Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

jrbowen81 said:
I'm still beating myself over the head with "Should I sell my Marshall or not?" I mean, I've gotten several good years out of it, and it's always sounded good, but then again it's the only sound I've had for years. I have no idea what I sound like through another amp. Is that sad? Lol
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There's only one way to find out. If you really think you may be disappointed in one way or another, then dont do it. If you are curious what it might be like on the other side of the amp fence, then jump at it. Or, just do what I did and get both.

Okay, put it this way: at one time, I had a Splawn Quickrod (AWESOME hotrodded Marshall-style) and a Mesa MKIII. I kept the Mesa. I could get some of the Marshally tones that the Splawn had, but f**k me, those Fender-box Mesas just have this GRIND that I love. Hell, with my Greenback cab and my JB-equipped LP, I could get pretty darn close to any Megadeth tone. Ive heard that the 50cal+ can kinda get close to the tones that the MKIII can get. If that is really the case, I would get the Mesa without a doubt. Honestly, until recently, I havent seen a whole lot of those 50cals pop up for sale. If you have the chance, do it. Chances are, there are more 900s for sale than old Boogies. If you dont like it, sell it and go find another Marshall.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Soulcrusher_X said:
There's only one way to find out. If you really think you may be disappointed in one way or another, then dont do it. If you are curious what it might be like on the other side of the amp fence, then jump at it. Or, just do what I did and get both.

Okay, put it this way: at one time, I had a Splawn Quickrod (AWESOME hotrodded Marshall-style) and a Mesa MKIII. I kept the Mesa. I could get some of the Marshally tones that the Splawn had, but f**k me, those Fender-box Mesas just have this GRIND that I love. Hell, with my Greenback cab and my JB-equipped LP, I could get pretty darn close to any Megadeth tone. Ive heard that the 50cal+ can kinda get close to the tones that the MKIII can get. If that is really the case, I would get the Mesa without a doubt. Honestly, until recently, I havent seen a whole lot of those 50cals pop up for sale. If you have the chance, do it. Chances are, there are more 900s for sale than old Boogies. If you dont like it, sell it and go find another Marshall.
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Sheesh, man. All I can think about is plugging my C8 loaded Les Paul into a 50cal+, slamming the front end with my OD808, and rippin' into "Vote with a Bullet". Makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Soulcrusher_X said:
Well, if you dont get that amp, you're missing a big part of that chain.
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Exactly. Ok, now I'm wondering if the 50cal is as flexible as my 900. Is it REALLY that hard to get a good balance between the channels? As much as I want this amp, the fact that both channels share the same gain control sounds like a bit of a turn-off. Although if I can still get a pretty heavy tone from the dirty channel with a boost in front of it and maybe a "mostly clean" sound from the other channel, I bet I can manage that.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Disregard my previous post. I just read the OPERATING MANUAL online. I'm pretty sure this amp could TOTALLY work for what I need.
 
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Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

King IzzO))) said:
Why is this thread still going without a "I brought it home today" review? Just do it already.


This. I wouldn't trade my MarkIII for anything.
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True. Well, tonight after work I'll be playing my Marshall again, and depending on how that goes, maybe for the last time before I make an attempt at selling it locally. If I can't sell it for enough to buy the Mesa, it will have to wait. Yes, I'm that broke.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Go for it. I have a Dual Caliber 50 like others which is descended from the caliber lineup. I think the general tone palette is the same but they added separate EQ for the two channels and a overall Output control.

Great amp that covers a lot of ground. And an OD in front of it will get you even more crunch.

But don't think it's going to get you in Recto land, it won't. It's more closer to Mark territory in the gain channel and IMO much richer than anything the JCM900 can do. Less grainy to my ears.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

brunogio said:
Go for it. I have a Dual Caliber 50 like others which is descended from the caliber lineup. I think the general tone palette is the same but they added separate EQ for the two channels and a overall Output control.

Great amp that covers a lot of ground. And an OD in front of it will get you even more crunch.

But don't think it's going to get you in Recto land, it won't. It's more closer to Mark territory in the gain channel and IMO much richer than anything the JCM900 can do. Less grainy to my ears.
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Good to know! I'm not really going for the Recto tone anyway. I really dig the Mark serious, so this sounds promising.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

jrbowen81 said:
Good to know! I'm not really going for the Recto tone anyway. I really dig the Mark serious, so this sounds promising.
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King IzzO))) said:
I regret letting my DC-5 and halfback cab go.

I don't think the Dual Cal and the 50 Cal are that close though, the Dual Cal can get pretty close to recto sounds.
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From what Ive played of the DC series, 50cal and F-series, they all sit nicely in between Mark and Recto tones. Some just sit a little more on one side of the fence or the other. I really liked them all. Like I said before, the Fender-boxed Mesas just have that GRIND.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Called a local guy on my lunch break & told him what I was trying to do, and it turns out that he just so happens to have a DC-3 and a DC-5 (!!!) that I can check out! The only thing is that they're 1x12 combos, but after reading up on the features, I just may have to get off my high horse about only wanting the head model. After all, I could still run it into my 4x12 cab. Might look a little funny, but if this guy takes me up on a trade deal, I just might be an idiot if I don't take it. Especially because with a combo amp, I can take it with me to more places.

The best part is since this guy is local and I already know him, AND not actively trying to sell these amps in a hurry, it may give me more time to work a deal.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

jrbowen81 said:
Called a local guy on my lunch break & told him what I was trying to do, and it turns out that he just so happens to have a DC-3 and a DC-5 (!!!) that I can check out! The only thing is that they're 1x12 combos, but after reading up on the features, I just may have to get off my high horse about only wanting the head model. After all, I could still run it into my 4x12 cab. Might look a little funny, but if this guy takes me up on a trade deal, I just might be an idiot if I don't take it. Especially because with a combo amp, I can take it with me to more places.

The best part is since this guy is local and I already know him, AND not actively trying to sell these amps in a hurry, it may give me more time to work a deal.
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With a lot of those older Boogies, you can buy a headshell and convert it to a head or vice/versa. There are 4 bolts in the top of the combo/head shell that, once removed, the chassis will slide right out. They used the same chassis for the heads AND the combos.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Soulcrusher_X said:
With a lot of those older Boogies, you can buy a headshell and convert it to a head or vice/versa. There are 4 bolts in the top of the combo/head shell that, once removed, the chassis will slide right out. They used the same chassis for the heads AND the combos.
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Randall Smith is a freakin' GENIUS!
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

Before you get rid of your 900 try it with the treble and presence off and the bass, mids, and gain all the way up, add volume and pedals to taste, plug in and rip! That is the secret to the secret weapon of arena rock that is the JCM900.
 
Re: Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber

John E Rokker said:
Before you get rid of your 900 try it with the treble and presence off and the bass, mids, and gain all the way up, add volume and pedals to taste, plug in and rip! That is the secret to the secret weapon of arena rock that is the JCM900.
Click to expand...

Actually, that's close to how I've been using it lately, haha!
 
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