First gig with my Boogie...report.

[Scotland]

Firstly let me say that it is 20 years old, looks like brand new but the EV speaker is a little tired so I am going to get it re coned. Secondly, the tubes I ordered from JJ's have been lost by Parcelforce UK...nothing new there then, so I played with a mixture of some tubes I had lying around, 2 Mesa 6L'6s and 2 JJ 6L6's, a mixture of 12AX7's..EH, Mesa and JJ.
The amp is a blue stripe Mark 3 Simulclass. All I can say is that I last played one 14 years ago (and have regretted selling it ever since) and the sound I had tonight is the sound I have been trying to get for the last 14 years. I was able to dial in a sound that gave no ice pick but plenty of treble, my Tele with Hamels just blazed on the lead channel, was VERY Keef on the crunch channel and very Vince Gill on the clean one. The dynamics was incredible, little nuances grew to monstrous sound scapes with the same core sound behind it, I've never experienced that before with any other amp including my old Boogie. The rest of the band were in complete awe of the sound. My Strat just seemed to have more Strat if you get my meaning.
Once the new tubes are fitted and the EV re coned, well..hopefully it will be even better. I know a lot of guys around here are not Boogie fans and I have no problem with that but a little tweaking and a little patience goes a long long way with them. This is the last amp I will ever buy !

[Daddydex]

Isn't it great when a plan comes together. Congratulations.

Dan

[Flat357]

How does it handle the pipes Scotty ?

Glad you're happy bud

[Tim Armstrong]

Yep, finding your perfect amp is a beautiful thing!

I'm gonna go gaze lovingly at my Princeton Reverb now...



Tim

[Big John]

please, please, please, please just let me say -- " I told ya so !!"

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by Big John

please, please, please, please just let me say -- " I told ya so !!"

Originally Posted by Flat357

How does it handle the pipes Scotty ?
Glad you're happy bud

BJ, I know, I know
Flat357, It handled them perfectly, especially with overdrive. Couldn't get the footswitch to work though.

[Axis29]

Hey Scottie,

Congrats and welcome back to he boogie club! I love mine too.

Which one did you pick up?

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Scotland

BJ
Couldn't get the footswitch to work though.

Would that be the footswitch that fires a housebrick at the back of the accordian players head ??



Seriously, thats a great amp, don't make the mistake of getting rid of this one.
Hope you're still doing without your vol cap. too, now it should make sense.

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by Axis29

Hey Scottie,

Congrats and welcome back to he boogie club! I love mine too.

Which one did you pick up?

It's a blue stripe Mark 3 Simulclass with EV. Tonal heaven and then some.

[Scotland]

BJ. I'll never make that mistake again..ever !!
None of my guitars have the tone cap now, I couldn't go back to that again. Thanks for the GREAT tip. Oh, and the accordian player's head is "reeling".

[Grin'n'pick]

Good news and a great story, glad you've found 'the one'. I think the tide may be turning a bit for Boogies on this board, I seem to be reading far more positives than negatives at the moment. I don't think I've ever played one I didn't like. When I win the lottery and then World's Strongest Man I might get one! Please keep us updated after you've had the work done on it, and I shouldn't think a photo or two would go amiss.

[Big John]

Was having a trawl and found this neat site for Boogie 'heads'.

Good info here

[Paul G.]

Great amp, I'm glad it works for you.

I love the MKI through MKIII Boogies, powerful, portable and toneful.

P.

[stantheman]

Well John I'm verrry jealous for starters BUT I'm thrilled that You found one that was clean. Like You I believe that Mark III's regardless of stripe are the pinnacle of "versatility with uncompromising QUALITY".
The Ferrari of Amplification.
You're a lucky stiff!!!

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Grin'n'pick

......... and I shouldn't think a photo or two would go amiss.

Yeah, come on Scotland, i know you have a camera, i'll set the ball rolling with a couple and show some Mesa luuuurve !
I bought this new in 82 or 3 and this thing has travelled several times around Europe with the USAF and sundry others, looooong trips way north of the arctic circle when i lived in Norway, traveled in buses, cars, trucks, planes and trains and taxi's and played TV, festivals and a lifetime of scuzzy gig's but i keep it re-tubed and polished and it just will not quit !!
First person who say's "yes, but it won't do clean" or "You have to twiddle with them" gets a naughty word from me.

BIGgish images so click on them !

[lostpick]

What is the tube compliment and
circuit layout on Boogies?

[stantheman]

I'm green with envy you guys!!!
I still remember the first time I saw The Neville Brothers w/Brian Stoltz on Strat with a Mark III...Tone To The Bone.
Just curious - how's the susssstain with a Telecaster?

[tiktok]

The "anti-Boogie" sentiment is like the "anti-American Standard" sentiment on this board. There's a number of frequent posters who dislike both, and since they post more than the average person, the impression of a groupthink consensus emerges--"No-one likes those, no-one uses them!".

Then there's a sizable number of people who love Boogies and American Standards, they just don't talk about it unless prompted.

[Daddydex]

That amp is a lot like my Carvin XV112E, another manufacturer that gets little respect. My Carvin beats my 72 Vibrolux and Blues Deville hands down.

Dan

[tiktok]

Originally Posted by Scotland

...the EV speaker is a little tired so I am going to get it re coned...

...I played with a mixture of some tubes I had lying around...

...the sound I had tonight is the sound I have been trying to get for the last 14 years...The dynamics was incredible, little nuances grew to monstrous sound scapes with the same core sound behind it, I've never experienced that before with any other amp including my old Boogie. The rest of the band were in complete awe of the sound. ...

Buddy, I wouldn't touch a thing on that amp.

If you want to do something about the speaker, buy a new one, and swap it out so that if you find out that 20+ years of wear have resulted in an ice-pick free tone you can go back to where you were.