Rebuilt my iic+

[Blueracer]

A while back I "rescued" a Mark IIC+ off of ebay. I have been rebuilding it and it is now finished. Thought I would post the before and after pictures. It is now in a condition that it deserves.

The before.

and the after

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Beautiful!

 

[Russ]

Very nice...

*applause*

 

[Calamity]

Ugh, the before pictures both appalled and saddened me.

The afters though...that's a clean beast

 

[Russ]

The previous owner had to be trying to keep the amp incognito to keep the threat of theft down while he was gigging. There is no other reason any amp should look like that.

 

[scottcrud]

I remember that, Guitar player from Rhino Bucket right?

 

[Russ]

I think you're right IIRC.

Anyway those knobs looked like they are from multiple Powerbrake donors.

Was that a plain panel laid over the original panel or did you have to find a replacement MarkIII panel?

 

[devilrob1979]

Great job man.

 

[MetalMatt]

Outstanding!

 

[Itsik]

Beutiful !!!

 

[Aart]

Great job!

Looks very clean and neat now!

 

[STUART]

Your skills Gary are superior...excellent work !! 8)


A vintage restoration and mods section would be nice on the forum ..

Stu.

 

[Blueracer]

Thank you for all the kind words. It was a labor of love. When I first saw this amp and after my initial reaction this is what I thought it could be. I knew there was a nice amplifier inside trying to get out. There are far too few of these around to let them go to the scrap heap.

To answer a few questions. The front panel is a Mark III with the middle pull blacked out. I got it from Mesa. They seem to have the Mark III front panels available but not the Mark IICs. The amp did belong to the guitarist from Rhino Bucket. When I spoke with him he was kind of embarrassed about how he treated the amp particularly when he found out that it was somewhat special. I don't think he realized what he had for most the time he had the amp.

Stuart great to hear from you my friend. I hope the 2:90 is holding up for you.

 

[STUART]

Gary that 2:90 is still holding out no problem , still due you a few beers there for that one ..
Also not had any great amount of spare time for jamming these days unfortunately due to the business relocating recently.

Nice work Gary !!! 8)

Stu.

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Great job ! You have done a real "lifting" to this amp!!!!!! Now it looks like a Mesa !!!!!!!! The only thing I don't understand is why the previous owner has treated so badly a precious amp like Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+. Few times in my life I have seen a "raped" amp like that I saw in the pictures !!!!!!!!!!!! No offences for the previous owner, but ****, I hope the guy doesn't treat all the things he owns in this manner :shock:

I think the restoration job that this guy has done here is really cool...but come on, what is the big deal what an amp looks like if it still sounds like it's supposed to?

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[Blueracer]

what is the big deal what an amp looks like if it still sounds like it's supposed to?

I agree, the sound is the most important thing, but if you had owned a Mark IIC+, would you have treated it so badly ? And Why a person should treat in this manner an amp like this (rare) ? Thanks to God, Blueracer has given it a new life !

I agree with both statements here. The most important thing is how does the amp sound. I think the iic+ comes by its reputation honestly. It is one great sounding amp and this one is no exception. Interestingly although the amp looked bad originally it really wasn't mistreated. For instance the inside was very clean and except for a bias adjustment pot was not modified. Although the tolex on the cab was ripped the wood wasn't gouged up indicating that it had not been thrown around. Why the orange paint, pulling off the faceplate, the knobs, etc. Who knows. A bored musician on the road I suspect. As for why fix it up. I kind of equate this with a car. You can have a great running car that looks dreadful but most of us want a car that is also cosmetically nice. It is a pride of ownership sort of thing. Plus I enjoyed bringing this amp back to origianl condition. I like working with my hands. I never really understood people that don't treat their stuff well but that is just me. I remember watching the Who wreak all their stuff and thinking why are you doing that. If you don't want it give it to me. I could sure use it. Anyway a good looking amp is all for naught if it doesn't sound good.

 

[Dutchman]

Where did you get all the 0 to 10 knobs?

 

[Blueracer]

Where did you get all the 0 to 10 knobs?

It was a lucky buy off of ebay.