Can Boogies be addictive?

[Amptech]

I think there is something in the Boogie amp, that makes you addicted to them.. I had a simple Mark III that I bought from a friend so he wouldn't sell it to the big box music store. Now I have 4 Electra-Dynes, and 4 TransAtlantic's ( 3 ) TA-30's and a TA-15..oh, and the Mark III... Do I need help? LOL

 

[Markedman]

I caught Boogie fever after I walked into a pawn shop in 2013 and a Mark IV was waiting for me. At $650.00 it knew I'd be hooked. I then went on a buying spree, a big buying spree. I now have owned about 2 dozen Boogie amps and I search CL every day to see if there's something I've missed that I should've owned.

 

[Eevil]

Better to spend the cash while one still has a chance :mrgreen:

 

[CoG]

Life's too short to play ****** amps and that bank balance ain't comin' with ya...

Seriously though the best thing about Mesas is that they're all versatile. Okay, except Mark IIIs. Every Mesa I have ever owned has had at least five good tricks, some of them that get me playing in ways I normally wouldn't (like the RA100 red channel with the gain at like 1030.) You can always find some limited run amp that will do one thing better than any one thing your Mesa can do, but the Mesa gives you 95 per cent of that thing with a neat twist on it, and a bunch of others besides.

 

[Amptech]

I would just like to meet the man, the genius, the legend.. hopefully before I pass..

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Yes, and my particular addiction is the Mark flavor, although I dig the other models also and can see myself eventually having all Marks, and at least one Fillmore, Lonestar, and maybe a Transatlantic or a California. :mrgreen:

 

[jediguitarist]

Yes, and my particular addiction is the Mark flavor, although I dig the other models also and can see myself eventually having all Marks, and at least one Fillmore, Lonestar, and maybe a Transatlantic or a California. :mrgreen:

I'm with you on this.
Does having a Quad count as having a Mark II and III? :lol:

Short wish list:
Mark I
Mark IIa, IIb - More likely to happen
Mark IIc+ - Hey, I can dream...
Mark III - Simul prefered, GEQ not required

 

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

Absolutely!

Out of all the amps that I've owned over the years, I've had the most Boogies!

I can't even start to remember them all, but I'll try...

MkIII Red - wasn't crazy about it.
MkIII Green - I really liked this one and John Mellencamp bought it.... well his tech did the transaction.
MkIV - I got it cheap from guitar center but didn't warm up to it. It had too much stuff going on. I found the best tone EVER and kept trying to improve on it but then lost it and never found my way back! :evil:
Heartbreaker head x 2 - this to me was a good sounding head!
Early 1993 Dual Rec leather wrapper ! What a great amp.
SN BA00005 Blue Angel combo
Subway Rocket
.22 cal combo- early one with the funky two channels.
Triple Rec x 2, one of them was Voodoo modded
TA15 x2, great amps, still have em
Mini Rec - pretty nifty
Tremoverb head 100W
Lonestar special x 2, still have one and love this amp, latest mod is a Celestion Gold.
Son of Boogie. I got it pretty cheap at a local guitar shop. I wasn't so sure it was working right but like all Boogies you had to find the magical sweet spot. I think I sold it cheap too, it wasn't my thing.

 

[BFT]

Scored f100 in September..now have 7. So wish i would of found them early in the gear search. Love em

 

[BoogiePete]

They most definitely are addictive! 8)

I've had:-

The Mk III super sixty - great amp, regretted selling.
Mk IV B combo in Bubinga, fantastic amp which I traded on a Hughes and Kettner Triamp which I also really liked. I did miss the Mk IV though.
Mk IV B combo in black tolex. Great amp but never sounded as good as the hard wood example.
Heartbreaker Combo. Seriously underrated amps and amongst the top 2 Boogies soundwise that I've owned.
Mk IV head and 2x12 open backed cab both in walnut. The best! Sold at a profit after losing my job but I loved this one and wish I still had it.
Mk V combo. Never really gelled with it after weeks of tweaking. Always sounded 'boxy' and felt a bit 'stiff'. Tried everything, new valves/tubes, changed speaker, gave up eventually.

7th November 2020. Went to collect an absolutely mint Heartbreaker combo. Looks new, sounds great!

