Members xiwiwix1 Posted December 29, 2005 Members Share Posted December 29, 2005 Is a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC worth buying to upgrade it to sound like a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+? Does Mesa still upgrades these to "+" for $200? Are the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC and Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ so different that if you upgrade a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC to a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ would it sound the same? From what it sounds like the "+" has smoother gain and a better FX Loop over the none "+" version. Is that right? Mesa Boogie is closed so I can't ask them. Take Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jem7vwh Posted December 29, 2005 Members Share Posted December 29, 2005 I'm not sure if they still do it, but I assume the difference between a modded IIC and a IIC+ would be pretty small taking into account the ~$1000 you save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Owens Posted December 29, 2005 Members Share Posted December 29, 2005 changing my MRK3 into a IIC+ made HUGE difference... night and day...take the cover off the amp..and take away the sizzle.. if I could find a really old MRK2 with an EQ..id snag it in a heartbeat.. have to be in mint condition...Id like to see kind of mods they could do to the Dual Rectos if I asked them to...Mike B is the man !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xiwiwix1 Posted December 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Thanks guys, anyone else? Take Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sick Michael Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 In my opinion its not. The first thing I would do it get a Mark III instead cause that can cop the MkIIC+ tone easily and get pretty close. Secondly, I own a Quad preamp, the first channel of which is based on the MKIIC (Not the MKIIC+). This channel alone when set up properly can pretty much nail every single MKIIC+ recording you've ever heard. I certainly have no intention of doing anything to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MetalHed Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by Dave Owens changing my MRK3 into a IIC+ made HUGE difference... night and day...take the cover off the amp..and take away the sizzle.. if I could find a really old MRK2 with an EQ..id snag it in a heartbeat.. have to be in mint condition...Id like to see kind of mods they could do to the Dual Rectos if I asked them to...Mike B is the man !!! What do you mean by "take the cover off the amp"? I have a Mark III and have always been curious about the difference between it (which I paid $650 for) and a Mark IIC+ (Which sell for about three times that much). I understand the "take away the sizze" part, but I don't know what you mean by the "cover" comment. I appreciate any input you can offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DogwithFleas Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 i have a 2 MarkIIB's (circa 1980's) and they are great amps .. very reliable so i would strongly say yes if you can get them at a good price also keep eye out for MarkIIB caus i hear they are avaialble at better prices because of lack of demand as a collector item like other Marks .. whatever i really enjoy mine please keep in mind i kinda been outta circulation in the Mesa buying market since the 80's so i may be old news enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Charvel1975 Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 I don't understand why MESA just doesn't Re-issue the Mark IIC+ just like they did a while back with the Mark III(1997-1998 or so?) that needs to be brought back too, why did they discontinue that re-issue!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danhops Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 I watched and listened as 2 fellow forumites went back and forth between a IIC and a III. They were able to get very similar tones, but my personal tastes leaned towards the III. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scottcrud Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 MikeB told me that he will only do the + mod to Mark IIC's and Mark III's, preferable not the black stripe or ones that have been out east with rusty tranys etc. That was from a half hour long conversation I had with him last year. Very nice guy.Also, I've heard that IF they made a re-issue of the MKIIC+ it would cost around $3 grand, because of the transformers etc. There was a big debate over this and a petition signing party at the Boogie forum. I personally don't think Boogie will re-issue it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Owens Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by MetalHed What do you mean by "take the cover off the amp"? I have a Mark III and have always been curious about the difference between it (which I paid $650 for) and a Mark IIC+ (Which sell for about three times that much). I understand the "take away the sizze" part, but I don't know what you mean by the "cover" comment. I appreciate any input you can offer. cover- kinda like having someone hand over your mouth..the same thing.. you can hear the notes better..it just brings the note out more..the amp is more =in your face= then it was..and its more like a Marshall then a Mesa...cleaner,clearer...it made a big jump when they do it.. I talked to Mike and he asked how do i want the amp voiced and all I kept telling him was more like a Marshall....came out great.