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Post by stratboy on Oct 31, 2020 9:35:42 GMT -6
I’m thinking about getting a Mesa Boogie amp. Head or combo is fine. I’m looking to fill a sonic niche. I have a ‘59 Bassman RI and an AC30. The MB would cover the high gain portion of the spectrum. I want used, have $1000 or less to spend, so we’re talking an older model. Since I’m not familiar with the evolution of MB amps, I’d appreciate your input.
Thanks!
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Post by Tbone81 on Oct 31, 2020 10:22:21 GMT -6
Are you dead set on the Mesa sound? There are lots of high gain options that are better sounding, and sometimes cheaper, than the Mesa’s. The Randall/Egnator modular stuff comes to mind.
That being said, if you want high gain Mesa look for an older Dual Recto. That was the modern high gain sound people were chasing in the 90’s/early 2000’s.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Oct 31, 2020 11:06:58 GMT -6
I’m thinking about getting a Mesa Boogie amp. Head or combo is fine. I’m looking to fill a sonic niche. I have a ‘59 Bassman RI and an AC30. The MB would cover the high gain portion of the spectrum. I want used, have $1000 or less to spend, so we’re talking an older model. Since I’m not familiar with the evolution of MB amps, I’d appreciate your input. Thanks! I've got a Mesa single rec that rarely gets used. My JCM2000 DSL does the bulk of my loud rock tracking. I use the MESA Recto 4x12 cab with the JCM all the time though. Love the cab. |
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Post by stratboy on Oct 31, 2020 12:49:07 GMT -6
Are you dead set on the Mesa sound? There are lots of high gain options that are better sounding, and sometimes cheaper, than the Mesa’s. The Randall/Egnator modular stuff comes to mind. That being said, if you want high gain Mesa look for an older Dual Recto. That was the modern high gain sound people were chasing in the 90’s/early 2000’s. Not particularly attached to Mesa. I focused on them because they mostly aren’t just one-trick ponies. Nice cleans, and the ability to dial in different shades of Mesa sound. But, I’m open to suggestions. I have an Egnater Tweaker 15, so I like Egnater. Tell me more about some alternatives. |
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Post by stratboy on Oct 31, 2020 13:34:47 GMT -6
I’m thinking about getting a Mesa Boogie amp. Head or combo is fine. I’m looking to fill a sonic niche. I have a ‘59 Bassman RI and an AC30. The MB would cover the high gain portion of the spectrum. I want used, have $1000 or less to spend, so we’re talking an older model. Since I’m not familiar with the evolution of MB amps, I’d appreciate your input. Thanks! I've got a Mesa single rec that rarely gets used. My JCM2000 DSL does the bulk of my loud rock tracking. I use the MESA Recto 4x12 cab with the JCM all the time though. Love the cab. I’ve read other posts you’ve made about this amp. Doesn’t it also have another model name as well? I had a small, cheap tube DSL for a short while. Can’t remember the model. Annoying, buzzy thing. But the JCM must be in another class. Is yours the DSL 50, or DSL 100? Thanks! |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Oct 31, 2020 14:24:35 GMT -6
I've got a Mesa single rec that rarely gets used. My JCM2000 DSL does the bulk of my loud rock tracking. I use the MESA Recto 4x12 cab with the JCM all the time though. Love the cab. I’ve read other posts you’ve made about this amp. Doesn’t it also have another model name as well? I had a small, cheap tube DSL for a short while. Can’t remember the model. Annoying, buzzy thing. But the JCM must be in another class. Is yours the DSL 50, or DSL 100? Thanks! I'm not doing super high gain stuff, mostly channel 1 cranked on the DSL. I'm not sure offhand if it's the 50 or 100 and I know it was modded before I got it. It's the older one from 90's/2000's, not the current model. It can definitely get fizzy if you crank the gain too hard, but for punkish stuff, it works great. |
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Post by stratboy on Oct 31, 2020 16:02:27 GMT -6
Nice cut, Jesse! The mix jumps out of my iPhone speakers in a really in your face way. I hear what your saying about the DSL. I wouldn’t want to get any more fizzy than that; it’s perfect for the song.
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Post by ragan on Oct 31, 2020 16:24:41 GMT -6
I played a 1982 Boogie MKIII head for many years (off and on). Pretty bitchin amp with some really cool features. Kind of a grind-y sounding natural overdrive.
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Post by stratboy on Oct 31, 2020 21:08:16 GMT -6
I played a 1982 Boogie MKIII head for many years (off and on). Pretty bitchin amp with some really cool features. Kind of a grind-y sounding natural overdrive. How do you think that Mark III would fit in with the Bassman and AC30? They’re both heads going into a Torpedo Captor, so this question isn’t about the speakers. I’m trying to get at a tone that doesn’t duplicate these classic amps. |
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Post by svart on Nov 4, 2020 12:11:23 GMT -6
I have a JCM2000 DSL100 and had a triple rectifier before I got the AxeFX 3. They're different beasts that do overlap somewhat. I felt the Rectifier was more utilitarian than the JCM2000. The JCM2000 definitely has a tight sweet spot that almost makes it a one-trick-pony. The Rectifier also had a sweet spot for that high-gain thing, but had a lot more adjustment to get a wider range of good tones. The Peavey 5150/6505 is a great amp too. Tight high gain but the clean/crunch is great too with the right cabinet.
As Jesse mentions, the cabinet makes the combo. Mesa oversized 2x12 is probably one of the best overall cabs out.
However, I'm mostly ITB with STL Tonehub or OTB with AxeFX3 for most tones these days so my settings tend to emulate the usual suspect amps and cabs. Got rid of my 5150 clone and rectifier since the AxeFX3 was indistinguishable from them.
