Current value and collectabilty of the Mark II C+?

[igfraso]

Now is an interesting time for prospectively purchasing a IIC+. There are a lot of deals to be had; several IIC+'s on Ebay have gotten through without heavy bidding.

If this is so, then I wasn't paying proper attention. In my opinion, the IIC+ that have been offered recently in eBay are mainly the ones with no graphic EQ or the 60 watters.
People are keeping the fully loaded ones, no matter how the Mark V will sound. There is a "feel" in these IIC+ that hasn't been duplicated yet in any other Boogie.
Regards

 

[JOEY B.]

Anyway, love my C+ and I still might purchase another one for the right price someday...

Just wait for the currency exchange rate of the American dollar to "bottom out" from all the government bailouts. :wink:

 

[Joel]

Now is an interesting time for prospectively purchasing a IIC+. There are a lot of deals to be had; several IIC+'s on Ebay have gotten through without heavy bidding.

If this is so, then I wasn't paying proper attention. In my opinion, the IIC+ that have been offered recently in eBay are mainly the ones with no graphic EQ or the 60 watters.
People are keeping the fully loaded ones, no matter how the Mark V will sound. There is a "feel" in these IIC+ that hasn't been duplicated yet in any other Boogie.
Regards

I'm sure you are correct regarding the IIC+ mojo. Although I've never heard a Mark V, I have heard plenty of Mark III's and IV's, and my IIC+ has it's own unique identity. Out of respect to all the people on this site, I am not going to post the prices of all the completed listings on ebay, but the prices and number of bids shown for various C+'s are very interesting. I will say that the amp I bought was incorrectly listed as a C and not a converted C+, and it also included simul-class, GEQ and reverb. It didn't receive a single bid. I paid his starting auction price and still felt a little bit guilty about it.

 

[JOEY B.]

I'm sure you are correct regarding the IIC+ mojo. Although I've never heard a Mark V, I have heard plenty of Mark III's and IV's, and my IIC+ has it's own unique identity. Out of respect to all the people on this site, I am not going to post the prices of all the completed listings on ebay, but the prices and number of bids shown for various C+'s are very interesting. I will say that the amp I bought was incorrectly listed as a C and not a converted C+, and it also included simul-class, GEQ and reverb. It didn't receive a single bid. I paid his starting auction price and still felt a little bit guilty about it.

What is this mojo that you speak of ? :lol: :lol: :lol: Seriously, you should not feel any guilt, as the seller should have done more research on the amp before listing it. Nevermind the pics that did not clearly show a "+" above the power cord. I hope you changed out those mis-matched power tubes. :roll: Good score, for sure.

 

[Boogiebabies]

I may have been a little off in my little obnoxious rant there and I'm sorry. I'm just really opposed to buying a C+ as or partly as a speculative investment. Play, hear -don't look. Haha. =)
I've been looking at the 'bay and I see items that are sold for up to $4000 and I just think that this is a little too much.. I dunno... it's a lot of dough for even a great old vintage amp, and I would just wish that there wasn't such a "do or die" attitude towards the Mark series here. A lot of fellas out there cannot afford this bill and I guess it must feel pretty crappy with everyone saying that NOTHING can compare.
I was 1000x more happy with an old ugly Peavey 5150 head than with a full Triaxis/290/Gmajor rack for several years myself. Still to this day, while the C+ is "the king", I can get a pretty similar lead tone from the Peavey. Not saying they sound very much alike, just that you never know. On the cost side, I paied 1/4th for the 5150 compared to the rack... =)
And yes, the recession will definetly create oppourtunities, but we'll have to wait at least half a year to see it affect this.

Anyway, love my C+ and I still might purchase another one for the right price someday...

Sounds like a lame attempt to fish out a cheaper C+.

