fusguitar
Well-known member
http://www.mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/electric/california-tweed-series/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKC33DVkz1c
Single channel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKC33DVkz1c
Single channel!
New Mesa amp "California Tweed (6V6 4:Forty)"
- Thread starter fusguitar
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deeman
Well-known member
That looks really nice.
I think I read on this forum a while back that Mesa was working on three new things. Since then, there has been the Rosette, Fillmore and now this Tweed 4:40. Maybe the Triple Crown was even one (I don't remember the timing of the "three more new amps" comment).
Was hoping for a Mark VI somewhere in there.
. Guess I'll have to keep waiting!
Was hoping for a Mark VI somewhere in there.
. Guess I'll have to keep waiting!UpNorthMark
Well-known member
Yeah a new Mark series amp would be nice. These more vintage style amps don’t appear to get much interest on the board here, maybe they sell better than I would think but something a little more modern and versatile would be to my liking.
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Looks and sound really nice.
stephen sawall
Well-known member
mace said:I think I read on this forum a while back that Mesa was working on three new things. Since then, there has been the Rosette, Fillmore and now this Tweed 4:40. Maybe the Triple Crown was even one (I don't remember the timing of the "three more new amps" comment).
Was hoping for a Mark VI somewhere in there.
It came from a conversation I had with Randy.
The three amps are the Triple Crown, Fillmore and California Tweed.
At that time a few years ago there was no plan for a Mark VI.
Like everyone else looking forward to playing on the California Tweed.
I'll have to check out a 4:40 next time I get to town.
As far as the next Mark: I hope this isn't the end of the line right now (V and JPIIc+).
Was curious that they didn't include cab-clone in there. I see the Fillmore doesn't have it either.
As far as the next Mark: I hope this isn't the end of the line right now (V and JPIIc+).
Was curious that they didn't include cab-clone in there. I see the Fillmore doesn't have it either.
fusguitar
Well-known member
mace said:
I suppose that the absence of cab-clone is just for the flavor of an old school-vintage amp (with the exception of power scaling of course).
I am interested in this amp. I bet it will sound really good in person.
8)
8)
Well, I could not wait for the videos to pop up on the net. Sweet. It did sound a bit dark at first. Had too much bass dialed in but the speaker is the main contributor as it sounds green (new, needs to be broken in). Had the amp a little over a week now. Oh yeah the tone is really blossoming. Since the current Mesa demo did not have any higher gain settings, I had to find out for myself how this amp would react. Now that put a smile on my face. Point blank, this amp is no for you heavy metal players if you expect to be playing Metallica through it, well perhaps if you add the flux drive and grid slammer and a sustain pedal up front. Throw on the 5BGEQ in the loop.... and.. it is not a Mark amp. Damn does it sound so good though. I finally love my strats even more than I thought I could. For those wondering, with the amp sans effects with the gain pushed up on the high input it is very similar to the TC-50 on the clean channel in drive mode. Similar does not mean it is identical. I will have to throw in a pair of 6V6 into the TC-50 and run it again. Just to point out, I have an old Blackbird that I broke in with the Mark V combo so I recued it from the storage box and loaded it into the widebody open back extension cab. So that is what I was running the TC-50 through and not the vertical 212 cab I would normally use. I liked the TC-50 with the blackbird speaker. I found I can dial back on the bass control on CH2 and CH3 and it still sounded great. Anyways before I ramble too much... the California tweed is a fun amp to play though. Loving it. Have the matchig 112 on its way to pair up with it. Reason for the blackbird ressurection, I was waiting for the amp to arrive and wondered how it would sound with the TC-50 just for kicks. Mainly to pair it up with the CA Tweed. Well the verdict on the amp with two speakers made it much louder (obviously) which meant more goodness. I would recommend if you decide to try one out, keep in mind it may sound a bit dark at first. The amp is not dark as I tried it though the Vertical 212 cab. Hint, drop the bass when you try one out if the amp was not used all that much. This amp has a nice bark to it too with some bit but that will get better with speaker break in. Every day I have been playing through the amp and it keeps getting better. I am impressed with it. Sure there is the Fillmore but for some reason that one in particular did not interest me but that also sounds good too. I know the guitar in the picture is not a strat. It was what I first grabbed to try out the amp.
fusguitar
Well-known member
@bandit2013
Nice! We want some clips, you know, right? 8)
Do i see a Lonestar on the left with different knobs?
Nice! We want some clips, you know, right? 8)
Do i see a Lonestar on the left with different knobs?
ifailedshapes
Well-known member
fusguitar said:
Looks like an Electra Dyne to me.
ifailedshapes
Well-known member
For those who own this, how does the clean compare with Mesa's other clean offerings: specifically Electra Dyne, Lone Star, Mark V?
I have an affinity for Boogies, but I'm not a high gain player. Y'all would be appalled at my Mark V settings, LOL! The CA Tweed intrigues me, but I could pick up a used Lone Star for half the cost. I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.
