Mesa question/advice

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Wednesday Apr 28, 2010

I'm looking at buying a Mesa Roadster. I've played through one a few times, but I'm wondering if any of you out there have used this amp for an extended period of time. If so, how was it and is it worth the money??

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Wednesday Apr 28, 2010

i think they're awesome and hold their value, but if you don't need a ton of versatility i would go with a different Mesa like a Stilleto series or even a F series. if you're looking for a single great dirty tone and a nice clean, the Roadster is overkill IMO. btw, i'm a HUGE Mesa fan...

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Wednesday Apr 28, 2010

btw- i have a Mesa F 100 2x12 combo, and it is killer....

old Skool · Post by **old Skool** » Wednesday Apr 28, 2010

Big Mesa fan here too and honestly don't think you can go wrong with anything they build. If you like the tone & what it does for you go for it. I've got Mesa gear that dates back to the 80's and is still going strong. I firmly believe too you get what you pay for.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Thursday Apr 29, 2010

Thanks for the input, guys. I've looked at a Roadster and a Road King, and both might very well be overkill. I'm going to look at the Dual Recto, a friend of mine has been talking his up for a long time.

Have any of you heard of Jet City Amps?? The company is owned by Mike Soldano, and the clips and reviews have both been good. I don't have any experience with Soldano amps, have any of you out there played one?? Like or dislike??

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Thursday Apr 29, 2010

not crazy about the Jet City or Soldano SLO. they don't have the "openness" of a Mesa; they have the denser, wider midrange and are a little "boxy" for my tastes. that being said, i've heard guys get killer tones out of them but it doesn't suit my playing at all. the open Mesa sound is pretty unique to their amps; it is what attracts them to my ears.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Friday Apr 30, 2010

I watched a Jet City demo on youtube, the guy doing it did get some really good tones out of the amp. I don't know what cabinet he was using, if he mentioned it I didn't hear him.

I've wanted a Mesa for a few years now, but the price has always been an issue. I agree with BadDazeGuitar, you get what you pay for. I'll probably just break down and spend the money. If I buy something else, I'll probably end up angry with myself.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Friday Apr 30, 2010

Merge wrote:Thanks for the input, guys. I've looked at a Roadster and a Road King, and both might very well be overkill.

Their amps with a 100W power stage are overkill for most situations. People start bitching about their ears bleeding before you really get to crank up the power tubes. I like (and have owned) several of their 40W-60W models because you can drive the power tubes at more realistic volume levels. You also only have to worry about replacing 2 power tubes.

I like the Mark series for solo tone and the rectos for rhythm. I think the F-series has this combination in a 3 channel amp. There might be a few more...

Headroom? hahahahahahaha...you don't need to worry about headroom with good tube amps, especially a Boogie.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Friday Apr 30, 2010

I agree Lonewolf, in most situations 100 watts is way too much. I was thinking I'd buy a Hot Plate, so I could run the amp a little hotter.

I've also been looking at an Egnater amp. I played one at Guitar Center and the tone was good. The one I played is 65w, but can be cut down to 18w. Their Tourmaster model has 4 channels, but is 100w. Once again, have any of you played this particualt model??

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Friday Apr 30, 2010

I played through a mesa a couple of times myself. I never played one live, but from what I did play in the space I was in, I liked it. Especially when there was a fender deluxe and a pod xt live hooked up to it.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Saturday May 01, 2010

i think the Egnater is not bad, but a little bland for my tastes. i didn't think it had a ton of character to my ears. ever try a Blackstar? very cool more modern sounding marshall vibe with more gain. there is a 40 watt combo at Guitars and Stuff that's def worth a listen...

orangekick · Post by **orangekick** » Sunday May 02, 2010

Merge wrote:I agree Lonewolf, in most situations 100 watts is way too much. I was thinking I'd buy a Hot Plate, so I could run the amp a little hotter.

I've also been looking at an Egnater amp. I played one at Guitar Center and the tone was good. The one I played is 65w, but can be cut down to 18w. Their Tourmaster model has 4 channels, but is 100w. Once again, have any of you played this particualt model??

