caucajun
Well-known member
i see that 1991 is the majik border..........what changed? if one iz better....then, why?
+1. The older Marks (with simpler signal path) have an unbeatable feel and dynamic. The newer amps provide more versatility and flexibility, but the more complex signal path sacrifices some of that classic Boogie feel IMO. As has been noted here, it's a matter of personal preference.zebpedersen said:In the 'vintage (before 1991)' forum you're not going to get a very good spread of answers necessarily
Still, it depends what mood you're in. They're all awesome (Mark series, that is). Probably for amps other than the Mark series you will get a better selection post-91. But it's entirely down to personal opinion.
Restless Rocks said:The newer amps are chock full of relays and FET's in the switching matrix's which are known to be noisey and problematic.(popping noise when switching channels) Although from a manufacturing point of veiw it holds the cost of the product down considerably. I much prefer the good old expensive LDR's (not seen much since the Mark IV) because they are quiet and reliable
Restless Rocks said:The newer amps are chock full of relays and FET's in the switching matrix's which are known to be noisey and problematic.(popping noise when switching channels) Although from a manufacturing point of veiw it holds the cost of the product down considerably. I much prefer the good old expensive LDR's (not seen much since the Mark IV) because they are quiet and reliable
Monsta-Tone said:Restless Rocks said:The newer amps are chock full of relays and FET's in the switching matrix's which are known to be noisey and problematic.(popping noise when switching channels) Although from a manufacturing point of veiw it holds the cost of the product down considerably. I much prefer the good old expensive LDR's (not seen much since the Mark IV) because they are quiet and reliable
I have to agree with this to a certain extent! I love the features that some of the newer amps have, especially the Solo Boost, but at what expense?
I've had 2 Lonestars & a Roadster. While I thought they were great amps, The 'Recto-Tracking' and the Reverb delay when switching channels is bullshit!
Recto-Tracking = Mesa deciding when I should use my Rectifier tube. The spiel that I got was that there were numerous failures of Rectifier tubes because they could not handle the current draw of the amp when the amp was set to full power. I have repaired hundreds of Mesa amps and never seen this problem!
If I want 100 watts with the Rectifier setting, that is what I want. Not some engineer's or marketing guy's opinion!
The Reverb delay when channel switching is not that noticable in a live setting. But....I have 3 small kids. A live setting won't happen for me for another few years. It is unacceptable to me that there is a delay when changing channels, popping when changing channels, or the Reverb cutting out when changing channels.
And......I simply feel that with the added features and channels, there is far too much going on in the amp. I don't think that my signal path should use the same tubes for all channels and simply switch in different components. I fully understand that this is a cost cutting measure, but I like my older amps because I can change tubes for each channel individually to achieve any kind of tone I am looking for.
For these reasons, and a few others, I choose older Mesa amps. The simple fact that I spent over $4,000 and was not satisfied is tragic. It makes me think that marketing is winning and proper engineering is falling behind in the game.
That being said, I like the Heartbreaker, Maverick, Blue Angel, Nomad (sort of), & DC's. I've owned just about every model that Mesa has made, with the exception of the oldest and a few of the newer ones. I've had 2 Mark IV's that have had very few issues, channel switching was not on the list.
Now that I'm done ranting (It's Saturday and I'm not coffee-d up yet :lol: ) I will say that the Electro-Dyne looks interesting. I'm not interested in the Stilleto series, or any of the current Recto series. The Mark V looks really cool, but I don't want an amp that I have to tweak and the Mark IV's really probably ruined that for me.
The current (who am I kidding, it's been bad for quite a while) economy is killing me financially, so I will stick to buying the underdog Mesa amps and souping them up! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
UltraGary said:...but the real answer to your question is: Whichever one sounds the best to you.
dodger916 said:+1. The older Marks (with simpler signal path) have an unbeatable feel and dynamic. The newer amps provide more versatility and flexibility, but the more complex signal path sacrifices some of that classic Boogie feel IMO. As has been noted here, it's a matter of personal preference.zebpedersen said:In the 'vintage (before 1991)' forum you're not going to get a very good spread of answers necessarily
Still, it depends what mood you're in. They're all awesome (Mark series, that is). Probably for amps other than the Mark series you will get a better selection post-91. But it's entirely down to personal opinion.
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