New Mesa/Boogie Rack Product Ideas

[MesaGod666]

I would have to agree with you, because the Road King IS a Dual Rectifier amp, and its heavy modern sound is the same as what you'd get in a traditional Dual Recto. But of course you really want to pair it with the 2:100 Recto power amp to get the most authentic recto tone. It wouldn't sound the same with any other power amp in the Mesa lineup.

Definitely pair the Recto Pre with the 2:100 power section especially if you want that tube recto sag.

Since I mostly do metal tones, the 2:90 in Modern sounds pretty close to the aggro sound of a recto, but you have to tame the highs as the fizz tends to hair out more than usual. Actually, it doesn't really sound the same. It definitely has more color...it sounds unique, but closer to the recto than anything else. I would say that the Recto/2:90 combo has it's own thing going on, but it's definitely colorful.

 

[gregr]

Definitely pair the Recto Pre with the 2:100 power section especially if you want that tube recto sag.

Except that the 2:100 uses diodes.

 

[Mister Joshua]

You know i have been jonesing for a triaxis simply because it is rack mount, stereo, and MIDI, and of course sounds good. But i saw the Quad the other day in a friend's rig. Could we have a new one of those?

Peace, Joshua

 

[Fleflo]

You know i have been jonesing for a triaxis simply because it is rack mount, stereo, and MIDI, and of course sounds good. But i saw the Quad the other day in a friend's rig. Could we have a new one of those?

Peace, Joshua

Yeah, the Quad is great. It would be nice to be able to save presets though.

 

[mxr2000]

How about an anniversary Quad preamp with all the best futures from the past preamp like

1) as dynamic and touch sensitive like the Original Studio preamp.

2) A great Footswitch so versatile like the one that is use on the mark V.

3) Midi controllable

4) Modern/Vintage switch for those that owned all past mark series amps and preamps like me and now own a new Mark V you understand this request.

5) Channel Blend like the Quad to achieve new sounds

6) capability to use different settings and presets, that way you don't to be limited to use just one mode from Rhythm,lead or EQ . this way the preamp capacity use would be almost limitless

 

[SonicProvocateur]

People these days expect so much of digital gadgets, or hardcore tone from managable simplicity. I dont think an upgraded Triaxis or reissue Quad would do the trick...

No...we need a Quadaxis! :wink:

 

[dbone]

How about a mono power amp!
Oh and bring back the high gain amp switcher

 

[Jackie]

People these days expect so much of digital gadgets, or hardcore tone from managable simplicity. I dont think an upgraded Triaxis or reissue Quad would do the trick...

No...we need a Quadaxis! :wink:

Good idea :mrgreen:

But I think a TriAxis update WOULD do the trick. I like the TriAxis but I think it's too much Mark and not enough other Mesa amps.

 

[scottkahn]

How about a mono power amp!
Oh and bring back the high gain amp switcher

I love the idea of a mono power amp, but even better would be a new power amp design that does a stereo-to-mono summing at the flip of a switch so you can have a stereo rig except when you can't take advantage, like showing up at a club and they'll put one mic on your cab and that's it, or you want to gig with only one mono cab, etc.

As for the HGAS, note that it was never a formally manufactured product in their line. It was purely a make-to-order deal for their Mesa artists who needed it. That item makes no business sense for them these days. Besides, there are numerous products on the market now for switching between multiple amps. If you want multiple amp switching with an FX loop to share your pedals in front of all the rigs, check out the Radial JX-44 that I reviewed this past year: it's a killer choice.
http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitars/2011/0411_RadialJX44.php

Scott

 

[dbone]

I was thinking more along the lines of the Mark V power section in a rack form.

 

[little-b]

I agree w/ the quad update.(of all the killer triaxis preamps Ive demo'ed over the years, I keep comin back to the quad pre) and,..w/diezel and a few others coming out with new preamps soon,this would be a GREAT time to update the quad preamp..plus,there seems to be a new interest in all things rackable..

 

[Darth Bacelar]

Antoher one agree with the quad update, that little thing have a nice fanbase here And I agree with a power section in rack form from the Mark V, and it would be great if the features will be accesible witch switches instead of connecting cables. Maybe for the triaxis works very well, but if you use another pre with 2:90, you have a lot a cables connected to who knows XD

 

[denrad]

Hey all,

I believe the successor to the Triaxis may be called the "Transaxis" (if going by Mesa Boogie trademarking this name is any indication, as discussed in previous posts...)

I have a feeling that they may be working on it right now. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I'd love if it was announced at NAMM next year.

I'll chip in and put across some ideas for the new preamp (if it's not too late that is!!!!) Some of these are already mentioned by others:

* Knobs - similar to the motorised knobs to that of the Soldano X99 Preamp.

