Buying my first Boogie (some direction needed)

[grindliner]

I need a bit of direction!

Aside from wanting a great sounding, versatile amp, for single coils and Humbuckers, I am not sure what I should be looking for.

For example:

I just spent a couple of lunch hours with a Trem-o-verb, w/ 6L6's. I kept going back to the SS rectifier, and modern gain, it's the only sound I enjoyed on the amp.

Considering this, What other amps should I be looking at in the Boogie lineup? Cleans aren't much of a factor for me. I'd like to try to keep the cost down, and therefore favor used.

So far I just love the LSS (aside from the price), I was unimpressed by the Express 5:25, but based upon all of the love I'm seeing, I am thinking about giving it another chance, somewhere other than GC.

I enjoyed the Mark IV as well.

I am currently Playing a VHT Pittbull Fifty/ST, but it's not doing anything for me.

I am also considering Budda and Rivera "M" series at the moment.

Suggestions anyone?

 

[clutch71]

You like the Lonestar, but your not looking for cleans? That's the cleanest amp Mesa has to offer. If you like the TOV with on the Modern/SS why not get it? TOV are great amps and more versatile then a straight up DR. Lot of folks on this board swear by them. They like their DR counter parts need a little space to run or an attenuator because for the most part these are LOUD (Like kill the neighbors cat loud) amps.

If you understand that going in you'll it will save you a lot of tube combinations and OD's

Check out the Rectoverb and the Stiletto Ace as well. If you haven't read the manuals before go to Mesa's web site and do some reading. Mesa writes the best manual that I've come across.

Good luck

 

[grindliner]

If you like the TOV with on the Modern/SS why not get it?

I have no use for the Tremolo, so why pay for features I don't need?

Thats why I'm looking for direction, ie; If a Rect-O-verb is the same thing as the Trem-o-verb, sans tremolo, why not just get the Rect-o-verb.


It would be kinda cool to see a Boogie Family tree to see what amps spawned others, that would be helpful and very informative for me.

 

[srf399]

I've never played a TOV but I had a ROV. From what I've read on here they are different sounding amps (Tremolo aside). The TOV is one of the most popular and sought after Boogies out there.

 

[EMGguitarist]

<<TOV owner
Dude, the TOV is a wickedly versatile amp. I really have no use for the tremolo or the reverb really but it's really nice for those funky days when you bust out a strat to do some bluesy boogie. (no pun intended) the channel cloning on it is also a super nice feature. Clone the vintage to red and it gives you a combination between the vintage and modern for what I feel is my sweet spot for tone. Depending on what I'm playing, I'll use vintage on orange for GREAT rhythm chuggin and use the vintage on red like a solo feature and add some mids and reverb into the realm to smooth it out... Also, remember that whenever you try these amps out, don't do the typical gain 9 treble 8 mids 2 bass 10 with a mesa, its more like gain 6 treble 6 mids 4 (3 if im feeling frisky) bass 6. This amp should have a requisite of a attenuator for the bedroom. Holy sweet mother of gotham, ya it sounds good when the master is on like maybe 1.5, but get a power suck, crank it to say 6 and prepare for droolage on the axe. I'm not using anything special with it besides a THD Hotplate a bro let me borrow til i can afford one. Stock tubes with 6l6 setup and this thing is beasty. I can't wait til the KT77's come in for it =) I was introduced to mesa by a friend who had a custom triple rec made and i fell in love with Mesa. His amp is set up ultimately for metal such as Unearth, As Darkness Fades, Trivium... and he can nail any tone he wants. Me on the other hand, I like to diversify my playing outside of metal alot so I wanted something really flexible until I figure out what I want to be my signature thing. The TOV gives me so many options its almost retarded. Satch, no prob, andy timmons, I'm there, tremonti, got it dialed in right now, hetfield, got that one on vintage red, santana, toy with EQ and I'm feeling the vibe... The Blues Channel is a wickedly sweet tone that I don't know why Mesa took out of the lineup on rec's. Anyways, I went through all that to tell ya, a lunch hour cant reveal what this vixen can do, just like a war vet can't tell ya their experiences in a day... spending some good quality time with em on the other hand, thats when you get to hear all the fascinating stuff. There's a reason some people swear by the TOV, just one of those things you gotta find for yourself

good luck on where ever your tone search takes ya tho!

