#135973  by Pfallon
 
JonnyBoy wrote:A 2100 is one of the best to get. You will have two 100watt amps in that machine, so you will have a backup amp. I use a mc100 which is a 2100 but mono or one amp. A few guys here use the 2100 and get great tone. The only reason I chose the mc100 is because it is much lighter but they are pretty rare. I have to move and set up my rig about 2x a week so it made sense to me to lighten it up. If i didnt get a chance to get the 100 i would have gone for the 2100.I would jump on it!! That is a fair price....
When not using 1 side of a stereo amp can the unused side be damaged by not having a load when on. I thought that was the case for tube amps/but maybe not for SS amps. Idlike to use the recording/ line out from my fender75 blackface to drive my SMF150 Does anyone know if the recording line out is the same as a pre out? Is there a mod that allows the power amp section to be safely off or in standby while using the recording out to another power amp? Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer these questions.

I'm just now(after35 years of playing) starting to get a JG type analog rig together. On a budget of course! So far -purple heart core /ash home made neck through w swg buff/blast w/OBEL-MXR EF-Boss HM2-MXR ph 100- EHX memory man- '82 Fender 75 Blackface- ( Dynakit MKIII/Traynor YMP-1/SMF stereo 150)- Kustom turbo 12 (aluminum dust cap)12x2 in custom ply trapezoid cab. I'm currently running the fender Power out to 1x12 in a custom trapezoid cab, which sounds good at practice volume but doesn't stay clean when playing in an ensemble, hence the move to higher powered SS amps and more 12s.
 #136014  by Stella Bloo
 
It took me 3 years of listening to the MC converts. I had the Rocktron V300 and was totally happy with it. Finally bid on an MC50 and surprise, surprise, surprise, I won. It had never been serviced but I had to plug it in and try it. Completely a different tone in my opinion. Organic, earthy, soulful....now I get it. My issue is that I don't want to be without it long enough to send it out. It is a completely different tone and everyone that is chasing it needs to have one. I only play in my music studio but it is well worth the money.

Do you think sending it out to get refurbished will make it that much better?
 #136016  by Tbrogit
 
I just got my MC50 back and it sounds exactly the same before it went out. I essentially paid 100$ for peace of mind which I feel was worth it. Buying it off ebay and having no idea about condition it was nice to get confirmation. Simple circuit with not much that can go wrong was the tech's response!
 #142659  by boater1941
 
Does anyone do the jerry mods to their macs? Does the mc50 have an asf slot sound card in it like the big boys? Those are a must not sure the name of the feature which is clipped out. Been a long time but I do remember the one is the volume normalizer type feature. Before the sound card mods when I kicked it up a notch with a pedal for lead and the mac would let it through for a sec and then bring down to an average volume setting probably based on the normal sound it's used to. Then when it hears a spike up for lead with the mods on waldo's page it would stay nice and high and clean and not brought down at all.I can see why they definately clipped those diodes for guitar. Not sure watt the sentry monitor does. Or if that is the name of the feature that I just mentioned. Been a long time playin with my 2300 I for got about all the extra work I did. I actually made a 1 ohm banana jack mod and a 2 for my 3 K's. It's plug and play no matter which stack I grab. I have to keep the volume around 2 with my K's to be safe and sms pad on full and volume on 6.5. My guitar's vol knob is super sensitive and it's so clear it sounds like the picking of the strings is right by your ear. Depending on my mood and if the sun is out and I can open the windows I bounce between my 4x12 vert E's or my 3x12 vert K's black box style hard trucker. Also the macs output filter caps are truly amazing. I haven't done it yet but am constantly looking for a set of bigger uf's than the factory like jer did. Not sure what ohms jer crammed in his but I know it's been stated before. Those output filter caps are the best feature for the cleanliness of the high output of the amp especially guitar and especially for a super sensitive high output active jerry guitar.
 #142674  by mgbills
 
Hey Stella Bloo,

Those Mc's are extremely robust. I bought an Mc250 & an Mc2100 when they were cheaper 3-4 years ago. The 2100 I had service by Pat Hickman (Dr. Tubeology/Classic Tube Audio). The 250 I did nothing and just dropped it in my rack. The 2100 resides in the home stereo to keep it lively. I have never heard so much as a hiss out of my un-serviced 250 until I naively put a wah pedal into the SMS. That noise is not the Mc's fault :lol: I have the 2100 cranked in old-school stereo glory when the wife is not home trading leads with Jerry. There is a Magnolia Hi-Fi that sells $35,000 Italian speakers with new McIntosh systems with 1 KW amps, tube pre-amps, and turntables made of infant ear-hair. With my hearing...I can't hear the difference between my Internet Archive > Apt Holman preamp > Mc2100 > Advents circa 1982, and those systems that cost $100K. Well, and between the 2 Mc's + JBL's + SMS + Mutron ...the cat hates me. That's as much sound pressure as my house can tolerate.

