Mesa Boogie

Mesa/Boogie is a company in California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses.

Related Topics:
California - Amplifiers

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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 John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Metallica, Jerry Cantrell, Frank Zappa, Andy Timmons, Cannibal Corpse, Helmet, Tool and almost every nu metal band out there.

Related Topics:
Randall Smith - Fender - Carlos Santana - John Petrucci - Eric Johnson - Metallica - Jerry Cantrell - Frank Zappa - Andy Timmons - Cannibal Corpse - Helmet - Tool - Nu metal

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Boogies deliver fierce gain and a good clean sound. They are versatile amps, with which you can also get plenty of tones by tweaking and using your guitar controls. Although Mesas were originally based on Fender designs, they have a distinctive voice of their own: slightly darker, less fuzzy, and more focused in the midrange than Marshalls, known widely as the "Califonia sound". Many players especially prefer Mesa for lead work.

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The Mark series was Mesa's first. The Mark I and Mark II have a more "vintagey" vibe, but the Mark IIC+ is a great tool for rock, and is John Petrucci's weapon of choice. Mark IIC+ amps are highly sought after and are thus very expensive. The Mark III has a reputation as a solid rock amp, and was used along the Caliber .50 amps by Metallica in the '80s. The Mark III's have three channels, with common EQ, so getting the sounds you want requires some tweaking. The Mark IV is a favourite among many, has knobs to spare and is very versatile amp, being able to cover anything from a jazz gig to a headbanging festival. Mark IV and Mark I reissues are still in production.

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The Rectifier series are at their best in heavy rock and metal music, and are mostly responsible for the nu-metal sound. Rectos deliver massive gain with good crunch, and enough power and definition to cut through any loud band. The clean channel of the Rectifier amps isn't that applauded, but if you go for a Recto you probably won't need it anyway.

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The Rectifier 'Tremoverb' amplifier is also great for getting close to the Metallica-like crunch.

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Mesa recently added the extremely versatile Road King to the Rectifier series in 2002, advertising it as "a Fleet of Amps in one".

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Nomad series amps have three channels with separate EQs, and are loved by many for their many options.

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More recent products include the blues-inspired Lone Star series, the British-flavoured Stiletto series, and the bare-bones F series.

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