I have an affinity for Boogies, but I'm not a high gain player. Y'all would be appalled at my Mark V settings, LOL! The CA Tweed intrigues me, but I could pick up a used Lone Star for half the cost. I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.
fusguitar
Well-known member
ifailedshapes said:fusguitar said:
Looks like an Electra Dyne to me.
Oops...i think you're right! :lol:
How the CAT or CT sounds like relative to a Mark V clean channel? Quite different. MKV Clean and fat, still different. MKV Tweed voice not even close. Come to think of it, the Roadster also has a tweed voice. Nope, not the same thing. The trick to this amp is the speaker (in part). It has a nice sparkling chime that I cannot get with a ceramic driver. Also has a bold bottom end with balanced tone though out, not flat like an EV but close enough. Tried it though the V30 loaded cab, MC90 in a widebody open back cab, EV in a 112 cab, and the Organic Timbre Rhapsody in the Mark V. The closest response to the Blackbird speaker was the EVM 12L. Second closest went to the V30 in the Vertical 212 cab (yeah, you did read that correctly, vert 212 has good overall balance of tone). The MC90 was ok but offered too much low end pick attack. What amp sounds very close to the CT was the TC-50 running the clean channel loaded with EL34 pushing a blackbird I loaded up in the open back 112 widebody cab. I actually liked the TC-50 with the blackbird on the clean channel (normal or drive). Since I removed the blackbird from the extension cab to install the MC90 just for that "what if.." thing. I did not like it that much. Mesa definitely got a good match with the amp. As for a Lonestar, never really played though one. Clean channel on the RA100 is almost similar as I can dial it from clean to gritty. I think the range on the RA100 is a bit more than the CT. Without any pedals, the CT does grind quite well but is a softer clip that what you would get with a different amp. Considering there is some similarity of the RA and TC, I would not doubt that the Dyne would not be far off. Tone is a bit more neutral than a British Voiced amp but surprisingly the TC-50 is much closer than I expected it to be (through the blackbird speaker of course). For those wondering what was sitting next to the Cali tweed in the first picture, here is another angle but without the pedals in the picture. As a size reference, it is basically the same size as a Mark V combo, perhaps an inch or so taller but that is about it. Also not as heavy either. I will be working on making a video soon, just have not found the time to work on it. I will shoot for this coming weekend if possible. Also have been working on my strat in correcting noise issues as it has been a problem since day one (waiting on materials to shield the cavity and pickguard). My other strats do not have single coil pickups as they are some form of humbucker. May end up changing that as I really love this amp and how the strat sounds through it. My other guitars sound great too. Have two models I have not tried yet, one with active tone controls, Carvin DC400 and the other is a Kiesel DC600 with piezo Floyd Rose Ghost bridge. Difficult to say how I would rate the clean channel vs the other Mesa amps, very similar but yet not the same. It is not all about the speaker exactly as I did try it though other common speakers. That blackbird is part of the gooey filling along with the 6V6 power section, the preamp is the cake part and the covering is the icing on the top.
You people were close..... Not a Lonestar, getting warmer on the Electra Dyne....
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You people were close..... Not a Lonestar, getting warmer on the Electra Dyne....
I am also enjoying the California Tweed combo I purchased a couple of months ago. This is my second Mesa amp - I have owned the Express + 5:25 for about five years now. I love that amp and purchased the California Tweed to enjoy some new and different tones, not to overlap with or replace the Express. I have found the two amps to be very different, each great in its own way.
It took me some time to get a handle on the controls. But with some experimentation and the owners manual I have hit on a range of rich clean and overdriven tones. I have been setting the mids and bass low, around 9:00 plus or minus, and the treble and presence around noon, plus or minus, and adjust the bass with the gain. The master volume and multi-watt selector work great together.
I haven't found the need for a lot of pedals with this amp. Sounds great on its own. Have only been using a tremolo and overdrive so far. I have been running the combo in tandem with my compact widebody closed back cabinet. They sound great together.
Any other new owners out there? It would be nice to hear from other people on their initial experiences with this amp.
It took me some time to get a handle on the controls. But with some experimentation and the owners manual I have hit on a range of rich clean and overdriven tones. I have been setting the mids and bass low, around 9:00 plus or minus, and the treble and presence around noon, plus or minus, and adjust the bass with the gain. The master volume and multi-watt selector work great together.
I haven't found the need for a lot of pedals with this amp. Sounds great on its own. Have only been using a tremolo and overdrive so far. I have been running the combo in tandem with my compact widebody closed back cabinet. They sound great together.
Any other new owners out there? It would be nice to hear from other people on their initial experiences with this amp.
Will
Member
What I love about the California Tweed is that it seems to capture the best of both worlds of Mesa and Fender. I do not own the California Tweed combo, but I do have the Tweed 23 1x12 cab with the same Jensen Black Bird speaker. I cannot believe how amazing this speaker sounds! Some of the most timeless Fenders, such as the Tweed Bassman and Deluxe, the Twin Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb, were originally loaded with Jensen speakers. The Black Bird is rich and full, with great bottom, but has those sparkling, chimes Fender highs. I would say the California Tweed has everything a vintage Fender has, and then some...