I bet that 250 has been in my rig 2 years. Low volume/bedroom 80%. Daily use. Rehearsal 18%. I keep telling myself to get it serviced, and it just never cries out with needs.

If you need the backup be patient and grab another Mc50. That's what I'm waiting for to further lighten my rig. It'll probably outlast the electrical power grid in the US.

Hope this helps.
Peace
 #142676  by Searing75
 
Just to update my contribution to this thread. I scored an MC50 off eBay for $260. I replaced all electrolytics, and one bad transistor. Also added 1/4 inch input and output. It is incredible! I will never need more volume through one K120!

Chris
 #142679  by Jon S.
 
Searing75 wrote:Just to update my contribution to this thread. I scored an MC50 off eBay for $260. I replaced all electrolytics, and one bad transistor. Also added 1/4 inch input and output. It is incredible! I will never need more volume through one K120!

Chris
This is what I've been saying for years since I copped mine. If you need more volume than an MC50 through a K or E 120, bless you, you're playing bigger venues than I.
 #142695  by lovetoboogie
 
This is a workhorse EV power amp from the 80's...I used it primarily to power a Mark I preamp that I built pushing two(2) JBL 2130 drivers. Exceptionally reliable and good clean power for your rig...you can find em' anywhere. FWIW

Datasheet and spec curves here: http://www.electrovoice.com/downloadfile.php?i=969619


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 #142698  by Jon S.
 
I also sold my RV300 and replaced it with two amps, an MC50 and a Carvin DCM200L, but I'd maintain still an RV300 can be fine for Jerry tones. This is an old and less than perfectly shot video but the sound is good. My first lead is at 4:00 - SMS Classic Preamp into an RV300 into a 2X12 w/one Weber NeoMag and one Jensen Neo 12-100.

 #161881  by GeneralGoldilocks
 
FWIW, I am having issues with my Rocktron V300 shutting down, so I racked up my QSC PLX1202 and played a gig with it last night with the SMS pre and a K120. I had it at about 4, and it sounded great!
hippieguy1954 liked this
 #161882  by PurpleTrails
 
I'm curious: has anyone tried using something like a Hafler mosfet stereo amp with an SMS or other Jerry-style preamp? I built a DH200 from a kit back in 1980 or '81, and it was more musical than hi-fi sounding if that makes sense, which is sort of also how McIntosh gear tended to sound.

There was a span of time in the '80s where there were a lot of fairly inexpensive mosfet amps in the home hi-fi market, and most were rack-mountable. I took a look on fleabay and it looked like you could pick something like that up for $150 or so.
 #161888  by Jon S.
 
I used to own a Rocktron 300. Replaced it with a Carvin DCM-200L to cut down on the weight. Later also copped an MC50. This being said, last week while still on the west coast, I sat in one evening, at a house party with my friend's Santa Cruz roots/classic rock band using a loaned Tele and a small, solid state Orange combo. The songs were generally simple to follow and because I was the "extra" one, I could play pretty much whatever I liked. Naturally, I chose a Jerry-ish approach. This was radically different from how the other two guitarists played. During and after the performance, multiple people came up to tell me how Jerry-ish they found it. One woman even told me that until she saw and heard me doing this live, "I'd never understood the Dead's style." This warmed my heart on multiple levels, including being an ambassador of sorts for Jerry's approach to guitar and demonstrating yet again that "genre is not gear" (Kimock puts it better than me - see sig. quote below) and "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with."
 #161894  by strumminsix
 
PurpleTrails wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:24 pm I'm curious: has anyone tried using something like a Hafler mosfet stereo amp with an SMS or other Jerry-style preamp? I built a DH200 from a kit back in 1980 or '81, and it was more musical than hi-fi sounding if that makes sense, which is sort of also how McIntosh gear tended to sound.

There was a span of time in the '80s where there were a lot of fairly inexpensive mosfet amps in the home hi-fi market, and most were rack-mountable. I took a look on fleabay and it looked like you could pick something like that up for $150 or so.
Many have an SMS paired up with TubeWorks/MosValve poweramp with good results. Not a mac, but very musical.
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