Early Mark IIB coliseum serials

[Meeotch]

Hmm this just popped up on Reverb from a seller in Brazil...seems like an excellent price.

Mesa Boogie Mark IIB Coliseum KRG 81' https://reverb.com/item/54027802-me...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=54027802

 

[dr teeth]

Jump on it. I no longer have a reverb account cuz it's bad for my health otherwise I would have bought it instead of replying.
It's a no brainer since you're right down the road and I'll put a few franklin's over what it runs you if you don't keep it.

 

[Meeotch]

Haha already sold, no worries though. Seemed too good to be true, and there have been increasing Reverb scams lately. Hopefully someone scored a legit killer deal.

 

[Krull]

Oh man, a brand new seller account from Brazil named "Courtney Dixon" selling at an unbelievable price. Why didn't I jump on this sooner!

 

[dr teeth]

The no serial # coli is a dead give away to the one legitimately listed.
I don't miss reverb.

 

[GJgo]

That was a scam, the real owner is in the UK and part of my Coli group. Bummer for whoever rolled the dice..

 

[dr teeth]

I came across K152 on reverb in Italy. The seller was kind enough to put up the K, chassis date and guts. I can't make out the RPxx on the pcb but the tracings look like my SP9A's on the V1 V2 side of the board. They do not look like my RP 8C or SP 8B coli's.
Between 8/18 and 8/26/81 there is a gap of about 25 K's, not that all of those K's have dates in between. It is possible they had mostly built amps waiting for a component and pumped out a bunch when the part(s) came in.
Seeing what must be a RP 9A in K152 means between K123 and K152 there was a change from RP/SP 8B to 8C to RP/SP 9A in the span of roughly 30 K's. Over time we'll get this narrowed down even more.
It seems like the 8C and the 9B might be the rare birds of the coli run and I still have yet to see the 9B. And I'm just guessing that the 1st coli's had the RP/SP 8A which I also haven't seen. If for the most part there are no pre-K100 then the 8B boards are also rare in a coli.

 

[dr teeth]

Hurry hurry step right up and get your Mesa 'IB', recti and IIC+ preamp boards here. (Ebay from Ukraine). Hurry hurry!
Anyone else catch these boards on ebay? I can finally own a IB!!!

 

[dr teeth]

I finally just saw the Brad Whitford hardwood KRG coli's. Very sexy.
Mesa's GEQ is take it or leave it for me but my eyes hear a completely different tone on those coli sisters...
Talk about a three-way! Too bad they are split up now.

They are K119 and K121, a couple of the earliest I've seen and the new owner of K121 has chimed in that it has a RP9A. I would be so disappointed if it was me I would dump them cheap.

Since K123 has a SP8B it seems either the SP boards were slower to work through than the probably more popular RP's or Brad got newer boards even though the factory was still working through the crazy 8's. I'm hoping the Aero-Brads are dated and we can get born on's.

I know the RP8C board exists with it in the 58x coli and maybe the demand for non-coli B's with reverb ripped through the boards before many saw the power light of a coli.

The RP9A obviously was at the factory by K120ish.

 

[dr teeth]

K121= 6/11/81
Thank you Jeremy!

 

[Deleted member 24728]

I'm a little late to the party (what's new?), but here's my old KG -

K299, with an SP11A board:

 

[GJgo]

Well that's interesting. Is that cap from '88? can't quite read it.

The current owner of this amp is in my Coli group.

 

[EngineeringTheEnemy]

The IIBs are more raw & visceral than the IIC+, at least when you get a good one. Like I said bring a boost. If you're a high gain guy I can give you good starting settings.

The thing about good Marks is it's in the FEELS. So, assuming you have your guitar & cab correct, you'll know. The loop mod adds gain but it's not night & day, the essence is the same.

I have a IIB coli loop modded (SP9A board)…. Just getting it back with the mod and new 415 tubes…. Could use some advice on settings with this beast love high gain… nice and tight