mesa boogie help

[charley]

i play a heritage es 336 and my style consist of jazz/rock/jamband/funk and just bought the mesa boogie roadster 212 combo but it seems to be much more of a metal amp then what im looking for. Should i exchange for a Lonestar or a different type amp?

[212Mavguy]

i play a heritage es 336 and my style consist of jazz/rock/jamband/funk and just bought the mesa boogie roadster 212 combo but it seems to be much more of a metal amp then what im looking for. Should i exchange for a Lonestar or a different type amp?

 

There is a mesa owner's forum, www.forum.grailtone.com

 

Most of my posts there under the same username are about vintage tubes. I have listened to a lonestar and it has a wonderful clean channel and a very useful lead channel. If you like the sound of el84's the Lonestar Special is pretty nice too, but you will want to stick in a vintage 5y3 instead of the stock Mesa unit.

[slider313]

If your not happy then exchange it for something else. From the list of music you play you may want to try a few other brands. Have you seen or played through the "Lindy Fralin" model amp from VVT?

[tulk1]

I'd have to find something else just because of the weight of that sucker! The combo has got to be well over 100lbs. A buddy of mine wanted the big brother to the Roadster; the Road King. Until he figured out he couldn't lift it by himself.

 

Not sure exactly what Heritage you're playing. I think you got manufacturers and model numbers mixed up. But you're playing a semi-hollow, right? My 535 and Prospect sound very nice thru my Mesa Lone Star (classic). Not a huge fan of the OD channel on that amp, but the clean side is very bold, if a bit bottom heavy.

[t0aj15]

You may also want to check out the Boogie Mark series amps, a lot of jazz/fusion/rock players have used various different Mark series amps through the years. I have a Mark IV that I run my H-535 through and IMO it's one of the all time great amps.

[iim7v7im7]

Charley,

 

Its somewhat difficult to answer your question in isolation of your post. You are playing a broad array of musical genres and purchased a complex, versatile, $2,200, 4-channel, 100 watt amp with two large speakers. By "metal" I assume that you are talking about too much gain correct?

 

(1) What were you looking for tonally, Do you prefer an American sound (e.g. Fender) or a British tone (e.g. Marshall, Vox etc.)?

(2) What size spaces to you play?

(3) Do you use any pedals or only your amp?

(4) Is portability an issue?

(5) Are most places you play miked into PA system?

(6) Are there some artists that we might know who you want to sound like (sans their skill & talent that is!)

(7) What is your budget?

 

By answering these questions, I might be able to better suggest a direction for you to consider.

 

:-)

 

Bob

 

i play a heritage es 336 and my style consist of jazz/rock/jamband/funk and just bought the mesa boogie roadster 212 combo but it seems to be much more of a metal amp then what im looking for. Should i exchange for a Lonestar or a different type amp?

[charley]

sorry bob about the lack of info tonally im looking for an american tone (i think), i play medium sized gigs in and outside, i use a couple pedals, portablitity is not an issue, no pa system, artist i like are trey anastasio, jerry garcia, clapton, srv, larry carlton. Budget is 1500 to 2500. thanks for the help

[iim7v7im7]

Thanks...one more question. Does it have to be a multi-channel amp?

 

sorry bob about the lack of info tonally im looking for an american tone (i think), i play medium sized gigs in and outside, i use a couple pedals, portablitity is not an issue, no pa system, artist i like are trey anastasio, jerry garcia, clapton, srv, larry carlton. Budget is 1500 to 2500. thanks for the help

[Sparky]

You might wanna Google "Mesa Boogie Forums" and check out what other owners do to get the tones they want out of their Boogie amps. Just a thought...

[charley]

doesnt have to be multi channell

[iim7v7im7]

Charley,

 

It sounds like you want "Fendery" sounds for Jerry Garcia and Stevie Ray and a Dumble Overdrive Special sound for Larry Carlton. In the price range that you are considering I would definitely give Henry at Redplate Amps (http://www.redplateamps.com/). He is a small boutique builder (in AZ, I believe) who builds some very good sounding amps in the price range that you are looking at. His amps are known for having chimey Fender blackface tone and a dumble ODS-like creamy overdrive channel. He has an e-mail on his site. But I would get his telephone number and call him and discuss what you are after.

 

I would also, however try what a previous poster suggested and search out a Mesa Boogie user group. Their amps can be difficult to find your tone given their complexity. Knowledgeable users may be of help.

 

Good Luck,

 

Bob

[JeffB]

sorry bob about the lack of info tonally im looking for an american tone (i think), i play medium sized gigs in and outside, i use a couple pedals, portablitity is not an issue, no pa system, artist i like are trey anastasio, jerry garcia, clapton, srv, larry carlton. Budget is 1500 to 2500. thanks for the help

Mesa Lone Star. 10w 50w 100w or try the Mesa Electra Dyne. 90w 45w

The Lone Star replaced some fender and Marshall amps I had and made a few stomps redundant.

If the Electra Dyne was available when I bought the LS I would have got the ED.

Having said that Im not unhappy with the LS. Love it. I considered the Roadster for a while but got the LS.

The LS is a wonderful gig amp.

[BigMike]

If you like Mesa products I had a couple of Mesa Boogie Studio amps that I loved: the Studio 22 with EQ is great as is the Studio 50 with EQ...

 

I have really gotten into FUCHS AUDIO products. Their regular line of amps is out of my price range, but you can get any number of manufacturer amps that have been modded by Andy Fuchs and his staff. I own two and love them.

 

The first is a MusicMan 75 watt 112 combo with all the FUCHS mods. It's got the power you are probably looking for without all the headache of a hugely heavy amp (think size and weight of a Fender Deluxe)

 

I also got a Fender Princeton Reverb amp modded by Andy Fuchs. This sucker has more bells and whistles on it , an option called London Power Scaling, which means you can roll off the power to get a great crunchy distortion sound at VERY low volumes. Clapton tones abound.

 

What I like the FUCHS amps for though is their CLEAN sound and pick responsiveness. You can't mush around on a FUCHS amp, it shows all the faults in your playing. BUT if you are really on it and like pick dynamics man these amps are awesome... Check out eBay for the modded amps. There are usually quite a few for sale - usually they go for between $800.00 to $1600.00 depending on what platform they were built on. Getting a FUCHS modded amp is like getting a brand new amp, they gut the amps and start over replacing just about everything, then adding the FUCHS mods.

 

 

Good luck on your tonal quest

[paul144]

sounds like the 5:50 might do it for ya.

[Twin]

sounds like the 5:50 might do it for ya.

 

This would be my suggestion, 6L6's for that "American" sound... great 80's rock tone and pretty nice cleans that venture into the Fender terriotory. I ended up trading mine for a Fender Twin because nothing does the cleans like the Twin.... but the 5:50 was a great amp and the 5 watt class A was devine for bedroom playing or recording, I would suggest a V30 instead of the stock C90 though, I like the mids... I truley love the Mesa sound and will eventually get back there, currently I'm rockin' a 68 Fender Twin and a JCM 900 and am about to jump on a Laney... !