Looking for a 1x12 combo/first Mesa amp

[kriskross179]

Long story short, I'm moving to North Carolina in about a year and want to simplify my rig since I'll be selling most of it off to make the move easier anyway. Right now, I'm using a Peavey Classic 30 head into a matching Peavey 112E cab with an eminence Private Jack speaker. Great amp, however I'm not hauling all that with me and I'd like to use this as an excuse to try a more modern "American" sounding amp for a while just for fun.

As far as guitars go, I play a G&L Legacy Special with stock rail pickups and a modded Douglas 335-alike. I'm looking for something versatile that can go from John Mayer and Los Lonely Boys(...don't laugh) to Better Than Ezra, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, Foo Fighters, etc. I'm not really into the super saturated and heavy thing, but I'd like to be able to have that available for kicks and when I feel like experimenting. More or less I'm just after some really nice rock tones with a modern twist. I love the live tones that Better Than Ezra gets in particular, I'm pretty sure they use Rectoverbs.

So which of the DC, F Series, Nomad, Rectoverb, and Express lines would be the best at giving me a good introduction to Mesa? Is there any line in particular that I should avoid, or are they all a good fit and I should just go with whichever I can get a better deal on?

Also, should I try to avoid the el84 models of the amps that I've mentioned above since I don't want a British/Marshally sounding amp, or doesn't that really matter? Do these amps tend to respond well to Tube Screamer type overdrive pedals and boosts, and is it easy to get decent tones at lower volumes with any of these amps?

Thanks in advance!

 

[zappaslaughter]

LoneStar Classic?

the 1 x 12 combo is a tank however.

 

[greatbigtex]

Also, should I try to avoid the el84 models of the amps that I've mentioned above since I don't want a British/Marshally sounding amp, or doesn't that really matter? Do these amps tend to respond well to Tube Screamer type overdrive pedals and boosts, and is it easy to get decent tones at lower volumes with any of these amps?

I currently play a Nomad 45 1x12 combo, and despite the power tube section, I haven't gotten too hung up on the British tone. The amp is pretty versatile - I used to gig in a traditional country band, and I was able to get by fairly convincingly using the Nomad's Channel 1 and a thinline Tele.

I also have used a Tube Screamer, but that was with the 3rd channel of the Nomad, and was intentionally going for a more British tone. The amp responds well to the boost.

 

[Don]

I'm a first time Mesa player myself.

I've had a new Express 5:50 for about 3 weeks and love it.

It's a very flexible amp with great, Fender blackface like cleans and more gain than I'll ever use.

It's great for jazz, even surf (the reverb is fantastic) as well as modern rock styles. You might need boost to get the gain you'd need for Foo Fighters songs though.

Carrying it is a bit hard on my bad back, but, at about 52 pounds, it would be fine for someone with a healthy back.

I also tried an F50 (cleans not as nice as the 5:50, though even more gain), a Lonestar Classic (better clean sound, but I wanted a more modern high gain sound), a 5:25 (nice size and weight, but sounded small and boxey compared to the others, especially after hearing the LSS), a Marshall DSL401 (no comparison to any of the Mesas, clean or dirty) and a few other amps.

I've been playing Fender all tube combos (Vibrolux Reverb, Concert 4-10, Princeton Reverb, tweed Deluxe (5E3) clone, etc...exclusively for the past 25+ years.

 

[dr_iggi]

I had a 5:25 10in. Never bonded with it. As Don said, the package is great, but it is certainly a compromise. The new 5:25 12in might take care of previous issues and still have a package smaller and lighter than the 5:50. I am waiting for a Zinky Blue Velvet 25W that I would like to test before considering Mesa again.

 

[rvschulz]

the OP sounds like he needs a Mark III ...