should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
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Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
hmmmm I am a label whore
So I would keep the Mesa
plus they are built like tanks etc etc etc
But the Single doesn't nail the high gain tone. I am not a huge Dual or single Rec fan. Peavey's can kinda not be toneful to my ears at times. That being said, you can get a reliable, inexpensive, high gain situation from a Peavey Triple X, 5150, or JSX. Many of them can also be modded, and retubed to taste.
Have you considered selling your Mesa and putting some cash towards something more toneful in your style, like say a used ENGL? They sound AMAZING, and are much cheaper than Bogners.
hmmmm I am a label whore
So I would keep the Mesa
plus they are built like tanks etc etc etc
But the Single doesn't nail the high gain tone. I am not a huge Dual or single Rec fan. Peavey's can kinda not be toneful to my ears at times. That being said, you can get a reliable, inexpensive, high gain situation from a Peavey Triple X, 5150, or JSX. Many of them can also be modded, and retubed to taste.
Have you considered selling your Mesa and putting some cash towards something more toneful in your style, like say a used ENGL? They sound AMAZING, and are much cheaper than Bogners.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
I think it's funny that a lot of metal guys bash Marshall, especially the DSL's, thinking that they don't sound good because they heard them on 1 at the store.
Then, you go to see a metal show and all the guys with the best tone are using a Marshall with an OD pedal for more gain.
Stop dissing Marshall. All the real players still play them.....that should be enough proof. Sell the Mesa, get a good Marshall and put something like a Duncan SFX-3 or Fulltone OCD in front of it, and have something that sounds better than a Peavey or a Mesa. Most amps that have an over abundance of built in gain are hissy or buzzy, or both.
I think it's funny that a lot of metal guys bash Marshall, especially the DSL's, thinking that they don't sound good because they heard them on 1 at the store.
Then, you go to see a metal show and all the guys with the best tone are using a Marshall with an OD pedal for more gain.
Stop dissing Marshall. All the real players still play them.....that should be enough proof. Sell the Mesa, get a good Marshall and put something like a Duncan SFX-3 or Fulltone OCD in front of it, and have something that sounds better than a Peavey or a Mesa. Most amps that have an over abundance of built in gain are hissy or buzzy, or both.
Robert S.
Super Moderator
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
So, turn down the gain and front end the Mesa.
I get some seriously killer tones from my Mesa stuff by slamming the front end with a Rat or TS9. I don't need that much gain so I don't normally run my rig with a pedal in front of it but I've tried it. There really is a huge difference in tone when you put a pedal in front of any amp and it works just as well with a Mesa as it does with a Marshall.
So, turn down the gain and front end the Mesa.
I get some seriously killer tones from my Mesa stuff by slamming the front end with a Rat or TS9. I don't need that much gain so I don't normally run my rig with a pedal in front of it but I've tried it. There really is a huge difference in tone when you put a pedal in front of any amp and it works just as well with a Mesa as it does with a Marshall.
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
You do have a point, however alot of the local band use the DSL or the TSL and have horrible tone. You could argue that they would sound bad anyway for many different reasons. Im really starting to belive the DSL sound better than the TSL. Everytime plug into a DSL it sounds good, but TSL's usually suck. Could just be me having bad luck? Its funny I swore off marshalls and now I love them again.
Gearjoneser said:
You do have a point, however alot of the local band use the DSL or the TSL and have horrible tone. You could argue that they would sound bad anyway for many different reasons. Im really starting to belive the DSL sound better than the TSL. Everytime plug into a DSL it sounds good, but TSL's usually suck. Could just be me having bad luck? Its funny I swore off marshalls and now I love them again.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
If the XXX is the tone you want, then don't waste your time with anything else. Piss on what people tell you.... if you want a XXX, get a XXX.
If the XXX is the tone you want, then don't waste your time with anything else. Piss on what people tell you.... if you want a XXX, get a XXX.
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
-----I, HAD, a MARSHALL DSL401--it sounded fine(it needed a dist.pedal, my preference)--
--BUT, I bought it NEW, NEVER took it out of my house, NEVER turned the volume past 4, I treated it VERY WELL--after 6 months it quit working, I got it fixed for $75.---THEN, 6 months later, it broke again, it cost me $80. & it worked fine, I then sold it BEFORE it broke again...I dont think I'll get another Marshall.
-ONE THING, it ran FREAKISHLY HOT ALWAYS--maybe that's why it broke twice.
-----I, HAD, a MARSHALL DSL401--it sounded fine(it needed a dist.pedal, my preference)--
--BUT, I bought it NEW, NEVER took it out of my house, NEVER turned the volume past 4, I treated it VERY WELL--after 6 months it quit working, I got it fixed for $75.---THEN, 6 months later, it broke again, it cost me $80. & it worked fine, I then sold it BEFORE it broke again...I dont think I'll get another Marshall.
-ONE THING, it ran FREAKISHLY HOT ALWAYS--maybe that's why it broke twice.
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
TSL's and DSL's are NOT the same
+1 to what Gearjoneser said
I think Marshall cabs are underrated as well. Problem with Marshall in general, you have to put some work into them! Same with Gibsons (which need work) versus say a PRS which is good out of the box.
ENGL Powerballs go as low as 1200 -1500 used, and they are much more toneful than a 5150. I am not well familiar with the Triple XXX or the JSX, but every brand has it's flavor, and I haven't found them to be far off the Peavey type of tone, which can be good, but ENGL is special!
Also, Fulltone OCD is quite a Pedal.
TSL's and DSL's are NOT the same
+1 to what Gearjoneser said
I think Marshall cabs are underrated as well. Problem with Marshall in general, you have to put some work into them! Same with Gibsons (which need work) versus say a PRS which is good out of the box.
