• Mesa Boogie Serial Number Lookup

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Serial Number 005 on an Original Mark I Snakeskin combo that guards Randall Smith's office at Mesa H.Q. (click to enlarge or for gallery)If you’ve ever had a hard time finding the serial number on your Boogie, this info will help. Mesa Boogie Mark 3 - RARE! - Black stripe/No stripe - Very Good Condition. Serial number 16108. This Mark 3 head has all the possible add-ons from Mesa and it is an extremely rare Mark 3 as only a couple hundred of these early black stripe amp heads were ever made.

Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969.

Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a small repair shop which modified Fender combos to give them more gain. Prominent early buyers included Carlos Santana, and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, helping to develop Mesa/Boogie's reputation as a major high-end amp builder.

History

Mr. Smith, the creator of Mesa/Boogie, began his career at Prune Music, a Chinese grocery store turned music shop. Working as a repair tech while his business partner and friend, David Kessner, ran the front, Smith quickly gained a reputation with the local San Francisco Bay Area musicians. This reputation brought him business from bands including the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Carlos Santana.

In 1969, Smith, as a joke, modified Barry Melton's Fender Princeton amplifier. He removed the standard 10 inch speaker and modified the chassis to fit the larger transformers that were needed by the 4-10 tweed Fender Bassman, the circuit that he had added into the tiny 12 watt Princeton. Finally, Mounting a 12 inch JBL D-120, a popular speaker of the time, Smith had created what would be the first Boogie.

Randall Smith, needing to test his creation, took the 'hot-rodded' Princeton into the front store, where Carlos Santana was present. Santana 'wailed through that little amp until people were blocking the sidewalk'. Impressed, Santana exclaimed to Smith, 'Man, that little thing really boogies!' It was this statement that brought the Boogie name to fruition.^[1]

The MESA name came about through Smith's other job, rebuilding Mercedes engines and repairing houses. He needed an 'official' sounding name through which to buy Mercedes parts and building supplies, and chose MESA Engineering. It was originally spelled with all capital letters but has been written as Mesa in recent years.

In 1971, Bassist Patrick Burke approached Randall with a proposal for a custom Bass amp. Smith was persuaded and constructed the Snakeskin Mesa 450 - Smith's first bass amplifier and the first official Mesa/Boogie product.^{[citation needed]}

The real breakthrough came when Smith began building a preamp project for Lee Michaels to drive his new Crown DC-300 power amplifiers. Not knowing what signal was required to drive the power amps, Smith added an extra tube gain stage to the preamp, with 3 variable gain controls at different points in the circuit. In adding this extra gain stage, Smith had created the first high gain amplifier. He set about designing a guitar amplifier around the new principle, and in 1972 the Mark I was released.

He produced a number of custom variations on the Mark I through the late 1970s, with options including reverb, EQ, various speakers (most often Altec or ElectroVoice), koa wood jointed cabinets, and wicker grill. The Mark II was released in 1978.

In the 1980s, Mesa continued to produce combo and head amplifiers, and began production of rack power and pre-amps, developing power amplifiers such as the M180/190 and Strategy series, as well as pre-amps such as the Quad and Studio. Other models developed in the 1980s included the Mark III, the Son of Boogie, and the Studio .22.

In the '90s, Mesa launched the smaller Dual Caliber series and the more powerful Rectifier series.

Production of new models has continued into the 2000s, with models such as the Road King II, the Lone Star and Lone Star Special, and the Stiletto and Express lines.

Current products

Mark Series

The Mark Series of amplifiers was Mesa's flagship product until the introduction of the Rectifier series. It was introduced in 1971 and is still being produced today. The most recent model is the Mark V.

Introduced in the Mark II-B was the Simul-Class power amplifier stage, which combined tubes running in Class A and Class AB through the same output transformer.

Rectifier Series

The Rectifier series is Mesa's flagship line. There are 4 variants: Single, Dual (Solo, Road King, and Roadster), and Triple Rectifier. There were also Tremoverb and Rectoverb models.

