It's not cheap, but man it sounds good! Thanks to Sky Music for the loan of this, this video is not sponsored. I've wanted to review this for a long time and I also have the 10" speaker version coming up soon also! 😎 Thanks everyone. 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/zNkE66 🛒 Sky Music - bit.ly/48edezs 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/4PYQ5o 🛒 Reverb - tidd.ly/4bAcfMC (affiliate links)
The 6V6 power tubes are so underrated. It’s one of the reasons I love the new Soldano Astro so much. Beautiful punchy cleans, classic crunch, and insane face melting leads. 6L6 tubes are more popular, but the 6V6 really gives a different type of headroom and low end tone.
Underrated? The princeton and deluxe are both 6v6 and are two of the most beloved amps of all time, and many of the old valco and danelectro made amps are 6v6 powered too...that being said, you're still not wrong
I agree, they're my favorite power tubes for sure unless I'm going just straight up loud crystal clean then MAYBE 6L6 or if I'm going blazing loud cleans then some kt77s but those are almost a little sterile sounding unless they're ridiculously cranked and even then can still be a bit sterile imo. I have one amp that can take any style pre or power tubes of any size with automatic biasing, and it has like 2 dozen different analog circuits in it that switch with relays and you can control each relay individually so i can really customize the amp layout and then use any type of pre or power tubes and 2nd channel has an additional tube preamp gain stage for stuff like jcm800 type amps. But it's nice to be able to compare tubes.
And alot of the MagnaTones are like that to 6v6's, and are voiced somehow to yield a more Metallic tone. The Older originals and even the new Twilighters too.
I've heard other demos of this and came away feeling "meh" about it but dang brother you make this think cook! Thank you for sharing this and keep the great playing coming! 👍
My 90’s Peavey Special 112 has so much clean headroom, I use a Boss OD-3 with a touch of reverb and I get amazing tones. Don’t spend 2400$ for an amp, friends. Treat your friends with small gifts instead!
Reminds me of my Boogie SOB from 1985! Hand made in California and has Awesome clean and Great Dirty as well! You can still find them around for reasonable prices...
I have a 85 W and Wicker S O B. And you are so right about prices. Can't pick up a real Mesa with 1 hand so easily. At least not mine. 60/100 watts and a 12 L speaker. Luckily for me I was able to get a road case and keep it protected and on wheels.
It sounds so good, I want to hear it in the same room as you playing. It's a good looking amp too and I love the 1, 10 and 20 amp choices. Great video Shane.
I have the lone star special 2-12 30 .15.5 watt and clean it’s hands down the best sound i have ever heard and when i pair it with a 65 fender deluxe now I’m in heaven a few pedals game over.
Very cool, man! The amp looks beautiful too! Always loved boogies, I got into them for his gain but later was amazed in the clean amps they have. They weren’t always that high gain amp, i didn’t know that as a teen into heavy music, but those cleans are gorgeous, and more into that now.
At the start of the demo I thought the reverb sounded digital. I was wrong, but I still think it wasn't very impressive. Now, I have an _excellent_ Fender BDR, but I've recently bought a 1999 Laney LC30 II, and comparing them side by side, the Laney's clean sound is as good as that of the Fender. It also has a real spring reverb, and that too, is excellent. It's probably my best amp purchase, ever. Given that quality amps like the Laney crop up fairly often on eBay, I wouldn't go for a new one like the Boogie; saving myself well over £2k.
I have the first gen pre gibson 40 w version. Love love love it. Had an oversize zilla 12” cab built for it put the jensen blackbird 40 in…sounds great…had to move the cab away from the corner of the room where it was to mitigate boominess…
When I joined my first band and we started taking gigs seriously, I started looking at Mesa Boogies. I was directed to the Mesa Mark IIB and then eventually got the Mesa F30. These amps are so solid and the clean and overdrive channels are so good. I regret selling both of those.
I love it when it's considered an accomplishment when a company successfully copies the sound or looks of a Fender amp or guitar at twice the price. PRS conquers the market with their copy of a Strat or Tele. I can't say I blame them Leo created the best so you can only follow in his footsteps. I really like the variable power settings and would like that option on my Princeton.
I played thru a Mesa Rectoverb 25 and the Reverb & Cleans were near Blackface Princeton-like. it was also a Fire-breathing Dragon for Hard Rock tones. Killer amp.
