the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
any thoughts on these amps?
Mesa Mark I
- Thread starter the guy who invented fire
- Start date
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Mesa Mark I
Im talking about an original head...no graphic EQ.
I know little to nothing about the older Mesa stuff...
Im talking about an original head...no graphic EQ.
I know little to nothing about the older Mesa stuff...
Re: Mesa Mark I
To me, they seem to be a tone that you like or you don't. The cleans are great, IMO, and the gain tone is singular. It's very unique. Very midrange oriented. It was the first amp that I ever played that had the ability to crank the bejeebers out of the preamp without having to hit it with a pedal or dime the power.
If you can find a copy of Larry Carlton's "Lightning Strikes Twice", that amp's tone is all over that album.
To me, they seem to be a tone that you like or you don't. The cleans are great, IMO, and the gain tone is singular. It's very unique. Very midrange oriented. It was the first amp that I ever played that had the ability to crank the bejeebers out of the preamp without having to hit it with a pedal or dime the power.
If you can find a copy of Larry Carlton's "Lightning Strikes Twice", that amp's tone is all over that album.
Re: Mesa Mark I
Pete's Tone on Who Are You is great..... It is said that the Boogie combo's were used quite a bit on that album.... but you hear that he also had his famous Hiwatts and some Silver Faced Twins as well in the studio.... among other toys like his Grestch and Bandmaster, and some teles and some other fine amps.... It's really hard to tell if that Album has a lot of the Boogie tone.... But i have seen Video of The Who playing Barbara Ann and I Saw Her Standing There at a rehearsal in 1977.... Part of the Barbara Ann is in the Kids movie.... Pete has a Boogie combo and 2 matching ext cabs.... Very cool sound! These look like wood cabs with the wicker speaker grill....
Pete's Tone on Who Are You is great..... It is said that the Boogie combo's were used quite a bit on that album.... but you hear that he also had his famous Hiwatts and some Silver Faced Twins as well in the studio.... among other toys like his Grestch and Bandmaster, and some teles and some other fine amps.... It's really hard to tell if that Album has a lot of the Boogie tone.... But i have seen Video of The Who playing Barbara Ann and I Saw Her Standing There at a rehearsal in 1977.... Part of the Barbara Ann is in the Kids movie.... Pete has a Boogie combo and 2 matching ext cabs.... Very cool sound! These look like wood cabs with the wicker speaker grill....
Re: Mesa Mark I
I was reading on the Boogie site that in the begining he was ordering a lot of his parts from Fender..... until they found out he was making his own amps and he had to find new sources
Santana was said to be one of the first to use the modded Princtons and they claimed he used them to play places like Winterland.... I always wondered if the Princtons i see in early 70's photos of Pete Townshends studio are these early modded ones.....
jdm61 said:
I was reading on the Boogie site that in the begining he was ordering a lot of his parts from Fender..... until they found out he was making his own amps and he had to find new sources
Santana was said to be one of the first to use the modded Princtons and they claimed he used them to play places like Winterland.... I always wondered if the Princtons i see in early 70's photos of Pete Townshends studio are these early modded ones.....
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Mesa Mark I
I think Hamer is right about "you either like it or you don't. I'm not too fond of the tone, because I think of Marshalls as woody, Fenders and Voxes as glassy, and Mesa Mk Series as plasticky. That's just my opinion though. They don't sound organic enough for my taste.
I think Hamer is right about "you either like it or you don't. I'm not too fond of the tone, because I think of Marshalls as woody, Fenders and Voxes as glassy, and Mesa Mk Series as plasticky. That's just my opinion though. They don't sound organic enough for my taste.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Mesa Mark I
Not my favorite Mesa amp, thought they sound very good to me. It's difficult to go from clean to dirty, the input cascades and is very sensitive. I would say a godd choice for a recording studio, but I think there are better alternatives for playing live--assuming you are looking for a channel switcher.
