REISSUE Rumor: Mark IIC+ and 2ch Recto

[bandit2013]

Say hello to my little friend... well technically, it's on loan for me to shoot some video content with. While I'm not Burger King, I am curious to know what you folks might want to hear on the demo front. Watched most everything that's been posted so far, SUPER excited to have this amp here. I spent a BUNCH of time yesterday with 'OG' Mark IIC+ and I have to say I am STOKED to put the reissue through the paces!!!

Cheers ~ Doug

Doug, I have to say thank you for what you do. To start with, I never had an OG IIC+ to base any reference on, so if the RI is as close as it gets, I would never know if that holds true. The only reference to that reality would be recorded content of comparing OG to RI. My only reference point to a reissue IIC+ is with the JP2C. Perhaps a sample to compare the RI to the JP. I would be more interested in the gain characteristics of CH2 and CH3 of the JP in relation to the RI lead capabilities. I know they are different with the power section as is the JP2C vs MkVII, they are similar but yet different. Not sure when I will get mine as I have no confirmation on a delivery date. The benefit on living in the east coast as most shipments travel by land than air. If this is too much to ask for, I will enjoy what demos you do provide. Thanks again.

 

[bandit2013]

Oh yeah, @VisaL does bring up a good point. If the amp has a user manual, can you please reference the power tube selection if there is any mention in print that the RI can run EL34 in the Class A sockets. Lark guitars did not make it clear enough if the RI actually had the STR450 EL34 tubes or was that the DRG he was comparing too? That gentleman has done some good videos in the past, the one he recently did, he seemed a bit rushed or not as composed as normal. I get the stress of trying to communicate to a camera when there is nobody else in the room, probably why I do not do any vocal work, let along retain the ability to play the guitar once you hit the record button.

 

[Filamentary]

On the Randall conspiracies, one has to ask why he sold the company in the first place. He’s getting on in years, presumably wants to retire at some stage and needed to leave the company under someone else’s management. Possibly wanted to cash out for his retirement. I can’t blame him.

I would have thought that, once the deal was done, he was kept on retainer for a limited period to oversee the transition, and would then be released. Presumably he used that time partly to assist with the C+ reissue, as well as designing some Gibson amps.

Unless there is some good reason to believe that there was some drama, I’d be slow to assume that there was any.

 

[Theresa]

On the Randall conspiracies, one has to ask why he sold the company in the first place. He’s getting on in years, presumably wants to retire at some stage and needed to leave the company under someone else’s management. Possibly wanted to cash out for his retirement. I can’t blame him.

I would have thought that, once the deal was done, he was kept on retainer for a limited period to oversee the transition, and would then be released. Presumably he used that time partly to assist with the C+ reissue, as well as designing some Gibson amps.

Unless there is some good reason to believe that there was some drama, I’d be slow to assume that there was any.

I was talking with Randy's good friend a couple of days ago and the subject came up in our conversation. Without going into it, let's just say that Randy did not leave under his own volition. Furthermore, the Mesa organization has undergone such a transformation since the Gibson transition that much of the culture at Mesa Boogie has changed dramatically and not for the better. It is now more stringent and corporate driven as opposed to the organic and fluid company that Boogie has been in the past. I have also talked to several other people who are still there as well as some who have left and they attest to the same thing. If you happened to have had dealings with Mesa (pre-Gibson) lucky you. You know why they used to call it a family. At the time when news of the merger/acquisition was happening I heard the reason behind this was to help capitalize growth and R&D. Gibson was suppose to be autonomous and hands off. What I am writing here is not speculation but from credible sources. (I feel like a newspaper reporter that can't divulge their sources). Let's just say that you can believe it or not. After all, this is the internet... LOL so for what it's worth I present this to you.

