Never played a Mesa before - what to expect?

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paulphoenixpaulphoenix Frets: 141
edited June 2018 in Amps
I plan on getting my hands on some Mesa branded goodies this weekend: 

Rectoverb 25 and/or Mini Rec
Express Plus 5:25 

I've heard Mesa's can be tricky to dial in.... any pointers or advice you can give so I don't just waste mine and the shops time whilst also coming away disillusioned with the "Mesa sound"? 


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Comments

  • Flanging_FredFlanging_Fred Frets: 3008
    I'm not sure about newer models but the manual with my old studio 22 was pretty specific that you should set the treble knob first when doing the eq, then do the bass, then bring up the midrange to where you're happy.

    Also it suggested that banging everything on 10 is really not the way to go.  

    I'm not sure that this is still the case but it might give a headstart on dialling in.

    It might also be worth checking online manuals for the models you're interested in, it might give similar advice on the model?
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  • nick79nick79 Frets: 252
    The MIni Rec/Rectoverb 25 is pretty easy to get a good sound quickly. Put everything at noon and tweak from there. The mid control on ch1 pushed acts slightly differently in that up to noon it works like a normal mid control, after that it adds more gain.

    With ch2 Modern mode (which is very aggresive with gain past noon but surprisingly sweet and toneful at lower settings) use the presence sparingly otherwise it gets far too fizzy.
    As @Flanging_Fred suggests, have a look on Mesa's site and download the manual, it will tell you whats what and give you some recomended settings. Maybe put it on your phone so you can access it quickly in the shop.

    The Mini Rec is a great amp, very versatile. It sounds best turned up a bit though so to get the best out of it crank it up a bit.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26750
    If I were to sum up my main recollection of my 5:25 in a single word it would be "thumpy" 

    It was undoubtedly really good overall and certainly versatile, flexible, and dial-in-able (to the point that the controls can be quite sensitive but you can also set them to their extremes and get good sounds), but it always had the Mesa "thump" which is lovely in some contexts and a bit annoying in others.

    Most of all it showed me that I don't need sort-of-4-channels in my amps, and one great sound is absolutely fine for my uses.   

    YMMV!
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9445
    Big fan of the Express...

    Dial in the sound by your 'ears', if that makes sense, and not what you would traditionally...
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  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    I’d start with the suggested settings in the manuals and go from there using your ears.
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  • blobbblobb Frets: 2914
    What to expect? Quality. That's the first thing that jumped out to me.

    If it's an express (not +) then turn the contour knob down, set up any combination of other settings you like (you'll struggle to get a bad sound) then gradually bring the, pre-set V eq, contour in. Also don't think of it as a MESA, just think Amplifier. Don't forget the 5:25 switch is on the back so try it at both.

    As always when trying out in shops, choose a test guitar similar to your own one. Even better, take yours along. 

    Feelin' Reelin' & Squeelin'
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  • randellarandella Frets: 4088
    I'm not sure about newer models but the manual with my old studio 22 was pretty specific that you should set the treble knob first when doing the eq, then do the bass, then bring up the midrange to where you're happy.

    I discovered much the same thing about my Mini Rec by experimentation.  Everything's in the treble knob.  Took a while to get used to coming from Marshalls, but in the end there are only so many dials.  Tweak them until it sounds good (and it will).  There's really nothing to be afraid of, it's not like programming a NASA mainframe as some would have you believe.

    The other thing is, it's not just for that Foo Fighters-style thump.  I use a lovely, loose drive on the red channel set to 'Vintage' mode.  The green channel is very, very flexible and works well pushed by a standard drive pedal (I use an SD-1).

    Also loud.

    Really quite astonishingly loud.

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  • randellarandella Frets: 4088
    blobb said:

    As always when trying out in shops, choose a test guitar similar to your own one. Even better, take yours along. 

    And this too.  I once bought a drive pedal using a Mexican Strat which, whilst it was a perfectly nice guitar, sounded very very different from my own.  More different than you'd think two Strats could sound.

