Grateful Dead Music Forum

Ok so I am having a hard time deciding which McIntosh to grab for my rig.

I've looked at 50, 250, 2100 - and I am just trying to figure out which would be the most suitable option.

This is for home as I don't gig, however my neighbors and wife couldn't care less about volume thankfully, so that's not going to impact my decision too much, but I still am not sure what I should end up with.

My rig will be FYD >Mcwhatever > SSP 2x12 with K120s or SSP 1x12 with E120.

What would you recommend and why?

Is would go with a 50 or 250. The 2100 is overkill for the home IMHO. I have one and my band mates would say it's overkill for stage too

MC100

ace

I have the 250 and run only one channel. It provides more than enough power for me even for outdoor gigs. It can get really loud. If I were buying one now I would definitely go with the MC50 as it's smaller and lighter and has the same wattage as using one channel of the 250.

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations everyone.

Yea, I am thinking I would feel ok with 50w for sure, I just didn't know if I would be "missing something" by picking one versus the others.

I've seen some MC100s for sale recently - and I'm not paying over $1,000 for one of these guys just because they were produced in smaller numbers. I'm over the "rare gear" thing.

They're all solid state Macs cut from the same cloth. It's mainly just a question of decibels. My 50 is plenty for home use.

How loud do you need?

I gig out regularly with my MC50, and I always have plenty of volume into one K120!

Cool...it's looking like the MC50 might be the winner. Now to find one.

I didn't pay near $1K for my MC100. Not even close. And mine is practically mint.

Keep your eyes open...

ace

And, an MC 50 will fit into a 4 space shallow SKB rack with an SMS pre above it. Super convenient!

Interesting timing on this topic. I recently began looking into assembling a Jerry rig and came up with some similar questions. It's funny how things evolve. I have a very nice Mesa TA-30 1x12 combo but it suddenly hit me....I can have more than one amp! It was an epiphany of sorts, similar to the one I had a few years ago when I bought a second electric guitar, then a third, etc. I'd like to start with a TRM 1x12 HT-style cabinet with a Telonics TSNEO 12-8 speaker as I can also use this as an extension cab with my Mesa. I'd also go with a SMS Classic preamp with JG mods. The McIntosh is more problematic for me due to the variety of models and prices. Like lestera34 this will be mostly for home and small venue use as the chance of me ever playing at stadium volume is, shall we say, remote. Here is a sample of the current offerings on eBay and reverb.com:

MC40: $575-$1,049
MC50: $999.99
MC100: $1,200-$1,649
MC240: $2,500-$3,400
MC250: $675-$999.99
MC2100: $800

As you can see there is a wide variation in the asking price for each model. So, while an MC50 would make sense for home use the MC250 and MC2100 can be had for less. What's a guy to do?

Utah Joe wrote:As you can see there is a wide variation in the asking price for each model. So, while an MC50 would make sense for home use the MC250 and MC2100 can be had for less. What's a guy to do?

Keep looking as the prices can be pretty variable on the 50, 250, and 2100. An MC50 that had been serviced not long ago recently sold on ebay for $367. I was really tempted to put a bid in.

Wow - those are crazy prices! Maybe they've been rising due to DeadHead demand.

ace

I am in the same situation, my rig is for home studio use only and the MC 50 is more than enough. I have SMS>MC50>2X10 JBL K-110's. It is a perfect setup for my home office.

You should be able to pick up an MC 50 on Ebay for under $400, may need to get it serviced but all in you should be able to have a great running amp for around $700.

Good luck, you won't regret it. It took me a while to get there but happy I did.

Yea I am definitely going to wait it out. Thanks for all of the recommendations everyone, I really appreciate your advice.