall face first on a shaky stage. None of this phased it. IT. IS. A. TANK. I hope they can fit it into my coffin when I go.
Wow, good amp. Very impressed.
3AM?? Ahhh! Will catch the replay tomorrow! I KNOW these amps rock anything you throw at them! \m/
I absolutely love the tone of Mesa Boogie amps. Especially the Mark series IIC+. Just hope to god they never break down on you and need extensive work. They are an amp repairman/builders nightmare to work on. Good luck getting a good schematic for them. Even from Boogie themselves.
Bla bla bla. The fact is, a lot of techs just suck. A competent one has no problem with these amps
@@Starch1b2c3d4a true. My tech had no trouble servicing my 1987 red stripe Mk iii. Took a bit of time to do the service because the previous owner(s?) had messed with it and not kept up with servicing it but my tech wasn’t afraid to work on it.
My TriAxis however: That he is afraid of and refuses to work on…if it ever needs servicing I’ll have to send it directly to MB!
This amp sounds a lot more raw and gnarly than my Studio 22 did. I like it.
Sounds great. Great blues and classic rock sounds. I am not a chuga-chuga guy but the heavy tones are cool too.
Bargain amp that does really anything you can imagine. And as loud as you want. It's one helluwa mystery these amps can be had for less than 1k all day long. The clean channel usually is not something that gets talked about with boogie, but as far as cleans go, there's nothing wrong with mk3 clean channel. Great video!
Thanks! Yeah beautiful cleans
When they were new they were red-hot, everybody wanted one. Surprising that they aren’t commanding high dollar.
Where are you finding Mark 3s selling for less than 1k? All the ones I've seen are going for $1,500+
Other side of the globe. Not too long ago I bought black stripe in damn near mint condition with all the options with fresh valves and case for 850 euros. Considering what else u could get with that money I would say mk3 is undervalued. This was really good period for boogie. Another amp I like a lot is studio series amp which is early .22 studio. For lower volumes it is actually better sounding. These together or with recto gives epic wall of sound.
@@bucknasty69 What I said...
That amp Rocks!!!!!
Used to have a MK III green stripe that had a bias mod and was converted to 7027’s. I sure don’t miss moving that little brick around, I wanna say it was somewhere around 80lbs… The speaker ripped itself straight out of the baffle twice… Good times
luckily i didn't bought it in the 90es..
Epic tones, you're great!
Thanks, glad you like it!
You have a point🤩🎸EV speakers very interesting
I call SLAYER at 3:42,,!
Great amplifier, like a marshall a boss EQ and a sd1 all combined in one amp! lots of great sound's.
Just got a Fillmore 50 and love it as a home amp.
Sounds good. Always wanted a mk4 but now I’m wanting a Suhr amp.
Thanks
Good tones. I love my MK3 green stripe. I didn't even realise the tones at 5:30 were possible, should mess with the settings more! thanks for sharing
Master and volume on 10 does wonders just not viable for 80% of players hahaha
That's one versatile little box!
Sounds killer Johan !!
Love it! I have an 87 mark111 red stripe and a JP2c+ and prefer the mark3,
What great tones from the amp but that Gibson is a proper sounding guitar. We love our Mesa boogies🤘
Damn that amp sure does boogie. Love it with EQ flat.
Hi, i have a mark v/25 and i love it. Mesa is great.
In the "non-high gain" realm of Amps, the newly released Harmony H600 Series of Amps sound incredibly good and versatile. The demo on "60 Cycle Hum" is particularly useful. Could be the best sounding of this type of Amp I've ever heard.
For high-gainish Amps, the Hughes & Kettner Grandmaster Deluxe 40 comes to mind. Thanks
yes, they sound nice. only wish they would make them handwired, and NOT IN CHINA... :o/
The best amp I've played was actually a mesa Boogie at the Italian equivalent of NAM. To be precise it was mesa Boogie California Tweed Combo. Just incredible. Really.
I owned a Mesa boogie studio preamp when I was like 15 and it was based on this amp I believe. Very fun amp. Lots to wrap your head around tho as a kid. So many knobs were just gain stages lol
It was the preamp section of the Studio 22 combo.
Had a Mark IIc Combo with a Black Shadow (EV) speaker, White Tolex, 5 band Graphic EQ, 100/50 watt. Seeing this post, makes me remember how good that amp could be?
Weighed a metric shit ton! And was WAY TOO LOUD to open up in the tiny band environments I was playing in. Wish I had know of/had access to an attenuator back then?
It is amazingly versatile. I didn’t know the sound(s) that I was really going for, how to achieve them and instead leaned into the “fashion” of the times. Following suggestions for the graphic EQ, etc. that didn’t apply to the music I was trying to create.
It’s shear volume meant that I couldn’t practice at my apartment, dialing it in.
Do I miss it?
…Yes I do 😢
Same same. Also, besides the volume and weight, these amps just have too many knobs for me. The reverb tank was the best.
great sounds and playing. The Metallica tone is spot on.