Mesa Boogie Amplitudes

Refused at The Warfield

Boogie — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:32:25 +0000

Refused Live (click to enlarge)

Boredom did not get us when Refused came to town! In between playing the Coachella Festival both weekends, the band visited San Francisco for the first time, playing to a sold out crowd of die-hard fans at the legendary Warfield Theater. The Swedish hardcore punk band who originally toured from 1991 to 1998, finally reunited, playing a few secret shows in Sweden before heading to the US.

Kris Steen Royal Atlantic Rig (click to enlarge)

As the curtain dropped, the crowd went wild, screaming along with “Worms of the Senses/Faculties of the Skull”. The tone was set, the entire crowd was singing and jumping, fists in the air, as Refused played songs like “The Deadly Rhythm” and “The Shape of Punk to Come”, ending the night with an encore of “New Noise” and “Tannhäuser / Derivè”.

Jon Brännström Mark V 1x12 Combo (click to enlarge)

Magnus Flagge Big Block 750 & PowerHouse 8x10 (click to enlarge)

We also had the chance to catch up with the guys at Coachella. Jon Brännström, Kris Steen and Magnus Flagge are all currently using Mesa rigs and it was great to hear about their quests for the perfect rigs and get details on their gear and settings.

Kris Steen: Royal Atlantic 2×12, 2×12 Recto Horizontal

Refused Royal Atlantic settings (click to enlarge)

Jon Brännström: Mark V 1×12, 2×12 Recto Horizontal

Refused Mark V settings (click to enlarge)

Magnus Flagge: Big Block 750, PowerHouse 8×10

Refused Big Block 750 settings (click to enlarge)

In addition to their upcoming International and festival dates, the band is set to return to North America this summer and re-release their critically acclaimed album The Shape of Punk to Come. Their original message to stay true to yourself and stand up for your beliefs is alive and well! It’s great to see the band back in action and have them on board using Mesa. The energy this band brings to the stage and their crowds is insane and we’re looking forward to catching them live again soon. Stay tuned for more from Refused!

www.officialrefused.com

Video: Between The Buried And Me discuss their Mesa/Boogie history and play the Mini Rectifier

Tim McKee — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:48:03 +0000

Paul Waggoner focusing with BTBAM at The Fillmore (click to enlarge)

You can’t mention Progressive Metal without mentioning Between The Buried and Me. For the past decade they have toured with other Prog/Hardcore/Metal bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, August Burns Red, Hatebreed, Mastodon, Dream Theater, etc.

We caught up with Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring on the summer 2011 “Saints and Sinners tour” at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, CA. They were excited to try the Mini Rectifier and Mini Rectifier Slant 1×12 cabinet for the first time.

Paul and Dustie also sat down with us and talked about recording guitar tones for their latest EP - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues. This is the first installment of a two part concept album. They recorded with the Mark V, the Roadster and discuss Mark V settings in this video. Click any thumbnail below to view a larger version or for gallery view.

Thank you to the guys in BTBAM for the years of enthusiasm and shredding! We look forward to hearing part 2 of The Parallax.

Between the Buried and Me Site

Mini Rectifier Product Page

Photos and Video by Mesa/Boogie, Ltd.

Custom Diamond Plate Colors for Mini-Rec, Dual and Triple Rectifiers & Mini-Rec Custom Front Plate Kits

Boogie — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:09:34 +0000

Custom Diamond Plate Mini-Rectifiers, (L-R) Red, Blue & Pewter w/ Black Cage (click to enlarge)

Custom Diamond Plate for Mini, Dual and Triple Rectifiers are here! The debut of new Custom Front Panel and Cage/Vent colors at this years Musikmesse garnered a lot of attention and the new colors and options are now available including the option to customize your Mini Rec Diamond Plate panel even after you’ve purchased it.

(L-R) Mini-Rectifier with Pewter Diamond Plate and Black Anodized Cage and Standard Dress Mini-Rec with Chrome Diamond Plate and Silver Brushed Cage (click to enlarge)

For both the Dual and Triple Rectifiers and the Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five, besides your Diamond Plate color choice, you also have the choice of Vent Color (Dual & Triple Recs) or Cage Color (Mini Rec) between brushed silver and anodized black.