I've always felt a little uncomfortable without a Boogie in the house and as an englishman I've never come close to owning a Marshall.

 

[bandit2013]

Boogies are addictive. Depends on what flavor you like. I can't decide so I have picked several boogies and savored them all. (this sounds sic. sorry for the pun). Don't forget to dig into the low end too. It is a disease and once you get infected with exposure to your first boogie, you will notice that you have an empty wallet. Why travel the world when it all tends to look the same, just filled with different people and what you have left after you spend all that money, just a few fading memories. At least my spending habit has something tangible that does not fade away (if it does I can replace the tubes).

 

[Eduardo78]

Definitely.

 

[JPBoogie]

Life's too short to play ****** amps and that bank balance ain't comin' with ya...

Seriously though the best thing about Mesas is that they're all versatile. Okay, except Mark IIIs. Every Mesa I have ever owned has had at least five good tricks, some of them that get me playing in ways I normally wouldn't (like the RA100 red channel with the gain at like 1030.) You can always find some limited run amp that will do one thing better than any one thing your Mesa can do, but the Mesa gives you 95 per cent of that thing with a neat twist on it, and a bunch of others besides.

'Life is too short' indeed. This is actually the sentence a friend told me, the one that made me pull the trigger on my only Mesa amp (TC50 and two separate 1X12 cabs). The one mistake I made was to sell/swap my DC10 head against my TC50 head... should have kept both. Damn it! That DC10 had something special...

This is one of the few things I have learned in life, to keep the good stuff, to not sell to justify the new purchases. I had a rig I really liked before, simple but excellent at what it was doing. Didn't have money (just got out of school) and needed that sold to justify the next amp, and then the same from that 2nd amp to justify the newer one, etc. If I could use a time machine, I'd go back to tell my younger self to always keep ALL the gear.

 

[JPBoogie]

Boogies are addictive. Depends on what flavor you like. I can't decide so I have picked several boogies and savored them all. (this sounds sic. sorry for the pun). Don't forget to dig into the low end too. It is a disease and once you get infected with exposure to your first boogie, you will notice that you have an empty wallet. Why travel the world when it all tends to look the same, just filled with different people and what you have left after you spend all that money, just a few fading memories. At least my spending habit has something tangible that does not fade away (if it does I can replace the tubes).

HAHAHA this is good and very funny. Also very true...
Many would spend in the 4 digits over a Vegas weekend (some a lot more). What's left after that? ZERO. Not even any memory, maybe a broken tooth and an STD lol. Kidding aside, I should go look at my next one... so what should I get next? I only own one and love it but... there is room for more. I wouldn't go in the Rectifier spectrum, Mark VII?
Cheers and take care

 

[bandit2013]

Definitely.

View attachment 811

Now that is what I would call a Rack.

 

[bandit2013]

HAHAHA this is good and very funny. Also very true...
Many would spend in the 4 digits over a Vegas weekend (some a lot more). What's left after that? ZERO. Not even any memory, maybe a broken tooth and an STD lol. Kidding aside, I should go look at my next one... so what should I get next? I only own one and love it but... there is room for more. I wouldn't go in the Rectifier spectrum, Mark VII?
Cheers and take care

Why fear the Rectifier? The Badlander is not your average Rectifier amp. No sub-harmonic issues at all. It will run with the 7 string just as well as the TC-50. Sure I have the JP2C and for a while it was the pinnacle of tone to set a standard too. Then I got my first Badlander 100. Well Damn, it sounds very much like the JP2C without the fizz. For some time, the go to amp was the Royal Atlantic, actually have two of them. The key to that amp was NOS tubes, RFT 12AX7 in V1 and Ei CV492 (mullard copy) in V2 to tune the hi/lo channel. Top it off with a set of SED =C= EL34 and enjoy the bliss. Sure, it is very similar to the TC-100 and TC-50, but those are not as dynamic as the RA. Also they seem to have a predefined midrange boost since you cannot tune it out with preamp tubes as you can the Royal. Recently, I took the gamble to get another Badlander. Was concerned it would be too much for a stereo rig setup, TBH, I could not be happier with it. It has the same level of dynamics as the Royal with more grind if you need it. All three voices are very usable on each channel. Clean set to clean is amazing and on par with the JP2C clean channel. Push the gain up and you get that Plexi tone, push the gain even farther and it is at the Silver Jubilee 2555 sound (I have one to compare, aslo this is the closest Marshall to the Triple Crown and Royal Atlantic). Crunch is more in line with the Rectifier amp line but without the low-end drone. It is full bodied and not thin like the CH2 (blue) on the TC or RA. This is also similar to the JP2C gain structure as well. Crush just brings in more compression similar to the sound when pushing a Mark amp. RA gets very close too this as well and the TC is not far behind. Keep in mind that is with a lower gain setting around 9am. There is much more gain to be found. Sure, it appears like a simple amp with limited features but does not sound like it has limits. Since I got the first Badlander, the MWDR, Roadster, JP2C and Mark V have not seen the light of day. Now that I have the second one, I can put the Royal Atlantic under its covers and into the storage area. Still, I am running it with the two Bads as a dry channel and it works to boost everything in the mix. Not really sure I am ready to put it in with the other amps. In my opinion, the Badlander should have been in its own category or product line.

