Quad vs. Mark IIc+ vs. Mark III who has compared them?

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Jackel

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Hi, I was just wondering how close does the Quad preamp come to the actual Mark IIc+ and the Mark III ?


The first channel of the Quad is a suppose to be according to Mike B.
in fact closer to the Mark IIc+ than the mark IIc preamp as implied.

And channel 2 is suppose to be the preamp stage from a Mark III
(black strip or no stripe version?)

But has anyone tried this experiment take an actual Mark IIc+ and set it up for maximum gain/distortion then play through it listen and compare the sound to the Quad preamp on channel 1's lead mode set the controls the same way on the Quad preamp for maximum distortion and hook up the Quad preamp through the Mark IIc+'s effects loop into the return jack so your only using the IIc+ as a power amp and the Quad as a preamp?

Then repeat the above process with an actual Mark III amp and test it the same way?

Does the Quad have the same amount of gain as a actual Mark IIc+ when using channel one's lead mode and the same amount of gain as a actual Mark III on channel two lead mode?

Also does the Quad have the same tone and balls of those amps

I have heard its weaker and has less gain than the respected amps it's modeled after.

Has anyone had a chance to compare them?

Thanx, Jackel
 
I know it’s more than 10 years, but I think it could be an important info for someone else too in the future!

I happen to have a MkIII Blue Stripe and a Quad Preamp too! I have listened hours and hours of footage, because I wanted to have a IIC+, but it is really rare and even more expensive in the EU, so I wanted to get as close as possible with limited budget. Back in the day, the JP2C did not even exist and Mk V had too thin in sound (my opionion changed a lot about the Mk V since then) so I was heistating between the Studio and the Quad Preamp. What made going for the Quad was Dream Theatre’s Images and Worlds album, the tone on Pull Me Under fooled me, I instantly thought, that is a C+ for sure! Surprisingly Petrucci revealed in a video, he used a Quad Preamp for that record, so I have read a bit more about the Quad and bought it, and oh boy! It has the same juice, same attack, same amount and style of gain, it is the best option for having a ‘budget’ IIC+!

The Mk III has less amount of gain, less attack, more percussive, more focused sound, depending on the version You buy, but even for the most agressive ones (Blue, Red) my statement holds.

I happen to have some footage about the Mk III and the Quad slaved into a Dual Rectifier’s Poweramp section! Crappy phone stuff, but the characteristics can be identified easily! ;)
 
I have a Quad and a mkiii blue stripe... sorry to muddy the waters but ide say the mkiii has more gain and a more aggressive voice... the Quads channel 1 is really nice and full yet super tight... but I would say its undergained if you want metallica... its the right tone but lacks the gain... channel 2 has the gain but its not quite the same voicing (its still very close)... problem with channel 2 is the overall volume is half that of ch 1 so while its got lots of gain it sounds somewhat weaker even if you turn your power amp up... dont buy a Quad if you're wanting a 4 ch amp... it can do 1 great tone per channel if you're wanting 1 of those sounds to be high gain... clean, crunch and mid gain rock yes it can do 4 or more (with GEQ) great tones at once... i also think the GEQ on the Quad has less effect than the GEQ on the mkiii... i need a parametric eq with my Quad to get more extreme EQ settings.
 
I just bought a Quad. Mine has the gain! It is in like new condition with the original tubes and sounds great. I have the master volume on ch.1 at 1.5 and the master at 9 on ch.2. It also has fizz, low end chug fizz, more than I like so I emailed Mike B. at MB to see if there will be a time in the future to have him take care of those things for me, But my quad has plenty of gain and I know gain, that is all I'm about. Clean sound? I can use most anything for that tone, but gain, yeah my quad has gobs of gain.
 
My Quad has MILES of gain! More than my MkIII no stripe, which is no slouch. Mine gets extra aggression by having the 2:90 in Modern mode and is savage. I couldn't imagine ever needing more gain for '80s Thrash, which is the most extreme music I play. More saturation beyond the deep end of that is not heavier or better IMO, just more buzz. The Quad's clean channel is also vastly superior to the MkIII's, especially in the real world where you have to compromise the III enough to have a usable Lead channel.

Only criticism of the Quad is the odd volume balancing act between the 4 channels, but the tones in perfect in my book. I effectively use only Ch 1 Clean, Chan 1 Lead for moderate gain, and Chan 2 Lead for searing gain, although you definitely could balance all 4. To get a truly heavy, loud crunch out of Ch 2 Rhythm, I'd probably boost it with an graphic EQ pedal, but I am happy with 3 channels.
 
Thats exactly how i set up my Quad as a 3 ch... you can dial a good clean and mid gain on ch1 then a huge high gain on ch2 and forget about rhy2... although once boosted its not half bad...

I still dont get the comments and vids ive seen here and elsewhere regarding its gain... ive had mine modded with a gain boost and now its great... similar level of gain and agression as my mkiii blue stripe and triaxis... but when it was stock it was weak... great tone and super tight but not enough gain on lead 1... great gain but a thinner ratty tone on lead 2 and somehow not real tight...i needed a parametric eq to get metallica tones... i had it serviced while stock when i first got it and was confirmed to be operating as normal... then again when it went in for modding by a Mesa auth repairer said it appeared normal upon going in...

But ive seen these clips of stock Quads on lead 1 with vol and lead drive on 5 and theyre just slaying... mine can do it now although i still find i like the vol and gain on 6 or 7... stock i needed them on 9 or 10 and it just wasnt tight enough running it that high and still less gain... i should mention my Quad is running a new set of JJ 12ax7...

Im wondering if i need to find another one to see if it sounded like mine stock or like a fire breathing dragon...

Either way if you're playing metal and need any sort of versatility your probably better off with a iv, v, triaxis or jp2c... or buy a mkiii and a iic+... channel balance the mkiii and set a killer high gain tone on the c+ then run an aby... but if you do find a killer sounding Quad at a good price its a real winner and really a no brainer
 
I own an 84' mkiic+, quad pre( serial # under 100),and a mkiii coli red stripe and mkiii coli blue stripe and v2 triaxis.
Man,they're all so much fun.My quad has a rediculous amount of gain on either ch..its ch 1 sounds close to my iic+,not exact but darn close..ch2 is mkiii all the way..
My mkiiis are beasts and just rip.A little harder to tame and control than the quad but tone to die for...iiis are my fav out of all mks,including my iic+.
I'm actually really digging my triaxis a ton..i love it..with a mesa eq in the loop it kills.so many good tones.
I will say at times my quad can be a chore to match ch volumes.But I manage.Not sure what's going on with some who are having issues with not enough gain. I'm using a tele and all my mesas have more than enough,no boosts needed.
 
That is a glorious collection littleb ... those colis must be insane... i too find myself gravitating to my mkiii blue most often its simul with all the bells n whistles... im going to have to get another Quad or a SP just to see if my first Quad was normal b4 modding... i really like my modded Quad but it is revoiced somewhat compared to stock and while its bone crushingly heavy and better for tight chunky rhythms its has lost a bit the liquid lead magic of ld1.
 
Marshall_SLX said:
But ive seen these clips of stock Quads on lead 1 with vol and lead drive on 5 and theyre just slaying... mine can do it now although i still find i like the vol and gain on 6 or 7... stock i needed them on 9 or 10 and it just wasnt tight enough running it that high and still less gain... i should mention my Quad is running a new set of JJ 12ax7...

I never use lead drive of more than 5 on my Quad for HB guitars, that's enough to play Slayer or more saturated for example. I often back it down to 4.

I'll sometimes use up to 6-7 for traditional single coil guitars.
 

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