The holy grail of metal amps. The Mark IIC+ is the most sought-after Mesa/Boogie ever made, with a tight, aggressive lead channel that defined 1980s thrash metal. Metallica's Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, and ...And Justice for All were all recorded with Mark IIC+ amps.
On your modeler
Helix:Cali Rectifire
Quad Cortex:Mesa Mark IIC+
TONEX:Mesa Mark
Fractal:Mark IIC+ Lead
Kemper:Mesa Mark IIC+
Boss Katana:Lead Channel
Where to buy
Controls
Volume0 – 10
Treble0 – 10
Bass0 – 10
Middle0 – 10
Lead Drive0 – 10
Lead Master0 – 10
Presence0 – 10
Recipes using the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+
See exactly how this gear is dialed in across different songs and styles.
James Hetfield
thrash-metal
Master of Puppets (1986)
Hetfield's Master of Puppets Thrash Rhythm Tone
The definitive thrash metal rhythm guitar tone. James Hetfield's sound on Master of Puppets is built on an ESP Explorer with EMG pickups through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ — a combination that produces a tight, aggressive, scooped-mid tone with razor-sharp pick attack and crushing low end. The Mark IIC+ is the holy grail of metal amps: its lead channel provides high-gain saturation with incredible note definition even at extreme gain levels. Hetfield's relentless downpicking technique is the engine that drives this tone.
HelixQuad CortexBoss Katana
Kirk Hammett
thrash-metal
Fade to Black (1984)
Kirk Hammett's Fade to Black Clean Intro and Wah Solo
Fade to Black begins with one of metal's most beautiful clean arpeggios before building to a wah-drenched lead solo. Hammett's ESP through a Mesa Boogie with a Cry Baby wah creates two distinct tones: the clean intro uses the neck pickup through a clean channel for crystalline arpeggios, while the solo engages the lead channel with a wah for Hammett's signature vocal phrasing.
HelixQuad CortexBoss Katana
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