Mesa Nomad 55 1x12 user ... soon to be!!

[Noseybonk]

Hi all

I have been on the look out for a good versatile combo for a long time, and i am on the verge of buying a Nomad 55 one speaker combo. I have heard the clean tones on them from various demos online and they sound superb, yet from what i heard on the F Series Boogies the cleans on them seem to "chime" more and have so much more clarity. Only thing is i think i want to go with the Nomad as it offers to much more versatility it seems and the dirty channels on it seem to be more decent sounding and give the additional vintage type option i'm looking for, not just a boost channel with shed load of gain for thrashing etc. I find the drive channels on the F series Boogies more flaccid/loose sounding and not quite thick enough for my liking. I prefer something with more punch and vintage cranked sounds ...

Would you agree that i am going for the right thing by choosing the 55w Nomad combo?? I have also heard that the sound can sound "Boxed in" with these particular 55w Nomad combos, and when i listen to them on youtube vid reviews etc the quality is always totally different 'til you hear them for real playing them yourself ... also i have a marshall 2x12 1936 cabinet that i was hope i could run it through and get a more expansive sound/clarity from it?? Reason i'm asking is because the guy who's selling me it lives nearly 200 miles away from me and i havent got the time to try it out but from most reviews online i feel like i should take the risk and take it off him as the price he is selling it for is crazy!! any feedback asap would be great thanks

 

[Crowbar]

I gigged a Nomad 55 for a good bit. A head though, I used a 2x12 then a 4x10 cab. I've never heard an F-series, I guess thats what replaced the Nomads on the price scale?

The Nomads have gotton some flak but I found it pretty useful in a classic rock/blues band. I usually used the clean channel, its ballsy when you want it to be. I'd keep one of the drive channels as low gain as I could and get a nice Cream/Allman Brothers type sound. Other drive channel I'd have lots of gain on but seldom ever use sounds like that.

So, the reason I got rid of it was just that I didn't really use it for what it is designed for. I've become a one channel player.

Also there are some long threads here on the simple mods to brighten the amp up if you feel it needs it. Look for "Mud Mod" in this forum.

 

[Noseybonk]

thanks very much for the reply ... i would understand if they are what were the next step up from the F series amps. I know a few people who still use the F series ones just purely because the cleans are so brilliant on them and just use their own dirty stompboxes for any dirty sounds etc, this Nomad 55 combo i'm getting though has 2 options for each of the 3 channels in vintage/modern. It's exactly what i'm looking for as i just want the glassy clean tones for more soul guitar style playing and the vintage low gain style settings on it for old Vox/Twin sounds and if i ever need it, the high gain is also there too. The 100 watt versions of the Nomads have an EQ too i think but i will just use an EQ unit myself to shape the sound i want a bit more.

I'm really looking forward to getting this amp but i've had to sell my old JCM900 50w head to make way for it which i used to use for the ROCK haha but it just doesn't offer me anything else but one thing really. The Nomad is so versatile so i think it's worth it. Some of the pre owned Nomad heads are still quite pricey mind and i've seen F series combos anywhere from £500 - £800!! I'm getting my Nomad 55 combo for just £300 and he's sending me it with some new EL-84 power tubes as the guy is desperate to get rid of it and just doesn't bother playing any more so i'm very lucky!! i will have to take it to a tech locally as i have no idea how to install/bias them :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

i just wondered if anyone has ran one of these combos through an extension cab like i want to do with my marshall 2x12 ... if i do that does it mean i have to cancel out the speaker in the combo to operate the other two in the extension cab?? i'm sure i heard that somewhere, i'm not much of a tech head so need advice!!

 

[the recluse]

Are you sure it's a Nomad 55? If the seller is including EL84 tubes it may be a Nomad 45, which is a slightly different beast.

The Nomad 55 and 100 can run on EL34 or 6L6 tubes, the Nomad 45 can only run on EL84s. Other differences include the aforementioned graphic EQ on the 100, and the Nomad 45 has an "Extreme" mode switch which the 55 and 100 do not have.

Overall they are very versatile amps, and there are many good sounds to be had but they can take a while to dial in. If you are getting a 55, I very strongly suggest looking over the Nomad modification threads in this forum as they have a lot of very useful information for bringing the most out of these ams.

