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braintheory
Well-known member
Nice! What 500 series units do you have in that lunch box? I’m guessing it still can’t be run straight in from guitar to amp (not using the loop)?
NineShallDie
Well-known member
Those are two EQF-2 units.
Well I haven’t actually tried running it in front of the amp. But technically I guess it would work. I’ll have to try to confirm.
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braintheory
Well-known member
Yeah I'd love to hear about the results you get if it can. It's just an idea in my head, but the those mic preamps as something like a boost/overdrive or eq used the way I like to use eq pedals or rack units in front of the amp (not in the loop) I'd love to try as an interesting alternative to how it compares to my pedals or rack units for these purposes
anomaly
Well-known member
Anyone else think that maybe the IIC+ is a tad overratef? It's a
Good sounding amp for sure but I'm rarely blown away by clips of it. All this said, I wouldn't mind owning the new reissue.
And the clips I am impressed with are usually drenched in reverb or delay which gives the impression that the amp has more harmonic content than it actually does.
Good sounding amp for sure but I'm rarely blown away by clips of it. All this said, I wouldn't mind owning the new reissue.
And the clips I am impressed with are usually drenched in reverb or delay which gives the impression that the amp has more harmonic content than it actually does.
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skoora
Well-known member
It’s probably one of those Amps where you need to hear one in person at volume and then it clicks. But there are amps like that that don’t always translate well to a recording for personal taste.
I wouldn’t be surprised, if in person, a Wizard would blow me down, but I’ve seen one or two bands use them live and the records and I don’t hear anything that would make me not wanna use a Marshall.
Modern red on a recto is a force of nature in the room, but I can’t say it’s even close to what I want when recording.
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braintheory
Well-known member
Maybe, depending on how you define overrated. Overpriced, sure. My favorite marks are definitely now the iic's (no +) now that I've experienced 2 examples. More raw, jagged, aggressive voicing than +'s (guys please no more + upgrades lol), but they still don't have that same feel, liquidity or lead tones like the +'s. I'm not sure if they have the same type of note density either. I'd have to AB
All I know is I've AB'ed several IIC+'s in the past with plenty of examples of mark iii's, iv's. a V, JP2C and Mark 7 and I felt it was clearly a level (or 2 in some cases) above those amps when compared, mostly in detail going on around the notes and feel (I think that perceived feel is the byproduct of that extra detail or complexity in tone). They wouldn't quite make my personal top 5 favorite high gain amps I've played for my taste, but definitely to me exceptional amps that are up there that offer qualities none of the other marks do IME
Like any of these sought after versions (like a Rev C or Blueface also) I'm guessing enough guys appreciated the differences that caused a big premium for them. No, they don't imo sound 3-5x better or x dollars better than the next best alternatives like a mark iv, iii, rev f, g as examples, but it is what it is. If we're not putting money into the equation, those versions are special (to me just plain better). If you wanna factor in cost, they don't sound nearly as much better as the price difference could suggest to some, but almost always the case with this stuff
I totally agree about the reverb/delay part. Really not a fan of that, especially if the goal is to be an amp demo of all things
Beyond Black
Well-known member
Word.
vultures
Well-known member
For the price, yes. It's a one trick pony amp. It can do some of the most harmonically rich gain and it can do some of the most magical crystal cleans (DRG), but it can't do both. The gain depends on the clean volume knob, and there's no good way to dial both in. It's an outdated amp and the JP2C is in every single way it's successor. Would I love to own a DRG or HRG again? Yeah, but they're not worth more than $2500+/-. The "in the room" sound is a big part of it, the old IIC+'s are painfully loud with the Master at 2-3.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
The C+ is, like a few other amps (Wizards, SLO for example) an amp you have to experience in the room to get it. No clip will translate the best attributes of the amp (feel, clarity). Of course, the price makes it difficult to 'try before you buy' but the reissue is VERY close to the original; much closer than any other vintage Mark. As much as we want to hate on Gibson they really nailed both the C+ and 90s Recto reissues.
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VonBonfire
Well-known member
Post reported. That was clearly the soundman's fault. Probably tried to mic it with a winnie-heiser.