The Single Rectifier amplifiers are rated at 50 watts and use a silicon dioderectifier. Currently in production are the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, the Rect-o-Verb 50 head, and the Rect-o-Verb 50 combo, which is fitted with a single 12' Celestion Black Shadow speaker. The Rect-o-Verb line features the same circuitry as the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, but incorporates reverb. All Single Rectifier amplifiers feature a pair of 6L6 power tubes as well as five 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. A bias select switch, which allows the user to swap out the stock 6L6s for EL34s, was added in the 'Series 2' versions of all amplifiers in the lineup. Also, the Reverb control knob was moved from the back to the front on the Rect-o-Verb models. The Single Rectifer amplifiers feature two fully independent channels.

The Dual Rectifier Solo Head was the most popular model of the Rectifier series. The name comes from the use of 2 rectifier circuits, one using silicon diodes and the other using tubes. For a looser sound, Dual Rectifier amplifiers allow users to utilize tube rectification rather than the common silicon diode rectification at the flip of a switch. Equipped with a quartet of 6L6 power tubes, the Dual Rectifier produces 70-100 watts, depending on options chosen. Like in the Single Rectifier series, a bias select switch is standard, allowing the user to switch between EL34 and 6L6 power tubes without re-biasing. The Dual and Triple Rectifier amplifiers, which also feature 5 12AX7 pre-amp tubes, were originally designed with 2 channels (though not true parallel channel circuits), but recently were redesigned to incorporate a third channel. Many people consider the older 2 channel models to have a superior sound. These Pre-500 rectifiers are said to have superior tone due to specific transformers that were only used on these early models. In addition these first 500 also feature a unique circuit board that was changed toward the end of 1992. One can distinguish the Pre-500 dual rectifiers by their serial number found on the back of the amp and should fall between # R-0001 to R-0506.

In addition to the Dual Rectifier Solo Head, there is the flagship Boogie model (replacing the Mark IV as the company's most advanced amplifier), the Dual Rectifier Road King. The Road King is well known for its vast number of options. It has 4 channels, each with two different speaker outputs, two effects loops and Progressive Linkage, which allows five different power tube configurations (2x6L6, 2xEL34, 2x6L6+2xEL34, 4x6L6, 4x6L6+2xEL34), which are signaled by different LED lights on the front of the amplifier. The amp also features Recto-Tracking, which automatically selects the appropriate rectification (single or dual 5U4s or silicon diode) depending on the power tube configuration.

Mesa released the Dual Rectifier Roadster, a scaled down and less expensive version of the Road King with fewer options for the power amp and speakers while retaining 4 independent channels, in response to complaints from some that the Road King was too complex.

The Triple Rectifier utilizes 6 6L6 power tubes for 150 watts output power, with 3 5U4 Rectifier tubes. It is advertised with the slogan 'When excess is barely enough.'

Lone Star

The Lone Star amplifier was released in 2004 with the tag 'Tone as big as Texas,' and now comes in two variants, Classic and Special. The Classic can be compared to Fender's Blackface amps, while the Special is voiced more similarly to the Vox AC30.

The amplifier was designed to recreate the tones of Texas blues guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, though it also features a clean channel. Both channels are capable of switching between 50 watt and 100 watt, with the option of a tube rectifier in the 50 watt mode. In 2007 Mesa added a 10 watt, Class A option to both channels.

The Lone Star Special was released in 2005. The Special featured EL84 tubes, rather than the 6L6 tubes used in the Classic. It is switchable between 5, 15, and 30 watts The 30 watt selection uses a solid state rectifier for a cleaner tone, while the 15 and 5 watt settings use a tube rectifier for a warmer, grittier, sound. The 5 watt setting uses one power tube producing singled-ended Class A amplification, whereas the other two settings produce push/pull Class A/B amplification [1]. This lowers the power, allowing the tube to saturate at lower volumes, producing overdrive. In addition, the 2nd harmonic (an octave above) is not cancelled out, resulting in a richer overtone.

Stiletto

The Stiletto 'Stage I' was released in 2004, and is designed as a British-flavored variant of the Rectifier series. This was in response to musicians using Marshall amplifiers combined with Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. Two models were released; the Deuce, and the Trident. Both come standard with EL34 tubes.

