MESA BOOGIE

'Mesa/Boogie' (also known as Mesa Engineering) is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses.
Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a small repair shop which modified Fender combos to give them more gain. Soon the word spread, and with users like Carlos Santana, Boogie became one of the big names in the industry. Other notable Boogie users include: Les Claypool, Jade Puget from AFI, Tom Delonge from blink-182 and Angels and Airwaves, Mark Tremonti from Alter Bridge, Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield, John Petrucci from Dream Theater, Steve Lukather, Buckethead, Metallica, Munky (from Korn), Tim Mahoney (from 311), Prince, Jerry Cantrell, Frank Zappa, Eric Book, Andy Timmons, Cannibal Corpse, Devin Townsend, Fall Out Boy, Rammstein, Helmet,Trivium, Dir en grey, Gavin Rossdale and Nigel Pulsford of Bush, Lamb of God, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead.

Contents

History

Current Guitar Amplifiers

Mark IV models and Mark I re-issue

History of the Mark Series

Mark I

Mark IIA

Mark IIB

Mark IIC & IIC+

S.O.B. (Son of Boogie)

Mark III

Mark IV

Rectifier Series

Lone Star

Stiletto

Express

Pre-amps

Triaxis™

Rectifier Recording™ PreAmp

Bass Amps

Discontinued Products

Quad

Blue Angel

Nomad

Maverick

Formula preamp

F-Series

External links

History

Randall Smith, the creator of Mesa Boogie began his career at Prune music, a Chinese grocery store turned music shop. Working as a repair tech while his business partner and friend, David Kessner, ran the front, Smith quickly gained a reputation with the local San Francisco Bay Area musicians. Smith, taking great pride in his work was soon seeing business from the likes of the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Carlos Santana.
In 1969, Smith, as a joke, modified Barry Melton's (Country Joe and the Fish) Fender Princeton amplifier. He removed the standard 10 inch speaker and modified the chassis to fit the larger transformers that were needed by the 4-10 tweed Bassman, the circuit that he had added into the tiny 12 watt Princeton. Finally, Mounting a 12 inch JBL D-120, a popular speaker of the time, Smith had created what would be the first ''Boogie''.
Randall Smith, needing to test his creation, took the "hot-rodded" Princeton into the front store. Coincidentally, Carlos Santana was present and "wailed through that little amp until people were blocking the sidewalk". Impressed, Santana exclaimed to Smith, "Shit, man. That little thing really Boogies!" It was this statement that brought the Boogie name to fruition.
The MESA name came about through Smith's other job, rebuilding Mercedes engines and repairing houses. He needed an 'official' sounding name through which to buy Mercedes parts and building supplies. The name chosen was MESA Engineering because it was seemingly familiar with a professional air. It was originally capitalized but has been written as Mesa in recent years.
In 1971 Bassist, Patrick Burke addressed Randall in hopes of a custom Bass amp. Smith was persuaded and constructed the Snakeskin Mesa 450 - Smith's first bass amplifier and the first 'official' Mesa/Boogie product.
The real breakthrough came when Smith began his project of building a preamp for Lee Michaels to drive his new Crown DC-300 power amplifiers. Not knowing what signal was required to drive the power amps, Smith added an extra tube gain stage to the preamp to cover his bases, with 3 variable gain controls at different points in the circuit.
When Smith took the construction to Michaels and plugged it in, they were both disappointed, as they could only hear a very faint sound coming out of the speakers. They soon realized that the speakers had been plugged directly into the preamp, and rectified the situation by plugging them in correctly to the power-amp. After plugging everything together correctly, Michaels hit a power chord to test the new setup which "practically blew both of our [Michaels and Smith] bodies through the back wall".
Smith had discovered High Gain, purely by chance. He set about designing a Mesa/Boogie amplifier around the new principle, and in 1972 the Mark I Boogie was released.
He proceeded to evolve the Mark series, with the Mark II released in 1980. The 1980s saw Mesa instigating and leading in the 'Rack Revolution', with popular power amplifiers such as the M180/190 and Strategy series, as well as pre-amps such as the Quad and Studio.
Arguably the most desirable Boogie ever built was designed in 1983, the Mark II-C (and later the II-C+). The Mark series culminated in 1990 with the Mark IV, still one of the most advanced amplifiers in the world.
In the '90s, Mesa launched the smaller Dual Caliber series and the more powerful Rectifier series, the latter of which is perhaps the most important amplifier of the '90s.
The new millennium has not seen Mesa slow down, with new models like the 4-channel Road King and perhaps their best clean channel yet, the Lone Star and Lone Star Special.

