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TA15 is now my main amp, of which I get nice cleans with my archtops and semis, and nice crunches with my semis and solid bodies. Plenty loud enough for my small gigs and work with drummer and horns. Light and convenient with my light (DIY) cab. Takes well pedals.
Those who don't like Mesa, don't know how to use it
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09-18-2016 08:32 AM
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Come with foot switch pedal ( I don't use )
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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
I live about a mile from Mesa HQ and have been trying to like them for years now. It would be so convenient, especially for service purposes. No shipping and I could walk over to get some tubes, speakers, etc.
For me it has been true that they have every tone except the one I want. Then again, I have little patience for dialing knobs. I'm going to have to go try the Express Plus because it sounds very promising and I REALLY want to fall in love. They also look so darn cool!
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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
I had a Mesa Nomad series amp, and I can agree that some of the older products had tonal limitations.
The newer series Express Plus & Mark V series (including the very new Mark V 35) have re-designed circuitry and a plethora of options. I suggest that if you were to select an amp that has a power tube section that you prefer (be it EL-84/Express+ 5-25 & Mark V 35, or 6l6/Express + 5:50, or El-34/Mark V) you might be pleasantly surprised!
Granted, most jazz players (myself included) find them to have far too many gain options, and I admit that I exclusively use the clean channel. But with treble, mid, bass, presence (MK V series), and sliders (not to mention Class "A" and "AB" power switching modes) It'd be nearly impossible NOT to find tones you like (IMHO)!
You should at least try one of these newer series, and if you STILL don't care for them, you'll have a updated reason. Jeff
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The TA-15 has only minimal controls compared to many other Mesa but I have never had a problem finding the "right" tone for me. For a Mesa it's a pretty basic amp.
Thanks John
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Originally Posted by 999369
for sound I like ,first (sound comfortable to my ears ) I set treble mid bass at 12 clock , adjust gain and master until My ( ears ) feel comfortable with sound ~~~then I adjust T M B ( balance level ) make string 1-6 sound level balanceLast edited by 999369; 09-18-2016 at 10:51 PM.
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For the sound I like, first I set treble mid bass at 12 clock, adjust gain and master until I feel comfortable with sound.
Then I adjust T M B to balance the sound for 1-6 strings the volume ( some time I adjust the pickup on guitar ) , most time I use guitar tone knob adjust ( cut ) how much treble do I need .
( my guitar and amp is have very good Bandwidths so didn't need add or cut to much ) ( Personal improvement for guitar and amp but not all the amp )
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I've only played a few Mesas -- never owned one -- but as I use 999's approach to dialing in an amp, I was able to find good tones from them pretty quickly. Might not have been the tone I was seeking, but it was almost always inspiring.
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Originally Posted by 999369
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I saw a nice little Mesa head at the LMS this aft. Light, small, covered with knobs. 25 watts. A Mark 25 head maybe?
Perfect size, weight, output. I didn’t get a chance to try it out. It’s not a name that comes up here very often.
Mesa anyone?Last edited by Bach5G; 10-27-2018 at 07:36 PM.
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Maybe a Mesa/Boogie Mark Five:25?
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The Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier pretty much fueled the nu-metal boom of the '90s and '00s. Before that, Carlos Santana was about the only guy with a name who played through them.
I've got a Nomad 45 from around that time that is a very solid amp capable of everything from crystal clean strat tones to shred metal 7 string mayhem.
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That’s it.
A 25-watt Princeton head? (Mesa Boogies started out as modified Princetons didn’t they?)
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Try a Fillmore
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agree current- fillmore...fender like!! like the original mark I was...a hotrodded fender!!!
cheers
ps- other mesa fave was the studio 22..possibly the first "modern" (90's) amp to use the great el84 (voxy) power tube since the 60's...now it's common..but back then that tube /tone was dead...i used to buy mesa branded el84s for my vox amps when the nos mullard /usa- ge , sylvania, etc market went dry
now jj'sLast edited by neatomic; 10-27-2018 at 10:47 PM.
