Head is spinning on variety

[Pinelake]

Placing this post here since I've been looking at the Express series. BUT... there are so many Mesa's past and present to consider. I'm an old Marshall tube guy (and now very confused). I have just lost out on all that Mesa has offered over the years.

Here's the question... what older vintage Mesa's should I be checking out that might give the same thrill ride as the Express series? Mark III combo, Blue Angel, etc.

Seems to be great deals on used Boogie equipment, although I've never bought used. I might consider a great used vintage amp by Mesa. Also, why do some amps say Mesa and others just Boogie?

Thanks!!!!
Indiana

 

[edward]

Hi Indiana,

Don't worry about the badge: some say Boogie, some Mesa/Boogie, and the newest Mesa Engineering ...no underlying significance to the badge like there is with, say, Gibson vs Epi.

Lots of old Mesas out there to give you great old-school vibe. May I say that the Express really is a great amp to capture Fender Blackface and still cover modern-OD tone superbly. The MkIII Simulclass is killer, IMHO, for capturing both ends of huge SF Fender clean (think Twin with volume, bottom, and shimmer) as well as great EL34 grind and raw OD flavor. I love this amp, and sold it reluctantly only because I could never exploit all its volume and tone. But a III with NOS EL34s and AT7s is a marvelous thing!!

Not too familiar with the orig MkI, but the I and II iterations really are closer to a Fender vibe that gets "pushed." You really need a pedal for decent OD with these, IMHO, whereas the III covers OD very well.

The DCs are superb amps, and my DC5 is and has been my #1 go-to-live amp for over a decade. It is a very versatile amp, and arguably the most versatile to cover a variety of tones because of the GEQ, two completely separate tube preamp sections, and tone/gain controls. I am heavily biased on this, so take that FWIW, but you just cannot go wrong with a DC 3, 5, or 10(a real beast, in a good way!).

Never tried the BlueAngel but it gets lots of love for those who "work" their guitar volume controls to shape their tones and dirt. From the MkIII onward, Boogs have more "modern" voicing, IMHO, though the MkV clearly is designed to cover all bases (you decide on that one).

Each Boog has its own flavor, so in the end, your ears reign. Hope that gives you a bit to chew on, though.

Edward

 

[Pinelake]

Thanks for the feedback.

While I've been tempted with the used market (nearly went for a Lonestar 1-12), I've decided my best comfort is with one off the show room floor. Buying sight-untested gives me the willies.

The Express series is in my price point and sounds like a respectable / versatile little monster. I'm still going to check out the Rivera's, but have a feeling that a Mesa will be the next part of my collection.

What a great forum here!
Indiana

 

[Newysurfer]

Mesa have made many great amps over the years. And no poor ones.
What you prefer is just a matter of needs and personal tastes.
Thery're all very different.
Test out a bunch and decide for yourself.
My personal favs are the Mark V, the Roadster, Express 5:50, Mark IV, Lonestar Classic, F50 & Stiletto.
I don't rate Rivera's highly - not versatile enuf for me :mrgreen:

 

[Heritage Softail]

Welcome to the board.

If you are near any Guitar Centers or big music stores there should be a few used Mesa's to kick tires on. I have only had two Mesa's, a Rectifier and a MKV, and one Rivera, a Knucklhead Tre.

Rivera - Opinions will vary but the Knuck Tre is a newer Rivera, don't even have an owners manual out specific to it yet on Rivera.com. It is a more modern metal take on a Rectifier. They took the MV from the clean channel and added a gain stage to the High Gain ch. They put a level master for the loop on the back of the amp so you engage the loop and have a global master volume. It makes the clean ch a non-master volume Marshall. Think the first Rush album. Excellent with a strat. The high gain ch is the most gain Rivera has put in an amp per the Rivera website. Crazy sick modern metal tone. Different voice than a Rectifier. Darker. More like a simplistic Roadster but a little more evil. Less fizzy more low end. Has a foundation setting to run a supplemental 15" cab and shake internal organs loose. One predominant voice. Love or hate type amp. It is a great second amp. I would not want it as my only amp unless I only played serious metal. It plays well with the SLO and MKV.

MKV is a great amp. If you can afford a new express, I would seriously consider saving for a used MKV for sale at a reputable music store. You can't go wrong with a MKV. It will not do a Rectifier, but it does great metal, rock, some nu-metal, country, blues, pretty good cleans. If you can walk a used MKV for 1600, that would be an awesome foundation amp to build lots of useful tones on.