 

[GIG4FUN]

I got the call today! Mine is done! I sent it off to Mike B for a freshening up and I also had them build me a new headshell with new reverb tank and fan...and yep I paid for upgraded shipping so I can have it back in my life sooner. It's all expensive. And when I buy my next Mark IIC+ it will take a lot of my money too. BUT someday I'll be dead. Until then, I'll live the dream.

To those of you who do not understand the love, be sure to stay out of the way when we are buying one.

It's just a thing a few of us understand.

 

[JOEY B.]

BUT someday I'll be dead. Until then, I'll live the dream.

That was exactly my logic when I oredered the flame maple cabs for my C+. :twisted:

 

[Elpelotero]

A ferrari is not just another car, a Chateau Cheval Blanc is not just another merlot, and a C+ is not just another amp...

When the bug hits you, nothing else can satisfy your curiosity until you get the real deal. And when you do, you want the moment to be perfect. Else all the hype is not worth it and your curiosity will still be unsatisfied.

I think everyone has their own obsession. For some people its cars, some wine, some sports, some clothes, and for about 100 people out there, it's the purest form of the C+. 100 people or so who either have blinders on or have discovered the truth. For the sakes of your wallets, pray you don't land in the miniscule percentile of those in that narrow tunnel. Or you may live weeks or years in despair of finding your amp-mate.

 

[dodger916]

Now is an interesting time for prospectively purchasing a IIC+. There are a lot of deals to be had; several IIC+'s on Ebay have gotten through without heavy bidding.

If this is so, then I wasn't paying proper attention. In my opinion, the IIC+ that have been offered recently in eBay are mainly the ones with no graphic EQ or the 60 watters.
People are keeping the fully loaded ones, no matter how the Mark V will sound. There is a "feel" in these IIC+ that hasn't been duplicated yet in any other Boogie.
Regards

+1. To me, the feel of my C+ is what makes it special.

 

[markchatwin]

I'm one of the guys who has contributed to the escalation in prices for fully loaded original C+'s. I set out to get one and went on a journey that ended me up with two. I paid dearly for them in a time of a great recession. I got a combo on EBAY for 3k by hitting the "Buy It" feature. The other one is a fully loaded Hardwood/Wicker head that I spent Grailtone money on but I'm absolutely thrilled with the sonic possibilities of different cabinets. My only way of describing the tones of these amps is to say "Vintage Power with tremendous tonal shaping". I Ab'd it next to my Buddie's $1500 Marshall Head using the same cabinet/same speaker set up and my conclusion is:
Was able to produce very similar distorted tones
Was able to get similar clean tones
Reverb on Boogie is not happening unless you love Vintage Spring Sound
There is a "feel" to the Mark II C+, that is the mystique - You can feel the tubes and the power, such clarity and natural compression in otherwise dirty, distorted chords
Cleans that put you in that smoky jazz club with no breakup in tone whatsoever
Endless tonal shaping possibilities, unless you write the settings down you won't ever have quite the same tone on another day

I'm with ElPolatero, this is akin to a '90 Cheval Blanc, rich and creamy yet years of life left because of it's heft of fruit. My original idea was to buy an amp to use but also to have one that retains, maybe increase in value so that if my fingers ever fall off and my daughter needs some help later in life for college might be able to help. The jury is not out yet on this as an investment but I am part of the problem. Loving life though in the studio with soaring, chest pounding thrust but the grace of a flamingo...

 

[lesterpaul]

Mark-congrats on all of your new "babies"-I am glad you scored-wish it could have been my friend's...its a killer!!!nonetheless, you are in the club, and it sounds like you are a happy customer

 

[JOEY B.]

I Ab'd it next to my Buddie's $1500 Marshall Head using the same cabinet/same speaker set up

What speaker/cabinet setup did you use? If you have not tried the combo on top of an EV loaded thiele, or a C90/EV halfback 4x12, you are in for a surprise. It will send the Marshall running home to mommy :lol: .

