# A ton of used Mesa amps for sale?



## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Perhaps its just me. I watch the forums daily and...yes...even Kijiji. It seems (at least here in Edmonton) there are a lot of used Mesa amps for sale. Single, Double, Triple rectifier, combos, heads...you name it. I've never owned one, but I'm curious to know if this is simply a perception on my part or if there might be a reason there seem to be so many for sale...all of the time.

Thanks
Swervin


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## Destropiate (Jan 17, 2007)

I think Mesa just released a new version of the Rectifier's with some desirable new features. Might be some folks are trying to sell the old model to grab the new ones. On the other hand Rectifiers are allot of amp, Ive known a few well off bedroom rockers who bought a 150 watt recto and really couldn't use the things without the threat of divorce or eviction.


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## Metal#J# (Jan 1, 2007)

I think it's more likely people can't get over the downfalls of a Mesa. 1: they're biased cold 2: the controls don't react like most amps 3: the huge POP/SNAP when switching channels. All this was enough to make me want to sell mine.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

There are definately more used Mesa products up for sale now than say 5 years ago. A big reason for that is because Mesa has probably been selling more new products in recent years than say 5-10 years ago. Add this to the reasons discussed above and you have your answer.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Mesa just released an updated 3 channel Rectifier with the Roadster feature set. Lonestar style clean channel, improved pushed and raw modes, 50/100w assignable by channel, tube/diode rectifier assignable by channel, much better low volume tone. It's also brighter and more aggressive than the Roadster, which some people feel is too dark/smooth.

On the Mark side, the Mark V suffered a bit of a slow start but has started to pick up in popularity... particularly after non-metalheads started discovering it's a great rock and blues amp. I'm starting to see a lot more Mark IVs go up for sale as users make the transition.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Metal#J# said:


> I think it's more likely people can't get over the downfalls of a Mesa. 1: they're biased cold 2: the controls don't react like most amps 3: the huge POP/SNAP when switching channels. All this was enough to make me want to sell mine.


biased for the tubes they ship with, RTFM, and the pop only happens at low volumes.

From a mesa owner


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

Budda said:


> biased for the tubes they ship with, RTFM, and the pop only happens at low volumes.
> 
> From a mesa owner


Worst part about it though is the fact that some of us can't run our amps at a decent volume because of neighbors, family, kids, wives, all that fun stuff (I only have to deal with the neighbor bit). But you can't beat a Mesa when it's cookin...


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## pi39 (Jan 12, 2011)

I beleive the older Mesa's were good amps but who likes the Nickel Back sound? There amps today don't sound nice to my ears at all. I know everybody is entitled to their opinion and I respect that but for me if I was going to spend the big bucks on an amp I would invest in a vintage amp. That's just me and I also know it depends on the sounds you are after.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

pi39 said:


> I beleive the older Mesa's were good amps but who likes the Nickel Back sound? There amps today don't sound nice to my ears at all. I know everybody is entitled to their opinion and I respect that but for me if I was going to spend the big bucks on an amp I would invest in a vintage amp. That's just me and I also know it depends on the sounds you are after.


Maybe if you stop playing Nickelback's riffs you'll stop sounding like Nickelback?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I've mixed lots and lots of Mesa amps as a live FOH soundman.

Out of ALL of them, I have heard only one good sound and quite frankly that guy was so good he probably would sound good through pretty much ANY amp.

Sorry Mesa guys. I guess it comes down to what kind of tone you like to an extent. Maybe they're just too complicated for most players.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> I've mixed lots and lots of Mesa amps as a live FOH soundman.
> 
> Out of ALL of them, I have heard only one good sound and quite frankly that guy was so good he probably would sound good through pretty much ANY amp.
> 
> Sorry Mesa guys. I guess it comes down to what kind of tone you like to an extent. Maybe they're just too complicated for most players.


