What Mesa Boogie 1x12 combos do you like best?

RandallFlagg

in the current range of Mesa Boogies that you have tried, what is your favourite 1x12 combo and why?

frictionfraction

Currently using a mark 5:35 1 x 12. the 2 master volumes are independent of each other which works much better than the old boogie system of stacking volume 2 after volume 1.  EQ Is really good and the range of options on each channel is sensible.  The 3 wattage settings are useful - infact I gig it pretty much o. The 10 watt setting - downside is this is not a home use amp!  The biggest plus for me is that you can focus the mids on it to push you forward in the mix - a quality many rock amp manufacturers ignore (dare I say Friedman)

Yes it is like all boogies "complicated" but it repays an investment of time.  

RandallFlagg

Sounds good, is there a boogie you would recommend that can be tamed for home use volumes?

richardhomer

RandallFlagg said:

Sounds good, is there a boogie you would recommend that can be tamed for home use volumes?

Lonestar Special - both channels can be set to 5 watts - it quietens down really well.

Clean channel is exceptional - the second channel covers quite a wide gain range from almost a clone of the clean channel through to 'classic rock' levels of drive - if you need more gain, a pedal will sort you out. And possibly the best spring reverb you'll ever hear.

Its probably still a little more complex than I'd ideally like - but pretty straight-forward compared to many Mesas. Probably the only amp they make which appeals to people who don't like Mesas....

andy1839

Mk.V 
90w, 45w or 10w loads of variation between all nine modes. 
Sounds ace at low volume too. 
It really pushed through the mix when played live. 

I traded mine for something I couldn't pass up, but I'll have another one exactly the same in the future. 

It was very very heavy though. 

simonk

Having had 7 Mesas I'd like to cheat slightly and choose the MkV:25 head and Widebody open 1x12 cab. As much as I wanted to love my MkV I just couldn't bond with it - too heavy, fussy to dial in and just too loud for most of the situations I found myself using it in.

If it has to be a combo then the MkV:35 would probably be my choice. Love the LS range too though, and the Express 5:50+ I had was a great gigging amp.

I should note, my musings above only cover the currently in production Mesas. 

BintyTwanger77

I bought a Rectoverb 25 combo recently and it sounds fantastic, incredibly versatile and the clean sounds are tremendous. Good enough to have me contemplating selling my Deluxe Reverb. The reverb on the Mesa is gorgeous.

professorben

I've not tried many 1x12 Mesa, but recently tried a Mkiii red stripe which was nice, but I'm in love with my Studio preamp, it's a wonderful clean, and the drive side is far beyond (driven) my wildest dreams 
i used to own a Rocket 440 which was a great amp for bluesy break up and crunch, but the 4x10 je sons didn't really bring the thump I wanted, oddly through a 4x12 it sounded immense.

timmysoft

I've not had many of the current line but:

Rectoverb 50 - sounded huge weighed a lot!
Nomad 55 - despite the hate these get, I really enjoyed it, good all round, versatile amp.
DC-3 - difficult to dial in but consistently great sounding.
F30 - lovely compact package and good tones, cleans were maybe a touch flat.
Stiletto Ace - incredible sounding 112 combo, all the best bits of Mesa and Marshall all rolled into one.

Voxman

I'm not a big fan of Mesa Boogie amps but the Stiletto Ace seemed pretty good and I also quite liked the Lonestar.  But a lot of Mesa's I just find too dark with a tendency to over-power the guitar's natural tonal character so that whatever you plug in sounds pretty much the same.

ICBM

richardhomer said:

Lonestar Special - 

Its probably still a little more complex than I'd ideally like - but pretty straight-forward compared to many Mesas. Probably the only amp they make which appeals to people who don't like Mesas....

The Blue Angel is even more that - but they don't make it any more. No channel switching, no multiple modes, not even a master volume. It also has possibly the best clean sound and best reverb of any amp I've ever heard. I do slightly regret selling mine.

Niallseroreilly

I have a thiele 1x12 and its beautiful. Cleans are really nice.

Kebabkid

I had the Express 5:50 2x12 but it wasn't until I sold it and tried the 1x12 version that I realised I'd probably picked the wrong model. I preferred the 1x12 it as it had a tighter sound, sounded better or more me and was a more manageable weight. These weren't the Plus ones which followed.

rico

Interesting thread - I was going to ask a similar thing. I don't need a new amp but GAS...

Mickeyji

In terms of sound, it has to be the Electradyne - but that thing is too heavy, so it unfortunately was pretty useless to me and I regretfully had to sell it off. The Express 5:25+ is a great package deal: small, lightweight, good sound in all modes, solo boost, good footswitch and not too expensive (compared to other Mesa amps at least). Bandmate plays an old DC-5 that sounds really good too.

Mickeyji

RandallFlagg said:

Sounds good, is there a boogie you would recommend that can be tamed for home use volumes?

The Express 5:25+ works well at home volumes. The 5W setting is the most quiet one obviously, but the amp sounds best on the 15W setting - and this can be dialed down to neighbour-friendly volume levels too, no problem. It'll still sound good.

professorben

Honestly I'm surprised about the amount of comments about weight, it's never been a concern when buying an amp, does it sound good? Does it have the features I want? 
Never thought, is it heavy?

it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. 

shaunm

professorben said:

Honestly I'm surprised about the amount of comments about weight, it's never been a concern when buying an amp, does it sound good? Does it have the features I want? 
Never thought, is it heavy?

it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. 

It would if you had a bad back

sweepy

My Mk4 boogie was a harder lift than my Marshall 4x12 Cab, my back was never the same afterwards

MikeB

Had a LSS until recently and it was superb at anything other than metal tones. Only bumped it for. 2x12 classic which has all the same but with the extra breadth that's comes from the additional speaker. Love them both. 

koneguitarist

MK2 can't remember exactly which model, but also have fond memories of my old Maverick.