Mesa Boogie Mark III as pedal steel amp?

Brandon Schafer · Post by **Brandon Schafer** » 13 May 2013 4:08 pm

Any one ever used a Mesa Boogie Mark III (75 watt Simul-Class with EQ) as a pedal steel amp? If so, any suggested EQ settings?

I know it is unconventional, but part of me wonders if it is crazy enough to work. The clean channel doesn't really break up when I use it with 6 string guitar. I'm going to give it a shot through my JBL K-130 and see how I fare.

Brandon Schafer · Post by **Brandon Schafer** » 13 May 2013 4:46 pm

Well.. I'll tell you. I just played it for a while and it sounded great! You obviously need to adjust the EQ from what you'd normally do when using it with a 6 string, but I think I've found a new use for an old amp!

Paul Honeycutt · Post by **Paul Honeycutt** » 24 Jun 2013 1:49 pm

I saw Waylon Jennings back around '73 and Ralph Mooney was playing through a Boogie MK 1. It sounded great. And it was loud.

Rick Stratton · Post by **Rick Stratton** » 5 Apr 2014 12:23 am

I'm reviving this old post, as I've gone back to my 1988 Mesa Boogie Mark III simulcast, Blue stripe, as my favorite amplifier for pedal steel.
It's a combo with a Celestion 90 in the open-back combo, & an EV-200 in the Thiel extension. A great sounding combo.
Previously, I'd been using a Fender Supersonic Twin, which sounded a bit shrill.

I use the footswitch for overdriving the amp on a couple tunes, and I was thinking if I EQ the amp without the Parametric EQ and just kick it in with the overdrive, I'd get a more pleasing lead sound?
What do you think?

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 5 Apr 2014 6:37 am

Brandon,
I have a Boogie MkIII that has SIX POWER TUBES !!......This thing is a MONSTER and has great tone for pedal steel .....The Preamp section is the same setup as the Boogie Studio Preamp that so many pedal steel players use ..... I won't give you any EQ settings as they are up to the individual .... As you can see , the amp is very much adjustable , so you should have no problems getting a good tone from this amp .....Jim

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 5 Apr 2014 7:29 am

Brandon,
I have a Boogie MkIII that has SIX POWER TUBES !!......This thing is a MONSTER and has great tone for pedal steel .....The Preamp section is the same setup as the Boogie Studio Preamp that so many pedal steel players use ..... I won't give you any EQ settings as they are up to the individual .... As you can see , the amp is very much adjustable , so you should have no problems getting a good tone from this amp .....Jim

Frank Sprague · Post by **Frank Sprague** » 5 Apr 2014 5:57 pm

Hi Brandon - I have a Mesa Boogie Nomad 50,the predecessor to the MK 4 w/no EQ. I always thought it sounded great with pedal steel , and with the 3 channels it's perfect with a 6 string. I've used a variety of speakers with it , JBL,PV BW, but the 12" 8ohm Telonics won . This amp cranks for 50 watts . . I had it for sale here but no interest . . . Franko

Marty Nemanick · Post by **Marty Nemanick** » 6 Apr 2014 12:25 pm

Brandon I also have the MKIII blue stripe with an 8 ohm Telonics and it sounds great for PSG. I also have a Mesa Boogie S.O.B (son of Boogie) no reverb, 2 6l6's and this amp works extremely well for small venues. Mesa produces a very good amp.

Marty

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 6 Apr 2014 6:43 pm

For all the reasons six stringers do not like MB's are the same reasons psg'er should prefer them. I have two mb heads and two mb preamps.

I believe the studio preamp is the same as the mk 2c+, the 2c+ in full amp form is mb's most collectable amp and very pricey.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 6 Apr 2014 10:39 pm

I had one for a while, but to be honest I didn't like it as much as the 60 watt Mark IIB. That's the amp I should never have sold. $:\$

admin · Post by **b0b** » 6 Apr 2014 10:50 pm

James Quackenbush wrote:Brandon,
I have a Boogie MkIII that has SIX POWER TUBES !!......This thing is a MONSTER and has great tone for pedal steel ...

I probably built that amp. They're quite rare. It sounds fantastic, but you have to get it up pretty loud to get the best tone out of it.

Tom Gorr wrote:I believe the studio preamp is the same as the mk 2c+,

I'd be careful about saying that any two models from that era (early 80s) have the same preamp. The boss was experimenting quite a bit, using Steve Kimock's ears as his sounding board. Having the same circuit board doesn't mean that it's populated with the same components.

I left Mesa in 1985. Things probably stabilized quite a bit after I left. It was all pretty crazy there in the early days.

Mike Taylor · Post by **Mike Taylor** » 7 Apr 2014 5:07 am

I have a 86 Mark III simulclass purple stripe for my six string.. I could never find a setting that worked for my emmons PP though.. Great guitar amp.. Bob. Were you there during that timeframe?

