Gear Curiosities: Mesa Boogie Mark IV - Amps Don't Get Much Better!
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Today in Plague Scythe Studios, I go all out guitar nerd on one of my favorite tube amps of all time, the Mesa Boogie Mark IV!
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Game Time Started
02:36 - Mark Series History
07:29 - My Amp's Imperfections
10:25 - What makes the Mark IV different
16:40 - Demo: Dialing in the Lead channel
18:06 - More Switches and Tweaker Options
22:03 - Demo: Tweed Power, Mid Gain, Class A, & Triode Switches
23:29 - Rhythm 1 & 2 Overview
27:23 - Demo: Rhythm 1 & 2
30:38 - Lead Channel Overview
34:20 - Demo: Lead Channel
37:01 - Conclusion: I LUV U Mk IV
Hi from England, I'm a 73yr old guitar player, and I always wanted a Boogie. A few years ago I finally had some cash, and I bought the king snake because it's a more simple amp for me to operate. I love it, my dream has finally come true, a bit late but I'm happy.
That's great to hear John! All the best with your musical journey.
Never too late! Have fun with your Boogie!
John James McCartney keep rocking my friend! Age means shite! I got a Boogie Mark V years ago, I’ll never buy or need another amp, but maybe a Fractal.
Fantastic amp! Santana used the MK1
I too wanted a Boogie forever. Bought a Pro tube Twin in the mid 90's but not the same as a Boogie. Got a wood and wicker S O B that has all the options. Even picked up a road case used for my amp to keep safe.
Finally someone who understands the manual.
Mark series GAS intensifies
I left the living room with this video playing on the TV, and my wife yells at me:
Don't leave me here alone with baby Jesus!
LOL, spilled my coffee on this comment.!!🤣😂😅
Lol
Found one of these a few years back at the LA guitar center. I'd wanted a Mark series since high school, and there was no way I was passing on it. Years later,I can't see myself ever parting with this amp. It is perfect, it does so many sounds, and it takes pedals so well too. I love it
Ahh....The famed Mark Series. I heard that another unique feature of the Mark Amps is that there is a clean signal running parallel through the amp along with the tweaked signal and they are blended at the end before the poweramp.
This has been my favorite Gear Curiosities this far. Amazing amp is not giving it enough credit. Mark Series for the win!!
@@Sorbzski99 Mark IVs have a Serial Loop, not a parallel loop. And I'm not talking about the loop, I'm talking about how the clean channel in the amp is always on. You can hear it if you listen for it, it's actually part of what gives Mark amps their incredible clarity and it has nothing to do with FX loops of any kind.
I have recreated this digitally in two different modelling units as well.
I'm actually pretty sure that all Mark amps have a series loop. The only amps from Boogie that I'm aware of that have parallel loops are some of the old gen Rectos of various incarnations. I love Boogie gear, but the only amps I'm really familiar with are Rectos and Marks.
@@rickfeith6372 you are mistaken, what they mean when they say the clean channel is always on is that the dirty channel is nothing more than boosts applied to the clean channel rather than a seperate signal path, there is no clean signal alongdide the distorted one, that is foolish, (I have a pedal that DOES do this and I friggin hate it(Maxon ST9Pro plus does this as well and it is a shit function, thats why I only use that pedal as a boost)
Man, the definitive Mark IV review. Very well done.
Best gear video I've ever seen. Explained everything perfectly, demonstrated everything perfectly. Loved the part where you're playing and spinning knobs on the fly. Could really hear what each thing was doing. I've been thinking about getting a Mark IV and I now have a much much better understanding of what I'm dealing with. Thanks again.
I really appreciate the work you put into making these videos, they provide great information.
Thank you for this video! I am not not a metal player, but I find that metal guys make great content for dialing in good distorted sounds. I got one of these in a trade, and immediately set it to some good sounds. I've taken some notes and periodically updated my settings for the last two years from this video. Most recently: I NEVER used the fat mode on the lead channel. Holy hell what a difference that made! I hope mine lasts forever, because I do not think I would ever want another amp after this except maybe a Mk. V if they come down in used prices.
Awesome video man, not often you see a gear review/demonstration start with a full history lesson! 🤘🏻
Thanks for this video:)! I'm one of those guys who struggle to understand the tone and the logic of these amps but you make it sound ferocious! Great tones!