 

[giorikas81]

I'd say that character wise all of the above have similar sounds (well not the rivera!!!) but at the same time their own thing going! Test drive must be your priority if you want to find yourself in an amp.

I am in a difficult/happy position at the same time.

I found the sound I was looking for in my head and it is a small EL-84 combo which is the f-30 (from the f-series). I love that amp for its distortion alone. It is also a kind of love hate type amp but I love it.

The next thing I always mention when I bring up my prefference is that unfortunately sometimes times your needs don't match up with the sound your after or a certain amp gives.

The world is filled with great, exceptional one-trick ponys. If I was a studio guy only I wouldn't mind (I'd want to!) having a three amp setup for a distinct sound exactly the way I want it from each amp.

I do need at least one good clean sound, one good heavy-rock/metal sound and a smooth lead sound. Kinda what everybody wants!!!


In this context a small amp like the f-30 whose EL84 I love as power tubes does not give me cleans, or rythm and lead at the same time in a live gig!!! Even its parallel loop is not useable enough for a clean volume boost.

I am trapped as a three channel guy in a 2 dirty channel format ha ha!!! So I play with its (semi-dirty) clean, kick in a pedal for heavy rythm (OD the clean channel is cool for that) and setting the volume differently in the lead channel for a great lead sound.



Still I'd want a three channel amp, with the f-30's lead sound at least. It is not happening!!!


As a result I'd point you to specify your needs first. If you are the only guitarist in a band then multiple channels, cleans and volume boost for your solos may not be required. Maybe you can get by and have fun with a plexi or even a 2 channel amp.


But if you need to cut through for your solos and have a decent clean and a separate rythm sound then you need at least a two channel amp with a good loop or solo boost. The mark III can even be a landmark for its sounds but is disfunctional. It only offers one good sound at the time due to shared eq and stacking gain structure. That also goes for studio calibers or .50+s and mark IIs. I really fully understand edward about the DC-5 with the two preamps going on.

The big 6L6 DC's are good enough but the parallel loop is something to think for that solo boost (I don't remember having a dedicated solo boost and I don't consider the graphic eq as one-you need it for the main sound).

The express (5:50) is an amp that can work for such a context. Loud enough good headroom and at last serial loop. Multi modes, may allow you to find what you are looking for at the same time!!!

The mark V is a complete/resolved amp. 3 separate channels, assignable eq/contour and solo boost for each. Great. Multi watt option. Greater!!! Even the weight is reasonable. The mark IV comes close but weighs a ton and has mix of power tubes capability which the mark V doesn't. You can have the EL34/6L6 at the same time going on and granted I tested crancked and got a bit deafer from great 6L6 amps and still didn't bond with the 6L6 thing that is something I'd want. The mark V does run EL34 though and people seem to like it better that way.





Sorry for the long post but I got at the same situation once as you!!! Getting to know the differences between mesa boogies feature wise and sound wise. I chose with my ears and also with weight and availability at the given time. I am more than happy with my choice tonally but not regarding live functionality!


If I were you I'd go for a mark V or IV. Probably a used IV Head or combo, they do the multi channel thing with solo boost, they have great cleans great rock sounds and great heavy sounds. Someone could mention the rectos. If that is your bag the same goes for the rectoverb or tremoverb etc. Multi channel, clean, trademark distortion and solo boost.

Still there are people that swear over their express, f-series f-50 f-100 etc and chose them over the marks/rectos. In all honesty the best sound I've heard recorded was an f-50. The cleans on f/express are supposes to give the marks a run for the money if not grab the first place!!!

 

[Pinelake]

These replies are very helpful. I do agree the only final course is to sit down and play a few amp selections for a good while. Having this input does give me sounding points and direction. Thanks again to all for their thoughts and the good narratives!

Indiana

 

[ifailedshapes]

I'll admit that because I have to go to bed at this very moment, I neglected to read all of the preceding posts. If anybody else already said what I'm about to, please forgive me. Anywho, there's no reason to draw a distinction between the latest Mesa amps and used gear. I bought my Express 5:25 (you guessed it) USED!

I am still amazed at the TONE of the Express series. It is not hyperbole when I say I think it's the single greatest value in the amp world today, especially when you can pick up a used one. This little sucker can just do so much.

I picked up my Express for $899, I think. While it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of its larger brothers, the sound is the most important part of an amp, and it's there in spades! I can sit in any musical genre and without much effort get a great tone on this amp. Love it, love it, love it!

Cheers, man. Good luck!