jrhoden
...And Justice For All
does anyone here have first hand experience what the sound difference is between the mark iic and the mark iv?
mesa boogie mark iic vs mark iv
- Thread starter jrhoden
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chrisefekt
New member
The question is a little vague, but if you are looking for that smooth metallica type crunch you will want the mark IIc+ (kinda hard to find and expensive). The mark IIc is an earlier version, and if not mistaken can still have the + mod done by mesa boogie techs. The mark III still closer to the IIc+ circuit and sound had a marker stripe on the back of the head red, blue, green and so on. Correct me if i'm wrong someone out there...i think the red stripe sounds closer to the IIc+. The mark IV has a ton of bells and whistles and though you can dial it in very closely, it still sounds a little different to me. I actually got close to the c+ tone with one of there older studio pre-amps, and my dc-5 gets close too! Hope that helps you?
chrisefekt
New member
Yea...the cost of those amps are unbelievable(kinda wish they would re-issue the markIIc+) but they sound great. My opinion is: find a mark III, out of them all...they seem to get the closest to my ears. And you can find them for a lot cheaper too. Usually around $800.
+1
I hang out on "The Boogie Board" a lot and it seems most of the guys over there actually prefer the tone of the Marl III over the Mark IV. And these are guys who have owned both.
chrisefekt
New member
Yea they all sound different. The circuit designs changed as they went, first with the IIa, IIb, IIc, IIc+, then the III stripe series, and IV. Good way to think of it is they became gainier (is that even a word) as they went, and the IIc+ really achieving fluid distortion tones. This is the amp metallica used. You could get these amps with or without graphic e.q. which can make a big tone diff. Again... go with a mark III. I think you might be happy with one!
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
Also worth a look - the new Mark-V will have modes that replicate the IIC and the IV sound.
I've owned a Mark III (no stripe) and now owning Mark IV and Triaxis. The latter is advertised as the one containing, particularly, Mark IIC+ and Mark IV sounds.
Well, first, to achive the big guys sound (Metallica's, Dream Theater's etc) with either of them you must consider the nuanses as cab, mic (the number and combination of those), room, guitar, pups.
Each of the listed above amps has its own brilliance, but what you wanna start experimenting with is EQing out the mids using a multiband graphic. Even though the Mark amps are equipped with one, you still might find something interesting further on.
The second advise is go to YouTube, search for "Mesa Mark IV" and you'll get a bunch of videos of ordinary guys demonstrating the raw sound of the amps in their bedrooms, with out any studio tricks layed on.
Well, first, to achive the big guys sound (Metallica's, Dream Theater's etc) with either of them you must consider the nuanses as cab, mic (the number and combination of those), room, guitar, pups.
Each of the listed above amps has its own brilliance, but what you wanna start experimenting with is EQing out the mids using a multiband graphic. Even though the Mark amps are equipped with one, you still might find something interesting further on.
The second advise is go to YouTube, search for "Mesa Mark IV" and you'll get a bunch of videos of ordinary guys demonstrating the raw sound of the amps in their bedrooms, with out any studio tricks layed on.