“Maximum headroom, tight-tracking low end”: Mesa/Boogie revives the mighty Mark IIC+ HRG amplifier head
Mesa/Boogie has dipped back into its archives to revive two fan favourites: the Mark IIC+ HRG tube amp head and the 1×12 Vintage Thiele Cabinet. Long associated with Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and countless high-gain players, the HRG now gets its first reissue on the IIC+ platform, alongside the cabinet that became its perfect match.
The HRG (Hundred-Watt/Reverb/Graphic EQ) was born in the firm’s Lagunitas Shop days, where founder Randall Smith crafted custom rigs from an expanded menu, offering the ‘Super Sixty’ Boogie as the base model platform to build upon. The format quickly earned a reputation for immense clean headroom, ferocious lead tones and tight-tracking low end – qualities that also made it a go-to for ‘crunch’ rhythm work in heavy rock and metal.
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Now back in production, the Mark IIC+ HRG brings 100 watts of power with onboard Reverb, Graphic EQ, and all the snarling bite players expect from the platform. Mesa/Boogie says the reissue can “play clean in Rhythm Mode at high volumes before clipping” while delivering “super-tight low end” and searing gain in Lead Mode.
Powered by four 6L6 tubes and a preamp section stacked with five 12AX7s, the head also features independent master controls, footswitchable Rhythm and Lead channels, and a half-power switch to tame the beast down to 60 watts.
Credit: Mesa/Boogie
Alongside the amp comes the return of the Vintage Thiele 1×12 Cabinet. Originally designed in the early ’80s for the Electro-Voice EVM12L speaker, the front-ported, compact cab became a secret weapon for players needing massive low-end punch from a portable rig.
This new edition comes loaded with Mesa’s proprietary Celestion C90 speaker, and is available in Black Vinyl or Wicker grille finishes.
Credit: Mesa/Boogie
Doug West, Director of Tone Lab at Gibson Amplifiers and MESA/Boogie, says: “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.”
The Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ HRG is priced at $3,599, while the Vintage Thiele 1×12 Cabinet lands at $799.
Learn more at Mesa/Boogie.
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