A wonderful combo with a great retro design. Sonically, it seems to me to be great, the technical solution of the combo, effects loop, external outputs, power stages are definitely an advantage. Greetings Pavel CZ.👍👍👍
The Mesa’s are currently discounted! I compared the Fenders against the Boogie 20 and there is a huge difference at higher settings. There is a harshness with most Fenders. Both Amps sound bad with high Reverb. I purchased the California Tweed 20. Luv it!
I only tried the 40w, liked it enough inspite of the minuscule triangular booth I played it in. I would love to try this one in a more appropriate environment. Not to mention, through a nice British voiced speaker...
I had it's big brother the 40 watt for a while and occasionally regret parting with it. The only thing I didn't like was the original speaker got a little brittle when pushing drives at lower volume settings and that the tubes rattled like crazy. Not through the speaker, but you could hear the physical tubes rattling on bass notes. It was annoying when playing at home, but that's just part of having 6v6 tubes that close to the speaker in a combo. I've been tempted to go for the 20 watt head and run it with a cab.
Recently got the 40 watt. Tube rattle was INSANE. Ended up getting tube dampener rings.. it helped a bit but still not enough. Bought a second set of 4 rings, removed the metal clip/ring things at the base of the tube and put the dampener ring on the tube slid up all the way against the chassis. Then I put another ring on each tube about halfway. This helped a LOT, but kind of sad such a nice, expensive amp needed such a silly bandaid.
I have the 40 watt version. It is a really nice/versitile amp as you have demod. I think the clean is up there with fenders because this one, more than any of mesas other amps, is most blatantly a heavily fender influenced amp. I’m a big fender amp fan so this and the lonestar are really the only two mesas I’ve ever tried that I like
I noticed that when you went from 20 watts to 10 watts that the reduction in dB was about 6dB (108 down to 102). That is *bang on* in the theory about dB vs wattage (double the wattage to get 6dB gain in volume). So the amp seems very efficient at transferring the power it has....
Great video Shane. It looks and sounds killer. Mesa Boogie amps are really unique. It sounded great with every guitar but the Telecaster is the winner 😀
Got a Boogie Fillmore and use a Two Notes Captor X to record with. The cool thing is that since the controls on the Tweed and the Fillmore are the same, you can rip off settings for the Tweed and try them out on the Fillmore, or vice versa.
Does the Fillmore have a multi function footswitch yet? It’s very versatile, but to me, if you can’t access at least 4 of those sounds on the fly, then what’s the point? You might as well use a less expensive, single channel amp with pedals.
@@SamHooperGroup the Fillmore does have a foot switch available (I don’t know if it is included). Honestly, I’ve gone entirely to single channel amps for the last decade. I’ve found that channel switching amps simply don’t do any one thing well. Currently, I use either a Dr Z Maz 18 or a Revv D25 (when I can use amps, that is). A great base tone coupled with a few pedals is the best versatility out there - unless you go to modelers. Which I do with a QC (my favorite patches are single channel amps anyway. Ha!)
@@SamHooperGroup I use pedals AND both channels. So to me, it's not a big deal. If I was playing live, I would use one channel for rhythm and the other as a lead boost. How many times are you changing gain stages in a song? Seems like a ridiculous demand. In between songs, you can flip the gain switch on each channel if you want to make changes. It's not a big deal. If I was in a band I wouldn't likely change my tones as much as I do being a basement studio guitar player. It's impractical. But since that's what I do, it's a great amp for that aspect.
I love the look of this amp and it does have a great clean tone on par with the classic Fender cleans. Definitely worth looking at if you’re in the market for a smaller amp!😎😎🎸🎸
Sounds very good, you really make it show it's best side. I had a Mesa Express 5:25, it sounded great but it was very unreliable. I was expecting better QC from such a big name amp maker.
I'm dying to try one of these. I'm not a huge Boogie fan, so i wasn't even aware of their existence. I played a 20W Filmore (25W?) and was impressed. I found these even i was looking up the Filmore later.
I have a Fender Bassman with a similar speaker. They break up as you turn up the volume.The California Tweed would be the perfect amp for a small stage.
Another great review Shane. Peter from the Gold Coast here. Just wondering what those two mics are you used ? (sounds so good, though your playing is a big factor 🙂)
This takes the middle between Blackface and Dumble-style amps. Not as mid-scooped and bright as a Fender blackface amp not as thick as a Dumble. Just super balanced.