Current Guitar Amplifiers

Mark IV models and Mark I re-issue

In the 17 years between 1972 and 1989, there were 7 different Mark series designs, culminating in the Mark IV in 1990. In the 16 years between 1990 and 2006 there have been no new models, and it is widely considered that the Mark series came to its conclusion with the Mark IV.
The Mark IV was one of the most advanced amplifiers of its time. It features 3 almost fully independent channels, a graphic equalizer, master volume and many pre- and power-amp options.
The 3 channels are labeled Rhythm 1, Rhythm 2 and Lead. Rhythm 1 and 2 include shared bass and middle controls, but other than this the channels are fully independent, with volume, gain and presence controls for each. The graphic EQ is footswitchable. The Mark IV was used by both James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica on the 'Black' Album as well as many subsequent albums. Recently, Willie Adler and Mark Morton of Lamb of God have gained acclaim while using these amplifiers. John Petrucci is also a long time user.
It has the ability to footswitch between Simul-class and Class-A. It should be noted that the two outside power tubes can be substituted for EL34 valves, and all 4 tubes can be substituted for 6V6 valves.
The Mark I re-issue amplifier is a reproduction of the most popular Hun/Ree (100w with reverb) format of Mark I amplifier. It features a Celestion C90 speaker in its combo format, but is also available as a head.

History of the Mark Series

DATING MARK SERIES AMPS
The people at Mesa Engineering can help you date your amp if you give them your serial number (from back panel of amp), provided they have the right records. Their records for the Mark II, III and IV are great, but may not be complete for the Mark I - although they are very good.
The thing to remember is that Mesa/Boogie has, can and will customize and retrofit just about anything for the customer. So, the presence or absence of options such as reverb, "simul-class," 60/100 watt capability and EQ-as well as cabinets and speakers-may not always be the best way to date your amp.

Mark I

The Mark I refers to the first Boogies ever made - although they were not called "Mark I" until the Mark II came along. They were 100 or 60 watts combo amps with a 12-inch speaker, primarily Altec-Lansing or EVM. The Mark I had two channels: one clean, voiced somewhat similar to old Fender, called "Input 2," and one "high gain," called "Input 1," which produced the overdriven "Boogie lead" sound used most notably by Carlos Santana on the "Abraxas" album and after.
This amp in its original form is very collectable, but does not have footswitching capabilities - you plug in one or the other input for the two tones. Reverb was optional and a lot of early Boogies didn't have reverb. Later, you could get a Mark I with reverb and/or graphic EQ.
Early models have "slave out" and "reverb" labeled on the back with Dymo stick; they do not have any "pull lead" capabilities on the volume controls. Later Mark Is had "Pull Bright" and "Pull Boost" on the volume controls. The front panel controls were Volume 1, Volume 2, Treble, Middle, Bass and Master.
The early models are fairly inconsistent, since many of them were "custom" models, made-to-order for various buyers. Some sound cleaner, some don't. American guitarist Rivers Cuomo of Weezer used an early Mark I with an original double cutaway Gibson Les Paul Special to produce the guitar tone heard throughout 1994's ''Weezer''.
Mesa has stated the original and the reissue have a "looser" lead sound since the first two preamp stages occurs before the tone controls. In the various later Mark II and III models, there is only one gain stage before the tone controls. This signal chain is an issue of some dispute among Boogie owners.
Original Mark Is are hard to find and expensive (and often modified if you do find one), but very collectable. While the Mark I varies in sound quality, the Mark I reissue is very consistent from amp to amp.

