Racerxrated
Well-known member
Well that settles it for me...no inherent consistent difference between long/short heads, just the normal differences between each and every amp out there of the same model.NewWorldMan":39cnfwhq said:Racerxrated":39cnfwhq said:What are your thoughts on the tonal differences, if any, between the two?NewWorldMan":39cnfwhq said:braintheory":39cnfwhq said:Has anyone here actually compared a long and short head side by side, where everything else is the same except long vs short?
Yes...
https://ibb.co/g0m9Zd
I usually don't weigh in too much on the shit storm posts (or at all)... , but I'll chime in with my $0.02 on some things mentioned in the thread.
In regards to the Mesa rack EQs mentioned here, Dave is on point. High dollar, but worth the money and exactly as advertised. There's only a handful made that don't reside in Metallica HQ. I didn't buy mine on a forum. I purchased mine directly from Mike when he offered me one. Wasn't something I was seeking out, didn't realize I needed it, but don't regret it and can't imagine it not being in my rack now.
In regards to IIC+ heads, I had a few back in the day, then moved on over the years (most folks know I'm a huge Recto fan). I got a great deal one day many years later on an '85 Mark III (no stripe, 105 PT), and that rekindled my interest in the IIC+ again. So, I started seeking them out.
At one point, I had three '85 Mark III (no stripe, 105 PT) heads and I went through about 20+ or so IIC+ heads trying them all out looking for a few to keep. John Pace here probably remembers me seemingly getting a new one every week... I lost count, but know at one stage I had at least 7 of them stacked up side by side for comparison.
My personal favorites ended up being Simul-Class models with the 105 PT. I can say I could tell no differences because something was a short or long head. But, I can also say that no two sounded exactly alike, even with the same tubes. It's just the nature of old amps. They all age differently.
I ended up keeping a pair I liked best (pictured above), one short head, one long head. The long head is actually now a ++. If I only kept one of them, I'd probably keep the short head C+. It's been my favorite C+ I've owned. As much as I love the ++, there's something special (to me) with that standard C+ running a 6L6/EL34 mix.
As for the value, I think some people would be surprised. I personally would not pay the money being asked these days for some of the C+ heads, but I've had numerous offers on mine over time, and almost exclusive interest has been on the long head. I don't personally value it as anything more than the short head, but I recently (within the last 2 months) had a local cash offer of $5k for it.
Short, long...they're all C+s.