The Deuce is a 100w dual 5U4 rectified quad EL34 powered head. The Trident is the highest output power of the Stiletto line, with a switchable 50w/150w power rating. It has six EL34 power tubes and three 5U4 rectifiers.

As of the 2006 model year, all previous models are generally referred to as 'Stage I' versions, and have been replaced by the new 'Stage II' versions. The Ace is the first of the 'Stage II' series. It is a 50-watt amp that is available in different formats. The 'Stage II' models have several features that were not available in the first series. This features are RE-voiced modes, two new clean modes named Fat and Tite, a Fluid-Drive mode and faster power supply.

Express

The Express line of guitar amplifiers was released in 2007, and has essentially replaced the F-Series in the Mesa Boogie line up. Although not directly descended from the F-Series, these two lines do have some features in common, some of which have been expanded upon in the Express line. This amp uses solid state rectification like the F series.

Bosch esi tronic 2013 q1 keygen. The Express line introduced Mesa's Duo-Class technology. This technology offers the ability to run the power section of the amplifier in either true class A (single-ended) mode, or true class AB (push-pull) mode. This allows the operator to choose between running the amplifier at a reduced power output of 5 Watts (class A), or full power (class AB). When run in 5 Watt (Class A) mode, the power section is operating on only one vacuum tube.

There are two different models offered in the Express line; the 5:25, which has a maximum power output of 25 Watts; and the 5:50 which has a maximum power output of 50 Watts.

The 5:25 operates on two EL84 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 25 Watts. It is available as either a Short Chassis Head (Width 19in), or a 1x10 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one E50 Speaker, and comes with casters included. They also offer a 1x12 (Open Back) Combo unit with one V30 Speaker which offers a bigger sound over the 10' speaker.

The 5:50 operates on two 6L6 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 50 Watts. It is available as a Medium Head (Width 22-7/8in), a Long Head (Width 26-1/4in), a 1x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one C90 Speaker, or a 2x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing two C90 Speakers. Both Combo units come with casters included.

Common features among the models in the Express line are as follows:

• Fixed bias current.
• Five 12AX7 tubes.
• Two fully independent channels with four style modes (channel 1 = Clean or Crunch, channel 2 = Blues or Burn).
• Independent gain, treble, mid, bass, reverb, master and contour controls per channel.
• Footswitchable Variable Contour Control on each channel, which Mesa Boogie says provides the power of their traditional 5-band graphic EQ from one rotary control.
• All tube, long spring reverb.
• All tube FX Loop external switching Jacks for channel 1/2, contour 1, contour 2, reverb.
• Three button footswitch (Channel 1/2, reverb & contour).

TransAtlantic

The TransAtlantic TA-15 was released in 2010. It was designed to compete with other 'lunchbox' amps, such as the Orange Tiny Terror. It is a fifteen watt, two channel amp head with five different voicings, as well as the Duo-Class and Dyna-Watt features, making it switchable down to five watts, or up to twenty-five, changing it between class A, class A/B, or both simultaneously.

Pre-amps

Triaxis

A five-tube preamp built to put all of the Mark series amps into one package. The Triaxis combines the clean tones of the Mark IV and the crunch of the Mark IIc series.

Rectifier Recording PreAmp

The Rectifier Recording PreAmp is a Rectifier model designed for silent recording. It can also be used as the front end of a rack mounted setup.

Bass Amps

Mesa also makes bass amps. Mesa's bass amps are used by numerous professional bassists such as: Les Claypool, Paul McCartney, and Cliff Burton.

The current lineup of Bass Amps includes the simul-state Big Block series, M-Pulse, M9 Carbine, M6 Carbine, and Walkabout. The Big Block models, namely the Big Block 750 and the Titan V12, are powerful MOSFET-based amps that are aimed toward rock and heavy metal musicians because of their overdrive, all-tube preamp, simple control layout and extreme volume. The M-Pulse line includes the M-Pulse 600, the Walkabout, and now-discontinued M-Pulse 360. These amps offer an extremely flexible parametric equalizer as well as a strong, high-headroom clean tone. The Walkabout is a smaller, more portable version of the M-Pulse. All current M-Pulse models are offered in a combo version. The new M6 Carbine amp (formerly named the Fathom) is a basic, more affordable amp that has more of a fast, solid-state feel than the other MOSFET amps, and is geared toward bassists who prefer such an amp.