Mark IIA

The Mark II introduced channel footswitching, so you could go from rhythm to lead. It also wasn't referred to as the "Mark IIA" until the Mark IIB was issued. You could also get a separate head for this model, which could be hooked up to a number of different speaker combinations, although a 1x12 cabinet was typical. However, the reverb circuit is considered noisy and the footswitching made a popping sound when used; both of these features were later improved on the Mark IIC - see below. As noted above, the preamp gain on the Mark IIs occurs after the tone controls. A Mesa/Boogie person has stated to me that the IIA has a "tighter, more focused sound" than the Mark I. The clean channel on this is very nice, but some argue that EQ is needed on the lead channel to be able to dial the midrange out in order to get something other than the "Santana" tone.
The IIA and IIB, and some late-model Mark I amps used a silicon device called "fetron" in place of one of the 12AX7 preamp tubes, and included a switch for configuring the amp for either fetron or 12AX7 operation. The reason for using a fetron was to address some of the problems associated with microphonic 12AX7 tubes in a high-gain situation; somehow, Boogie users didn't care too much for the fetron, so its use was later discontinued.

Mark IIB

The Mark IIB introduced an effects loop and an expanded control panel, featuring both a lead drive and a lead master dial. More importantly, it marked the introduction of Mesa's "simul-class" system, where two of the power tubes (always 6L6s) run in class AB pentode while the other two tubes (either 6L6s or EL34s) run in class A triode. If you have a simul-class amp, running all four tubes generates approximately 75 watts RMS of power, while running only the class A tubes produces about 15 watts. You could also get a non-simul-class Mark IIB in a 100 watt model, which allowed to shift down to 60 watts by turning off a pair of power tubes.
The two input jacks on the front panel are marked "Input" and "Foot Switch." The front panels read Volume, Treble, Bass, Middle, Master, Lead Drive and Master. It has "Pull Bright" on the Volume, "Pull Shift" on the Treble, and "Pull Bright" on the Master.

Mark IIC & IIC+

The Mark IIC and IIC+ are gaining reputations in vintage circles as the best Boogies, next to the classic Mark I, due to their much-praised rhythm channels, and to a lesser degree their lead channels.
The Mark IIC featured a quieter footswitching system and a new mod to the reverb circuit. Sacks again: "The reverb was noise-ridden on the Mark II, a problem which persisted with some IIB models as well. The solution Mesa came up with involved resistor swaps and a change in ground lead placement. That mod is still on the books of 'official' mods, which they send to their authorized techs; it runs about $50." Nowadays, Mesa/Boogie no longer does this mod at its own factory.
The Mark IIC+ was the last of the Mark II series and featured a more sensitive (i.e. useful) lead channel and, more importantly, an improved circuitry in the effects loop. Unlike earlier Mark II models, pedals could be used without the amp's signal overloading their inputs. However, the volume pedal option on the Mark IIB discussed above by Sacks cannot be implemented on Mark IIC+s.
Some owners/dealers/sellers often say the "+" refers to an amp having an EQ, but they are mistaken. The mistake originates, I believe, because in the mid 1980s Mesa issued their Studio .22 model and then changed the name to Studio .22+, which featured improved wiring, etc. All the Mark II models could be made with EQ as an option, but not all of them did. A Mark IIC+ could, for example, refer to a 100 watt amp without EQ or reverb.
You can tell if a particular amp is a "+" by looking for a hand-written black "+" mark directly above where the power cord attaches to the back of the amp. Be aware that many vintage dealers jack up the price on a Mark IIC+ but often don't know anything about what the "+" means - they often don't even know where to find the "+" mark. Indeed, the mark itself can be forged, so let the buyer beware. But, you can call Mesa/Boogie and ask them to check your serial number against their records. Mesa/Boogie only made about 1,400 Mark II amps before going to the Mark IIC+.

S.O.B. (Son of Boogie)

The S.O.B. was introduced sometime during the Mark II era. This was Mesa's first attempt at having a "reissue" of the Mark I. It had 2 inputs and its controls were Volume 1, Volume 2, Master, High, Middle, Low, Limit. The "Limit" seems to give distortion to the amp while maintaining the volume. It wasn't considered a true Mark I reissue, however.

