A loaded IIC+ Simul on ebay that just got away for $1300

[Zoner]

Mmmm, export tranny - some folks here might have been jumpy to see that, but is it Simul or 60/100? What is the serial #? How many times has it been "serviced" and what mods might it have? Seems like kind of a gamble, but could have been a good score if all the stars lined up correctly. Z

 

[Platypus]

Holy crap that thing is a frakenstein

 

[Russ]

Here's a non-eq non-simul II>IIC+ for a cheap BIN

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...loc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

 

[Shep]

that first C+ looks like Sh!t.. WTF was going thought that guys head...that would need a huge amount of work to fix up.. i wouldnt retolex it i would just rip the last little piece of the top and sand it down.. then it would new the front grill re-done to black NOT F@$KING ORANGE! Those crappy knobs go in the bin and the new face plate then it would start be look ok again..

I just played a gig with my mk IV + 4x12 and my Rhy guitarist with my mk III and 1x12 cab under it..WHAT TONE !!.. and to come home feeling good about the sound of these amazing amp's and then seening this awful act of de-facing..

IT MAKES ME ANRGY...

i better go and have a lay down for a little while and carm down..

but really What ever floated this guy's boat.. it was his amp.. but it's just a shame to see one of the " nicer " mesa's like this...

 

[Boogiebabies]

PLEASE !!! Don't push that POS to me. I can't stand the sight of it. The desecration, the abuse, the, the, out of the references. If the new owner Google's a IIC+ they find me. Pretend I don't post here anymore. I don't want to see the guts !!!!

( I would have bought it for parts though and slammed that export in )

 

[Blueracer]

Yes the "thing" is mine. I went back and forth on this about 1000 or 2000 times before I did the BIN. I agree with boogiebabies that the former owner just did not know how to take care of his equipment. On the other hand what gts said was what made make take a chance on this. The knobs should not be hard thing to replace even if they aren't exact matches for a IIC+. The cabinet can be cleaned up. The face plate may be a problem but I would settle for a mark III face plate. I am hoping to put this head back in the condition it deserves and would appreciate any help from forum members that I can get. On the other hand I don't want to pester anyone that does not think that this amp is worth restoring.

As for some of the questions. The amp is being advertised as all original. The serial number is 12858. It has simul-class, eq, the export trany and reverb. The reverb and fans are not hooked up presently and are missing the hook up wires. Interestingly the owner claims that Mesa offered to buy it from him. I asked about what the offer was but he did not remember.

So anyway I am on a quest for new knobs, a face plate and grill cloth. I will probably send it to Mike B for a going over. Any information or suggestions as to where to go with this are appreciated. BTW what is an "out of the references"?

Gary

 

[Boogiebabies]

Allright, your in.

I'm sure Mike B. offered him $ 300.00 for it.

Mesa has the proper fan cable and receptacle for $10.00. The original reverb cables are no longer available, but you can get them from Mesa.
They at least have the white wire and a black wire. They may have some MK III knobs in stock, # 480115. You might get lucky and get a long chassis MK III face plate with the gray EQ. They may have to dig around and raid everyones personal stash.

When you get a chance, take her out and let's examine the inside for signs of physical abuse. It's not too hard to spot modifications and it's a nice wide chassis so you can see the whole preamp, power amp and filter cap board. I will pray for it.

 

[Zoner]

Let us all pray that this poor, unfortunate member of our kin has the will to carry on after such ghastly treatment in the hands of the unknowing ones. Your bretheren here supoort you, so go! Rise again, MKIIC+, rise! Z

 

[Boogiebabies]

I'm not praying for him, I'm praying for the amp !!!

We shall call it twocius wrecksimus.

Let us pray and sing.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Grail of Power and Grace....

" What, all I said was that halibut was good enough for Jehovah."

 

[Boogiebabies]

Blessed are the chessemakers.

 

[jvk]

erm, oops double post.

 

[jvk]

Rhino Bucket wtf?! What was that guy thinking... I hope that the new owner will rescue this poor puppy from it's drab facade. At the altar of heavy metal, my prayers goes out to this poor and stricken IIC+, may his tolex rest in peace.

 

[Shep]

Rhino bucket.. I have to confess that i have never heard of this band in my life...i bet it's gut's would be perfect.. he most likely had to change the look becasue of sponsers..make it look like a ampeg..?

 

[Russ]

He probably disguised it so it wouldn't get ripped off playing out.

 

[jvk]

he most likely had to change the look becasue of sponsers..make it look like a ampeg..?

