Petrucci signature Mark IIc+

[Chris6870]

I am not up on the 2C+ components and values, for the originals.
Is Mesa just stubborn, or can they not source the parts to do a "true to form" reissue, of their extremely sought after model?

Maybe this will be a true reissue, but why not sooner? That model has been a grail amp, for long while now.

They cannot source the PT, which is generally considered the magic of the IIC+.

That doesn't sound right? I find it hard to believe that Mesa Boogie couldn't at the very least, have an original PT reverse engineered and duplicated.

right? How hard could it be to custom make these

If they want to build it they can.

Stole this from the Boogie Board -

Let's see:

Schumacher - Still open
Mallory - Still Open
Dale - Still open
Sprague - Still Open
Kemet - Still Open
CTS - Still Open
Face Plate Maker - Still Open
Chassis Maker - A dime a dozen
Perkin/Elmer - Still Open
Cheap Carbon Film's - A dime a dozen

 

[MesaGoBloogie]

Well I guess its a matter of waiting until someone here gets one and can sincerely compare it to their original side by side. I had a Mk 3 and while it was a nice amp, both 2C+ models I've had were clearly a step up in every way. If this amp is clearly a step up like that while still not exactly like an original its still a nice package at a good price considering all the features....really looking forward to an honest review and clips!

If it's like King Snake, we're in for a treat. If it's like Petrucci's favored IIC+ tone, well....

 

[spanny]

I've read from the guy who was mixing the album that this was the only amp he used on the new album. The big pluses for me on this amp is that its midi controllable and has the built in cab clone.

 

[JMMP]

I suspected this amp was used on the new album. I love the tone in "the gift of music." Spanny, did you read that somewhere public, or do you know the mix guy?
I will own one of these one day, unless it is a complete flop.

 

[yngzaklynch]

No way Randall Smith built a bad amp. This thing is going to be great!

 

[spanny]

I suspected this amp was used on the new album. I love the tone in "the gift of music." Spanny, did you read that somewhere public, or do you know the mix guy?
I will own one of these one day, unless it is a complete flop.

It was shared on Instagram by the engineer which was later re"shared" by Mesa.

 

[Kevin11]

Pure speculation on my part, but in regards to Petrucci saying he preferred the IIc+ mode in the MKV over the IIc+, I assume you're talking about the MKV demo he did for Mesa. The amp was new at the time, I think he genuinely dug it, and was probably doing a favor for Randall as a long-time Mesa devotee. I'm sure that demo alone sold a ton of those amps. I know he recorded and gigged with the the MKV, but I think that lasted one album/tour cycle maybe? I was surprised when I heard he switched back to the TriAxis a while back. He kept the MKV dummy heads on his stage backline, but he's been running his TriAxis/2:90 rig until recently as far as I know.

He went through a brief period with the Road King too and went back to his IIc+. That seems to be the tone he relates to best and prefers. Based on that alone, I'd be willing to bet his new signature amp is a lot closer to an original IIc+ than the MKV.

 

[JMMP]

Thanks spanny. Maddi just posted on HRI with the same information as well.

 

[NewWorldMan]

Have to love people who read or see one isolated comment on the Internet and somehow cite that as the ultimate authority and truth of a matter.

In a video in the studio from 3 years ago, Petrucci said that his engineer had dialed in the IIC+ mode on the V while recording to the point where he preferred it at times to the IIC+ he was using...in the studio...in that instance. Of course, this is also the video where he pointed to a stack of IIC+ heads and noted one of them was his main recording amp for the album.

If he preferred the V's IIC+ mode in general as implied here, he would have had no need for the originals, nor would the signature model be based on his favorite IIC+ head that he has, as they could have just used dual V IIC+ modes in the amp (which is based on Doug West's favorite non-EQ IIC+ he owns, not Petrucci's).

Then there's also the fact that the V, from the transformers down, has to built as a compromise to optimize all the modes they wanted to include, from the various cleans to the crunch channel and so forth. This signature amp has no such compromises. It's built to replicate Petrucci's favorite IIC+, only with more of it. Anyone who thinks this is essentially the V's IIC+ mode with an additional EQ is fooling themselves.

 

[MesaGoBloogie]

Have to love people who read or see one isolated comment on the Internet and somehow cite that as the ultimate authority and truth of a matter.

In a video in the studio from 3 years ago, Petrucci said that his engineer had dialed in the IIC+ mode on the V while recording to the point where he preferred it at times to the IIC+ he was using...in the studio...in that instance. Of course, this is also the video where he pointed to a stack of IIC+ heads and noted one of them was his main recording amp for the album.

If he preferred the V's IIC+ mode in general as implied here, he would have had no need for the originals, nor would the signature model be based on his favorite IIC+ head that he has, as they could have just used dual V IIC+ modes in the amp (which is based on Doug West's favorite non-EQ IIC+ he owns, not Petrucci's).