For that price I can get a vintage silverface fender 😂 I will say it sounds great and the attenuator is a great feature, but I can buy vintage at this price 😂
Common misconception is: Mesa's are primarily for dirt. Nope, all my Boogies have beautiful clean tones: Studio .22+ Combo, Lonestar Special, Quad Preamp. Sure Mesa's can provide great dirt, BUT the cleans are to die for. And built like a tank. I gigged the Studio .22+ combos hundreds of times. Never a problem.
Mesa sound great but 3:04 is known for some odd choices with the circuits. Its like buying a Range Rover or Jaguar. Nice to like at, but prone to mechanical issues. For less money you can get similar from Fender and for slightly more you can get better quality p2p amps
Jonas, I am a dedicated OHBH player. I choose this way because its what my father taught me. I returned to tennis during the pandemic after 20 years of absence and its mostly younger female players that compliment how aesthetically beautiful the OHBH is. I consider myself to be a somewhat high lever 3.5 recreational player but in regards to this tiresome debate, I have don't feel at this level I have ever played against someone who knows how to neutralize any OHBH player. Trust me when I say that the guys that I play are nowhere near hitting 120 mph+ balls to me. The OHBH is my favorite especially on service returns. It doesn't matter if I can do a full swing or chip at the ball, I can do a very decent return. I will admit that the heavier the racquet, the more solid and stable of a return I can hit. My goto racquet is the EZone 98 with some weight on 3 and 9 but I also at times use a stock ProStaff 97 V13. I also just acquired a Blade 98 V8 US Open Edition based on a post of yours a few years ago. I have not done any customization to it but I feel this a great racquet for finessing your technique since you do need to swing out more to get more depth. I wonder if being 6'3 and 230lbs has also been advantageous because I will put my weight behind my back hand. High balls can be tricky and I do not take those balls early as I should. I can return them but probably not as effective. Sometimes when I am at the net and some hits a ball hard right at me, I can instinctively use two hands for defection and I have been thinking about using two hands for high balls. Regardless, I love my OHBH. I can get good topspin on it. I do have a wicked side-spin that throws off my opponents and slicing is soooo much fun. Thanks for the content!!! Raul from Brooklyn
The only way for me to evaluate this amp, besides yt demos, is in Amplitube 5, thus the question: which do you prefer for its sound in the room - this or 10' version?
I’ve been looking at these for awhile now. I play a Mesa Express 25 and the clean is good but it’s el84 clean. The 6V6’s in this are the clean I’m looking for. That amp sounds so good…Ideally I’d like to A/B one with my other Mesa ? They are pricey though
Wow.... Great looking amp, great features, sounds awesome. On my radar, albeit I don't especially need another amp. Cheers Shane. 🎸🎸🎸 ***I wonder how the 10" version sounds by comparison. Looking forward to that review! Edit: both 10" &12" versions sold out at Sky, but damn I wasn't expecting that price. 🤔 Guess, I'm not in such a rush to add another amp 🤣🤣🤣
Shane, Is there any difference between the effect of the master volume and the 1W/10W/20W switch? Do they do different things in the power amp portion?
It sounds pretty much the same but the volume drops big time. You could run the preamp or volume hotter to get more breakup but this amp is mostly designed for clean headroom.
Yes I have tried it. It’s a very versatile amp but it’s been a few years since I tried one. I’ll see if I can borrow it from my friend who has one this year.
The 'tweed' in the name should inform potential buyers to the nature of this amp. A bargain really in comparison to some of Fender reissues like Tremolux or Twinolux.
Sorry…you sorta just jump into it without much of a header. Is this new or just new to you? Is the reverb spring or digital? Is the effects return stereo capable, to accommodate the two 4ohm speaker outs?
Looks good, sounds good, but the price is off putting AUD 4.5k For this amount of money it would be nice to see a comparison of this and a hand wired Princeton. I have a princeton 68 reissue , 2 x blues juniors and made in USA supersonic and deluxe reverb amps all of which are cheaper thus this is a big ask.
I'd really love one of these, but honestly, I'm just done with the maintenance tube amps require, especially from a brand nobody wants to fix like Mesa. I'm too old for that nonsense now and find myself sticking to computerized stuff.