Thanks to this video I went and bought the amplitube emulation of the amp. What an incredible sound.
Also, thanks to your deep explanation of the knobs it seemed super easy to dial in. I guess that if I hadn't watched this video I would have been soooo lost.
Thank you!
Hey, that's my exact setup. Mark IV on a Recto cab. I have yet to get a bad tone out of it, and I've owned it for two decades.
Me too. Though I can get a whole array of "not great" sounds out of it. But heaven is just a few tweaks away. I also found it needs about 20 minutes of playing to warm up properly and really come good.
Got a mkV 35 going thru standard recto cab. One of life's amazing treasures.
@@rich9353 I'll wager it is.
You deserved more subscriber! This is the real in depth review that i curently looking for. Thankyou!
This video is perfectly timed for me. I just yesterday dove into the Mark IV models in the Axe III for the first time (which is of course a different experience, but still) and I was shocked at how articulate and (as you said) unforgiving they are, but in a really positive way. I’m already itching to pick up a real Mark IV like you have. Thanks for the awesome video!
Wow! Very informative, great explanation of how mark series work. Love my mark v:25.
An interesting and accurate review on the very impressive Mark IV amp. Always wanted one of these. Bucket list.
Long time follower, first time commenter. I must say you have been the number one source for me for Mesa. Being in the market for a new Mesa, no one, and I mean no one goes to the depths of explanation like you do! Not to mention the rest of your reviews of other pieces of gear, I just happen to be in the Mesa world at the moment. Love the channel man!
I ended up with an ENGL Ironball as it was less expensive and easier to dial in and to me a better rhythm channel.
That 8 string chuggy section near the end gave me the goofiest fucking grin on my face.
I absolutely love how clear yet chunky it is
Excellent demo my guy!
Great practical and thorough review!
Absolutely great video! 👍
I'd love to see this with the Mark V if you ever lay your hands on one 🤘
Incredible video! You definitely did your homework!
Love my Mark III Blue Stripe. Can't wait to get a Mark IV and a JP-2C to add to the collection as well. IMO, the Mark series is the best "family" of amps on the market, as they can literally do everything.
MK V and JP2C doesnt have a master volume.
What? I played on both of them in stores and they do have master volumes, as well as the multi-watt.
@@alecszulzycki9925 it's called master but you don't have an output level, so you can't crank the preamp master and then regulate the output, i guess it's what he's saying
I have all these
You're way beyond a Bachelor's of the Boogie and a Master's of the Mesa! Thank you.
Thank you for the excellent informative video. Well done!
Thank you so very very much for this! Got a cream/tweed mk4 rev b coming in the mail and you helped so much with my decision
So glad you did this video. Had been curious about trying out the Mark IV model in my HX Stomp, but didn't know how to dial it in. After watching this video I made an effort, and I think it might be my favorite model now. The HX Stomp only allows 6 blocks, so not needing an overdrive in front of the amp model saves me a block which is cool since I do the Devin Townsend delay-reverb-delay setup which takes up half the available blocks.
Thanks for doing this video! I just got one and this is very helpful!
Great Vid. I have a Rev B. And I love Rhythm 2! Great rock sound.
I am so looking forward to watching this video
Plaque Scythe Studios, Man sure wish this video was out back in the day (2000), thanks for the detail explanation!!! I've owned my Mark IV(B) for 20 years now and I'm still tweaken and learning the switches and tones.!! 😳 After watching this video I now have a better idea where I had been going wrong, Sigh😩..... First few years of gigging every weekend with this amp was a rollercoaster, ended up going back n forth to my Mark III's for a break, and recently for the past few years using the Mark 5/35 for simplicity... I'm taking a fresh approach, thanks again
Great review & demo. Lots of complexity in this great amplifier, and you covered it in a very clear and concise way. One thing that people often misunderstand is the 'tweed' setting. This is more than just a lower power out put setting, it lowers all of the voltages in the amp by selecting a different tap on the primary side power transformer. The lower plate voltage reduces headroom, and as such lowers the level of onset of distortion - i.e. distortion happens at lower gains, and power valve compression also occurs at lower volumes.
Excellent video!
