Mesa Boogie Mark IV?

[crawdad]

1. My dilemma. I play in a classic rock band and several venues use giant sub-woofers that flood the stage with huge low end. My 40 watt tube amp simply cannot keep up--(yes, believe it or not, for the 15 watt amp is plenty loud enough for gigs camp). I have an opportunity to get a Mark IV combo for around $800.00

My thought was that this amp or a Twin Reverb would be a solution to this problem AND playing outdoors with a big sound system.

2. My question (part 1). Does anybody gig with these amps? I know they can get REAL LOUD. I'm thinking that using the master, I might be able to dial it up to just where I need it. I don't want to blow the world away--I just want cleans that stay clean in these ridiculous loud environments.

3. Question (part 2). Can one get the Fender clean sound from the clean channel on this amp? Equal to a Twin Reverb? Equal but different? Not so good?

I dunno. I tried a Boogie Mark II (not a B+ or C) years ago and all I did was fiddle with it for three days before giving up and heading back to Fender territory. Is the Mark IV a different beast?

Seems that people either love 'em or hate 'em. I'd like to hear from people that have used the Mark IV and have gigged extensively with one. Tell me why I might love it or hate it. I do know that they take a fair amount of tweaking to dial in, which is a minus for me (maybe) but is the effort worth it?

Oh--I play classic rock--also country and blues--all in different bands. I'm thinking either the Mark IV or a Twin Reverb and a few pedals.

 

[trag-o-caster]

I've owned a Boogie Studio 22+, and a Mark I RI. I've also played through several other Mesa models. I've never been able to coax ANYTHING like a Fender sound out of any of them.

Also, you didn't mention anything about miking your amp. If you're not doing this, then I highly recommend it over getting a louder amp to compete with the PA, drums, bass amp, etc.

Is your amp healthy? I have a 40 watt Pro Reverb with 80 watt Celestions that cut through anything.

 

[tiktok]

I've got a MkIV. The reverb isn't a lush as a Fender, it weighs a ton, and the control layout takes a little getting used to, but it's an amazing stage amp. At home volumes, it's a little choked.

 

[Rhubarb Red]

Hi Crawdad


I did gig with an Mark IV for about 4 years (early 90ies).


Pros:

• This amp cuts through everything
• The clean sound is very fenderish, and virtually undistingiuhable from a real Fender, and very good
• The clean sound stays clean at almost any volume
• The crunch sound is very good
• The amp is sturdy and rock solid

Cons:

• The controls of this amp are crap (shared controls between channels, too many knobs)
• This amp is from the analog age (remember that?), so there's no possibility of storing your own sounds, let alone storing the knob's positions
• If a somebody touches or turns a knob accidentally, the whole sound is completely changed
• Every different stage needs different settings, finding a good one needs time, IMHO way too much
• If you think fiddling around with a Mark II was terrific, then you haven't seen the end of the line yet. Fiddling with this amp is located somwhere between pulling out your hairs and goin' completely insane
• The lead sound is crap
• The amp is too heavy

IMHO this amp is not made for the road, it is strictly for studio use, where you have enough time to get a good sound out of it, and - most important - where you can lock it away, so nobody can touch the controls....

So in your case, I'd go the Fender way or I would buy a good modeling amp. I would never ever again gig with an Mark IV, or even buy one.

Just my two cents


Cheers!

 

[Axis29]

I owned a Mark IV for about 17 years. I didn't really gig too much with it.

It's heavy... very heavy. And it's very loud. I never thought the cleans were it's selling points. It does a good heavy distortion sound. With a vintage Gibson it did great Santana, Allman Brothers, B.B. King, AC/DC but those sounds are all dirty.

Lance brought over his Deluxe Reverb and I couldn't get that sound out of my head.

I had a buddy with a twin which seemed louder than my Mark IV.

I loved my mark IV when I first got it and for a lotta years afterward, but it did require tweaking... and some days it wouldn't sound right no matter what I did.

When I started playing music again after a long layoff I ended up switching over to single coil guitars and a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Nowadays, I never spend a whole day fiddling wiht amp settings. I think I've left it alone (maybe touched the reverb and volume knobs) for two months or so. I never left the Mesa alone.