 

[Filamentary]

Tha

I was talking with Randy's good friend a couple of days ago and the subject came up in our conversation. Without going into it, let's just say that Randy did not leave under his own volition. Furthermore, the Mesa organization has undergone such a transformation since the Gibson transition that much of the culture at Mesa Boogie has changed dramatically and not for the better. It is now more stringent and corporate driven as opposed to the organic and fluid company that Boogie has been in the past. I have also talked to several other people who are still there as well as some who have left and they attest to the same thing. If you happened to have had dealings with Mesa (pre-Gibson) lucky you. You know why they used to call it a family. At the time when news of the merger/acquisition was happening I heard the reason behind this was to help capitalize growth and R&D. Gibson was suppose to be autonomous and hands off. What I am writing here is not speculation but from credible sources. (I feel like a newspaper reporter that can't divulge their sources). Let's just say that you can believe it or not. After all, this is the internet... LOL so for what it's worth I present this to you.

Thanks - interesting! And sad.

 

[Doug Doppler]

I was talking with Randy's good friend a couple of days ago and the subject came up in our conversation. Without going into it, let's just say that Randy did not leave under his own volition. Furthermore, the Mesa organization has undergone such a transformation since the Gibson transition that much of the culture at Mesa Boogie has changed dramatically and not for the better. It is now more stringent and corporate driven as opposed to the organic and fluid company that Boogie has been in the past. I have also talked to several other people who are still there as well as some who have left and they attest to the same thing. If you happened to have had dealings with Mesa (pre-Gibson) lucky you. You know why they used to call it a family. At the time when news of the merger/acquisition was happening I heard the reason behind this was to help capitalize growth and R&D. Gibson was suppose to be autonomous and hands off. What I am writing here is not speculation but from credible sources. (I feel like a newspaper reporter that can't divulge their sources). Let's just say that you can believe it or not. After all, this is the internet... LOL so for what it's worth I present this to you.

Hey @Theresa I'm gonna stay away from a few parts of your valued post and say that the people that work at Boogie are AWESOME. A company is not just the founder (Elon Musk didn't start Tesla, right), or the owner, at the end of the day, it's the people. I've known Doug West and Mike B. for decades, still there and they still care every bit as much as they ever have, as are other less known peeps carrying the Boogie torch. From my perspective, FWIW, the Mark VII and Mark IIC+ are a testament to what is being done - GREAT work - and while there are always gonna be growing pains, at the end of the day. the end result - some of the BEST amps EVER made is the end result.

 

[spawnofthesith2]

Who knows what to believe, some people claim their trusted sources state RS still goes and hangs out at Mesa a few times a month still, others say their trusted sources say he was dragged out kicking and screaming by security

All heresay really

What we DO know for sure is that Doug West and Mike B. Are still at the helm, and I trust them and their judgement more than any internet anon. rumors

 

[Tom hackings]

I saw mark 2c+ combo on thomann shop in eu yesterday. Today is gone

 

[dennisl59]

Here you go...

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/iconic-mesa-boogie-mark-iic-123300738.html

or you could get the plug in for $99 from Neural DSP...

 

[spawnofthesith2]

Here you go...

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/iconic-mesa-boogie-mark-iic-123300738.html

or you could get the plug in for $99 from Neural DSP...

While I don’t have any plans to get one of these “just get the plug-in” is pretty reductive. That may work for some folks but I personally don’t practice, write, jam, or gig sitting in front of a computer…

 

[Theresa]

Hey @Theresa I'm gonna stay away from a few parts of your valued post and say that the people that work at Boogie are AWESOME. A company is not just the founder (Elon Musk didn't start Tesla, right), or the owner, at the end of the day, it's the people. I've known Doug West and Mike B. for decades, still there and they still care every bit as much as they ever have, as are other less known peeps carrying the Boogie torch. From my perspective, FWIW, the Mark VII and Mark IIC+ are a testament to what is being done - GREAT work - and while there are always gonna be growing pains, at the end of the day. the end result - some of the BEST amps EVER made is the end result.

Please don't get me wrong... the people are the same, it's what they are being asked/forced to do. Their products are still first rate (I own a VII as well) and no complaint there, but read carefully what I wrote.

 

[Eevil]

Here you go...

