Mesa/Boogie MARK 1 owner manual Front Panel

FRONT PANEL:

INPUTS 1 & 2 - VOLUMES 1 & 2: These are the instrument Input jacks for the MARK I and their respective Volume Controls. They are not designed for use with two instruments, but rather to access two very different gain stages. INPUT 2 is a relatively normal

								preamp channel with qualities reminiscent of early Fender “black face” amplifiers. At low settings a
								very clean sound results, with emphasis on the shimmering “bell like” highs so essential to a great
1								rhythm sound. As the VOLUME 2 level is increased, the highs give way to midrange warmth, and a
1	0	9		2	0	9		fatter, richer tone is achieved. At “10” some overdrive is possible, so this channel can also be used for
2
	10			1	10
3		7	8	3			8	a traditional blues sound.
4				4		7
5	6			5	6
2
								INPUT 1 is much hotter and is wired in series with INPUT 2. Voiced with a darker and fatter sound,
VOLUME 1				VOLUME 2

INPUT 1 produces single note sounds that are smooth and singing - including the soulful Boogie lead sound so many players have found unsurpassed through the years. VOLUME 1 can be dialed from a low gain blues sound - wailing and pure, through medium gain fusion sounds - articulate and singing; all the way to very high

gain metal type sounds. At very high settings, VOLUME 1 is lethal and shredding, yet with a liquid feel that begs for hammering or two- handed fingering styles. Since the two inputs are in series, many different sounds are available by varying the settings of the two gain controls (i.e. VOLUME 1 set high, VOLUME 2 set fairly low or vice versa.) The most popular way to set the gains for a lead sound in INPUT 1 is to set VOLUME 2 to about 7 or 8 and increase the VOLUME 1 Control to suit your taste and style. By setting VOLUME 2 in this range, you have given the second stage of the preamp enough gain to ensure smooth, even saturation - which in turn produces a rich vocal quality in the note played. Of course, we encourage you to experiment with both controls to find your own personal sound.

Though the MARK I is not a “footswitching” amp in the true sense of the word, it is a two channel amp and therefore it is possible to switch between INPUT 1 and INPUT 2 externally. This is accomplished by using the accessory Mesa A/B Footswitch, and two very low capacitance shielded cables of the shortest possible length ( 6 feet or less ). Connect your instrument to the Common Jack of the A/B box. Then connect cables from the box’s “A” and “B” outputs to the two inputs of the MARK I and you can now footswitch between the two inputs. You will notice a compromise in volume levels is inevitable and necessary. Most probably when you set the INPUT 2 volume control to the right spot, INPUT 1 will be too loud. This is unavoidable because the channels are in series. With some time and guitar volume control changes you should be able to come up with a compromise setting that will “footswitch”.

Again, this amp was not meant to footswitch, so don’t be surprised when you hit the switch to go to channel 1 and the band jumps from the volume difference. We have found that the settings we have illustrated below offer a workable compromise for both Inputs.

1

2

5	4	3
6		2
7		1
8		0
9	10

VOLUME 1

10	9	8		7
				6
0				4	5
	1
		2	3

VOLUME 2

	3		2	1
5	4
					0
6					10
	7	8	9

MASTER

9	8		7		6
					5
10					4
0					3
		1		2

TREBLE

5	4	3	2
				1
6				0
7				10
	8	9

BASS

	6	5
7		4
			3
8				2
9			1
	10	0

MIDDLE

TREBLE: This control varies the amount of treble frequency in the preamp. The first in the series of tone controls, it is the most powerful of the three because its setting determines the amount of signal fed to the BASS and MIDDLE Controls. High settings of the TREBLE Control will greatly diminish the effectiveness of the BASS and MIDDLE, causing them to have very little effect on the sound.

																		Low settings of the TREBLE Control will increase the strength of the BASS and
																		MIDDLE, making those the dominant tone controls. In addition, when using
1																		overdrive sounds in either channel, the TREBLE Control tends to behave like a
	0			1	10			1	10				8		7		6	subtle gain control. At high settings it increases gain as well as adding top end.
1	10
2		9		2		9		2		9		9					5	If you find this gain effect TREBLE: Continued desirable, but don’t wish to
3		7	8	3			8	3			8	10					4
4				4		7		4		7		0					3
5	6			5	6			5	6					1		2		increase the top end, simply compensate by reducing the PRESENCE Control
2
VOLUME 1				VOLUME 2				MASTER				TREBLE						located on the Rear Panel of the chassis. This will reduce brightness without

sacrificing gain. Dial with care! Subtle tweaking of this control tends to produce the best results.

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