Mark III

The Mark III introduced a third channel - a "crunch" rhythm sound right in between the rhythm and lead channels. This amp has a two-footswitch system; one footswitches between the current rhythm mode and the lead mode, and the other selects either the clean rhythm mode or the crunch rhythm mode. The two rhythm modes share all of their controls, while the lead mode only shares the rhythm modes' tone stack, featuring independent gain and master volume controls. There seems to be some dispute over the sound quality of this amp.

Mark IV

The Mark IV is the state-of-the-art Mesa/Boogie three-channel combo amp Most important is the independent controls for all three channels - except bass & treble, which are the same for both Rhythm 1 (clean) and Rhythm 2 (crunch). There were two versions of this amp. Start of production until about September 1993 Mark IV's are referred to as version A, late 1993 and on are version B which are the current model. Early B's have an attached power cord like the A version.
Version A - No footswitch for reverb. Both normal and switchable effects loops. No satellite send for separate power amp. No stereo effects loop. Lead channel modeled more after the Mark IIC+
Version B - Switchable reverb, single switchable stereo effects loop, Satellite send to drive another power amp. Voicings altered slightly for a more modern tone. A tad more gain on Rhy 2 on tap.
Although there are 2 different versions, they are both highly regarded as equally impressive. The Rhy 1 channel is very clean and can be everything from twangy, to bluesy, to bell chime clean. Rhy 2 has more gain on tap, however falling short of a metal rhythm. More classic rock ACDC'esque. However with the addition of a boost pedal, this channel is often used for metal rhythm. Lead has most gain on tap, although you shouldn't use it all. It is higly regarded as one of the best boogie lead channels to date. Liquid lead tone much smoother and less fizzier than the rectifier series.

Rectifier Series

The Rectifier series, commonly called "Recto" by modeling amplifiers, was instrumental to the success of de-tuned, 7-string nu- and heavy-metal in the 90's.
There are 3 variants: Single, Dual and Triple Rectifier.
The Single Rectifier amplifiers are rated at 50 watts and use a silicon diode rectifier, as opposed to tube rectification. Currently in production are the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, the Rect-o-Verb 50 head, and the Rect-o-Verb 50 combo, which is fitted with a single 12" Celestion Black Shadow speaker. The Rect-o-Verb line features the same circuitry as the Single Rectifier Solo Head 50, but incorporates reverb. All Single Rectifier amplifiers feature a pair of 6L6 power tubes as well as five 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. A bias select switch, which allows the user to swap out the stock 6L6s for EL34s, was added in the "Series 2" versions of all amplifiers in the lineup. Also, the Reverb control knob was moved from the back to the front on the Rect-o-Verb models. The Single Rectifer amplifiers feature two fully independent channels.
The Dual Rectifier Solo Head is the most popular model of the Rectifier series. The name comes from its unique feature of two separate switchable rectifiers, silicone diodes or 5U4G tubes . Equipped with a quartet of 6L6 power tubes, the Dual Rectifier will produce depending on options chosen 70-100 watts. For a looser sound, Dual Rectifier amplifiers allow users to utilize tube rectification rather than the common silicone diode rectification at the flip of a switch. Like in the Single Rectifier series, a bias select switch is standard. The Dual and Triple Rectifier amplifiers, which also feature 5 12AX7 pre-amp tubes, were originally designed with 2 channels(though not true parallel channel circuits), but recently were redesigned to incorporate a third channel. However, many people consider the older 2 channel models to have a superior sound.
Additionally, the first 500 Dual Rectifiers are also considered to be the "holy grail" of the rectifier line. These Pre-500 rectifiers are said to have superior tone due to specific transformers that were only used on these early models. In addition these first 500 also feature a unique circuit board that was changed toward the end of 1992. You can distinguish the Pre-500 dual rectifiers by their serial number found on the back of the amp and should fall between # R-0001 to R-0500.
The first 503 not only used the 100 watt power and output transformers from the MK III, made by Schumacher, but also had two different circuit boards. The first production circuit revision is the RF-1C and is in amps 1 up to around 280. From 280 to 503 Mesa changed the circuit design to the RF-1D. In essence, Mesa had used two slightly different circuit designs between the first models produced in February, 1992 to the end of the 500 around August, 1992. As of late August/September 1992, the amp was again revised to the RF-1F. This poses the question of whether these amps are unique in tone due specifically to the transformers, but also the circuit design. The most notable association with the transformer theory is directly linked to George Lynch. It has also been written that George looked at the circuit boards for a distinguishable mark that was used to identify these amps. It can be assumed that he was looking for the circuit board revision. Mr. Lynch, like many other famous guitar players may have stated that it was the transformers that made the Dual Rectifier so different, when in reality he was providing useless information to throw other players off the source if his tone. As many seasoned players know, this is not an uncommon tactic. ( Boogiebabies 9/7/2007)
Other than the Dual Rectifier Solo Head, there is the flagship Boogie model (replacing the Mark IV as the company's most advanced amplifier), the Dual Rectifier Road King. The Road King is well known for its vast number of options. It has an unprecedented 4 channels, each with the option of two different speaker outputs, two effects loops and Progressive Linkage, which allows five different power tube configurations (2x6L6, 2xEL34, 2x6L6+2xEL34, 4x6L6, 4x6L6+2xEL34), which are signaled by different LED lights on the front of the amplifier. The amp also features Recto-Tracking, which automatically selects the appropriate rectification (single or dual 5U4s or silicon diode) depending on the power tube configuration.
While these myriad options provide ample tweaking opportunity and ultimate customization of tone, they are also the one drawback of the Road King - it's just too complex for some. In response, Mesa announced the release of the Dual Rectifier Roadster, a scaled down and less expensive version of the Road King with fewer options for the power amp and speakers, but retaining 4 independent channels.
The Triple Rectifier utilizes 6 6L6 power tubes for 150 watts output power, with 3 5U4 Rectifier tubes. It was designed with the tag line "When excess is barely enough", and used by bands such as Metallica, Limp Bizkit and KoЯn.

