2nd hand mesa gear down in price

Barney

Just been noticing on different for sale forums the mesa amps have really dropped in price compared to others ....any ideas why or s it just there are that many about now 

John_P

I've noticed a few of the big amp heads - older rectifiers etc at prices a lot lower than I'm used to - I suspect it's a mix of newer models, more available and fashion - especially with the trend towards small amp heads instead of lugging the big heavy ones around. 

sweepy

Certain models were never very popular s/h such as the DC range and the Nomads, these are usually the cheapest way to get the Mesa fix 

guitarfishbay

People who used to buy big multi channel heads have gone smaller, or digital. 

guitarfishbay

Also the tones aren't as in fashion anymore - the big loose Recto thing isn't on as many albums as it was 10 years ago etc

ThePrettyDamned

guitarfishbay said:

Also the tones aren't as in fashion anymore - the big loose Recto thing isn't on as many albums as it was 10 years ago etc

Indeed. 

Also, they were trendy because they were a little bit exclusive, very well built and great sounding. It's currently a lot trendier to go for "boutique" versions of old, classic circuits. 

I suspect they'll be back in fashion one day. They're not exactly out of fashion, I suspect they're more common on the touring circuit because of the reliability and tough build. 

Alnico

I remember all of this being said about the JCM800 about 15 years ago.
Buy the Mesa Dual Rec's cheap while you can. Because of it's reputation i think that when it does come back around it will be (Rightly) heralded in the same way the 800 is now.

DrJazzTap

As soon as I get on my feet job wise. a dual rec is looking very tempting. I've seen some sell for as little as £700. 

ThePrettyDamned

Alnico said:

I remember all of this being said about the JCM800 about 15 years ago.
Buy the Mesa Dual Rec's cheap while you can. Because of it's reputation i think that when it does come back around it will be (Rightly) heralded in the same way the 800 is now.

Do you remember orange amps going cheap in the naughties? 

Then they released the tiny terror... 

CHrisP86

Any links to particular bargains?

Is it also not helping that we are getting to Christmas when most people don't spend as much.

richardhomer

CHrisP86 said:

Any links to particular bargains?

Is it also not helping that we are getting to Christmas when most people don't spend as much.

There's a Lonestar Special in the classifieds now for £900.

They retail at well over £2000 now - so well under half-price for one of the best sounding clean amps you'll ever find....

welshboyo

ThePrettyDamned said:

Alnico said:

I remember all of this being said about the JCM800 about 15 years ago.
Buy the Mesa Dual Rec's cheap while you can. Because of it's reputation i think that when it does come back around it will be (Rightly) heralded in the same way the 800 is now.

Do you remember orange amps going cheap in the naughties? 

Then they released the tiny terror... 

I remember picking up an original OR120 head in 92/93 for 50 quid!!! Was classed at that time as an unwanted relic from the 70's..

ICBM

welshboyo said:

I remember picking up an original OR120 head in 92/93 for 50 quid!!! Was classed at that time as an unwanted relic from the 70's..

Worse than that, I remember them being used as "parts amps" because they often had the same (or at least same-enough that people didn't look too closely) Partridge transformers as Hiwatts did. Luckily I was never responsible for destroying one for that reason...

sweepy

It might also be the case that Guitarists want more than a "One Trick Pony" so, the JCM800 and Dual Rec will rightly be the consigned to those who can afford and have room for them to get dusty 

ThePrettyDamned

sweepy said:

It might also be the case that Guitarists want more than a "One Trick Pony" so, the JCM800 and Dual Rec will rightly be the consigned to those who can afford and have room for them to get dusty 

I've seen more of a swing from big, multi channel kit like a dual rec (which is a good amp for basically every genre, from funk to blues to jazz to metal) to single channel vintage style boutique amps that like having tubeacreamers in front of them. 

Most common seems to be blackface fender and tweed fender style amps, but there have been reworked voxes and marshalls too. 

crunchman

3 things:

1: movement away from multichannel do it all amps to single channel amps with pedals.

2: movement towards smaller amps with lower volumes because of the noise police.

3: movement towards digital (Axe FX, Kemper, Helix etc.) for those who do want the flexibility of a multichannel set up.

ICBM

sweepy said:

It might also be the case that Guitarists want more than a "One Trick Pony" so, the JCM800 and Dual Rec will rightly be the consigned to those who can afford and have room for them to get dusty 

As ThePrettyDamned said, the Dual Rec is *very* much more than a "one trick pony". In fact it's one of the most versatile and underrated amps for a far wider range of sounds than the usual clichéd nu-metal crunch it's always associated with. The cosmetics don't help with that impression - if they'd made it in a standard vinyl or cloth-fronted box it would be much more widely used, I think.

SimpleSimon

I noticed the trend too, I missed out on a nice Wooden cab Mesa back in the summer which was very local to me (I forget the exact model) It went for an absolute song something like £600..........

EDIT: those fancy wooden cabs and tan grilles are sheer amp porn!

BintyTwanger77

I was on the verge of jacking in all my dirt pedals and getting a two-channel amp for dirt and cleans, but I found a couple of pedals that worked beautifully into a clean Fender amp, this has made the whole thing a lot less complicated.

Alnico

ICBM said:

sweepy said:

It might also be the case that Guitarists want more than a "One Trick Pony" so, the JCM800 and Dual Rec will rightly be the consigned to those who can afford and have room for them to get dusty 

As ThePrettyDamned said, the Dual Rec is *very* much more than a "one trick pony". In fact it's one of the most versatile and underrated amps for a far wider range of sounds than the usual clichéd nu-metal crunch it's always associated with. The cosmetics don't help with that impression - if they'd made it in a standard vinyl or cloth-fronted box it would be much more widely used, I think.

They do. It costs around £650 more at Andertons for the Black Vinyl Front than the Metal Plate.

ICBM

Alnico said:

They do. It costs around £650 more at Andertons for the Black Vinyl Front than the Metal Plate.

I forgot they do now - although at that ridiculous mark-up I wouldn't be surprised if no-one has ever bought one. Until the current version it was deckplate or nothing though - unless you bought a Trem-o-verb head, which is the better-sounding amp anyway .

Such is the Dual Rec's reputation as purely a metal amp, that many people don't even realise the Trem-o-verb is the same amp but with reverb and tremolo.