I modified my RI Fender Deluxe Reverb to put in the IIc+ lead circuit. I based my mods on the IIc+ schematic. Translating that into actual circuitry in my amp was challenging due to the constraints of the existing Fender circuitry.
Predictably, when I was done, it didn't sound anything like the IIC+. The differences in the physical layout of the boards (the wire and PCB runs are *a lot* longer inside the Fender compared to the Boogie) and the differences in power supply voltage levels (the Fender is lower by about 100V!) surely have a big effect on making them sound different. Oh, and on the Boogie, it has an effects loop, so they have to knock the signal level way down before sending it out hte loop and then they have to bring it way back up again before going to the power amp. These extra attenuation/recovery stages are missing on the Fender...and, IMHO, have an important effect on the sound...normally you want to avoid that sort of thing, but on the boogie, it ends up smoothing things out a bit.
So, I guess that I'm saying is that the IIC+ is not all about the IIC+ circuit schematic. There is lots of real-world art (or accident, more likely) that went into making the IIC+ sound and respond the way that it does. Since I now have a IIC+, I could probably custom build a circuit to the same schematic, the same physical layout, and the same voltages...and maybe it would be better...but then we'd have a discussion of difference in transformers and component selection. Oy!
Short answer, I would also appreciate a lighter-weight IIC+, but I don't know of one available now nor in the past. Plus, if you're the kind of person who has an ear for the difference between a Mark III and a IIC+ (and based on your previous posts, I think that you are), then I think that you're going to have a hard time finding non-IIC+ that satisfies your IIC+ desire.
Chip
