IIC+ dreams...

[gatto]

Hello everybody!
Sorry for my poor english, I hope to improve it with you!
It's my first post, so pardon me for the absurdity!
I'm a happy owner of a Mark IVA and now, i'm curious about a ...IIC+!
Here in Italy is impossible to find, so, two questions:
wich is the closest mark ( III,red/blue/green..) to be modded with IIC+ specs?
Is there a stock power transformer with the same '105' specs, or, at least, close to it?
If could be possible to substitute the original mark III PT with a 105-clone, wich could be the results?
Thanks in advance and don't kill me if I've said bestiality!!

 

[Elpelotero]

welcome to the forum! your english is very good!

As for your questions:
-The Green stripe sounds closest to a C+. The tones are similar, but certainly not equal.
-You can mod any MarkIII into a C+, but it will be expensive to ship your amp to the United States, get it modded, and ship it back.
-There is no power transformer like the 105. It appeared primarily on the C+. However, a few of the earliest Mark3's may have it, as well as a few of the latest 2C's.
-You can get a 105 clone made and installed. The technician will have to know how to adapt the rest of the amp's circuits so it can accept the 105 without problems. The resulting tone should be a tighter, more focused amp.

Your Mark4A should sound very close to a C+, so unless you really want to try one out by going through a lot of hassle, just stick with what you got.

 

[gatto]

thanks for the answers!
At the moment, I don't know how a real IIC+ sounds, so I really can't compare it to my IVA..
I've also modded on my own my studio pre to IIC+ specifics and I've noticed a great improvement by doing so ( now it's close to my mark IV, that's why I 'suppose' how the IIc pre sounds....).
So, I could buy a green stripe and get it modded, including the substitution of the PT with the '105 clone'.
Absurd?
Does anyone knows the right specs of the 105 export tranny?
thanks!

 

[Elpelotero]

make sure you don't do anything radical before speaking to either Boogiebabies or JVK. They know they're technical stuff on the C+ much better than the rest of us.

 

[gatto]

ops!
U're right!
I don't want to risk my life nor my amp's! :shock:
Safety is not an option!
In any case,I have the support of a good technician here,but only if it's feasable!
I'm just curious about the C+ and I'm wondering if the difference between my mark IV, or a III green stripe is 'ONLY' the voltage to the plates, of 483V vs my 465-470V .
If I find a PT that supplies the same voltage (or better, i.e. 490/500V!), I could try to substitute my actual one with it :roll:
What do you think?

 

[Elpelotero]

send a Private Message to those two guys I mentioned....I can't help as much with the technical things as they can.

 

[gatto]

You helped me in any case! thanks!
I'll send him a PM, and we'll see!

 

[carloc80]

hai visto questo?
http://www.mercatinomusicale.com/ann/ann.asp/IDA_778987/ts-mitica-testata-mesa-boogie-mark-iic+.htm
però è senza equalizzatore

 

[gatto]

Thanks, carloc80!
I've seen it, but for that price!!
I'm thinking about it, but w/o eq and the addictional transformer.... :?
By now, anyway, no specs about the '105' ... :roll:
Any suggestion?

 

[Shep]

there are mk III export models floating around with 500v on the plates.. mainly blue and red stripe's.. if you can find one then you could try and cut it all up..

 

[gatto]

wow!
Really?
And what about the green stripe?
I've found it right now, but the seller don't know about the PT.
What's the difference in terms of PT between the green and blue one?
And:
If plate voltage is around 500V, difference between the blue and the mytical IIC+ should be 'ONLY' in the preamp layout?
If so...

 

[ytse_jam]

ciao gatto, secondo me, a meno che tu non sia un vero e proprio fanatico o che comunque abbia soldi da spendere a piacimento, faresti meglio a tenerti il MarkIV ed installarci qualche bel set di valvole pre (vedi Tung-Sol) e finali (vedi SED C ad esempio) se vuoi migliorare ulteriormente il tuo suono (poi è questione di gusti). Il fatto è che non so se un Mark III modificato C+ possa arrivare a suonare più vicino al IIC+ che non il tuo stesso IV. Un utente del forum chiamato reo73 mi sembra abbia fatto la modifica C+ al suo III, potresti provare a contattarlo.

Puoi raccontami un po' della modifica C+ fatta allo studio pre (componenti sostituiti, difficoltà dell'operazione - io al massimo ho costruito un semplice pedalino overdrive - cambiamenti timbrici notati). Ciao, grazie!

 

[Shep]

wow!
Really?
And what about the green stripe?
I've found it right now, but the seller don't know about the PT.
What's the difference in terms of PT between the green and blue one?
And:
If plate voltage is around 500V, difference between the blue and the mytical IIC+ should be 'ONLY' in the preamp layout?
If so...

There is alot more to it all than that.. The C+ had hand draw silver boards plus alot of another little things ( pot's, tube sockets and cap's) that are different to what all mark III's blues and green's came with... Yes a blue stripe with 500v on the plates sound like a great idea..but how many current day tubes are able to with stand that for a very long time without dying.. my Blue has a 562003 OT, 476v on the plates.soon getting the pentode mod and maybe the preamp mod as i already have a mk IV... sounds Amazing for heavy rhythm sounds..can't go wrong.. mk IV is still my favorite but..

 

[gatto]

Ok, I've found a green stripe and I'm thinking to buy it...
I hope for the 562003 OT too, I'll start for the triode mod, then I'll check for the plate voltages, but I now that the green's more MarkIV-ish then the blue one,regarding the PT.
Anyway, I'm looking for the markIII schematics to recreate at least the IIC+ preamp.
It shouldn't be so difficult...
Theresut? a IIC+? I don't think,but I'll hope in a smoothest sound ala MarkIV.
Who knows?
In the meantime, I'm also started with my dream:
a dual channel IIC+ with complete indipendent controls, a sort of Nunja preamp.
I find Petrucci sound in Score really amazing!
He uses an external dual eq, a DOD (or dbx...), and the recto Poweramp, 2:100.
It could be interesting too!
dreams....

 

[gatto]

only a little update.
I bought a mark III greenstripe, Simul, full optional.
retubed with 2 Svetlana 6L6 and 2 EL34 Winged C.
A real beast!!!
In five minutes I've done the R2 vol mod, thanks to the info here in the forum.
I've found it very helpful.
I'm planning now the triode/pentode switch mod and the Vol1 mod.
Plate voltage?
Under load, I've measured something like 481V and I'm very very happy!!
Modded the lead stage matching the IIC+ 's...great improvement!
Is not a C+, I know, but I removed sensibly the marshally high-end.
All under construction, anyway, but I found it more aggressive than my markIV A...
I'll test it tomorrow in my next gig....