 

[Noseybonk]

Hi Recluse ... hmmm that's interesting, i'm sure it is a 55 that he is selling me. I did a look up on it just then google and seem to have found a few bits of info about 55s with EL84s in them ... i think he has already got the tubes in the amp he has been using and the EL84s are a brand new set that he is sending with them ... also check out this thread it appears to mention that the 84s can be included on the 55??

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=59597

 

[Noseybonk]

also can someone link me the "Mud Mod" thread as i just searched it but had no luck finding it ... i'm usually pretty good at making amps sound even better and tinkering with them .... i use plenty of different EQ units too so no doubt they'll come in handy with the Nomad

 

[the recluse]

The EL84s can be used with Yellowjacket (or substitubes, etc.) tube converters. These are aftermarket parts, not part of the Nomad 55 itself.

 

[Noseybonk]

i wonder if he has got the type of the tubes named wrong then?? I'm sure the ones he's got are actually in Mesa Boogie little boxes as well .... strange!! will have to double check this with him before i take it off him :roll:


p.s when you say aftermarket parts, do you mean valves that aren't installed in the amp at the Mesa Factory when it comes out new but they are different ones from elsewhere that i can still be put in the amp if i wish?? Pardon my stupidity, i have no clue at all on tech issues with amps i just plug in and whatever sounds right for me i buy it haha!! i want to get in to tube amps and understand them more but everything i look at or read online doesnt sink in properly. need a valve amps for dummies book haha!! i know for sure though this amp is definitely what i want now though because of the vintage sounds i heard on it and the cleans, if they sound good on youtube videos which usually are low quality they're bound to sound even better when i play it for real and through the cab i have as well

 

[Noseybonk]

ahhhh i just found out what the yellow jackets are ... they permit the use of the 84s in place of any other valves in the amp ... they seem to cost a bit of a bomb though , they aren't just one for each valve are they?!

 

[RickyLee]

I have the Nomad 100 and use my 1936 cab with it. But my 1936 cab has G12-65's. Does your cab have the G12T-75's?

 

[Noseybonk]

i would have to double check that, i never asked what the speakers were as i just bought the 1936 cab brand new when my mate's guitar shop were getting rid of it for dirt cheap so snapped it up when i bought the JCM900 head i used with it :roll:

 

[Noseybonk]

just bought this and cleared it up, it is indeed a Nomad 45 ... so the EL84s will be fine .. i heard that i don't need to get them biased as there's a switch mode at the back which allows me to just run it on the EL84 tubes and slotting them in myself should be ok?? he's mailing me the combo with a new set of 84s separately

 

[Noseybonk]

http://postimage.org/image/ux60qny0j/]

http://postimage.org/image/iwkkpxqlv/

http://postimage.org/image/c7e19x59v/



here is the amp ... it's the 100w 1x12 isn't it?!?! this guy is a confused chap i think ... he told me its 45,55 now these pics suggest its a 100w???

 

[Tommy_G]

yep, 100

 

[Noseybonk]

will it go well through my marshall 1936 then?? i think i've struck a bit of a bargain for it actually!!

EDIT - Please refer to new thread about the 100w Nomad :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[RickyLee]

will it go well through my marshall 1936 then?? i think i've struck a bit of a bargain for it actually!!

EDIT - Please refer to new thread about the 100w Nomad :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I would think it should work well with that cab and the T-75's. A mix of T-75's and V30's might be unreal with the Nomad though.

I have another older JCM800 1936 that has two V30's in it. I will be digging it out one of these following days to give those speakers a try with my Nomad 100 & DC-10 as well.

 

[Noseybonk]

nice one mate sounds nice. i think a JCM800 will be on my shopping list again one day. I just gotten rid of my 50w JCM900 and a bit sad to see the back of that.

can't wait to try this Mesa though through the 75s' in the 1936 cab. even considering getting an Orange 2x12 in black as there's a good deal i know on one somewhere, and i have played through them cabs before they are just unreal how they compliment the amp you use through them ..... but i have more than enough for what i need with this 100 Nomad through the 1936 at the moment.