3rd Version 3/24/97
(c)1995, 1997 by Jeff Makos, All Rights Reserved
Hello, friends. I am a Mesa/Boogie fan and have owned at various times an original Mark I, a Studio .22+, a Mark IIC (that was modded to IIC+ status in 1995 by Mike Bendinelli at Mesa), a Mark IIC+ and a Mark IV. In the course of reading about Boogie, I saw that there was no one place I could go where I would get a detailed look at the various Boogie models. So, I wrote this. It is not complete, but I update it as I get more info.
Feel free to e-mail me at morsemakos@aol.com with your comments, suggestions and corrections.
Thanks to John Saylor, Director of the Engineering Library at Cornell University and fellow Frank Zappa fan) this history is also archived at: http://www.englib.cornell.edu/jms/boogie/history.html
I will be sending updated copy to Randall Smith at Mesa Engineering for his dining and dancing pleasure.
Enjoy!
The fine people at Mesa Engineering can help you date your amp if you give them your serial number (from back panel of amp), provided they have the right records. Their records for the Mark II, III and IV are great, but may not be complete for the Mark I - although they are very good. Call Mesa/Boogie at (707) 778-6565.
The thing to remember is that Mesa/Boogie has, can and will customize and retrofit just about anything for the customer. So, the presence or absence of options such as reverb, "simul-class," 60/100 watt capability and EQ-as well as cabinets and speakers-may not always be the best way to date your amp.
The Mark I refers to the first Boogies ever made - although they were not called "Mark I" until the Mark II came along. They were 100 or 60 watts combo amps with a 12-inch speaker, primarily Altec-Lansing or EVM. The Mark I had two channels: one clean, voiced somewhat similar to old Fender, called "Input 2," and one "high gain," called "Input 1," which produced the overdriven "Boogie lead" sound used most notably by Carlos Santana on the "Abraxas" album and after.
This amp in its original form is very collectable, but does not have footswitching capabilities - you plug in one or the other input for the two tones. Reverb was optional and a lot of early Boogies didn't have reverb. Later, you could get a Mark I 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 Mark Is had "Pull Bright" and "Pull Boost" on the volume controls. The front panel controls were Volume 1, Volume 2, Treble, Middle, Bass and Master.
The early models are fairly inconsistent, since many of them were "custom" models, made-to-order for various buyers. Some sound cleaner, some don't.
Boogie has reissued the Mark I with some subtle differences - check their catalog, or call Mesa/Boogie at (707) 778-6565 to order one for $2 if you don't have one. A staff person at Mesa/Boogie has stated to me that both the original and the reissue have a "looser" lead sound since the first two preamp stages occurs before the tone controls. In the various 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.
Note: Original Mark Is are hard to find and expensive (and often modified if you do find one), but very collectable. While the Mark I varies in sound quality, the Mark I reissue is very consistent from amp to amp.
The Mark II introduced channel footswitching, so you could go from rhythm to lead. It also wasn't referred to as the "Mark IIA" until the Mark IIB was issued. You could also get a separate head for this model, which could be hooked up to a number of different speaker combinations, although a 1x12 cabinet was typical. However, the reverb circuit is considered noisy and the footswitching made a popping sound when used; both of these features were later improved on the Mark IIC - see below. As noted above, the preamp gain on the Mark IIs occurs after the tone controls. A Mesa/Boogie person has stated to me that the IIA has a "tighter, more focused sound" than the Mark I. The clean channel on this is very nice, but some argue that EQ is needed on the lead channel to be able to dial the midrange out in order to get something other than the "Santana" tone.
The IIA and IIB, and some late-model Mark I amps used a silicon device called "fetron" in place of one of the 12AX7 preamp tubes, 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; somehow, Boogie users didn't care too much for the fetron, so its use was later discontinued.
The Mark IIB introduced an effects loop and an expanded control panel, featuring both a lead drive and a lead master dial. More importantly, it marked the introduction of Mesa'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. If you have a simul-class amp, running all four tubes generates approximately 75 watts RMS of power, while running only the class A tubes produces about 15 watts. You could also get a non-simul-class Mark IIB in a 100 watt model, which allowed to shift down to 60 watts by turning off a pair of power tubes.
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.