Lone Star

The Lone Star amplifier was released in 2004 with the tag "Tone as big as Texas", and now comes in two variants, Classic and Special. In very generic terms, the Classic can be compared to vintage Fender amps, while the Special would be more in the range of an old VOX AC-30. However, since no two models of amp really sound alike or even operate the same, this is just to have some idea of an amp with the same type tubes as each of these.
Mesa/Boogie's description of the Classic is riddled with connotations to the sound of Texas blues, a style exemplified by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and this is the sound that the amplifier was designed to recreate. However, while its blues tones are widely reported as some of the best around, the success of the Lone Star has been its clean channel, widely regarded as one of, if not the best clean sound Boogie have ever produced. A measure of the quality of the sound is reflected in Carlos Santana's current amplifier rig - 3 70's Mark series Boogies, 2 Dumble Overdrive Special amplifiers and a 2004 Lone Star classic.
The Lonestar features two channels, both capable of switching between 50 watt (tube or solidstate rectifier) and 100 watt (solid state rectifier). In 2007 Mesa added a 10 watt option to the Lone Star. Both channels are now capable of 10, 50, or 100 watt operation. The 10 watt option is true Class A amplification.
The Lone Star Special was released in 2005, having been previewed first at a NAMM show. The differences are mainly in the power amp section, primarily the use of EL84 tubes rather than 6L6, giving a different sound than the "Classic" Lonestar. It also comes with 3 different wattage settings - 30, 15, and 5 watts. The 30 watt selection uses a solid state (diode) rectifier for a cleaner tone. The 15 and 5 watt settings use a tube (valve) rectifier for a warmer, "grittier", sound. The 5 watt setting uses a Patent Pending design (one of three in this amp) producing true Class A amplification, where only a single tube provides the amplification. Not only does this lower the wattage but also enables the tube to be saturated for an overdriven sound at much lower volume. In addition, the 2nd harmonic (an octave above) is not cancelled out, resulting in a richer overtone.