These new options create 8 ways to customize your new Rectifier. And for Mini Rectifier owners you can now change your existing Standard Dress Polished Diamond Plate/Silver Brushed Cage Vent to one of these new custom flavors with installation made easy by following our step-by-step video…

Combined with the other options for customizing Dual and Triple Rectifiers mentioned here, you can create the ultimate unique look for one of the heaviest amps on the planet.

Rectifier Amp stack with Tan Grille Recto head in the middle

Check out Mesa’s Custom Design Gallery to see more photos and possibilities for custom Rectifier heads and many other custom amps and cab options available. Check back for new arrivals being added frequently as the new customs amps go through production. For custom option pricing, contact your local Authorized Mesa Dealer or International Distributor for more information. For USA customers looking for Mini Rectifier Custom Front Panel/Cage Vent kits for existing Mini Rectifiers, contact your local Mesa Authorized Dealer or the Mesa Yahoo Store for ordering. Availability for the Mini Rec kits is expected in about two weeks. Early orders will be backordered until stock is available. Click on any picture for an expanded view & gallery.

(NOTE: For current Dual and Triple Rec owners: Front Panels for existing Dual and Triple Rectifiers cannot be removed or replaced. Dual and Triple Rectifier heads are available for ordering with Custom Diamond Plate as new orders OR by purchasing an empty head cab and replacing your chassis into a new head cab).

Artist Spotlight: Leo Brooks ~ Pitbull

Tim McKee — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:02:03 +0000

Leo Brooks Mesa Bass Rig (click to enlarge)

We’re happy to announce that Leo Brooks is officially part of the MESA/Boogie family! Currently touring with Pitbull, Leo is using M6 Carbines with Vintage PowerHouse 8×10 cabs. Both rigs are used on stage for bass and synth.

Pitbull was recently honored with the BMI President’s Award and BMI songwriter of the year award for his influence on pop music. Be sure to catch Leo and his Mesa bass rig on tour now!

Leo Brooks (Pitbull), M6 Carbine & PowerHouse 8x10 (click to enlarge)

Photos by Greg Watermann

Randall Smith Remembers A Legend of Amplification: Jim Marshall

Boogie — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:31:46 +0000

Jim Marshall, 2005 - Photograph: Damien Maguire/Rex Features

When Jim Marshall loaded a largely Fender Bassman circuit with EL-34 power tubes back in the late 1950s, he probably didn’t imagine how significant his contribution to rock n roll was about to become.

Or, when Pete Townsend asked Jim to build him some 8×12 cabinets… And then, because they were just too big and heavy, Jim cut them in half… thus creating the ubiquitous 4×12 cabinet known around the world. Like many great creations, these ideas sprang from genius, accident and hard work combined with a keen eye and ear.

Check it out: EL-34 tubes are like “European 6L6’s” but have more gain and drive more easily into clip (or crunch, as it became known). Celestion speakers had been mostly used in British train stations to announce arrivals and departures. Add ‘em all together, stack ‘em up and let the musicians do the rest… Jim was well on his way to redefining rock amplification, both visually and sonically.

I imagine he stood back and smiled, a little in awe of his trademark creation and what it could do. I was awestruck when my band’s guitarist (Lizard Slim)
bought a brand-new 100 watt full-stack from Leo’s Music in Oakland around 1967.”

So… Thanks Jim and Continue Smiling Down as we honor your inventiveness and success, and offer our condolences to the entire Marshall Family.

Randall Smith

Designer & President

MESA/Boogie Booth at Musikmesse Frankfurt 2012

Boogie — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:20:47 +0000

Mark V Head and 1x12 Extension in Private Reserve Tasmanian Blackwood and a Royal Atlantic 2x12 Combo in Custom Champagne Floral Embossed Leather and New Optional Cream Chassis and Knobs

Another year of major music industry trade shows has passed and this year at Frankfurt’s Musikmesse was another exciting showing for Mesa. We’ve put together a photo gallery of the booth and the latest from MESA/Boogie for your gear-wish-list pleasure. Take a photo tour of the Mesa booth at Musikmesse…

New product releases and images of the All-Tube Bass Strategy and Bass Prodigy amps were revealed to the public for the first time as well as our new line of Traditional Bass Cabs. It was also a great show for new Standard and Custom Options like custom-colored Diamond Plate Front Panels for the Mini-Rectifier and Dual and Triple Rectifier heads as well as new Standard Cream Colored Chassis for Lone Star 100W and the Royal Atlantic RA-100 now offered with an Optional Cream Colored Chassis & Knobs as pictured in the header pic above and throughout the gallery.

