Re: High gain amp with Vintage cleans?
Now keep in mind that I was "Boogie Bill" long before a Mesa amp even existed; so my screen name has nothing to do with Mesa amps.
But when it comes to amps, for me--it's Mesa Boogie.
The Mark V I have does better clean tone than any of the vintage Fenders I owned: a vintage 1965 DR, 1964 Tremolux, 1965 Band Master, a SF Twin Reverb, a Super Champ and a Fender 75. At one time or another I'd guess I've played on all the BF or SF versions of amps Fender made. Mark IIIs and the Mark IV I have also have good clean tones, better than what a lot of folks give them credit for. I have ALWAYS been the kind of player that looks for the clean tones from an amp FIRST, and I have never been disappointed with those tones from my Mesa amps. These amps are voiced specifically to give you clean tones that work with a band. Some of their amps are mid-focused for that soaring lead tone and a little shy in the bass, granted. BUT--an amp with too much bass will get mushy at stage volume, and it can interfere with what the bassist and the keyboards are doing. On stage and in the studio are where these amps shine.
I don't think you'll want to go Recto (Single, Dual, Triple, Roadster, Road King) for vintage clean tones. (Though the new Mini-Rectifier is an AMAZING amp!) I'd stay with the Marks, Calibers, Lone Star Classic, Express, F-50 or F-100. Though I can tell you, when the original 2-channel Dual Recto was first introduced back in the 90's, I dialed in the clean channel to copy a BF non-reverb Deluxe the store had sitting next to the DR. People couldn't tell the difference. The DR could just go a LOT louder, LOL.
But if you like the chimey tones from EL-84s, ala Vox, then consider the Lone Star Special, Maverick, F-30, or Trans-Atlantics. My 212 Maverick combo is really versatile--I can get Fender tones, Vox tones--and even get some serious Duane Allman plexi-type crunch from the Lead channel. And if I run a moderate boost into the amp, I've got my Santana tone and sustain. Mesa does a great job with their EL84 amps to get those chimey tones, and yet they can bring some serious gain on top of it.
Mesa amps are expensive. They are ruggedly built amps for professionals. They will take a little time to figure out the controls, because they feature a lot of options--you may have to actually sit down and THOROUGHLY read the Owner's Manual, to discover all the little tricks. Trust me, it is worth it. After decades of searching for great tones from SUNN, Acoustic, Kustom, Gibson, Fender, Marshall, amps, et. al., I finally bought my first Mesa back in 1995. And I have NEVER REGRETTED IT--NOT FOR ONE SECOND! A few years ago I hit hard times, and I had to start selling gear just to keep a roof over my head, it was the Mesas I kept--and the vintage Fenders and Marshalls got sold. Sure, I'd love to have my DR back, and the Super Champ and the Tremolux--they were great amps, great stories behind them, and all sounded great--but for the gig, it was the Mesas.
And the icing on the cake for me was that, once I started playing the Mesas, I developed into a better player. All of a sudden, I was the one getting the compliments on my tone and playing--not the other guy in the band who could play 3,697 notes per second and was so unhappy with his tone that was buying and selling a new amp every month. And let me tell you those compliments were sweet to hear. When you do a festival and the sound guy comes up after the set and points at my amp and says, "That's the best sounding amp I've heard all weekend!" in front of some really great players---well WOW! That feels good. That confidence really allows you to relax and take your audience where you want them to go.
When you get to that point in your life and in your career that you find out who you are; the things that define you as an entertainer and musician, when you've defined your tone and identified the gear that works for you; when you can just play the music with being so obsessed over all the little minutia of gear detail, and just relax and feel the JOY of making music and performing--WOW that is a great feeling, no matter what your final choice in gear is--Mesa-Marshall-Fender-Strat-Tele-Les Paul--whatever. Great feeling, great place to be.
For me, it is Mesa.
Bill
