Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

Good point. Maybe I should try a hot plate (attenuator). Back in the old days I had a Marshall Power Brake and a Tom Sholtz Power Soak and I thought they both sucked the tone out of my amp. I was running a Hiwatt 120w head at the time. I have heard good things about the Weber. Any other suggestion?

[Chuckracer]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

Power Brakes and Power Soaks suck bad.

Weber or THD (my choice).

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

[ QUOTE ]
Power Brakes and Power Soaks suck bad.

Weber or THD (my choice).

[/ QUOTE ]

WOw, I can't believe how expensive the Weber and THD's are. I figured one of these things would run around $100.00. Man was I wrong.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

going between 100 and 50 watts isn't going to decrease your volume a great deal but it may let you drive the amp enough get to the level where you feel you get the killer tone from.

I'd go with the Weber Standard Mass
https://weberspeakerscom.secure.poww...eber/atten.htm

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

[ QUOTE ]
going between 100 and 50 watts isn't going to decrease your volume a great deal but it may let you drive the amp enough get to the level where you feel you get the killer tone from.

I'd go with the Weber Standard Mass
https://weberspeakerscom.secure.poww...eber/atten.htm

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Shawn, that looks like exactly what I need. I am gonna snag one and see how it goes. I didn't realize they had all those features. The old ones I used to have only had 1 knob on them and they sucked the tone out of anything they were plugged into. Thanks.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

No problem. I'm going to get one soon too but I made a promise to myself that I have finish up or sell all my incomplete guitar projects before I acquire anymore gear [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

What I like about the Weber Standard 100w one is you can use them with any amp 100 watts or below and can use any cab from 2-16ohms, so its pretty versatile

[Twisteramps]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

I still think it's a matter of volume and not drive/tube saturation, but we'll see.

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

Ok, so here is what I tried so far. A friend of mine let me borrow his THD Hotplate. It must be a pretty good one. It is a pinkish/purplish color and it still had the price on it $279.00. I also tried removing the 2 outer tubes to knock the amp down to 60 watts.
I don't like the way the amp sounds attenuated. It sounds compressed and almost like something is holding it back. It certainly solves the volume problem but I don't like the way it sounds. It looses some of its character.
I removed the 2 outer tubes knocking it down to 60 watts and I'll tell you there is just about no difference until you turn the amp louder than most humans can bear.

I tried the impedance mismatch with the cabinets and that made a little progress too but not nearly enough.
This Mark III sounds really good on 2 settings. Really low bedroom level where you could talk in a normal voice while you are jamming and live and loud. As soon as this Boogie hits 3 on the Lead Master it comes alive. This is certainly an amp for a player who needs just a few killer tones. Its tweakable but don't mistake it, this sucker is all Boogie.
So, to answer your question Pete... yes, its a matter of volume. I have to turn this amp up too loud in order for it to sound good and because I will NEVER be playing in clubs that big anymore there is no point in gigging with it. What a shame. Its kind of like having a high performance car and never having the chance to even get it out of second gear.

[metallicarocks]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

Before you hock it off, try just one more thing.

So far, we've done all of the technical stuff with minimal success. What if we went simpler? Kick us all in the balls if this works:

Make a small "room" of foam or blankets and what not. Put the amp in that and see if you can get it quieter. It will take some dicking with to make it sound right, especially with the microphone placement, but who knows? It just might work.

Good luck!

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

I'll try it. Heck, I'd try anything. I did try one thing that made a noticable improvement. I hooked the Mark III back up to my 1 x 12 Mesa 3/4 back cabinet and the amp seemed to get all its feel back at decent gig friendly volume levels. Maybe its just my cabinet selection. I brought a 4 x 12 to the gig (which is something I never do) and I also tried it through my 2 x 12 with Altec Lansing speakers in it. Neither of those cabs seem to work for the Boogie until you turn it up. That is unusual because most of my other amps sound good through those cabinets. The Mesa sounds the best through the 1 x 12 and because its so loud and in your face, the 1 x 12 seems to tame it down a little. I was thinking that maybe I should get another 1 x 12 and spread them out on the stage and angle them towards each other a little.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

maybe the Mark III just isn't for you then [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[markD]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

there is something to that. i play live with a 120 watt rivera head and i use it with 2 1x12 cabs. the master is usually around 3 or 4 and i NEVER have a problem with sound men saying i am too loud. sometimes if i play a bigger place i'll add cabs, but most of the time i will just bring a 4x12 for looks.

another thing i used to do when we had our own sound guy was use a randall isolation cab. that was good, but unless you have a really reliable and consistent monitor mix you won't hear yourself.

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

[ QUOTE ]
maybe the Mark III just isn't for you then [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

That is what I am thinking Shawn. Guitar amps have always been my thing. I always have 5 or 6 of them around the house. I am currently up to 7. My favorite amp to use at band practice is my 1 x 12 Carvin X60. It screams. It almost sounds alive to me. I rehearse with the band with no effects. Only solo boost which is built in on the X60. This forces me to be as precise as possible. For home, I use either my Carvin XV112E 1 x 12 combo with the power set at 25% or my Pandora PX-4 through my computer. Live I like to use my Carvin T100 based rack system with my Boss GT-6 run in true stereo.
For clean stuff I use my Fender Ultra Chorus. It sounds as good as any Twin Reverb or JC120 I have ever heard. I also use it for a keyboard amp. It is really good for that.
That leaves me with an X100B and my Mesa Mark III. I don't use either of them. The Mark III sounds fantastic. Incredible actually. It just doesn't work for me. I felt the same way about the Marshall 2210. It was an amazing amp that would just wind up in the closet with the other gear I never use. I have an entire closet full of stuff I don't use right next to the pile of guitars that I never play. Its funny, no matter how many guitars I own I always wind up playing the same 3 guitars. 2 PRS's and a Floyded Carvin DC127. All the other ones just hang out in their cases. The Rhoads looks great on my wall in between my concert posters in my music room. I hate playing the Rhoads body style but I love how it looks. It also constantly reminds me of Randy which is a good thing.

[Endrik]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

I'm sorry to hear that.

If your MKIII was loud as hell at 3, then I only could imagine how loud were Sykes' two 180w simul-class MKIIIs together.

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Mark III gig review!!!!

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sorry to hear that.

If your MKIII was loud as hell at 3, then I only could imagine how loud were Sykes' two 180w simul-class MKIIIs together.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear you on that. Or imagine the Metallica MOP tour when they used 300w Mark III's. A whole bunch of them.

If the Mark III doesn't sell on the JCF I'll keep it. I have no problem with owning it. No problem at all. Who knows, maybe one day my band CHASE will land a big gig or an outdoor event where I can stretch the Mark III out.