Mesa/Boogie
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Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969.
Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a small repair shop which modified Fender combos to give them more gain. Prominent early buyers included Carlos Santana, and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, helping to develop Mesa/Boogie's reputation as an amp builder.
History
Mr. Smith, the creator of Mesa/Boogie, began his career at Prune Music, a Chinese grocery store turned music shop. Working as a repair tech while his business partner and friend, David Kessner, ran the front, Smith quickly gained a reputation with the local San Francisco Bay Area musicians. This reputation brought him business from bands including the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Carlos Santana.
In 1969, Smith, as a joke, modified Barry Melton's Fender Princeton amplifier. He removed the standard 10 inch speaker and modified the chassis to fit the larger transformers that were needed by the 4-10 tweed Fender Bassman, the circuit that he had added into the tiny 12 watt Princeton. Finally, Mounting a 12 inch JBL D-120, a popular speaker of the time, Smith had created what would be the first Boogie.
Randall Smith, needing to test his creation, took the "hot-rodded" Princeton into the front store, where Carlos Santana was present. Santana "wailed through that little amp until people were blocking the sidewalk". Impressed, Santana exclaimed to Smith, "Man, that little thing really boogies!" It was this statement that brought the Boogie name to fruition.[1]
The MESA name came about through Smith's other job, rebuilding Mercedes engines and repairing houses. He needed an 'official' sounding name through which to buy Mercedes parts and building supplies, and chose MESA Engineering. It was originally spelled with all capital letters but has been written as Mesa in recent years.
In 1971, Bassist Patrick Burke approached Randall with a proposal for a custom Bass amp. Smith was persuaded and constructed the Snakeskin Mesa 450 - Smith's first bass amplifier and the first official Mesa/Boogie product.[citation needed]
The real breakthrough came when Smith began building a preamp project for Lee Michaels to drive his new Crown DC-300 power amplifiers. Not knowing what signal was required to drive the power amps, Smith added an extra tube gain stage to the preamp, with 3 variable gain controls at different points in the circuit. In adding this extra gain stage, Smith had created the first high gain amplifier. He set about designing a guitar amplifier around the new principle, and in 1972 the Mark I was released.
He produced a number of custom variations on the Mark I through the late 1970s, with options including reverb, EQ, various speakers (most often Altec or ElectroVoice), koa wood jointed cabinets, and wicker grill. The Mark II was released in 1978.
In the 1980s, Mesa continued to produce combo and head amplifiers, and began production of rack power and pre-amps, developing power amplifiers such as the M180/190 and Strategy series, as well as pre-amps such as the Quad and Studio. Other models developed in the 1980s included the Mark III, the Son of Boogie, and the Studio .22.
In the '90s, Mesa launched the smaller Dual Caliber series and the more powerful Rectifier series.
Production of new models has continued into the 2000s, with models such as the Road King II, the Lone Star and Lone Star Special, and the Stiletto and Express lines.
Current products
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Mark Series
The Mark Series of amplifiers was Mesa's flagship product until the introduction of the Rectifier series. It was introduced in 1971 and is still being produced today. The most recent model is the Mark V.
Introduced in the Mark II-B was the Simul-Class power amplifier stage, which combined tubes running in Class A and Class AB through the same output transformer.
Rectifier Series
The Rectifier series is Mesa's flagship line.
The line-up began as the Dual Rectifier series of amps, which included the Solo, Heartbreaker, Maverick, and Blue Angel. All amps in the series, except for the Blue Angel,* had 2 forms of electrical rectification (conversion of power from AC to DC): silicon diodes and one or more vacuum tube(s) that the user could select via a switch located on the back panel of the amplifier. (Hence the name "Dual Rectifier".) While the Heartbreaker and Maverick used only one 5AR4 tube rectifier, the Solo employed two 5U4G tubes. This distinction engendered the misconception that the name Dual Rectifier was derived from this amp; the Solo's popularity only reinforced this misconception. Future designs would further contradict and confuse the line's namesake.