Stay tuned for more details and information on the all the new products from MESA/Boogie this year. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery of some of Mesa’s newest products and customizations for 2012. Click on any picture to enlarge and engage gallery view. Enjoy!

2012 Academy of Country Music Awards

Tim McKee — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:30:52 +0000

The 47th annual Academy of Country Music awards featured some Mesa/Boogie artists performing with this year’s nominees. The show aired on CBS April 1, 2012 and was shot live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.

Congratulations to the Mesa artists who were nominated this year:

Jason Aldean (Kurt Allison – guitar) was nominated for Entertainer of the year, Male vocalist of the year, Album of the year (My Kinda Party), Single Record of the year * WINNER * (Don’t You Wanna Stay w/ Kelly Clarkson), Video of the year (Tattoos on this Town), Vocal Event of the year * WINNER * (Don’t You Wanna Stay w/Kelly Clarkson).

Blake Shelton (Rob Byus – bass) was nominated for Entertainer of the year, Male Vocalist of the year * WINNER *

Thompson Square (Darren Theriault – bass) was nominated for Vocal duo of the year * WINNER *.

Eric Church (Lee Hendricks – bass) was nominated for Album of the year (Chief) and Video of the year (Homeboy).

The Mesa artists who peformed in the show:

Keith Urban – “For You” – Jerry Flowers – Big Block 750, Vintage Powerhouse 2×12, Vintage Powerhouse 4×10.

Blake Shelton – “Drink on it” – Rob Byus – Big Block 750, Vintage Powerhouse 4×12

Jason Aldean – “Fly Over States” – Kurt Allison – Lone Star Special heads, 4×12 Rectifier Standard Straight cabinets

Eric Church – “Springsteen” – Lee Hendricks – Big Block 750, Vintage Powerhouse 4×12

See Also: Jason Aldean guitarist Kurt Allison discusses Mesa/Boogie amps, touring gear and production with Artist Relations.

Video Interview: Dominic & Rufus Miller with Sting and the Back to Bass Tour

Boogie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:09:28 +0000

Mesa interviews Dominic & Rufus Miller in San Francisco with Sting (click to enlarge)

Mesa Artist Relations had the pleasure of interviewing Sting’s go-to guitar player and musical collaborator for over 20 years, Dominic Miller. Dominic has been using Mesa products for over 20 years and on this latest run of Sting shows, Dominic’s son Rufus took over the distinguished role of rhythm guitar in the band with Lone Star combos being the amp of choice for both of them.

Dominic was a Mark III combo user for more than 15 years before becoming one of the early adopters of 6L6 based Lone Star combos in 2004 when the amps were originally released. Three world tours later the Lone Star is still rock solid for Dominic’s multi-faceted needs along with 2×12 Rectifier cabs with Vintage 30′s to round out the sound. Rufus was plenty happy to have a Lone Star and 2×12 Rectifier cab on his side of the stageas well for the electric rhythm playing he’s doing on this latest tour.

Rufus Miller in full rock mode, probably during Sting's Fields of Gold... (click to enlarge)

In between Sting world tours, Dominic also put an Express 5:25 to use on Sting’s Symphonicity tour which included a full orchestra playing Sting’s greatest hits. Check out their Mesa interview below:

Mesa would like to thank Dominic for being such a dedicated Mesa endorser for over 20 years and for taking to time to do this interview. We are also happy to welcome his son Rufus Miller to the Mesa family!

UPDATE: Dominic has a new album about to be released! His new CD 5th House is available for pre-order and set to ship March 30. The cast of supporting musicians on this CD is remarkable and this disc will not disappoint. Order your copy today!

www.dominicmiller.com

Dominic Miller and his MESA/Boogie Lone Star combos in 2005 (click to enlarge)

Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper ~ performed in NYC March 19, 2012

Boogie — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:10:43 +0000

Andy Timmons with his Mesa TransAtlantic TA-30, Lone Star and Stiletto heads (click to enlarge)

ANDY TIMMONS BAND TO BRING SGT. PEPPER TO NEW YORK CITY
~The Iridium Jazz Club~
~Monday, March 19, 2012 (8:00pm and 10:00 pm)~

New York, NY—Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper was released in October 2011 (Favored Nations Entertainment) as an instrumental re-imagining of a little album by the Beatles that just happened to become a cultural milestone, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Andy Timmons Band plays Sgt. Pepper (click to enlarge)

Now, after garnering mass critical acclaim for this 14-track recreation, Timmons and his longtime band, bassist Mike Daane and drummer Mitch Marine, will bring these songs to New York for the first time, on Monday, March 19 at the Iridium Jazz Club 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, 8:00pm and 10:00pm, ticket price $32.50).