Stiletto

The Stiletto "Stage I" was released in 2004, and is designed as a British-flavored variant of the Rectifier series. This was in response to musicians using Marshall amplifiers combined with Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. Two models were released; the Deuce, and the Trident. Both come standard with EL34 tubes.
The Deuce is a 100w dual 5U4 rectified quad EL34 powered head. The Trident is the highest output wattage of the Stiletto line, with a switchable 50w/150w power rating. It has six EL34 power tubes and three 5U4 rectifiers.
As of the 2006 model year, all previous models are generally referred to as "Stage I" versions, and have been replaced by the new "Stage II" versions. The Ace is the first of the "Stage II" series. It is a 50-watt amp that is available in different formats.
The "Stage II" models have several features that were not available in the first series. This features are RE-voiced modes, two new clean modes named Fat and Tite, a Fluid-Drive mode and faster power supply. The retail price is a little bit more expensive than the Rectifier series.

Express

The Express line of guitar amplifiers was released in 2007, and has essentially replaced the F-Series in the Mesa Boogie line up. Although not directly descended from the F-Series, these two lines do have some features in common, some of which have been expanded upon in the Express line. This amp does not have solid state rectification like the F series, while still having plenty of gain it has it's own unique sound that is thick, chunky and a little furry on the crunch setting. Adjusting the contour setting will help you dial this in.
The Express line offers a new amplification technology developed by Mesa Boogie called “Duo-Class”. This technology offers the ability to run the power section of the amplifier in either true “class A” (single-ended) mode, or true “class AB” (push-pull) mode. This allows the operator to choose between running the amplifier at a reduced power output of 5 Watts (class A), or full power (class AB). When ran in 5 Watt (Class A) mode, the power section is operating on only one vacuum tube.
There are two different models offered in the Express line; the 5:25, which has a maximum power output of 25 Watts, and the 5:50 which has a maximum power output of 50 Watts. Curiously absent is a 100 Watt output model.
The 5:25 operates on two EL-84 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 25 Watts. It is available as either a Short Chassis Head (Width 19in), or a 1x10 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one E50 Speaker, and comes with casters included.
The 5:50 operates on two 6L6 tubes in the power section, and produces a maximum rated power output of 50 Watts. It is available as a Medium Head (Width 22-7/8in), a Long Head (Width 26-1/4in), a 1x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing one C90 Speaker, or a 2x12 (Open Back) Combo unit containing two C90 Speakers. Both Combo units come with casters included.
Common features among the models in the Express line are as follows:

★ Fixed bias current.

★ Five 12AX7 tubes.

★ Two fully independent channels with four style modes (channel 1 = Clean or Crunch, channel 2 = Blues or Burn).

★ Independent gain, treble, mid, bass, teverb, master and contour controls per channel.

★ Footswitchable Variable Contour Control on each channel, which Mesa Boogie says provides the power of their traditional 5-band graphic EQ from one rotary control.

★ All tube, long spring reverb.

★ All tube FX Loop external switching Jacks for channel 1/2, contour 1, contour 2, reverb.

★ Three button footswitch (Channel 1/2, reverb & contour).

Pre-amps

Triaxis™

A five-tube preamp built to package all of the "Mark" series amps into one package. The Triaxis will give you the impeccable cleans of the Mark IV and the scooped crunch of the Mark IIc series. This amp has come under fire since the new millennium for being just a preamp and in need of being in a rack with a power amp to run with it, however to rack users, the Triaxis still remains the number one preamp of choice for a wide pallette of crystal cleans and Mark series tones. John Petrucci used this preamp to record overdriven tracks on "Images and Words", as well as the side project cd "Liquid Tension Experiment 1". While lacking the tone of the Rectifier series, it is widely accepted that the Triaxis and the Studio Preamp are the closest you can get to the Mark IIC+ in preamp form.

Rectifier Recording™ PreAmp

The MESA Boogie Rectifier Recording™ PreAmp is basically a Rectifier, designed for silent recording. It can also be used as the front end of a rack mounted Rectifier guitar setup.

