More Mark 2c+ vs Mark III vs 50 Caliber+ questions/commentary

[GJgo]

NEW INTEL!
So I took my 50 caliber plus to the shop that has the 2c+ because they have an amp guy and I wanted him to look at the caliber. The reverb does not work(and it is not the tube) and the 6l6 tube sockets are loose (and it is not the tubes themselves)

I knew I was going so I took the opportunity to revisit the 2c+. I took a guitar and a boost pedal just for fun.
I found something out...unless I am wrong it is not a 2c+, it is a 2c. I did the loop test and when you turn up the gain on the lead channel it changes and sort of tries to go microphonic.

That means it is not a 2c+ correct?

I got to turn it up a bit more and it sure is not very high gain. My guitar has pretty hot pickups and I had the gain on 10 on input and lead. Sounds great but not the gain I remember from my old mkiii and not nearly the gain you hear metal players achieve. Even with my boost pedal going pretty strong on the input it was surprisingly un-saturated. I guess the other guitar I tried the other day was more honking in the miss but this was definitely not the gain monster you hear on clips above in this thread. I thought maybe some low output 12ax7s might have been put in but it looked like the SP mesa ones which were typically pretty high output.

Here's a tutorial vid I did on the loop test.


The IIC+ is not an especially high gain amp- the Mark III red, blue & green are noticeably higher gain. When people think of "that IIC+ metal sound", what they are generally thinking of in their head is a Mark IIC++, AKA the Hetfield sound. Also, this sound requires a sealed cab with a metal-y speaker. One cannot metal with a combo.

 

[kingtone2017]

Here's a tutorial vid I did on the loop test.


The IIC+ is not an especially high gain amp- the Mark III red, blue & green are noticeably higher gain. When people think of "that IIC+ metal sound", what they are generally thinking of in their head is a Mark IIC++, AKA the Hetfield sound. Also, this sound requires a sealed cab with a metal-y speaker. One cannot metal with a combo.

It would appear so...I don't need to metal so much but I do need the gain. My caliber has plenty of gain but it is just so hateful in the snarl regions. I used your video to learn about the loop test so thank you!


Each day I am becoming more offset with this whole thing...I went by GC yesterday and tried the JPC and Mark V 35 and while I tried both of them years ago and thought very little of them...yesterday I thought they sounded really good. UGH! The Mark V 35 might be the ticket with a small cab. That would also be a step in the right direction in helping solve my recent back issues.

 

[soloistthree]

I vote for a Mark III modded to III+

 

[kingtone2017]

I vote for a Mark III modded to III+

I bet that would be awesome...

 

[soloistthree]

I bet that would be awesome...

You know, just playing my Mark III green right now, man, it really does sound good. The only downside is that I do have to keep the presence at zero. I might mod this thing to give the classic triode mode of the Mark IIC+ as I can tell that pentode is more aggressive than triode per my Mark IV (which has triode and pentode switchable) but other than that idk that I'd even change anything other than that

 

[kingtone2017]

It has been a long time but I feel like I was running the presence down or off like that...

 

[rarebitusa]

Each day I am becoming more offset with this whole thing...I went by GC yesterday and tried the JPC and Mark V 35 and while I tried both of them years ago and thought very little of them...yesterday I thought they sounded really good. UGH! The Mark V 35 might be the ticket with a small cab. That would also be a step in the right direction in helping solve my recent back issues.

It's not too much of a reach to say there certainly are a number of past and present Mesa choices that could probably work for your tone search. I find Mesas typically are designed to be extremely versatile. The mark II/III series with the shared tone stack is unique and while the III has more overall gain, dialing it back it for non-metal type tones is pretty easy. The only drawback IMHO for gigging my IIC+ live is getting a wide palette of tones without knob twisting, it's the primary reason why I use the V:90 live these days.

 

[soloistthree]

It has been a long time but I feel like I was running the presence down or off like that...

Honestly, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably just get a Mark VII and be done with it. Short of that, I think the Mark IV gives the older Mark vibe and controls. The JP2C isn't my favorite and I get not liking it as much, to me the 240hz range sounds boxy, I have to bottom out that slider, which is something I don't do on other Marks. My Mark VII does everything well, and while it may be slightly more compressed, MAYBE, it's just such a great amp.

 

[kingtone2017]

I have an update on my adventure. After all the craziness I have purchased a mark v 35 head. I tried the first version of the mark v 90 watt years ago and later the JPC and I did not like them that much. Fast forward and I tried the JPC and mark v 35 and loved both. They did not have the cab I want but that's no worries I can get that shortly. I played this head for a good while today through the combo cab part of several amps and into the UA OX and you know...it sounds glorious. I don't think I have heard a boogie yet that sounded better, as far as I can tell, including the 2c or 2c+, my old green mkiii. It sounds good with every guitar and it sounded good with every pedal I added to the mix. I cranked it up for just a few minutes and my mind is fairly well blown. I think with a small 1x12 cab and my favorite speaker it will be about as good as anything I have ever heard. I can think of nothing offhand I liked better. My vintage Fenders with the right pedals are pretty unbeatable but I don't know...I am getting the feeling that this thing might just take the championship belt. It is lightweight, looks cool, form factor and size is perfect and the feature set is all useable. I will see how it works at a show but right now I feel strongly that it's a win.

 

[rarebitusa]

I will see how it works at a show but right now I feel strongly that it's a win.

Congrats and that's a solid choice IMHO. Let us know how it works out live.

 

[GJgo]

Of all the modern Marks I think the Five 35 has the best tone. The crunch channel is worth the cost of admission. Try this trick if you want to add some push.



These are fun as well.

 

[Joey1970]

So that should be an HR... 100/60W with Reverb. If I make out the serial number correctly that is a really early factory IIC+ or a converted IIC. Anything earlier then SN 12,500 is in that C->C+ transition period. recommend doing the loop test just to make sure it checks out. Gotta luv the creme combo


I dunno specifically but probably digging here further you'll find related posts WRT component upgrade specifics.

I personally have laid hands on 12399 and 12400, both of which had the RP-11A preamp board.

 

[kingtone2017]

I did the loop test on this particular one and it is not a 2c+, I guess a 2c transition? Turning the gain on the lead channel did affect the sound.