William G. Sacks has written, "A cool and little-known option with the Mark IIB (or original Mark II): while the effects loop isn't worth much as such, you can run the output of a volume pedal (without your guitar being plugged into its input) into the 'return' jack, and get on-the-fly preamp gain control! This is a feature that very few tube amps have ever had, even inadvertently - it uses the pot in the volume pedal as a passive limiting device, such that when the pedal is 'wide open,' it allows the preamp tubes' full voltage to pass into the power section. As the pedal is backed off, it decreases the amount of preamp signal allowed through the 'loop,' cleaning up the sound. One of my best friends sets his clean channel's preamp to 9 and uses an Ernie Ball pedal to vary the overall tone. Oh, I wish we could convince Mesa to make this a regular option on their new models..."
Note: Lots of players are buying up old Mark II and Mark IIB amps for their clean channels because, Sacks again here, "the subtle break-up you can get from that channel with its preamp volume dimed is very, very nice." A Mesa/Boogie staff person has stated to me that the Mark IIB lead sound is "bold and punchy." But it is the next model, the Mark IIC (see below), that is considered to have the best clean and lead tones of all the Boogies to date.
The Mark IIC and IIC+ are gaining reputations in vintage circles as the best Boogies, next to the classic Mark I, due to their much-praised rhythm channels, and to a lesser degree their lead channels.
The Mark IIC featured a quieter footswitching system and a new mod to the reverb circuit. Sacks again: "The reverb was noise-ridden on the Mark II, a problem which persisted with some IIB models as well. The solution Mesa came up with involved resistor swaps and a change in ground lead placement. That mod is still on the books of 'official' mods, which they send to their authorized techs; it runs about $50." Nowadays, Mesa/Boogie no longer does this mod at its own factory.
The Mark IIC+ was the last of the Mark II series and featured a more sensitive (i.e. useful) lead channel and, more importantly, an improved circuitry in the effects loop. Unlike earlier Mark II models, pedals could be used without the amp's signal overloading their inputs. However, the volume pedal option on the Mark IIB discussed above by Sacks cannot be implemented on Mark IIC+s.
Some owners/dealers/sellers often say the "+" refers to an amp having an EQ, but they are mistaken. The mistake originates, I believe, because in the mid 1980s Mesa 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.
You 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. Be aware that many vintage dealers jack up 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, so let the buyer beware. But, you can call Mesa/Boogie and ask them to check your serial number against their records. Mesa/Boogie only made about 1,400 Mark II amps before going to the Mark IIC+.
A staff person at Mesa/Boogie has told me that they can upgrade any Mark IIC to a IIC+ specs for about $200, but they have also stated that a mod to a "+" can change an amps' tone - I don't know how different the sound is between a Mark IIC and a Mark IIC+. Another staff person has stated that the Mark IIC lead sound is "harsh" while the IIC+ is "smooth." Mike Bendinelli, head tech at Mesa/Boogie, feels that the IIC+ is a huge improvement over the IIC, which he calls a "C minus". And Dave Goodman at Mesa told me that after getting an amp changed to IIC+ status, "You will never need another amp again." Pretty cool... but if you like the sound of your IIC, be careful about upgrading.
Gil Ayan writes, "(here are some) tips on determining what Mark II you have: 1. Plastic knobs with silverdomes --> Mark IIB (JR Elswick clarifies: 'In case the dome idea leads to some confusion, the knobs on my IIB are black plastic with inset silvery 'tops' which are concave and conical.') 2. Solid plastic knobs with a 'Pull Shift' of the bass knob --> IIC 3. A '+' above the power cord and initials below it, typically 'MB' (no, not Mesa Boogie but Mike Bendinelli) --> IIC+." "To further validate the IIC+ claim, look for the serial number. It has to be between 11XXX and 14XXX and the date on the underside of the chassis has to be 1983-1985." "Last but not least, it has to sound fucking good!"
Note: The Mark IIC with simul-class & EQ, plus or minus the "+", is now considered very collectable, since the Mark IIC models are widely considered to have the best rhythm tone of all Boogies. The price on these seem to be steadily going up. Also, I have heard that Mark I and II models sound less "Marshall"-y than the Mark III and Mark IV. But this, like many things related to Boogies, is a matter of opinion.
