Tubes to tighten up a Mark IIC+

[exbest182]

with those EMG's, did that make the C+ as good as the V to you? Better than the V? Still not as good?

Well, I didn't get a chance to hook his axe to my V to see which one I preferred.. but it gave me everything I hoped a IIC+ would be.. it sounded honestly like they were meant for one another, it was all the stars aligning properly..
I found in the beginning it was a tad on the harsh side, but I was able to dial out the majority of it... I hear the JH EMGs are a perfect mix of the 81 and a good passive... and the look fits my les paul... i may try those...

 

[exbest182]

It could be your pickups but...... it could just as likely be your guitar or a combination of your guitar and pickups
I recently sold off a gibson custom shop les paul black beauty and a les paul goldtop
the black beauty was very tight and focussed on the botom end and yet the goldtop was loose flabby muddy
the black beauty had john suhr doug aldrich pickups and when I put them in the gold top it hoping it would remedy the flabbiness it made NO difference the goldtop was still flabby after that I tried several pickup changes in the goldtop and nothing got rid of the flab
thats how it is some guitars have a soft bottom end and others have a harder more focussed tight sound

The thing that gets me.. is the flabby I hear with say my LP and the IIC+.. I don't hear on my Mark V.. I think my current pickups sound pretty good with the Mark V, it's just the IIC+ that I'm finding it a tad flabby... I think tomorrow, I'll record some clips of each amp, and post them up here, and see if maybe someone can pick out something that I just missed or something... I really just need to dedicate a day to playing with everything... and try all combinations of my different cabs, and settings, and figure out what I want to do... what I heard today, makes me want to keep the amp, as I think I finally heard the tone I've been chasing after with it.... I do know that I'm preferring the IIC+ with the 2x12 cab... I'm thinking about picking up a stiletto cab tomorrow, as I've been wanting to get one anyway, and they're tighter than the recto cabs..... so much to do.. so little time.

 

[exbest182]

So, I got a pretty sick trade offer for the head today that I'm considering...

Petrucci BFR - limited from the 46th Guitar Center Anniversary - #7 of 50... funny, this guys youtube videos actually were part of the reason i picked up a iic+

 

[zodiac272]

nice... did you see the DRGX C+ combo sell for $3750? I know yours is far from original... I wonder how the price would translate


scott

 

[exbest182]

nice... did you see the DRGX C+ combo sell for $3750? I know yours is far from original... I wonder how the price would translate


scott

I have mine up on ebay right now for $2350 - ends tomorrow - with 23 people watching it... a C -> C+ went for I think 2500-2600 a couple weeks ago, i priced it a little high, as I expected to get a lower offer, that would be more in range, but give people an inch, and they'll take a mile... so priced it a tad high... but that guitar is a $3100 dollar guitar, so I'm totally stoked about it - it's a beauty... keeping the auction up just in case the trade falls through..
but I think I'm gonna go for it... unless something just amazing comes my way...

 

[exbest182]

nice... did you see the DRGX C+ combo sell for $3750? I know yours is far from original... I wonder how the price would translate


scott

Thinking about it really.. it may not be original, but it's damn close... the simul tranny (562003) according to Mike B and many others is believed to be pretty close, if not identical to the IIC+ simul, and the the 561110, well, that one is a tad different... but it was used in the Mark III, and while I know people say it's all in the tranny (which i dont really believe, neither does Mike B.) - Mark III's do have similar voicing.. I think it has character... and makes it unique.. but then again, my best friend in elementary school had a brother that was a little slow... and his mom used to tell him he had character, and was unique...

 

[psychodave]

I think you need to turn up the master to around 3 (or more) and the lead master down to 2 (or wherever you need the volume at). Get the power tubes working a little more to add compression.

 

[exbest182]

So... I played around with the amp today for a good couple of hours...

Here's my conclusion... I hate the way my les paul sounds through the IIC+ ... the LP has a 57' Classic Plus in the bridge, 57 classic in the neck... I find it has too much treble, that i can't seem to dial out... Don't like it.. period. My Mockingbird which has Rockfield Mafia pickups, sound much better... much much better... I can get a pretty decent tone out of that.. I love the Mafia's... I'm sad that Rockfield went under.... When I was doing my side by side of my IIC+ and my Mark V, I was using the mockingbird...

Now, I can get a good tone out of either guitar with my Mark V.

I had the guy come over that was wanting to buy the IIC+ with the 81/60 EMGs, and it made my IIC+ come alive... the IIC+ sounded like I had dreamed of, and for the first time I preferred it to my Mark V.

So my options.. and this is where I just don't know what to do..

