ok, lets be honast....

[JimAnsell]

how bad does the son of boogie suck?
why do they typically sell for peanuts on the used market?
is it just because it is the most stripped down boogie ever made?
does it actually sound good?
whats the deal with these?

 

[settecorde76]

Well...I don't know how it sounds but I know that the SOB was the first attempt to reissue the MarkI...but...its value is very low, so I suppose that this amp isn't so good... :?
Could be "the black sheep" in Mesa's family? :?: :?:

 

[Griz]

Too much headroom? They start breaking up at about 210db. :lol:

 

[stokes]

Try one,they aint that bad.With the right tubes,mine sounds great.

 

[phyrexia]

jim, i've read that the "limit" function in the power section really ruins the amp, and that if you are OK with mods, the amp can become a 60w Mark I very easily. But I have never played through one.

 

[jerseydrew]

I bought one back in 1982 or 83, it sucked. I got rid of it fast and bought a Carvin X100B, which was much better.

I can't quite explain how it sucked because it was a long time ago. I just remember it never sounded good no matter what I had the dials set to.

 

[stokes]

jim, i've read that the "limit" function in the power section really ruins the amp, and that if you are OK with mods, the amp can become a 60w Mark I very easily. But I have never played through one.

The limit function has no effect if you leave it on zero.I really never understood why this amp gets the "stepchild" treatment,mine sounds as good as any MKI I've ever used.Mine is a 60/100 watt combo version,if that has anything to do with it,I dont know,never tried the 60 watt version.

 

[es336td]

how bad does the son of boogie suck?
why do they typically sell for peanuts on the used market?
is it just because it is the most stripped down boogie ever made?
does it actually sound good?
whats the deal with these?

I've had a 100 watt SOB head and it kicks! No, it isn't as versatile as a Mark III, but it's a nice little amp. Obviously it doesn't work well for you, so buy a Mark III. Not all Boogies are good. Case in point, I had a DC-5 head and loved it. It was stolen. I replaced it with a .50 Caliber combo... a POS... as far as my getting any good sounds out of it.... I had a friend that made it sing. Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work.

Peace
L

 

[GoldtopSam]

They are bitchin' cool. I have an '84 halfstack with diamond metal grille 4x12 cab with the original Electro-Voice EVM12-S speakers. Mine is initialed MB( Mike Bendinelli). They don't get a lot of love because they were introduced at the time the MkIIC+ was in full production, with all the gain issues worked out, it was THE amp to have, so the SOB kinda went by the wayside, even though they were built for three years('82-'85). They were often referred to as the MkI reissue, but only after the MKIIC+ was out. They are loud as all get out. In the 60 watt mode you can get that cool Santana Abraxas tone. The chassis are easily modded to add some smooth gain, fx loop and other fun stuff. They love pedals and I get some awesome tone with 808, Hermida Zen and Hermida Mosferatu pedals. They are quieter than most Boogies, as they only run three preamp tubes, two for preamp and one for PI, as opposed to the five cascade plus one PI in my Trem-O-Verb. their value is coming up a little, with the heads seeing about 650-700 and the cabs fairly close to the same, as you can't get the EVM12-S anymore, and that's a hell of a speaker.

 

[gonzo]

did they actually make SOB's in 1982?!!

 

[RR]

In my opinion, they're like Silver Face Fender (Twin), with a fat midrange and with cascading preamp tube gain so you don't require an overdrive stomp box.

As mentioned its not versatile as a Mark III. Actually I think there's a big jump -- paradigm in design if you will -- between Mark IIB and Mark IIC. The later having a lot more gain since that era, the trend was more preamp gain.

If I recall, -- maybe I'm getting mixed up with the Caliber series -- some guitarists trying out a Mark II, could not grasp the cascading gain preamp -juggling three or four volumes between the "rhythm" and "lead" channel. So and simpler version was marketed => S.O.B.

Tone wise, I think they're excellent amps. More simplified especially if you come from a 'Fender' World.

 

[Fcapek]

I've had one of the 60 watt SOB combos since it was new 30 years ago. I still love it. I had the limit switch bypassed and, at this point, a lot of the components (jacks, caps, etc... ) have been replaced. I put a Sholtz Classic speaker in it (best speaker I've ever heard - very hard to find) and the thing kills. I took it to my local shop to a-b it against the new king snake. This thing blew the king snake away. The guys in the store were shocked.

I have a handful of other great amps - Soldano SLO, Bruno UG 30, Dr. Z - Z Wreck, and a Carol Ann Tucana 3. This albeit heavily modded SOB kicks butt. It's my most common go to amp. For the size of the package, it's great. Although it's definitely a rock amp, I even use it with an L5 playing jazz.

 

[es336td]

I have a 100 watt SOB head, as mentioned earlier. I had a love hate relationship with it until I needed new tubes. At that time my tech suggested some mods. He put in a pentode/triode switch (in place of the ground switch) to cut the power down to around 25 watts. He removed the useless Limit control and converted it to a Post Phase Inverter Master Volume. The thing sings now. I can use it in almost every room I play in and get good results. I have it set so if I hit it hard, I get crunch. Back off on the volume pedal and it cleans up. Need more than the crunch, I have a Mesa V-Twin and Xotic BB Pre-amp to give me more lead umph. I also have multiple overdrive/fuzz/distortion models in my Line6 M9... I now have a very versatile rig. Pentode/triode, 50/100 switch, PPIMV... what's not to like?

 

[Bladerunner598]

I have a 100 watt SOB head, as mentioned earlier. I had a love hate relationship with it until I needed new tubes. At that time my tech suggested some mods. He put in a pentode/triode switch (in place of the ground switch) to cut the power down to around 25 watts. He removed the useless Limit control and converted it to a Post Phase Inverter Master Volume. The thing sings now. I can use it in almost every room I play in and get good results. I have it set so if I hit it hard, I get crunch. Back off on the volume pedal and it cleans up. Need more than the crunch, I have a Mesa V-Twin and Xotic BB Pre-amp to give me more lead umph. I also have multiple overdrive/fuzz/distortion models in my Line6 M9... I now have a very versatile rig. Pentode/triode, 50/100 switch, PPIMV... what's not to like?

I've got a 60watt combo which is the most unruly amp I've ever owned. I love it, mostly. Too loud for the rooms I play in. Got it in 1985. Recently purchased a vox night train head. Nice but, not a boogie! I'm interested in the mods discussed here. Pentode/triode switch? Post phase inverter Matter volume? I'm not super technical so would like information I can pass on to an amp geek.

 

[es336td]

I've got a 60watt combo which is the most unruly amp I've ever owned. I love it, mostly. Too loud for the rooms I play in. Got it in 1985. Recently purchased a vox night train head. Nice but, not a boogie! I'm interested in the mods discussed here. Pentode/triode switch? Post phase inverter Matter volume? I'm not super technical so would like information I can pass on to an amp geek.

Contact Eric Summer at Viking Amps and tell him you want the Louie mods. ;-)

http://vikingamps.com/

 

[bgh]

did they actually make SOB's in 1982?!!

Yes. I got one when they first came out. I used it and a Marshall Mark II Lead in a band I was in. Rotated between the two. The one I had was an excellent little amp. Loud as all get out.