Recreating one of rock’s most iconic works is a bold move. What’s even more fascinating is that the music of The Beatle’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was arranged and recorded completely from memory, over the course of two years, with a minimum of overdubs. It’s the reverence and respect for these ageless tunes that shines through Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper. While Timmons lets his fingers do the singing, carrying the melodies through the voice of his six-string, Daane and Marine add their own color to the palette.
“This project is the culmination of my love for The Beatles and an expression of my love for guitar,” says Timmons.

Also included on the CD is their take on “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the only non-Pepper cut. Here’s a taste of what you can expect to see at the Iridium on March 19:

Andy Timmons is the former lead guitarist of Danger Danger. As an in-demand session musician, he has worked with artists as diverse as Paula Abdul, the Beach Boys, Paul Stanley, and Kip Winger. He has also served as Olivia Newton-John’s musical director for several U.S. tours. Fellow guitarists Steve Lukather, Tommy Emmanuel, and head of Favored Nations Entertainment Steve Vai consider themselves fans.

“The album is a rousing, all-instrumental affair that’s heavy on the guitar razzle-dazzle but never veers from the instantly recognizable melodies that comprise the original disc.”
- Guitar World Magazine

“…His arrangements, all done from memory, are spot on and brilliant, making the listener appreciate the original songs on several new levels.”
-GuitarWorld.com’s Staff Pick’s: “Top 10 Albums Of 2011”

“If you’re going to take on and cover an album as revered as ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, you better have the chops to pull it off. Luckily, for the Andy Timmons Band, they do – and then some.”
-AOL Noisecreep

“For Timmons, ‘Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper’ shows that he is not only a good guitarist. More importantly, he is a good musician. And that is a highly desired and rare trait in today’s musical environment.”
-CBS, Dallas, Fort Worth TX

If you’re a fan of Andy Timmons, you won’t want to miss this. If you’re fan of the Beatles, you won’t want to miss this. Prepare to be blown away by exceptional tone and musicianship and a guitar-inspired interpretation of a Beatles classic that will leave a big smile once you pick your jaw up off the floor.

Mark your calendars. Get your tickets now. Hope to see you there.

MESA Tube Color Codes by Randall Smith

Boogie — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:01:44 +0000

MESA 6L6 tubes tested and waiting to meet their matched pair for life (click to enlarge)

MESA/Boogie Tube Color Codes explained by Randall Smith

FAQ: “What’s up with the color coding of your power tubes?”

Most of you have heard about the importance of matching tubes to get the best performance from an amplifier. That’s because most amps use pairs of output tubes running PUSH-PULL for greater power efficiency—splitting the signal into positive and negative halves to be recombined in the output transformer before hitting the speaker.

'Welcome to Tubetown' ~ A classic MESA illustration that's been around the shop for decades (click to enlarge)

The positive voltages are amplified (or pushed) by one tube while the negatives are “pulled” by the other tube. If one tube amplifies more than the other, the result will be lopsided when they’re recombined. Picture the tires on a car: If one side is bigger than the other, chassis geometry is distorted and the car won’t track straight.

Amplifiers with four or more power tubes still run push-pull with their extra power coming from the additional tubes working in PARALLEL on each side.

How accurately should tubes be matched? Industry standard is plus-or-minus ten-percent. That means two tubes could be as far apart as 20% and still considered matched.

Our matching process at MESA is twice as stringent at plus-or-minus 5% before a tube moves into our next color category and is matched with another nearly identical one.

MESA's aerospace designed ROBO-Tube testing system (click to enlarge)

More important is that ALL our color categories are within the “sweet spot” of tube performance. We simply reject all the tubes that test either under scale or over scale.