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/iconic-mesa-boogie-mark-iic-123300738.html

or you could get the plug in for $99 from Neural DSP...

Nope.

Work is 110% toying around with cloud computing -> nice to have some solid, actual stuff which works as promised

 

[Appleridge]

The transition from a "Ma and Pa" family feel business to a standard corporate model is always messy...and never without casualties. My company is doing the same thing, and it is tough. Will we be better? Tough to say...I think better is subjective. Better to some is worse to others. I think typical corporate policy struggles to sustain whatever made the smaller company magical. Whatever special thing the smaller company has can't be explained on a powerpoint presentation to a board team...and worse, the new HR wing that the small company now answers to thinks their old practices are a "liability" lol. Once all this needling starts happening, the creative talent gets stifled and has a choice to make. Fall in line or move on. I am thankful that some of the talent has elected to stay on...hopefully their opinions are heard.

Anyway, I keep checking for a manual every day on this thing...Is it common to not post one on a new model, or are they afraid to put it out there just yet? Hopefully it ships with one? I'd like to have the el34 question answered too.

 

[Doug Doppler]

Doug, I have to say thank you for what you do. To start with, I never had an OG IIC+ to base any reference on, so if the RI is as close as it gets, I would never know if that holds true. The only reference to that reality would be recorded content of comparing OG to RI. My only reference point to a reissue IIC+ is with the JP2C. Perhaps a sample to compare the RI to the JP. I would be more interested in the gain characteristics of CH2 and CH3 of the JP in relation to the RI lead capabilities. I know they are different with the power section as is the JP2C vs MkVII, they are similar but yet different. Not sure when I will get mine as I have no confirmation on a delivery date. The benefit on living in the east coast as most shipments travel by land than air. If this is too much to ask for, I will enjoy what demos you do provide. Thanks again.

@bandit2013 THANKS for your lovely message, MUCH appreciated. So truth be told, pretty much ALL my time with my HRG Mark IIC+ was doing the heavy thing. I'm sitting with the reissue twisting and turning every knob to find out what's what. No duh, everything is highly interactive. At this point you know I had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time with JP and Maddi talking about these amps. At one of the JPGU (John Petrucci's Guitar Universe) camps John did a section on dialing in amp tone that was genius. I 'came in' at Mark IIB, but missed most of the Mark series until coming back to Boogie because of the JP~2C, which again is a HRG based amp. I have yet to run each of the respective preamps into the other's power amp, but thus far they are a lot alike and at the same time, the Class A part of the equation is a really interesting take on things...

There is probably a video that will come a bit later where I talk and play through the RI, JP~2C, and the Mark VII, in many ways for people to have some sort of way to make sense of the nuances that separate these amps. I love the idea of A/B ing JP~2C and the RI, just need to factor that into the hit list of things I already have on my mind to cover. However, lots of merit there so thanks for that

 

[rarebitusa]

The transition from a "Ma and Pa" family feel business to a standard corporate model is always messy...and never without casualties. My company is doing the same thing, and it is tough. Will we be better? Tough to say...I think better is subjective. Better to some is worse to others. I think typical corporate policy struggles to sustain whatever made the smaller company magical. Whatever special thing the smaller company has can't be explained on a powerpoint presentation to a board team...and worse, the new HR wing that the small company now answers to thinks their old practices are a "liability" lol. Once all this needling starts happening, the creative talent gets stifled and has a choice to make. Fall in line or move on. I am thankful that some of the talent has elected to stay on...hopefully their opinions are heard.

Anyway, I keep checking for a manual every day on this thing...Is it common to not post one on a new model, or are they afraid to put it out there just yet? Hopefully it ships with one? I'd like to have the el34 question answered too.

+1 Well put. Being thru a few startup acquisitions... this is very spot on.

 

[Doug Doppler]

+1 Well put. Being thru a few startup acquisitions... this is very spot on.

