Finally got a Mark IIC+ today!

[powerhouse]

Once used Mark IV but sold, and I was using Mark III red stripe for couple of years instead,
but got a change to get the legendary Mark IIC+ for about $2,200 today.
Factory C+, Serial # 12919, 105 tranny, GEQ, simul class.
Originally it was 1x12 one, and I just pulled the chassis out and assembled in the separate headshell.
Haven't cranked it up yet, but still sounds sweet in bedroom level volume.

Comparing to Mark III red stripe which is known as the closest version to C+,
the graphic EQ on Mark III is more sensitive in my opinion, especially the 750 range which is critical to the tone,
I could totally scoop out the mids with Mark III, but with C+, I can't do the same.

It feels like..Mark III is better for 'metal' kind of things but will try to compare more
when I have cranked it up soon.

A question is,

I'm planning to retube but not sure how to figure out the power tube section.
If I'm going to use 2xpaired power tubes (not quad matched),
is it right to put a pair for center and another pair for far right and left?

Thanks!

 

[zolimer]

Your old cabinet should have a sticker inside that shows the positions of the tubes.
I believe that all mesa amps are setup for 2 in the middle and 2 on the outside as you described in your post. At least that is how my dual rectifier is setup!

 

[JOEY B.]

Welcome to the club!

The tube placement is correct that you speak of.

The fact that the Mark III is better for "metal" is a sure thing. Furthermore, if you want to scoop out all the mids, then what are you left with, tone wise, to justify a $2200 guitar amp? :roll: These amps were never voiced for used with V30 Celestion speakers BTW.

FWIW, I don't think the Mark IIC+ really shines until it is cranked to gig level, better yet to studio level in an isolation room.

If you plan on keeping the amp, call MESA to see if it has ever been in for a general service. These amps are getting some years on them, and will benefit from a "tune up" by now, for sure.

 

[chipaudette]

These amps were never voiced for used with V30 Celestion speakers BTW.

I spent some time A/B'ing my Boogie with a few different speakers. My Boogie is a IIC->IIC+ conversion. It's a 60/100 not simulclass, so there's some difference there.

In my opinion, in the open-back 1x12 combo, the EVM12L is definitely superior to the V30 for the IIC+. Absolutely no question. The V30 lacked the mid/upper-mid to get the singing boogie lead sound. To my ears, the V30 was all wrong.

Switching over to a closed-back cab (I have a Mesa 1x12 Thiele, which are differently proportioned than the Recto cabs), I ended up liking the V30 better than the EVM.

To be clear, I had fairly limited goals with my usage of the closed-back cab...so my choice of V30 over EVM in the closed-back cab is only valid for limited subset of what I play. To my ears, the closed-back doesn't sound right for everyday Boogie usage, regardless of the speaker that I had in the cab. Specifically, the closed-back cab felt too constrained and didn't seem to breathe or bloom well enough...especially for clean or for dirty-clean kind of sounds. The open-back cab sounded so much more right for these kinds of sounds. To me, the closed-back cab was only better for playing heavy sounds...like metal. So, it was only in this context that I thought that I liked the V30 better than the EVM in the closed-back cab. And even in this limited context, the V30 only seemed marginally better.

After this experiment, after settling on the configuration of EVM in the open-back combo and V30 in the closed-back, I found that I never used the closed-back cab by itself...I found that I was always using both the open-back and closed-back at the same time. That was a pretty good sound.

Then, after a couple more months, I found that I was just using the open-back combo speaker by itself most of the time. Only for metal (where I really needed the bass whoomp!) did I plug in the closed-back cab. And even that happens less-and-less these days because the amp just sounds so good with the EVM through the open-back.

So, now that you've got your IIC+, keep your mind and ears open to alternate speakers and cabinets. You might find that something other than the 2x12 Recto (presumably with V30s) works better for you with the IIC+. (Or maybe the 2x12 Recto is perfect for you...and if so, keep on rockin' it!)

Chip