New guy here.

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Picked up amp.

 

[Mister Joshua]

Freakin' SWEET. Good score. And welcome to the board.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[chipaudette]

Hey, It's even simulclass! Nice work.

I bet that there aren't many IIC's left on this earth. I think that many people (like me) picked up a IIC to get it converted to a IIC+. You, too, could do that (with an additional $400-600 bucks and a trip to Petaluma), but it's nice knowing that there's at least one of this rare breed still around.

Nice acquisition!

Chip

 

[Heritage Softail]

Funny post Chip. I have a wicker front IIC. It is going to Petaluma for a going over. Maybe that C+.

Congrats on the sweet amp!

 

[screamingdaisy]

Let me know how much the mod costs.

You guys are bad for my wallet.... :lol:

 

[Jiffy_Jeff]

WOW- $400-600? Last I read (didn't check the print date) the + mod was around $200.

I would have to ship the chassis to Peteluma to have any mods done. I did hear that the IIC+ faceplates are all gone so that would stay the same.

 

[chipaudette]

Yeah, it hasn't been $200 for a long time. If you're contemplating the change, you'll want to call Mesa directly. They're pretty used to handling this particular call. If you ask for a price, they won't give a specific value, but will give a range...they'll probably say $250-$400, depending upon what they find wrong with the amp. My bill ended up closer to $600

Way back in the day, it was so much cheaper because it was simply a replacement of the pre-amp circuit board from the IIC model to the IIC+. Easy. But all the IIC+ circuit boards are long gone, so the mods are now done by hand by manually re-routing sections of the existing board. What a pain.

Additionally, back in the day, the amps were practically brand new...all that they had to do was to implement the mod. Now, though, all the the amps are way older and need other parts replaced in order to bring them up to snuff. So, part of the bill is a general "tune-up" to find and replace the now out-of-spec parts (mostly caps, though some higher-wattage resistors, too).

Third, in these old amps, the reverb tank has often deteriorated, so he sometimes replaces that as well. The issue is that the tanks from this period originally used some crappy foam-ish rubbery stuff in them, which disintegrates over time. The bits of which fall off and gum up the reverb springs. Ick. So, there's a charge to replace the tank.

Finally, he usually finds that your power tubes are worn out (who really replaces those often enough) and so you find yourself saying yes to a new quad of Mesa tubes. Since I didn't end up liking the Mesa tubes, I should have said "no" to this. I ended up buying my own quad of Winged C.

If you get this amount of re-work done, you too will be pushing $600. Luckily, the shipping wasn't as bad as I expected...once you pull the chassis from your combo (and leave that mammoth EVM speaker behind), the weight isn't actually that much. He'll want to see your tubes and reverb tank, too (see comments above) but that doesn't add much weight. I'm pretty sure that it was about $20 from my place in VT out to CA. I assume that it was a similar amount for the return trip.

Now, if you're in Australia (like some fine folks here on this board), shipping costs are in a whole different league.

Chip

 

[Jiffy_Jeff]

I am not familiar with simulclass. When I bought it it was switched to that. I haven't changed it. the tubes are 6l6.
It has a couple of scratchy pots. Im gonna pick up some deoxit today and see if that will help with the pots.

Is there a problem with switching it back and forth? Im going to put it on class a and see how it does. I played it before I bought it(simulclass) and it sounded nice.

What is the difference in the simulclass and class A sounds. I have read that the simulclass is B.S. Is that pretty much right?

Being new to this amp, any suggestions on set up as it sits would be nice. I think for the upgrade to a CII+ will have to wait for a bit.

also need a foot switch.

 

[Mister Joshua]

Simul class is not BS at all. It really makes a difference. As far as the IIC+ mod i say if it sounds good as it is then no need to mod it. I think with the rarity of the unmodded IIC's you might think about keeping it that way unless you just can't stand the tone. As far as footswitches you can always use a voodooman switch. They make almost every type although i've heard that they may be a bit lousy in the customer happiness department. You may also be able to use any latching footswitch like a Boss FS5L if you just want lead/rhythm changing. That might work.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[chipaudette]

You can also get replacement footswitches from Mesa...

http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/hrtmkftsw.html

Chip

 

[McBarry]

>>Now, if you're in Australia (like some fine folks here on this board), shipping costs are in a whole different league.
>>

Yeah, but sometimes it feels like the freight is going via the moon for the prices we get charged..
I'm actually considering making a crate of my five Boogies and sending them to uncle Mike. Sea-freight.
It will still need a second mortgage, and be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but what price for ultimate peace-of-mind??
Especially for the original Mark1 - what a piece of work that baby is...
DB

 

[chipaudette]

If shipping from Australia is too pricey or too slow, you could buy some plane tickets and bring them as carry-on baggage for the overhead bin! Removed from their chassis, they'd fit nicely.

