In the anthropology of amplifiers, the Mark I™ is the missing link, the transitional brain-child which bridged the vintage and modern eras.
In truth, the Mark I is both: Plugging into Input 2 reveals an amp wholly faithful to its classic roots, producing a big, clean, shimmering rhythm sound. Up until then, this was simply all that amps could do. Chronologically, this was the BG era of guitar amplification: Before Gain.
But recognizing the guitar’s latent potential as a solo instrument, the Mark I unearthed the Bone Tone, a discovery of historic importance:
High Gain. Here for the first time was solo enhancement from the amplifier that produced a lead voice of singing sustain for guitar. This challenged the saxophone as the lead instrument in rock and signified Day One of the new AD calendar: After Distortion.
Carlos Santana, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Keith Richards and Pete Townshend all helped catapult this new guitar sound into the international spotlight.Despite the flood of orders and relentless offers to buy the company, Mesa refused to sell out and chose instead to remain true to its founding principles: Quality without Compromise and Guaranteed Customer Satisfaction. From the garage shop at home, just under 3,000 amps were built and shipped to 39 countries world-wide.
Thirty years later the Mark I we hand-build today is a faithful reissue of the original. The only differences are a variable gain Loop, which switches out of the circuit when FX are removed, and Tweed™ Power which works like a built-in Variac, lowering overall voltages to produce a softer, brown vibe.
The Mark I reissue is available in its most popular format, the fabled Hun/Ree (hundred watts with reverb) and can be ordered as either a head or a traditional small-size C90 speaker. This is the amp that put Mesa/Boogie on the map. Frozen in time, it’s still alive today. So if you missed it the first time around, don’t worry: History repeats itself.
FEATURES
- Handcrafted in Petaluma, California
- 100 Watts, Class A/B Power / 4x6L6, 4x12AX7, 1x12AT7
- Half Power Switch (100/60 Watt Power Switch)
- Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
- Two Inputs, 2 Modes (Input 1=Original Multi-Stage “Cascading” Gain Circuit through Volume 1 & 2; Input 2=Normal Gain through Volume 2 only)
- Spring Reverb
- Full Power/Tweed “Variac” Switch
- FX Loop w/Level Control
- Slave Out w/Level Control
Notes:
This Late 2000s Mesa Boogie Mark I Reissue 100-Watt, 1x12" Combo Amplifier is in Excellent condition, part of a single-owner, climate controlled collection, with extremely light wear (pictured) consistent with age and only the most occasional home use. Does not include cover.
All instruments from Music Makers are professionally evaluated and set-up in our historic Galesburg, IL. storefront prior to shipping.
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