Mesa Boogie/Cabs

GonePhishing46 · January 28, 2010, 09:59:47 AM

Anybody know what stripe Trey's Boogie is? I assume purple stripe for some reason. Also, seeing if anyone knows what tubes. I remember reading somewhere that they're Sovtek 5881s, but I don't know. Lastly, are his old wooden cabs made of Baltic Birch or Pine or anyone know? Appreciate any help.. I'm currently upgrading to some new gear.

Walker done done · January 28, 2010, 11:23:41 AM

Although I can't answer your question, I am also very interested in learning anything more I can about the Mark III's. I recently purchased one on a whim because I just happened to walk into a local pawn shop-type guitar store here in Portland, and for $850 I figured even if I didn't like it, I'd be able to flip it for at least that. Reminded me of an impulse buy when you're standing in line at the grocery store and look down and see that shiny package of Reece Cups staring at you.

So far though, I don't like it, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel with it just yet. I figure I should try to do as much tweaking to get it to something I can enjoy before I decide if it's not for me.

This Mark III had all original everything - including EL34's & 6L6's from Mesa, as well as the original speaker. It is a green stripe model, which I believe is the last of the Mark III's.

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I had a preamp tube replaced that was bunk, and replaced both 6L6's with Groove Tubes, and also replaced the EL34's (can't remember right now what I threw in there).

I was going to replace the speaker, but the amp tech who I had take a look at it said not to, because this speaker was made specifically for this amp, by Mesa. He said it had no color of it's own, that it was basically designed to give you exactly what the amp itself sounded like. Although I appreciate this advice, I'm still not sold on it. To me, the amp sounds lifeless, to be honest. Powerful, yes, but lifeless. I mean seriously, my HotRod Delux sounds like it's got more running through it's veins than this Mark III has. My hollowbody doesn't ring or sing nearly as nicely through the Mark III as it does through the HRD, and I can't figure out why. I'm tempted to rip my Tone Tubby out of my HRD and toss it in the Mark III to see if it makes a difference, but the labor of doing so has held me back thus far.

I've also started using the effects loop that it has built in, but I've noticed I get quite a bit of sag in power/volume when I've got somethnig plugged into those jacks than when they are not in use, which I find odd, not to mention extrememly annoying. Is this normal? I'll be honest I don't have much experience with effects loops/switcher systems and the like, but I know with my HRD there is none of that going on when I use the effects loop. For reference, in the effects loop has been: delay (either TC Nova delay or DM2000) > Digitech RPM-1 (leslie sim) > Alesis Microverb. I've also toyed with putting the Whammy (currently have both the II and IV) in there.

So I've been wondering - what else can I do to tinker with this amp to shape it better? I don't plan on spending $400 a piece on tubes, either, as I just don't see that as a wise investment, but if that's shortsighted on my end, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any/all reco's.

GonePhishing46 · January 28, 2010, 04:38:08 PM

I just want to build some cabs as a project. I need a new one and wanted to know some good wood choices. I have some free time right now so I thought it would be fun to build one myself.

cactuskeeb · January 29, 2010, 09:51:33 AM

Definitely, definitely, do your homework on this. It's not as easy as it may seem.

Walker done done · January 29, 2010, 10:25:17 AM

Quote from: posternutbag on January 28, 2010, 12:49:13 PM
There is a million and one mods for a tube amp.

But if you dont like the way it sounds to start with, your better off selling it, and getting another amp.

Because the breakup will never change. Sure you can make it breakup sooner, or later, but really your talking about variations of the same thing.

Expensive tubes are over rated and over priced.

Id argue that if you could afford to, just wrap it in a plastic garbage bag, tape it up, and keep it in the back of your closet.

By the time your kid wants to go to summer camp, flip that fucker on ebay in a few years for a killer profit.

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RE: the languedoc cabinets, id argue that any properly made closed back, dove tail jointed cabinet, made of either pine or birtch, would nail it right on the head. Why you would want to clone those cabs though? I have no idea. Sounds like a Jackson sneed move

If youve got any money, go to hardtruckers, and get a real cabinet

Well, it's not the breakup that I'm taking issue with (at least not yet).

Anyone got anything else? How 'bout you 'Keeb? Any insight?

GonePhishing46 · January 29, 2010, 11:50:58 AM

Walker, this doesn't really address your problem, but I've read that some people wire a R2 Master Volume knob on the back of the amp where the Direct "Slave" knob is. I haven't read into how to do it yet, but it's supposed to be pretty useful if you never use the direct out.

cactuskeeb · January 30, 2010, 02:14:29 AM

Walker done done,
I have to concur with your boogie experience; I've had two of them in the past (a mark IIc and a mark III) and both of them sounded lifeless. And adding something to the effects loop only exacerbated the problem. My theory is Trey tried dozens of boogies before settling on the ones (two of them now) he liked, then had them overhauled by the best amp tech(s) in the biz.

EDIT: It's worth pointing out as well that the likelihood that Trey used the same boogie head for any length of time is slim to none. In other words, the boogies he's using now mos def do not include any one of the numerous he had to have gone through in the late eighties/early nineties.

Walker done done · February 01, 2010, 11:16:26 AM

So you don't think tossing a different speaker in there will help? I'm sure the obvious answer is "go ahead and try", but I hear an underlying tone of "chances are it won't". Ah well. We'll see how she goes a little longer.

cactuskeeb · February 01, 2010, 01:38:49 PM

Quote from: Walker done done on February 01, 2010, 11:16:26 AM
So you don't think tossing a different speaker in there will help? I'm sure the obvious answer is "go ahead and try", but I hear an underlying tone of "chances are it won't". Ah well. We'll see how she goes a little longer.

The reason why your hot-rod sounds better is that it has been specifically voiced to sound a certain way--it was engineered to have a specific tonal flavor, so that when someone walks into a music store and plugs into one, it has an appealing "character" right off the bat. The Mark III is a totally different thing, altogether: it has no pre-dialed in tonal character of its own (other than a slight mid-range hump); thus, anything to do TO the amp (like the tubes you put in there, the speaker [put your tone tubby in there...why not?], the front panel settings, etc.) is going to define it's character. It is very much like a deluxe reverb, in this sense.

GDCSH-1 · June 21, 2010, 08:07:27 PM

What speakers are loaded in the HT cab ?

raisingfreen · June 21, 2010, 10:50:39 PM

Walker, this stuff is going to drive you nuts. When your ready and have approx $120 laying around, take the amp to the guy AO mentioned in SOPO. He completely rewired (the twisted ones) the inside of my old deluxe reverb and didn't even charge me for it. He did charge me for some minor fixes and some caps and labor... It just bothered him so he fixed it! It was night and day. Just give him 2 weeks to play with it and then he will call you. It will either be great (to you) or you at that point it will be in tip top shape for someone else to buy. Sometimes this tube amp mod/tone stuff can be so confusing that the answer is so simple its hard to understand. It may very well me something extremely simple internally. There is a science to the travel path of the signal and if something is off and or slightly blocked, stuffed up etc... (while it may work) it just wont sound good.

That said, I will give you 850 Reece Cups for it if all else fails.

BTW, one piece of advice that I had never heard of was to never use the metal tube covers in the preamp section. (take them off) They actually work against the way the tube signal is supposed to flow. This fact is also documented in the fender tube amp book.