 

[markchatwin]

Thanks LesterPaul! Yeh I'm really enjoying playing loud in the studio and tomorrow the fun really starts. Just picked up a Thiele with the EV 12L, circa early '90's, and can't wait to see what it does. Yeh Joey we played our amps into some custom stereo closed back 2x12 cabinet that had separate inputs for each speaker which I believe were Celestion C-90's. But yeh tomorrow with the combo and the Thiele together - could be really big. For me though it's not about the volume but the right choice of speakers for style of music I like which is '70's classic rock...

 

[supramax]

I may have been a little off in my little obnoxious rant there and I'm sorry. I'm just really opposed to buying a C+ as or partly as a speculative investment. Play, hear -don't look. Haha. =)
I've been looking at the 'bay and I see items that are sold for up to $4000 and I just think that this is a little too much.. I dunno... it's a lot of dough for even a great old vintage amp, and I would just wish that there wasn't such a "do or die" attitude towards the Mark series here. A lot of fellas out there cannot afford this bill and I guess it must feel pretty crappy with everyone saying that NOTHING can compare.
I was 1000x more happy with an old ugly Peavey 5150 head than with a full Triaxis/290/Gmajor rack for several years myself. Still to this day, while the C+ is "the king", I can get a pretty similar lead tone from the Peavey. Not saying they sound very much alike, just that you never know. On the cost side, I paied 1/4th for the 5150 compared to the rack... =)
And yes, the recession will definetly create oppourtunities, but we'll have to wait at least half a year to see it affect this.

Anyway, love my C+ and I still might purchase another one for the right price someday...

Sounds like a lame attempt to fish out a cheaper C+.

International purchase power with good help from my lands currency. I'm absolutly not trying to fish out a cheap C+, all I'm saying is that it's not an item that will rise in value with a 100% guarantee, and I'm sorry that the C+ absolutley puts everything else within Mesa's procuct catalogue in the background. It's just my own bussiness-related thoughts of this somewhat special subject. Nevermind - really.... ;-)
The C+ is lovely, but you shouldn't force everyone to own one in order to have a "grailtone", y know what I mean? =)

 

[Joel]

Thanks Joey B! I've been looking for a while.

I took my amp to the doctor today for a checkup and to clean the pots. I was about to leave, when he realized the speaker was actually loose from the mounting board. I already thought the amp was sounding good, but now. . . !!! I'm looking forward to comparing it live against the blue pig.

By the way, everything looks really good on the inside. I'll post some pictures soon.

 

[Joel]

I may have been a little off in my little obnoxious rant there and I'm sorry. I'm just really opposed to buying a C+ as or partly as a speculative investment. Play, hear -don't look. Haha. =)
I've been looking at the 'bay and I see items that are sold for up to $4000 and I just think that this is a little too much.. I dunno... it's a lot of dough for even a great old vintage amp, and I would just wish that there wasn't such a "do or die" attitude towards the Mark series here. A lot of fellas out there cannot afford this bill and I guess it must feel pretty crappy with everyone saying that NOTHING can compare.
I was 1000x more happy with an old ugly Peavey 5150 head than with a full Triaxis/290/Gmajor rack for several years myself. Still to this day, while the C+ is "the king", I can get a pretty similar lead tone from the Peavey. Not saying they sound very much alike, just that you never know. On the cost side, I paied 1/4th for the 5150 compared to the rack... =)
And yes, the recession will definetly create oppourtunities, but we'll have to wait at least half a year to see it affect this.

Anyway, love my C+ and I still might purchase another one for the right price someday...

Sounds like a lame attempt to fish out a cheaper C+.