Sounds great, when clean or off-clean, no doubt. But man, 5x ECC83/12AX7 and 1x 12AT7 plus 2x 6V6 for a single channel amp and w/o any high gain reserve? And the worst thing: Mesas are constructed questionable and currently very hard to test or purchase, at least here in Germany, due to Gibsons pilosophy
Like any clean amp, it's fine. I put an overdrive pedal into the front-end of it and it had no issues at all. Time-based effects work well on any decent sounding amp.
Lol..when the clean tone is as good as a fender...lol...then I buy the Fender...I did buy the fender deluxe .. i like when someone says sounds like a...probably a good idea to check out what the copy is copying first...
I used to have a Mesa Boogie F30 years ago.. Sold it saying to myself want to change, or maybe upgrade? Big mistake, I never found something better since then.. Now.. I'm desperately trying to find a Mesa Boogie here in Europe, but the brand isn't sold here anymore (why?) .. Like Dr Z, Two Rock, Carr... It's just getting on my nerves we are literally snobed by these brands. I don't want Fender, nor Supro, which aren't reliable at all, and don't like Marshall.. WTF😢 Glorious sound here, even more desperate after your demo 😂
It's not cheap, but man it sounds good! Thanks to Sky Music for the loan of this, this video is not sponsored. I've wanted to review this for a long time and I also have the 10" speaker version coming up soon also! 😎 Thanks everyone.
🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/zNkE66
🛒 Sky Music - bit.ly/48edezs
🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/4PYQ5o
🛒 Reverb - tidd.ly/4bAcfMC
(affiliate links)
The 6V6 power tubes are so underrated. It’s one of the reasons I love the new Soldano Astro so much. Beautiful punchy cleans, classic crunch, and insane face melting leads. 6L6 tubes are more popular, but the 6V6 really gives a different type of headroom and low end tone.
Underrated? The princeton and deluxe are both 6v6 and are two of the most beloved amps of all time, and many of the old valco and danelectro made amps are 6v6 powered too...that being said, you're still not wrong
I agree, they're my favorite power tubes for sure unless I'm going just straight up loud crystal clean then MAYBE 6L6 or if I'm going blazing loud cleans then some kt77s but those are almost a little sterile sounding unless they're ridiculously cranked and even then can still be a bit sterile imo.
I have one amp that can take any style pre or power tubes of any size with automatic biasing, and it has like 2 dozen different analog circuits in it that switch with relays and you can control each relay individually so i can really customize the amp layout and then use any type of pre or power tubes and 2nd channel has an additional tube preamp gain stage for stuff like jcm800 type amps. But it's nice to be able to compare tubes.
And alot of the MagnaTones are like that to 6v6's, and are voiced somehow to yield a more Metallic tone. The Older originals and even the new Twilighters too.
Love that amp. Played one at a shop last year with a reissue Fender Tele, and I still think about it all the time.
That was one of the nicest clean tones I ever heard out of a Boogie. 👍
100%. I am pretty underwhelmed with their clean tones usually, this one focuses on the clean more than the dirty tones for a change :)
Ever since the Lonestar came out, the vast majority of Boogies have a very nice clean tone
@@KHGuitarFreak1988 Mesa always had nice cleans. Day one.
@@j.reveille6815 Maybe I should have rephrase the fact that when the Lonestars came out, the cleans improved to a whole other level
I've heard other demos of this and came away feeling "meh" about it but dang brother you make this think cook! Thank you for sharing this and keep the great playing coming! 👍
That guitar is stunning. Love seeing the grain come through. Sounds great too. Love hearing you play 👌🏼🤙🏼
My 90’s Peavey Special 112 has so much clean headroom, I use a Boss OD-3 with a touch of reverb and I get amazing tones. Don’t spend 2400$ for an amp, friends. Treat your friends with small gifts instead!
Brother, you ain't lying! This thing is SPENSIVE!!!! 😱
I recently bought one of these. It is fantastic. A Les Paul sounds excellent in the low input with pedals.
This amplifier is so great. I love the power switch on the front, it's such a great addition. Congrats! :)
The power switch is very useful. I like how it also adds a little compression as the power scales down.
I have one and love it for my home use
Reminds me of my Boogie SOB from 1985! Hand made in California and has Awesome clean and Great Dirty as well! You can still find them around for reasonable prices...