This video was very well done
I would love to have my hands on one, my dream amp ever since. Very difficult to find nowadays. Prices are through the roof today. Thanks for this depth review.
My Boogie mk4b purchase story:
I was purchasing my mk4b head and Jim Marshall was signing his amps on my left..In Montreal,Quebec and we looked at each other,after talking for a minute about the jtm I had,I asked him to sign the reverb tank under the Boogie,he laughed a bit and said no..We shaked hands smiling and he was finished so he left the room of amps.I left later on with my Boogie.
Thx for posting this.
Very thorough and well done video. I had a iv for many years and eventually sold it and replaced with a royal atlantic. It's crazy how few controls the RA has and how easy it is to dial it in; much easier than the iv. Just before selling it, I sent the iv back to mesa. They went through it and replaced a lot of components which only came to a few hundred bucks. Anyway, great video about a great amp.
Thank you, this is by far the most informative video on MARK IV on the internet. I own my M-IV B (combo) since 2009. Being a blues-blues rock guitar player(mostly, i play stoner rock too) i wasn't really looking for a high gain amp. What i was looking for was an amp that had a decent clean channel that took pedals well and was a combo. I also own a Triple Recto head which i bought around 2006. Funny enough i only use it's clean channel and it is great but it is so hard to carry around. For me the definition on Boogie amps are the key. That is why i prefer them over -most-Fenders and Marshalls. I also own a 65 Deluxe too but that is another story. I never use it with pedals. Mark IV is an amazing amp. I use it on Tweed, Class A and Triode. Recently i fell in love with it's lead channel (on mid drive, somewhere around noon). It gives you a texture no pedal can imitate and cleans up perfect when you roll your guitar volume down. The clean channel can do anything with a decent drive pedal and is a joy to play without any pedals too. I use Red Dirt (keeley), EP Booster and JHS AT and can get all the sounds i like from that channel. Now i use the lead channel too and i am loving it. The 2nd channel is not really my thing...at least for now: )
Cool amp! The clean sounds are very usable. It seems a really versatile amp.
Excellent review and right on. I have the Maek 4B and its a beautiful amp. Its all i need for and style and type of music. Thanx brother. GOD bless.
Very nice dive into a complex amp! I would love to have one of these. Ever since high school in the '80s when my buddy had a Mark II I've been interested. But I've ended up finding less gainy amps more useful in my older age. In my younger days I just couldn't afford these. I make due with a Mesa LoneStar Special, a Fender Princeton 68 custom, and a Revv D20 now, along with a bunch of pedals. Still, if I have a windfall, one of these is on the list. Thanks for the very in-depth demo.
Amazing beast, this mutant of legendary rep. Long may it roar.
I wish we were in a band together! Damn your thirst for tone is much like mine. This demo convinced me to give the mark of a serious look. I love my Laney GH100L but the versatility you presented is difficult to ignore. I have two cabinets a 2x12 with greenbacks and 412 vintage 30’s so I’d have lots of fun. The clean tones on the boogie sound really good to me and I can see how they would fit for so many things. One of your previous vids talked about the Laney super amp this one seems to have gone in another direction? Thanks for producing such cool content that checks so many boxes!! Rock on!!
I see Mark - I hit like. Great review!
Holy God this sounds amazing.
I have 2 Mesa Boogie Mark 4s (I have it at my casa)You said something about the oddities of this amplifier. I talked, and read all the catalogs. I am surprised I bought one . I expected that I would buy a Marshall stack. I felt you intelligently explained all functions and knobs. I thought I would record soon. I don't understand the red-line one, the other line ones. I read something. I heard something. I got mine serviced and I went to Mesa Boogie Hollywood recently. All the amps are great. Thank You for the video
Great informative Video, thanks for sharing :-)
I did not expect to watch this video all the way through. But man I'm glad I did. I've got a mark 5 and I absolutely love it to death. They are incredible amps, extremely versitile, and a tweaker's dream. I understand why some people can't get into them, or just find them frustrating. But for me, there is no better amp out there.
Amazing in-depth look into this gem of an amp mate! Well done! You've earned yourself a new sub! :) stay brutal \m/
Eggy 1632 I have the 1988 mark 3 and I am in love with it. I’m just missing the sparkly clean tones but I got the crunch 😉
I´ve got a MarkIV/A and it´s still my holy amp-grail! NOTHING will EVER beat this beast!