* The Blue Angel was designed with only a vacuum tube rectifier but retained the Dual Rectifier designation.
The Solo, with its visceral aesthetic and aggressive gain structure, soon became the most popular model of the Dual Rectifier series. Equipped with five 12AX7 preamp tubes and a quartet of 6L6 power tubes, the Solo produces 70-100 watts, depending on power options chosen. A bias select switch is standard, allowing the user to switch between EL34 and 6L6 power tubes without re-biasing. Originally designed with 2 channels* (though not true parallel channel circuits) the amp later evolved to three channels.
*The design of the older, 2-channel models differs in ways that reputedly give them a different sound as compared to later models. These so-called "Pre-500" rectifiers are said to have a unique, desirable tone due to specific transformers that were used only on these early models. In addition, these early models feature a unique circuit board that was changed toward the end of 1992. One can distinguish the Pre-500 dual rectifiers by their serial numbers, found on the back of the amps, which should fall between # R-0001 and R-0506.
In short order, Randall Smith stopped production of the other Dual Rectifier amps and concentrated on producing different configurations of the Solo. The Trem-o-Verb was a Solo that featured reverb and adjustable volume modulation. For those wanting more power, the Triple Rectifier Solo had six 6L6s for 150 watts. Another 5U4G tube (for a total of 3) was required to augment the power supply. It was also at this point that Randall briefly abandoned the original nomenclature and instead embraced the layman's perception of the amp's name based upon the number of tube rectifiers — hence "Triple".
For players needing less power and desiring a simpler, more straight-forward "Dual Rectifier sound," the Single Rectifier amplifier was introduced. It was rated at 50 watts and used only silicon diodes.
Mesa Boogie then produced the most feature- and option- laden iteration of the original Solo design: the Road King. It features 4 channels, each with two different speaker outputs, two effects loops, and Progressive Linkage, which allows five different power tube configurations (2x6L6, 2xEL34, 2x6L6+2xEL34, 4x6L6, 4x6L6+2xEL34), indicated by different LED lights on the front of the amplifier. The amp also features Recto-Tracking, which automatically selects the appropriate rectification (single or dual 5U4s or silicon diode) depending on the power tube configuration.
In response to complaints from some that the Road King was too complex, the Dual Rectifier Roadster was introduced. A scaled-down and less expensive version of the Road King that had fewer options for the power amp and speakers while retaining 4 independent channels.
Currently in production are the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, the Rect-o-Verb 50 head, and the Rect-o-Verb 50 combo, which is fitted with a single 12" Celestion Black Shadow speaker. The Rect-o-Verb line features the same circuitry as the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, but incorporates reverb. All Single Rectifier amplifiers feature 2 channels, a pair of 6L6 power tubes as well as five 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. A bias select switch, which allows the user to swap out the stock 6L6s for EL34s, was added in the "Series 2" versions of all amplifiers in the lineup. Also, the reverb control knob was moved from the back to the front on the Rect-o-Verb models.
Lone Star
The Lone Star amplifier was released in 2004 with the tag "Tone as big as Texas," and now comes in two variants, Classic and Special. The Classic can be compared to Fender's Blackface amps, while the Special is voiced more similarly to the Vox AC30.
The amplifier was designed to recreate the tones of Texas blues guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, though it also features a clean channel. Both channels are capable of switching between 50 watt and 100 watt, with the option of a tube rectifier in the 50 watt mode. In 2007 Mesa added a 10 watt, Class A option to both channels.
The Lone Star Special was released in 2005. The Special featured EL84 tubes, rather than the 6L6 tubes used in the Classic. It is switchable between 5, 15, and 30 watts The 30 watt selection uses a solid state rectifier for a cleaner tone, while the 15 and 5 watt settings use a tube rectifier for a warmer, grittier, sound. The 5 watt setting uses one power tube producing singled-ended Class A amplification, whereas the other two settings produce push/pull Class A/B amplification [1]. This lowers the power, allowing the tube to saturate at lower volumes, producing overdrive. In addition, the 2nd harmonic (an octave above) is not cancelled out, resulting in a richer overtone.
