Which Mesa/Boogie would you choose ?

I had a Studio 22 combo and the harmonic overtones were amazing. I also had the Studio Preamp and it sounded great and very similar, but the combo was killer. I set the EQ (on both) to a gentle "smile" curve, when the mids slightly dipped-out, then for solos I stepped on the switch to turn off the EQ so it acted as a mid-boost. Great setup.

 

You realise the preamp is just a preamp and you need another power amp to drive unless you're only recording?

The Nomad is great if you have a factory or football field to play in but too much otherwise.

The 50 Calibre 6L6 version is a good amp but very loud still.

The Studio 22 with a good speaker is a good choice for still loud tones.

 

Hard to say. What do you plan to with it?

 

It looks like you are not really dialed in as to what you want, rather what you feel is on offer. With Boogie in particular that can be a bad combination. What you show are all very different products and very different sounds. Boogies can be befuddling even to those with a lot of experience as it is easy to dial in a Boogie wrong. Read up a bit on how their tone stacks work. I really think that their best entry level product, at any price point is an Express series amp. That is a good place to start, and often fairly inexpensive, as compared to other Mesa products. It is most similar to the Nomad that you have pictured. But the clean channel on an Express is quite a bit nicer than anything in its price range, for a used Boogie.

 

And the Express and Express + have variable power. So, you don’t always have to have the power to drive outdoors venues on tap, though it is there if you need.

 

I will never buy another EL84-loaded Mesa. So probably the Caliber 50 or Nomad.

Of course, at this point, I may never buy another tube amp so you should probably ignore my opinion.

 

what, no dual rec?

 

The only MESA ever to be considered is a triple rec!

Yes I grew up on NU-Metal and would love to have one someday

 

I dunno, I borrowed a dual rec for some live shows and it sounded gorgeous. Used a triple rec in a recording session and I couldn't get the sound I wanted out of it. YMMV as always.

 

i've always just seen them in thrash, punk, and hardcore bands. like that mid period amon amarth sound.

 

I like Mesas but I haven't played a whole bunch. I owned a Nomad 55 Combo for about 10 years. It was a good amp but I was never happy about the way the mids were dialed in. I currently have a Mini Rec and I like it a lot better. I would advise against the Nomad but don't have experience with the other options. If I were to do it again, I would get a Mark V:25 or if I needed something loud, a Dual Rec.

 

I’ve never played one, and probably will never get one, it’s kind of a childhood dream of mine along with a 7 string , seems like a great idea but maybe not so practical

 

Pff, if you've got a 7-string and a Mesa Rectifier, you don't need practicality!

 

Wow. I don’t like any of those. And I like a lot of Mesa amps.

I love a Mark IIC, but good luck finding one that doesn’t require a second mortgage to finance.

On the affordable side, the DC5 is an amazing amp.

Probably the best Mesa I’ve ever heard or played through was the Rocket 440. It’s a 4x10 combo, and it’s everything a super reverb should be and isn’t. They do tend to run very hot and have some reliability issues as a result. But damn, what a sound!

Never was a fan of the rectifier series. Great drive sounds if you’re into gainier stuff, but I never got a clean out of one that I liked.

I’ve gotten some beautiful tones out of Mesa Lonestar amps.

Mesa makes so many different styles. And they aren’t all even close to the same thing. Play as many as you can and find one you like. I’ve been dying to try out one of the “Fillmore” models but have not had the opportunity.

 

On that list, the ‘preamps’ would require an additional power section - they are just like rack mounted tube dirt pedals unless paired with power.

Are you recording or looking to play out?

What styles? They have a lot of models.

For max versatility, I’d keep saving for a Mark series with the EQ (Mark IIIs & IVs are old and sometimes come up cheap but may need some maintenance )

The studio 22 rack would probably be closest to the older Marks on that list but it could be in need of some checks.

Ive not played a Nomad but the Caliber I’d be researching more.

A Mark 5:25 or 5:35 are a lot of modern amp and I’d be trying every Express and Express+ i came across.


The ‘hard to dial in’ thing is one of those internet rumours and not true for the vast majority of their newer models and usually only refers to earlier Mark amps with cascading gain. Once you know its a chain, dialling is easy and you hear why they are famed.

Their modern amps are gain and TMB, the same as anything.

 

I had a Mesa Boogie .50 caliber+ combo amp years ago. It was my crunch amp.

 

https://reverb.com/item/32958977-mesa-boogie-transatlantic-ta-15

This one and get a decent cab.

 

studio 22

 

I'd have recommended the Caliber .50, except the rack thing doesn't work for me. I selected the Nomad 100, based on decent performance from a Nomad 45. I'll have to also reveal, I like a 6L6 section better than an EL84 section, so that's extra points for the 100 over the 45. The 45 was a bit scooped, and the speaker was maybe voiced more for that tone, but I felt a respeaker would have brought out more mids if wanted (which I would). I assume the 100 has an equally decent master volume - you will need it!