To understand is a moot point. The IIC+ barely made it to 1.5 years of production. I have never seen a serial number over 14500. The MK III in it's own right lasted 13 years, as well as the MK IV at 17 years and going.
the sad reality is that there are not components that are magical in the IIC+ that cannot be duplicated. CTS can still makes the pots, Shumacher can still wind the trannies and all the LDR's are still in use. The only issue i can think of is the silver content of the preamp and power amp boards. They never tarnish, so there has got to be some silver content as opposed to copper like in the rest of the Mesa boards. The current generation boards are thin, copper traced and come in stacked batches that basically are perforated to break apart, populate and install. Even the small EQ amp board could be made. It all really leads to progress and design evolution. Stemming from the MK III and IV, I can guarantee that they were more profitable and less labor intense amps to maake. In essence, the + lives on in the III and IV.
Having all of them is a luxury I am very proud to have, but I do find the III and IV to be more consistemt amps with a sweeter, yet bery capable lineage to draw from. Due to the current C+ supply and demand situation, I would be happy enough with a IIIC+ or the MK IV B. They are different, but in a positive way. I am a proponent who could never be called impartial to the IIC+, obviously I have found the amp in my head, but I deeply appreciate the MK III Green Stripe and the MK IV B. I've played enough III's to feel that the Green Strip has something special and the MK IV is very consistent from amp to amp. In all sincerity, I took the opportunity to play 4 IIC+'s today and I was just totally awestruck at how amaing they are, not only for the lead channel, but the cleans and boosting with a BB preamp. Simply amazing with more palletes people give it credit for. My 84 Imbuy 1X12 with Simul-EQ and Reverb just oozes touch sensitivity and an amazing array of complexity even plating through the combos EV-12L. I also do not see a reissue having the capability of having 23-23 year old transformers and who would want to settle for the amp not being an exact duplication of the original. I don't think the reissue market would do anything but make the originals more valuable, thus putting them seriously out of reach of even a player/collector even with the means of purchasing. I already have the feeling that they are the modern era production Dumble. I find it to be history.
I often think, why can I not order a new Dumble for $ 6000 or why Air France stopped flying the Concorde !!! Then again, Mesa is known to have a Dumble approach if you know how to dial it in. Larry Carlton and Carlos are a really good representation with the MK I, but how many of us can honestly say we have had a Dumble or a IIC+ in front of us. Both are limited edition amps with very few true owners. In the scheme of all the possible numbers of musicians in the worlds. Lets just imagine that there are 1,000,000 tube amps users in the USA. The IIC+ would account for .0025% or possible ownership. It seems the Holy Grail moniker is quite appropriate. As much as a reissue would be a great opportunity, I see Mesa looking much further down the road than a 22 year old design. the market is definatley in the Recto/RK/Lone Star direction. With the recent increased popularity of the MK IV, I really do not see a resissue or a MK IV. The DNA is in the MK IV, for Mesa it is the IV, Triaxis or end of story.
