Mesa/Boogie has rolled out a reissue of one of its greatest hits, the Mark IIC+ HRG, and if you are looking for a speaker cabinet to play this might 100-watt guitar amp head through, then the return of the Thiele 1x12 might fit the bill.
The releases are the latest in a slew of reissues from the Gibson-owned brand, but when your back catalogue includes tube amps such as the Dual Rectifier (in its ‘90s configuration), the Mark IIC+ and Mark IIC++, well, who is complaining? Keep 'em coming.
Any player who is on the search for a high-powered head with headroom for days, comprehensive control over your EQ, and with a bit of history behind it, then the HRG could be the one.
Named for its key features – Hundred-Watt/Reverb/Graphic EQ – the Mark IIC+ HRG is a descendent of the early amp designs to be custom-built out of founder Randall Smith’s Lagunitas workshop.
Doug West, director, Tone Lab, Gibson Amplifiers and Mesa/Boogie, explains how this reissue ties in with the high-end guitar amp brand’s journey.
“HRG harkens back to the Lagunitas Shop, where Randall Smith built every amp from an expanded menu, offering the ‘Super Sixty’ Boogie as the base model platform to build upon,” says West. “Popular options included hundred watts, reverb, and graphic EQ, along with solid hardwood cabinetry for added beauty and durability. Using chassis codes during the build process, the two main models became the ‘SRG’ and the more powerful ‘HRG’ – the fully loaded amp, sans cabinetry.”
This is a fully loaded amp. Its Rhythm mode has a reputation for high-headroom, dynamics for days, and that’s its bread and butter, but the likes of John Petrucci of Dream Theater has had one in his backline, and its Lead mode has seen plenty of action from metal guitar players looking for super-tight rhythm crunch.
Under the hood you’ll find a quartet of 6L6 tubes in the power section, five 12AX7s in the preamp and a silicon rectifier. It has a tube-driven series effects loop (that headroom will welcome pedalboards), both modes are footswitchable.
Reverb and Presence controls can be found around the back of the head, while the control panel sees both Rhythm and Lead modes sharing the controls, with Volume 1 setting the gain for both modes, then Treble, Bass and Middle, Master 1, Lead Drive and Lead Master and the 5-Band graphic EQ that makes the Mark series amps A) So distinctive, and B) So very tweakable. A global half-power switch can knock this down to 60-watts, y’know, for those nights when you are playing Wembley Arena, not Wembley Stadium
Obviously the price speaks to the kind of player Mesa/Boogie is making this amp for. At £3,549/$3,599, this is a serious amp, and it’s the sort of amplifier that flatters expert players and punishes sloppiness. It takes no prisoners. If you want a relatively compact cabinet to match with, West says the Thiele punches beyond its weight.
“This sealed and ported design became synonymous with huge tone in the ’80s, when players and artists alike discovered it was a secret weapon for delivering massive low end far beyond its physical footprint, along with a tight, punchy overall sound,” he says. “We’re excited to offer this mighty little cab once again, now paired with a more forgiving and era-appropriate speaker – our proprietary Celestion C90 – to complement the ‘HRG’ IIC+ and other compact Boogie rigs, especially as easy transport becomes increasingly important to players.”
The Thiele 1x12 is available with a Wicker or black Bronco Grille cloth and is priced £724/$799. Wicker grille is your sole option for the Mark IIC+ HRG.
See more details and read more from West on the amp’s design at Mesa/Boogie and at the Gibson Gazette.
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