Mesa's most famous contribution to the bass world stems from its line of all-tube bass amps. The first was the D-180, which ran from 1982 until mid-1985. It utilized six 6L6GC power tubes to deliver 180-200 watts and featured an optional six-band graphic EQ. It also featured cascading-gain input channels for more 'crunch'. Demand for a more powerful amp led to the development of the Bass 400, which replaced the D180 in mid-1985. It used six 6550 power tubes to push out about 250 watts; however, the cascading-gain channels were replaced with two separate hi- and low-gain channels. Mesa's supply of 6550 tubes was cut short in the late 1980s and they were forced to sell the 400 with 6L6GC tubes, reducing its output to that of the D180. The solution came in early 1989 in the form of the Bass 400+. It was the same as the 400 in most respects but was powered via twelve 6L6GC tubes for nearly 360 watts of power. The 400+ was discontinued in November 2007.

What makes Randy Smith's products unique is that he was in the 1970s a dedicated craftsman rather than an instrument salesman out for a quick buck. At the time solid state amplifiers were coming on the market and their sound did not match the sound of tube driven amplifiers. His original idea was that there is a difference between the sound of a tube amp and a solid state one. There is a small delay in the migration of electrons that must navigate the space of a tube while electrons in solid state devices migrate quickly. Thus, in concept the Boogi amp represernted a natural sound while itssolid state counterparts represented an articical or 'plastic' sound.

Discontinued products

In operation since the early 1970s, Mesa Boogie has discontinued a number of products as its product lines and market change. Some of the major discontinued products are described below.

Coliseum Mark Series 300 Amplifier Head

The Series 300 amplifier head was an extremely powerful amplifier head. It came in the Mark IIB, IIC, IIC+, and III configurations.

It possessed up to a blistering 180 watts of power. It was discontinued because of its colossal power making it too powerful for practical usage. However, this amplifier head is very rare and information about it is scarce. Most of these amplifier heads even in poor condition sell for over 1,000 USD. Good condition pieces sell upwards of 7000 USD. Notable users of this amplifier head are Metallica, Prince, and The Rolling Stones.

The head itself can have as many as 8 push and pull knobs with 3 volume knobs, integrated equalizer, reverb, limiter, and a 1/2 power switch that cuts the voltage in half. It utilizes 6 power amplifier tubes. It was mainly designed to play large venues. The sheer loudness of the amp was too much for even a large club. Regardless, these amps remain a coveted piece of Mesa/Boogie history and to this day are extremely rare pieces of equipment.

Quad

The Quad preamp is divided over two channels, the above one is modeled after a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC and the lower channel is based on a Mark III.The preamp uses 8 NOS Tesla E83CC tubes. These were made in the 70's by Telefunken. The whole signalpath of the Quad uses tubes and no opamps like many other preamps such as the Triaxis and the JMP-1.

Mesa/Boogie designer and president Randall Smith: 'The Quad (plus the Simul 295 Stereo power amp) is intended primarily for the concert-touring pro. And the idea is to offer a real alternative to the usual assemblage of two or three (or more) separate amps -usually modified- plus a custom switching system.'

Some sources state that Channel 1 is based upon the IIC, however, according to Mike B. at Mesa Boogie, the IIC and IIC+ circuits are quite different, and the Quad is in fact closest to the IIC+ circuit.