Stiletto
The Stiletto "Stage I" was released in 2004, and is designed as a British-flavored variant of the Rectifier series. This was in response to musicians using Marshall amplifiers combined with Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. Three models were released; the Ace, the Deuce, and the Trident. All three come standard with EL34 tubes.
The Deuce is a 100w dual rectified 4 X EL34 powered head. The Trident is the highest output power of the Stiletto line, with a switchable 50w/150w power rating. It has six EL34 power tubes and three 5U4 rectifiers.
As of the 2006 model year, all previous models are generally referred to as "Stage I" versions, and have been replaced by the new "Stage II" versions. The Ace is the first of the "Stage II" series. It is a 50-watt amp that is available in different formats. The "Stage II" models have several features that were not available in the first series. This features are RE-voiced modes, two new clean modes named Fat and Tite, a Fluid-Drive mode and faster power supply.
As of December 2009, Mesa/Boogie no longer produces the Stiletto Trident head.
Express
The Express line of guitar amplifiers was released in 2007, and has essentially replaced the F-Series in the Mesa Boogie line up. Although not directly descended from the F-Series, these two lines do have some features in common, some of which have been expanded upon in the Express line. This amp uses solid state rectification like the F series.
The Express line introduced Mesa's Duo-Class technology. This technology offers the ability to run the power section of the amplifier in either true class A (single-ended) mode, or true class AB (push-pull) mode. This allows the operator to choose between running the amplifier at a reduced power output of 5 Watts (class A), or full power (class AB). When run in 5 Watt (Class A) mode, the power section is operating on only one vacuum tube.
There are two different models offered in the Express line; the 5:25, which has a maximum power output of 25 Watts; and the 5:50 which has a maximum power output of 50 Watts.
The 5:25 operates on two EL84 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 25 Watts. It is available as either a Short Chassis Head (Width 19in), or a 1x10 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one E50 Speaker, and comes with casters included. They also offer a 1x12 (Open Back) Combo unit with one V30 Speaker which offers a bigger sound over the 10" speaker.
The 5:50 operates on two 6L6 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 50 Watts. It is available as a Medium Head (Width 22-7/8in), a Long Head (Width 26-1/4in), a 1x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one C90 Speaker, or a 2x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing two C90 Speakers. Both Combo units come with casters included.
Common features among the models in the Express line are as follows:
- Fixed bias current.
- Five 12AX7 tubes.
- Two fully independent channels with four style modes (channel 1 = Clean or Crunch, channel 2 = Blues or Burn).
- Independent gain, treble, mid, bass, reverb, master and contour controls per channel.
- Footswitchable Variable Contour Control on each channel, which Mesa Boogie says provides the power of their traditional 5-band graphic EQ from one rotary control.
- All tube, long spring reverb.
- All tube FX Loop external switching Jacks for channel 1/2, contour 1, contour 2, reverb.
- Three button footswitch (Channel 1/2, reverb & contour).
TransAtlantic
The TransAtlantic TA-15 was released in 2010. It was designed to compete with other "lunchbox" amps, such as the Orange Tiny Terror. It is a 5/15/25 watt, two channel amp head with five different voicings, as well as the Duo-Class and Dyna-Watt features, making it switchable down to five watts, or up to twenty-five, changing it between class A, class A/B, or both simultaneously.
Pre-amps
Triaxis
A five-tube preamp built to put all of the Mark series amps into one package. The Triaxis combines the clean tones of the Mark IV and the crunch of the Mark IIc series.
Rectifier Recording PreAmp
The Rectifier Recording PreAmp is a Rectifier model designed for silent recording. It can also be used as the front end of a rack mounted setup.