The S.O.B. was introduced sometime during the Mark II era. This was Mesa'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. The "Limit" seems to give distortion to the amp while maintaining the volume. It wasn't really a Mark I, however, and it does not have a great reputation.
The Mark III introduced a third channel - a "crunch" rhythm sound right in between the rhythm and lead channels. This amp has a two-footswitch system; one footswitches 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. There seems to be some dispute over the sound quality of this amp.
Robyn Landers writes, "I wanted the Mark III to be the all-in-one amp, that would really live up to the Fender-clean/Marshall-crunch/Boogie-lead hype. It did not. Each of the three channels could sound pretty good, but not all at the same time. If you dial in a great clean sound, the crunch and leads are screwed up. If you dial in a great lead sound, the clean sound sucks, and so on. To get all three channels working so that you can switch among them for live use, a lot of compromising is made and none of them is at its best. Also it was a pretty loud amp, even at its class A setting."
Guy Matricciani writes, "I have a simul-class Mark III head (short head) that sounds more like any of my 3 Marshalls than any other Boogie, especially with EL-34s in class A. The sound quality of this amp is world class... period. On the crunch channel, it gets a really sweet tone, yet still has the monster crunch sound of a Marshall. The lead channel is the best..... You can crank up the gain and this boy just sustains all day, and the notes flow when playing fast riffs. They don't disconnect like on some amps. The tone of this lead channel is also the best. You can get a really sweet sound, sort of that wah tone, and yet you can shred and the notes come out well defined despite having gobs of gain."
The Mark III can be modded to provide a master volume for the crunch channel. Gil Ayan writes: "The problems are: if you have a small chassis head or a combo, there's really nowhere to stick the damned pot, unless you want to drill a hole at an odd place, but also, to me, it only makes a lousy sound either soft or loud. Since the amount of gain going into the crunch channel is determined by the gain of the clean rhythm channel, you will always have to compromise in that amp, maybe not on volume, but certainly on sound." Ayan also writes that the Mesa/Bogie factory can do a mod that gives "a correct (to my ears) volume on the crunch channel;" early Mark IIIs experience a severe volume loss when switching to the crunch mode.
The Mark IV is the state-of-the-art Mesa/Boogie three-channel combo amp, and has so much stuff on & in it that I can't begin to mention it all. Most important is the independent controls for all three channels - except bass & treble, which are the same for both Rhythm 1 (clean) and Rhythm 2 (crunch). This is considered a mistake by almost everyone who has played one, although people who use them seem to have the same settings for Rhythms 1 and 2 anyway. I think the idea behind the complaint is that "there are 92 switches on the thing... why not have two more?"
Ask Mesa/Boogie for the name of authorized dealers in town, since not everyone carries them - mostly because Mesa doesn't discount their products. You can also order directly from the factory, but I believe this is a "try it before you buy it" amp - great, but not for everyone.
Some folks have told me that the Mark IV lead tone is more like a Marshall than an older Boogie, but I have also been told that the Mark IV can reproduce the older Boogie "high-gain" lead sound as well as get close to an old Marshall sound. I don't know about the Marshall sound, but the Rhythm 1 and Lead modes do not sound at all like the Mark I reissue. This amp has its own sound, so you need to check it out. It is also true that you have to search a bit for the right tone on a Boogie, so always keep a pen and some paper nearby to take notes on your settings. The Lead sound does not sound like a vintage Mark IIC+. The Mark IIC+ sound is "looser" and the Mark IV is "tighter." You really have to A/B the two amps to hear the difference.
Having said that, I think the Rhythm II sound can get a lot closer to the Mark I than Mark I/II fans admit. The trick to the Mark IV, in my opinion, is that you must set the Rhythm II first and then figure out how much of the Rhythm I sound you can get based on your settings - or vice versa. Also, this amp sounds great at high volumes or live settings; at in-between volumes is loses some of its tone qualities; at low volumes, you can get it sounding really great. (Personally, I am of the opinion that this is the world's greatest practice amp). You have to work at/with this amp, it is not a "plug and play" instrument.
Gil Ayan, Michael K. Bradley, JR Elswick, Bret Dennis, Mauricio Gobbi, Robyn Landers, William G. Sacks, the Boogie-Talk group, and all the folks at Mesa Engineering.
©1997-99 Gil Ayan
All Rights Reserved