New amp, Mark IIc!

Got my first Mesa today, an '83 Mark IIc (100W, reverb, no graphic) Awesome! Really looking forward to trying it with my cab (Marshall 1960BV with V30s) tomorrow.

I've read a little on teh intarwebnet about upgrading to IIc+ specs. What's the huge difference? How do I do this? To be frank I'm totally new to this whole Mesa-thingy :roll:

Not my pic, but here's the beauty :mrgreen:

Welcome to Boogies! IICs are great amps. The "upgrade" question is really a matter of the sound you're after. The IIC is not as high-gain as the C+, while the high-gain on a C+ is smoother than the IIC. For me, the IIC better suited my style of writing/playing; it's more a rock'n'roll/classic rock amp vs. the legendary metal capabilities of a C+. However, you can play most any style of music with a C+, but the voicing is different than the IIC. I find the IIC more "vintage", and allows the voice of the instrument to shine through more clearly. When I want higher gain, I plug in a Tubescreamer. If I were forced to chose between the two, I'd probably keep the IIC, but that's my opinion.

I'd say play it for a while and then decide. Upgrading will change the voice of the amp. I bought a IIC intending to upgrade, but decided not to and bought a C+ instead!

I read the ad at finn.no. How much did you pay for the amp.
I would suggest to put a boss GEQ7 pedal in the loop if you want to play high gain stuff, so you're able to scoop it.
And if you would like to A/B it along with C+'s you're more than welcome, but you'll have to drive down to Oslo then.
It might be that you decide not to upgrade, or even worse you decide to upgrade, and think about it all the time, who knows.

regards
Tony

I paid NOK 9000 (approx. $1300). I have an MXR 6-band EQ, I'll try the scooping I also have a Route 66 overdrive which I'll probably use to boost the amp. Works very well on my Marshall

And thanks, maybe I'll take a roadtrip soon

Tried the amp with cab and pedals today. What a huge disappointment At least, for higain. With lead gain turned down a little and boosted with the Route 66 overdrive (which SLAYS with my JCM800), the sound was very flubby/boomy and not tight at all - even with the EQ pedal in the loop I couldn't get a chuggy, tight sound suitable for metal. And, there's obviously a lot of distortion happening AFTER the loop too, so none of the pedals (EQ, chorus, delay, reverb) sounded good in the loop at all.

So, will the IIc+ upgrade fix all of this or should I look for some other amp instead?

BTW; the cleans were fab.

I haven't played a IIC for a long time, but my C+ are the best amp I can think of, when it comes to combine metal riffing and lead sounds.

This are pretty much my settings for a C+, with recto 4x12, but you might try them as well:
Volume 1: 5-7 (the higher, the boomier bass)
Treble: 10 pull (the higher, the more distortion, the most important parameter of the amp)
Bass: 1-2
Middle 4-8
Master: adjust to prevent deafness, but pull for deep.
Lead Drive: 10 Pull
Lead Master: 2-3 Pull for bright, the lower this control is, the scoopier voicing.
Prescence: to taste. 4-6.

And V shape your eq in the loop. I normally raise my 240 a bit above center line, and keep 2200 at center line.

Good luck
Tony

Thanks, I'll give it a shot

The amp will probably kill in my classic rock band, so it's not a total waste anyway I can still use the JCM for metal tone!

I've never played a IIC, but since my MarkIII and MarkIV are like this, I'll assume II's are too...

When going for a high gain and need it tight, you need to really roll off the bass/low. On both of mine I pretty much set them to zero. If I turn them up to where I can hear a tonal difference, it starts getting muddy quickly.

Looks like tony777's settings should be pretty good.