* Motorised EQ knobs.

* No compromise in tone or features ( I was disappointed with the omission of certain switches/knobs (e.g: Pull Deep) on the Mark V. Don't get me wrong, technically this amp was quite an achievement. I thought the Cleans and the Crunch channels/modes were awesome. But I couldn't replicate my settings and tones of my Mark 2C+'s on the Lead channel, like I could with the Triaxis. To my ears, the Mark 2C+ mode of the Triaxis sounds closer to the 2C+ than the Mark V does. I felt restricted on the lead channel of the Mark V.

* An expansion on the available modes. Going by the name of Transaxis (assuming this is the name), I think we could expect they will implement the recent developments achieved with the Transatlantic series of amps. New Modes for VOX and Marshall (Plexi) in addition to the current Fender and Boogie Modes would be awesome! But I hope it doesn't emit certain features such as the lack of A Presence knob as with the Royal Atlantic).

I want this thing to give the Axe FX a run for it's money, as far as the number of amp models are concerned. I know, I know, the Axe FX can't beat tubes for realism and quality, but if the Transaxis were able to have many more Modes available, it'd be killer!

* A tougher interface. I'm sure many of us have come across many used Triaxis' that had flaws with the face of the unit (buttons, digital no's). I think having motorised knobs or another similar idea should overcome this.

* I wouldn't mind if it "HAD" to be 2 backspaces high, as this would be a small price to pay for more features.


Additional Power Amp features (to the successor of the Simul 2:90):

These may be unrealistic or overkill, but here goes:

* Now, how can they achieve a power amp that can cater for 8 x 6L6 + 8 x EL34 and other possible tubes, without switching them out is maybe wishful thinking! But they did achieve this to some extent with the Road King. I thought the voicing of the Crunch channels via the 6L6's on the Mark V was quite an achievement. So maybe they don't need to cater for sixteen :shock: power tube sockets on the successor of the Simul 290 power amp, if they voice the British modes on the Transaxis & the power amp right for 6L6's.

* At least having the option of using 6L6's or EL34's in the same sockets would be cool.

* The power amp may need to close in on the attack that is felt to that of a head (if it hasn't been achieved already with the Simul 2:90). I haven't played through a 2:90, so I don't know... maybe others can chime in here, correct me if I'm wrong!.....When running my Triaxis through the Return input of the FX loop of my 2C+, I felt it wasn't as tight as the 2C+ going by itself with the identical settings (minus the 2C+'s EQ) through the same speakers. Otherwise it did "sound" identical to me. It just felt slower and not as urgent in the attack compared to the 2C+ by itself when doing a certain type of percussive chugging on the low strings. I hope this makes sense!

* If Mesa Boogie feels the need to use a smaller coupling capacitor for the Mark 2C+ mode (as they did with the 2C+ mode of the Mark V), then please allow for the larger value coupling capacitor to also be available to be switched in....to whatever mode is being used.

* And finally, built-in attenuator/s in the power amp would obviously be beneficial.

What do you guys think?

 

[MesaGod666]

Hey all,

I believe the successor to the Triaxis may be called the "Transaxis" (if going by Mesa Boogie trademarking this name is any indication, as discussed in previous posts...)

No. TransAxis is actually a bass amp feature.

* Knobs - similar to the motorised knobs to that of the Soldano X99 Preamp.

* Motorised EQ knobs.

I very much disagree. Having toured extensively with both heads and rack gear, I am certain that knobs lend themselves to damage and increased user error. I quite like the Triaxis as is in terms of visibility of the settings on a very dark stage as well as the durability of the buttons. It is unmatched.

I would like to see a more proficient overall settings editor much like the Axe-Fx or POD software. It would be great to custom edit those DV EQ's into the preamp with more flexibility. I wouldn't mind if it took up an extra rack space, but I would be amazed if they could keep it a 1U rack space while maintaining all of the ALL TUBE goodness that is Mesa/Boogie.

* No compromise in tone or features ( I was disappointed with the omission of certain switches/knobs (e.g: Pull Deep) on the Mark V. Don't get me wrong, technically this amp was quite an achievement. I thought the Cleans and the Crunch channels/modes were awesome. But I couldn't replicate my settings and tones of my Mark 2C+'s on the Lead channel, like I could with the Triaxis. To my ears, the Mark 2C+ mode of the Triaxis sounds closer to the 2C+ than the Mark V does. I felt restricted on the lead channel of the Mark V.

