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Hatsubai « Mesa's flagship Mark »
Published on 03/30/11 at 18:40The Mesa/Boogie Mark IV is the evolution of the III. It features three mostly independent channels, a 5 band EQ, pentode/triode switch, Simul-class voicing, reverb, an effects loop, a line out, satellite out and a few other features that you can find on Mesa's website. There are two versions of this amp which I'll outline below.
UTILIZATION
Mesa did an amazing job with this amplifier. They included pretty much every feature from the old amps and then some. If you've ever dialed in a Mark amplifier before, it's all the same. However, if you've never tried one of these amps, please read the manual. They are not meant to be dialed in normally. The manual outlines every feature, how all the knobs work, how they interact, etc. I only rated it down because R1 and R2 share a few controls.
SOUNDS
Sound wise, this amp is somewhat like the IIC+ but also a bit different. For one, there are two versions of this amp. The A version is a little brighter and has a little less gain. This makes it sound somewhat similar to the IIC+, but it still isn't there. The B version is fatter, has more gain and is better suited for lead tones. The biggest fault with this amp is R2. It's very anemic and needs to be boosted, in my opinion. Aside from that, the amp is awesome. It's probably my favorite lead amp out there. The lead channel just has tone for days. The clean channel is pretty good too.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're going to get only one Mark amp, this is probably the one I'd recommend. They go for a good price on the used market, are very versatile and should contain most features that you could want. Also, for those who don't think the IV can do metal, listen to Orpheus' Bleed the Way album. It shows that the Mark IV can do melodeath just as easily as it can do Dream Theater or Metallica.
UTILIZATION
Mesa did an amazing job with this amplifier. They included pretty much every feature from the old amps and then some. If you've ever dialed in a Mark amplifier before, it's all the same. However, if you've never tried one of these amps, please read the manual. They are not meant to be dialed in normally. The manual outlines every feature, how all the knobs work, how they interact, etc. I only rated it down because R1 and R2 share a few controls.
SOUNDS
Sound wise, this amp is somewhat like the IIC+ but also a bit different. For one, there are two versions of this amp. The A version is a little brighter and has a little less gain. This makes it sound somewhat similar to the IIC+, but it still isn't there. The B version is fatter, has more gain and is better suited for lead tones. The biggest fault with this amp is R2. It's very anemic and needs to be boosted, in my opinion. Aside from that, the amp is awesome. It's probably my favorite lead amp out there. The lead channel just has tone for days. The clean channel is pretty good too.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're going to get only one Mark amp, this is probably the one I'd recommend. They go for a good price on the used market, are very versatile and should contain most features that you could want. Also, for those who don't think the IV can do metal, listen to Orpheus' Bleed the Way album. It shows that the Mark IV can do melodeath just as easily as it can do Dream Theater or Metallica.