Such strict selection and close tolerance allows us to permanently set the bias in each amplifier so it never needs re-adjustment. Many other amplifiers use adjustable bias or balance controls to compensate for over- and under scale tubes or to help equalize the difference between mismatched tubes. That helps but it’s a little like trying to adjust tire size by letting some air out of the bigger ones to help them match the smaller ones.

Just as important as proper matching are the other tests we conduct on each power tube before it gets the MESA logo:

MESA tube box labels awaiting test details for printed to identify the tube's color match group (click to enlarge)

Heater current (both surge and stable), Warm up time, Plate Current at idle, with signal, and AFTER being driven into massive clip, Screen current, Grid current (actually predicts tube life) and short-circuits… then the computer switches off and a technician listens to each tube for noise, banging it repeatedly with a wooden hammer to test for microphonics and reliability under shock and vibration.

We’ve been working with the tube factories for almost forty years because we want the very best. We recommend you use MESA tubes when it’s time to replace. Best tubes, best warranty and the best customer service. Why not? …We’re here for you!

MORE IMFORMATION (you asked for it!)

I tried to keep that last bit short but now I’m told there are players asking if our different color codes might provide different tonal qualities. This probably arises from the Groove Tubes long-standing promotion that their numbered categories WILL affect power and tone. But before I explain, let me answer the question, “No, any difference between our colors would be hard to notice and not significant.”

Earlier I noted that we reject all tubes that test outside the parameters we consider to be the “sweet spot” of performance. We simply don’t buy them and they become part of the raw material brought in by “the other guys”. (It’s been this way going all the way back to our collaboration with Sylvania in the 1980s to produce the iconic STR 415 that’s still the model for today’s best 6L6s.)

We build amps; Groove Tubes sells tubes and long ago needed a way to market ALL their inventory and came up with their number/performance system to do so. It’s valid in that there WILL be noticeable sonic and power differences, especially at their performance extremes.

The approach for the GT range is that weak tubes (the lower number categories) WILL reduce power and soften the sound, while the highest numbers do just the opposite, giving cleaner, louder, harder response. We reject both extremes. In contrast, we pioneered (and patented) multiple wattage and power configurations that are channel-selectable within the amplifier and provide different levels of power along with different sonic characteristics, all carefully designed and consistent. You can choose among single-ended Class A for a sweet low power purr– up to full-bore Class AB multi-tube lash-ups for maximum damage-inducing output. (Even came up with Simul-Class that combines both Classes A and AB at the same time, as featured in the Mark Five.)

Right here I want to stress one of the most important elements of the MESA approach: CONSISTENCY. It’s one thing to make a golden sounding amplifier. It’s much more difficult to make EVERY amplifier sound magical. And laboring to that end, we’ve made painstaking discoveries that remain closely guarded trade secrets. I know, I know: sounds like BS… but we use our fabled “blindfold tests” to verify that these insights into the magic are scientifically based and fully repeatable– not just some delusional “Emperor’s New Clothes”– because they can be very subtle, when taken individually.

MESA EL-84s awaiting being matched with it's partner and packaged to make your amp sing (click to enlarge)

So… Tubes are extremely important to us because anything less than the best will compromise all our other efforts at amp building. We’re not one of the big builders but because we only make tube amps, I’m told we’re the largest user of 6L6 and 12AX7 types and thus we get first-choice to cherry pick the ones we like best. As the “Original Boutique Builder”, we grew up (but didn’t sell out) and we can be pretty demanding!

Another benefit of our approach is that you can replace your old worn out tubes just like changing a light bulb. Just plug in and GO! No bias re-set is needed. But bias controls ARE useful and necessary if you’re trying to accommodate the outside categories in “other” tubes, even if they’re matched.

One thing we don’t do is use obscure NOS tubes in production since you probably wouldn’t be able to replace them later. (However we do offer a few great NOS tubes for the replacement market: Siemans EL-34, Sylvania STR 415 and the fabled Chinese 12AX7 while they last.) And when we settle on a production tube to be used for several years, we’ll often make subtle tweaks to the circuitry to optimize the match up and make sure we’ve got plenty of replacements for years to come.

Once you’re in the family, we’re dedicated to keeping you happy with your amp and your tone! We want your Mesa/Boogie to sound just as good as the day we built it. Now stop reading this and Go PLAY!

MESA EL-84 Power tubes tested, packed and labeled ready to deliver MESA tone & reliability for your amp (click to enlarge)

Cheers and Thanks! Randall Smith, Designer & President