International purchase power with good help from my lands currency. I'm absolutly not trying to fish out a cheap C+, all I'm saying is that it's not an item that will rise in value with a 100% guarantee, and I'm sorry that the C+ absolutley puts everything else within Mesa's procuct catalogue in the background. It's just my own bussiness-related thoughts of this somewhat special subject. Nevermind - really.... ;-)
The C+ is lovely, but you shouldn't force everyone to own one in order to have a "grailtone", y know what I mean? =)

I'll disagree. My C+ in unlike any other amp that I've used or heard. I won't be selling it any time soon, so I have no alterior motives to say that. Mesa (and others) make plenty of other high-quality amps at that price point. Nobody here is saying that it's the perfect amp for anybody else.

 

[Boogiebabies]

I may have been a little off in my little obnoxious rant there and I'm sorry. I'm just really opposed to buying a C+ as or partly as a speculative investment. Play, hear -don't look. Haha. =)
I've been looking at the 'bay and I see items that are sold for up to $4000 and I just think that this is a little too much.. I dunno... it's a lot of dough for even a great old vintage amp, and I would just wish that there wasn't such a "do or die" attitude towards the Mark series here. A lot of fellas out there cannot afford this bill and I guess it must feel pretty crappy with everyone saying that NOTHING can compare.
I was 1000x more happy with an old ugly Peavey 5150 head than with a full Triaxis/290/Gmajor rack for several years myself. Still to this day, while the C+ is "the king", I can get a pretty similar lead tone from the Peavey. Not saying they sound very much alike, just that you never know. On the cost side, I paied 1/4th for the 5150 compared to the rack... =)
And yes, the recession will definetly create oppourtunities, but we'll have to wait at least half a year to see it affect this.

Anyway, love my C+ and I still might purchase another one for the right price someday...

Sounds like a lame attempt to fish out a cheaper C+.

International purchase power with good help from my lands currency. I'm absolutly not trying to fish out a cheap C+, all I'm saying is that it's not an item that will rise in value with a 100% guarantee, and I'm sorry that the C+ absolutley puts everything else within Mesa's procuct catalogue in the background. It's just my own bussiness-related thoughts of this somewhat special subject. Nevermind - really.... ;-)
The C+ is lovely, but you shouldn't force everyone to own one in order to have a "grailtone", y know what I mean? =)

Well, I do have a habit of putting a gun to peoples head and forcing them to buy a IIC+.
Enjoy the exchange rate while you can. The Euro and British Pound are both taking a piss.

 

[supramax]

Boogiebabies, it is not my intention to sound like a dick, I'm sorry for any misunderstandings.

I'm a big fan of the C+ and a big fan of your work on the "for dummies" guide. You're truly amazing, and I guess I've read that one a number of times - it has been of good use for me so Thank you!

No offence to anyone at all. REALLY, I hope no one's offended cause that was never my intention with this rant.

Stay cool!

 

[Boogiebabies]

Boogiebabies, it is not my intention to sound like a dick, I'm sorry for any misunderstandings.

I'm a big fan of the C+ and a big fan of your work on the "for dummies" guide. You're truly amazing, and I guess I've read that one a number of times - it has been of good use for me so Thank you!

No offence to anyone at all. REALLY, I hope no one's offended cause that was never my intention with this rant.

Stay cool!

Why would I be offended ? I though I was being humorous.

 

[markchatwin]

Just saw an original C+ combo, simul, reverb, the rare Export tranny, black tolex with wicker grill, mint with everything but EQ sell for $1877 on Ebay last night. This is quite telling. Boogie buyers value the Graphic EQ at about $1000. I have seen several original loaded (105 tranny, incl EQ) combos sell for about $2800 - $3200 in the last 2 months. The Export tranny if found on a fully loaded original C+combo would be the Holy Grail at maybe $4500 IMO. The heads sell for about $500 more in relation to the combos. It's hard to say what the future holds for an original fully loaded C+ as to whether it would keep going up in value. Does anyone have any knowledge of how similar collectables do overtime? Like old TV's or radios, motors, etc... I know original guitars like a '59 Les Paul are over a 100K. Can amps keep going up or do they have a ceiling since they're electronics, ie - they're not aging like the wood in the body of a guitar...