I have a 85 W and Wicker S O B. And you are so right about prices. Can't pick up a real Mesa with 1 hand so easily. At least not mine. 60/100 watts and a 12 L speaker. Luckily for me I was able to get a road case and keep it protected and on wheels.
It sounds so good, I want to hear it in the same room as you playing. It's a good looking amp too and I love the 1, 10 and 20 amp choices. Great video Shane.
Beauty tone from this amp, thanks for the great review as always.
I have the lone star special 2-12 30 .15.5 watt and clean it’s hands down the best sound i have ever heard and when i pair it with a 65 fender deluxe now I’m in heaven a few pedals game over.
Very cool, man! The amp looks beautiful too! Always loved boogies, I got into them for his gain but later was amazed in the clean amps they have. They weren’t always that high gain amp, i didn’t know that as a teen into heavy music, but those cleans are gorgeous, and more into that now.
We have a lot of Mesa's around here. I have never come across this one. Sounds so dang great!
No wonder boogie amplifiers.havw such a great reputation!! stunning
At the start of the demo I thought the reverb sounded digital. I was wrong, but I still think it wasn't very impressive. Now, I have an _excellent_ Fender BDR, but I've recently bought a 1999 Laney LC30 II, and comparing them side by side, the Laney's clean sound is as good as that of the Fender. It also has a real spring reverb, and that too, is excellent. It's probably my best amp purchase, ever. Given that quality amps like the Laney crop up fairly often on eBay, I wouldn't go for a new one like the Boogie; saving myself well over £2k.
I have the first gen pre gibson 40 w version. Love love love it. Had an oversize zilla 12” cab built for it put the jensen blackbird 40 in…sounds great…had to move the cab away from the corner of the room where it was to mitigate boominess…
I have played it. I think the Clean is better than any Fender. I just can't afford it. Blues On....💙
When I joined my first band and we started taking gigs seriously, I started looking at Mesa Boogies. I was directed to the Mesa Mark IIB and then eventually got the Mesa F30. These amps are so solid and the clean and overdrive channels are so good. I regret selling both of those.
I love it when it's considered an accomplishment when a company successfully copies the sound or looks of a Fender amp or guitar at twice the price. PRS conquers the market with their copy of a Strat or Tele. I can't say I blame them Leo created the best so you can only follow in his footsteps. I really like the variable power settings and would like that option on my Princeton.
I just eye-rolled off my chair here. Those PRS guitars are aesthetically the ugliest things, especially those head stocks.
Those PRS guitars look like each comes with a Tommy Bahama Hawaiian Print Shirt.
I played one at the Gibson garage, I loved it. I would r compare it to any of my fender tweed amps, though. I feel like it’s a different animal.
I have one and it's the best amp i ever had.
Another great demo Shane , great playing , great amp
Sounds wonderful, Love your Fender and Kiesel Tele's
Check out the Mesa Subway Blues: 1 channel, volume, EQ, and reverb. Focus is on clean. 20W. A similar build to old vintage amps!
I played thru a Mesa Rectoverb 25 and the Reverb & Cleans were near Blackface Princeton-like. it was also a Fire-breathing Dragon for Hard Rock tones. Killer amp.
A wonderful combo with a great retro design. Sonically, it seems to me to be great, the technical solution of the combo, effects loop, external outputs, power stages are definitely an advantage. Greetings Pavel CZ.👍👍👍
Very Cool, Thankyou Shane. WOW, what a stunning looking and sounding Amp and playing as always. Amazing. All the Best. Cheers
The Mesa’s are currently discounted! I compared the Fenders against the Boogie 20 and there is a huge difference at higher settings. There is a harshness with most Fenders. Both Amps sound bad with high Reverb. I purchased the California Tweed 20. Luv it!
I only tried the 40w, liked it enough inspite of the minuscule triangular booth I played it in. I would love to try this one in a more appropriate environment. Not to mention, through a nice British voiced speaker...
I had it's big brother the 40 watt for a while and occasionally regret parting with it. The only thing I didn't like was the original speaker got a little brittle when pushing drives at lower volume settings and that the tubes rattled like crazy. Not through the speaker, but you could hear the physical tubes rattling on bass notes. It was annoying when playing at home, but that's just part of having 6v6 tubes that close to the speaker in a combo. I've been tempted to go for the 20 watt head and run it with a cab.