As for live band, the TC-100 or TC-50 was the starting point. Then came the MWDR and my bandmates said that is the best sounding so far. Now we just use the Badlander for everything. Mostly classic rock to punk rock stuff in the band. It keeps up with the bass and drums and cuts through the mix with ease without killing your ears with glassy shrill as I was getting with the Mark V90. My bandmates have not seen the stereo setup I have yet. I experimented with different cabinets. Bad by itself is awesome with the Standard 412 cab. However, in stereo I am getting a great sound with the Vertical 212 cabs.

If you are looking, I would check out the Badlander 100. Why the 100W? you get the 50W power mode for free. No GEQ required with this one. Boosting the BAD, for example the flux drive works great on the clean channel. Grid slammer on crush increases the compression effect. Boosting the front end is not a necessity but some reviewers state the opposite. Bad sounds best with the EL34 power tubes. Not boxy at all. Preamp is well tuned so it lacks any midrange hump and it is not scooped like the Rectifier amps.

 

[JPBoogie]

Why fear the Rectifier? The Badlander is not your average Rectifier amp. No sub-harmonic issues at all. It will run with the 7 string just as well as the TC-50. Sure I have the JP2C and for a while it was the pinnacle of tone to set a standard too. Then I got my first Badlander 100. Well ****, it sounds very much like the JP2C without the fizz. For some time, the go to amp was the Royal Atlantic, actually have two of them. The key to that amp was NOS tubes, RFT 12AX7 in V1 and Ei CV492 (mullard copy) in V2 to tune the hi/lo channel. Top it off with a set of SED =C= EL34 and enjoy the bliss. Sure, it is very similar to the TC-100 and TC-50, but those are not as dynamic as the RA. Also they seem to have a predefined midrange boost since you cannot tune it out with preamp tubes as you can the Royal. Recently, I took the gamble to get another Badlander. Was concerned it would be too much for a stereo rig setup, TBH, I could not be happier with it. It has the same level of dynamics as the Royal with more grind if you need it. All three voices are very usable on each channel. Clean set to clean is amazing and on par with the JP2C clean channel. Push the gain up and you get that Plexi tone, push the gain even farther and it is at the Silver Jubilee 2555 sound (I have one to compare, aslo this is the closest Marshall to the Triple Crown and Royal Atlantic). Crunch is more in line with the Rectifier amp line but without the low-end drone. It is full bodied and not thin like the CH2 (blue) on the TC or RA. This is also similar to the JP2C gain structure as well. Crush just brings in more compression similar to the sound when pushing a Mark amp. RA gets very close too this as well and the TC is not far behind. Keep in mind that is with a lower gain setting around 9am. There is much more gain to be found. Sure, it appears like a simple amp with limited features but does not sound like it has limits. Since I got the first Badlander, the MWDR, Roadster, JP2C and Mark V have not seen the light of day. Now that I have the second one, I can put the Royal Atlantic under its covers and into the storage area. Still, I am running it with the two Bads as a dry channel and it works to boost everything in the mix. Not really sure I am ready to put it in with the other amps. In my opinion, the Badlander should have been in its own category or product line.

