Guitar - Compared Mesa, Fender and Marshall Combo Amps and Amp Heads

[andrewknight]

I have been comparing tube amps using my Tribute as the test instrument. I have tried the Mesa Mark IV, Rectifier Single and Triple, and a used DC-10. Of Fender, I have tried the Reverb Pro, King, Blues Jr, and Vibro King custom. With Marshal, I don't remember what I tried, but it was higher end and I didn't jive with it too much.  
 
To my surprise, based on what I've read here, I simply liked the sound of the Fenders better than the Mesa equipment. The sounds I was looking for were basically summed up by three sounds: 1) Clean jazzy tone 2) Garcia Althea tone 3) Reggae tone akin to say Black Uhuru Chill Out era.
 
Perhaps it's the style of music that I like to play, or the sound that I am used to as we have a Fender amp in the house already, but I found the Fenders to have a better punch, better clean and less processed tone to my ear.  
 
My ears may be no good, and I guess all this is very subjective, but I'm wondering if other Alembic guitar players have a clear preference (I know Bill likes Mesa Mark III's). Perhaps I just didn't know enough about how to shape the tones on the Mesa. What I did really like about the Mesa is the ability to set up 5 separate tones activated by footswitch. That was really handy.
 
I'm going to go back and try the Mesa vs. Fender stuff again and will spend more time at this comparison before I make the purchase. I spent about 45 minutes with the Mark IV so far and I think I will go with a combo.  
 
Andrew
 
 
 

[hollis]

Hi Andrew,
 
What a wonderful dilemma to have?
 
 I have an old Fender Twin that I keep in my bedroom as a practice amp.  I liked it when I bought it in 1970, and I still like it.  It?s kind of like an old friend?.  It requires very little thought on my part.  
 
My main amp is a Mesa DC-5 basically the same as that DC-10 with 50 watts instead of 100, 1X12 instead of 2X12.  I?ve been supplementing its sound with an SF-2 lately. I also use a ? Mesa cab with Celestions.  If I need more, I?ll slave into the Twin.  If I need more than that, I?ll go see my therapist??
 
Sound is such a subjective thing, I think it?s more like; whatever you like is the right gear for you.

[lbpesq]

Andrew:
 
I also have a blackface Pro Reverb (late '60s) that I bought from a friend many years ago.  I played it for a number of years until I got my Mark III.  (Other Fender amps I own: Princeton Reverb; '50s Champ; a Frontman 25 (solid state practice amp), and even a mini tone master (9v battery, size of a couple a cigarete packs).  So, obviously, I like Fenders too.  In any of these amps the speakers make a difference.  I have JBLs in the Pro - extremely clean, present tone, but forget about any dirt or grit.
 
I find the Boogie far more flexible.  I can make it sound a lot like a Fender, but there is no way to make the Fender do what the Boogie can do.  In many ways the Boogie is similar to an Alembic - the controls take a litle time to really master, but once you do there are almost no limits.  Also, you might want to check out a Mark III or even a Mark II.  The controls on the Mark IV can really be overwhelming.  Don't get me wrong - any of the amps you mention are great.  I just have found that the Boogie is incredibly versatile.  The other advantage of the Boogie is size.  It fits in sports cars where Fenders and Marshalls fear to go.
(Of course there is not a similar weight advantage.  Boogies are heavy mothers.  Especially the hardwood ones, like mine.  But the hardwood is SOOOOO beautiful - matches my Electrum.  Problem? get a collapsing handtruck!)  Either way, I think you'll be happier than running through the P.A.
 
Bill, tgo

[David Houck]

I've been playing with this guitar player recently who has a Vox Valvetronix.  He's getting a very nice tone.  It's the first time I've played with someone using this amp.