Then there's also the fact that the V, from the transformers down, has to built as a compromise to optimize all the modes they wanted to include, from the various cleans to the crunch channel and so forth. This signature amp has no such compromises. It's built to replicate Petrucci's favorite IIC+, only with more of it. Anyone who thinks this is essentially the V's IIC+ mode with an additional EQ is fooling themselves.

A lot of what you said is not true. I recommend you rewatch the video you and I both referenced.

 

[NewWorldMan]

Glad to see you at least confirmed your entire basis of thought is rooted in nothing more than assumptions you drew from one comment that Petrucci said in a span of 20 seconds in one 3 year old video clip as an afterthought while tracking in the studio. Internet experts. They're a dime a dozen...

 

[MesaGoBloogie]

Glad to see you at least confirmed your entire basis of thought is rooted in nothing more than assumptions you drew from one comment that Petrucci said in a span of 20 seconds in one 3 year old video clip as an afterthought while tracking in the studio. Internet experts. They're a dime a dozen...

And it's sad to see that you have gone through life with limited cognitive abilities. I've at least provided some evidence and some rationale thought as to what this product is likely to be. You've provided nothing but conjecture and hope. Now go crawl back under your rock.

 

[NewWorldMan]

It's sad you think you provided evidence... Citing a single 3 year old video shot in the studio where Petrucci makes an off the cuff comment about the Mark V and trying to pass it off as "evidence" of how a signature amp was created years later is about like pointing to a blurry picture of a dot in a photo of the night sky and saying its poof of UFO's, especially considering the "evidence" cited itself has a contradictory statement in it (as Petrucci said his main recording amp on crunch tones was the actual IIC+).

Sorry, I'd rather take the word of Petrucci himself, who when asked on Facebook if the amp was a proper IIC+ circuit (as opposed to posters proclaimed "thinner sounding" version on the Mark V) stated "Yes, same exact circuit as my favorite IIC+".

But you're right, we should obviously put much more stock and faith in your assumption from 3 year old videos. You're probably right.

 

[jinch0]

Straight from JP's guitar tech Maddi posted on the JP forum:

"We used the amp for the whole album. It is not the MKV C+ mode. This amp is based off of John's vintage C+ amps which are 60/100 watt. Not Simul-Class.
The Graphic EQ's are independent an can be assigned to any channel. 
As a fan of the C+, I am loving this amp."
Maddi

 

[Racerxrated]

Straight from JP's guitar tech Maddi posted on the JP forum:

"We used the amp for the whole album. It is not the MKV C+ mode. This amp is based off of John's vintage C+ amps which are 60/100 watt. Not Simul-Class.
The Graphic EQ's are independent an can be assigned to any channel. 
As a fan of the C+, I am loving this amp."
Maddi

There you go. Unless he's full of it, sounds like this will be very similar to an HRG circuit. Not the MK V. Steve K? Psychodave? Cmon hurry up buy one and let us know!

 

[MesaGoBloogie]

Straight from JP's guitar tech Maddi posted on the JP forum:

"We used the amp for the whole album. It is not the MKV C+ mode. This amp is based off of John's vintage C+ amps which are 60/100 watt. Not Simul-Class.
The Graphic EQ's are independent an can be assigned to any channel. 
As a fan of the C+, I am loving this amp."
Maddi

Very cool - I'm excited at the prospect.

 

[psychodave]

Straight from JP's guitar tech Maddi posted on the JP forum:

"We used the amp for the whole album. It is not the MKV C+ mode. This amp is based off of John's vintage C+ amps which are 60/100 watt. Not Simul-Class.
The Graphic EQ's are independent an can be assigned to any channel. 
As a fan of the C+, I am loving this amp."
Maddi

I'd like to know if you can run one EQ into the other? The amp is lacking a "deep" push/pull. Anyone who knows the Mark series amps knows that the pull deep is part of the sound. This is where he Mark V fell short. Running one EQ into the other will give you "that" sound.

 

[InFlames235]

I just wanna know if there will still be people out there that will run a 10-band EQ into this to have triple EQ's

 

[SLOgriff]

Based on this photo, I bet the tonez will be quite "Hairy"!

 

[MesaGoBloogie]

Straight from JP's guitar tech Maddi posted on the JP forum:

"We used the amp for the whole album. It is not the MKV C+ mode. This amp is based off of John's vintage C+ amps which are 60/100 watt. Not Simul-Class.
The Graphic EQ's are independent an can be assigned to any channel. 
As a fan of the C+, I am loving this amp."
Maddi

I'd like to know if you can run one EQ into the other? The amp is lacking a "deep" push/pull. Anyone who knows the Mark series amps knows that the pull deep is part of the sound. This is where he Mark V fell short. Running one EQ into the other will give you "that" sound.

The JP2C has two push/pulls on the gain channels labelled - labelled pull gain and pull presence. The original had 4 (arguably 5) push pulls affecting the lead channel - none of which were labelled pull gain or pull presence. Obviously somethings been changed up and has been prewired. The Mark V IIC+ definitely lacked the sub-lows of a GEQ equipped IIC+, but it's not clear whether it's missing here from what I can see. Have you heard something?