Thinking of saving up for a Mark iic+

I owned a MarkV for a year or so did not like other modes on the third channel other then the mk2c+ setting. I sold it and have been on an amp or rig hunt ever since. I have been working on a office/bedroom rig with a subway blues combo with a celestion greenback in it. Still trying pedals but I decided to try my pocket pod on California crunch setting and that sounded awesome but still felt like a pocket pod. I do not have much experience with the mark 2 plus I have heard that the original line 6 pod nails the tone pretty good. Could I just run a old school pod for a Mark 2 plus tone through a power amp or the back of an amp or should I get the Mark25 or 35 or should I get the real thing? How does the mk2c+ sound and feel in person is it as harsh as the mark v or the old mark iii? Is it super loud? what should I expect with this amp and which version should I look for? Finally is there any one who lives in or around north eastern ohio that had one I can try?

If I were you I would buy a real c+. I've owned one of my c+'s since it was new and bought another one this summer. Bought of them are 60/100 watt combos with ms-12 speakers. I also have the extension 1x12 cabs for each combo. I've never had a chance to try any other c+ but I do own a Mark V 25. The Mark V 25 will get you close but the c+ just sounds smoother, bigger and bolder. It also feels looser and has more touch response than the Mark V 25. My c+'s are the only amp I've played that don't give me ear fatigue. They're just a lot more fun to play. The c+ is a very loud amp, can't turn it up past 1 in the house, but sounds great at low volume. A c+ is capable of great cleans but in order to get a really nice lead tone you have set volume 1 around 7.5-8. At that setting you're left with a nice dirty clean on the rhythm channel. I've played a Mark III+ red stripe. It didn't sound or feel like my c+'s. Hope this helps.

That is super helpful how close is the mark25?

I would say the Mark V 25 is a distant cousin of the c+. You can tell they're related but the c+ is the real deal. I've done some recording with the Mark V 25 and it sounds great. It's when you play a c+ right after playing the Mark V 25 that you can hear and feel the difference. Until you can get a c+ maybe you should get a used Mark V 25. Pound for pound, and for the money, I don't think you could find a better amp than the Mark V 25. It really is an awesome little amp. I use it with a Mojotone Lite 1x12 open back cab that I just loaded yesterday with an Eminence Legend 1218. The 1218 sounds great right out of the box. I also replaced the stock 12ax7's with nos Chinese military. I use them in my c+'s. The are a sweet sounding tube. Smooth and not harsh or dry. I forgot to mention that the Crunch setting on the Mark V 25 is really, really good.

See I didn't like the Mark 5 does that mean I won't like the 2 c plus or the mark 25?

If you lived near Chicago I would let you try them out. If you bought a c+ and didn't like it you probably wouldn't lose anything if you sold it.

I never liked, well loved the MV but I did like the MV25. A C+ is a whole different animal and is at it's best when played loud. If you can afford a C+, buy that but go in knowing it wants to be loud to sound great. If I couldn't turn my amp up ever but still needed an amp to perform with, the MV25 fits that perfect. As far as worrying about harshness, they do come with a presence control.

The lead channels on my Red & Green Stripe Mark III's are pretty close to a IIC+.
The Mark IIC+ is its own beast.. I only use my Mark III's for R2 & the Lead channel.
There's a reason the IIC+ is king to many.. They sound amazing at medium gain settings too.

If you want a IIC+ you're probably going to have to pull the trigger on one.
I don't see how an amp built today is going to get close to the tones of that amp..

Good luck! Let us know how it goes..

el34sg said:

The lead channels on my Red & Green Stripe Mark III's are pretty close to a IIC+.
The Mark IIC+ is its own beast.
There's a reason the IIC+ is king to many.. They sound amazing at medium gain settings too.

If you want a IIC+ you're probably going to have to pull the trigger on one.
I don't see how an amp built today is going to get close to the tones of that amp..

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This sums up my thoughts, even if you bring the jp2c into the discussion.

As unbelievable, that is not reality. The JP2C has the same feel and sound and I welcome anyone here on the boogie board to come to my Recording studio and compare for themselves the two amps side by side. The two bands that I play in, the players actually prefer the JP2C.
The price of a JP2C has been spiraling down so the C+ will definitely hold or increase in value, so there is no argument there.

I would try out a red stripe Mark III to see if you can get along with the shared tone controls and the sound of the amp, in general. It will get you real close, but the dynamics will not be quite there. Maybe something to do with those pesky transformers, or the circuit boards. :evil:

I've only owned my DR combo for a couple days but I could tell immediately it didn't sound or feel the same as my HR's. Quick comparison. Rhythm Channel: HR, bold and crisp. DR, warmer and rounder. Lead Channel: HR, tight and aggressive. DR, smoother and softer attack.

JOEY B. said:

I would try out a red stripe Mark III to see if you can get along with the shared tone controls and the sound of the amp, in general. It will get you real close, but the dynamics will not be quite there. Maybe something to do with those pesky transformers, or the circuit boards. :evil:

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Either a red or a blue stripe would do the trick