The Holy Grail of Mesa Boogie Amplifiers | 1984 Mark IIC+

Special thank you to Matias Kupiainen of Stratovarius for letting me borrow this amp.

[gab_ale]

Can't believe people could get this sound since 1984.

[LeonTodd]

Dreams come true! That's THE tone right there.

[henrybelfiore]

To hell with the amp that's the best one handed playing I've ever heard in my life🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[FastRedPonyCar]

Awesome sound man. The IIC circuit is just a legend. I was lucky enough to find an untouched 1989 Studio Preamp not long ago and it was bizarre seeing a 30 year old piece of gear that sat unopened in someone's attic. It sounds insane no matter what you plug it into. That IIC tone stack will no doubt be Randall Smith's crowning achievement.

[seerattan]

the best video of someone playing this amazing amp, wish it wasn´t so expensive.

[sonerhodja]

AMAZING tone!!!! So unique and so legendary!

[sebastiandior]

Why do I feel SO much more inspired by these and the IV than I do the modern amps??

[SilentNightBodomNight]

That’s very impressive for only having the unit for a couple hours to dial in a tone like that, very iconic sounding!

[KauffeyBean]

Great tryout - I have always wanted to see how the sound changes as the setting changes as when I am trying out the amp myself - and you did the exact thing! Thank you!

[DatMetalBoi]

If its good enough for literally every metal band from the 80s, it's good enough for anybody else

[cherrytreepermaculture]

I have the same amp with reverb.
Wish the presence knob was on the front, such a key tone knob...

[gltglt]

I own a 1984 MARK II C, COMBO, 12" EV SPEAKER, 4-6L6 tubes, purchased it in 1984 straight from mesa co. Petaluma ca. It is 50/75w simi class+ EQ, EXT. cab with a celestion 12". & after 38 yrs, it will still kick ass, this is a little monster of an amp, (l nicknamed it BEAUFORD) will be out there long, long after l'm gone, kicking ass! l'm older, doing more laid back stuff, this amp will do any thing you set it to do, hell recently, l set in with a variety band, they were amazed that it sounded like a super reverb fender amp on the cassic country, then, l flipped the 75w switch, set the EQ controls to a smile scaled back the reverb, clicked on the tube screamer/ compresser & cut into some hendrix, srv, nugent, stuff, out came that 100w marshall sound, rocked the house, several other musicians in the house were leaving phone #s in case l ever want to sell it, fun, fun, FUN!

[robbrooks]

I have a Boogie IIC+ and will tell you right now, with the Master between 3 and 4, you're gonna hear that about a mile away. I don't think I ever got it past 2 when playing live before the sound man was ready to absolutely murder me.

[robvoyles]

I'm sure most of you know but for those who don't here are the differences in the Mark III history concerning the magic marker swipes and markings above the power cord..
No mark, little black dot, black marks or "x" 's: Early Mark III
• These are lean and powerful amps with more output power than a Mark IIC+

Purple: reshaping of Rhythm 2
• Rhythm 2 was shaped to be more "rounded", have less gain, with improved level

Red: Rhythm 2 & Lead Mode Tweaked
• Rhythm 2 was further developed and is very hot. Lead mode was also tweaked to close in on the Mark IIC+ sound

Blue: Reshaping of Rhythm 1
• Reshaping of Rhythm 1, more aggressive preamp gain, Power section made akin to IIC+

Green/Simul-Class: Final Rhythm 1 & Lead Channel reshaping
• Cleaner Rhythm 1 & Lead channel reshaping - Unlike other Simul-Class amps, these Mark III's were wired in Pentode (not triode) in the Class A sockets for more power. Power section is same as Blue Stripe/Dot So there you have it. The next series after the Mark IIc+ is the Mark III. Around 98% of the Mark III is the same components as the IIC+. As i have said on more than a few occasions My Mark III can be dialed in to sound Identical to My IIC+. and it doesn't take much effort as they are basically the same amp especially when they have the same High gain Chinese 12ax7's That came stock from the factory and the Sylvania 6L6 power tubes in the inner sockets and Sylvania 6CA7's in the outer sockets. Changing to Different tubes can drastically have more effect on these Mark series amps tone, character and sound overall only rivaled by the player themselves. If i change the tubes in one and keep the Sylvania's and Chinese 12ax7's in the other, that is when they tend to sound different. The IIc+ and the III are both great amps.

[mrslate]

This is great, thanks.. sounds just like my old MIIC+ Simulclass.. It always puzzled me that the Mid control does not do much of anything when cranked or turned all the way down. I love this tone.. just have to figure out to get this thing to sit well in a band mix as guitar amps should have more mids than not. If this makes sense..

[NVVD]

This is the same amp MetallicA wrote Master of puppets with also the same amp John Sykes used on the 1987 Whitesnake album.

These amps work awesome with a guitar that has Active Pickups

[mctwishvonnoodles]

Lately I've been confused as to what kind of amp I should save up for; then, as soon as you started playing, I remembered my first love.

[scpfoundationtm]

How come some mark IIC+ say MESA/BOOGIE on the front but others say just Boogie like the Mark V?

[jacee]

That part in the very beginning with the 750 all the way down is absolutely perfect please make that a preset

[discussdebate]

Had it and sold it in 1995 ! AARRGGHH!! Miss it very much!! As I type I have a Rivera TBR 2SL. This amp is great as well ...but... it's very heavy (meaning weight). \m/