Does my Mark IIC+ need to be serviced?

GreyHills · Oct 11, 2015

my assumption is yes.

I got the amp 2 years ago. It's a 83 IIC+, serial 1259X, Simul-Rev. So far it has run great and sounds amazing.

I decided to pull out the chassis this afternoon to see if it had ever been serviced. I am not too big into electronics, but it appears to me that it has not had a cap service in its life (pics below). In 2 weeks I am moving out to Napa CA. I assume I can make some time to drive out to Petaluma and get the amp serviced at Boogie (?).

Is this the number that most of you use to contact Boogie's service: 707-778-6565

Feel free to check the pics below and confirm whether or not it needs a service.

Thanks!

btw, this is my first post here, long time reader, please to meet you guys!

Buster Leggs · Oct 11, 2015

Looks like original caps, I would definitely bring it to Mike at boogie and have those replaced. Not paying the shipping charges are a plus. He'll clean it up and look for anything thats not stock and bring it up to speed if you want him to. You'll be good to go for another 30 years. There are other board members that can tell you more about your amp from the gut shots, I'm not that technically knowledgeable. I can say from experience it's worth it to have Mike B. Work his magic on it.

Oh and welcome to the B/B forum

gts · Oct 15, 2015

GreyHills said:
So far it has run great and sounds amazing.

If this is the case I'd say it doesn't need any service.
But if you're going to be close to Petaluma you could have Mike look it over and do an assessment.
Fwiw he used to hesitate on doing cap jobs if the amp was working well but in the past couple of years he's taken to doing them.
It'll tighten the amp up a bit if you have it done.

thunda1216 · Oct 15, 2015

if it works and sounds good, keep playing it. don't "fix" it if it ain't broke! quality capacitors can last a lifetime. there were a few bad ones from china in the late 80's/early 90's; if yours are still going, then plug in and play!

McBarry · Oct 22, 2015

Hi, a couply of thoughts,,
the 470R/2wattters on pwr board are changed, as are the bias caps and possibly a bias resistor. Also these have been replaced without pulling the PSU board. Maybe I'm OCD, but I lift the board, remove old leads and re-do the joint for security and aesthetics.
Lumpy solder joints don't do it for me..
Many preamp resistors look atypical, but given there's many, they might just be a different batch from factory..
A commonly found cable tie on the coax from V2 to fx jacks on rear chassis is missing. Makes me wonder if someone HAS moved cables round to change many resistors..
Is the O/T original ?? I've only seen the cloth-covered leads, and not plastic ones, although colours seem correct.
XFO numbers will tell U, assuming they didn't change the tranny and keep the orig bell-ends..
I'd suspect, or at least thoroughly check, the rear jacks and pots for damage given the large inwards dent of the rear chassis in first pic.. Ouch...!!!!
Re filter caps.. there was a bit of scuttlebutt/snake oil talk that the red-end spragues (which U have) were lifetime warranty, as opposed to the white/fibreboard end caps (def Mk IIA and tons of Mk IIB but gone by the Mk III).
My 0.02 worth is a forty-odd year old cap is not gonna contain some super-duper dielectric compound that can defy the laws of physics..
At that age, I'd replace them without question or instruction.

I/we'd be interested see what work is attended in Pentaluma.. and CONGRATS on the amp.. !!
Dave B

Elpelotero · Oct 23, 2015

Welcome to the board!

I also live in Napa, right off Trancas street! I've been to the boogie factory several times over the past year for tours and service. Mike is a great guy and would do wonders on your amp if you wanted him to. You don't need to make an appointment. Just go Monday-Thursday during business hours and drop the amp off at the front desk. A rep will help you with some paperwork and then you go across the street to Lagunitas Brewery and catch the live bands that play. Mike calls you back within a few days when he gets the amp on his desk. Don't forget to ask for a tour or perhaps call ahead so you can schedule one with a rep. It's well worth it.

GreyHills · Nov 24, 2015

McBarry said:
Hi, a couply of thoughts,,
the 470R/2wattters on pwr board are changed, as are the bias caps and possibly a bias resistor. Also these have been replaced without pulling the PSU board. Maybe I'm OCD, but I lift the board, remove old leads and re-do the joint for security and aesthetics.
Lumpy solder joints don't do it for me..
Many preamp resistors look atypical, but given there's many, they might just be a different batch from factory..
A commonly found cable tie on the coax from V2 to fx jacks on rear chassis is missing. Makes me wonder if someone HAS moved cables round to change many resistors..
Is the O/T original ?? I've only seen the cloth-covered leads, and not plastic ones, although colours seem correct.
XFO numbers will tell U, assuming they didn't change the tranny and keep the orig bell-ends..
I'd suspect, or at least thoroughly check, the rear jacks and pots for damage given the large inwards dent of the rear chassis in first pic.. Ouch...!!!!
Re filter caps.. there was a bit of scuttlebutt/snake oil talk that the red-end spragues (which U have) were lifetime warranty, as opposed to the white/fibreboard end caps (def Mk IIA and tons of Mk IIB but gone by the Mk III).
My 0.02 worth is a forty-odd year old cap is not gonna contain some super-duper dielectric compound that can defy the laws of physics..
At that age, I'd replace them without question or instruction.

I/we'd be interested see what work is attended in Pentaluma.. and CONGRATS on the amp.. !!
Dave B

Hmm, your post had me pondering. I looked into the O/T, and I think you are correct! Someone must have modded what was an original 60/100 Mark IIc+ to a Simul-Class version. These are what I have found - the trannies on the left are all from '83, but the O/T comes from '88:

GreyHills · Nov 24, 2015

Elpelotero said:
Welcome to the board!

I also live in Napa, right off Trancas street! I've been to the boogie factory several times over the past year for tours and service. Mike is a great guy and would do wonders on your amp if you wanted him to. You don't need to make an appointment. Just go Monday-Thursday during business hours and drop the amp off at the front desk. A rep will help you with some paperwork and then you go across the street to Lagunitas Brewery and catch the live bands that play. Mike calls you back within a few days when he gets the amp on his desk. Don't forget to ask for a tour or perhaps call ahead so you can schedule one with a rep. It's well worth it.

Cool! Yeah, I have been so busy with moving and work right off the bat I havent had a chance to make a trip over to Petaluma yet. I am thinking of trying sometime next week, or hopefully the week after.

Only thing I have done so far in Napa is go to Napa Smith brewery :mrgreen:

Thanks for the advice!

Does my Mark IIC+ need to be serviced?

Help Support The Boogie Board:

GreyHills

Member

Buster Leggs

Well-known member

gts

Well-known member

thunda1216

Well-known member

McBarry

Well-known member

Elpelotero

Well-known member

GreyHills

Member

GreyHills

Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Does my Mark IIC+ need to be serviced?

Help Support The Boogie Board:

Member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Member

Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!