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braintheory
Well-known member
Functionally and practicality it may have those limitations, but personally I’d much rather have an amp that does one thing 10/10 top tier level well (even if very specific) than a more practical amp like a JP2C, Mark V or 7 that covers lots of ground with modern conveniences, but doesn’t do anything one thing better than ~7/10 tone quality and overall is a kind of sterile/lacking liveliness or comparatively processed, but practically gets the job done. That’s just not something very exciting for a gearhead to look forward to. I think as hard core gear heads here we want the best sound we can get at all costs. The 2 ch early Recto’s have the same issue fwiw with respect to their orange and clean/green modes being shared (which isn’t as good anyway) and I’ve never heard anyone complain about that same functional limitation. I think we should just be happy when we get any piece of gear that is truly exceptional at something in sound with that type of inspiration it can yield. Of all my all time favorite amps I’ve played very few do more than one sound 10/10 well and that’s ok with me. I like Recto’s for the Orange ch, vh4 Blueface for ch3, uber for ch2, Poundcake for the meat ch, etc. That’s the reason those amps have their iconic status. I find also with the 2nd volume knob to the right I could do ok with the iic+ at lower volumes, but my solution is just play it as loud as I want and use ear plugs. Problem solved
vultures
Well-known member
Don't get me wrong. They are monster amps, I just think the $10k hype is ridiculous. That being said I captured my SRG, DRG and HG at multiple settings and they are the main captures I use. HG in 60 watts super high gained out and then a DRG Class AB Clean. Best of both worlds and I'm not lugging around 2 amps that cost more than my car.
anomaly
Well-known member
Ya, I base this opinion on price mostly. It's outrageous what these amps sell for. If I was to base my opinion purely on recorded tone alone, there are a few amps I'd rank above it but I'm gonna keep that opinion to myself.
Gjo has a good clip where he has a IIb, a IIc+, a III and a IV all dialed in to sound alike and they are all VERY close, I just don't see why the IIc+ is singled out to.cost so much more. I'd say it's the Metallica connection. If I was to pick a favorite based on that clip I'll say the IV, it does the 90's tones a bit better IMO.
Also, now that these reissues are available it will be interesting to see if any touring musicians start using them?? Or are these amps just for collectors and bedroom players?
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braintheory
Well-known member
If you hunt around for a while they can be found sometimes in the $5-6k range. Honestly for how special they sound and feel I don’t consider that unreasonable at all when you look how much more of a premium there is for other holy grail amps like say a Rev C Recto, Blueface VH4 or Cameron CCV. Of the few amps I like similarly well or more than the iic+’s, most of them cost more than that (some way more)
I’ve seen those clips and it’s another of many reasons I don’t read too much into them. In person when I’ve AB’ed those amps it really wasn’t close for me and I don’t really play Metallica stuff fwiw. Of course the IV is from the ‘90’s and can be a natural fit for that, but I don’t pigeon hole gear like that or as them being just “Metallica amps”. These amps can be used for whatever we want
I think these amps are for those that just appreciate them. For many live performances I wouldn’t want to risk losing a hard to replace item like that, but that’s just me. I know guys that have gigged with them. I would’ve when I was younger and less careful. If we’re gonna judge almost all the most desirable items by price then yeah they’re all super overrated, many way more overrated than the iic+ by that metric (Blueface, Rev C, CCV, Dumble, Trainwreck, Klon, ‘50’s/‘69’s Gibson’s & Fender’s, etc.). If we’re gonna judge them instead simply by how they sound regardless of price or what others say then IME you just hear that they sound amazing and the other versions just don’t sound or feel like it aka special/exceptional. Whether that’s worth the price or not is up to you and I don’t go there. I just go purely with how it sounds to me and if I can swing I’ll go for it. For many I can’t and that’s ok. I will just daydream having them lol
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Joey B.
Active member
One 1984 and Two 1985 C+ DRG short heads in the house, each bought for at least $1000.00 less than the new Re-issue. All hooked to the MESA rack mount amp switcher. Footswitch one up to all at a time. All set differently to maximize their best sounds. 1: Full on hellion into halfback 4x12, 2: Simul-Very clean into a pair of 1x12 theile cabs, 3: Class-A with 6CA7's, Clean channel, VOL 1 dimed into another pair of 1x12 theile cabs. Overall volume balanced to each other. All EVM-12L speakers.
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Joey B.
Active member
What if I don't want my C+ to sound like Metallica?
thegame
Well-known member
Then dial it in to the settings they used on their last two albumsWhat if I don't want my C+ to sound like Metallica?