[tom_z]

I play through a Vox Valvetronix at home. The variety of tone is pretty impressive and makes use of actual valve in the power amp section. The amps that it models are:  
 
Fender (Blackface 2x12, Tweed 1x12, Tweed 4x10)
Marshall (JTM 45, Plexy 100, JCM800, JCM900, JCM2000 (DSL) )
Mesa (Dual rectifier)
Soldano (SLO 100)
Dumble Overdrive special (Clean chan & Lead chan)
Vox AC15, AC15TB, AC30, AC30TB (The power amp switch in class A)
 
I especially like the Dumble models, but the Fender models sound great too and I'm able to dial in appropriate settings for my acoustic guitar as well as my Skylark.  
 
I tried one out at the suggestions of Valentino and Susan and I was very impressed. Like my Alembic, the more I tinker with it the more tone I discover.
 
Tom

[David Houck]

Tom; the built-in effects seem to be real nice too.  I bet it sounds great with your Skylark.

[David Houck]

Tom; I thought you might enjoy hearing this.  It's a clip from a CD the guitar player I'm playing with made before I met him.  The Vox was used on it and the other songs on the CD (samples of which are at the site).  I think the tone on this clip is really nice.
http://www.alienmusicclub.com/upload/songs/trashmanSample.mp3

[pace]

Andrew~  
 
Like you said, it's very subjective. But, what I find funny is that everyone who swears by a Mesa, also owns or has owned several Fenders (myself included)..... When they came out w/ the Dual & Triple Rectifier's they won over some Marshall devotee's as well. Let your ears make the final desicion.... With your guitar (with it's filters and effect-loop cababilities) I would look for a very clean & true amp, and put together a nice effects rack to take care of the tone shaping...  
 
-Mike

[hollis]

I agree with Mike.  A good quality tube amp with an effects loop(combo if you're more comfortable with it). Rack up whatever effects you like and just let your Tribute sing!  I've found that there's a great deal of value in the discovery process....
 
Enjoy

[hollis]

Also, being as it is a Tribute, it's a fair thought to utilize its loop (as Mike said).  I've never owned a guitar with an on board effects loop, so it's a little hard for me to wrap my brain around it.  Maybe one day I'll have that pleasure.....

[tom_z]

Thanks Dave - the guitar tone in the mp3 is, indeed, really nice. I've found that I can get very familiar classic tones from the Valvetronix (which would be great for guitarists in bands that cover a variety of music) as well as dialing in interesting combinations of amp models and effects that are pretty unique sounding (to me, anyway). I spend most of my time playing through the very clean models with few if any effects, and let my Skylark's voice ring through. I do love to push the boundaries though, and see how far away I can get from the ordinary.
 
Tom

[lbpesq]

Mike:
 
The perceived Fender/Mesa connection is really not surprising when you consider that Boogie started out by hot-rodding Fender Princetons.  In fact, the name was bestowed by Carlos Santana who played an early hot-rodded Princeton and said Man, this little amp really boogies.  The rest is history.  I certainly relate to my Mark III as a Fender on steroids.  Hey, a new song inspiration: The Balco Blues!  LOL
 
Bill, tgo

[bracheen]

This is probably a dumb question but I can't remember ever hearing a guitar player mention using a pre-amp and power amp.  Does this exsist in the guitar world?
 
Sam

[David Houck]

Sam;  
Our fellow club member Mike, whose nic is Pace and who posted previously to this very thread, uses a Mesa Studio preamp and Mesa 90/90 power amp.
 
(Message edited by davehouck on January 13, 2005)

[pace]

Yeah Sam, we do exist, believe it or not  A modular setup seemed ideal & it was the next logical step for me. Lately I've been doing showcase gigs where we're playing one 45-90 minute set and its more practical to bring a combo. My cabinets are small (1x12s) but its kind of a hassle to keep an eye on 4 pieces of equipment vs. 2 when your loading in and out of a club, ya know?!?  
 
Bill~ As far as Mesa's birth and evloution, it's also interesting to look at how long it has taken for Fender to play catch up. Aside from master volume combos in the 70's, I think the first Fenders to have features like pull bright or vol/gain/master gain stages that were the Twin II & Deluxe II's in the early 80's (still no funky 5-band eq!!).  
 
-Mike (my last name is) Pace .... lol....