I worked at Mesa/Boogie 1989-92. I was final check /quality control , head of packing . That little card comes with every Boogie ,that's signed off by someone doing quality control on down the line , I was the last guy to sign before we boxed them up . I was there for the Mark 1 reissue , the Mark 4, and the Rectifier , these were all in heavy production when I was there . It was fun times . I was in a band called Colorfinger at the time (it later turned into Everclear, I was the drummer) this is how cool Boogie was, when we went on tour while I was working there they gave all the guys in the band free amps of their choice to use while we toured .
Back in the early 70’s I aquired a boogie schematic but being broke I decided to build my own and started collecting parts . I bent my own chassis and bought a couple punches for the tube holes. My big problem was getting the output, power, and choke transformers !!! So I wrote boogie and told them what I was doing and would they sell me the transformers. They said they would and gave me a very reasonable price which I jumped on . I received the transformers and in a couple weeks had my own home built boogie in a small footprint open back enclosure I built out of plywood. It worked and sounded great . I never forgot the favor they gave me and now own a bunch of boogies as payback !!!! A great amp and a great company !!!
As a teenager, I bought several amps, and then returned them. In desperation, I saved up all my summer job money and sent it to Petaluma for a Mark 2B. It finally arrived, when I plugged in, my hair stood on end. I still have it. Recapped it during quarantine. It still sounds awesome.
That's awesome, I hope to still have my Dual Rectifier many years from now. Once I finally became an adult I was able to purchase one, it was my dream amp as a teenager.
I have a mark 4. The volume suddenly dropped off significantly. Its is now very much quieter than before. I can turn it all the way up with bedroom levels. All channels are reduced but the r1 and r2 are the worst. The tubes are all good. Have replaced them all. Does anyone know what the issue is? Transformer? Caps? I don't have the 600 mesa wants for a bench test and repairs. Please any input would be appreciated.
O.K. we are going way back. 1980-1981. Something like that. My older brother had just got a Mesa Boogie S.O.B. 1x12 combo. And he compared it to his Marshall stack. It was just as loud or louder than the Marshall stack. I was in the local stationary store a few days later and was reading a guitar and amp magazine. On the cover. "Interview with Randall Smith of Mesa Boogie". One of the first questions the interviewer asked him was "Why are your amps so loud?". Randall Smith answers "Because I don't lie on my specs". "If I tell you that you are getting 60 watts - you are getting a full 60 watts!"
Hey Rick, John Hiatt is putting a bunch of gear up on Reverb in a week or two ---- dunno if he's got a Boogie but he's got a blonde Bandmaster and some Perfectly Good Guitars, and who knows what else (maybe one of his Telecasters?).....and when will you do a "what makes this song great?" episode about a John Hiatt song?
My Mesa Boogie "ha-ha!" moment was James Hetfield's MONSTER tone on the "And Justice for All" tour. It just ripped my young head off and I became obsessed with chasing that tone. So nasty on its own when "Blackened" began, but absolutely amazing in the mix when the rest of the band kicked in. To this day the Dual Rec is still my all-time favorite amplifier. Ever.
Amazingly, James' tone came from his fingers, but was suulemented by two major factors. My friend Randy's amps, and EMG pickups, made by my good friend Rob Turner, who, ironically, as with Randy, is not a guitar player! Rob's a drummer, while Randy is a keyboard player these days, but he played alto sax & flute in his days in the Forest Knolls garage when we played together in amazing jams at the local watering hole in Lagunitas, CA.
That album (& the Black album) are both Mark IVs. I own both a Mark IV & a Rectifier. Both are absolutely fantastic "will keep until the day I die" amps.
Excellent video Keith! My first real tube amp was a Mark IV, that I got when I was 13. It stayed with me well into my 30's - what a workhorse. A few years ago I got to tour the factory in Petaluma with some friends, and even got a peek into Randall's workshop. Twas a great experience.
mine too. can totally hear u playing a markIV, rj. i miss mine-had it for 30 years. finally traded it in to help pay for my kid’s drums. it was heavy as f tho. but the tone from those 3 channels was to die for.
I got a Boogie 50 Cal combo when I was sixteen and stopped lugging my Marshall stack all over L.A. It was such a relief! That thing was so loud. I gigged with it for years. It was a heavy amp, but with it's Celestion a lot lighter than the Mark III combo I almost bought which had an EV and castors. It was a simpler amp to operate, not that I didn't understand the Marks which I did. I just knew I'd be dialing and using this or that push-pull and the time so the fact that the 50 Cal was two rather than three channels was a good thing for me. That amp really cut through any mix, live or recording, and I loved gigging with it. The thing got me so many compliments on my sound and soundmen at clubs were relieved to see me and the combo because I wasn't gonna be some primadonna with a stack and 4X12 cabs trying to find the perfect sweet spot. It meant and could setup and breakdown a lot quicker, and as was my habit I always helped the drummer setup and breakdown their kit because I took no time at all once the mic was placed where the soundman wanted it.