I did see Joan Jett play a bar in Baltimore called Hammerjacks one night with one. This bar is pretty big and it was crowded. She played the bar with just that amp and it sounded pretty damn good!

But, I'd suggest the Twin for Fender cleans. For dirty, I dunno if you can beat Mesa with too much...

 

[tiktok]

Cons:

• The controls of this amp are crap (shared controls between channels, too many knobs)
• This amp is from the analog age (remember that?), so there's no possibility of storing your own sounds, let alone storing the knob's positions
• If a somebody touches or turns a knob accidentally, the whole sound is completely changed
• Every different stage needs different settings, finding a good one needs time, IMHO way too much
• If you think fiddling around with a Mark II was terrific, then you haven't seen the end of the line yet. Fiddling with this amp is located somwhere between pulling out your hairs and goin' completely insane

IMHO this amp is not made for the road, it is strictly for studio use, where you have enough time to get a good sound out of it, and - most important - where you can lock it away, so nobody can touch the controls....

This wasn't my experience. I got my sounds dialed in after a rehearsal or two (as with pretty much any setup), and didn't touch anything other than the relative volume controls (each of the three channels has its own 'master volume' and then there's an overall amp 'master volume') for the next two years. True, I always carried it around in a road case, but other than occasionally one of the pull-knobs getting pushed in during transit (which I quickly figured out), it was tweak free.

I didn't find the shared controls to be a problem, but as I said, the physical layout of them on the front panel was not very intuitive. I'd recommend marking all the R1 knobs with green dots, the R2 with orange, the Lead with red. And if I were comparing it to a Twin Reverb for loudness, I'd run it through an open-backed 2x12. I used mine for years in the lowest power modes (triode, type A, tweed), which brings it down to 15W, and the master volume went between 3 and 4 depending on how loud the gig was.

 

[crawdad]

I've owned a Boogie Studio 22+, and a Mark I RI. I've also played through several other Mesa models. I've never been able to coax ANYTHING like a Fender sound out of any of them.

Also, you didn't mention anything about miking your amp. If you're not doing this, then I highly recommend it over getting a louder amp to compete with the PA, drums, bass amp, etc.

Is your amp healthy? I have a 40 watt Pro Reverb with 80 watt Celestions that cut through anything.

My amp is healthy--40 watts. Most gigs its fine. Its just two rooms where I have problems. In one, they run 4 18" JBL subs BEHIND the band and the sound guy cranks the bass. Though my amp IS miked, it doesn't change what I hear on stage. The other room has 4 JBL subs right in front of the stage--also cranked. What it does is make so much bass that I only hear my amp from about the midrange up. All the low end is masked. I feel like I'm playing through a Champ amp!

Anyway, it sounds like the Mark IV might be worth trying. I can borrow one from a friend and try it on some gigs. All I have to find is one good clean sound and I'll use pedals for the rest.

Thanks all for the answers.

Hey what is the deal with Boogies and power tubes. Do you really have to buy their tubes or do you guys just find matched sets on your own?

 

[Paul in Colorado]

It's real easy to add a bias control to a Mesa. I have one in my MK I RI. I use the best sounding tubes that I can afford.

I've known quite a few guys who have used MK IV who got good sounds out of them. I think you really need to sit with the manual and the amp for a day to figure them out. There are lots of options. I like that they've made the MK V more user friendly as far as layout goes. You will have no trouble being heard. I bet I could set up my MK I RI at Red Rocks and be heard in the last row.

 

[Scotland]

I prefer the cleans on a Mark III over a IV. It can be set up to sound very Fendery if you want it or Boogie if you want.

 

[professorfinger]

I had a Mark IV for several years and never could get the thing out of a muddy sound, unless you can turn it up. I never could cut through the sound, again unless you can turn it up. I have since bought a Lone Star Special and a 5:25 Express and love both. Both cut through the mix, even with a heavy handed drummer. Both sound very Fenderishly, with lush reverb. I have recently given the Express top billing (it's the one with the 12" v30) due to a little more bottom end and a little more open sound.
So, if I wanted a Mesa, I would try out the EL-84 based amps. Especially if you like Telecasters.

JMHO,

TW

 

[Colo Springs E]

Maybe you need a 4x12 cab for a fuller stage sound.

 

[crawdad]

Maybe you need a 4x12 cab for a fuller stage sound.

