Mesa Studio 22

NelsonP

Love Johan...

NelsonP

I do have some skin in this game....the studio 22s big brother...

Littlejonny

Does Johan just get to crank amps all day? God, I feel for his neighbours! 

Alex2678

I assume if he had any noise sensitive neighbours he’d have been lynched by now

NelsonP

Alex2678 said:

I assume if he had any noise sensitive neighbours he’d have been lynched by now

They've been knocking on his door for 5 years, but he can't hear them!

nick79

Cracking little amps. Don’t think I would have one without the 5 band eq though, I need that to get mine to where I like it. 

CaseOfAce

Not for me personally - I just found that to be a bit harsh and clanky. 
Reminded me a little of the Ampeg sound on Get Yer Ya Ya's Out - but without that sweet nasalness to it?
Liked the telecaster. 

I used to have a Mesa F-30 and fought with its sound for a few years - I was never happy. 

Hey it's all personal preference and how cool is it that not only does he manage Liverpool, he has an amp collection.?!

ICBM

I don’t like any Mesa Mark series without the GEQ, other than for the clean sound. The ‘EQ auto’ setting is the key to making them usable on both channels, for me.

The speaker in the .22 isn’t ideal either, it’s an Eminence-made ‘Vintage Black Shadow’ which is totally different from the normal ‘Black Shadow’ EV or Celestion (which are totally different from each other… confused yet?) and very middy. But it is at least about half the weight of the Celestion and a quarter of the EV.

Flanging_Fred

Love my Studio .22. It’s not perfect but has done me Stirling service over the years. 

@ICBM - Out of interest, do you have any recommendations for a speaker swap?

CaseOfAce

Flanging_Fred said:

Love my Studio .22. It’s not perfect but has done me Stirling service over the years. 

@ICBM - Out of interest, do you have any recommendations for a speaker swap?

I don't doubt it Fred.
I guess it all depends what guitar you put thru it, how you set it , what (and how) you are playing and within the context of a band it probably sounds pretty decent. 
That's the trouble with hearing these things in isolation - it's too easy to get critical.

welshboyo

Johan makes me chuckle as he almost sounds Welsh

It almost sounds to me as if he is only using the Clean Channel as the one I had certainly sounded more "gainy" than that.

EDIT - ah, its an early Studio 22, not the +

Stratavarious

I’ve had its big brother, a MKiii, since ‘86.  Amazing amp still today.  Gain sounds and cleans are just perfect and the GEQ can make it sound HUGE.  

Weighs as much as a planet though and louder than Concorde. The EVM speaker has to be best ever.

ICBM

Flanging_Fred said:

@ICBM - Out of interest, do you have any recommendations for a speaker swap?

Without having ever heard it in one, I would try a Jensen Tornado - probably either the 100W Classic or the 80W Stealth. They sound great in every amp I've heard them in, including my Mesa Blue Angel (the Classic in that) - it actually sounds better even than the original Celestion Black Shadow, it's clearer and more detailed, very even from bottom to top and is more responsive to settings on the amp and the guitar - the Black Shadow was a bit over-dominant by comparison, although I didn't realise that until I put the Jensen in.

As a side benefit, the Jensen weighs even less than the stock speaker.

NelsonP

I use my .50 caliber with 2 different cabs. A Marshall 1960a with 4 x G12T-75s and a 1 x 12 Zilla Fatbaby with a Creamback. It sounds great with both.

The .50 has the same cascading preamp as the .22, with 5 x 12ax7s and 4 × el84s (later + models had 2 × 6v6s).

I don't think the earlier non + version were much different in terms of overall gain btw. There were actually 3 different models, early non+, later non + which head a lead master control and the last + version (easily identified by its plastic, rather than metal power switches). I agree the 5 band eq is essential and it can be set to come on on the lead channel only, which is great.

Kebabkid

This was my first proper amp, brought from Chandler Guitars and served me well for a few years before I went all rack, midi and stereo.
Loved it

Whistler

Kebabkid said:

This was my first proper amp, brought from Chandler Guitars and served me well for a few years ...

Ditto, except that mine is still serving me well some 33 years later.

NelsonP

A question for anyone using these amps in a band. So you have 2 channels clean and dirty...how are you boosting the dirty channel for solos? I've tried every which way and I can't find a way to boost the volume on the dirty channel as it is so compressed.

Answer on a postcard please.

springhead

Whistler said:

Kebabkid said:

This was my first proper amp, brought from Chandler Guitars and served me well for a few years ...

Ditto, except that mine is still serving me well some 33 years later.

Same here too.  Mine was from Chandlers in 1988.  

NelsonP said:

A question for anyone using these amps in a band. So you have 2 channels clean and dirty...how are you boosting the dirty channel for solos? I've tried every which way and I can't find a way to boost the volume on the dirty channel as it is so compressed.

Answer on a postcard please.

The Lead channel isn't really a channel.  It switches in a valve boost stage into the front end of the amp, and does a little bit of eq and volume adjustment.  In the non "+" version, like mine above, then yes any boost pedal into that, or dirt pedal with the volume up just compresses more.  Can even give a net reduction in apparent volume.  I modded mine to add Lead Gain and Lead Volume controls on the back panel (using the Line out pot and socket) and it's done about 30 gigs since.  With that mod you can turn down the crazy amount of gain and volume boost that the stock Lead mode adds which helps it play more nicely with pedals.  However a lot of the time I'm using mine in "Rhythm" mode with external drive/boost pedals, or using the modded/tamed Lead mode for one sound where I don't need a solo boost pedal.  Guitar volume knob works for that depending on the song.

richardhomer

NelsonP said:

A question for anyone using these amps in a band. So you have 2 channels clean and dirty...how are you boosting the dirty channel for solos? I've tried every which way and I can't find a way to boost the volume on the dirty channel as it is so compressed.

Answer on a postcard please.

Setting the GEQ sliders higher and switching it in worked when I had a Mark III.

springhead

richardhomer said:

NelsonP said:

A question for anyone using these amps in a band. So you have 2 channels clean and dirty...how are you boosting the dirty channel for solos? I've tried every which way and I can't find a way to boost the volume on the dirty channel as it is so compressed.

Answer on a postcard please.

Setting the GEQ sliders higher and switching it in worked when I had a Mark III.

You can’t do that mid song on the Studio amps. The graphic is either on, off or Auto which makes it come on when you switch from Rhythm to Lead.  

ICBM

NelsonP said:

A question for anyone using these amps in a band. So you have 2 channels clean and dirty...how are you boosting the dirty channel for solos? I've tried every which way and I can't find a way to boost the volume on the dirty channel as it is so compressed.

Answer on a postcard please.

The Lead channel *is* for solos . I seem to remember it had a huge volume boost, actually too much unless you were very careful with the settings.

If you want to boost it even more, another EQ in the loop to put back the mids the front panel one has taken out should work.