Bass Amps
Mesa also makes bass amps. Mesa's bass amps have been used by numerous professional bassists such as: Les Claypool, Paul McCartney, and Cliff Burton.
The current lineup of Bass Amps includes the simul-state Big Block series, M-Pulse, M9 Carbine, M6 Carbine, and Walkabout. The Big Block models, namely the Big Block 750 and the Titan V12, are powerful MOSFET-based amps that are aimed toward rock and heavy metal musicians because of their overdrive, all-tube preamp, simple control layout and extreme volume. The M-Pulse line includes the M-Pulse 600, the Walkabout, and now-discontinued M-Pulse 360. These amps offer an extremely flexible parametric equalizer as well as a strong, high-headroom clean tone. The Walkabout is a smaller, more portable version of the M-Pulse. All current M-Pulse models are offered in a combo version. The new M6 Carbine amp (formerly named the Fathom) is a basic, more affordable amp that has more of a fast, solid-state feel than the other MOSFET amps, and is geared toward bassists who prefer such an amp.
Mesa's most famous contribution to the bass world stems from its line of all-tube bass amps. The first was the D-180, which ran from 1982 until mid-1985. It utilized six 6L6GC power tubes to deliver 180-200 watts and featured an optional six-band graphic EQ. It also featured cascading-gain input channels for more "crunch". Demand for a more powerful amp led to the development of the Bass 400, which replaced the D180 in mid-1985. It used six 6550 power tubes to push out about 250 watts; however, the cascading-gain channels were replaced with two separate hi- and low-gain channels. Mesa's supply of 6550 tubes was cut short in the late 1980s and they were forced to sell the 400 with 6L6GC tubes, reducing its output to that of the D180. The solution came in early 1989 in the form of the Bass 400+. It was the same as the 400 in most respects but was powered via twelve 6L6GC tubes for nearly 360 watts of power. The 400+ was discontinued in November 2007.
What makes Randy Smith's products unique is that he was in the 1970s a dedicated craftsman rather than an instrument salesman out for a quick buck. At the time solid state amplifiers were coming on the market and their sound did not match the sound of tube driven amplifiers. His original idea was that there is a difference between the sound of a tube amp and a solid state one. There is a small delay in the migration of electrons that must navigate the space of a tube while electrons in solid state devices migrate quickly. Thus, in concept the Boogie amp represented a natural sound while its solid state counterparts represented an artificial or "plastic" sound subjective—provide references
Discontinued products
In operation since the early 1970s, Mesa Boogie has discontinued a number of products as its product lines and market change. Some of the major discontinued products are described below.
Coliseum Mark Series 300 Amplifier Head
The Series 300 amplifier head was a very powerful amplifier head. It came in the Mark IIB, IIC, IIC+, and III configurations.
It possessed up to 180 watts of power, making it too powerful for practical usage. As a result, it was discontinued. However, this amplifier head is very rare and information about it is scarce. They are estimated to have a high value. Notable users of this amplifier head are Metallica, Prince, John Sykes and The Rolling Stones.
The head itself can have as many as 8 push and pull knobs with 3 volume knobs, integrated equalizer, reverb, limiter, and a 1/2 power switch that cuts the voltage in half. It utilizes 6 power amplifier tubes. It was mainly designed to play large venues. The sheer loudness of the amp was too much for even a large club. Regardless, these amps remain a coveted piece of Mesa/Boogie history and to this day are very rare pieces of equipment.
Quad
The Quad preamp is divided over two channels, the above one is modeled after a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC and the lower channel is based on a Mark III.The preamp uses 8 NOS Tesla E83CC tubes. These were made in the 70's by Telefunken. The whole signalpath of the Quad uses tubes and no opamps like many other preamps such as the Triaxis and the JMP-1.
