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HOOT!!! NAD X 2 (pre-owned actually, terms and limits may apply, side effects may..)

fretmonster

By fretmonster
in Electric Guitars

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fretmonster Newbie

fretmonster

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:facepalm:

So this is actually how this thing went down. In a moment of weakness (think beautiful guitar) I posted a Craigslist ad (about 2:00 AM) listing an amp I seldom used and mistakenly thought I could do without. It was a Peavey Delta Blues and by about 11:00 AM the next day (before I could change my mind) it was gone, but I had cash in hand. Well the guitar I'd gassed for (HP Special) seemed still beyond my reach money wise so I researched and came up with the Firenza JX which seemed like the great lost sleeper deal on paper and it has a Basswood body, something none of my other guitars have. All I can say is good luck finding one of these rare birds, and time was ticking down; my wife was hip and found out I had some extra dosh.:eek: Had to work fast. Thought I had the perfect plug and play Studio set-up with my recently acquired DOD Juice It (replaced a Crate XTR that was not loud enough) along with my Hybrid Musicman 65RD112, BUT (a really big but to quote Pee Wee) I'd always wanted a Peavey Bandit (the ultimate low maintenance budget amp) ever since I first saw WC Clark gig with one. So I googled it, found the GC Used dept. found a four star Red Stripe 100 Watter for the low price of 89.99 in Bloomington Ind. (all the other Red Stripes were in the two to three hundred range, no lie). Called the manager, placed my order, forked over some of the loot to my wife (about $130 with tax, S&H, and extended warranty). Got it, very cool amp with no issues - even came with the foot pedal (didn't work with the Peavey but opened up a whole new Universe for the DOD).

 

2008-01-01000021.jpg

 

So I get the Bandit and now I've got two SS amps for jamming and one hybrid (Musicman). Now don't get me wrong, the Musicman was a wonderful amp and actually overall sounded more dynamic than the two SS amps I'd recently acquired. BUT (BB again) I had started to miss the all tube warm sound of my Peavey Delta Blues. Self-recriminations had started to creep in. Why would I sell such an incredible amp??? OK, back off, I mean it was heavy as Hell and had no casters first off, secondly, it had no protection for the tubes in the back (needed a tube guard), thirdly, it ran really hot, and lastly the reverb got increasingly hissy as it was turned up. So, I did what I always do in times like these - I window shop.

 

I did a search on CL for amps and found the usual overpriced, underwhelming stuff. BUT then I saw an amp that started my head spinning. A Mesa Heartbreaker, reduced from 900 to 700 in the span of a couple weeks. Sent the guy an Email asking if he might consider a trade w/ cash. Well, to make a long story just a little bit shorter he would, and after some negotiating back and forth and seeing the incredible pristine condition of the amp (also recently serviced) we made the deal (a deal which ended up costing me the Musicman, an acoustic and an electric and no cash). I honestly couldn't be any happier and I still have a few shillings to get my Pro Junior serviced.:cool:

 

2008-01-01000042.jpg

 

And ya know what? I sure as hell didn't need another guitar. I mean what was I thinking?:facepalm: But if I hadn't sold the Delta Blues I'd never have gotten a chance to try the Bandit, and I never would have discovered the Mesa Heartbreaker, which is an overall better amp, for my purposes. At this point I'm not missing the Peavey DB or the Musicman.:)

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fretmonster Newbie

fretmonster

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HNAD x 2. I wanted one of those heartbreakers when i was a teen.

 

 

Yeah, I guess they're known more for their high gain models now. This baby is actually pretty darn sparkly with tons of headroom. Not sure what year this is but it's spotless, including all the original toggles.

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fretmonster Newbie

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I've got a Heartbreaker head. It's been sitting in my bassists basement for awhile. Too woofy for me, nice cleans though.


Congrats and enjoy!

 

Woofy huh? Could be the cab maybe? No woofyness from these two twelve inch celestions. Some complain about the dark tone from the Lust channel but I love it, particularly with buckers. Thx.

 

Congrats! I'm looking at a couple of amps right now too.

 

Thx Doc. You lookin at amps? No way. I thought you were golden with that sweet Fender of yours. Anyway, I hear there's a Strat out there in a color you don't already own.:poke:;)

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fretmonster Newbie

fretmonster

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Congrats man! Having different amps to plug into is so fun. They all sound so different. Nice choices too. Enjoy!

 

 

Thx buddy, I couldn't agree more. I actually found the coolest sound with my Bandit and my hotrodded H-19 with toasters the other day reminiscent of Southern Culture on the Skids and I've never really found that Santana liquid sustain tone until I got the Mesa.

 

 

Happy NAD X2 !! GoGo Bandit! never played one that sounded bad.

 

 

You are so right Kevin. I'm really happy I got this little beast, it's just so fun to play through. Thx.

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fulcrumpoint

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Congrats on the Heartbreaker. I played on them for years (2 combo versions, later head and Mesa 4x12 cab) before I moved to Blackstar.

 

They are extremely versatile amps if you take the time to set it up. Channel 2 (hi setting) can bring the Mesa crunch. On the the back side, full presence, 50 watt switch, full normal, vacuum rec, Bold setting, bright toggle, trim toggle, peg the vol, scoop the mids, treb around 4, and bass to taste or guitar used. Then use the master vol. Should give you a typical Mesa sound without the fizz.

 

I always used celestions, the stock black widows really hold back some of the unique overtones of the amps. The weight of the Heartbreaker is a backbreaker...and so is the tube cost (12 tubes). They are not for everyone but there is a ton of tonal options there with cleans that are amazing.:thu:

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fretmonster

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Congrats on the Heartbreaker. I played on them for years (2 combo versions, later head and Mesa 4x12 cab) before I moved to Blackstar.


They are extremely versatile amps if you take the time to set it up. Channel 2 (hi setting) can bring the Mesa crunch. On the the back side, full presence, 50 watt switch, full normal, vacuum rec, Bold setting, bright toggle, trim toggle, peg the vol, scoop the mids, treb around 4, and bass to taste or guitar used. Then use the master vol. Should give you a typical Mesa sound without the fizz.


I always used celestions, the stock black widows really hold back some of the unique overtones of the amps. The weight of the Heartbreaker is a backbreaker...and so is the tube cost (12 tubes). They are not for everyone but there is a ton of tonal options there with cleans that are amazing.
:thu:

 

Wow, I'm impressed, you know more about the amp than I do. I agree about the clean, more real clean headroom than I'm used to, that's for sure. Really dig that Lust side as well - the crunch, but more the liquid sustain and a little dark sounding Santana thing from the Mark I days. And hopefully I only go through power tubes. Thx fulcrum will try your suggestions. Enjoy that Blackstar.

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fretmonster

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Thx fellas, and I may take you up on that fulcrum.:thu:

 

And DR, thx for reading the text as well - kinda like Playboy magazine around here and most of us just check out the pics. Yeah, I gotta say that in this economy, I've been able to make several moves trade wise I'd never be able to otherwise. And yeah, my wife is pretty cool as long as I generate everything through my gear.

 

PS Regarding the Peavey axes, found out they were like 15" radius which is a deal killer anyway for me. Still got more than I need electrics at eight though, so I'm pretty set at this point.

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