I've played the Tourmaster and the Renegade. The Renegade is an excellent amp. It sounds great at a moderate volume and still leaves you room to go up if you want. The Renegade almost came home with me.

old Skool · Post by **old Skool** » Sunday May 02, 2010

+1 on Blackstar. I was really impressed by that mini stack at Terry's (Guitars-n-Stuff). Didn't play through any other models but that little thing was very impressive.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Monday May 03, 2010

Does the Blackstar come close to a Mesa, in terms of gain and clarity??

old Skool · Post by **old Skool** » Monday May 03, 2010

The model I played through sounded more like a good hot rodded Marshall than a Mesa but had good gain & clarity. It had a control on it to select or blend between British & American tone which is pretty cool. Worth checking out anyways.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Monday May 03, 2010

Kenny is right- its kind of half Mesa, half Marshall. doesn't have Rectifier level of gain; not much does- but it has a nice amount on tap. doesn't have Mesa clarity either to me, but it isn't muddy by any means either. if you love Mesa tone, you pretty much have to go with a Mesa; they are pretty unique tone wise compared to other amps. stop goofing around and buy the Mesa.

lol.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Monday May 03, 2010

You can always count on Paul from Guitar World to do some cool gear reviews with some recycled Humble Pie riffs. Here's a Blackstar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI5RooJGy1k

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday May 04, 2010

Bloodsong wrote:Kenny is right- its kind of half Mesa, half Marshall. doesn't have Rectifier level of gain; not much does- but it has a nice amount on tap. doesn't have Mesa clarity either to me, but it isn't muddy by any means either. if you love Mesa tone, you pretty much have to go with a Mesa; they are pretty unique tone wise compared to other amps. stop goofing around and buy the Mesa.

lol.

Lol. You're right, I should just stop messing around and buy the Mesa. It's just a matter of saving the money.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Tuesday May 04, 2010

it's money well spent. you should really try and check out a F50 or F100 series if you can. all the Mesa tone without the bells and whistles. i love mine to death. i also have a 2 channel Dual that i use to play out, but i wouldn't hesitate to take out the F100 to a gig.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday May 04, 2010

I'm also a happy Mesa user on the bass side of things. I've owned a 400+ for almost a year now, and it certainly delivers the goods. Thanks again to Dusty (eyesofanguish) for hooking me up.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Wednesday May 05, 2010

Thanks for the help, Bloodsong. I checked out a few demos on youtube, and the F-50 has a really good tone. The F-30 was good too, though I can't find any F-100 demos. I can imagine that they aren't much different, just more wattage. I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Wednesday May 05, 2010

no prob, Merge. buying expensive amps is intimidating.
i like the F30 the least of any F. i'm not crazy about El84s tube wise; the F50 has 6l6s, which sound way bigger and are alot more durable. the F50 and F100 are a 1x12 and 2x12 respectively; its the only real difference from what i can tell. the F series is kind of the forgotten Mesa; i'm not sure why. possibly because it is a really straight ahead amp, but i like that. i don't do a lot of channel switching or tube mixing myself. the only minus is that the Fs don't have a boost channel for solos, but i'm used to using a Mesa 2 channel Recto so i'm used to that. i traded a Mark IV for a F100 plus $$$ and was alot happier. the Mark was really cool, but was way too much knob turning for me; i honestly was kind of confused and overwhelmed by the limitless options. i'm one of those guys that likes to manipulate tone with my guitar's volume knob and picking attack. the F is Marshall JCM simplicity with Mesa tone and enough gain to play even the heaviest stuff without a pedal. if you need more gain, you're nuts.

orangekick · Post by **orangekick** » Thursday May 06, 2010

If you guys are liking the F series from Mesa, the series before it sounds almost the same (better to my ears.) That would be the DC series. I had a DC-5 head for years. It was fantastic. It was one of the best amps for live and recorded use. They can also usually be found a little cheaper as well.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Thursday May 06, 2010

i agree that the DC is very cool but i prefer the F Series because of its higher gain. i also dig the Contour switch so you can get both a Mark and Recto sound from one amp. my brother has a Nomad 55 that is killer as well. can't really go wrong with any of them; it's more personal taste than anything...

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Saturday May 08, 2010

Are there any places up that way that carry the Mesa F series??