Bill
Not my favorite Mesa amp, thought they sound very good to me. It's difficult to go from clean to dirty, the input cascades and is very sensitive. I would say a godd choice for a recording studio, but I think there are better alternatives for playing live--assuming you are looking for a channel switcher.
Bill
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Mesa Mark I
I had one for a short time. Didn't really do it for me.
I felt that any of my blackface Fenders had a more open and natural clean tone and that my Marshall JCM-800 and model 1987 had a more open and natural overdriven tone.
I'm not a Mesa Boogie fan...although I wanted one until I actually got one. Then I found they just weren't for me.
Lew
I had one for a short time. Didn't really do it for me.
I felt that any of my blackface Fenders had a more open and natural clean tone and that my Marshall JCM-800 and model 1987 had a more open and natural overdriven tone.
I'm not a Mesa Boogie fan...although I wanted one until I actually got one. Then I found they just weren't for me.
Lew
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Mesa Mark I
I went today and played the amp in question guys...have to be honest...was not impressed...it had decent cleans, nothing to get too excited about IMO and the crunch tone was almost constipated sounding...not top of that it was pretty UN user friendly...not whatI expected at all in any way.
I went today and played the amp in question guys...have to be honest...was not impressed...it had decent cleans, nothing to get too excited about IMO and the crunch tone was almost constipated sounding...not top of that it was pretty UN user friendly...not whatI expected at all in any way.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Mesa Mark I
Yep...and you can't adjust the bias to the power tubes in them either!
The one I had had been modded by Lord Valve so that an adjustable bias pot had been added to the circuit and next to the pot, inside the amp, was a little note from Lord Valve that read: "F#ck you Randall!" :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
the guy who invented fire said:
Yep...and you can't adjust the bias to the power tubes in them either!
The one I had had been modded by Lord Valve so that an adjustable bias pot had been added to the circuit and next to the pot, inside the amp, was a little note from Lord Valve that read: "F#ck you Randall!" :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Mesa Mark I
I didn't know you couldn't adjust the bias...I dis like that amp even more now!
Thats a funny story though!
I didn't know you couldn't adjust the bias...I dis like that amp even more now!
Thats a funny story though!
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Mesa Mark I
I think Mesa wants you to buy matched tubes from them, and if you do, you supposedly don't need to adjust the bias. That's what Lord Valve was commenting on. :laugh2:
the guy who invented fire said:
I think Mesa wants you to buy matched tubes from them, and if you do, you supposedly don't need to adjust the bias. That's what Lord Valve was commenting on. :laugh2:
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Mesa Mark I
The guy from Country Joe had THE FIRST boogie ever...it was the very first ever modded princeton...most of the amps Randy modded were princetons however there was at least one Vibrolux and 2 champs that I know of as well...truth be told after playing the Mark I today, I'd rather have a BF Princeton!
jdm61 said:
The guy from Country Joe had THE FIRST boogie ever...it was the very first ever modded princeton...most of the amps Randy modded were princetons however there was at least one Vibrolux and 2 champs that I know of as well...truth be told after playing the Mark I today, I'd rather have a BF Princeton!
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Mesa Mark I
Imnot too sure how Paul Rivera got started but rick does have 2 BF Deluxes that have been modded to hell by Paul so maybe thats right?!
jdm61 said:
Imnot too sure how Paul Rivera got started but rick does have 2 BF Deluxes that have been modded to hell by Paul so maybe thats right?!
Re: Mesa Mark I
I'm not sure i know of any other guys who use Rivera, but i like the sound that Nielsen gets from those fenders a LOT better than what i would consider the typical Boogie sound. God knows how many of those old Rick has now, seeing that he is one of the biggest gear nuts in the biz:laugh2:
I'm not sure i know of any other guys who use Rivera, but i like the sound that Nielsen gets from those fenders a LOT better than what i would consider the typical Boogie sound. God knows how many of those old Rick has now, seeing that he is one of the biggest gear nuts in the biz:laugh2:
