Mesa Iron for ODS?

[DonMoose]

Picked up a '93 M/B MkIII cheap - cheap enough that I can pick up some dough reselling it, or use it as a donor. I know we don't much like Mr. Smith's habits & tactics around these parts, but would the iron be suitable for an ODS?

(Yes, the layout is all wrong and so forth ...)

[dave g]

If it works, why destroy it? I would just use a new chassis and transformers.

[gary sanders]

want to sell it?

[Darkbluemurder]

I also have a Mk III. I once asked whether people here had tried to mod it closer to an ODS and got the recommendation to sell it and build from scratch. I still have the amp - it is unmodified (very unusual for me!).

The transformers are certainly good for an ODS build but the chassis is very compact to say the least. If I had the choice to mod this or my (also yet unmodified) Fender 75 I would use the latter because that amp is a veritable rats nest which could only benefit from a rebuild. Even though the MB Mk III sound quality is up to personal taste the amp as such is well built and I would not necessarily destroy it. Besides - after having built 5 amps now I find it easier to start from a clean chassis than doing a rebuild. Furthermore you are limited to the existing cabinet (if it is a combo) - I don't like the cabinet sound of my Mk III at all.

Cheers Stephan

[M Fowler]

I was visiting my local shop yesterday an there sits a MKIII for sale so I naturally had to look it over. Whats the heat sink for?

[DonMoose]

I was visiting my local shop yesterday an there sits a MKIII for sale so I naturally had to look it over. Whats the heat sink for?

There's nothing behind it, so I wanna say it's for looks. (see photo downthread a bit) Maybe if pulls a few critical watts out of the chassis, but there's already a fan. (this is a rackmount head in an 8-space SKB box.)

[massygt6]

The MarkIII its an amp that deserves respect and love, sell it if you don't like it, but don't destroy it, you can make the happiness of another guitarist by selling it.

[DonMoose]

want to sell it?

Sure

It's a late '92/early '93 MkIII green-stripe Simul-class with EQ and reverb rackmount head in an 8-space SKB box with front and rear covers.

- the reverb tank was trashed - 2 of 3 springs missing. replacement on order.
- all functions work (haven't verified reverb, yet), no scratchy pots.
- fan is noisy, considering whether to replace it or raise chassis 1 RU, add a vented blank panel and remove fan.
- amp has 4 footswitchable functions - I can build something or you can work that out for yourself (wants old-skool stomp switches, not momentaries like a Mk 4 uses)

Will pack tubes securely and box whole thing for ship. Feels like 30 to 40 lbs.

What offer can you make? (PM or use don dot moose at bentwave dot net)

[FUCHSAUDIO]

The heatsink is there for sex-appeal.....lol.

The problem with Mesa for mods is the way they are built and laid out means moving things around (transformers for example) which is a pain in the ass...the output iron is very close to the input jacks, so shielding and wire routing is sometimes a problem. I modded a few Boogies into ODS's "back in the day" and the chassis are both small and laid out to be not really mod friendly. You might salvage the power amp board, and hard wire the front end...but again, a Bassman or Traynor/Music Man, is more gooder for a mod platform imho...lots of room and a similar chassis layout to a real D-style.

[M Fowler]

The one I looked at yesterday was the same chassis in a combo in good shape.

Andy I was looking at a circuit board one of your lower powered amps in for repair I can't remember which model perhaps Benoit from TAG does and will pipe up not important really.

A guy at the counter asked Ben and I; why does he charge so much for his amps. Ben replied because he can

People are so used to low cost junk amps and don't realize they get what they pay for.

Mark

[DonMoose]

Bassman or Traynor/Music Man, is more gooder for a mod platform imho...lots of room and a similar chassis layout to a real D-style.

But being more rare (Traynor/MM) or more popular (Bassman) than an MB (rarity) or a Univox (popularity) agitates against modding those - if in good shape.

I'd be perfectly happy to trade this MkIII or the Univox U-1011 for a bucket of parts (chassis, iron, boards and hard-to-source components) to build some 100W ODS model or other.

The kits are out past my price point right now - I'd LOVE a Brown Note ODF100, or a Ceriatone OTS100 of some stripe would do if it came with good iron.

[FUCHSAUDIO]

The one I looked at yesterday was the same chassis in a combo in good shape.

Andy I was looking at a circuit board one of your lower powered amps in for repair I can't remember which model perhaps Benoit from TAG does and will pipe up not important really.

A guy at the counter asked Ben and I; why does he charge so much for his amps. Ben replied because he can

People are so used to low cost junk amps and don't realize they get what they pay for.

Mark

Unfortunately, it's takes almost as much effort to make the low end amps as the high end amps. The volume of production (compared to a Peavey or Crate) also works against us. I appreciate the nod to our quality...the new Lucky-7 and Blackjack Mark-2's are something very special....

[tubedogsmith]

here's a SOB I converted. Like andy said I had to move the OT, repunch preamp tube sockets. All in all I'd probably do it again. I've made changes to it since the pics and it's a great sounding amp today.
I wouldn't rebuild a MKIII myself as I dig them as they are, especially with simulclass.

[M Fowler]

Nice work on the SOB

[FUCHSAUDIO]

Kudos nicely done !