Recently got the 40 watt. Tube rattle was INSANE. Ended up getting tube dampener rings.. it helped a bit but still not enough. Bought a second set of 4 rings, removed the metal clip/ring things at the base of the tube and put the dampener ring on the tube slid up all the way against the chassis. Then I put another ring on each tube about halfway. This helped a LOT, but kind of sad such a nice, expensive amp needed such a silly bandaid.
I have the 40 watt version. It is a really nice/versitile amp as you have demod. I think the clean is up there with fenders because this one, more than any of mesas other amps, is most blatantly a heavily fender influenced amp. I’m a big fender amp fan so this and the lonestar are really the only two mesas I’ve ever tried that I like
I noticed that when you went from 20 watts to 10 watts that the reduction in dB was about 6dB (108 down to 102). That is *bang on* in the theory about dB vs wattage (double the wattage to get 6dB gain in volume). So the amp seems very efficient at transferring the power it has....
3 min in, and I’m busting to see a comparison between the 10” and 12” variants. But I’m predicting you’ll mention that before the end of the vid!
Great video Shane. It looks and sounds killer. Mesa Boogie amps are really unique. It sounded great with every guitar but the Telecaster is the winner 😀
One of the few Mesa Boogies I would consider owing (the Fillmore being the other).
Two wish list items - a DI (Mesa makes a solid one) and tremolo.
Got a Boogie Fillmore and use a Two Notes Captor X to record with. The cool thing is that since the controls on the Tweed and the Fillmore are the same, you can rip off settings for the Tweed and try them out on the Fillmore, or vice versa.
@@jezmez68 Nice! I think the Fillmore is near Two Rock sound for a quarter of the price. Keep on picking!
Does the Fillmore have a multi function footswitch yet? It’s very versatile, but to me, if you can’t access at least 4 of those sounds on the fly, then what’s the point? You might as well use a less expensive, single channel amp with pedals.
@@SamHooperGroup the Fillmore does have a foot switch available (I don’t know if it is included).
Honestly, I’ve gone entirely to single channel amps for the last decade. I’ve found that channel switching amps simply don’t do any one thing well. Currently, I use either a Dr Z Maz 18 or a Revv D25 (when I can use amps, that is). A great base tone coupled with a few pedals is the best versatility out there - unless you go to modelers. Which I do with a QC (my favorite patches are single channel amps anyway. Ha!)
@@SamHooperGroup I use pedals AND both channels. So to me, it's not a big deal. If I was playing live, I would use one channel for rhythm and the other as a lead boost. How many times are you changing gain stages in a song? Seems like a ridiculous demand. In between songs, you can flip the gain switch on each channel if you want to make changes. It's not a big deal. If I was in a band I wouldn't likely change my tones as much as I do being a basement studio guitar player. It's impractical. But since that's what I do, it's a great amp for that aspect.
I could tell by the expressions on your face that you really loved that amp Shane, so that good enough for me. Thx 👍
Beautiful! You can see the similarities to the new Gibson Falcon amps, but this one is way more versatile
MB/Gibson SAME!
I know…👍🏼
@@johnladdsmusic ;o)
Considering mesa was an originally a boutique fender mod company this is sort of coming full circle.
The best way to make a Mesa sound good is to mimic the Fender Tweed Circuits and add Reverb. 6V6 tubes help as well.
I love the look of this amp and it does have a great clean tone on par with the classic Fender cleans. Definitely worth looking at if you’re in the market for a smaller amp!😎😎🎸🎸
I have the 40 watt version (the only one that existed at first). Best sounding amp I've owned.
Sounds very good, you really make it show it's best side. I had a Mesa Express 5:25, it sounded great but it was very unreliable. I was expecting better QC from such a big name amp maker.
Another great video and presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Many thanks!
Great demo great amp !! Thanks Shane !!
Sounded great! Have you played the 40 watt version? Be curious to know your thoughts on that model. Great demo as always!
I'm dying to try one of these. I'm not a huge Boogie fan, so i wasn't even aware of their existence. I played a 20W Filmore (25W?) and was impressed. I found these even i was looking up the Filmore later.