Specification:

• 2 channels, 4 modes (2 rhythm and 2 lead)
• 8x E83CC NOS Tesla preamp tubes (Telefunken production!)
• 2 custom made Accutronics spring reverbs
• Tube driven reverb and stereo fxloop
• 2x 5 band graphic EQ
• 5 EQ shift functions per channel to change the sound
• Hand made in the USA
• on/off jacks for each function

Blue Angel

The Mesa Blue Angel was an offshoot of the Rectifier series. It sported a single channel that thrived with jazzy clean tones, but gave an aggressive sound when turned loud. The amps were available in a head, 1x12, 2x10, and 4x10. The amplifiers featured Mesa's Progressive Linkage technology, enabling the use of two 6V6 power tubes and four EL84 tubes. The amplifiers used a single GZ34 rectifier tube and 5 12AX7s. Interestingly, the Blue Angel's 'Dual Rectification' did not include switching a la the Dual Rectifier, but instead used a GZ34 to supply current to the power tubes, while utilizing solid state rectification for preamp tubes.

Nomad

Ct-shield v2.0. Mesa's Nomad series was produced from1998 until the early 2000s, and were considered a successor to the Caliber series of the 1990s. They boasted three channels with the option of a graphic equalizer on some models. It was sold in 45, 55, and 100 watt variations, and was phased out with the introduction of the F-series

Maverick

The Maverick was a Class-A, channel switching amp available in a 4x10, 2x12 combo, or 1x12 combo format, as well as a 35-watt head. The 1x12 combo was discontinued after about the first half of the production lifetime of the model. The amp was aimed towards country and classic rock players, and was replaced by the Lone Star.

Pre-amplification is done with six 12ax7's divided over two channels, and power amplification is handled by four EL84's in Class A mode.

Formula preamp

The Formula was a rack-mounted preamp. Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci has once used this amplifier in his rig as a clean preamp. While putting out a tone reminiscent of the F series (a tone between the rectifiers and mark series) the preamp has been dismissed by many as being too loose and lacking in punch and gain clarity. There are a few home mod plans out there that apparently improve on the circuitry to make the gain channels more usable.

Mesa Boogie Serial Number Lookup

F-Series

The F-Series debuted in 2002 as the spiritual successors to the early '90s Dual Caliber series. There were 3 sizes, the F30 (30 watts), the F50 (50 watts) and the F100 (100 watts). In 2007 the F-Series was replaced by the Express line of amplifiers.

The smallest amplifier in the series was the F30. Rather than 6L6 tubes, it uses two EL84s in its power section. It was available in a 'shorthead' version or as a 1x12 combo.

The F50 was the most critically acclaimed model, featuring two 6L6 tubes in the power amp and using solid state rectification. It is available as a 'medium head' version, or a 1x12 'widebody' combo. Early 1x12 models shared the same size combo as the F30.

The F100 used a quartet of 6L6s for 100w output, with a 60/100w switch. It was available as a 2x12 combo or in a 'long head' version.

Notable users

References

1. ^ Hunter, Dave. Guitar: A complete guide for the player. ISBN1-57145-561-2
2. ^
   • Ross Vincent of Cedar Street noise complaints
   • Joe Principe of Rise Against
   • Roman Roupec of Acheron
   Mesa/Boogie Artists

tom delonge

External links

• Mesa/Boogie at Harmony Central

The Mesa Boogie Mark Series is a series of guitar amplifier made by Mesa Engineering (more commonly known as 'Mesa/Boogie'). Originally just referred to as 'Boogies,' the product line took on the moniker 'Mark Series' as newer revisions were put into production. The Mark Series amplifier was Mesa's flagship product until the introduction of the Rectifier series, and the amplifiers are very collectable.

Mark I

The very first Mark I was made in 1969, when Smith, as a joke, modified Barry Melton's Fender Princeton amplifier. He removed the standard 10 inch speaker and modified the chassis to fit the larger transformers that were needed by the 4-10 tweed Fender Bassman, the circuit that he had added into the 12 watt Princeton. Finally, mounting a 12 inch JBL D-120, a popular speaker of the time, Smith had created what would be the first Boogie.

Randall Smith took the 'hot-rodded' Princeton into the front store. Coincidentally, Carlos Santana was present and played through the amp. Impressed, Santana told Smith, 'Man, that little amp really boogies!', thus providing the current name for the amplifier and the company.^[1]

The first Boogies are referred to as Mark I's, though they were not given this name until the Mark II was released. They were 60 or 100 watt combo amps with a 12-inch speaker, primarily Altec-Lansing 417-8H Series II. The Mark I had two channels: The 'Input 2' channel, voiced like the Fender Bassman, and the high gain 'Input 1' channel, which produced the overdriven 'Boogie lead' sound used most notably by Carlos Santana on Abraxas, and by The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Ron Wood, who used the amps live and in the studio from 1977 until 1993.