 

[EMGguitarist]

<<TOV owner
Dude, the TOV is a wickedly versatile amp. I really have no use for the tremolo or the reverb really but it's really nice for those funky days when you bust out a strat to do some bluesy boogie. (no pun intended) the channel cloning on it is also a super nice feature. Clone the vintage to red and it gives you a combination between the vintage and modern for what I feel is my sweet spot for tone. Depending on what I'm playing, I'll use vintage on orange for GREAT rhythm chuggin and use the vintage on red like a solo feature and add some mids and reverb into the realm to smooth it out... Also, remember that whenever you try these amps out, don't do the typical gain 9 treble 8 mids 2 bass 10 with a mesa, its more like gain 6 treble 6 mids 4 (3 if im feeling frisky) bass 6. This amp should have a requisite of a attenuator for the bedroom. Holy sweet mother of gotham, ya it sounds good when the master is on like maybe 1.5, but get a power suck, crank it to say 6 and prepare for droolage on the axe. I'm not using anything special with it besides a THD Hotplate a bro let me borrow til i can afford one. Stock tubes with 6l6 setup and this thing is beasty. I can't wait til the KT77's come in for it =) I was introduced to mesa by a friend who had a custom triple rec made and i fell in love with Mesa. His amp is set up ultimately for metal such as Unearth, As Darkness Fades, Trivium... and he can nail any tone he wants. Me on the other hand, I like to diversify my playing outside of metal alot so I wanted something really flexible until I figure out what I want to be my signature thing. The TOV gives me so many options its almost retarded. Satch, no prob, andy timmons, I'm there, tremonti, got it dialed in right now, hetfield, got that one on vintage red, santana, toy with EQ and I'm feeling the vibe... The Blues Channel is a wickedly sweet tone that I don't know why Mesa took out of the lineup on rec's. Anyways, I went through all that to tell ya, a lunch hour cant reveal what this vixen can do, just like a war vet can't tell ya their experiences in a day... spending some good quality time with em on the other hand, thats when you get to hear all the fascinating stuff. There's a reason some people swear by the TOV, just one of those things you gotta find for yourself

good luck on where ever your tone search takes ya tho!

 

[Elpelotero]

If you like huge, loose, deep sounding high gain--> get a rectifier of any sorts. Tremoverbs are amongst the best, as well as old 2 channels from the 90's

If you like tight, menacing, crunch and smooth solos-->get the mark4 or a mark3

 

[grindliner]

I guess I should have clarified earlier, I am pretty much a bedroom (actually, it's an Office in the Man-Cave out behind the house)player.

You don't think 100 watts is ovrkill do ya :shock:

 

[dodger916]

Only if you plan on deriving most of your overdrive from the power tubes. In that case, 15 watts might be too loud for bedroom playing! The Boogie preamps shape most of the tone and allows them to sound great at low volumes. I wouldn't let the 100 watt factor dissuade me from buying an amp I really liked. Hell, I run my Mark IV in 85 watt mode and get a great tone that I can talk over...no kidding! It's really great for the hearing too.

The higher wattage allows more clean headroom, or higher volume before distortion. From what I've read, 100 watts isn't much louder than 50. It also depends on the type and number of speakers you're running.

 

[grindliner]

Whats a fair price to pay for a TOV head, in pretty darn good shape, clean, no Tears. No Footswitch, or cover as well?

Last head to sell on fleabay had Burgundy Tolex, and sold for $1425, plus $70 Shipping, Seems kinda high.

The Local GC has one for $1299