Mike

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2014 8:00 am

I left in October 1985.

The Simulclass model wasn't tested with a pedal steel. It was a new concept at the time. I'm not surprised that it didn't work well for steel.

What speaker are you using? That makes a big difference. The 12" EVm speakers are the stock speaker that sounded best for steel. They weighed a lot, though.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 7 Apr 2014 1:40 pm

b0b,
Would you have signed the inside of the head or the board back in the day ? .....That would be REALLY interesting if I owned one of your builds !!.....

...Jim

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2014 4:18 pm

I signed the inside of the chassis, under the input jacks, with a "B".

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 7 Apr 2014 4:55 pm

I couldn't get anywhere with my '87 red stripe Mark III except with a Strat,but this thread makes me want to dig it out and have another go.Here's a pic.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 7 Apr 2014 6:23 pm

I always loved the Wood Mesa cab with the cane grill.

Had a few Simul class 90 amps many years ago and as I recall it was 90 watts with a switch that cut it down to 25 watts. The 90 watts was too loud and the 25 cut switch was a bit raspy. I was playing 6 string electric at the time

I use a Mesa Transatlantic with a 5/15/25 watt switch
and the 25 watts is loud and the 15 watt setting is just right for lap steel or guitar. Go figure?

Darryl Logue · Post by **Darryl Logue** » 7 Apr 2014 7:45 pm

I had 4 Mark III once. Still have a combo 12 and long chassis head only. Always liked them for steel.Lots of options for dialing in a Fender sound. I use a 69 rebuilt twin reverb now w/ Altec Lansing spkrs.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 7 Apr 2014 9:23 pm

b0b wrote:The 12" EVm speakers are the stock speaker that sounded best for steel. They weighed a lot, though.

I thought I read once that the MC-90 speaker was Mesa's attempt to get the EVM tone in a lower price celestion...anyone ever compare the MC-90 with the EVM?

Also...b0b, what was it that you liked about the MK IIb, and were the other amps you were comparing to also 60W?

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2014 11:30 pm

One thing to remember is that the values of most resistors and capacitors are only accurate to plus or minus 10%. There is a randomness that occurs when amps are built - one part can be 5% over spec and another 10% under. That's why two amps made at the same day, even on the same bench, can sound different. The little parts that you pull out of the bins are not identical, just like two pieces of wood are not identical.

My Mark IIB had a special resonance that I've never found in another amp. It just sang. I didn't realize how special it was until a few years after I sold it, when I couldn't get that sound anymore. It had a sweet spot for country rock, in both the clean and lead channels. It had the perfect reverb tone and just the right amount of headroom.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 8 Apr 2014 5:47 am

b0b,
I'll check it out and see if I can find the "B" .....

That special resonance that you speak of is something that you will find in a Jim Kelley FACS amp ..... It gives the amp " bloom" and adds a natural sustain that is 2nd to none ....It's not a "buzzy" overdriven tone....Just a beautiful bloom that resonates freely especially on clean tones ......Short of going out and buying a Dumble amp , the Kelley gives me this tone in spades !!......Jim

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 8 Apr 2014 7:41 am

I got ya...my Heartbreaker gets singing in about the 4th set (that's about 5 hours of "on" time...I think the temperature shifts component values until things just hit the sweet spot.

It is indeed a very special quality, and I'm inclined to believe it happens in the negative feedback loop of the power amp section, because the feel of the amp changes with it....almost like some component is heated up so much, it becomes non-linear.

further, less negative feedback (none?) is said to make an amp have a more "open" and resonant quality. One of these days I'll build my own amp testbed and try these theories out for myself.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 8 Apr 2014 8:48 am

As b0b said , there were variable tolerances from amp to amp ....There are other variables also with heat , and other things as certain tubes will compress more than others ..... Once all these conditions or once these ducks all line up in a row so to speak , you end up with a very special amp .... Problem is , as b0b also pointed out , we sell these amps thinking that there is something better around the corner , and end up with the case of the "" one that got away " .....Jim

MY one's that got away ......An original Park 75, and a Matchless HC30 head ......

Mike Taylor · Post by **Mike Taylor** » 8 Apr 2014 3:55 pm

Bob... Yes I have the EVM.. U do get a workout carrying that thing around...

Mike

Carl Mesrobian · Post by **Carl Mesrobian** » 13 Jun 2014 11:54 am

I am thinking of getting a MB and get dizzy trying to choose one. I called Mesa and told them I play multi instruments (PSG, electric guitar, ojnab - that drum on a stick with strings, acoustic guitar, mandolin) -- Mesa mentioned the Lonestar. It looks huge, even as a 1x12.

There are several variations on the Mark IIB. Some have 5 band eq some don't. Then I think I've seen a 60/100W version. The Mark III's seemed to undergo various mods in their life (higher gain, etc) Wouldn't lower gain and more headroom be prefererable for PSG?

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