This amp in its original form is very collectable. Reverb was optional, and not present on many early Boogies. Later, Mark I models were available with reverb and/or graphic EQ.

Early models have 'slave out' and 'reverb' labeled on the back with Dymo stick; they do not have any 'pull lead' capabilities on the volume controls. Later models had 'Pull Bright' and 'Pull Boost' on the volume controls. The front panel controls were Volume 1, Volume 2, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Master. These early models are fairly inconsistent, since many of them were 'custom' models, made-to-order for various buyers.

Mesa/Boogie has stated the original and the reissue have a 'looser' lead sound because the first two preamp stages occurs before the tone controls. In the later Mark II and III models, there is only one gain stage before the tone controls. This signal chain is an issue of some dispute among Boogie owners.^{[citation needed]}

S.O.B. (Son of Boogie)

The S.O.B. was introduced in the Mark II era. This was Mesa/Boogie's first attempt at having a reissue of the Mark I. It had 2 inputs and its controls were Volume 1, Volume 2, Master, High, Middle, Low, Limit or Presence (depending on the version).

Mark II

Mark IIA

The Mark II introduced channel footswitching, and wasn't referred to as the 'Mark IIA' until the Mark IIB was issued. It was also available as a head, which could be hooked up to a number of different speaker combinations, although a 1x12 cabinet was the most common. The preamp gain on the Mark IIs occurs after the tone controls and so, according to Mesa/Boogie, the IIA has a 'tighter, more focused sound' than the Mark I.^{[citation needed]} The Mark IIA's control panel was extended from the Mark I's to include a separate master volume control for the lead mode, and various push/pull switches including Pull Bright, Pull Treble Shift, Pull Gain Boost, a separate Pull Bright for the lead mode, and of course, Pull Lead. The 1/4' jack previously marked '1' was changed to just 'Input,' and '2' was changed to 'Foot Switch.' The Mark IIA was a great improvement over the Mark I, however it had a few major flaws that it received criticism for among collectors. The new footswitching system relied on a relay, which made an audible popping noise when switching modes. The reverb circuit was also noise-ridden on some models. The IIA and IIB, and some late-model Mark I amps, used a JFET-based device called 'fetron' in place of the input stage 12AX7 (V1), and included a switch for configuring the amp for either fetron or 12AX7 operation. The reason for using a fetron was to address some of the problems associated with microphonic 12AX7 tubes in a high-gain situation; its use was later discontinued as newer production tubes were able to withstand the extreme conditions within the amplifier.

Mark IIB

The Mark IIB is credited as the first guitar amplifier with a tube-buffered effects loop. However, the loop was placed between two critical gain stages, and tended to overdrive some instrument level effects, and also caused volume pedals to act as remote gain controls for the lead mode. Mesa later implemented a mod that caused the effects loop to become more transparent, and smoothed out the lead channel, similar to the IIC+'s lead channel. More importantly, it marked the introduction of Mesa/Boogie's 'Simul-Class' system, where two of the power tubes (always 6L6s) run in class AB pentode while the other two tubes (either 6L6s or EL34s) run in class A triode. In a simul-class amp, running all four tubes generates approximately 75 watts RMS of power; running only the class A tubes produces about 15 watts. Also available were non-simul-class Mark IIBs in both a 60 watt version and a 100 watt version that allowed shifting down to 60 watts by turning off a pair of power tubes.

The Mark IIB's front control panel is identical to that of the IIA. The two input jacks on the front panel are marked 'Input' and 'Foot Switch.' The front panels read Volume, Treble, Bass, Middle, Master, Lead Drive and Master. It has 'Pull Bright' on the Volume, 'Pull Shift' on the Treble, and 'Pull Bright' on the Master. The Rear control panel was altered to accommodate the FX Send and Return jacks.

