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I read that Mark Whitfield played through a Mark III was wondering if anyone had any experiences with one? I love the clarity of his tone . Currently I use a Henriksen jazz amp and a Fender Prosonic…
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07-03-2025 09:24 PM
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I’ e a couple different Mk 3 Boogies over the years. The Green Stripe version had the most Clean Headroom of the Blue,Red,Green Stripe versions. They are quite heavy in weight due to large transformers. Also I always opted for the 100 watt version vs Simul Class or 60 watt versions,just for more Clean Headroom.
While they can be wonderful amps,I think if Clean is what you are after,there are better choices in that regards. I think some other boutique builders that just offer a single channel might be a better choice. Two Rock,Dumble Steel Stringer, Red Plate?
For me I w t with Quilter years ago and have never been happier.
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I used to have a Mk III red stripe in my metal days. It was a cool amp, but I didn't like the way the gain channel sounded under a mic, and I traded it for a Mk IV which I still have.
The Mark amps are incredibly versatile. I can get plenty of usable jazz sounds out of my Mark IV. I wasn't playing a ton of jazz on the Mk III but the cleans sounded good. With the combination of the fender style tone stack in front of the preamp and then the graphic eq you can dial in pretty much whatever you're looking for. The key is that sometimes these amps take some time to really dial in, it's a bit of option paralysis.
Another thing to consider is that the reverbs can be hit or miss. Half the magic of a black panel deluxe is the way the reverb interacts with the amp. The reverb in old Mark amps is faulty and often doesn't work, and even when it does it's not as good as a fender reverb imo.
But overall the Mk III is a really cool amp, and is definitely capable of good jazz tone.
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I played one for years. Then, it seemed to gain weight. Too heavy now.
It sounded awesome. Got a great clean tone for jazz and could give the Santana sound. Built like a tank.
One thing to be aware of. The controls are interactive. Say, the room fills up at a gig and you need more treble. Prepare to adjust more than one knob. When you get it dialed in, it's incredible.
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The Mesa Boogie California Tweed is a very clean.
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I’ve had several Boogies since I got my first one almost 50 years ago. For me, the Marks got progressively more complicated and less appropriate for general jazz, blues, and pop gigs. The first gen (now known as the Mark 1) remains the best all around amp I’ve ever used for any music. A Mk 3 has the same clean tone (if you can find it with all of the knobs, sliders, and switches). Keep in mind that I’m referring to originals here. I think most of the new Marks are switchable between 75W Simulclass and 25W class A. But the current Mk 1 reissue is still the same 60W (2 output tubes active) / 100W (4 output tubes active) class A/B format as the original and sounds the same to me. It also has the original normal / “tweed” switch that reduces operating voltages for a lower power brown sound with sag. In the “tweed” position, you can roll tubes for the exact sound you want - 6V6s, EL34s, etc. The versatility is unmatched in other amps, and no rebiasing is needed.
Unless you really need foot-switching between channels and the almost unlimited adjustability of the later Marks (starting with the 3), I highly recommend a Mark 1 “hunree” (100W, reverb), which is switchable between 60 & 100W on the front panel. I used an original (ie before they were Mark 1s) loaded with an EVM for over 30 years, and I’d still have it if I was still willing to drag 65 pounds around. You have to move your cable’s plug between input 1 (classic Boogie high gain) and input 2 (clean) or use an external switching pedal. But I almost never changed on a gig because clean did jazz and high gain did most pop, blues, and commercial dates.
Even the simpler Mk 1 has interactive tone controls (with optional graphic EQ IIRC plus BMT pots). So you can’t just add a little high, mid, or low without having to adjust more than one knob or slider. The clean tone (input 2) can be dialed into pretty much any jazz sound you want - but you have to set every control precisely to get the same sound every time you’ve changed it. Low bass is a tiny bit tighter than a Twin, but it’s every bit as big and weighty. Input 1 uses cascading gain controls that can be dialed way back for most pop and commercial sounds or up for seriously smooth O/D. I stayed in input 1 for non-jazz gigs and reached down to dial volume 1 up when a tune called for more crunch or punch.
The Mark 2C+ was the best & simplest of the next gen, which had 2 separate foot-switchable channels with independent sets of controls but the same single set of 5 band graphic EQ sliders as the Mk 1. It sounds great, but it’s already far too complex for my needs or taste. YMMV, but I don’t think most of us would ever use 99% of the possible settings. That goes double for the 3.
Especially if jazz is your thing, I’d get a Mk 1 - and the reissues are as good as the originals (at least they were before Gibson - I’ve never used a Gibson era Boogie). Everybody needs a Boogie!Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 07-04-2025 at 08:21 AM.
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"Everybody needs a Boogie!". Except the Studio 22, because they breakup far too early for Jazz.
Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Yes, the Mk1 Boogie has a legendary sound.
Great info.
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+1 Own the 20 watt 10" Speaker version. My every day amp.
Originally Posted by Freddels
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Originally Posted by BreckerFan
Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Well, I see my work is already done here...
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Best I ever heard my Mark III was at a gig in a high school gym and I was able to really turn it UP. I remember it sort of being a little fickle depending on the bar we played. Today it would have way too many knobs for me. Sold it decades ago and got a Fender Deluxe. Probably bought 15 amps over the years since. Currently loving my Victoria Club Deluxe. Simple yet sublime.
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Awesome tone. Be sure to have a two-wheel cart handy.
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incredibly heavy.
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They're beasts. Originally Posted by spencer096
One thing that can help a little is changing the speaker. The stock speaker is an EV, which sounds great, but weighs nearly 20 lbs by itself. The EV voicing is part of the sound, but their are some Jensen neodymium speakers that are similar. Brings the weight down from like 65 lbs to a still he but more manageable 50ish lbs.
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I would definitely try to play one first. Huge iron, beefy power supply = a feel.
Whether or not that feel works for YOU playing jazz... that's something you'll have to discover for yourself. Having played similar designs, give me a super reverb or even a polytone any day.
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I just recently had my '91 Mark IVa overhauled (at over $700) and it just sounds fantastic for everything. Country picking on a Tele, jazz on a 175, and everything else just sounds sooo good. I grabbed a TM Twin Reverb last year as well so now I don't have to lift it anymore
But as others have said, they are great sounding amps but with a bit of a learning curve. I haven't checked but I would bet there are Youtube tutorials that could get you pretty close to up to speed on that count as well.
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They’re great amps! High clean headroom and very dynamic. I would say they’re more revealing than a Fender clean as they are generally less compressed feeling. I’ve owned two IIC+s, a III Blue Stripe, and currently have a III Red Stripe and it’s my favorite of the bunch. It’s just a little more raw and open.
Overall though, the Mark sound is more similar than it is different between all of the models. You can get them all sounding pretty close to each other. The cab and speaker will make more a difference than II vs III vs IV / Red vs Green etc.
They also do a great smooth low gain Dumble thing if you want that sound as well!
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