Finally played a Mesa Nomad
- Thread starter StratTom
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Falstaff
Guest
Stefan:
The Nomads had relatively modern sounding distortion when compared to the more 'classic Boogie' sound of the Studio .22 I had in the early 1990s. I don't have any experience with the DC series, though.
As for reliability, I had one for around a year and never had a problem at all. And I played it loud a lot.
I liked the amp but it was a bit too modern sounding for an old guy like me...I also had the 100 watt version and it was way, way too much amp for me.
The Nomads had relatively modern sounding distortion when compared to the more 'classic Boogie' sound of the Studio .22 I had in the early 1990s. I don't have any experience with the DC series, though.
As for reliability, I had one for around a year and never had a problem at all. And I played it loud a lot.
I liked the amp but it was a bit too modern sounding for an old guy like me...I also had the 100 watt version and it was way, way too much amp for me.
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That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
The Nomad I played had pretty good cleans and a rough, raw sounding distortion. Kinda harsh to my ears, doesn't sound like it'd be really good for soloing.
sonicexplorer
New member
Hey StratTom, I have both a Nomad 100 watt head and a DC-5 combo. The nomad has good cleans and smooth distortions. Doesn't have the low end punch like a rectifier. Takes some tweaking to find sounds I like. Started with the manual and went from there. Channel 2 sounds really good at loud volumes, while channel 3 sounds good for lower volume and bedroom practice. I had it for 3 years and haven't had any problems. Used it for a few gigs and alot of weekley practices with the band. I play it through a Marshall 2x12 and a Mesa 2x12.
sonicexplorer
New member
Hey StefanM. My DC-5 is a combo, so this is not a fair comparison to the nomad head. The DC has really good cleans and has a little more aggressive tone then the nomad. Kinda faster responsive punch than the nomad. It's easier to get good sounds out of the DC. The graphic eq works great as a solo boost on both amps. The DC has 2 channels and the eq can be accessed by the footswith. The nomad has three channels, plus access to solo boost, eq, and reverb from the footswitch. I've giged with either amp and had no problems. I play Journey, Boston, Metallica and they both get the job done.
sonicexplorer
New member
I've played Metallica and Offspring songs through my nomad. But if you need a more immediate punch, a rectifier or Marshall should work for you. The nomad's tone breathes more than grinds, IMHO.
Norman_T
New member
I have a Nomad 55 (1x12) and also a (1x12) ext speaker. Channel 1 is nice and clean and when pushed really starts to sing. Channel 2 is your fat bottom sound and channel 3 is for those really high gain moments. What is clever about the amp is that you can get up to seven different tones out of this, using the different switching options on the 3 channels and also using the "Solo" boost. I like all of the channels but do prefer channels 1 & 3. There are so many different settings that you can go through and it will take you a good week to work through all of the different sounds that you can get out of it.
If you are thinking about getting the Nomad then I would suggest that get either the 55 or 100 models (the latter if only you like playing loud!!). Why ? - well for both of these models you can change the power tubes from the stock 6L6 tubes to EL34s if you so wish. You can also have one of each different tubes in them as well. The cost of the bigger ones will I think be far better for you as you can change things around with tubes and all that and you can do it yourself!! With the 45 it does not allow you to do so, so you are rather stuck.
Can I also suggest that you try out the F50 which has 2 channels and a mid scoop but sounds absolutely fab and although simple in its design is really very good. If you do like the latter then get the 50/100 for the same reason that you can change the power tubes to EL34.
Good luck
Norman
If you are thinking about getting the Nomad then I would suggest that get either the 55 or 100 models (the latter if only you like playing loud!!). Why ? - well for both of these models you can change the power tubes from the stock 6L6 tubes to EL34s if you so wish. You can also have one of each different tubes in them as well. The cost of the bigger ones will I think be far better for you as you can change things around with tubes and all that and you can do it yourself!! With the 45 it does not allow you to do so, so you are rather stuck.
Can I also suggest that you try out the F50 which has 2 channels and a mid scoop but sounds absolutely fab and although simple in its design is really very good. If you do like the latter then get the 50/100 for the same reason that you can change the power tubes to EL34.
Good luck
Norman
Norman_T
New member
StefanM said:
Yes, they have gone back to the DC and studio and some say back even to their original amps. Check out the following site:
http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/F-Series/F-50/F-50.html
Norman_T
New member
StefanM said:
Stefan,
The F50 is really very good to play and incredibly simple to set up. I was very seriously tempted to buy one when I was in the market for a Boogie. The clean channel is awesome and lovely and chimy. So why did I buy the Nomad instead. Well firstly I could not get hold of an F50 about 4/5 months ago - yes incredible to believe. I tried out the F30 and that was really nice to play but I felt missed that little something which the F50 had. I had tried out the F50's when they first came into the UK and was very impressed with them, but thought I would wait a liitle while and see how things would shape up. I use Fender amps mostly - Blues Juniors, Junior and Blues De Villes. However I got my Nomad at a very good price and could not pass it up.
Have a look at the guitarists review to see what they think of it:
http://www.guitarist.co.uk/gear/gear_page.asp?ID=1810
Norman
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