Mark IIC & IIC+

The Mark IIC finally remedied the two major problems of the IIA and the IIB, which were the noisy reverb circuit, and a footswitching system that produced a popping noise when activated. The Mark IIC featured a quieter footswitching system based on optocouplers to reroute the signal, and a new mod to the reverb circuit. The reverb modification involved resistor swaps and a change in ground lead placement. That mod[ification] is still on the books of 'official' mods, which they send to their authorized techs; it runs about $50.'^{[citation needed]} Mesa/Boogie no longer does this modification at its own factory. The Mark IIC also featured a new Pull Bass shift on the front panel, which slightly extended the low frequencies in the preamp.

The Mark IIC+ was the last of the Mark II series and featured a more sensitive lead channel, because it features a dual cascading drive stage, whereas the IIA and IIB had a single stage drive circuit. The IIC+ also had an improved effects loop. Unlike earlier Mark II models, pedals configured for instrument-level input signal could be used without the amp's signal overloading their inputs. However, the volume pedal option on the Mark IIB cannot be implemented on Mark IIC+s.

Some owners/dealers/sellers say the '+' refers to an amp having an EQ, but they are mistaken. The mistake may have originated in the mid 1980s, when Mesa/Boogie issued their Studio .22 model and then changed the name to Studio .22+, which featured improved wiring, etc. All the Mark II models could be made with EQ as an option, but not all of them did. A Mark IIC+ could, for example, refer to a 100 watt amp without EQ or reverb.

One can tell if a particular amp is a '+' by looking for a hand-written black '+' mark directly above where the power cord attaches to the back of the amp. Many dealers increase the price on a Mark IIC+ but often don't know anything about what the '+' means--they often don't even know where to find the '+' mark. Indeed, the mark itself can be forged. An owner can call Mesa/Boogie and ask them to check his or her serial number against their records. Mesa/Boogie only made about 1,400 Mark II amps before going to the Mark IIC+. Another surefire way of distinguishing a IIC from a IIC+ is the front panel. A IIC has the traditional 'Gain Boost' pull switch integrated into the master volume, while a IIC+ replaced the switch with a Pull Deep bass booster. Some Coliseum series IIC+'s retained the surplus 'Gain Boost' faceplates, though. IIC+'s upgraded from earlier IIC's also retain their original Gain Boost faceplates.

The Mark IIC+ Is currently the most coveted vintage Boogie, selling for twice its original price on average, because of its much praised 'Liquid Lead' mode, and also, its warm, clean rhythm mode.

Mark III

The Mark III was launched by Mesa/Boogie in 1985. It introduced a third channel, a 'crunch' rhythm sound right in between the rhythm and lead channels. This amp has a dual footswitch system: one footswitch alternates between the current rhythm mode and the lead mode, and the other selects either the clean rhythm mode or the crunch rhythm mode. The two rhythm modes share all of their controls, while the lead mode only shares the rhythm modes' tone stack, featuring independent gain and master volume controls. The physical switch for the crunch rhythm mode was implemented as a push/pull switch above the Middle frequency control.

The Mark III went through multiple revisions, similar to the Mark II. Each revision had a slightly different voicing, but identical functionality. The amplifier had an aggressive voicing, and extreme brightness that is well suited for heavier music.

Black Stripe

These are distinguished by either the absence of a marking, a black dot, or a black marker stripe above the power cord entry. Early Black Stripes retained the same power transformer as the IIC+, which is easily distinguished by its larger physical size than the later-introduced Mark III transformer.

Purple Stripe

The second revision was the 'Purple Stripe' Mark III, which featured a purple marker stripe above the power cord. This amplifier was voiced with a more mellow lead and crunch modes, with slightly reduced gain.

Red Stripe

The third revision was the 'Red Stripe' Mark III which featured a red marker stripe above the power cord. The amplifier had increased gain over the purple stripe, and lead mode circuitry almost identical to the IIC+.

Blue Stripe

The fourth revision was the 'Blue Stripe' Mark III which featured a blue marker stripe above the power cord. The amplifier was voiced so bright, it is considered to be the most aggressive Mark Series Boogie ever introduced. The power amp was also altered to mirror that of the IIC+.