Yeah, I see the resemblance now that you mention it. That would've been £650 for me, plus £90p&p, I could've fixed her up and sold it for £1500+.

 

[Blueracer]

Well here is an update. I went and pick the amp up. First thing I noticed is that the serial number is 11858. I had remembered 12858. I went back to the original ebay post and the second digit is difficult for me to read. Originally I saw a 2. On going back it seemed to be a 1. A significant difference in this case.

The amp passed the loop test no problem. So I am assuming this is a 2C upgraded to a 2C+ although it was advertised as factory original. The date on the chassis is 8/83. Transformer codes are x101-162318 EIA 606 150 for the power transformer and SC152019B MESA ENG SIMUL-CLASS EIA 606-231 for the output transformer. The innards looked clean with no obvious modifications but that is only to my untrained eye. I have pictures up on photobucket but I was having difficulty with the link. Perhaps it will be better when the someone else trys to access it. Posting pictures is a first for me so if there are better ways than referencing photobucket's link (and I am sure there are) please let me know.

http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x227/blueracer_gq/

The chassis itself looks to be in good conditions. No dents or dings. It seems consistent with an amp that is 23+ years old.

Feedback and suggestions are most welcome.

Gary

 

[Soundstorm]

Well, the insides look pretty clean. That's all I can tell from here.

Bump.

I'd like to see how this project turns out. Good luck and keep us posted.


It's too bad he falsely advertised it as a factory original C+. Did you say anything about it to him?

 

[Boogiebabies]

That looks like a board swap upgrade. It looks like the RP11A where the IIC would have had the RP10A. It has the 22K series resistor for the master volume so it was done around or after 8/9 1984. Pre 13,200's did not have this resistor. It's the real deal, but the V3A plate load resistor has been changed from 82K to 100K and the big green resistor at the end of the board is not original. If you have any work done, make sure you tell them to be careful. The original 7C1 power boards had much thinner traces than the later ones. It also has an adjustable bias pot by the red tape near the PT. It looks pretty **** good inside...

In this case, there is no debate. The Export transformer and Simul OT would have been the identical parts used during IIC+ production. It's a IIC+ if you like it or not. Pretty interesting, especially the owners name during the + upgrade.

 

[Boogiebabies]

In fact based on what I've read maybe with a little more oomph due it having the xport tranny!.



The exports ran lower plate voltages than the 105, so they would have been a bit smoother with a little less headroom.

 

[Blueracer]

Thank you for all the feedback and information. You don't know how valuable it is and how much it is appreciated. When I first saw the serial number I most certainly did challenge the owner on whether this was a 2C or 2C+. It did pass the loop test so I was satisfied that it was a 2C+. I did come very close to walking on this but my instinct told me to go with it. I was hoping that the components were right and that it would turn out as a very nice amp when returned to its natural state. The chassis looked good and for all the bad things that were done to this amp the cabinet does not look that bad either. A retolex and you would never know. I did ask the previous owner "what were your thinking" more than once. I never really got an answer on this. As it turns out many people have asked him this. I would have thought he would have a good answer by now. It should be noted that the auction was not done by the original owner but by a fellow band member. I got the impression that he bought the amp and was then selling it. He was a very nice guy and I did not detect any dishonesty in him but you never really know. The original owner was a bit arrogant but not really a bad guy either. A Mesa Boogie employee's name was mentioned that ID'd it as a 2C+. I have an email to the seller to get that name and do some background on this.

Boogiebabies is right about the preamp board being a RP11A. At least I think this is the number on it. The final A, if there, is covered by a wire whose delicacy I did not want to disturb. Your caution on the thin traces of the power amp board is noted. I am planning on sending the amp up to Mike B to be gone through and have no intention of letting anyone else work on this amp.

I did talk to Mike B yesterday. He thought he had a 2C+ faceplate for a long head that might have been a blem. If not a 2C+ faceplate he thought a 3 faceplate would be no problem. We discussed the cabinet with the painted panel. He was advocating a new cabinet but mainly because of the way they do tolexing. It is machine cut to match the cabinet. Any sort of shrinkage or distortion in the cabinet and the tolex doesn't go on right. He figured about $600 - $700 total to go through the amp, new cabinet, new knobs and any other sort of gotchas.

All in all I am pleased with the purchase. It would have been nice to have a factory 2C+ but I am more of a player than a collector. I am hoping my instincts are right on this and if this all turns out right in the end I am not going to be selling the amp but using it. Again many thanks for the support and information. Sorry this is so long winded. I will keep the group appraised.

Gary