Bass Amps

Mesa also makes Bass amps, although they are less popular than their guitar amps. Still, Mesa's bass amps are used by numerous big names, such as Les Claypool, Sir Paul McCartney, Justin Chancellor, Ben Kenney of Incubus, John Campbell of Lamb of God, John Myung of Dream Theater and Cliff Burton.The current lineup of Bass Amps includes the simul-state Big Block series, M-Pulse, and Walkabout. Mesa's all tube bass amps: the Bass 400+, pushes 500 watts at 'peak' through twelve 6L6 tubes which equals about 250 real world watts. The earlier Bass 400 had six 6550 tubes for about 300 watts RMS.

Discontinued Products

Quad

The Quad preamp is divided over two channels, the above one is modelled after a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC and the lower channel is based on a Mark III.The preamp uses 8 NOS Tesla E83CC tubes. These were made in the 70's by Telefunken and are as good as it gets. The whole signalpath of the Quad uses tubes and no opamps like many other preamps such as the Triaxis and the JMP-1. So tubes have a huge influence on the tone of the preamp.
Mesa/Boogie designer and president Randall Smith: "The Quad (plus the Simul 395 Stereo power amp) is intended primarily for the concert-touring pro. And the idea is to offer a real alternative to the usual assemblage of two or three (or more) separate amps -usually modified- plus a custom switching system."
Specification:
2 channels, 4 modes (2 rhythm and 2 lead)
8x E83CC NOS Tesla preamp tubes (Telefunken production!)
2 custom made Accutronics spring reverbs
Tube driven reverb and stereo fxloop
2x 5 band graphic EQ
5 EQ shift functions per channel to change the sound
Hand made in the USA
8 on/off jacks for each function

Blue Angel

The Mesa Blue Angel series was an offshoot of the Rectifier series, but sported single channels that thrived with jazzy clean tones, but gave an aggressive sound when turned loud. The amps were available in the form of a head, 1x12, 2x10, and 4x10. The amplifiers featured Mesa's Progressive Linkage technology, enabling the use of two 6V6 power tubes and four EL84 tubes. The amplifiers used a single 5U4 rectifier tube and 5 12AX7's.

Nomad

Mesa's Nomad series was produced until the early 2000s, and were considered a successor to the Caliber series of the 1990s. They boasted three channels with the option of a graphic equalizer on some models. It was sold in 45, 55, and 100 watt variations, and was phased out with the introduction of the F-series

Maverick

The Maverick was a Class-A, channel switching amp available in a 4x10 or 2x12 combo format, as well as a 35-watt head. The amp was aimed towards country and classic rock players, and was replaced by the Lone Star.

Formula preamp

The Formula was a rackmounted preamp, with MIDI switching. Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci has once used this amplifier in his rig as a clean preamp. The clean channel is arguably second best to the newer lonestar amplifiers, however the gain channels left something to be desired. While putting out a tone reminiscent of the F series (a tone between the rectifiers and mark series) the preamp has been dismissed by many as being too loose and lacking in punch and gain clarity. There are a few home mod plans out there that apparently improve on the circuitry to make the gain channels more usable.

F-Series

The F-Series debuted in 2002 as the spiritual successors to the early '90s Dual Caliber series. There are 3 sizes, the F30 (30 watts), the F50 (50 watts) and the F100 (100 watts). As of the 2007 model year, the F-Series has essentially been replaced by the Express line of Amplifiers.
The smallest amplifier in the series is the F30. Rather than 6L6 tubes, it is built around two EL84s. It is available in a 'shorthead' version or as a 1x12 combo.
The F50 has been the most critically acclaimed model, featuring two 6L6 tubes in the power amp and using solid state rectification. It is available as a 'mediumhead' version, or a 1x12 'widebody' combo.
The F100 is a similar setup, but with a quartet of 6L6s for 100w output. It is available as a 2x12 combo or in a 'longhead' version.
The F-Series was dropped in 2007 with the introduction of the Express line.

External links

★ Mesa Boogie Homepage

★ The Mesa Boogie Mark Series Registry

★ The Unofficial History of the Mesa Boogie Mark Series

★ The Boogie Files - History of the Home of Tone

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