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danyeo Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by xiwiwix Is a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC worth buying to upgrade it to sound like a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+? Does Mesa still upgrades these to "+" for $200? Are the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC and Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ so different that if you upgrade a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC to a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ would it sound the same? From what it sounds like the "+" has smoother gain and a better FX Loop over the none "+" version. Is that right?Mesa Boogie is closed so I can't ask them.Take Care Yes, the effects loop circuitry is improved from the IIC to the IIC+ and on the old IIC OD, pedals and stomp boxes could overload the input, they took care of that on the IIC+. That's one of the best things about the IIC+, you can nail the input full tilt and get outrageous distortion sounds at low volumes. Those are the 2 biggest differences it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danyeo Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by Dave Owens changing my MRK3 into a IIC+ made HUGE difference... night and day...take the cover off the amp..and take away the sizzle.. if I could find a really old MRK2 with an EQ..id snag it in a heartbeat.. have to be in mint condition...Id like to see kind of mods they could do to the Dual Rectos if I asked them to...Mike B is the man !!! I don't doubt at all that they made your amp sound better. But did they do any other work to you amp? Chances are even if they didn't do any mods that your amp would have come back sounding different. Maybe that III that you had just needed some maintenance? It's just that me and Gainfreak own IIC+'s and he owns a COlisuem and a IV. AMplifier owns a Blue Stripe MarkIII, and i borrowed a MarkIII for a short time, and we don't hear much difference between the III's and IIC+'s. My IIC+ is non-simulclass and Gainfreak is and they don't very different, except, when my presence is on 5 his is on 0, then they are similiar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whyflipoverthefrog Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by xiwiwix Is a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC worth buying to upgrade it to sound like a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+? Does Mesa still upgrades these to "+" for $200? Heh, being from South Texas, you wouldn't happen to be looking at the MkIIc from Krazy Kat, would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gainfreak Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 The real answer to the question is if you buy a IIC....Which IMHO is rarer then finding a IIC+ and you don't like the way it sounds, then yes... Get the IIC+ mod. That said, I know of 2 people on the boogie forum who have had there IIC's modded to IIC+ specs and they both didn't feel as if the mod was needed and one guy hated it and wanted it put back to the IIC spec. Now as far as the IIC+ mystique..... It's just that... "smoke and mirrors" and it is something that I bought into until I owned multiple Mark series amps. If you can hear a difference between a a IIC+ and a good MKIII red or blue stripe on a recording... You have got some amazing ears, especially if the graphic eq is used. Yes they do sound different but with a tweak of the eq you can make a good III sound just like the IIC+. This IIC+ hype {censored} really needs to stop. A lot of the people who are touting the IIC+ mystery never tried one and thats a fact. They read about it on the net and regurgitated it without ever trying one. Another thing to take into consideration is that some of the guys who swore that they hear a difference between the 2 amps didn't compare the two amps properly like running the same {censored}ing tubes in both. I know a guy who gave his IIC+ review saying that his IIC+ sounded so much different then his III... well the asshole didn;t realize that he was running straight 6l6's in one head and 6l6's and 34's in the other... No {censored} they sounded different. There are way to many variables. When I compared my IIC+ with another one I made sure both amps had the same tubes in the pre's and o/p. As danyeo said, We compared his 60 watter to my Simulclass amp through the same cab and there was only a noticable difference on the presence. Now I'm not saying everyone has had the same results as me and I'm not saying that no one can hear a difference. I am saying that I think the IIC+ sound can be had for way less money by getting a good MKIII. In closing to my rant... I have personally heard from John Sykes who IMHO gets one of the best Boogie sounds ever, that eben though he owns several IIC+'s and several MKIII's and 2 coiliseum heads.. that he can make them all sound the same. I am almost at the point that I won't comment on this subject anymore. