A
acalaf
Active member
and adding to that question, what makes it better than a mark 3 that costs 1/5 of the price?
SBlue
Well-known member
midnightlaundry":211zxxyx said:
It's tone. However, it's not better than a lot of the newer amps, but it's amazing, it's rare and it's a classic.
SBlue
Well-known member
acalaf":1siw1vxl said:
Why are you saying it's better? It's way harder to find, making it a lot more rare. I myself don't know if it's better than other Mesa amps. But I myself will not let mine one go while I have a studio, because everyone who is looking for the tone this amp gives always leave my studio smiling after recording with it.
midnightlaundry
Well-known member
SBlue":394vthq6 said:
Very descriptive. Now I know.
L
Larks' Tongue
New member
This is all subjective opinion, but naturally that's to be expected given the topic.
I am predominantly a lead player. The IIC+, even at low volumes, provides a totally 3D lead tone that is concurrently thick and articulate if dialed in. Only get jaw-dropingly more awesome as you crank the volume. Liquid leads to biting snarl, it's all there and it's the first amp where I feel like I can physically reach out and grab the tone. I don't know, perhaps its the rawness of the 60W that people mentioned, but it feels like you are literally playing a live wire. It's not a subtle experience - it's obvious, and you feel it immediately. Simply put, the best lead tone I've ever heard from an amp.
Secondly, it's highly versatile as the cleans are great. Not just good, but flat out great. Makes me thing about selling my vintage Hiwatts level great. Is a Hiwatt or classic Fender better? Yeah, marginally so - but definitely not by a wide margin and they definitely don't have anything comparable to the lead channel.
As to its comparative quality to a Mark III - some think they are close on the lead others think they are quite different. Also, general consensus is that the cleans on the MK III weren't great. I've had ample time with a MK IV and MK V and although both were good-to-great amps, neither really knocked me off my feet like this IIC+. The IIC+ just feels/sounds like the speaker is right against your ear, the IV/Vs in contrast feel more distant and, for lack of a better word, more artificial or processed. Again, all are great amps, but the IIC+ is has the edge.
I am predominantly a lead player. The IIC+, even at low volumes, provides a totally 3D lead tone that is concurrently thick and articulate if dialed in. Only get jaw-dropingly more awesome as you crank the volume. Liquid leads to biting snarl, it's all there and it's the first amp where I feel like I can physically reach out and grab the tone. I don't know, perhaps its the rawness of the 60W that people mentioned, but it feels like you are literally playing a live wire. It's not a subtle experience - it's obvious, and you feel it immediately. Simply put, the best lead tone I've ever heard from an amp.
Secondly, it's highly versatile as the cleans are great. Not just good, but flat out great. Makes me thing about selling my vintage Hiwatts level great. Is a Hiwatt or classic Fender better? Yeah, marginally so - but definitely not by a wide margin and they definitely don't have anything comparable to the lead channel.
As to its comparative quality to a Mark III - some think they are close on the lead others think they are quite different. Also, general consensus is that the cleans on the MK III weren't great. I've had ample time with a MK IV and MK V and although both were good-to-great amps, neither really knocked me off my feet like this IIC+. The IIC+ just feels/sounds like the speaker is right against your ear, the IV/Vs in contrast feel more distant and, for lack of a better word, more artificial or processed. Again, all are great amps, but the IIC+ is has the edge.
Markedman
Well-known member
There's something about the way the C+ grabs the speaker that gives it it's tightness. Playing a Mark IV or V after playing a C+ is annoying to say the least. The IV & V's are great amps and I don't mind using them when I have to, but there's an immediacy in attack with a Mark I, II & III that the IV & V don't have. Plus the IV & V, unlike the lll, run out of gain, useable gain that is, the lll and C+ don't squish up with high gain settings. A C+ is easier to dial in than a lll, but the lll has more varieties in tone and with mods, smokes most amps. The nice bite stays along with the knarly crunch with the lll & C+. The IV and V have too many options for my taste, I spent too much time balancing the settings playing live, kind of like tuning a guitar. I guess I play the amp as much as I play the guitar and the C+ is part of my sound. If I were in a cover band the IV & V would be the choice. It's like this, if you've driven an expensive European car like a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc. that's a IV or V and then drove a McLauren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc., that's a modded lll, a C+however, is like driving an F1 race car! Driving a BMW can be annoying on the race track!
