Anybody use the "high gain amp switch"? - 1U rack splitter

[markchatwin]

Mesa Boogie discontinued this. But I feel it might benefit me as a splitter. I want to be able to route tone from my C+ to two amps, a direct box and into my recording system. You can find one of these every once in awhile online and I was wondering, is it a good splitter? Does it leave the tone pretty much uncolored? I hear it has isolated transformers and a complex routing system. I hear you have to have foot pedals to actually switch around to different amps.

The guy at Boogie from customer service actually said to stay away from it because it was complicated and I'd be better off with a Radial Injector Guitar Distribution Box. But something about the Boogie mystique and quality makes me want to consider it. Any pros/cons, first hand details of it's tone quality? Thanks!

 

[Octavarius]

Mesa Boogie discontinued this. But I feel it might benefit me as a splitter. I want to be able to route tone from my C+ to two amps, a direct box and into my recording system. You can find one of these every once in awhile online and I was wondering, is it a good splitter? Does it leave the tone pretty much uncolored? I hear it has isolated transformers and a complex routing system. I hear you have to have foot pedals to actually switch around to different amps.

The guy at Boogie from customer service actually said to stay away from it because it was complicated and I'd be better off with a Radial Injector Guitar Distribution Box. But something about the Boogie mystique and quality makes me want to consider it. Any pros/cons, first hand details of it's tone quality? Thanks!

It's not so much a splitter, as an actual loop switcher designed spesifically for high gain preamps. I has loops that switch the inserted preamps in and out of the signal chain. As far as I know one of the best amp switchers on the market (most professionals use them), and they're actually still in production.

 

[Octavarius]

Picture:

User manual:

More info here:

http://homepage.mac.com/mesaboogie/switch.html

 

[markchatwin]

Where are they still in production? Mesa said they "discontinued these"...

 

[tony777]

Mesa Boogie discontinued this. But I feel it might benefit me as a splitter. I want to be able to route tone from my C+ to two amps, a direct box and into my recording system. You can find one of these every once in awhile online and I was wondering, is it a good splitter? Does it leave the tone pretty much uncolored? I hear it has isolated transformers and a complex routing system. I hear you have to have foot pedals to actually switch around to different amps.

The guy at Boogie from customer service actually said to stay away from it because it was complicated and I'd be better off with a Radial Injector Guitar Distribution Box. But something about the Boogie mystique and quality makes me want to consider it. Any pros/cons, first hand details of it's tone quality? Thanks!

If you want to run up to four (pre)amps together, or split between them, it's what you want. I have never heard any toneloss.
I did use a badcat ABY stompbox before I got the ampswitcher, and the mesa is pro, and the badcat was..... just that except the cat.
You can use anything with tip to ground connection for control.

Good luck.

 

[JOEY B.]

Yes. You will have to design a footswitch, though. I opted to buy a Voodooman Tremoverb footswitch from Ebay, and re-wire it to use a 9V battery/resistors to light the LED's. No tone loss that I could hear. 8)

 

[mystidream]

Mesa Boogie discontinued this. But I feel it might benefit me as a splitter. I want to be able to route tone from my C+ to two amps, a direct box and into my recording system. You can find one of these every once in awhile online and I was wondering, is it a good splitter? Does it leave the tone pretty much uncolored? I hear it has isolated transformers and a complex routing system. I hear you have to have foot pedals to actually switch around to different amps.

The guy at Boogie from customer service actually said to stay away from it because it was complicated and I'd be better off with a Radial Injector Guitar Distribution Box. But something about the Boogie mystique and quality makes me want to consider it. Any pros/cons, first hand details of it's tone quality? Thanks!

It's not so much a splitter, as an actual loop switcher designed spesifically for high gain preamps. I has loops that switch the inserted preamps in and out of the signal chain. As far as I know one of the best amp switchers on the market (most professionals use them), and they're actually still in production.

They're not in production any more. They've been out of production for quite some time now, a few years.

 

[Octavarius]

Nah, guys, check the catalogs. They're still in there somewhere (under the Preamp section, I think...). I emailed them a few months back and they told me it's still produced, but on an order by order basis. Of course they are still made, think of it! Most pro artists with multiple Mesa amp rigs are using them!

 

[Octavarius]

Here we go!

This is from the 2008 catalog:

 

[dodger916]

I don't see it in the 2009 catalog:

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/jazzgear/PRONET%20FEB%202009/?action=view&current=PRONET0209_3OF8jpg.jpg

 

[Octavarius]

I don't see it in the 2009 catalog:

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/jazzgear/PRONET%20FEB%202009/?action=view&current=PRONET0209_3OF8jpg.jpg

Ouch.. I guess they discontinued it for 2009, then. Too bad.

 

[igfraso]

How does this one compare to the Voodoo Lab Amp Switcher?

 

[markchatwin]

I'm going to call again because Rep told me "No, discontinued - buy something else". Gentleman's name was Mark at Mesa. Makes sense that they'd still make it since many people would want it. But just because it's in an '08 catalog doesn't mean it's available...

 

[igfraso]

How does this one compare to the Voodoo Lab Amp Switcher?

Anybody has any info, suggestions, comparisons?
Thanks and Happy Easter!

 

[Octavarius]

How does this one compare to the Voodoo Lab Amp Switcher?

Anybody has any info, suggestions, comparisons?
Thanks and Happy Easter!

Well, compared to the Mesa High Gain Amp Switch, this one serves a bit different purpose. This is basically just a splitter, that switches your signal to the input of several amps. When you compare the I/O's of the two units, you'll easily see that the Mesa Amp Switch is also a line level mixer. That basically means that in addition to splitting your guitar signal, it'll mix the outputs of your preamps/effect sends into one signal which'll then go to your FX units, for instance. Check out the diagram above. The Voodoo Lab Amp Selector is also a footpedal, though, while the Mesa obviously needs a MIDI relay switcher, which is again controlled by a MIDI footcontroller. So I wouldn't invest in the Mesa unless I had a MIDI-controlled rig. When you just play several amps though, and want to switch between them (and select between two different guitars as well), I'd say the Voodoo Lab switcher is the best choice. :wink:

Happy Easter!

 

[igfraso]

Thank you, Octavarius!
Yes, the Mesa amp switch is more of a "preamp switch" since it is placed between your 4 preamps and your effects units. This is good because you can use a single FX unit for the 4 amps but you will need a Tremoverb Voodooman pedal (it has 4 on/off switches).

The Voodoo Lab is placed before the 4 preamps so you cannot use a single FX unit for the 4 amps (at least, I haven't figured out how to do it).

I went with the Voodoo Lab. It costs half the Mesa switch and you don't need an additional pedalboard to operate the Voodoo Lab.
Now, if Mesa would reissue the switcher in a pedalboard format, then I would certainly jump on it.
Best regards
Daniel

 

[igfraso]

I'm going to call again because Rep told me "No, discontinued - buy something else". Gentleman's name was Mark at Mesa. Makes sense that they'd still make it since many people would want it. But just because it's in an '08 catalog doesn't mean it's available...

I understand it was discontinued in 2008 because it was too expensive to produce and Mesa was not making enough money out of the Switcher.
The transformers were really expensive and it has 4 of them inside.