Agreed. Same here.
Same
Same!
Same here.
Does it have reverb?
I've owned a Mark IV version A combo since about 1991, and it's the only tube amp I've ever needed. I've borrowed a few and almost bought others, but like you say, it's the only amp you need and everything else feels sub par. I agree. Rather than buying other amps, I've focused more on pedals, cabs, etc. You mention Rhyth 2 being relatively lackluster and I have to agree; however, as someone who's owned one forever, I recommend the following: try germanium fuzz and/or germanium treble booster through different rhythm 2 settings. If you want some early Sabbath tones or other "classic rock" heavy sounds. You have the clean and high gain stuff down, but try that some time, building a fuzzy warm gain stage the way I describe. The closest you came was that OCD which sounded pretty cool but it's still kind of high gain. Which isn't bad--I'm just saying, you only covered some of what this thing can do. It really is the stranded on an island amp for sure.
I had a couple Mesa amps in the past (TC-50, Mark V 25, JP-2C) and if it was not for my Axe-FX III, I would choose this one as my main amp for sure. It's just a matter of taste really. It is so iconic.
200th comment. My guitar teacher had a Mark IV in the mid 80s. I loved it......couldn't find an affordable one (I was 17) so years later, I found a Mark III combo and another Mesa cabinet.
Just a heads up on repairs...100% send this amp to Mesa for repairs if needed. I tried a local guy, who is a certified Mesa repair tech, and he had my IVa for 10 weeks before he finally told me he should’ve sent it to Mesa 4 weeks before. I picked it up and sent it to Mesa. Price was actually pretty reasonable, and I had the amp back in 4 weeks...2 of those weeks spent in shipping from FL to CA and back. I had to send that amp in to Mesa 3 times in 1 year. I also had a IVb at the same time that didn’t have any issues. Great amps, but like you said...they’re getting old and might need some service so keep this in mind if you buy one. Still worth it!
Yeah i worked for a music store and the worst thing to hear on the phone was "my mesa amp isn't working, I took it to a tech"... once the gremlins sneak into one of those amps it often ends up better to just toss it off a bridge and get a new one. That being said, Mesa support was always fantastic to deal with and we never had trouble with them.
Great vid.
Awesome video! I had a MKiv RevB many years ago that i had to sell at the time, ever since owning that amp I've wanted another one and now i have had one for the last two years and still it never fails to amaze me with the tones on offer, just added a Mesa 1x12 Thiele, holy shit!!!, game changer. won't be buying a 4x12!
cool! Thanks for this video. I recently came across a MarkIV. My reverb didnt work. Whoever had it had the RC cable plugged in backwards and now the reverb sounds great! I like the LoG sound and this amp does it for that sound.
I have a mk4 b long head and recto 212 plus a lonestar 1x12 open back cab.I bought it new,had many other amps aside to gig and this is the only one I kept now that I am retired.
I play lounge,house,house dub,ambiant and do guitar tracks for ...Of Tanz Victims,an old school industrial music group.This amp head and cabs never left the house.
I have an amp for outside work.Thx for posting,have a good life.
Hey man cool vid, this is my first time watching your channel. I really like how in depth and informative you go. Would you ever do a review like this for the Peavey XXX?
You really got a major Gaelic phenotype going on man.
Very interesting, I’ve owned this amp for about a decade and it rips. It’s great to know a little more about it, it’s really a historical price at this point. Really hard to come by too, I really need the foot switch though.
Great amps ! I have 2 . Will never sell them. From crushingly heavy to glassy cleans. And everything in between. Thanks for posting.
I have a Mark V that John Petrucci used for a clinic I attended, he signed it afterward and I bought it on the spot, ten years later and I’m still finding “sweet spots”. Mesa rules🤘😈🤘
This or a mark V plus modeller of choice and you're set for tones. Great overview !
For the adventurous and/or relatively broke: I fell in love with the Mark IIC+ sound after many years of being happy with Marshalls and Marshall-In-A-Box pedals - the latter are excellent and have been for decades. So I wondered if the FET wizards had come up with something with the IIC+ flavor.