Aren't you the same dude who keeps posting that he can't figure out how to mix anything more powerful than a 30w amp and makes everyone turn down to mouse fart volumes?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

screamingdaisy said:


> Aren't you the same dude who keeps posting that he can't figure out how to mix anything more powerful than a 30w amp and makes everyone turn down to mouse fart volumes?


Wow, a personal attack. What a surprise.

You may not like the truth but that doesn't make it any less true.

If you and your buddies want to blast off the stages with your 100 watt 4 X 12 and then blame every soundman when you sound like ass, that's entirely up to you.

I know how to get a great FOH mix. I don't feel the need to defend my ears or skills to you. The fact that I'm booked every weekend with many repeat clients is enough.

That however is NOT the topic of this thread.

Perhaps you're one of the guys who THINKS he sounds great with a nice buzzy, over distorted, and too loud amp.

No amount of common sense or advice from others is likey to change that.

All I know is that it's no trouble to get a good FOH sound from most Marshalls and almost ALL Fenders. Strange that Mesas present such a problem. Obviously it's my lack of skill as a soundman, LOL. Couldn't be the player's inability to dial it in.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I'd just like to comment that the Lonestar Special at least is a terrific amp. Great cleans, great reverb, excellent low to medium gain OD. I have a LSS Head running into a 1 x 12 Scumnico loaded cab and it sounds terrific at any volume. Never owned a Rectifier but not well suited to my style of music from what I hear. Had an F30 for awhile and really liked the cleans on that also, hated the OD channel though, a buzzy mess.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Milkman said:


> Maybe they're just too complicated for most players.


Not an attack, but I'm curious as to how many of the people who owned said amps were experienced gigging musicians who know how to dial in a good live sound? 

I think I'm decent at EQ'ing an amp, but my band experience is unfortunately more limited then I would like - I know I have some work to do to make my roadster sit nicely. Thankfully I'm working with a band who has two Music Industry Arts students


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

davetcan said:


> I'd just like to comment that the Lonestar Special at least is a terrific amp. Great cleans, great reverb, excellent low to medium gain OD. I have a LSS Head running into a 1 x 12 Scumnico loaded cab and it sounds terrific at any volume. Never owned a Rectifier but not well suited to my style of music from what I hear. Had an F30 for awhile and really liked the cleans on that also, hated the OD channel though, a buzzy mess.



Coincidentally, the one Mesa I have mixed that sounded good was also a Lonestar (2X12).

As I mentioned in an earlier post the player using it was very tasteful and talented.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Budda said:


> Not an attack, but I'm curious as to how many of the people who owned said amps were experienced gigging musicians who know how to dial in a good live sound?
> 
> I think I'm decent at EQ'ing an amp, but my band experience is unfortunately more limited then I would like - I know I have some work to do to make my roadster sit nicely. Thankfully I'm working with a band who has two Music Industry Arts students


It's hard for me to answer that. At least a few seemed like good players. Comparatively, players with similar skill levels seem to be able to dial in their Fenders and Marshalls more often.


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## LaRSin (Nov 27, 2006)

Well my ear for music isn't that good, owned a Mesa Trem-o-verb head and I didn't like it at all, But that's just me.Sold it, moved on..


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

I think most pers who use these amps go for the super scooped-mid saturated sound. I have never found this tone to work well in a band. By the time all the mid range is removed, the amp has to be cranked so that the guitarist can actually hear anything, and then it is the high frequency buzzy stuff. Then the soundman has to try and balance that with everythng else. 
I never liked the clean sound out of a Mesa, but did find a nice Santana tone out of a Boogie Mark 2 once. That was awesome. But I don't jam up the saturation either.

The new Boogie came out recently too, so maybe people are dumping their old stuff for one of those too.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Budda said:


> Not an attack, but I'm curious as to how many of the people who owned said amps were experienced gigging musicians who know how to dial in a good live sound?
> 
> I think I'm decent at EQ'ing an amp, but my band experience is unfortunately more limited then I would like - I know I have some work to do to make my roadster sit nicely. Thankfully I'm working with a band who has two Music Industry Arts students


More mids, less bass, and as the volume goes up try to bring the gain down. If you're getting high gain fizz try rolling off your guitar's tone pot instead of backing the treble/presence off on the amp. Using the tone pot (or a longer cable) will dull the top end without killing your amp's harmonics the way turning the treble/presence down usually does.

