Mesa Boogie Maverick
- Thread starter OlinMusic
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saladin
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Re: Mesa Boogie Maverick
I owned the 4-10 version just last year. One of the best clean sounds I've ever heard. Didn't care for the "hot" channel at all. It would be a great blues amp but not for anything heavier. The distortion is very midrange thick and only works well soloing.
I owned the 4-10 version just last year. One of the best clean sounds I've ever heard. Didn't care for the "hot" channel at all. It would be a great blues amp but not for anything heavier. The distortion is very midrange thick and only works well soloing.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Mesa Boogie Maverick
I have the Maverick 212; and I also gig with several other Boogies, including a Mark III 112 EVM combo, a Mark IV 112 EVM combo, a Mark III Coliseum halfstack, and a DC-3 112 V30 combo. I have Mesa 112 EVM Theile cabs to sit under the 112 combos.
The Maverick is definitely a different amp, even from the DC-3 which also uses four EL84 power tubes. The DC-3 to me sounds like a Mesa amp, EXCEPT for it's EL84s. EL84s have a much warmer tone than 6L6s, with a low end that is not as tight, and a high end that is less extended and not as airy. Still, the DC-3 FEELs very much like a Mark Series. The gain channel was supposedly taken from the Rectifiers, so there's more than enough gain on tap. I almost never use the Lead Gain above 7; and with the patented "Dyna-Watt" power section, the DC-3 feels more like 70 watts than 35. No problems at all keeping up with a loud drummer.
The Maverick is listed as a Class A amp. It definitely has a different feel than the DC-3. The clean tones are very nice. It doesn't have that big, deep bass of a Fender Twin, or a Twin's "tight" feel. The Maverick is spongier, looser, chimier, more organic. Fender may players complain about the lack of high-end--they miss the airiness and extended top end of the 6L6s--but make no mistake, there is plenty of power and enough "cut" to handle any club gig.
There's a certain Vox AC-30 kind of thing going on, but it isn't really Vox-ish. Nor is it Matchless, Bad Cat--or anything else. The tonal ranges are amazing, especially the mid-range control. Turn the clean channel's mid-range knob past 5 and it starts adding more gain.
Mesa claims that this amp works wonders for Rics, Gretsches, and P-90s: I am here to tell you it's wonderful with any guitar I've ever put into it. I really like G&L guitars, and some of their MFD pickups (like on the S-500 or the Comanche) can sound harsh--but on this amp they really shine.
The Lead Channel does not have massive amount of gain. If you want gain--go get a Dual or Triple Rectifier, or a Mark IV. If you are into "roots" rock (Stones, Petty, Black Crowes, Georgia Satellites), this amp has more than enough gain. Boogies are about "Singing" more than "FUZZING", and this amp has plenty of "Sing".
And what I found with my Maverick and one of my Les Pauls--I get this tremedous urge to start playing Allman Bros. tunes! Hmmm....what's going one here? Well, I am sure they will deny it, but I think somebody put a miniature Marshall Plexi in the Lead Channel of my Maverick. It's not quite a Plexi, but it's darn close. Hey, how about "All Right Now" by Free, and that great Les Paul/Marshall tone? Yep, got that nailed, too. These recordings were not done with really heavy distorted tones, but those amps have that big, FAT tone that sings. The Maverick has that same kind of tone.
I can't recommend it for modern rock stylings played with heavy distortion in dropped tunings,...and that's not what it was designed for. But, don't be afraid of the Mav, if you play classic rock and blues. The 212 is nearly as heavy as a Twin, though it doesn't quite have its crushing power. Still, I think its much more versatile than a Twin; and I think it's going to be a favorite of gigging club musicians for many years to come.
Bill
I have the Maverick 212; and I also gig with several other Boogies, including a Mark III 112 EVM combo, a Mark IV 112 EVM combo, a Mark III Coliseum halfstack, and a DC-3 112 V30 combo. I have Mesa 112 EVM Theile cabs to sit under the 112 combos.
The Maverick is definitely a different amp, even from the DC-3 which also uses four EL84 power tubes. The DC-3 to me sounds like a Mesa amp, EXCEPT for it's EL84s. EL84s have a much warmer tone than 6L6s, with a low end that is not as tight, and a high end that is less extended and not as airy. Still, the DC-3 FEELs very much like a Mark Series. The gain channel was supposedly taken from the Rectifiers, so there's more than enough gain on tap. I almost never use the Lead Gain above 7; and with the patented "Dyna-Watt" power section, the DC-3 feels more like 70 watts than 35. No problems at all keeping up with a loud drummer.
The Maverick is listed as a Class A amp. It definitely has a different feel than the DC-3. The clean tones are very nice. It doesn't have that big, deep bass of a Fender Twin, or a Twin's "tight" feel. The Maverick is spongier, looser, chimier, more organic. Fender may players complain about the lack of high-end--they miss the airiness and extended top end of the 6L6s--but make no mistake, there is plenty of power and enough "cut" to handle any club gig.
There's a certain Vox AC-30 kind of thing going on, but it isn't really Vox-ish. Nor is it Matchless, Bad Cat--or anything else. The tonal ranges are amazing, especially the mid-range control. Turn the clean channel's mid-range knob past 5 and it starts adding more gain.
Mesa claims that this amp works wonders for Rics, Gretsches, and P-90s: I am here to tell you it's wonderful with any guitar I've ever put into it. I really like G&L guitars, and some of their MFD pickups (like on the S-500 or the Comanche) can sound harsh--but on this amp they really shine.
The Lead Channel does not have massive amount of gain. If you want gain--go get a Dual or Triple Rectifier, or a Mark IV. If you are into "roots" rock (Stones, Petty, Black Crowes, Georgia Satellites), this amp has more than enough gain. Boogies are about "Singing" more than "FUZZING", and this amp has plenty of "Sing".
And what I found with my Maverick and one of my Les Pauls--I get this tremedous urge to start playing Allman Bros. tunes! Hmmm....what's going one here? Well, I am sure they will deny it, but I think somebody put a miniature Marshall Plexi in the Lead Channel of my Maverick. It's not quite a Plexi, but it's darn close. Hey, how about "All Right Now" by Free, and that great Les Paul/Marshall tone? Yep, got that nailed, too. These recordings were not done with really heavy distorted tones, but those amps have that big, FAT tone that sings. The Maverick has that same kind of tone.
I can't recommend it for modern rock stylings played with heavy distortion in dropped tunings,...and that's not what it was designed for. But, don't be afraid of the Mav, if you play classic rock and blues. The 212 is nearly as heavy as a Twin, though it doesn't quite have its crushing power. Still, I think its much more versatile than a Twin; and I think it's going to be a favorite of gigging club musicians for many years to come.
Bill
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