* An expansion on the available modes. Going by the name of Transaxis (assuming this is the name), I think we could expect they will implement the recent developments achieved with the Transatlantic series of amps. New Modes for VOX and Marshall (Plexi) in addition to the current Fender and Boogie Modes would be awesome! But I hope it doesn't emit certain features such as the lack of A Presence knob as with the Royal Atlantic).

I disagree yet again on all counts. The Mark V is simply the best Mark amp ever built by Mesa. The Triaxis (while a fantastic preamp) is built specifically to sound good in a live setting. Bogging it down with anything other than Mesa tones would be pointless. I also believe the Mark V is a great compromise for both live and studio applications. I suggest checking out what John Petrucci thinks about the Mark V and how he's using it both in the studio and in a live setting.

I agree that the Transatlantic tones ought to be considered as a circuit board upgrade for the Triaxis in place of the current LD1 RED tone. I also like the fact that Mesa has a dedicated Recto Recording Preamp. That was such a great move.

I want this thing to give the Axe FX a run for it's money, as far as the number of amp models are concerned. I know, I know, the Axe FX can't beat tubes for realism and quality, but if the Transaxis were able to have many more Modes available, it'd be killer!

I own an Axe II and I can tell you that (while it works terrific as an FX processor and can be used live for minimal stage volume) it is designed primarily for recording purposes. I think that our friends at Mesa need consider a more robust and lush DI sounding output on ALL of their amps as it is fast becoming an industry standard (both for live and studio). The technology is available. I'm hoping Mesa is considering it.

Additional Power Amp features (to the successor of the Simul 2:90):

These may be unrealistic or overkill, but here goes:

* Now, how can they achieve a power amp that can cater for 8 x 6L6 + 8 x EL34 and other possible tubes, without switching them out is maybe wishful thinking! But they did achieve this to some extent with the Road King. I thought the voicing of the Crunch channels via the 6L6's on the Mark V was quite an achievement. So maybe they don't need to cater for sixteen :shock: power tube sockets on the successor of the Simul 290 power amp, if they voice the British modes on the Transaxis & the power amp right for 6L6's.

* At least having the option of using 6L6's or EL34's in the same sockets would be cool.

* The power amp may need to close in on the attack that is felt to that of a head (if it hasn't been achieved already with the Simul 2:90). I haven't played through a 2:90, so I don't know... maybe others can chime in here, correct me if I'm wrong!.....When running my Triaxis through the Return input of the FX loop of my 2C+, I felt it wasn't as tight as the 2C+ going by itself with the identical settings (minus the 2C+'s EQ) through the same speakers. Otherwise it did "sound" identical to me. It just felt slower and not as urgent in the attack compared to the 2C+ by itself when doing a certain type of percussive chugging on the low strings. I hope this makes sense!

* If Mesa Boogie feels the need to use a smaller coupling capacitor for the Mark 2C+ mode (as they did with the 2C+ mode of the Mark V), then please allow for the larger value coupling capacitor to also be available to be switched in....to whatever mode is being used.

* And finally, built-in attenuator/s in the power amp would obviously be beneficial.

What do you guys think?

While it would be nice to have an EL34 based poweramp, most of these recommendations are wholly unnecessary.

 

[Whoopysnorp]

* Now, how can they achieve a power amp that can cater for 8 x 6L6 + 8 x EL34 and other possible tubes, without switching them out is maybe wishful thinking! But they did achieve this to some extent with the Road King. I thought the voicing of the Crunch channels via the 6L6's on the Mark V was quite an achievement. So maybe they don't need to cater for sixteen :shock: power tube sockets on the successor of the Simul 290 power amp, if they voice the British modes on the Transaxis & the power amp right for 6L6's.

Eight on a side? Do you plan on using this amp for demolition purposes, or what? This isn't 1968, when your guitar rig was expected to be able to be heard throughout an entire arena without assistance from a PA.

 

[vipmetal]

I haven't read all of this topic, but some new rack gear would be awesome. I have Rectifier preamp and although it have taken some beating here on Boogie board, I like it very much! But if new TriAxis with a "real" Rectifier circuit would come up, I would surely buy one. But this day U cannot get Rectifier tone out of TriAxis. So when it's my main tone, I have to have Recto preamp. Ok, I surely could buy one Triaxis with Roctron Patchmate Loop8 to switch between two preamps, but it would be too heavy... Good suggestions here. =) But I believe that we rack fans have been neglected for so many years and this won't change in near future... =/

 

[V!N]

I believe that we rack fans have been neglected for so many years and this won't change in near future... =/

If anything, it will only get worse. Some of my fellow rack-luggers went back to old fashioned amplifiers and pedals, but most of them made the switch to modelling equipment. There's just no denying that these gizmos are starting to sound really convincing and even there, I think the "traditional" hardware modellers are on the way out.
Kids around here already bring their laptops with Guitar Rig Pro or Amplitube to gigs, Orange released a portable roadworthy PC just for that purpose and DigiTech has a floorboard that will eat your iPad with all the replaceable and updateable software you need.