As for live band, the TC-100 or TC-50 was the starting point. Then came the MWDR and my bandmates said that is the best sounding so far. Now we just use the Badlander for everything. Mostly classic rock to punk rock stuff in the band. It keeps up with the bass and drums and cuts through the mix with ease without killing your ears with glassy shrill as I was getting with the Mark V90. My bandmates have not seen the stereo setup I have yet. I experimented with different cabinets. Bad by itself is awesome with the Standard 412 cab. However, in stereo I am getting a great sound with the Vertical 212 cabs.

If you are looking, I would check out the Badlander 100. Why the 100W? you get the 50W power mode for free. No GEQ required with this one. Boosting the BAD, for example the flux drive works great on the clean channel. Grid slammer on crush increases the compression effect. Boosting the front end is not a necessity but some reviewers state the opposite. Bad sounds best with the EL34 power tubes. Not boxy at all. Preamp is well tuned so it lacks any midrange hump and it is not scooped like the Rectifier amps.

This is an excellent advice and well explained opinion! Wow. I am not familiar with the Badlander at all so thanks for the suggestion, I will have some digging to do. I like that it uses EL34, would be using the same stock I bought for the TC.

Thanks for your answer and take care
Cheers

 

[Guinness Lad]

I have owned a few, liked them all for various reasons -

Mark III - Good amp, only issue for me was blending of eq. The most Dumble like as the channels cascaded.
Mark Iv - Liked this better than the III, the harmonics and low power was awesome for lead sounds
Maverick - Liked the 2x12, but way too heavy
Express 5-25+ what I have now, can't find a fault, light, powerful enough, great clean, great lead (set gain low and cranked master more for a more open sound)
Preamp - Good, but a little too compressed on lead side
Tremoverb - Awesome, but I don't like giant heads, only reason I sold it, one of the best amps I've owned.
TA-15 - Great amp, but didn't like the clean on the American side would of preferred to have 2 of the left side

 

[Jorn218]

You guys must be rolling in dough. Mesa’s are expensive I’m not talking about the sale value either. Expensive to maintain aside from tubes. Not many work on them and in my state I wouldn’t let the techs from my region or te region to my north work on mine if they paid me. Maybe the Dallas area. But the cost of me driving to Dallas to have an amp worked on it’s just as easy to send to California. If they even still do that at the Hollywood store.

What I would love is to get a single channel Dual Rectifier (include voicings) global and solo volumes, series loop, Simulcast capability with the 5 bad graphic built in. I don’t need anything else. Here I have an amp that I only ever use a single channel for. I don’t need all te kitchen tools, just the ones I need.

 

[domct203]

I’ll agree that it is a challenge to find a good and reliable tech, luckily I did, too bad you’re not in the NE Tri-state area.

Any competent electronics tech will have no issues with Mesa gear. Be wary of those who advertise only for guitar amp repair, those are the ones who will struggle with Mesa gear.

And yes, Mesas are expensive new, but you get what you pay for IMHO.

What is it that you find expensive about maintaining a Mesa amp compared to other manufacturers, or just tube amps in general?

I find Mesa to make very reliable amps. Much more reliable than the Marshalls I’ve owned, a DSL with a bad PC board design and a 100H with a flaky mode switch and gain pot on ch 1.

There is not one pro player that does not have a backup amp ready to go at a show regardless of manufacturer, including Mesa players.

The more you use something the odds of an issue do increase, but this day and age that’s a universal issue.

I’ve owned many Mesa’s over the past 2 decades, besides the cost of power tubes, which all tube amps share, I’ve spent about $250 on ‘repair’ items with my tech over the years, and it was with only one of my amps.

I gigged a lot during the first decade of the 2000’s, 3-4 times a month plus rehearsals. One of my OEM power tubes blew and took out the fuse and a screen grid resistor, a very, very rare thing, but 100% covered by Mesa warranty (how I met my tech).

The other time spent at a tech (out of warranty) was for a cold solder joint found on a voltage regulator, the problem only occurred when using the footswitch, which I never did use as I use MIDI control. I was trying a new amp controller that used the footswitch jack instead of the external triggers when that problem showed up. It was most likely that way from the factory, and anyone using the foot switch regularly would have found out during warranty.

I have found Mesa gear to be very reliable with zero maintenance costs outside of tubes. Unexpected repairs are what they are.

Dom