MesaBoogie Studio 22

[picoman]

Hi folks!
I have an option of buying Studio 22 (no + and no EQ) for 500$.
I found some youtube clips on the am and how it sound but mostly all the clips where for the + version with an EQ.
Can present owners of this amp maybe describe it a bit. I read that it has a great drive but Im alos interested in clean chanel and reverb.
Is it any good?

 

[74mk1]

Hi folks!
I have an option of buying Studio 22 (no + and no EQ) for 500$.
I found some youtube clips on the am and how it sound but mostly all the clips where for the + version with an EQ.
Can present owners of this amp maybe describe it a bit. I read that it has a great drive but Im alos interested in clean chanel and reverb.
Is it any good?

I didn't like the non eq... just was missing something... :? They get VERY hot! Will cause problems with time! I installed a small fan inside the cab and it helped dramatically. I had the eq...

 

[picoman]

****, never heard of this overheating issue.
R U shure you didnt have one with a defect or something like that...

 

[igfraso]

It is a well known issue.

 

[tonejam]

I wouldn't panic too much about the overheating issue. I've had a Studio 22 since 1990. I live in a semi tropical climate (Queensland Australia) and have never had a heating issue with the amp.
It's a great amp, I have the non EQ, and have never felt the need for it. All depends what kind of music you play, I guess.

 

[picoman]

Soooo no problems with heating then. But I dont understand why 74mk1 had to instal additional fan and tonejam who lives in Australia had no problmes at all.
Im interested in cleans form this amp. R they any good and reverb is it good also?
Can you get those chruncy tones for blues and classic rock with this amp?
Is this a 2 chanell amp?

 

[RR]

picoman, where do you live?

If you live near the Bay Area, California, I'll sell you mine Studio .22+ w/ EQ for $500!

No issues, in great shape, perhaps a 8.5 to 9 out of 10 scale. One small tear.

As of now, the two preamps V1, V2 has 5751 and 12AY tubes for a better balance between gain and clean channel. It does blues and classic rock. You would have to change the preamp tubes back to 12AX7s if you more gain (metal territory).

I don't want to ship it because of all the horror story during delivery.

PM me if you are interested.

 

[Markedman]

There is an article in one of these posts not that far back that describes the Studio 22+ as having the best "lead voice" of any boogie amp. A Parametric or Graphic Equalizer in the loop with get you metal along with a Boss metal zone pedal, but why? A Mark lll is made for metal and can be bought for $500, I paid less for mine, if it's metal sounds you're after, get a Mark lll not the 22. For Fender blues or 70's rock no EQ is needed and the 22 fits excellently. I bought one off Craigslist for $350 and sold it for $450, it's a loud and wonderful amp, I just ran out of space for a million and 1 amps.

 

[McBarry]

Heating, or rather overheating is DEFINITELY a known issue.
As an example( no, it doesn't prove the rule, but combined with accumulated knowledge and reports from around the globe, I'd profer it's a fair example), here's a board that I repaired about 6 months ago. The whole area above the EL84's was very heat effected - this small area shows a tiny bit of the story..
It lived it's life in Sydney and Canberra, had done quie a few miles and had been very well cared for - cosmetically and electrically.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64062

I'll almost bet Tonejam's amp does have heating evidence on the PCB, but happy to be wrong....

Re Markedman suggestion of go for a Mk III - WEIGHT.
The 22 is a much lighter amp. Yep, tradeoff will be variety of sounds, but if you can live with what the 22 does, I'd take one any day of the week over any of my Marks.. After all, I ain't no strapping foootball muscle-bound hero I used to dream I was.... hehehhehe

 

[tonejam]

There may well be evidence of heat issues in my amp, as McBarry suggests. What I'm saying, is that in 23 years of use, I've never had my amp fail due specifically to overheating (unless abused...I once ran the sucker for 2 hours with no speaker attached, it failed bigtime then!).
My tech has never suggested I need a fan, and he's worked on a lot of Boogies. That said, a fan is an inexpensive mod, so why not go for it? Could also depend on how hard you push your amp, I guess.
Incidentally, I was the guy who posted the quote from the Guitar Player magazine 1980's review, where the Studio 22 was described as having the best (overdrive) lead voice available at the time. I thought that was amazing, seeing as it was the cheapest Boogie available, and that's why I bought my amp.
If you want to play blues and rock, the amp is ideal.

 

[74mk1]

 

[picoman]

Guys thanx!
Well Im mainy into blues and classic rock, you got that right.
For something havier I would probably use a pedal.
But this heating problem kinda pushed me off a bit
****!
What aboth cleans on this amp?
R they any good?
Remember plase that Im talking aboth non eq version of the amp!

 

[tonejam]

The Studio 22 clean sound is really nice, you can get nice Fender-ish clean. However, if you want LOUD clean, and I mean loud enough to compete with a solid rock drummer, you're gonna find the amp starts to break up pretty early, like around 6-7 on the master volume. Of course, for blues and rock, this can be a good thing! The break up is nice and musical.
I wouldn't fret about the possibility of heating issues, when they can be so easily and cheaply overcome.
I have the non-eq version, never found the need for it. If you do, just stick an equalizer pedal in the effects loop.

 

[picoman]

Thanx for the info man.
Can you tell me aboth reverb, is it any good, analog or digital?
Can you get a quiet overdrive sound (for bedroom practice) using the volume or master knobs?

 

[tonejam]

The reverb is OK, not great. That's because its not a full size reverb tank, its smaller than most. The reverb is analog, spring reverb. Mesa don't DO digital. You can ask an amp tech to replace the small reverb tank with a full-size one, it will fit. I've done this, and it makes a big difference.
Yes, you certainly can get bedroom level overdrive. Just footswitch to overdrive channel, and turn the master right down.

 

[picoman]

R we talking aboth same amp*!!?!
I thought this was one chanel amp?!?


So there are 2 chanels, clean and drive, that you can swithc using only footswitch?

 

[tonejam]

That's right. Both channels share the same tone controls. You hit the footswitch, it's like stomping on an overdrive pedal. A VERY good overdrive pedal.

Have a read through this:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/Studio%2022%20Plus.pdf

The Studio 22+ has a separate volume control for the overdrive channel, that's the only difference.

 

[picoman]

Can you control the amont of gain (saturation) on this amp so I dont only have a very clean to very gainy option?
I read something aboth "lead mod"...

 

[selectortone]

Most good sounding EL84-based amps run very hot. You could fry an egg on my old AC30. Never had a problem with my Studio 22+ and have gigged regularly with it for several years. Output tubes need to be changed every couple of years - that's the nature of the beast.

Lead drive mod is very useful and gives you much more control over balancing the volume of the rhythm and lead modes.

I've had many amps - Marshall, Sound City, Fender, Vox, Selmer, Mesa-Boogie, and the Studio 22+ is right up there in terms of tone, versatility and utility (the lighter weight is a big bonus for my ageing back).

 

[artisan4]

The Studio 22 seems similar to my Rocket 44.