It's no longer feasible for Mesa/Boogie - or any company, for that matter - to develop a new rack preamp that will cost much more than a gizmo and offer only a fraction of the sonic possibilities. The best we can expect are some updated or upgraded power amps, voiced to work better with modelling equipment.

 

[ryjan]

I believe that we rack fans have been neglected for so many years and this won't change in near future... =/

If anything, it will only get worse. Some of my fellow rack-luggers went back to old fashioned amplifiers and pedals, but most of them made the switch to modelling equipment. There's just no denying that these gizmos are starting to sound really convincing and even there, I think the "traditional" hardware modellers are on the way out.
Kids around here already bring their laptops with Guitar Rig Pro or Amplitube to gigs, Orange released a portable roadworthy PC just for that purpose and DigiTech has a floorboard that will eat your iPad with all the replaceable and updateable software you need.

It's no longer feasible for Mesa/Boogie - or any company, for that matter - to develop a new rack preamp that will cost much more than a gizmo and offer only a fraction of the sonic possibilities. The best we can expect are some updated or upgraded power amps, voiced to work better with modelling equipment.

Yup. Mesa should just throw in the towel because nobody buys tube amps anymore. No big name artist uses the Triaxis. And that Quad and Racktifier have only a fraction of the sonic capability of a PC. :roll:

 

[V!N]

I believe that we rack fans have been neglected for so many years and this won't change in near future... =/

If anything, it will only get worse. Some of my fellow rack-luggers went back to old fashioned amplifiers and pedals, but most of them made the switch to modelling equipment. There's just no denying that these gizmos are starting to sound really convincing and even there, I think the "traditional" hardware modellers are on the way out.
Kids around here already bring their laptops with Guitar Rig Pro or Amplitube to gigs, Orange released a portable roadworthy PC just for that purpose and DigiTech has a floorboard that will eat your iPad with all the replaceable and updateable software you need.

It's no longer feasible for Mesa/Boogie - or any company, for that matter - to develop a new rack preamp that will cost much more than a gizmo and offer only a fraction of the sonic possibilities. The best we can expect are some updated or upgraded power amps, voiced to work better with modelling equipment.

Yup. Mesa should just throw in the towel because nobody buys tube amps anymore. No big name artist uses the Triaxis. And that Quad and Racktifier have only a fraction of the sonic capability of a PC. :roll:

You may have missed a few bits, I put some in bold. There will always be a market for the traditional or "old fashioned" tube amplifiers, but I thought we were talking about the (declining) market for rack units here.
The TriAxis is still in production, but you can be sure Mesa/Boogie won't spend a lot of money on massive upgrades and a complete redesign is out of the question. Regardless of how a relatively small number of consumers might feel about the Quad Preamp or Rackmount Dual Rectifier, there's simply no room for such sentiment when you're running a business. No company ever discontinues a profitable product.

I'm very happy with my rack units and I will keep on using my Marshall and Mesa/Boogie loaded racks as I've been doing since the '90s. Though I can't deny that the Axe-FX, Eleven Rack and POD HD are starting to sound very convincing and therefore very tempting. If I needed more than just the Marshall and Mesa/Boogie sounds, I'm sure I'd have only one rack now with one of these gizmos in it and, of course, a proper tube power amp.

 

[bjoneill74]

actually a new midi controlled preamp from mesa would be very welcomed.

The TriAxis is great, but I'd like to see a few things.
1. finer control over parameters.
2. more control over the graphic eq.
3. more modes (Lonestar clean, perhaps the TA/RA series preamps, Stilletto, Mark V, Recto, Road King).
4. better sounding preamp/poweramp.. I love my triaxis, but it doesn't have the punch and high end that my new Mark V has (The TriAxis/2:Ninety does some things better though). *note --> There's either a big disparity here or there's something wrong with one or the other. It's not just tubes. I change the tubes in my 2:Ninety every year or two and never notice much difference (though it is hard to A/B tube swaps with 8 power tubes to change).
5. A way to mix the level of effects/dry signal.
6. Dedicated tuner out.

Perhaps a more versatile power amp.
6L6, EL 34 and EL 84 tubes with ability to switch/blend them.
a tube recto option, variac
Simul Class with Mark V ability to change 90 Watts (AB), 45 Watts (A Push/Pull) or 10 Watts (Single End Class A) with ability to switch
perhaps dual standby switches to use one side (mono) or both (stereo)