Mesa Boogie Mark III Black Stripe DRG Imbuia Combo

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Scott French

This is a 1985 MESA/Boogie Mark III Combo. It is a DRG model, which means Simul-Class power section, Reverb, and Graphic EQ. This is a black/no-stripe revision which is the first of the Mark IIIs. Some early black/no-stripe examples share several features with the Mark IIC+. First, this amp has the early-style etched face plate where all the lines and text are metal instead of white paint. These hold up a lot better than the painted face plates. This also has the 105 power transformer commonly found on the Simul-Class IIC+. I'm including four matching USA Made Mesa STR-415 power tubes which are the best option for amps with the 105PT. These are the tubes these amps were originally designed alongside. The cabinet is made from Imbuia and it has a wicker grill. The speaker is an Electro-Voice EVM-12L which is the most popular option for these amps.

Condition wise this amp is pretty clean, no where near perfect, but pretty good shape. The combo cabinet has accumulated many scratches and dings over 32 years, but overall it shows pretty well. The chassis itself still looks pretty good as well, with minimal wear to the face plate. Transformers look a little crusty, but not terrible. I don't know the service history of this amp, but to my untrained eye some of the caps inside do not look original. I've included many photos to show the condition better than I could express in words.

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