The other thing that helps is to stand back and objectively listen to your bands sound... either live or via a recording. Just because you can hear your guitar clearly when you stand right in front of the cab doesn't mean it's a great mix tone... you could be clashing with another instrument or drowing out the vocals. With my band the bassist always wants to turn up, which tempts me to turn up, which causes the drummer to play louder, which makes it so the vocals are no longer clear, which makes the soundman's job a pain in the ass and gives dudes like Milkman a heart attack whenever they see someone walk in with a 100w head and a 4x12. We work to keep a lid on overall volume. It's one of the reasons I've been switching over to modern Mesas; the newer ones produce a better low volume tone without me having to give up the girth that comes with running a 100w power section (I use a Mark V, Roadster or LSS).

Milkman will probably have some more tips.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Interesting to hear the comments about the Lonestar Special. There is a head for sale locally that I have been considering but don't know much about these. I suppose I was drawn in by the switchable power settings. For the vast number of Mesa's for sale, they don't seem to be priced accordingly. Just sayin... Thanks for all of your comments.

Swervin


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Wow, a personal attack. What a surprise.


I wouldn't bust your balls so much if you didn't insist on speaking in absolutes.

Such as;



> You may not like the truth but that doesn't make it any less true.


Truth is absolute, opinions are not. What you've posted is an opinion based on your experience. There is a difference.



> All I know is that it's no trouble to get a good FOH sound from most Marshalls and almost ALL Fenders. Strange that Mesas present such a problem. Obviously it's my lack of skill as a soundman, LOL. Couldn't be the player's inability to dial it in.


Probably the player. Every time I've lent my Recto out it comes back either dialled in like a Marshall (treble low and bass high) or it comes back with the T/M/B set to some variation of the 10/0/10 theme.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

You should at least go and listen to it.





Swervin55 said:


> Interesting to hear the comments about the Lonestar Special. There is a head for sale locally that I have been considering but don't know much about these. I suppose I was drawn in by the switchable power settings. For the vast number of Mesa's for sale, they don't seem to be priced accordingly. Just sayin... Thanks for all of your comments.
> 
> Swervin


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Agreed. And I take back the price thingy. I do appreciate what these things cost new.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

screamingdaisy said:


> I wouldn't bust your balls so much if you didn't insist on speaking in absolutes.
> 
> Such as;
> 
> ...



What I objected to is this nonesense:

Your words
"Aren't you the same dude who keeps posting that he can't figure out how to mix anything more powerful than a 30w amp and makes everyone turn down to mouse fart volumes? "

You would be the guy who uses a full 8 X 12 stack in clubs if I recal correctly.

Ask any soundman. Smaller amps will almost always result in a better FOH mix. Saying that I can't "frigure out" how to ...blah, blah et cetera, is just shifting the blame from where it belongs to the sound man, which is not uncommon.

The reality is, if you sound like crap on stage, for whatever reason, be it excessive stage volume, crappy tone or poor playing, the sound man will have limited success in making the band sound good out front


Yes, these are my opinions, but they're based on gigging since 1975 or so and that would be shows numbering in the thousands by now. Take it for what it is.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Time to bring 'er back home....

Mesa make a very high quality product, but just like your old, eccentric Uncle Ralph not everyone understands how they work, right off. 

Bob Womack is a studio engineer who posts regularly on a few forums, and just happened to pick up a new Mesa recently. His review and comments are well worth a read for anyone trying to get a handle on how they tick.
http://www.in2guitar.com/express.html


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> You would be the guy who uses a full 8 X 12 stack in clubs if I recal correctly.


I discussed it in a thread hoping to provoke some interesting conversation and it drove you off the deep end, so I started making a bunch of stuff up for the fun of it.