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Post by Ward on Nov 4, 2020 17:03:30 GMT -6
I have a JCM2000 DSL100 and had a triple rectifier before I got the AxeFX 3. They're different beasts that do overlap somewhat. I felt the Rectifier was more utilitarian than the JCM2000. The JCM2000 definitely has a tight sweet spot that almost makes it a one-trick-pony. The Rectifier also had a sweet spot for that high-gain thing, but had a lot more adjustment to get a wider range of good tones. The Peavey 5150/6505 is a great amp too. Tight high gain but the clean/crunch is great too with the right cabinet. As Jesse mentions, the cabinet makes the combo. Mesa oversized 2x12 is probably one of the best overall cabs out. However, I'm mostly ITB with STL Tonehub or OTB with AxeFX3 for most tones these days so my settings tend to emulate the usual suspect amps and cabs. Got rid of my 5150 clone and rectifier since the AxeFX3 was indistinguishable from them. Almost all great amps are one trick ponies .. . but OH what a trick it is!! I've found that with nearly every Marshall Vox Fender Bad Cat or Dr. Z Like a P Bass. It's just the one sound but it's the right sound. |
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Post by dmo on Nov 4, 2020 21:52:15 GMT -6
I've had my MarkIII (blue stripe) since 1988 and it served me well for many years - lovely cleans and I had it dialed in to a smooth "singing" lead tone I always enjoyed. Not as aggressive to my ears as later amps like the rectifiers, so it would probably provide a different sound than your Fender/Vox tones. I'd definitely recommend playing one first if possible - many variations in the mark series and other MB amps so really best to play/hear for yourself to see if it works for you. John Petrucci is a long time Boogie player and dials in some pretty high gain tones so could listen for reference to see if it's close to what you're seeking. Petrucci's "holy grail" tone is attributed to the MarkIIC+ version so they tend to be $$, other early Mark series are more reasonable and probably obtainable within your budget. Good luck with your search.
Ragan - if you had an 82 it was probably a markIIB (III's started in 85). Agree, some nice tones available depending how it was dialed in, and since I was never much of a pedal guy I enjoyed getting my overdrive via the lead channel.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Nov 5, 2020 5:36:04 GMT -6
I traded an 81 (I think) MKIIa for my JCM2000. No regrets here at all.
The Mesa has a massive footswitch pop when channel switching (stick with the later revisions). The controls are all really interactive too. I could get a great sound out of it, but good luck trying to have someone unfamiliar with the amp dial in something they want to use.
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Post by svart on Nov 5, 2020 8:58:38 GMT -6
I traded an 81 (I think) MKIIa for my JCM2000. No regrets here at all. The Mesa has a massive footswitch pop when channel switching (stick with the later revisions). The controls are all really interactive too. I could get a great sound out of it, but good luck trying to have someone unfamiliar with the amp dial in something they want to use. Mesa gets a bad rap for people thinking they can't get good tones with them because of this. You have to kind of "know" the way the controls interact to get it to work, but then once you've gotten used to it, it's hard to make it sound bad. |
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Post by Ned Ward on Nov 5, 2020 11:12:57 GMT -6
Might be heresy, but I owned a Mesa V-Twin Rack preamp and that could be your ticket. Run it into the effects return of an amp for power tube distortion, or line in and use IR responses for the cab. Good cleans, crunch and the finicky tone controls that Mesa are known for.
Sold mine when I moved into Fender amps vs. a rack of doom at home, but it did have a sound.
I've never played a Rectifier, but enjoy the Rectifier-like tones I get on my Eleven Rack. Best $280 I've been for quiet home practicing... It's the benefit of not having played most of the amps in it - I don't have the real ones to compare to, only what sounds good to my ears and for the track...
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Post by stratboy on Nov 6, 2020 20:18:18 GMT -6
So many informative posts here! Thanks for sharing, everyone. I’ve got plenty to think about. I’ve learned a lot about both Marshall and Mesa in the past few days. The mid-‘oughts JCM2000 DSL 100 looks like a good candidate, as does the Mesa RectoVerb. A Mark II or Mark III might work as well, but they are a little more expensive, and I’m kinda thinking EL34.
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Post by nobtwiddler on Nov 6, 2020 20:46:58 GMT -6
Here's mine, as I ordered 5 x heads and matching 1 x 12 cabs way back in 1975 or 76 One for me, the remains for my rehearsal studio in Queens NY at the time. Funny story... Right after I ordered mine, I got a call from Randall Smith & his wife (at the time) Raven, to ask how bad did I need all of the amps? The basically wanted to know if it was OK, if they could put my amps off for a while, cause they had just received a BIG order from Keith Richards to build 11 combos for an upcoming Stones tour. Since my order was placed first they were gracious enough to call and ask me, I told them if they could complete ONE of my amps, then sure tell Keith Paul said it's fine! Haha Long story short, I received my first amp a few months later, and then about a year later, the remaining amps arrived. |
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Post by dmo on Nov 7, 2020 10:25:35 GMT -6
Stratboy - Mark series with Simulclass can give you that EL34 option. My Mark III has Simulclass - pair 6L6 and pair EL34 - and can be switched to run only the 34's ( think it's rated at 15W in this mode) - I used mine in this mode usually.
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Post by stratboy on Nov 7, 2020 16:31:32 GMT -6
Stratboy - Mark series with Simulclass can give you that EL34 option. My Mark III has Simulclass - pair 6L6 and pair EL34 - and can be switched to run only the 34's ( think it's rated at 15W in this mode) - I used mine in this mode usually. Good to know. Thanks! |
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