Early Mark IIB coliseum serials

[GJgo]

You can tell it's a IIB because it has an effects loop. The IIA did not.

Judging by the height of the PT I'd say it's a 100. The 100 & 105 are eyeball close to the same height, where the X101 is markedly thicker- same as the JP2C unit.

If they let you pull the chassis, seeing if it's a RP9C preamp board & making sure there are not budged caps or burnt resistors is a bonus. That said service concerns are fixable.

Take your favorite boost pedal.

 

[GJgo]

OH AND... your best bet is to plug it into a sealed cab for a test run. The combo tone is really nothing special if you like high gain.

 

[GJgo]

OH AND AND.. Aurora is 2 hours from you? I'm in Grand Junction & Dr Teeth is in Denver.

There are some things about the IIB that I like better than the IIC+. As for Teeth, I'm pretty sure he clearly prefers the IIB over the C+.

 

[Meeotch]

OH AND AND.. Aurora is 2 hours from you? I'm in Grand Junction & Dr Teeth is in Denver.

There are some things about the IIB that I like better than the IIC+. As for Teeth, I'm pretty sure he clearly prefers the IIB over the C+.

Thanks for all the advice! Yeah I'm up in Laramie. I've been reading about these IIB's for a while and stoked to finally try one. I'd definitely be sending it into Mesa for service if I keep it. The tricky thing for me is that after reading so many recommendations for the loop mod, it will be hard to gauge whether I enjoy the unmodded version enough to take it home.

 

[GJgo]

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.

 

[glpg80]

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.

Can you post high gain settings boosted here?

I’m wanting to go try that one near me through a cabinet of G12H30s he has.

So what’s the deal with the 4ohm and 4 ohm tap on the back of all of these? Most cabinets are 16 ohm, are people wiring cabinets special for their marks?

 

[GJgo]

For the live band mix this is where I start, with some caveat notes.
- Treble & lead pulled, presence around 3 depending on the cab.
- Gain 3-4 with a boost. (required in the band)
- In the bedroom or recording however I do a more traditional GEQ V.
-If I'm not boosting I'll put the gain up to maybe 6-7 at really low volume, but as the volume comes up gain goes down to 4-5.

 

[Joey B.]

The very first Boogie that I heard was a IIB combo with the Post FX Level mod. It was a beast, and leaded me to trade my Laney 100 Pro Tube 100 for a Mark I head that also had an effects loop added with the control just like the B+ mod. With an old Boss OD-1 out front, it was a monster, but VERY loud. I owned that amp twice, and then after my Rectifier stage, then the C+ craze started. The year was 1987, and I've been on the Boogie bandwagon ever since.

 

[Racerxrated]

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.

One word of warning with modding a Mark....if you get one, and LOVE the tone, don't + it. This goes for a 2B, or a 2C....the one 2B Coli I loop modded was a gain monster, and sounded good but lost something vintage-y and cool about the tone. Same goes for my first C+, a 2C SRG combo. That was an INCREDIBLE sounding raw/open/growly/mean sumbitch before I sent it to Mike for the + mod. It was my first C+, and as a 2C I HAD to make it a C+ right? Well, it was killer as a C+ of course but lost something....my old sound guy still says that was the best tone he's EVER heard, and he used to run sound every summer in one of the Sturgis campgrounds.

 

[Meeotch]

One word of warning with modding a Mark....if you get one, and LOVE the tone, don't + it. This goes for a 2B, or a 2C....the one 2B Coli I loop modded was a gain monster, and sounded good but lost something vintage-y and cool about the tone. Same goes for my first C+, a 2C SRG combo. That was an INCREDIBLE sounding raw/open/growly/mean sumbitch before I sent it to Mike for the + mod. It was my first C+, and as a 2C I HAD to make it a C+ right? Well, it was killer as a C+ of course but lost something....my old sound guy still says that was the best tone he's EVER heard, and he used to run sound every summer in one of the Sturgis campgrounds.

I can appreciate this advice. If it turns out I'm really digging the vintage vibe of the IIB then I may just have to seek out a second one to +

 

[GJgo]

Good call. I've had Mike mod a couple to + & ++ that were better off, and like Racer I've also had him mod a couple that I've regretted including a C to a C+ and a C+ to a C++. I learned the hard way that "if it's not broke don't fix it". That's why the DRG he has now I'm not modding (even if he was modding now, which he's not) because that amp rips as-is. That said, if you like the amp but find yourself thinking "this could use a little MORE", them the mods are probably the way to go. That's how my first DRG was, and the C++ mod was perfect on that amp.

I will always think a B/B+ is a better classic rock amp than a C+, and that a B/B+ Coli is about the best live amp imaginable. The C+ does record better however live it's too polite in comparison.