Green Stripe

The final revision was the 'Green Stripe' Mark III, which was only available in a Simul-Class format. It was identical to the Blue Stripe, except for the wiring of the Class A power amp tubes, which were switched to Pentode operation, for a 10W RMS increase over previous Simul-Class amplifiers.

Mesa ultimately ended the Mark III's production in the company's largest marketing failure, since it overlapped with production of its successor, the Mark IV, which was introduced in 1990. Mark III's were still in steady production around 1994, and finally ceased as late as 1997, 11 years after its launch.

Mark IV

The Mark IV was launched by Mesa/Boogie in 1990. It was the state-of-the-art Mesa/Boogie three-channel combo amp, with independent controls for all three channels, except bass and mid, which are the same for both Rhythm 1 (clean) and Rhythm 2 (crunch). There were two versions of this amp. Start of production until about September 1993 Mark IV's are referred to as version A; amplifiers made from late 1993 until the end of production in 2008 are known as version B. Early B's have an attached power cord, like the A version. Some differences: version A has no footswitch for reverb or stereo effects loop, and the lead channel is much like the Mark IIC+'s. Version B has switchable reverb, a single switchable stereo effects loop, and an output to drive another power amp. Its voicings are altered slightly. Both versions are highly regarded; production of the Mark IV ceased in 2008.

Mark V

The Mark V was introduced as the pinnacle of Mark Series innovations in early 2009. Much like its close cousin, the Triaxis Preamp, it features many voicings based on previous Mark Series amplifiers. It has three discrete channels, much like the 3 channel Dual Rectifiers, each with their own three band tone stack, gain, master, and presence controls. Each channel also has three modes, which control several of the amplifier's 49 relays to mirror the circuit it is modeling. Channel 1, or the clean channel features a Clean mode, based on Rhythm 1 of the Mark IV, Fat mode, which is taken from the Lone Star Classic, and Tweed mode, which boosts the gain into medium breakup, much like the amplifiers of its namesake. Channel 2 features Edge, which pays homage to various British circuits, particularly the Vox AC30, and Marshall JTM, Crunch, which is a lower-gain, looser version of the IIC+'s lead mode, and Mark 1 which is an exact replication of the original amplifier's Input 1 circuitry. Channel 3 includes the IIC+ mode, which is a faithful recreation of the elusive 'Liquid Lead' tone, the IV mode, which is a Mark IV with the presence shift pulled out, and Extreme, which is a Mark IV with the presence shift pushed in.

The Mark V introduces for the first time, a channel-assignable graphic EQ. Older Boogies were equipped with graphic equalizers, but did not allow the flexibility that the Mark V's does. Each channel has a toggle switch able to select between active, off, or footswitched. Similar to the Express, and F-series amplifiers, the graphic EQ also features channel-assignable contour knobs.

The Mark V, similar to its predecessor, comes standard in a Simul-class format, but with a twist. Early Simul-class power amps were configured for SC-75 watt operation, or A-15 watt operation, or an increase of 10 watts when in pentode mode. The Mark V is biased warmer to produce an output of SC-90 watts, A-45 watts, and Single-Ended 10 watts, similar to the Lone Star. Channel specific multi-watt toggles dictate the power amplifier's operation class.

Additional features include Recto-Tracking, with the included 5U4G dual diode, three discreet reverb level knobs for each channel, a Pentode-Triode switch for Simul-Class operation, a variac Power option (identical to the Rectifier's Bold/Spongy switch), output and solo controls, and a new 8-button footswitch. Many complaints have arisen regarding the exclusion of an in-built MIDI interface, which is also absent on many of Mesa's high-end products, with the exception of the Triaxis Preamp.

Since it's release, the Mark V has become a highly successful high end amplifier.

Notable guitarists that use or have used Mark V amplifiers live or in the recording studio include John Petrucci, Mark Morton, Steve Lukather, Myles Kennedy, and Tony Rombola.

References

1. ^ Hunter, Dave. Guitar: A complete guide for the player. ISBN 1-57145-561-2

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