BIG ditto @Appleridge and @rarebitusa

 

[bandit2013]

Interesting, I was not looking for running the IIC+ preamp into the JP2C. More of an amp to amp comparison. How the IIC+ reissue stacks up to the JP2C without slaving into each other. As a frame of reference I know quite well what the JP2C sounds like just as much as the Badladner and the Mark VII. Since I gave up my Mark III DRG, I have no frame of reference what was made back in the good ol days.

Just simply dial in the JP2C to a modern heavy tone, do the same with the IIC+. Not looking to have each amp match, just close enough. Not sure what music you like the most. Pick your favorite song that may be on the heavy side and run some riffs through each amp. That should be enough for me to gauge the difference between the JP2C and the IIC+. I assume you have the JP2C. If not, run it against the BAD50 in crush mode. That is essentially the Mark Lead drive circuit but managed differently. I have BAD100, JP2C and Mark VII. All great amps. So is the IIC+ desirable. I play mostly classic rock but do dive into the darkness of the Heavy Metal, maybe Progressive Metal of sorts.

I have to wait a long time to get mine. Sometime next year it seems. Update on status is mid February at the earliest. I was told April but that was just a fair budgetary quote. People are going nuts to get one and most dealers probably have lists of names of 500 to 1000 people. I doubt Mesa was capable of delivering a large quantity of amps in a short time frame. I wait and watch video's of those that have one or look in this forum or on Facebook. Still, the unanswered question remains, Is it written in the Gospel (user manual) that you can run EL34 tubes in the Class A sockets of this amp or is that just not something to try? I did ask my sales Engineer, still waiting on that. May have that answer by next week.

 

[bandit2013]

BIG ditto @Appleridge and @rarebitusa

@rarebitusa, @Appleridge The question about the manual, Most companies are slow in updating websites. Not something that can be done in a short time frame. I did inquire with Sweetwater about the EL34 tube usage as well as when the printed manual would be uploaded to digital format. The funny thing would be to ship out a new amp with just a sheet of paper with a QR code on it only to direct you to a manual library and the IIC+ manual is not there. I may get my IIC+ before the manual list gets updated on their website 3 months from now. That seems like a long wait but, I can be patient.

 

[bandit2013]

The videos are coming. This has to be one of the best videos on the IIC+ reissue yet. You may recognize some of the faces.

I guess the rude and lude comments on this video were so bad they pulled the video. I bet that was a rude awakening. This dude brought that up to my attention.

 

[Doug Doppler]

Interesting, I was not looking for running the IIC+ preamp into the JP2C. More of an amp to amp comparison. How the IIC+ reissue stacks up to the JP2C without slaving into each other. As a frame of reference I know quite well what the JP2C sounds like just as much as the Badladner and the Mark VII. Since I gave up my Mark III DRG, I have no frame of reference what was made back in the good ol days.

Just simply dial in the JP2C to a modern heavy tone, do the same with the IIC+. Not looking to have each amp match, just close enough. Not sure what music you like the most. Pick your favorite song that may be on the heavy side and run some riffs through each amp. That should be enough for me to gauge the difference between the JP2C and the IIC+. I assume you have the JP2C. If not, run it against the BAD50 in crush mode. That is essentially the Mark Lead drive circuit but managed differently. I have BAD100, JP2C and Mark VII. All great amps. So is the IIC+ desirable. I play mostly classic rock but do dive into the darkness of the Heavy Metal, maybe Progressive Metal of sorts.

I have to wait a long time to get mine. Sometime next year it seems. Update on status is mid February at the earliest. I was told April but that was just a fair budgetary quote. People are going nuts to get one and most dealers probably have lists of names of 500 to 1000 people. I doubt Mesa was capable of delivering a large quantity of amps in a short time frame. I wait and watch video's of those that have one or look in this forum or on Facebook. Still, the unanswered question remains, Is it written in the Gospel (user manual) that you can run EL34 tubes in the Class A sockets of this amp or is that just not something to try? I did ask my sales Engineer, still waiting on that. May have that answer by next week.

Noted, thanks @bandit2013 - and yes you can run EL34s in the outermost two sockets, they'll just run a little cold