Yeah! And a roadie to carry it around for me!

That's the bad thing about high wattage tube amps. They all have heavy iron and weigh a ton. Then you start adding stacks and half stacks...and I remember why I wanted a small combo in the first place!

The other option I am considering is in-ear monitors. That way, stage volume isn't even an issue. I could mic up a Champ amp and hear it like I was in a studio.

And I know all this high decibel stuff is not good for my hearing. I still have a lot of thinking to do, but I truly appreciate all the feedback and sharing on this matter.

 

[Colo Springs E]

Yeah! And a roadie to carry it around for me!

That's the bad thing about high wattage tube amps. They all have heavy iron and weigh a ton. Then you start adding stacks and half stacks...and I remember why I wanted a small combo in the first place!

I hear you and won't try to change your mind, but you might be surprised that (in some scenarios at least) rolling in a cab with a head on top (and my gig bag on top of that) was just as easy or easier than carrying in a combo. I could usually make everyting in one trip, as I had two guits slung over my back and just pushed everything else, being careful with the cracks in the cement (learned the hard way on that!).

Of course, you might look a little ridiculous if it's a coffee house gig or something like that! That, or if STAIRS are involved--no half stacks for me either in that scenario!

Either way, good luck to you...

-Eric

 

[Colo Springs E]

I have recently given the Express top billing (it's the one with the 12" v30) due to a little more bottom end and a little more open sound.
So, if I wanted a Mesa, I would try out the EL-84 based amps. Especially if you like Telecasters.

I owned/gigged an F-30, I absolutely loved that amp. I'm a big fan of Mesas.

 

[stantheman]

I prefer the cleans on a Mark III over a IV. It can be set up to sound very Fendery if you want it or Boogie if you want.

Greatest high power Amp MB ever made - period.
...but I LUST for a Studio 22 in an Imbuya Cab with a wcker grill.

 

[Singin' Dave]

What is your current amp?
How are you positioning it onstage? Pointed at your head from close range or back with the bass and drums pointed straight out (or other)?
Do you like the tone of your amp in most rooms/rehearsal?


Assuming you actually like your current amp, it seems to me like there may be a simple solution that would not cost you any money. Getting a louder amp might just equal more sonic traffic on stage.

 

[crawdad]

What is your current amp?
How are you positioning it onstage? Pointed at your head from close range or back with the bass and drums pointed straight out (or other)?
Do you like the tone of your amp in most rooms/rehearsal?


Assuming you actually like your current amp, it seems to me like there may be a simple solution that would not cost you any money. Getting a louder amp might just equal more sonic traffic on stage.

The amp is an Allen Old Flame--great sounding amp. I have it on the floor, right next to me, tilted back at about 10 degrees--pointed right at me. Usually I hear it just fine, and having it on a steep angle keeps it from projecting out front, so the front of house mix is a lot more controllable.

In most cases, its a great solution. You would not believe the bass DB in the two problem rooms. Its akin to standing next to a jet taking off.

If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

 

[drdos]

If I were you I would look at a Mesa Caliber .50 combo or head. This is the first amp Mesa came out with. It's loud as hell, and the cleans are much more fenderish then the Mark series. You can get the head version on the bay from 400-700. Other than that I think the Twin would be a great bet for tons of clean head room and pedal freindly amp....

 

[tiktok]

If I were you I would look at a Mesa Caliber .50 combo or head. This is the first amp Mesa came out with.

Mesa had a few amps before the Caliber .50.

But, it is a good amp.

 

[southern steel]

Man I own two Mark IV's they rock!!! I play southern rock with strats tele's and pauls .The trick to using one is, yes finding the settings you need. Depending on how astute you are, will determine the time req'd.

But then download the manual from mesa and it will openin adobe acrobat then print the blank settings page. But print it on adhisve label paper.Then cut out one image or two if you use the amp in diferent bands and redial it in. Then stick it/them on top of the amp and WRITE down YOUR settings, use some shipping tape to cover it so it doesnt get stained.Then whenever you go to gig, you set up the amp. Dial it in using the settings written on the label in case anything got moved and VIOL'A yer in business ...

HOPE this helped these amps ROAR and are VERY versatile

CHECK out www.southernsteelband.com