Re: NAD: Mesa Mark 3 Blue Stripe with Simul-Class
Congrats on the amp! I just got the same amp, but a head instead. Such a killer amp! As far as power tubes go, do you guys like using all 6L6s or using the 6L6/EL34 combo. These are such authoritative amps. I can't believe it took me this long to get one.
Cole
Congrats on the Mark III head. Regarding tubes, I like using EL34s in the Simul-Class sockets in both my Mark III combos and in my Mark IV...and I wish they would have continued this in the Mark V. It's setup for either all 6L6s or all EL34s or all 6V6s.
My tube of choice was the Winged C/S.E.D. tubes, but now they are hard to find and expensive. If I had to retube one tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'd use...probably just Mesas or The Tube Store's Preferred Series. The EL34s sound great in the Class A mode, especially when pushed a bit. It's neither British or American, it's just different. I have a variety of preamp tubes; I bought several different brands and rotated them in and out of each socket until I found a combination I liked.
Too bad you couldnt' a gt a MKIV, oh well, guess its better than nothing.
It amazes me that more guys don't hunt down IIIs to gig with. I've gigged with all of my Mesa amps. Each Generation offers a few more features. The III in comparison is simple; I pretty much set mine with the settings in the manual and go, and I'm getting great tone whether it's one of my G&Ls, Gibsons, Ibanez, or one of the cheapo DanElectro 12-strings. On most of my gigs we're doing a wide range of music, and I might have as many as four electrics with me: G&L Legacy, another G&L with hotter pickups, a 2HB Gibson or Ibanez, and the aforementioned DanElectro.
The IV isn't necessarily a better amp...for playing live. But those extra controls and switches make for a great studio amp. However, if you are willing to learn where the altimeter is and which lever to pull for a shot of espresso, you can use it live. The big changes from the III are a broader range of power levels, more control over R2 gain and tone, the TWEED power setting for a more spongey, saggy feel, and the ability to use 6V6 tubes. My IV is an A model with the EVM speaker, and with its matching 112 EVM Thiele cab, I have never felt out-gunned. Or for that matter, over-amped for when I need to play quietly.
These are the amps that gave me the tone, the features, the quality, the flexibility I'd been searching for...for years! And when I found it, I gave up my vintage Fenders, Peaveys and Marshalls, and parked my SUNN in the garage. Being truly happy with my tone is just a great feeling...priceless. I don't really have a favorite...I feel confident playing any one of them, and I'll have a big smile on my face while I'm doing it!
What's "too bad" is the guys that spend their whole lives looking for that tone, buying amp after amp (most of them crap), and never being satisfied. Too bad, indeed.
I don't feel like the IV, or the V for that matter, is necessarily "better" than the III. They are different. The "BEST" one though, is the one that inspires you, makes you a better player...and puts that ecstatic smile on display!
Bill