That said, I do own a fullstack and I will use it under the right circumstances for the sheer showmanship value of it. However I also own a couple of 1x12s and a 2x12 for more practical reasons.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

screamingdaisy said:


> I discussed it in a thread hoping to provoke some interesting conversation and it drove you off the deep end, so I started making a bunch of stuff up for the fun of it.


Well that adds to one's credibility I suppose. Be careful or you may have to change your user id to Troll MacTrollster, LOL.

It comes down to this for me.

I try hard to get the players sound from the stage to the seats without putting my personal tastes in the way. All other things being equal (player skill, musical genres et cetera) the guys using other brands achieve good sounds more often than Mesa users in my experience.

That may simply mean that most Mesa amps are more complicated than a Marshall or Fender or whatever, but to expand on the one Mesa I've mixed that really sounded good (Lonestar 2 X 12 combo), I was surprised as hell when I heard it out front after micing it up.

Seems like with Fenders and most Marshalls, you throw a 57 in front of them and boom, they sound good 9 times out of 10.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I'm 43 years old and have been crazy about music since I was about 5 years old. Consistently, Mesa have been some of the best sounding production amps that I have ever heard. That said, they do tend to be 'tweakers' in that they take a little time to dial in. Definitely, gain has to come down as volume goes up...mic'd through the PA 'X' gain seems like 3'X' gain.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Well that adds to one's credibility I suppose. Be careful or you may have to change your user id to Troll MacTrollster, LOL.


How much credibility can i have with a username like ScreamingDaisy?

Anyway, I'm going to consider this hatchet burried if it's alright with you?



> It comes down to this for me.
> 
> I try hard to get the players sound from the stage to the seats without putting my personal tastes in the way. All other things being equal (player skill, musical genres et cetera) the guys using other brands achieve good sounds more often than Mesa users in my experience.
> 
> That may simply mean that most Mesa amps are more complicated than a Marshall or Fender or whatever, but to expand on the one Mesa I've mixed that really sounded good (Lonestar 2 X 12 combo), I was surprised as hell when I heard it out front after micing it up.


The Lonestar is a naturally mid heavy amp while the openback 2x12 cuts a lot of bottom end, which alieviates the two biggest problems soundmen face when it comes to dealing with your typical Mesa user. It's one of the reasons I usually prefer to run my Mark V... it's like being plugged into a 100w Tubescreamer... not a whole lot of bottom end and it'll cut through anything.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

screamingdaisy said:


> More mids, less bass, and as the volume goes up try to bring the gain down. If you're getting high gain fizz try rolling off your guitar's tone pot instead of backing the treble/presence off on the amp. Using the tone pot (or a longer cable) will dull the top end without killing your amp's harmonics the way turning the treble/presence down usually does.
> 
> The other thing that helps is to stand back and objectively listen to your bands sound... either live or via a recording. Just because you can hear your guitar clearly when you stand right in front of the cab doesn't mean it's a great mix tone... you could be clashing with another instrument or drowing out the vocals. With my band the bassist always wants to turn up, which tempts me to turn up, which causes the drummer to play louder, which makes it so the vocals are no longer clear, which makes the soundman's job a pain in the ass and gives dudes like Milkman a heart attack whenever they see someone walk in with a 100w head and a 4x12. We work to keep a lid on overall volume. It's one of the reasons I've been switching over to modern Mesas; the newer ones produce a better low volume tone without me having to give up the girth that comes with running a 100w power section (I use a Mark V, Roadster or LSS).
> 
> Milkman will probably have some more tips.


I appreciate your response! It does sum up how I already have the amp dialled in though. A buddy of mine in his old hardcore band played a 2ch dual rec, every knob at half, epi SG's. He sounded pretty damn good!