For a Boogie in a box with the IIC+ thing going on, I heartily recommend the Wampler Pinnacle. I could dial in the IIC+ channel's tone on a Mark V with the Pinnacle going into the clean channel. and A/B'd it like that - the Pinnacle however can get a lot brighter, giving you a nice Marshall style cut, and in general is just way more versatile than the 'real thing' without giving up much of anything in terms of tone.
Another option is the Quilter Overdrive 200, which does a great job of doing the IIC+ but with a Dumble style clean channel.
Yeah... here i am again, blown away by your 7/8 string melodic riffs. Is that another one of yours from the 50 second mark?
Still waiting for the song from the intro of the Gargoyle video you did ;)
Customs Hominum on my EP in the description! And that intro you speak of is being worked on right now.
@@PlagueScytheStudios Sweeeet 👌😎
Just a heads up; the EQ was actually added when the Mark I was in production. You can find some Mark I's with the EQ from the mid-'70s that predate the Mark IIA.
The Mark IIA helped introduce the amp's "interesting" EQ controls, where the EQ acted more like a pre-gain boost due to being so early in the signal chain.
The Mark IIB introduced the FX loop, but it put it in such a weird place that the amp sounded pretty... ass when the gain was cranked. This was fixed with the Mark IIC/IIC+ where it's further down the signal chain. IIRC for awhile, Mesa was actually modding Mark IIBs to Mark IIC specs (Choptone's demo of the Mark IIB appears to have this mod), but stopped offering this mod due to no longer having the parts and PCBs.
Bleuh nerd alert 🚨
Em B : Because he actually understands the gear he uses?
We’ve got words for players who don’t.
@@freecitizen2760 I'm with you here bud.
NERD ALERT??? Well....YEAH. This whole video is a 40 minute nerd alert in the best way possible. I watched every minute of it. This is beyond a world class amp. An amp for serious players and pros as well as a HUGE chapter in the history of guitar amplifiers. This is not some hobbyist grade piece of throw away plastic, they ooze character and Boogie is pretty much the original boutique amp and cab builder. Do you even like tube amps?
And to the OP....NERD ALERT!! I am pretty sure they did some IIB upgrades, Mike Bendinelli did most of the Mark upgrades himself. For a long time, in fact I think he still works there. There is a video about the history of Boogie somewhere, as told by Randy. It's really good. Talking about the days with Mike B and Doug back in the doghouse up in the hills. The Mesa women doing some topless sunning and helping with the tedious work like soldering. Some amazing times I'm sure. Such an awesome success story of a company that has never rolled over or cut corners. Long live Mesa.
Rick Feith : I owned, and loved, my Mess Boogie Mark II but have since returned to Fenders.
My main amp is a ‘73 Silverface Deluxe Reverb that I rebuilt and “Blackfaced” myself.
All of it works great but I have pulled the 4 tubes associated with channel 2.
I play through channel one because I know that it is the simplest path to the power tubes.
One wire leaves the first preamp tube’s section and goes right to the phase inverter tube which then feeds into the power tubes.
I run it into a 2x12 Avatar cab loaded with vintage Celestion 25-watt Greenbacks.
I get overdrive from a 1980 Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer.
I get reverb and tremolo from pedals too.
There are lots of great amps.
Boogie, Fender, and too many others to list.
@@freecitizen2760 I actually look at the whole amp world as two main designs: Modified Marshalls and Modded Fender. I am much more a Fender guy. I do love me some brown sounds though, and Dave Friedman is a genius. But you can't go wrong with Fender or Boogie. Some of the Fender amps have real similar gain structure as the Boogie amps. Mean. I've yelled at a few whippersnappers who dog on Fender...I was one too 20 years ago. Then I got woke....lol... Dave Gilmour will make you a Fender fan REAL quick. I need me a Strat. GAS is very real.
Love the mesa tone with 7 and 8 strings.I had a carvin v3 that was a beast reminded me of a mesa.
Nice job man. Always a killer amp. And like you said right near the end, it is completely unforgiving. If you're a bit sloppy... You'll just sound bad.
And in a combo with the EV12m it'll bloody well cut you in half. Thing's like a laser 🤣
Clearly one of the best 🏆
I’m betting any downvotes you get are from other guitar UA-camr’s. Phenomenal content as usual.
