Guitarist
Mesa-ologist
Well, the Boogie IIC+ I bought on eBay arrived three days ago. This amplifier is fully loaded with every option available...EQ, Simul-class, reverb, and the famed 105 transformer. It was beautifully packaged and sent with two Mesa 6L6s and two Mesa EL34s. Upon removing the chassis, I found a Groove Tube GT12AX7-M in the V1 position, followed by 4 other Mesa 12AX7s.
Well, I fled down to Guitar Center and picked up 5 GT12AX7-Cs and slapped them in. After that I pulled the two Mesa 6L6s and swapped them with some JJ6L6GCs.
Fired it up.
RHYTHM CHANNEL: I was delighted to find the cleans jangly, shimmering, and bouncy. Truly atmospheric and pristine. Now I know why the rhythm channel is so sought after in this amp! It sounds great! No compromise in shared EQ...
LEAD CHANNEL: First thing I noticed when I clicked that switch to LEAD was the amazing harmonic richness. It feels like there are several overtones hanging off every single note. Upon sustaining a note (which literally holds for days basking in its own complexity), the speakers begin to resonate with feedback so musical that I question playing another! Absolutely fantastic.
But now the actually tone was a little rough...so I swapped the two EL34s for a pair of GT6L6GEs, hoping to relax the amp a little bit, and started playing with the dials.
Well, here is Mesa at its worst! Countless hours of ear-bleeding volumes (thank God for Hearos!) tweaking every knob knowing that it's affecting the others.
Needless to say, today I found a sound that is truly inspirational and jaw-dropping. The trick? Utilizing the EQ. I had automatically set the EQ to neutral positions and worked from there when I first pulled the amp out of its box, but had never tried the V shape. WHAT? No midrange hump? Not on this puppy.
The minute I payed attention to the three controls that I deem to be extremely sensitive to the way Mesas sound (EQ, presence, and treble), it just unfolded itself. Just beautiful sounds. I am one lucky son of a bitch to have one of these sitting on top of a 4x12!
Three cheers for the Mark IIC+, my new best friend.
I assume y'all want clips...unfortunately, buying a plug-in for my laptop is NOT a top priority at this time. Bear with me and in time, I'll let the amp speak for itself.
Well, I fled down to Guitar Center and picked up 5 GT12AX7-Cs and slapped them in. After that I pulled the two Mesa 6L6s and swapped them with some JJ6L6GCs.
Fired it up.
RHYTHM CHANNEL: I was delighted to find the cleans jangly, shimmering, and bouncy. Truly atmospheric and pristine. Now I know why the rhythm channel is so sought after in this amp! It sounds great! No compromise in shared EQ...
LEAD CHANNEL: First thing I noticed when I clicked that switch to LEAD was the amazing harmonic richness. It feels like there are several overtones hanging off every single note. Upon sustaining a note (which literally holds for days basking in its own complexity), the speakers begin to resonate with feedback so musical that I question playing another! Absolutely fantastic.
But now the actually tone was a little rough...so I swapped the two EL34s for a pair of GT6L6GEs, hoping to relax the amp a little bit, and started playing with the dials.
Well, here is Mesa at its worst! Countless hours of ear-bleeding volumes (thank God for Hearos!) tweaking every knob knowing that it's affecting the others.
Needless to say, today I found a sound that is truly inspirational and jaw-dropping. The trick? Utilizing the EQ. I had automatically set the EQ to neutral positions and worked from there when I first pulled the amp out of its box, but had never tried the V shape. WHAT? No midrange hump? Not on this puppy.
The minute I payed attention to the three controls that I deem to be extremely sensitive to the way Mesas sound (EQ, presence, and treble), it just unfolded itself. Just beautiful sounds. I am one lucky son of a bitch to have one of these sitting on top of a 4x12!
Three cheers for the Mark IIC+, my new best friend.
I assume y'all want clips...unfortunately, buying a plug-in for my laptop is NOT a top priority at this time. Bear with me and in time, I'll let the amp speak for itself.
