Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Mark IV Amplifier Mesa/Boogie
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OO GI E B M ESA 1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954 USA The Spirit of Art in Technology M ARK IV Owner ’ s Manual.
H ello from the T one F arm... YOU, the smart player and all around intuitive human, have put your trust in us to be your amplifier company . This is something we do not take lightly . O ur reward is that we ’ ve made a classic amplifier and by choosing this amplifier , you have become part of the MESA family .
T able of Contents MARK IV PRECAUTIONS OVERVIEW _____________________________ 1 FRONT P ANEL: POWER-UP ____________________________ 2 CONTROLS: RHYTHM 1 GAIN ________________________ 3 PULL BRIGHT ___.
Your MESA/Boogie Amplifier is a professional instrument. Please treat it with respect and operate it properly. USE COMMON SENSE AND ALWAYS OBSERVE THESE PRECAUTIONS: READ AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF PROPER USAGE. Do not expose amplifier to moisture, rain or water , direct sunlight or extremely high temperatures.
Operating Instructions M ARK IV MARK IV Congratulations for choosing the MARK IV as your new musical voice. Y ou have purchased a handbuilt instrument of the finest quality and craftsmanship.
First familiarize yourself with the layout of the Front Panel and plug in the FU-3 footswitch which is located on the underside of the chassis towards the middle and about mid way forward of the Rear Panel.
P AGE 3 Setting the RHYTHM 1 mode adjusts the input sensitivity for the clean RHYTHM mode. With most guitars, this mode stays clean unt il around 8 where it begins to overdrive. Use the R1 MASTER to control loudness if you want slight overdrive at low volumes.
This control adjusts frequencies higher than those found on the TREBLE control. There are so many different sounds that RHYTHM 1 can produce, you must experiment using your guitar and your ears. Try settings such as low on the TREBLE control, high on the PRESENCE control.
This control along with RHYTHM 2’s PRESENCE control should be worked with together to produce the desired gain and brightness of the mode. Setting the TREBLE higher , as always, increases the gain of the mode and allows increased distortion and sustain.
There are also some great singing, slightly distorted sounds that come from low settings of Gain and Drive with F A T pushed in. “Onset of Clip” and “threshold of distortion” are phrases often.
P AGE 7 The importance of this switch is a must to understand. At low to medium playing volumes, the LEAD BRIGHT adds desirable sizzle, and gain in the highs to the overdrive sound and contributes to a “big easy feeling” as well. At high volumes the LEAD BRIGHT c an cause real problems, such as excess squealing and noise.
EQ back out of the circuit, the straight tone sounds to flat. Don’t worry! It’s just “hearing hangover”. All the MARK IV ’ s modes were developed without using the EQ so that it could be an accessory - not a necessity . This control adjusts the playing loudness of all three modes equally .
P AGE 9 The MARK IV uses a removable I.E.C. type power cord to supply the A.C. power . The power cord supplied with your unit should be used whenever possible as we chose it for its snug fit.
P AGE 10 REVERB is a simple depth control which activates the rich all-tube, three-spring analog circuitry . Even though many players hav e more modern digital reverbs and delays, there is still something quite pleasant about this natural-sounding, traditional Reverb system that we think you’ll enjoy .
P AGE 1 1 be able to footswitch in the effects mid-way through a LEAD mode solo, for example. Remember that the MASTERS double as ef fects send controls and the OUTPUT LEVEL also works as an Effects Return control.
This switch selects between two-tube and four-tube operation in the power section. In the CLASS A position, only the two end po wer tubes are active, producing around 30 watts before clipping when operating TRIODE, or 50 watts when in PENTODE.
P AGE 13 ohm speaker should be plugged into the 4 ohm jack. However , please note that M esa/Boogie cannot accept responsibility for any blown 6V6’s incurred during such usage! Proper operation depends totally on the correct setting of the aforementioned switc hes and this will be impossible to verify for warranty tube coverage.
P AGE 14 REAR VIEW MKIV (Continued) EXTERNAL SWITCHING JACKS: POWER AMP TRIODE SIMUL-CLASS HARMONICS PENTODE CLASS A SPEAKERS 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM MID GAIN LEAD VOICING MODE SELECT LEAD EX SW FT SW RHY 1.
P AGE 15 PULL SHIFT PULL SHIFT PULL BRIGHT MASTERS LEAD GAIN RHY2 GAIN R1+R2 MID LEAD MID R1+R2 BASS LEAD BASS R1 TREBLE LEAD TREBLE RHY1 GAIN INPUT PULL BRIGHT INSTRUMENT PULL FAT PULL FAT SILENT REC.
P AGE 16 PULL SHIFT PULL SHIFT PULL BRIGHT MASTERS LEAD GAIN RHY2 GAIN R1+R2 MID LEAD MID R1+R2 BASS LEAD BASS R1 TREBLE LEAD TREBLE RHY1 GAIN INPUT PULL BRIGHT INSTRUMENT PULL FAT PULL FAT SILENT REC.
P AGE 17 Description of Tube Functions V1A= Input Stage V1B= Tone Recovery Stage (post tone controls) V2A= Third Gain Stage (Rhythm Modes) and Fifth Lead Gain Stage V2B= FX Return Stage V3A= First Lea.
P AGE 18 Y ou may occasionally experience some form of tube noise or microphonics. Certainly no cause for alarm, this quirky behavior com es with the territory and the T one.
P AGE 19 Because your amplifier is an all tube design, it is quite possible that you will at some point experience minor pre-amp tube no ise. Rest assured - this is no cause for alarm and you can take care of the problem yourself in a matter of minutes by simply swapping tu bes.
P AGE 20 NOTE: An article written by Randall Smith that we thought you might find interesting. Here’s a question we often hear: “Why doesn ’ t Mesa put bias adjustments in their amplifiers?” Well, there’ s a short answer and a long answer to this question.
P AGE 21 And that’s right. T ubes don’t effect the bias setting, but the bias setting does effect how the tubes work. But how it effects the tubes is difficult to measure.
Some newer amps have LED indicators connected to the circuit which will turn on when the right threshold of current flow has be en reached. This is an improvement, and almost worthy if you’re willing to except resistors and lights added into your amplifier ’ s audio path — which we aren’t.
REAR VIEW: MARK IV PULL SHIFT PULL SHIFT PULL BRIGHT MASTERS LEAD GAIN RHY2 GAIN R1+R2 MID LEAD MID R1+R2 BASS LEAD BASS R1 TREBLE LEAD TREBLE RHY1 GAIN INPUT PULL BRIGHT INSTRUMENT PULL FAT PULL FAT .
The Spirit of Art in Technology OO GI E B M ESA Thank you for trusting MESA/Boogie to be your amplifie r company and we wish you many years of toneful enjoyment from this handbuilt all tube instrument.
The Spirit of Art in Technology 1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954 USA (707) 778-6565 FAX NO. (707) 765-1503.
An important point after buying a device Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
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If you already are a holder of Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