I bought a Mark IV new in '91, rack mounted, with a "road ready " Mesa 4x12. Dream come true. Bucket list. A true "That tone in my head" type of amp. Stunning. Sold it when the realities of life mandated. Years later I bought another (and a Recto 2x12), because I could. Three things were evident with the return of an old friend:
1. The Mark IV is a BEAST.
2. The Mark IV is now WAY beyond my needs...and
3. Even though the second Mark IV has been moved along to new home, and Fractal Audio (AX8) is a better fit FOR ME these days.....I will ALWAYS be a Boogie guy at heart.
For anyone who has the opportunity, whether you "need" it or not, I hope you get a chance to experience the true "Spirit of Art in Technology" that is Mesa/Boogie.
P.S. I still have the Recto 2x12, you never know when a Mark V: 25 might follow me home.
very good vid guy,
sounds like foos first album to me, i loved that tone
Totally relate to this. I've had a Mark V 90W for about a year, and it's taken me that long to really learn it and get used to it. It has all the sounds of the previous models, and more on top of it. It's an incredible amp, but you basically have to throw out everything you think you know about amps and learn it from scratch.
On all my previous amps, you could typically put the treble at about 1:00, the mids at about 9:00, and the bass at about 11:00, turn up the gain and presence to taste and you were good to go.
On these, you might end up wanting the complete reverse, with the mids at 2:00 and the treble and bass at 9:00, with the presence at about 8:00 at most. Because the post EQ from the graphic and presets is where the "scoop" comes from. The channel controls, along with the mode switches, are basically letting you sculpt a part of the signal chain that other amps never do.
Over the years, they've just kept adding features and making them more and more complicated. But when you get the hang of it, the result is exponentially greater flexibility, and tones that reach a level of perfection you can't get from any other amp.
The only thing I would give any negativity to is the quality of the distortion from the gain stage. It sounds a little bit "solid state-ish", almost like a distortion pedal, compared to something like a Fender or Marshall. If you go with very high gain for metal rhythm type sounds, that quality takes over, and I'm not a huge fan of it. But some people clearly love that sound, starting with Master of Puppets.
On the other hand, for lead, that really high gain can let you get a quality that is basically infinite sustain. Which is very cool. And if you dial in just the right amount of gain, where it doesn't totally compress and crush the sound and take over, it's the greatest blues amp you'll ever hear.
Its core tone is Fender, still. So just like the modded Marshalls with extra preamp stages that have been heavily used since the 80s, the Mark series is basically a Fender modded for high gain. They invented that whole thing, and it was taken over to Marshalls once they set the standard. So now you have all of the EVH, Friedman, etc stuff, which are all basically modded Marshalls.
I find the Rectifier series, and Marshall, EVH etc, to be better for high gain rhythm. But for cleans and leads, the Mark series crushes everything else.
The Mark V lead channel sounds pretty narrow and boxy compared to the Mark IV.
Lee Demkiw It's entirely a matter of settings. It goes fully from one end of the spectrum to the other. "Extreme" mode on Channel 3 is the biggest and most dynamic tone. Mark IV mode is more compressed, and Mark IIC+ is the most compressed. Then you have the Triode and Pentode settings, which also, respectively, make it tighter or bigger. You wouldn't really understand if you don't have experience with one, but if you heard something that sounded that way to you, that's because they set it that way. One thing I can say without a doubt is that anything the previous versions can do, the Mark V can do, and then much more. If there's a problem, it's that it has too many options, and puts decisions in the hands of the user that are usually made for you by the manufacturer.
@@vaportrails7943 well I have had experience with one and I didn't like it, hence why I kept my Mkiv which I've been using for years. I'm just guessing that you are one of those that has to have the last word by talking to people like they are stupid.
Oh, hi Mark!
You're tearing me apart Lisa!!
My dream amp for sure, this or the IIC+
I remembered they have a cardboard picture of all the controls, tube choices. controls and the controls in the rear panel.I had this memorized. There a lot of controls. The amplifier, all different types of music that I can express, makes me feel very good. I remembered I went to a Studio in California to buy a used one. they used it for a lot of the recording. I bought a new one later.
thanks for this vid
No heads up from me, but I love the MKIV! Big fan of the vids and of course, my personal ‘90 MKIV!!
