Vigo1999 said:
although the guy said that the IIC+ original "core" tone is really better than the IIc version . . . and the loop is way clearer.
Having owned a IIC, which I then had converted to a IIC+, I'm assuming that the guy was refering to the tone of a IIC *prior* to having the IIC->IIC+ conversion. The IIC really is different from a IIC+ (or from the IIB, for that matter). The original IIC is kinda an orphaned freak of an architecture. For example, the way that the IIC effects loop was implemented is definitely crappy when used with the lead channel. It comes in a very weird spot in the circuit signal path. In my opinion, it really messes up how the gain stages are cascaded in the lead channel. It's weird. As a result, the lead channel on the straight IIC is nowhere near as good as a IIC+.
All this changes with the upgrade from a IIC to the IIC+. MikeB at Mesa actually rewires large sections of the pre-amp. As a result, the effects loop and lead channel are totally reworked. It makes a huge difference. I was very pleased with my upgrade.
That said, be careful about over-paying for the IIC. You should know that it'll probably cost you $600+ to send your amp to Mesa to have MikeB do the upgrade. He may quote you a lower price ($450 or whatever), but whiles he's mod'ing your amp, he'll probably decide to replace a bunch of other parts that have degraded over time. The extra parts (in my case, a new reverb tank and a quad of plain-jane Mesa 6L6's) added substantially to the bill. So, be sure to go into the deal knowing that the price of the two amps is NOT going to be "the same".
If I wasn't willing to spend the extra $600+ for the upgrade, I'd definitely choose the basic IIC+ over a loaded IIC. Without hesitation. The IIC+ is really that much better than a stock IIC. Even without the reverb and EQ on the IIC+, I could be very very happy with a basic IIC+ and a delay pedal.
Chip