Think of it as expensive shipping plus a free trip to California!

Ooo! Alternatively, maybe you could fly MikeB down to Australia to work on all your amps. Maybe he'd be into a little vacation down there.

Just trying to help you out. Sorry it's so expensive.

Chip

 

[dearlpitts]

very nice amp

 

[gts]

I am not familiar with simulclass. When I bought it it was switched to that. I haven't changed it. the tubes are 6l6.
It has a couple of scratchy pots. Im gonna pick up some deoxit today and see if that will help with the pots.

Is there a problem with switching it back and forth?

No

Im going to put it on class a and see how it does. I played it before I bought it(simulclass) and it sounded nice.

What is the difference in the simulclass and class A sounds.

Well if you have EL34's and 6L6's it's a pretty cool blend of the tone of both those power tubes.
But get some good EL34/ 6CA7's (like old Sylvania's) to really hear Simulclass at it best.

I have read that the simulclass is B.S. Is that pretty much right?

Far from it. Class A is not a true Class A so Simulclass is not a true blending of Class A and Class A/B but it's still a legit and unique thing

Being new to this amp, any suggestions on set up as it sits would be nice.

V1=7 pulled
Treble=7
Bass=2 pulled
Mid=5-6
Master 2-3 pulled (or as loud as you can stand it ;-) )
Lead Drive= 6-7 (or to taste)
Lead Master 4-5 pulled (set volume level to whatever setting balances the volume between the lead and rhythm channels)

I think for the upgrade to a CII+ will have to wait for a bit.

Btw if you do upgrade it at some point there is nothing wrong with the faceplate you currently have.
Only difference is the "Pull Deep" versus "Gain Boost" over the Master.

also need a foot switch.

 

[chipaudette]

One of the interesting things that I seem to remember about my old IIC (my memory could be wrong) is that the pull-shift on the Treble know would work even in the rhythm (clean) channel. That doesn't happen on the IIC+.

It was kinda fun to have this flexibility. With it pulled, it gave even more thrust to the clean channel to drive it into more breakup. Some might have liked it, some not. I was simply entertained by the ability to play with a new texture.

On the Mark amps prior to the IIC (like the IIB and IIA), could you run the pull-shift on the clean channel? I'm kinda sad that I lost that feature/behavior when my IIC got upgraded to the IIC+.

I know that I can alter its behavior with my soldering iron, but somethings it's better for all involved to keep the soldering iron off and far from the amp.

Chip

 

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Well if you have EL34's and 6L6's it's a pretty cool blend of the tone of both those power tubes.
But get some good EL34/ 6CA7's (like old Sylvania's) to really hear Simulclass at it best.

I think I will try this. There is an older gentleman that was a jukebox repairman nearby. I have bought tubes from him before. He has thousands of tubes. Some very nice NOS Mullard, RCA, Telefunken, Sylvania....etc.

I will have to hit him up.

 

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Since I need the speaker reconed I was thinking of putting another speaker in it that I have in storage.

The JBL e-120. Anyone use one? Im wondering how it will sound.

 

[chipaudette]

The EVM isn't working, eh? That's too bad. The EVM is really part of the classic sound.

Not saying you can't sound awesome with a different speaker...many people do...it's just that the EVM is so classic with that amp, that it's sad that you weren't able to get a feel for it before trying other stuff.

I myself tried a few different speakers in my Mark IIC+ combo(I tried a Celestian V30 and a Jensen C12K) before going back and sticking with the EVM. Each speaker gave a really different feel (not necessarily better or worse...just really different). I ended up sticking with the EVM because it gave such a good mid and upper-mid presence to the lead tone. It was so "right there". With the other speakers, the lead tone just seemed to be missing that certain Boogie focus.

Good luck with the JBL...I hope it works marvelously for you.

Oh, since you'll be using a different speaker from most other Mark IIC/IIC+ players (such as me), you'll have to take their (my) suggested amp settings (especially EQ settings) with a grain of salt.

Chip

 

[Jiffy_Jeff]

The speaker works. There is a tear in the cone that will need to be fixed.
That tear has a crappy fix on it right now. I just inke things to be right so Im gonna take it out and put a temp in.

I don't know what the EVM looks like. But I was told the speaker in it right now is not an EVM.

 

[JOEY B.]

The speaker works. There is a tear in the cone that will need to be fixed.
That tear has a crappy fix on it right now. I just inke things to be right so Im gonna take it out and put a temp in.

I don't know what the EVM looks like. But I was told the speaker in it right now is not an EVM.

The speaker in those pictures in an Eminence MS-12 150 watt. A great sounding speaker when it is in good working order. Especially in the open back combo format.