Mesa/Boogie designer and president Randall Smith: "The Quad (plus the Simul 295 Stereo power amp) is intended primarily for the concert-touring pro. And the idea is to offer a real alternative to the usual assemblage of two or three (or more) separate amps -usually modified- plus a custom switching system."
Some sources state that Channel 1 is based upon the IIC, however, according to Mike B. at Mesa Boogie, the IIC and IIC+ circuits are quite different, and the Quad is in fact closest to the IIC+ circuit.
Specification:
- 2 channels, 4 modes (2 rhythm and 2 lead)
- 8x E83CC NOS Tesla preamp tubes (Telefunken production!)
- 2 custom made Accutronics spring reverbs
- Tube driven reverb and stereo fxloop
- 2x 5 band graphic EQ
- 5 EQ shift functions per channel to change the sound
- Hand made in the USA
- on/off jacks for each function
Blue Angel
The Mesa Blue Angel was an offshoot of the Rectifier series. It sported a single channel that thrived with jazzy clean tones, but gave an aggressive sound when turned loud. The amps were available in a head, 1x12, 2x10, and 4x10. The amplifiers featured Mesa's Progressive Linkage technology, enabling the use of two 6V6 power tubes and four EL84 tubes. The amplifiers used a single GZ34 rectifier tube and 5 12AX7s. Interestingly, the Blue Angel's "Dual Rectification" did not include switching a la the Dual Rectifier, but instead used a GZ34 to supply current to the power tubes, while utilizing solid state rectification for preamp tubes.
Nomad
Mesa's Nomad series was produced from1998 until the early 2000s, and were considered a successor to the Caliber series of the 1990s. They boasted three channels with the option of a graphic equalizer on some models. It was sold in 45, 55, and 100 watt variations, and was phased out with the introduction of the F-series
Maverick
The Maverick was a Class-A, channel switching amp available in a 4x10, 2x12 combo, or 1x12 combo format, as well as a 35-watt head. The 1x12 combo was discontinued after about the first half of the production lifetime of the model. The amp was aimed towards country and classic rock players, and was replaced by the Lone Star.
Pre-amplification is done with six 12ax7's divided over two channels, and power amplification is handled by four EL84's in Class A mode.
Formula Recording preamp
The Formula is an all tube 1u rack-mount preamp. Basically a front-end of a Nomad series amp.It has 5 12AX7 tubes 2 channels plus assignable/switchable 5 band Graphic equalizer.Touted as being a direct-to-tape recording tool,having built in mic/speaker emulation as to set the user free to record spontaneously without the hassle of speaker cabs and mic placement etc.
The preamp didn't gain acceptance most likely due to the fact that the direct recording tone wasn't optimal. Whilst sonically offering good vintage style clean tones and blues/fusion style lead tones, those looking for rock and more modern sounds felt left out.
There are third-party amateur produced modifications available that apparently improve on the circuitry to make the gain channels more usable.
Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci remarked that he used the Formula in his rig for clean tones.
F-Series
The F-Series debuted in 2002 as the spiritual successors to the early '90s Dual Caliber series. There were 3 sizes, the F30 (30 watts), the F50 (50 watts) and the F100 (100 watts). In 2007 the F-Series was replaced by the Express line of amplifiers.
The smallest amplifier in the series was the F30. Rather than 6L6 tubes, it uses two EL84s in its power section. It was available in a 'shorthead' version or as a 1x12 combo.
The F50 was the most critically acclaimed model, featuring two 6L6 tubes in the power amp and using solid state rectification. It is available as a 'medium head' version, or a 1x12 'widebody' combo. Early 1x12 models shared the same size combo as the F30.
The F100 used a quartet of 6L6s for 100w output, with a 60/100w switch. It was available as a 2x12 combo or in a 'long head' version.
Notable users
- Kurt Cobain
- Keith Richards
- Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses
- Prince
- Carlos Santana
- John Scofield
- Pete Townshend
References
- ^ Hunter, Dave. Guitar: A complete guide for the player. ISBN1-57145-561-2