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Grattouille33 « Amazing! »
Published on 05/01/11 at 13:59
Best value:
Excellent
For an objective point of view, I recommend you to read other reviews or to visit the mesa/boogie website (it has online manuals, which is even better).
From a subjective point of view — mine — it has all connections I need and such a power that you don't know what to do with it (but it can be tamed with practice. Besides, it sounds fine even when the output is set to 2).
It's really heavy for its size, but less so than my old amp (crate vintage club), which is a good point.
And well... Since there are much more complete amps, even if it's all right for me, I give it a 9.
UTILIZATION
This amp is really easy to dial in, you can easily tell what the knobs are for by their name.
However, the EQ doesn't quite work as the one on other amps. It is more effective than on a Marshall, for example! Broadly speaking, every knob interacts with the others, which gives you a myriad of possibilities, but on the other hand... You can spend lots of time looking for your sound — in my case, it took me 1-2 hours per day for one week!
I always have the EQ engaged when using the distortion because I find the sound dull otherwise. I cut the mids a bit — it has too much! —, boost the high mids and highs to get more bite and a bit the lows for more punch.
By the way, be careful: The lows boosted this way are very punchy, they don't add any warmth and don't make your sound more "loose," so abusing it will make the sound become very powerful in the low end but with not much presence in the highs, both for rhythm guitar or solos. Disengaging it makes the sound fuzzy. What I decided to do is to boost the lows in my preamp to get some warmth and then boost them a bit more with the EQ to get some punch.
All in all, well... It's easy to find a good sound because it can only sound good. Nevertheless, it takes time to find your own sound.
The manual is more than clear, it's crystalline! Although it's a bit long. I recommend you to take the templates in the manual as starting point and fine-tune them as you go.
Update from July 16: I finally found my sound last Tuesday (the 12th), but it took me quite some time! Don't worry about it too much, you'll find your sound by rehearsing and playing concerts.
SOUNDS
It's hard to describe what I play. It's hard prog tinted with fusion, funk, and sometimes hard rock.
And well... You can get all sorts of sounds, but what I love about it is being able to have crystal-clear clean sounds and a heavy, brilliant distortion that doesn't lack fatness nor precision. You know what I mean.
You can't do better!
The way I've dialed in the distortions they are soft, punchy, brilliant, the notes are really defined, it sings, and the dynamics are huge, with an awesome sustain, a sound that makes no noise and notes that come undone. You have to hear it.
Then again, I prefer to have a separate EQ pedal for the solos, only to fine-tune and to make the less compromises possible (I boost the lows and add a bit of mids for the solos and that's it), but I would've loved the sound to be perfect without the need of the 5-band EQ, that way I could use the EQ for solos. So I take one point off for that, although I'm nitpicking. I give it a 9 because nothing is perfect.
I have an Ibanez RG 3120 with Dimarzio D-Sonic (bridge) and At-1 (neck) pickups, and I have loads of effects. There you have it, it's not too important.
I love everything about this amp.
Update July 16: I recommend setting the highs to 6 for some amazing palm mutes!!! You'll think you are James Hetfield!
OVERALL OPINION
Well, it's been a month since I have it and I am truly thrilled. I had never enjoyed playing guitar so much.
I have tried lots of gear, a Marshall JTM 60, a Marshall 30th Anniversary, an Orange AD-30, and others. I prefer this one by far.
I love everything about this amp, except maybe the somewhat discreet reverb.
Good value for money, period ($1100 secondhand), but hey, the amp you love has no price!
In hindsight, I don't know, it's an amp that suits me well right now, but if I find an ENGL I think I might prefer it, or even others. It's all a question of opportunity and I have this amp.
I hope you find my review useful!
Update July 16: Finally, it's truly the perfect amp for me! I won't go looking for an ENGL or other amps, I'll stick with Mesa/Boogie!
From a subjective point of view — mine — it has all connections I need and such a power that you don't know what to do with it (but it can be tamed with practice. Besides, it sounds fine even when the output is set to 2).
It's really heavy for its size, but less so than my old amp (crate vintage club), which is a good point.
And well... Since there are much more complete amps, even if it's all right for me, I give it a 9.
UTILIZATION
This amp is really easy to dial in, you can easily tell what the knobs are for by their name.
However, the EQ doesn't quite work as the one on other amps. It is more effective than on a Marshall, for example! Broadly speaking, every knob interacts with the others, which gives you a myriad of possibilities, but on the other hand... You can spend lots of time looking for your sound — in my case, it took me 1-2 hours per day for one week!
I always have the EQ engaged when using the distortion because I find the sound dull otherwise. I cut the mids a bit — it has too much! —, boost the high mids and highs to get more bite and a bit the lows for more punch.
By the way, be careful: The lows boosted this way are very punchy, they don't add any warmth and don't make your sound more "loose," so abusing it will make the sound become very powerful in the low end but with not much presence in the highs, both for rhythm guitar or solos. Disengaging it makes the sound fuzzy. What I decided to do is to boost the lows in my preamp to get some warmth and then boost them a bit more with the EQ to get some punch.
All in all, well... It's easy to find a good sound because it can only sound good. Nevertheless, it takes time to find your own sound.
The manual is more than clear, it's crystalline! Although it's a bit long. I recommend you to take the templates in the manual as starting point and fine-tune them as you go.
Update from July 16: I finally found my sound last Tuesday (the 12th), but it took me quite some time! Don't worry about it too much, you'll find your sound by rehearsing and playing concerts.
SOUNDS
It's hard to describe what I play. It's hard prog tinted with fusion, funk, and sometimes hard rock.
And well... You can get all sorts of sounds, but what I love about it is being able to have crystal-clear clean sounds and a heavy, brilliant distortion that doesn't lack fatness nor precision. You know what I mean.
You can't do better!
The way I've dialed in the distortions they are soft, punchy, brilliant, the notes are really defined, it sings, and the dynamics are huge, with an awesome sustain, a sound that makes no noise and notes that come undone. You have to hear it.
Then again, I prefer to have a separate EQ pedal for the solos, only to fine-tune and to make the less compromises possible (I boost the lows and add a bit of mids for the solos and that's it), but I would've loved the sound to be perfect without the need of the 5-band EQ, that way I could use the EQ for solos. So I take one point off for that, although I'm nitpicking. I give it a 9 because nothing is perfect.
I have an Ibanez RG 3120 with Dimarzio D-Sonic (bridge) and At-1 (neck) pickups, and I have loads of effects. There you have it, it's not too important.
I love everything about this amp.
Update July 16: I recommend setting the highs to 6 for some amazing palm mutes!!! You'll think you are James Hetfield!
OVERALL OPINION
Well, it's been a month since I have it and I am truly thrilled. I had never enjoyed playing guitar so much.
I have tried lots of gear, a Marshall JTM 60, a Marshall 30th Anniversary, an Orange AD-30, and others. I prefer this one by far.
I love everything about this amp, except maybe the somewhat discreet reverb.
Good value for money, period ($1100 secondhand), but hey, the amp you love has no price!
In hindsight, I don't know, it's an amp that suits me well right now, but if I find an ENGL I think I might prefer it, or even others. It's all a question of opportunity and I have this amp.
I hope you find my review useful!
Update July 16: Finally, it's truly the perfect amp for me! I won't go looking for an ENGL or other amps, I'll stick with Mesa/Boogie!