I'm not a gain whore nor a high end whore, I just like full tone w/o things getting harsh. My just-now-changed settings for ch3 (vintage) with my LP style guitar is as such:

master: 5
presence: 5
Bass: 6
mids: 7
treble: 6
Gain: 6.5
100W
SS rectifier

and in my room it sounds good. I use a 112 cab for jam sessions, so I wont know how this setting stacks up with the band I'm playing with until sound check unfortunately. I have WGS British Leads in my 412 which are a bit more flat response, and I'm going to try backing the gain down a bit. In vintage mode and unboosted I do find I run the gain a bit higher for the extra saturation.

EDIT: just tweaked ch4 (metal rhythm/lead) and even though it's unboosted it sounds awesome.


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## screamingdaisy (Oct 14, 2008)

Budda said:


> I'm not a gain whore nor a high end whore, I just like full tone w/o things getting harsh. My just-now-changed settings for ch3 (vintage) with my LP style guitar is as such:
> 
> master: 5
> presence: 5
> ...


Those aren't that far off my vintage settings;

master: 4.5
presence: 4
Bass: 5
mids: 4
treble: 6
Gain: 6
100W
tube rectifier

On paper that mid setting might look scooped, but it's actually outputting more midrange than modern mode does with the mids on 6. I'm also going for a bit of a syrupy tone with those settings (think Alice in Chains), I use modern for my main rhythm tone (think modern Black Sabbath, modern/live Metallica, stuff like that).


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Right on. I had a jam session tonight and backed off the gain and bass a bit on that channel. We'll see how it sounds at practice tomorrow - I'm using a 112 at the jamspaces.


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## Jared Purdy (Dec 2, 2010)

That's interesting that you say that. As a fairly recent Mesa owner, I look for those posts on The Boogie Board, The Gear Page, here, and Craigslist, and my findings don't mesh with what you are saying at all. I find the usual suspects: a mountain of various Fender and Marshall amps, Victoria, Soldano, Two Rock, Orange, VOX (not as much as the others), Ampeg (still!), Dr. Z, Carol Anne, and a few Matchless (even some some Carr and Tone King). But a flurry of Mesa? I'm not sure where you are seeing this, but not on craigslist in TO, or on the forums that I just listed.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I had a DC-5 combo for a couple years. I loved it's look, concept and engineering. Dialed in properly it could sound fantastic. Trouble is that the thing was so super-sensitive to even the slightest knob fluctuations that it wasn't a good gigging amp for me. A bump in transit to the gig meant more trouble than I wanted in getting it ready for the show.

For the last year I've been using my DRRI mostly. It sounds pretty good regardless of whether the tone controls are off one or two points either way..... and I do much prefer to be able to focus on my playing.


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## Jared Purdy (Dec 2, 2010)

Maybe I should be thankful that I am not competant enough (on the guitar) to play in a band setting! Still, I can't imagine anyone not liking the tones that I get out of my LSS 112. It's only 30 watts, so in some settings it may not be enough, and so you'd just have mike it. Isn't that what you are supposed to do? I have heard that the LSC and LSS tend to really like Strats. I'm not sure if that is the case, or if people are just stating their preference for that guitar (which I also happen to use). I know that I can get more great tones out of my Strat Deluxe with the LSS than I could with either the C30 or the PRRI.

If you stop and take a look at the amp, it's no less complicated that a lot of other single channel amps out there with several tone options (Red Plate comes to mind). Both channels are completely seperarate from each other, so it only falls to reason that you need a full set of controls for each channel. Mesa threw in the "Thick Switch", but it doesn't take someone with a degree in sound engineering to figure it out! You only have three options with it, and the results are immediately there for you to hear. 

If you treat the channels that way, dialing in each, one at a time, it's not that complicated (it's like dialing in two amps), and that is coming from a guy who's only played electric guitar for a little over a year, and who has had two previous, very simple amps: PRRI and a C30. The reason people like a two channel amp (so I have been told, and so I have come to realize) is because it allows the user to leave each channel alone, and have two completely different sounds. The LSC and LSS achieve this, and without OD pedals. The OD is very controlable, with or without the Drive engaged. The muti-watt setting also plays a role in the OD, where in the 5 watt setting, you get more OD at the same volume than in the 15 or the 30 watt setting. You want less OD, go from 5 to 15 or 30 watts, or reduce the Drive and/or the Gain, or turn off the Drive and turn up the Gain. There, you have at least three ways to increase or reduce that OD sound, and all three ways produce slightly different results. I find it increidbly versatile, which is nice when you are playing alone. 