So did you buy it ? Amazing Clean Channel and Quality too. Blues On....💙
Hey Shawn, you should add that amp to your line up it sounded really good the tone was really awesome and it fits. Your style of playing
I have a Fender Bassman with a similar speaker. They break up as you turn up the volume.The California Tweed would be the perfect amp for a small stage.
Great sounding amp! Thanks!
Man that sounds great.
Thanks Shane😊
Another great review Shane.
Peter from the Gold Coast here.
Just wondering what those two mics are you used ? (sounds so good, though your playing is a big factor 🙂)
Mesas always had great clean tone imo. Dont know about the rectifiers but others pretty much all.
Great review!
This takes the middle between Blackface and Dumble-style amps. Not as mid-scooped and bright as a Fender blackface amp not as thick as a Dumble. Just super balanced.
How is crunch/overdrive on this ? Do you have to crank it to get any overdrive , or can you get dirty at low volumes ?
For that price I can get a vintage silverface fender 😂 I will say it sounds great and the attenuator is a great feature, but I can buy vintage at this price 😂
Common misconception is: Mesa's are primarily for dirt. Nope, all my Boogies have beautiful clean tones: Studio .22+ Combo, Lonestar Special, Quad Preamp. Sure Mesa's can provide great dirt, BUT the cleans are to die for. And built like a tank. I gigged the Studio .22+ combos hundreds of times. Never a problem.
Nice demo :)
Great Fender alternative considering how hit-or-miss Fender amps are these days.
That is the shameful truth
Mesa sound great but 3:04 is known for some odd choices with the circuits. Its like buying a Range Rover or Jaguar. Nice to like at, but prone to mechanical issues.
For less money you can get similar from Fender and for slightly more you can get better quality p2p amps
Great but i love soooo much the F-30, F-50 and 5:25...more "affordable" at second hand market and VERY POWERFUL things...
Jonas,
I am a dedicated OHBH player. I choose this way because its what my father taught me. I returned to tennis during the pandemic after 20 years of absence and its mostly younger female players that compliment how aesthetically beautiful the OHBH is. I consider myself to be a somewhat high lever 3.5 recreational player but in regards to this tiresome debate, I have don't feel at this level I have ever played against someone who knows how to neutralize any OHBH player. Trust me when I say that the guys that I play are nowhere near hitting 120 mph+ balls to me. The OHBH is my favorite especially on service returns. It doesn't matter if I can do a full swing or chip at the ball, I can do a very decent return. I will admit that the heavier the racquet, the more solid and stable of a return I can hit. My goto racquet is the EZone 98 with some weight on 3 and 9 but I also at times use a stock ProStaff 97 V13. I also just acquired a Blade 98 V8 US Open Edition based on a post of yours a few years ago. I have not done any customization to it but I feel this a great racquet for finessing your technique since you do need to swing out more to get more depth.
I wonder if being 6'3 and 230lbs has also been advantageous because I will put my weight behind my back hand. High balls can be tricky and I do not take those balls early as I should. I can return them but probably not as effective. Sometimes when I am at the net and some hits a ball hard right at me, I can instinctively use two hands for defection and I have been thinking about using two hands for high balls. Regardless, I love my OHBH. I can get good topspin on it. I do have a wicked side-spin that throws off my opponents and slicing is soooo much fun.
Thanks for the content!!!
Raul from Brooklyn
Great playing and demo Shane! What is that pretty transparent white SSS guitar here?
other than Walter Trouts Mesa..this is the best sounding amp from mesa that I like. however like Mesas..it is very expensive.
The only way for me to evaluate this amp, besides yt demos, is in Amplitube 5, thus the question: which do you prefer for its sound in the room - this or 10' version?
I’ve been looking at these for awhile now. I play a Mesa Express 25 and the clean is good but it’s el84 clean. The 6V6’s in this are the clean I’m looking for. That amp sounds so good…Ideally I’d like to A/B one with my other Mesa ? They are pricey though
I've been really impressed with Acorn amplifiers out of ATL
Wow.... Great looking amp, great features, sounds awesome. On my radar, albeit I don't especially need another amp.
Cheers Shane. 🎸🎸🎸
***I wonder how the 10" version sounds by comparison. Looking forward to that review!
Edit: both 10" &12" versions sold out at Sky, but damn I wasn't expecting that price. 🤔 Guess, I'm not in such a rush to add another amp 🤣🤣🤣
Shane,
Is there any difference between the effect of the master volume and the 1W/10W/20W switch? Do they do different things in the power amp portion?
