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Probably the 6th time I've asked this in 6 years, but Mesa amps?


Cliff Fiscal

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Over the years my Mesa GAS has come and gone.

 

Owned a Single Recto for a while. Great dirty tones. :love:

It had a delay/pause when switching channels and had to part with it.

 

Got a Mesa BottleRocket pedal that's pretty awesome too. I was interested in the V-Twin, but I hear that has a delay too.

 

Anyway, I'm again interested in the Mesa amps......

 

What have you guys learned over the last 6 years that you can tell me?

 

Anything changed?

 

The ones that jump out at me the most are the DC Series, F Series, Heartbreaker, Maverick, and Blue Angel. Maybe Rectos are too mainstream generic, or at least the impression I get from them.

(even though they may not fit what I'm currently looking for)

 

:idk:

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All the ones you mentioned are older series that are not in production anymore -- so nothing's changed there. Heartbreaker, Mav and the Blue Angel are great amps.

 

I still like my Tremoverb,....no delay switching ch's.

 

I've heard good things about the new Recto's.

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Also, do Mesa's like certain speakers?

 

 

Depends on the amp but they are usually voiced for V30's and/or the Mesa C90's -- they work with Classic Lead 80's as well.

 

I had a Stiletto and an Ace -- they sounded nice with GB's.

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In general, are they reliable? They looks pretty involved inside.

 

 

I am prob not the most exp guy here. But I had my tverb for 3 years and never had any issues at all with it. Played probably over 100 gigs with it.

 

I always used it through a regular old Mesa 4x12. Sounded big and ballsy.

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Mesa is now a full series of different flavors.. Use to be either Mark or Recto, now there's a whole lot of everything. In terms of quality I would put mesa in the middle tier. Made in the USA and not cheaping out on parts. Whatever you end up with, it has some actual love put into it, and most products mesa has put out over the years are at least decent, and some are industry leading. Of course there are some lemon-plagued "dafuq?" models also, but people usually know that and steer clear.

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The ones that jump out at me the most are the DC Series, F Series, Heartbreaker, Maverick, and Blue Angel. Maybe Rectos are too mainstream generic, or at least the impression I get from them.

(even though they may not fit what I'm currently looking for)


:idk:



Out of those I would look at the F-series for a straight up mesa/boogie tone - not a dual or a mark, but somewhere in the middle. As for the others, not sure you would be happy with any of them - other than maybe a .50 cal.. But out of the 50 and F, I would go with the F series.

As for the blue angel, it has fantastic tone - but you pretty much use it as a standalone amp with nothing else. Very versatile as in it can produce tons of different voicings and textures - but not so versatile when it comes to a practical live standpoint.. Definitely a tweaking amp. For live use, I would use it almost like an effect pedal, tied to an ABy for a specific set of songs/tones - and stomp back to your main rig for other tones.

Mark series.. well if you want to take a look at the mark 1 reissue, its a very creamy sounding amp. Didn't get to crank that one very long, and through its 1x12 speaker I don't think I got the full picture. Still was quite loud and IMO very unique lead tone..

Cheers

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Mesa is now a full series of different flavors.. Use to be either Mark or Recto, now there's a whole lot of everything. In terms of quality I would put mesa in the middle tier. Made in the USA and not cheaping out on parts. Whatever you end up with, it has some actual love put into it, and most products mesa has put out over the years are at least decent, and some are industry leading.
Of course there are some lemon-plagued "dafuq?" models also, but people usually know that and steer clear.

 

 

Which are those?

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You mentioned some great amps, and as stated above, they have been out of production since the mid/late 90s. Not much has changed. It sounds like you know what tone you're looking for. As far as how things have changed, Mesa's current lineup features even more versatility, and even more features. Before you buy, it seems logical to test drive the newer Mark Vs and Recto Reborns...if you have the cash. If not, go with the amps you mentioned in your OP.

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Which are those?

 

 

Depends on what you don't like... Some of the most polar amps have been the Nomads, Maverick, SOB, Express series. The SOB is best used as a ballsy hairy clean amp IMO, which is probably why people don't like it.. not meant for high gain. My friend played both the Nomad and Maverick, and said one of them was completely useless, muddy mess. Can't remember which one.. We usually have similar opinions on tone - and when he tries amps he doesn't just plug in smirk and shut off.. He takes it to practice and tries to dial things in, and if he likes it he gigs it. If not, its for sale.

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You mentioned some great amps, and as stated above, they have been out of production since the mid/late 90s. Not much has changed. It sounds like you know what tone you're looking for. As far as how things have changed, Mesa's current lineup features even more versatility, and even more features. Before you buy, it seems logical to test drive the newer Mark Vs and Recto Reborns...if you have the cash. If not, go with the amps you mentioned in your OP.

 

 

I'm mostly looking for a reasonably priced 2 channel amp with separate EQs.

 

Something higher gain on the dirt side, and a nice clean channel.......my needs are pretty simple.

 

Not a big high gain marshall fan, even though they can sound good.

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I'm mostly looking for a reasonably priced 2 channel amp with separate EQs.


Something higher gain on the dirt side, and a nice clean channel.......my needs are pretty simple.


Not a big high gain marshall fan, even though they can sound good.

 

 

Seems like you'd want a Mark or a DC series amp.

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I'm mostly looking for a reasonably priced 2 channel amp with separate EQs.


Something higher gain on the dirt side, and a nice clean channel.......my needs are pretty simple.


Not a big high gain marshall fan, even though they can sound good.

 

 

DC or F Series would suit you me thinks.

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