ENGL Powerballs go as low as 1200 -1500 used, and they are much more toneful than a 5150. I am not well familiar with the Triple XXX or the JSX, but every brand has it's flavor, and I haven't found them to be far off the Peavey type of tone, which can be good, but ENGL is special!
Also, Fulltone OCD is quite a Pedal.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
I'm in 100% agreement with Gearjonser. Get a good Marshall and toss an OD pedal or booster out front. Killer tone guaranteed. Plus, the Peavey power ratings are way overblown. A 50 watt Marshall will put a 120 watt Peavey to shame. Granted, there's only a little over 3db difference in volume between the two but when an amp with twice the power can barely keep up, that's a problem. I'm speaking from experience too.
You had a 40 watt combo that ran with EL84 power tubes, not the big 50 and 100 watt heads that use EL34's. Different beasts. The DSL heads are quite good and reliable.rockman23 said:
I'm in 100% agreement with Gearjonser. Get a good Marshall and toss an OD pedal or booster out front. Killer tone guaranteed. Plus, the Peavey power ratings are way overblown. A 50 watt Marshall will put a 120 watt Peavey to shame. Granted, there's only a little over 3db difference in volume between the two but when an amp with twice the power can barely keep up, that's a problem. I'm speaking from experience too.
Wattage
High Voltologist
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
The XXX is a great amp but it definitely benefits from upgraded tubes over stock. The stock tubes are kind of lifeless IMO. The XXX has an incredible amount of gain on tap and it dials down very nicely as well. The active EQ structure really lets you fine tune your sound as well.
The DSL is really nice too, I am not quite as happy with it as I was hoping but I have not spent as much time using it as I have the XXX. The Marshall doesn't sound quite a rich as the XXX which really surprises me.
As others have mentioned you might want to try front ending the Mesa before replacing it.
The XXX is a great amp but it definitely benefits from upgraded tubes over stock. The stock tubes are kind of lifeless IMO. The XXX has an incredible amount of gain on tap and it dials down very nicely as well. The active EQ structure really lets you fine tune your sound as well.
The DSL is really nice too, I am not quite as happy with it as I was hoping but I have not spent as much time using it as I have the XXX. The Marshall doesn't sound quite a rich as the XXX which really surprises me.
As others have mentioned you might want to try front ending the Mesa before replacing it.
slightly_rude
New member
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
What don't you like about the Single Rec's tone, too harsh, too bright, too dark?
What are you using for tubes? Is it a series I or series II? As with any Mesa, finding the right EQ is paramount. I spent many hours tweaking knobs and trying different tubes to achieve tonal bliss for my T-Verb. Little changes go a long way in shaping tone. As for the DSL/TSL Marshalls, they didn't work for me. I had a DSL401, DSL50 and TSL602. The DSL401 was not reliable so I bought the TSL602 as a more portable Marshall amp.The TSL was a big disappointment, even connecting it to a 1960A cab or my Jubilee cab. Warm cleans but farty and fizzy high gain. The DSL sounded the best and came closest to that Marshall sound in my head from the 80's. Again, I tried different EQs, bias settings and tube combinations but compared to either my T-verb or the Silver Jubilee, fell way short. Side by side comparisons are very enlightening. Compare your Boogie to a XXX and then decide.
What don't you like about the Single Rec's tone, too harsh, too bright, too dark?
What are you using for tubes? Is it a series I or series II? As with any Mesa, finding the right EQ is paramount. I spent many hours tweaking knobs and trying different tubes to achieve tonal bliss for my T-Verb. Little changes go a long way in shaping tone. As for the DSL/TSL Marshalls, they didn't work for me. I had a DSL401, DSL50 and TSL602. The DSL401 was not reliable so I bought the TSL602 as a more portable Marshall amp.The TSL was a big disappointment, even connecting it to a 1960A cab or my Jubilee cab. Warm cleans but farty and fizzy high gain. The DSL sounded the best and came closest to that Marshall sound in my head from the 80's. Again, I tried different EQs, bias settings and tube combinations but compared to either my T-verb or the Silver Jubilee, fell way short. Side by side comparisons are very enlightening. Compare your Boogie to a XXX and then decide.
tone?
New member
Re: should i sell the mesa and get a triple xxx
Listen to a bunch of amps and see what you like.
Alot of people may like Mesas but for some strange reason you might not.
what i am trying to say is just go for whatever YOU like.
I agree with Joneser for the Marshalls except Marshalls are finicky in my opinion. you need to do alot to them if they are newer Marshalls and for the old ones they need to be cranked and then yes i agree they have good tone.
i personally cant crank a Marshall in my house so that is why i got a VHT which sounds like a Marshall and better at home levels.
Also one thing to note. i should have got the VHT years ago and i would have solved my tonal problems a long time ago. plus had more fun.
Listen to a ****load of stuff and dont take us here too seriously. Take your ears seriously.
Listen to a bunch of amps and see what you like.
Alot of people may like Mesas but for some strange reason you might not.
what i am trying to say is just go for whatever YOU like.
I agree with Joneser for the Marshalls except Marshalls are finicky in my opinion. you need to do alot to them if they are newer Marshalls and for the old ones they need to be cranked and then yes i agree they have good tone.
i personally cant crank a Marshall in my house so that is why i got a VHT which sounds like a Marshall and better at home levels.
Also one thing to note. i should have got the VHT years ago and i would have solved my tonal problems a long time ago. plus had more fun.
Listen to a ****load of stuff and dont take us here too seriously. Take your ears seriously.