It sounds pretty much the same but the volume drops big time. You could run the preamp or volume hotter to get more breakup but this amp is mostly designed for clean headroom.
Great amp! I only wish it had a proper line out. That's becoming a must-have for me. Anyways, keep it up!
Great review Shane. How do you compare this to the 10” version?
The 10 has a tighter bass response overall but they are very similar. I have the other video on the way in a week or so. :)
Nice! Have you tried the Mesa Fillmore 25? I'd be curious how you think they compare!
Yes I have tried it. It’s a very versatile amp but it’s been a few years since I tried one. I’ll see if I can borrow it from my friend who has one this year.
$500 more than a deluxe reverb but you get power scaling and an effects loop so cost isn’t insanely higher
Good morning, from the U.S., Shane.
Just curious what 2 amps of yours are behind a Marshall and a Fender but which models? Thx for always interesting videos!
Should compare this to the lonestar. Very different cleans
The 'tweed' in the name should inform potential buyers to the nature of this amp. A bargain really in comparison to some of Fender reissues like Tremolux or Twinolux.
Sorry…you sorta just jump into it without much of a header. Is this new or just new to you? Is the reverb spring or digital? Is the effects return stereo capable, to accommodate the two 4ohm speaker outs?
The reverb is spring. The whole amp is mono, it won't be a stereo effects loop.
Looks good, sounds good, but the price is off putting AUD 4.5k For this amount of money it would be nice to see a comparison of this and a hand wired Princeton. I have a princeton 68 reissue , 2 x blues juniors and made in USA supersonic and deluxe reverb amps all of which are cheaper thus this is a big ask.
Would love to know how it compares to the victory duchess v40 amp
Now do the Boogie Fillmore 25. Same kind of controls, but no attenuator.
I'd really love one of these, but honestly, I'm just done with the maintenance tube amps require, especially from a brand nobody wants to fix like Mesa. I'm too old for that nonsense now and find myself sticking to computerized stuff.
Sounds great, when clean or off-clean, no doubt. But man, 5x ECC83/12AX7 and 1x 12AT7 plus 2x 6V6 for a single channel amp and w/o any high gain reserve? And the worst thing: Mesas are constructed questionable and currently very hard to test or purchase, at least here in Germany, due to Gibsons pilosophy
Hi Shane, have tried the Tone King Falcon Grande?
I used to own one, I couldn’t get over the woofy low mid sound you can’t get rid of
What is your Les Paul?? That looks rad!
Does this sound as good for right handers?
Great videos. Gorgeous amp for sure. Considering the price, I’m wondering if it’s completely hand-wired?
It’s probably every bit as hand wired as the new Gibson Falcon amps. Therefore, not really “hand wired”.
Boogies have had high quality PCB boards since the beginning.
Sounds great no doubt
The question is, how well does it take pedals in front? Especially time based pedals. That’s where real amps shine!!
Like any clean amp, it's fine. I put an overdrive pedal into the front-end of it and it had no issues at all. Time-based effects work well on any decent sounding amp.
Lol..when the clean tone is as good as a fender...lol...then I buy the Fender...I did buy the fender deluxe .. i like when someone says sounds like a...probably a good idea to check out what the copy is copying first...
Love this thing, but my goodness, the price!
Shane, what pickups do you have in your Telecaster?
I think the Kiesel has their Johnny Hiland model pickups. The Fender has Danny Gatton models from Joe Barden.
I love your channel. Always great tones and tasteful playing. Your tele tones are amazing. Keep up the great work!
Is that amp of of Paul Rivera's designs?
I used to have a Mesa Boogie F30 years ago.. Sold it saying to myself want to change, or maybe upgrade?
Big mistake, I never found something better since then.. Now.. I'm desperately trying to find a Mesa Boogie here in Europe, but the brand isn't sold here anymore (why?) .. Like Dr Z, Two Rock, Carr...
It's just getting on my nerves we are literally snobed by these brands.
I don't want Fender, nor Supro, which aren't reliable at all, and don't like Marshall.. WTF😢
Glorious sound here, even more desperate after your demo 😂
Mesa Engineering was purchased by Gibson. Different distribution in Europe.
Great amp!
Boogies originally designed off of a fender?
Yes, the first Boogies were actually modded Princetons.