Fender vs Mesa

[jed mac]

Some differences between my fender and Mesa .


1974 twin reverb:

I absolutely love how smooth it sounds after I figured out a volume level that works well for it and the reverb and tremolo are absolutely amazing.
I am now sold on fenders for a clean amp.
And I love how you can play it at next to no volume and still sound good

And I’m only really starting to enjoy the fender it was just a big change from the Mesa

1979 Mesa boogie mark 2a:

There’s a lot I already loved about it and after the overhaul it had it really makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop.

I love how full and bold it sounds, it’s darker than the fender and really is good for jazzy stuff (the little I can play) and can be good for that thick bluesy tones .
I’m really digging the lead channel since it never really had one! Now you can easily get a light breakup or some really heavy overdriven tones .

I think the coolest thing that it has going on is the fact that so many of the bands that got me into music played one .

Rolling Stones, blue oyster cult and Carlos Santana just to name a few .

 

[NoTeleBob]

Carlos had a very custom Mesa, but a Mesa(s). I don't know of any Stones era that included Mesas (?).

But you're right about both. Fender Twin owns "clean". Mesa is great for a driven amp.

 

[Milspec]

My only objection to the Mesa amps has been the learning curve. I might just be a tad slow in the head, but I find getting a good tone dialed in takes a fair amount of time...just so much going on with those amps.

 

[loudboy]

Carlos had a very custom Mesa, but a Mesa(s). I don't know of any Stones era that included Mesas (?).

But you're right about both. Fender Twin owns "clean". Mesa is great for a driven amp.

Some Girls/'78 Tour era. They were still playing the Ampegs too.

You can get a glimpse around :56.

 

[telemnemonics]

Carlos had a very custom Mesa, but a Mesa(s). I don't know of any Stones era that included Mesas (?).

But you're right about both. Fender Twin owns "clean". Mesa is great for a driven amp.

Stones wanted a free Boogie and got cranky when it was pay or go away

 

[Tim S]

From https://www.premierguitar.com/pro-advice/vintage-vault/mesa-boogie-mark-1

Keith Richards contacted Smith in 1977 and eventually purchased several Boogies over the years. (While most companies gave the Stones amps for free, Smith charged the band for his handmade Boogies due to the small size of his company at the time.) Boogies can be first heard with the Stones on side three of Love You Live taped at Toronto's storied El Mocambo Tavern. Boogies remained the Stones' go-to amps through 1993.

 

[tubedude]

The Fender sparkle ìs the over emphasis on highs and lows. Not as bad as the "smile eq setting" but mids are recessed. That's why they sound good at low volume. The emphasis works to compensate for the Fletcher-Munson curve.

 

[jed mac]

Carlos had a very custom Mesa, but a Mesa(s). I don't know of any Stones era that included Mesas (?).

But you're right about both. Fender Twin owns "clean". Mesa is great for a driven amp.

Stones used a mk2a for almost 40 years .

 

[jed mac]

The Fender sparkle ìs the over emphasis on highs and lows. Not as bad as the "smile eq setting" but mids are recessed. That's why they sound good at low volume. The emphasis works to compensate for the Fletcher-Munson curve.

My Mesa really dark so having the eq set like this help with the high end . Also it doesn’t hum real bad when set like this so I kept it like that. But most times I don’t use the eq because it really does more harm than good