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gainfreak Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Another thing that I forgot to mention is that you will definitely hear a difference in tone from an amp that comes back from Mike B. This isn't so much that he works magic on it (well he does, but that's another story!!) as it is that any amp old or new will benifit from having a good tech tweek it. Moreso if it is older or like 20+ years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danhops Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by gainfreak The real answer to the question is if you buy a IIC....Which IMHO is rarer then finding a IIC+ and you don't like the way it sounds, then yes... Get the IIC+ mod.That said, I know of 2 people on the boogie forum who have had there IIC's modded to IIC+ specs and they both didn't feel as if the mod was needed and one guy hated it and wanted it put back to the IIC spec.Now as far as the IIC+ mystique..... It's just that... "smoke and mirrors" and it is something that I bought into until I owned multiple Mark series amps. If you can hear a difference between a a IIC+ and a good MKIII red or blue stripe on a recording... You have got some amazing ears, especially if the graphic eq is used. Yes they do sound different but with a tweak of the eq you can make a good III sound just like the IIC+.This IIC+ hype {censored} really needs to stop. A lot of the people who are touting the IIC+ mystery never tried one and thats a fact. They read about it on the net and regurgitated it without ever trying one.Another thing to take into consideration is that some of the guys who swore that they hear a difference between the 2 amps didn't compare the two amps properly like running the same {censored}ing tubes in both. I know a guy who gave his IIC+ review saying that his IIC+ sounded so much different then his III... well the asshole didn;t realize that he was running straight 6l6's in one head and 6l6's and 34's in the other... No {censored} they sounded different.There are way to many variables. When I compared my IIC+ with another one I made sure both amps had the same tubes in the pre's and o/p. As danyeo said, We compared his 60 watter to my Simulclass amp through the same cab and there was only a noticable difference on the presence.Now I'm not saying everyone has had the same results as me and I'm not saying that no one can hear a difference. I am saying that I think the IIC+ sound can be had for way less money by getting a good MKIII.In closing to my rant... I have personally heard from John Sykes who IMHO gets one of the best Boogie sounds ever, that eben though he owns several IIC+'s and several MKIII's and 2 coiliseum heads.. that he can make them all sound the same.I am almost at the point that I won't comment on this subject anymore. Ralph Thanks for the info. You really know your {censored} so I would pretty much take your word as fact. I'm not much a fan of the rectos (Monday was no different-something in the top end just never sounds right to me), but that III sounded killer when you were playing with it. I was very impressed by how many different tones are in that head. Oh yeah, I mean it sucked ass;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Owens Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by danyeo I don't doubt at all that they made your amp sound better. But did they do any other work to you amp? Chances are even if they didn't do any mods that your amp would have come back sounding different. Maybe that III that you had just needed some maintenance? It's just that me and Gainfreak own IIC+'s and he owns a COlisuem and a IV. AMplifier owns a Blue Stripe MarkIII, and i borrowed a MarkIII for a short time, and we don't hear much difference between the III's and IIC+'s. My IIC+ is non-simulclass and Gainfreak is and they don't very different, except, when my presence is on 5 his is on 0, then they are similiar. nah.I spoke to mike after he did it..you asking me if it was a tune up.?? no..this was a mod..we went over that when I talked to Mike..He gave me some story about Steve Morse and how when he showed the MRK3 's when they came out..how heavy they were on the Treble side of the amp..and it nearly took Moreses head off..and that why he didnt use them.I got back the amp with the same pre's and power tubes..so that wasnt it either..I had a Pentode-Triode switch done on it..and Mike sent me back the amp with the blue stripe gone a " 3+" in its place..so I know he modded the amp..( I dont think a tube swap he would be changing the stripe over )..Mike went thru about an hour with me when I got it back on what he did..so I think its real..cost me $300 it ought to be...the switch was $200 me thinks.. why dont you send one of yours to him and ask him for some mods.. im sure you will get back a different sounding amp..I messed with mine everywhich way..( EQ,BBE )..all sounded like shit..and I couldnt dial out this fucking fizz/hiss shit..and its all (90%) gone..I think its how its voiced.. and it aint that way no-more.. I have some major goodies on the way and when I do..Ill snap you some pics..I have so much shit in the other room its insane..there are 15 guitar case in the hall to my right...they all need to be gone over and cleaned up.. been sitting for about a year..ugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Owens Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by gainfreak Another thing that I forgot to mention is that you will definitely hear a difference in tone from an amp that comes back from Mike B.This isn't so much that he works magic on it (well he does, but that's another story!!) as it is that any amp old or new will benifit from having a good tech tweek it. Moreso if it is older or like 20+ years old. I agree alot on the IIC+ - MRK3 hype-ola....if you have a MRK3..or even earlier one..I would send it back to mikeand see what he sez..I think that given the fact that each amp is somewhat different.. you can take one that sounds just ok..and make it sound amazing.... Im sure if you pay enought you can have them Mod it to sound how ever you want the amp to sound ( with in the realm of reality).. there are proably 100's of ways to make them sound different then the way they are when you get one.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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