Mesa Boogie Mark IV 1x12'' 85 watt Guitar Amp Combo

As a moderately talented guitarist for over 50 years, I've had the opportunity to sample and use dozens of guitar amps, both solid state and tubes. By far, the tube amps rule! And, within the "tube world" of amps, I've found two brands that reign, Fender, and now Mesa Boogie.
I've owned and played many Fender amps, and found the Twin Reverb to be about the best Fender amp. I originally had a blackface, and stll have a 1972 Silverface, with JBLs in mint condition.
So why did I even try a Mesa Boogie? I can give you several reasons. First, Paul Reed Smith (PRS) makes some of the finest guitars commercially available. I own eight of them. PRS has used a Mesa Boogie (MB) for years as his "final inspection" platform. I assume PRS knows what they're doing. Second, my band mates have told me for years that MB was the amp of choice for PRS players, and they were/are right. Finally, when I tried the MB I was amazed at how clean a sound it produced, and at the same time how easy it was to go to crunch. That set me on the difficult path of trying to figure out which MB I should select.
To digress a minute, one of the tube amps I acquired over time was a Peavy Heritage with Black Widow twin 12's. It was a screaming amp (still is) but, it has always been a nightmare to dial in because of the confusing controls. I find it extremely difficult to replicate a good sound once I find it. Very frustrating! So, looking at the range of new and used MB's had me worried.
I ruled out some of the top of the line MBs such at the Triple Rectifiers, as well as some of the low end MBs. When I looked at the MB Mark series, I started seeing a feature I knew I wanted. Settling on the Mark (MK) IV, it has a six button foot switch that lets you set up three distinct modes (Rhythm 1, Rhythm 2, and Lead)that perfectly suited my work in a band. Most of the time I need a clean channel (Rhythm 1) for background work on the classic rock songs. Then I need to get gritty (Rhythm 2) on ths Stones, BTO and groups like that. When it comes to Skynyrd and Allman Brothers, I have the lead channel. To top it all off, the footswitch lets the user switch in/out and effects loop, an EQ, or a Lead EQ. Nirvana! And, it does all this in a raesonably sized cabinet, pushing 85 watts (W) through a 12" Black Shadow speaker.
Probably a better bet for me would have been the MK V, which has tow distinct advantages: Each of the three channels has it's own discrete bank of controls, and it offers multiple power ranges, including 10W and 90W. The one advantage of the MK IV over the MK V is the Mark IV is out of production, making them more affordable than the MK V's, which are usually north of $2k, a bit out of my price range.
As far as usability, the Mk IV has been very consistent. It only took me a brief time to dial in desirable settings (helped by duplicating the previous owner's settings as a starting point). The manual has reproducable diagrams (page 16) you can mark up with the settings you like.
The amps are solid, heavy, well made units with cooling fans. The sound is exquisitely clean and true to the settings. Overdrive/crunch can be had at any volume.
In a nutshell, I've bought my last amp. If it aint broke, don't fix it!

So I'll start by saying that I've been around the music equipment community for a long time. I have used over a hundred different amps. I have six high quality amps right now that get used daily. This amp covers the ground of four of them. The quality of sound is spectacular and once I dialed in my sound-it is very consistent. The original boogies were made from Fenders and there is still a Fender vibe to the sound, very powerful and capable to be very clean. The overdriven channels on this amp come close to the rectifier sound and cover any genre I have thrown at it. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, etc. I wish the reverb was footswitchable on the provided footswitch but other than that I am very happy with this amp. It's amazing how much the knobs change the sound, just a little nudge on a knob will change the sound completely so be careful!!!

What I like about this Mesa Boogie amp is it's versatility, from crystal cleans to pretzel crunch all the way down to the nastiest metal sounds.
It is also a compact and very portable amp, although it's a heavy little son of a gun. The best way to get around the weight is to buy yourself some roll casters and roll this bad boy around.
I have always wanted one of these amps ever since they first came out, but could not afford a brand new one, so I waited until now. I'm glad I waited and now I'm very happy I finally own one.

Hello all ! This mesa was deliverd about 2 mounths ago . And i am very happy with sound and packages .The packing was just excelent . Every thing works with it , but i was a little bummed about that all the little lights on the amp didn't work . And the screws that hold the amp to the cabinet was loos and it seems like it has to do with that they have been damages to the chassis so the screws cant bee tigtnend hard enough with out get loos . And it did not look like this on that i can see on this picture . But i have to say all n all i am very satisfied , the amp sounds amazing and everything on it works except for the lamps . I gave him four out'a five

I was skeptical about this cover based on it's low price compared to other covers available on line. Man was I wrong! The quality, fit, and good looks of this cover puts all the others to shame regardless of price. I highly recommend this one.