    Also if buying a head, get them to hook you up with a cab similar to that which you'll be using.  No good testing with a 4x12 if you're going to be using three fewer speakers.

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  • nick79nick79 Frets: 252
    randella said:

    Also loud.

    Really quite astonishingly loud.

    I was quite surprised  when i first fired mine up at a band practise - Easily enough volume for me, and we are a loud band. 
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  • webrthomsonwebrthomson Frets: 1029

    Set everything at noon - dont be tempted to dime it all on 10 like a Marshall. As said above set your treble first, if it's got an EQ set your bass almost off and add it back with the EQ.

     Other than that dont be afraid to have either weird high or low settings - as said above set it with your ears!

     Oh and all Mesa's are very, very loud - enjoy it immensely ;)

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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    As the ex owner of a 5 25 I can tell you to expect all sorts of awesomeness.

    The clean channel has all the clarity and sparkle you’ll ever need, I believe the next option is “crunch” (?) and this is where you’ll get all your classic rock tones. It comes scarily close to a Marshall. The Burn channel is all out rock. Plenty of gain and plenty of distortion but the clarity is still there.

    The spring reverb is superb, you’ll have no problem dialling in a good tone. Start with everything straight up at noon and go from there. 

    I miss mine but owning a Lonestar has softened the blow ;)
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  • fastonebazfastonebaz Frets: 4065
    I had a rectoverb 25 for a couple of days but struggled to find a crunch tone.  Lead tone was superb.  Made a video of it:


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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    A bad back ;)
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  • thomasw88thomasw88 Frets: 2316
    I had a maverick fight for a while. Liked it but the controls were too sensitive for me and I was always struggling to get a good balance between the 2 channels
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    edited May 2018
    Although there are various ‘flavours’ of Mesa amp, the aim of most of the range is to be a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ - in much the same way as a PRS Custom 24 is.

    To that end, they’re well made and cover many tones convincingly - but individual single channel ‘specialist’ amps are generally better in absolute terms.

    Tone controls aren’t intuitive - they generally need high treble settings - and very low mids/bass to sound comparable with most amps set at 12 O’clock.

    I have a Lonestar Special and rate it - so my comments aren’t intended as criticism - just trying to make you aware of how different they tend to be from most amps.
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    Although there are various ‘flavours’ of Mesa amp, the aim of most of the range is to be a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ - in much the same way as a PRS Custom 24 is.

    To that end, they’re well made and cover many tones convincingly - but individual single channel ‘specialist’ amps are generally better in absolute terms.

    Tone controls aren’t intuitive - they generally need high treble settings - and very low mids/bass to sound comparable with most amps set at 12 O’clock.

    I have a Lonestar Special and rate it - so my comments aren’t intended as criticism - just trying to make you aware of how different they tend to be from most amps.
    These are my settings for a pushed bedroom sort of volume. I’m only able to achieve this now (I’m not in a band) because the amp is the the workshop.

    https://i.imgur.com/a1nl615.jpg

    I have the lead channel pushed hard because I don’t have PSU for my Peacekeeper just now so this provides all my drive. But the bass on the Lonestar is incredible. I enjoy the slightly “fatter” tones the presence control allows by rolling it back a touch. But when I’ve got the Gibson plugged in I turn the presence up to about 2-3 o clock and it’s got an outstanding classic Marshall tone. 

    @paulphoenix these amps are outstanding. I don’t know why they get such a bad rep for being too fiddly and sensitive. If you sit in front of it and play it for a few hours you’ll be able to dial in some incredible sounds and tbh this is what I’ve done with any amp I’ve had. Not even the JMP was a “plug in and play” affair. I thought the fun part of the journey was playing the gear to get the best out of it... when did that become a chore? ;)
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    Hard to get a bad tone from the Mini Rec IME.  Sounds huge though a couple of speakers.
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • JayGeeJayGee Frets: 1254
    Can’t speak for the mini rec or Rectoverb but the 5:25 is, to the best of my experience, idiot proof...
    Don't ask me, I just play the damned thing...
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