Available Now at Northeast Music Center!
MESA/Boogie Mark IIC+ HRG Amplifier Head
The legendary Mark IIC+ in its most authoritative form—100 watts of classic Boogie power, tube-driven reverb, the iconic 5-band Graphic EQ, and the unmistakable cascading Lead voice that helped make the IIC+ one of the most revered amplifiers ever built.
The MESA/Boogie Mark IIC+ HRG brings back one of the most celebrated configurations in Boogie history. HRG stands for Hundred-Watt / Reverb / Graphic EQ—or “Hun/Rev/Graph” in classic Boogie terminology—and those three letters identify a particularly formidable version of the legendary Mark IIC+.
With massive clean headroom, a tight and commanding low end, remarkable clarity, and the famous Mark IIC+ cascading Lead circuit, the HRG delivers the combination of punch, articulation, sustain, and authority that made the original amplifier so desirable.
Available now from Northeast Music Center, this is an opportunity to experience authentic Mark IIC+ architecture in a brand-new, hand-wired MESA/Boogie amplifier.
KEY FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS
HRG — HUNDRED-WATT / REVERB / GRAPHIC EQ
For knowledgeable Boogie players, HRG means something.
The designation reaches back into classic MESA history and describes the combination of Hundred-Watt power, Reverb, and Graphic EQ.
While other Mark IIC+ power configurations were produced during the original amplifier's mid-'80s production period, the HRG developed its own reputation for maximum headroom, tight-tracking low end, detailed clarity, and an exceptionally commanding Lead voice.
The enormous power section isn't here merely to make the amplifier loud.
At 100 watts, four 6L6 power tubes provide the headroom and authority that allow the IIC+ preamp to remain focused even under aggressive playing. Palm-muted passages stay tight. Complex chords retain separation. Clean sounds have tremendous space and authority.
Switch to 60 watts, and the amplifier takes the center pair of power tubes out of operation, providing another response and power level while retaining the fundamental personality of the HRG.
THE LEGENDARY MARK IIC+ LEAD CIRCUIT
Few amplifier names carry the reputation of the Mark IIC+.
The reason isn't simply the amount of gain available. It's what happens to the guitar signal as the gain increases.
The cascading Lead circuit produces saturation and sustain while retaining an unusually immediate attack and exceptional note definition. Fast passages remain articulate. Heavy rhythm work stays controlled. Lead notes bloom with rich harmonic content.
That's the combination that made the Mark IIC+ an enduring reference point for high-gain guitar tone.
Yet the HRG isn't merely a metal amplifier.
Its RHYTHM mode can move from traditional clean sounds into vintage gain, giving the amplifier the dynamic range and touch sensitivity that helped establish the original Boogie reputation long before high gain became its most famous calling card.
THE FIVE-BAND GRAPHIC EQ
Those five sliders are one of the most recognizable sights in amplifier history.
MESA's 5-band Graphic EQ gives players powerful control over the amplifier's final frequency response and played an enormous role in many of the tones associated with classic Mark Series amplifiers.
It can deliver the famous scooped Mark response, but that's only the beginning.
Use it to tighten the low end, change the character of the midrange, emphasize attack, add presence, or create a dramatically different response from the amplifier's traditional tone controls.
Because the Graphic EQ is footswitchable, it can also become part of your performance setup rather than simply a static tone-shaping tool.
100 OR 60 WATTS — TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES
The global 100/60-watt switch gives the HRG another dimension.
At the full 100 watts, you're experiencing the amplifier with all four 6L6 power tubes operating—the setting for maximum headroom, authority, punch, and low-frequency control.
Switch to 60 watts, and the center two power tubes are placed into standby.
The difference isn't merely volume. The reduced-power setting changes the amplifier's response and allows the power section to be driven differently, giving players another way to tailor the HRG to the room, cabinet, and playing situation.
BUILT FOR MORE THAN JUST A VINTAGE-STYLE RIG
MESA preserved several practical features that make the HRG useful in a serious modern setup.
The tube-driven Series Effects Loop provides a proper location for time-based and modulation effects, while the Slave Output can be incorporated into wet/dry/wet systems or used with external IR-based equipment.
You also get separate footswitching for the amplifier's Modes and its Reverb/Graphic EQ functions, allowing the HRG to remain highly usable on stage despite its deliberately classic control architecture.
41.6 POUNDS OF CLASSIC BOOGIE
The Mark IIC+ HRG retains the wonderfully compact dimensions associated with classic Boogie heads, measuring only 18 1/2 inches wide.
But don't mistake compact for lightweight.
At 41.6 pounds, this is a substantial amplifier built around a serious power section, steel chassis, Baltic birch enclosure, transformers, four 6L6s, and classic MESA construction.
That compact-but-substantial approach is part of what makes a genuine Boogie feel like a Boogie.
WHY THE HRG MATTERS
The Mark IIC+ has reached almost mythical status among guitar players, collectors, and tone enthusiasts. Original examples have become highly sought-after, and the HRG configuration occupies a particularly important place in that history.
It also has a longstanding association with John Petrucci, whose use of the HRG throughout his career eventually helped provide the foundation for his MESA/Boogie JP-2C signature amplifier.
For players who have spent years reading about the IIC+, studying recordings made with one, or searching for the right vintage example, the return of the HRG changes the equation.
You can now experience that celebrated architecture in a brand-new MESA-built amplifier.
At Northeast Music Center, we believe an amplifier with this much history deserves to be understood, not simply listed. The Mark IIC+ HRG represents an important part of the MESA/Boogie story and remains relevant because the qualities that made it special—clarity, punch, responsiveness, sustain, and authority—are every bit as desirable today.
For the longtime Boogie enthusiast, professional player, studio owner, or guitarist finally ready to discover what the IIC+ reputation is all about, Northeast Music Center is proud to offer the return of one of MESA's most important amplifiers.
100 watts. Four 6L6s. Tube-driven reverb. Five-band Graphic EQ. Cascading IIC+ Lead gain.
The Hun/Rev/Graph is back.