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I play hollowbody guitars through my Mesa Maverick and Mesa Blue Angel. Not so much through the Trem-o-Verb.
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Or something like this for that corner of your my) living room... after winning the lottery of course...
Mesa Boogie Custom Shop Mark V - Head/Cabinet Exotic Hardwood
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Milkman Dairy Air head two 6l6s or 6v6s
volume
treble
middle
bass
thats it....good “pedal platform”
15lbs
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Originally Posted by Bach5G
I like the Mark V 35, but I was not searching for a Fender sound per se.
Mesa Express Plus 5:25 Head
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I have a Mesa TA-15 that I bought from GC when they had lost their dealership. It ia a very nice small amp and very versital. It is mostly used as a small practice amp but will put out plenty of volume. Hooked up to a pair of 12" JBL's it sounds great with my L-4CES. I add a little plate reverb with my Catlinbread Talisman and get plenty of complements on it's sound. These are discontinued but still available used and Mesa has a great warranty and customer service.
Thanks John
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I bought one in around '75 or '76 and gigged with that full time for about 15 years. Never a problem. Played a lot of latin jazz, straight jazz and 'art rock'. Did everything I asked of it. I used it like a Fender: No big distortion. No channel switching.
That one was a stage amp and monstrously heavy with the Altec option of the day. Sold it and got studio 22 which, as stated above, is a great small tube amp. Still using it from time to time.
Mesa don't get a lot of love around here. The usual response is that it's aimed at the 'rock' market and that it's got too many knobs... or something. And that you can't get a 'jazz sound' out of them. I don't really know what that means. It's true that Joe Pass, Herb Ellis etc didn't use them. Wes used a Standell or something at some point. Don't see a lot of those on stage these days either.
You should try before you buy. If I was buying Mesa now I'd deff look close at the Fillmore. I'd probably take off the Boogie plate for a better jazz sound :)
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+1 on the TA15
Bought used because Mesa Boogies are so expensive here in Europe !
Can do cleans at outrageous loud volumes
Can bark the hell out of metal low tuned Esp (my son when he's not playing bass!)
And it glows in the dark !
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A Mesa Boogie MKIV stack was my main amp throughout the '90's. I had a pop/rock band that played a variety of stuff and the versatility, power, and sound of the Boogie worked perfectly for that.
I also had a Polytone Baby Brute and Mini Brute IV for jazz gigs, although I often used the Mark IV with a single cabinet for those. I also had a Boogie Studio .22 for rehearsals. This was a great little amp, but I found it too aggressive-sounding for straight-ahead jazz.
The short MKIV head was a build-to-order item at the time I bought it, so it was drop-shipped from the factory. It sustained shipping damage--the Rhythm Gain pot had a broken shaft. Mesa offered to pay for shipping for the repair, but I asked them to just send me the pot so I could install it myself. When I fired it up after that one of the 6L6's blew up. Mesa was really apologetic by then. They sent me a replacement tube and a tee shirt...and two complete sets of tubes in addition!
Danny W.
P.S.: Don't even ask about the blackface TremoluxLast edited by Danny W.; 11-03-2018 at 09:33 AM.
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Nice pictures of a cool rig, Danny.
A Mk IV wide body combo was my main gigging amp since bought new the mid-90's. Still have it in a corner of the garage, along with a Mesa 1x12 Black Shadow loaded Ext. Cab, ready for any un-miked outdoor gigs. Thank God it isn't needed more than once a year these days. My aging back couldn't take much more of that drama.
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The Rocket 44 is one of the simplest, loudest, lightest and tonally most versatile tube amps packed into a 1x12 combo you can find. The speaker emulated out with speaker mute is totally awesome sounding too.
Last edited by wildschwein; 10-30-2018 at 09:27 AM.
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