Option 1: Sell or trade off the IIC+ - I use my Mark V for sure, mostly because I've not been happy with my IIC+, especially the IIC+/Les Paul combination... I've got some great trade offers, a 5150 III, a JP BFR limited edition, a 61' SG Reissue, a PRS Swamp Ash Special, a super nice Gibson Explorer, and a Mark Cameron modded JCM800... some with added cash to the deal... or just sell it outright.

Option 2: Start swapping out pickups - I know how the EMGs sound with the IIC+, but I'm worried about how they will sound with the V... I've read different opinions on the active pickups and the Mark V... and I don't want to be put in the same position I'm in now, and love the IIC+ to hate the V... I'm actually probably going to get rid of the mockingbird for an SG in the near future... I was considering getting the EMG Hetfield set for my LP, and then go with the 81/60 combo for the SG... All I know is the EMG's gave me the IIC+ I want... I need something that's going to sound decent with all of my amps.. and future amps.. I don't really have the cash to keep swapping out pickups I know I like... because I could always go with like a crunch-lab, 500t, or an invader, or super distortion or something along those lines instead of going to active.. like I've mentioned, I play punk and metal, I rarely use a clean channel... in fact, I've never used my iic+ cleans... ever... and while I have my mark V setup for clean, I don't ever use it...

So, what should I do? it seems like a lot of work.. I really dig the Het set from the videos I've heard... and I know what the 81 does to my IIC+ ... I don't want to regret selling my IIC+.. but I'm so discouraged with it right now... I almost just want to get rid of it and go back to the drawing board, and use the cash to get stuff I need for my band and tour (road cases, rack tuner, etc...) but on the other hand, I now really hear what it's capable of, I don't want to kick myself down the line....

Opinions?

 

[exbest182]

which do you prefer ......
the MKIIc+ with the explorer and emg or....
the MKV with your les paul

Well.. playing with it again.. I don't think it's the amp on this.. I'm more leaning towards it being the Les Paul... and odds are the problem my whole time has been guitars... except maybe the 440s... I'm finding the 57 classic plus in my bridge to be way brighter than I remember them being in my old SG... With my IIC+ and my 2x12 cab, it's way too bright - it sounds better through the 4x12, and with my other guitars, and guitars of other people that played through it, i like the way it sounds.... I ordered some of the hetfield emgs for my les paul... excited to get them and see what we get... I'm still leaning towards selling it though... gonna go hook it up and play with it more in a bit...

 

[exbest182]

I think you need to turn up the master to around 3 (or more) and the lead master down to 2 (or wherever you need the volume at). Get the power tubes working a little more to add compression.

This worked! This did it for me...

So, I've had the head listed on ebay, flip flopped a million times on it.... pulled the listing, relisted, over and over.. so I had a guy locally that wanted to come see it... So, I brought it downstairs, hooked it up to the 4x12 cab, and fiddled with it a tad more... and then boom! there is was... the sound I was searching for... out of my mockingbird.. my LP still not where I want it, but I have new pickups coming for that... for the final test I actually took a chance and played a show with it tonight, and it killed...

Settings that ended up working for me (some minor tweaking may still happen)

No more random posts about this amp anymore... i promise

I am now going to get some =C='s for it.. and maybe try a couple new preamp tubes to get it perfect.. but I'd say I'm about 95% stoked on it right now.

Thanks for the help, and listening to my be indecisive and annoying!

 

[dodger916]

No more random posts about this amp anymore... i promise

I am now going to get some =C='s for it.. and maybe try a couple new preamp tubes to get it perfect.. but I'd say I'm about 95% stoked on it right now.

Thanks for the help, and listening to my be indecisive and annoying!

See if you can get your hands on at least at duet of STR415s (or comparable vintage Sylvanias) and STR416/6CA7 for the Class A sockets (if Simul). You'll never look back..

 

[Baconator]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one that is mystified by the mkiic+. I know this sounds really bizarre (to me at least), but my barebones 60 watt combo sounds amazing with my Cort M800 (cheapish ripoff of a PRS hollowbody) and yet I can't dial it in nearly as well with my Suhr strat or Japanese Love Rock. I've been debating selling my combo, but after plugging in my M800 again yesterday I can remember why I loved it so much.

 

[leadfootdriver]

I haven't read every post, but have you had the amp recapped? That amp must be close to 20 years old. It should make a huge difference.

 

[gts]

I haven't read every post, but have you had the amp recapped? That amp must be close to 20 years old. It should make a huge difference.

After going back and forth for awhile I think he sold it about a week ago:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=56694

 

[exbest182]

I haven't read every post, but have you had the amp recapped? That amp must be close to 20 years old. It should make a huge difference.

After going back and forth for awhile I think he sold it about a week ago:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=56694

Correct, it's sold... but I picked up a Dual Rec and a Stiletto this week from the sale to go along with my Mark V.. all sorts of boogie tone!