Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Most Boogie amps are used with some sort of gain, and a lot of people just dime the preamp gain on them so no doubt it sounds compressed. My Boogie only has 1 channel, and no master volume so there is no preamp gain.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Most Boogie amps are used with some sort of gain, and a lot of people just dime the preamp gain on them so no doubt it sounds compressed. My Boogie only has 1 channel, and no master volume so there is no preamp gain.
The gain on my Dual Rec is rarely past 1/2 way up. I do hit it with a clean boost to make it pop and it does. My MK III has more gain than my Dual Rec IMO but the gain structures are not the same.

I do now understand the hype of the Mark Series & it is justified.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Yeah, they make killer amps for sure. Not for cheap, though. One of my dream amps is still a Rackto or a Tremoverb.

Not an amp, but they did have the cab clone thing which didn't get very good reviews... to say the least.
 
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Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

‘I’m a Triple Rectified-ass son of a *****.’ My dream amp for years. I had an eye on some of their more attainable combos (F100 etc.) but eventually decided when I ‘graduate’ to one it’ll probably be a Mark and I’ll go all out.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

You suckers are way behind.... I'm like quadruple-rectifying these days.

Thinking about quintuple-rectifying tomorrow.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

While we are on the subject, SS rectifying > tube rectifying for metal rawk tonez.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

While we are on the subject, SS rectifying > tube rectifying for metal rawk tonez.
The tube rectifier option always seemed to be more of a gimmick in the Solo Head than anything else. There were other amps in the Dual Rectifier series where it made sense (such as the Maverick or Heartbreaker), but an SLO-based high-gain amp wasn't one of them.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

My Blue Angel is in the Dual Rect series...although I believe it uses both tube & SS together- you can't switch between them.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

As far as how they sound, that's subjective, but most if not all sound good in different ways. Build quality though, some of the "budget" lines were not as good as the more expensive models.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Most Boogie amps are used with some sort of gain, and a lot of people just dime the preamp gain on them so no doubt it sounds compressed. My Boogie only has 1 channel, and no master volume so there is no preamp gain.

I use my Stiletto at 12-1p on preamp Gain.

With a SS Rectofier.

(But the Tube rectifier, on Spongy, 50 watt, fluid gain, cranked, will VH1 brown all over the damn town!)
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

While we are on the subject, SS rectifying > tube rectifying for metal rawk tonez.

Mesa selects rectifier tubes so that they yield stronger voltage and give minimal sag. If you need to tighten up a JTM45 or a Super Reverb but don't want to go full plug in solid state rectifier, buy a Mesa branded 5AR4.

Even if you don't play a Mesa amp, Mesa is good to buy CP tubes from because they do a decent job screening and selecting them.

Same for speakers. The Mesa Vintage 30 sounds warmer and more musical than a standard Celestion Vintage 30 right out of the box.
 
Re: Mesa: Do they make a bad amp???

Not if you roll back the gain. When i see a player that uses a compressor pedal with an overdriven amp i know that person either doesn't know thier gear or have the proper amp for the job.
A great amp will compress on its own when cranked & overdriven.
Any amp can sound "over-compressed".
Case & point the Peavey 5150 series .... Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Oh, I have no doubt they CAN sound fantastic and I have probably loved some recordings featuring them without knowing it. But the hard rock models seem to be very preamp loaded and the touring bands I saw live using them as a result had an on/off sound with no dynamics. So perhaps they lend themselves to user error moreso than Marshalls in that respect?

Mincer I am quite certain you are an exception to this. I've only heard them used by hard/heavy bands.

I hope I haven't insulted anyone, I just meant to say that really well-built high-quality amps don't automatically sound good. (I'm pretty sure I could make one sound great and sure would like to own one so I could try!)
 
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