I'm Marshall fan myself, specifically the original JCM 2000 DSL, as I think that's a massive underrated and extremely versatile amplifier. But the Mark IV is a great amplifier than can do damn near anything you can want. I personally think the Dual Rectifiers are a bit overhyped, unless you like a lot of gain, but the Mark IV could do limitless options with amazing sounds.
My uncle owned a custom ordered Mark III and it was a fantastic amp as well
Great job Ryan! I love when you talk about Boogies. Since the Mark series continues to evolve, what are you thoughts on Mesa adding new Rectifiers to the Rectifier series? I know in terms of Single, Dual and Triple those have already been covered, what about adding onto the Roadster/Roadking series with something new?
mk IIc is my dream amp. this is up there tho
Thank you for such a detailed video. Could you please give more information about the tubes (replacement tubes...). Special mention for the EVML speaker : perfection to me
Love my IV "B" I was without a Mark Iv for about 10 years and just got another one. Throw some RFT 12AX7's in V! and V4-5 and the amp really comes alive. R2 even gets pretty heavy
That tone at 35:08 is the reason I would get one of these.
Great run through and explanation. Did they use a similar structure for the channel's and eq settings in the Mark V series? I find the mark V difficult to dial in as well. Thanks
30:11 Miracle man!
just some clarification randall smith already owned the brand "MESA engineering" which he used to order licensed mercedes parts when he was repairing mercedes engines for a living before amps. thats why its "mesa/boogie" almost seperate but the same , because its two brands under one guy marketed into one brand. saying "mesa/boogie" is the same as saying "boogie by MESA" , meaning that the "boogie" line of guitar amps is a product under his brand MESA that repairs mercedes as a seperate entity that works on the amplifiers.
I use mine for everything, jazz, blues, metal gigs and sessions, it is that good and reliable!!!
You say having this graphic EQ is kind of a weird thing but Mesa has been putting graphic EQs in amps since the first Mark IIs in 1978 and it's basically the option that separates the higher value used Mesas from the lower value used Mesas. The EQ is the thing to have. Or if not, you'll surely want an EQ in your effects loop. The center frequencies of the five bands are carefully chosen for guitar and it works extremely well and gives you tones you can't get out of any other amps.
I love my mesa dc5 the little mark4 cause he have clean of mark 4 and lead of rectifier. Good to play blues rock
“Upon reflection”...classic.
I own 2 Mesa Boogie Mark 4's. I run them in a stereo set-up: stereo chorus , stereo analog delay, stereo reverb, T.C. Electronic Mimiq, and a Aphex Aural Exciter. These two small amps sound like stacks of amplifiers. with the stereo chorus and delays. I had one tested it came off the bench at 91 watts.
Back in the early 2000s I went into a guitar store hell bent on getting a Mark IV and a traditional straight front 4x12 Mesa cab. They had neither in stock. They told me I would have to buy the IV up front in order to get one to even try. I ended up walking out with a Triple Rectifier and ordered the cab. I still wish I had just ordered both.. I still have the amp and cab but I am ready for a change.. I am thinking about a Mark V 25 or 35... I am basically after that IIc+ sound these days.
I have 5 of mark series amps, Green stripe, Red stripe, Blue Stripe and a a IIC+.. 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 IIC+ 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 production 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. it didn't make them famous. I would argue a Mark III purple, red, blue or green stripe Mark III could have been used by the players who made the IIC+ famous and those albums and concerts wouldn't have sounded any different. They just weren't available at the time those bands recorded those albums. They stopped the IIC+ when the mark III came into production. They stopped the III when the Mark IV started and so on....they are all great amps and tonally are the same. Most of those bands stopped playing the IIC+ and went to the mark III when it came out because the sound was basically the same but the 3 had a third channel, everyone loved that.
Ah actually I have a Guild Thunderstar bass amp that was made in 1969 that not only has an FX loop but also has bias tuner pots in the back. Whaaay ahead of it's time which is only two of the reasons I will have it for a very, very long time.
Expensive amp! I got it on Amplitube 4 though, that'll have to do.
The JP-IIC+ is my abolute dream-amp
I hope I didn’t miss you saying it in the vid, but is this Rev A or B that you have? Great playing and tones! Love your channel 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Thanks a lot for this great video! Just one question, which is your favourite delay pedal to hook on Mark IV's loop that takes good line levels?