SOUND CHECK

FOR MANY GUITARISTS, the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ ranks at the top of their Holy Grail, bucket list, unobtanium amps.

- Chris Gill

The main reason the Mark IIC+ is so desirable is because it was James Hetfield's main amp (he actually had a IIC++ with additional gain) on Metallica's immortal Master of Puppets. The Mark IIC+'s use by Prince (the Purple Rain tour and beyond), John Petrucci with Dream Theater and studio legends Michael Landau, Steve Lukather and Dean Parks on hundreds of Eighties hits also helped elevate its legendary status.

Mesa built only about 3,000 Mark IIC+ amps during its original 14-month run in the mid Eighties, but after four decades it's finally made its long-awaited return. The new Mark IIC+ is available in head-only or 1x12 combo versions and is essentially a fully loaded version with all of the most desirable options: 5-band graphic EQ, Simul-Class and reverb.

Build Quality

Taking the Mark IIC+ head out of the box is like opening a time capsule. With only seven knobs (six of which featuring pull functions) and a 5-band graphic EQ, the front panel looks downright austere compared to today's Mesa Mark series amps and even the recent JP-2C Mark IIC+ John Petrucci signature model. Rest assured that the reissued Mark IIC+ is a very faithful reproduction of the original with only minimal changes made due to modern safety regulations and parts availability. This is the short-chassis version of the head, so the Presence and Reverb knobs are on the rear panel, where you'll also find a buffered effects loop, a Slave output with level control and the Simul-Class/Class A switch for selecting 75-watt or 25-watt output.