All user reviews for the Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp

Those familiar with the earlier Boogie Mark series amplifiers, such as the Mark II and Mark III will be at home with the features of this preamp, including

- Rhythm and Lead channels with shared EQ
- Individual Lead drive and master
- Rhythm bright switch
- Lead bright and fat switches
- Stereo output with individual levels
- Recording outs
- Switchable Graphic EQ
- Spring reverb
- Ground isolation switch


UTILIZATION

As with any of the Mark series amplifiers, the initial learning curve can be a bit steep. The EQ settings affect each other over the range, so dialing your sound in properly is a bit of a balancing act. Dual drive pots can be a bit of a learning curve aswell, finding a good balance between saturation, feel, and low noise floor. The GEQ is very powerful, and offers great tonal shaping over the modes. Thanks to this, the shared EQ is not too big of a problem, as one can dial in the rhythm channel, and then use the GEQ to perfectly shape the lead channel. The ground isolation switch is also a great feature for quiet operation in most rack settings.

SOUNDS

The Mesa Studio preamp sits between the Mark II and III tonally. The rhythm channel offers a very nice and shimmery clean, and breaks up nicely when pushed harder. The lead channel offers the high gain sounds that put Mesa on the map. The gain is smooth and fluid, even more so than the newer Mark IV and V models. Between the two drive dials, an insane amount of gain can be dialed, but this is not the reason for the design. Between these two, the perfect amount of both feel, and drive can be dialed in. The GEQ, as with most of the mark series, is the perfect compliment to the lead channel, and is the key to some of the more aggressive high gain sounds found in the design.

OVERALL OPINION

I love my studio preamp. It is more true to the original Mark tones than the recent iterations, and offers the sounds in a small and inexpensive package. Pair with your favorite power amp, and there are some GREAT tones available. For the most authentic Boogie tones, I recommend a Mesa power amp.

- What type of amplification (Tube,transistor,...)?
Tube

- How much power is delivered?
N/A, this is a preamp.

- What connection types are there?
More than you can imagine: inputs, outputs & loops all over the place.
Ins on the front & back...2 output channels with individual settings...footswitch...this is some serious piece of pro gear.

- What are the setting controls, effects?...
Not sure i can count that high...
5 band graphic EQ + 3 band regular EQ, volume, master, rhythm bright switch, reverb, lead drive, lead master, EQ IN/auto/off, lead mode, lead fat, lead bright, master out A, master out B.
10 rotaries + 5 EQ faders. Never seen anything like it.

UTILIZATION

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Yes, same settings as you're used to on an amp, plus some more than you just have to try...nothing tricky.

- Can you easily get a good sound?
Now this is trickier than expected cos you're tempted to fiddle around and the EQ is very powerful. But you can get good sound if you stop messing around, haha.

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Mine was second hand and i never had the manual.

SOUNDS

Some say this has the best clear sound ever when used via the direct out for recording. True that it sounds quite good.

The distortion when pushed to the max gives you that endless sustain you've always dreamt of when listening to Gary Moore...

But Mesa/Boogie sounds Mesa/Boogie. You'll probably love it but you might not. Try it!

In any case, the range of sounds you can obtain here is awesome, and we're talking top of the range here. This is no POD or Boss pedal, folks, this is IT.

OVERALL OPINION

I've not used this all that much simply because it hasn't been plugged in and it was easier to use the combo but when i did i was amazed every time.

It sounds like nothing else, that's what's great about it, and it's clean. If you're into metal or grunge you might not want this... :-/

If you want true class, get one of these, but if you want it to sound like it should beware that you should have a proper amp and a good cabinet to back it up. Plugging this into a combo won't do it justice.