IIC+ eBay Score?

[LockStock]

I just bought this IIC+ on eBay.

I already have a Simul Export fully loaded, and I had it converted from combo to head/cab and redone in Imbuya/Wicker by Mesa, and the cost for me for the finished product was over twice what I paid for this.

This one that I just bought on eBay has a Celestion Gold, but is that really that much of a negative? I have the other IIC+'s original EV in a Thiele Cab if I need that tone. The seller claims everything else is original, and I get some NOS tubes as well...he's local too so he's dropping it off this week with no shipping risk.

I don't really have room for this, or even a need, but I just thought it was too good to pass up. And these seem to be getting rarer on eBay. Was I wrong? It's ok to tell me that I missed something big - I can take it.

 

[Platypus]

It's a 60 watter with EQ and reverb that looks pretty clean. Price might have been a bit high but it is original so that commands a higher price.

Not having to ship it is a big plus.. as are the NOS tubes. I would put the EV in the new cab and see if you like it more. I've never played a gold but these amps were made around that EV. I'd try to snag another EV for the thiele too

 

[jerseydrew]

Looks great. Looks like a great price too. I've seen that amp before. I don't remember where. I remember that orange pouch.

 

[LockStock]

Thanks. The Alnico Gold is an interesting choice - it's definitely underpowered for the amp. 60W distorted might be 100W, so I'd feel safer with a 100W speaker in there. At least, it'd feel more appropriate. I have a spare Fane 12AXA Alnico that could do it, but it's new and would have to be broken in. If I ever want to play this combo through an EV, I can just put it into the EV in my Thiele.

 

[Platypus]

Thanks. The Alnico Gold is an interesting choice - it's definitely underpowered for the amp. 60W distorted might be 100W, so I'd feel safer with a 100W speaker in there. At least, it'd feel more appropriate. I have a spare Fane 12AXA Alnico that could do it, but it's new and would have to be broken in. If I ever want to play this combo through an EV, I can just put it into the EV in my Thiele.

True but there's something to be said for the tone of an EV in an open back cabinet versus the thiele. Both are great but different nonetheless

 

[LockStock]

Looks great. Looks like a great price too. I've seen that amp before. I don't remember where. I remember that orange pouch.

Interesting - I'm meeting the seller this afternoon. He says he's had it for 8 years, so I wonder what the history was before that.

 

[jerseydrew]

Looks great. Looks like a great price too. I've seen that amp before. I don't remember where. I remember that orange pouch.

Interesting - I'm meeting the seller this afternoon. He says he's had it for 8 years, so I wonder what the history was before that.

Maybe he was selling it on The Gear Page? Maybe? I remember that orange pouch. Of course I can be wrong too?

At any rate, did you pick up the amp? How is it?

 

[LockStock]

Man, these amps just are something else. My first reaction is "this is better than my Simul Export." But I've pretty much only played that through EVs.

This one is sweet sounding and articulate in the higher frequencies without being harsh. And the bass isn't as tight. Which of course leads me to believe that what I'm really hearing is the Celestion Gold - a speaker I've never heard before, vs the EV Thiele.

The 60W I thought was going to be more aggressive because it has the non-export OT and because the reputation of the 60W is that it is more aggressive. But I'm hearing sweeter, and not as bright. So that's another reason why I'm thinking it's the Gold. Though I understand they kept making these amps brighter and brighter throughout the run, and my Simul is a March 1985 build - one of the last ones.

I only have had a chance to play it for 30 minutes. I'll do some comparisons holding the speaker constant later.

One immediate and hard-to-miss revelation is the volume ramps much quicker in these earlier IIC+s. In my home, I have to keep it pretty much at 0.75 or below on the master. My early 85 Export Simul IIC+ has a much smoother ramp in volume - I can get it up to 2.5-3. This goes along with the pot change that supposedly happpened mid-1984.

I'm pretty stoked to have these two different representations of the IIC+ though. I'm still expecting they'll sound somewhat different even once I take the speaker out of the equation.

 

[phyrexia]

I drooled over that amp for a while.

FWIW It seems that Celestion underrates the Blue and the Gold. There are people with Blues in AC15s, 5E3s, etc that are putting out 20-25w when they're clipping. My old AC15 wouldn't flub out, I could dime everything and the Blue just took it like a champ (I like that speaker. Kinda miss it.)

Of course it is an expensive speaker to mess around with.

Beautiful amp man.

 

[Platypus]

Man, these amps just are something else. My first reaction is "this is better than my Simul Export." But I've pretty much only played that through EVs.

This one is sweet sounding and articulate in the higher frequencies without being harsh. And the bass isn't as tight. Which of course leads me to believe that what I'm really hearing is the Celestion Gold - a speaker I've never heard before, vs the EV Thiele.

The 60W I thought was going to be more aggressive because it has the non-export OT and because the reputation of the 60W is that it is more aggressive. But I'm hearing sweeter, and not as bright. So that's another reason why I'm thinking it's the Gold. Though I understand they kept making these amps brighter and brighter throughout the run, and my Simul is a March 1985 build - one of the last ones.

I only have had a chance to play it for 30 minutes. I'll do some comparisons holding the speaker constant later.

One immediate and hard-to-miss revelation is the volume ramps much quicker in these earlier IIC+s. In my home, I have to keep it pretty much at 0.75 or below on the master. My early 85 Export Simul IIC+ has a much smoother ramp in volume - I can get it up to 2.5-3. This goes along with the pot change that supposedly happpened mid-1984.

I'm pretty stoked to have these two different representations of the IIC+ though. I'm still expecting they'll sound somewhat different even once I take the speaker out of the equation.

Interesting, my 60/100W C+ has a much smoother volume taper than my Simul C+.. the difference between 2 and 3 on the volume knob on my Simul is DEAFENINGLY loud in comparison and both are pretty early examples. Glad you dig it!!