mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

[34029324079]

cascading? maybe.

Effects loops? out the ying yang. Two types; one of the types is assignable to a channel, so that you could have a 'dry' distortion channel, and a 'wet' (read saturated with effects) clean channel.

Tone? no, tonal spectrum! Think of all the famous bands that used em across the musical spectrum including metallica.
Pics:

Beautiful Amp!

 

[Davey]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

i played through one once... damn. it made me wet myself

 

[Kac]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I Love Mark IV

 

[loudriver23]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I love my Mark IV
So much so that I have yet to purchase any effects of any type to try the effects loop out!!!!
Amps and the tones they can produce is a very personal thing.
For me I can't imagine anything sweeter than my Mark IV.
:dance: :banana: :dance: :banana:

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I had a mark 4 before i got the road king and it was sweet but i really wanted a more modern sound and i love the way i have channel 3 set up for vintage and a combo of 6l6s & EL34s. But no doubt the mark 4 is an excellent choice in the boogie line. I might have liked it better if it had been a 2x12 combo and not the 85 watt 1x12.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

The Mark IV is my favorite all-around amp.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

One of my fave choices if I want to level whole Redwood forests and have the EPA after me

If I ever feel like getting an amp that can b*tch smack a whole band in ANY style from R&B to Metal - this is the rudest amp.

Those mids just eat the mix.

Mind you, I am rarely out to level people, but it's always a nice option to have.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

One of the best sounding Mesa's ever made, that's for sure.


Sound amazing in the room, but I wish they went to tape a bit better .

 

[Lava Man]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I bought my first one (combo) in 1991 and then sold it (dumb) in 1995 when I was a newlywed and strapped for cash. I bought my second one (wide body combo) in 2001 and still have it. I replaced the celestion with a few months of buying it with a used EVM12L I found on eBay. Great, great amp. Has never let me down in hundreds of gigs. Even took the current one I own to Afghanistan with me:

 

[JALIN]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I have a Mark IV short head on order, can't wait to disturb the peace:smokin:

 

[SFW]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

The Mark IV has been my main amp for the past three years. It's smooth when I need ti to be, and it crushes when I need that too.

 

[SeraphimTN]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

My last rig....before I downsized.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

Had a chance to buy one for $1000 two years ago...just before I moved to NC. Thought it was too much money and liked the Marshall tone better I thought. Looking back, I should have sucked it up and bought it. That plus a Marshall could cover a lot of groung. I'm not a huge Mesa fan, but that is one nice amp.

 

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

What abvbout its elders?

Love my Mark III combo, with all the features...

If I ever look into a head/cab setup, I think it'd be a Mark IV with a 2x12 and a multi FX rack mount unit of some sort. Could cover a lot of ground with only one unit and a Mark IV.

My Mark IIIs clean channel is sick. What I dislike is that all three channels share the same controls. How is the Mark IV broken down? I'd love for sperate treb/mid/bass controls for the clean/sih and crunch/lead channels. Sharing the same graphic EQ works fine for me.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I'm a big fan of the Mark III and Mark IV. I have a Mark III Simul-Class, 112 EVM, REV, EQ, Combo with a matching 112 EVM Theile cab in blonde; a Mark III Coliseum half-stack with a C90/EVM 412 half-back cab; and a Mark IV 112 EVM combo in black with matching 112 EVM Theile cab.

Great amps, though there's a bit of a learning curve on the Mark IV.

I love my tone!

Bill

 

[open]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

Not to start any sh!t or highjack,
How reliable is the MK4?
Do you replace the tubes often?

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

Not to start any sh!t or highjack,
How reliable is the MK4?
Do you replace the tubes often?

Mine has been very reliable (knock on wood!). I'm not gigging a ton right now, but I have two years on the tubes currently in the Mark IV with no problems.

I'm using an SED/Winged C set of 6L6s in the inner sockets and EL34s in the Simul-Class sockets. For preamp tubes, I like a GT12AX7-M in V1; and the rest have either EH or JJ tubes. (I think I might have a GT-M in V3, too, come to think of it.)

The combos can be a little hard on tubes. I have a spare set on hand in my gig bag--a matched pair of 6L6s and a couple of 12AX7s is all I need--it's cheap insurance. I also keep a couple of fuses handy, too.

Best tips for maintenance: let them warm up for a minute or so on STANDBY, before you slam them with high volts; and, let them thoroughly cool before moving your amp and tossing it into the van. I think mechanical damage is just as much a killer as running them hard. The combo's chassis is shock mounted, but a little extra care is always a good thing. Mesa's are tough, professional, durable amps.

Always use good tubes, and that means low noise, non-microphonic tubes. This especially true of the V1 preamp tube. As for power tubes, your tube vendor should be able to set you up with power tubes that will be efficient within Mesa's fixed, non-adjustable bias. In the Mesas, I like the SEDs; and the EH tubes have been good, too.

Feel free to ask if you have anymore Mesa questions. I love these amps!

Bill

 

[open]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

Thank you Bill,I like Boogies,used to have a studio 22 every 8-10 month i had to change the tubes.Thanks again for your complete answer.

 

[SFW]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

I own two Mark IVs. A 1991 and a 2003. Both have been super reliable. I do a complete tube change once a year. Not that it really needs it, but that's just when I do it. I have played four shows a month with 2 four hour practices a week on top of that. I've never had a problem with the amp.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: mesa boogie mark IV amp appreciation thread...

Mark III and Mark IV are my two favourite Boogies by a long shot. Usually if you want a versatile amp, you have to make tone sacrifices (i.e. great crunch, bad clean, or vise versa), but this is absolutely not the case with the Mark series.