All about the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ in the Axe FX II

Clive

Clive

Experienced
I’ve been looking for information about the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ these last days on the Internet (wiki, forum.grailtone.com ...). I wanted to find the exact translation of the knobs of the IIC+ in the Axe FX II.


My problem is I don’t have a IIC+ so I am not 100% sure what I’m going to write here is right so correct me if I’m wrong and I will edit this first post.


I hope this will help people who are interested in this amp in the Axe.

Here I’m not going to explain what knobs does, I will just focus on the translation. The Mark IIC+ has two modes : Rhythm and Lead. For now, only the Lead mode is modelised in the Axe FX II (and I hope the Rhythm mode will be too when it will be G3ified).



-The USA IIC+ NORM amp block : Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+, Lead Mode (LEAD DRIVE / PULL LEAD button always pulled), not Bright (LEAD MASTER / PULL BRIGHT button always pushed)

TRANSLATION
Mark IIC+ ------ > Axe FX II
VOLUME 1 / PULL BRIGHT ------ > Input Drive / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Bright Switch)
TREBLE / PULL SHIFT -------- > Treble / Fat Switch
BASS / PULL SHIFT ------- > Bass / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Cut Switch)
MIDDLE ------- > Mid
MASTER 1 / PULL DEEP ------ > Master Volume / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Depth)
LEAD DRIVE / PULL LEAD (button always pulled) ------ > Overdrive / …
LEAD MASTER / PULL BRIGHT (button always pushed) ----- > ??? / …
PRESENCE ------ > Presence


-The USA IIC+ BRIGHT amp block : Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+, Lead Mode (LEAD DRIVE / PULL LEAD button always pulled), Bright (LEAD MASTER / PULL BRIGHT button always pulled)

TRANSLATION
Mark IIC+ ------ > Axe FX II
VOLUME 1 / PULL BRIGHT ------ > Input Drive / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Bright Switch)
TREBLE / PULL SHIFT -------- > Treble / Fat Switch
BASS / PULL SHIFT ------- > Bass / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Cut Switch)
MIDDLE ------- > Mid
MASTER 1 / PULL DEEP ------ > Master Volume / xxxxx (not modeled, but I think it should be Depth)
LEAD DRIVE / PULL LEAD (button always pulled) ------ > Overdrive / …
LEAD MASTER / PULL BRIGHT (button always pulled) ----- > ??? / …
PRESENCE ------ > Presence



For these two amp blocks, I don’t know if the Lead Master button was modelised (I think the wiki answers “no” about this but I’m note sure). If it wasn't, I hope it will be in the G3 version of the USA IIC+, with all other switches.
Moreover, I don’t know if the behaviour’s knobs of the IIC+ is exactly the same in the Axe. Maybe Cliff could tell us.
 
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The behaviour of the knobs is always "close" to the real thing, within 10% of the value..
You can't do it just exactaly like the real thing because nature isn't quite linear and actually, it varies from amp to amp, even from IIC+ to IIC+, so something 100% accurate on Cliff's IIC+ could be far from accurate (more than those 10%) from another IIC+..
 
if that helps

I have an Axe and had an MKIIC+( idiot to sell it long time ago) still have a Mark V ( which cannot do C+ to 100 %)

I play Santana time to time and use Gary Small's setting on Mark V and Axe

You can listen here and if you like you go to the ballpark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVkEaeKayi0

And that is Gary's setting

Hey Roland, I've got no secrets. My Mk II lead setting areas follows: My pre volumes are all set at 7 and the master volumes are what ever I can get away with volume wise but if I can get them up to 3 I'm happy and it is still screaming loud. I've recently bought a Eminence Maverick and with its attenuation feature I've been having some great luck at keeping the volume down even more but still retaining all those great harmonic overtones.

If I have a secret its this: the middle knob is the most important of the lot. I use it at anywhere from 7-9 for live and sometimes dimed in the studio. Bass on 2-3 and the treble on (all boogies have a great treble sweet spot) on about 6 1/4. The Presence knob is god awful for killing the tone of the Mark II: I keep it at about 1 or 2.

I've had several PRS guitars but I am most happiest with my Santana III. The pickups are the best I've found so far but I think they can still be improved. They have great harmonic overtones. Oh and I set my volume on the guitar at about 7-8 and use the rest of it to sustain notes. I think playing the PRS on full volume all the time reduces your dynamic vocabulary...most guitarists have two volumes: loud and off :D

Oh and the pull switches are all on but the bass knob. I use a couple of reverb units, I'm never happy with any of them



That translate almost 100% to Axe

1 Point though

1.) even now underrated vs correct IR the PRS Santana 3 plays a big role in that sound

Hope it helps anything

Roland
 
From a thread of mine:

Pull Bright on the Volume knob is the Bright Switch under the Treble control
Pull Bright on the Lead Master knob il the USA IIC+ Bright or the USA IIC+ Brt/Dp
Pull Deep on the Master 1 knob is the USA IIC+ Deep or the USA IIC+ Brt/Dp
Pull Shift on the Treble knob is the Fat Switch under the Mid control
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Clive! I will follow this closely tomorrow. I had a real one some years back, best amp I ever owned. Except for it weighing as much as a car and ability to kill a guitar player if you're not careful... Hey, we all love the danger!
 
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