 

[glpg80]

Good call. I've had Mike mod a couple to + & ++ that were better off, and like Racer I've also had him mod a couple that I've regretted including a C to a C+ and a C+ to a C++. I learned the hard way that "if it's not broke don't fix it". That's why the DRG he has now I'm not modding (even if he was modding now, which he's not) because that amp rips as-is. That said, if you like the amp but find yourself thinking "this could use a little MORE", them the mods are probably the way to go. That's how my first DRG was, and the C++ mod was perfect on that amp.

I will always think a B/B+ is a better classic rock amp than a C+, and that a B/B+ Coli is about the best live amp imaginable. The C+ does record better however live it's too polite in comparison.

If I was going for that old school whitesnake mix with a modded Marshall 2203 and that high gain Mesa mark tone, which version would you recommend? That’s what I’m going for.

 

[Racerxrated]

If I was going for that old school whitesnake mix with a modded Marshall 2203 and that high gain Mesa mark tone, which version would you recommend? That’s what I’m going for.

I would say any late 2B; the last version preamp board 9C needs no boost to tighten the response…or any Mark after that version until a Mk IV. If it’s an earlier 2B they are fairly loose in the lows.
Sykes used 2 Mk3 Coliseum’s for the record; I believe they were no/black stripe. His monster rack was for sale a few years ago.

 

[Markedman]

Fuck!

 

[Exo-metal]

I got the same reply...long gone!

 

[GJgo]

If I was going for that old school whitesnake mix with a modded Marshall 2203 and that high gain Mesa mark tone, which version would you recommend? That’s what I’m going for.

To my ears having owned them all, I think the key to the 1987 tone is really any 180W A/B Coli. There's a "hugeness" to the tone that the smaller power sections just can't do. The gain structure differences between the models to me are secondary to this.

 

[dr teeth]

Good score Meeotch. At that price for what you get I'd say if you can plug in and play grab it and don't look back. That means the OT is good and anyone that owns old Mesa's and Marshall's owns old iron that can't be replaced.

I wouldn't be deterred by a bulging cap or any other issues. As IIB said you can send it Petaluma or any mesa tech and despite the filter caps holding up extremely well overall on these old amps the electrolytic caps are past their expected life cycle. Regular use is the best thing to prolong cap life.

On all these old Marks there are 2 bigger orange coupling caps right next to the phase inverter tube (v5) that if they have survived will eventually go bad ime. Mesa changed the spec from 400V to 600V rated caps after the fact on what I think is a .1pF. They feed the bias circuit so if you ever see 2 tubes on one side start to red-plate you 1st check tubes and then check for continuity for those 2 caps. There should be no continuity with a probe on each leg. It's also possible to fail "open" but I've found them to short there and the originals get over-worked. Insert all the "safe harbor" be scared to work on the inside of your chassis here. The filters hold a punch but plugged in I've found it closer to an electric fence if you grew up in the country.

 

[dr teeth]

Here's a new one for the oddball serials to add to my 58x coli and IIB's K33x double serials- a no serial KRG!
It's born on date is 10/7/81:

https://reverb.com/item/53308656-mesa-boogie-mark-iib-coliseum-krg-81
I own coli's with 8/26 and 12/28 dates in 1981 which should put this one at about K190-K195 time frame with a RP-9A. Since it is a stealth one in the UK I would just grab a few stamps and hammer K 007 on it.

 

[IIBornotIIB]

Here's a new one for the oddball serials to add to my 58x coli and IIB's K33x double serials- a no serial KRG!
It's born on date is 10/7/81:

https://reverb.com/item/53308656-mesa-boogie-mark-iib-coliseum-krg-81
I own coli's with 8/26 and 10/28 dates in 1981 which should put this one at about K190-K195 time frame with a RP-9A. Since it is a stealth one in the UK I would just grab a few stamps and hammer K 007 on it.

Like the K007 idea! That same amp was listed on evil-bay last summer and I was tempted, due to its oddball status. Its since been serviced locally and now the ask is much more $$$$. I’m sure it’s a great amp….I’ll stick with what I have, for now.

 

[dr teeth]

Service can't be cheap in Leeds....
With what I see of the IIC+ prices most recently and what I know about these way more rare coli beasts I've been expecting at some point the early coli's to lift off. You got people like Jeremy now out there telling the world the B's are actually great after decades of them quietly hiding in the long shadow of the plus.

So just for the record everyone, these IIB coli's really suck!! Don't bother. Save your money and run the plus prices ever higher!

My mesa vanity is usually well in check; hell I've never even sent an amp to northern Cali (yet anyway) even tho I''ve spent plenty at their store. But I'll admit I do like to see mesa labelled blue filter caps. You can get them from the mesa store and the price isn't much different than you'll find at digi-key or mouser. Call it blue bling.