I have ch1 dialed in so close to a Fender PRRI (that I use to have, where I A/B'd them together and taped it. It's posted to youtube. Search under: jj10holeblindlemon if you want to hear the comparison.) that respondents unanimously stated that the LSS sounded much better. Gain: 12 (o'clock), Treble 12, Mid 11, Bass 12, Presence 1, Master 10:30. Set to hard by pass.

I don't play anything close to metal, just blues and some classic rock (Stones...). Channel 2 allows me to get gritty without fuzz, hiss or ice picking scratchiness with the controls set to: Drive on @ 10, Thick Switch set to "Normal", Gain 12, Treble 1, Mid 12, Bass 10, Presence 10 and Master 9:30. Reverb on both channels is on, and set to bright, dialed in at about 10 for channel 2 and 1 for channel 1. 

There are no doubt some Mesa amps out there that fall short on tone (just as there are Fenders, etc.), or that aren't well suited to certain environments. If you play classic rock, blues or jazz, I'm not sure how anyone couldn't find the tones that they're after with either the LSC or the LSS. Maybe it's the "branding" thing, that Mesa has a following of metal and hard rock players that like a lot of OD, tones that are clearly not suited to, say, the Stones, or classic blues?? Neither LSS or the LSC were designed for those heavy metal tones though. The name kind of implies that! When I went looking for something else, I was not aware at all that Mesa was a favoirte amongst the metal crowd, if I was aware of that association, I may have steared clear of it just out of pure prejudice. I tried the 5:25 and the 5:50, both were close to what I was looking for, but not quite there. When I plugged into the LSS, I knew I had found what I was looking for (for now!). I tried the LSC, but the size, extra weight and top wattage were much more than I wanted.

I would say that if you want an amp that can give more than one tone (clean), and can do at least two really well (clean and OD), and your music is classic rock, blues with dabblings in jazz, give the LSS or the LSC a shot. Spen a few minutes with it and ask a knowledgeable store personnel to help you dial it in. You might be pleasantly surprised. I'm going to be buying either a Carr Rambler, Viceroy or Red Plate Black Verb this spring. when I do, I'll be sure to do a A/B comparison and post them. I don't think I'll be eating my words.


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## The CowboyKing (Apr 20, 2009)

Wow! I have had a Mark IV with extension speaker cab for 10 years and I get so many compliments and I play telecasters also a Gibson ES and 2 of my fellow band mates in years past have bought Mesa'a because they were so impressed with the sound! If you can get a good Mark IV, an original then don't complain, just play it!


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Jared Purdy said:


> Maybe I should be thankful that I am not competant enough (on the guitar) to play in a band setting! Still, I can't imagine anyone not liking the tones that I get out of my LSS 112. It's only 30 watts, so in some settings it may not be enough, and so you'd just have mike it. Isn't that what you are supposed to do? I have heard that the LSC and LSS tend to really like Strats. I'm not sure if that is the case, or if people are just stating their preference for that guitar (which I also happen to use). I know that I can get more great tones out of my Strat Deluxe with the LSS than I could with either the C30 or the PRRI.
> 
> .


Awesome review of the LSS and I agree completely.

If you've got channel 2 set up for crunch throw an OCD or Klon Klone in front of it and you're in heaven.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Arkham Dispatch is going to be running the following for our gig on jan 28th:

American Lonestar strat w/ Pearly Gates bridge -> Traynor YCS100H -> Mesa 212 w/ V30's

Grestch import hollowbody -> Ibanez TS9 -> Mesa Rectoverb 112

Agile AL-3100 -> Mesa Roadster -> Peavey XXX 412 with WGS British Leads

We're gonna sound good!


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