@@jeremyversusjazz Me 3. I ordered a MKIV (you could only by factory direct at the time) and it was my first "real amp". It was literally instant gratification thanks to the settings quick guide they provided - and still provide, as seen with my new MK5:25, which is also a great lil amp, typical of Boogie...Am a Boogie fanboy for sure.
I owned a Mesa S.O.B. In college. Playing that through a closed-back 4x12 cab in a basement with no plugs is the main reason I have hearing problems in my 30s.
My first guitar teacher had a Boogie in 1976, living in the bay area. I purchased a '68 Princeton Reverb/ JBL D-110 on his recommendation from the Prune Music shop in Mill Valley, where they had some amazing tech setting up the amps for a lot of local players.
There are no videos as good as yours on vintage gear, nobody dives as deep into what you really need to know in only a half and hour. Well done as always.
It's always a magical day when Keith releases a Short History video! This was no exception - entertaining and super informative. I've said it before, and it's true, that Keith has become our Ken Burns for gear nerds everywhere. Bravo!
I love these videos and I was so psyched to see Jonathan Cordy, one of my favorite RU-vid players. Not a ton a subscribers but regardless is an absolutely amazing player and a master of legato. Glad he is getting noticed. Keith, way to expose a great player somewhat under the radar! I’ve been watching this channel from the first video and you’ve always been a super humble guy so I’m not surprised you’re willing to help others. Maybe a brief history of Soldano next…??? 🤷🏻♂️
No doubt! There's so much research in Keith's videos, you're bombarded with facts & history through from start to finish, and as you say well presented with a top-notch soundtrack.
The Mesa Mark V has been my only amp for the past 11 years. It does everything really well. As we evolve as musicians, our tastes may shift and change, and it is an amazing feeling to be able to discover new tones from a single amp that has been a companion for so long. Thank you again for all of your great well-researched content. You love what you do and it shows.
Ever since early teen years in the late 80ies I lusted after Boogies. Picked up brochures from the local music store and day-dreamt about being able to own one of these amps. Later in adult life used a 20/20, DC-5 (for a long time), Studio 22, TA-15 (the only one I was not too happy with the build quality), 3-ch. Dual Rectifier (regret selling this one) and lately am very happy with an old caliber 50+ head next to my trusty Studio 22. I tried many other amps, but there is just something in the Mesa-Tone & flexibility in all its forms that I keep gravitating to. Thank you Mesa!
Great video! It’s easy (for me at least) to forget that Mesa has present at almost as many legendary moments in musical history as the more established brands of Fender/Marshall/Vox etc. And they’ve reinvented themselves many times to suit the changes in music and demands of musicians through the years while continually innovating. No small achievement.
I'm a Big fan of Mesa Boogie for years. I'm 60. I bought a brand new Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. Years ago. Omg Loved it. Got involved with a buxom chicky babe. Decided to sell it and move closer to her. What a big mistake!! Uggh. Now I can't afford it. If I make enough money, I'd definitely buy another one. Great Quality. Love Mesa Boogie. Take care ❤️🙏💯👍😎👌🎸🎸. ( Mesa,. Fender, Marshall ,. Hughes and Kettner, and Randall are some of my favorites)
I have owned many Mesa amps. Mark III, Blue Angel, Maverick, Lone Star Special. Loved them all. They never let me down and always delivered the goods. Great video, many thanks. It brought back many good memories.
I’ve been a professional drummer since I was 17 ( 43 years ago. ) I’m a guitar geek and own around 25 guitars. I was 17 when visiting my cousin, he put in an 8-track tape of Moon Flower. It was a transcending moment that I still remember as if it was yesterday ! I just got my Messa totally redone at their factory.., Boogie indeed !
I have the honor & privilege of being friends with Randy Smith since the Prune Music and "Garage" days, when, oddly enough, he was playing Alto Sax back then (he's now playing mainly keyboard). He and many other good friends played together in a big jam session at our local watering hole every Friday & Saturday, and whoever was not playing gigs showed up. Those were amazing times! A few luminaries were also involved, such as Elvin Bishop, members of the Turk Murphy Band, and loads of great players from all over the country that happened to be in town for concerts & shows. Randy, of course, was a regular, and when the bar had to close at 2am, we would frequently go up to Randy's place to continue after hours. He had an original Gibson ES 150 "Charlie Christian" that I usually claimed, and us guitarists had a choice of Boogies to use. I don't see Randy so often any more, but when we do get together, we have a wonderful time talking about those days when Boogie amps were built in his old garage. He's a great guy (as are all his long time employees, including Mike Bendenelli, Doug West, et al)
Brad Gillis deserved mention here. His tone from I believe a Mark ii on Ozzys Speak of the Devil album took the Sabbath songs to a new level IMO. Still one of the best live sounds I've heard.
I'm late to the party but thought I'd share that I inherited a 1979 Mark II from my musical partner-in-crime who died from ALS last year. I just had it re-capped and it sounds FANTASTIC. It's a trip to pull the amp out of the cabinet and see the handwritten notes on the aluminum in magic marker along with the date it left production. The amp was built before Mesa used serial numbers. A groundbreaking amp that's up there will the great pioneering amps of the 60s and 70s.
My first Mesa amp was a Nomad 55. It was ok but it didn’t do a lot for me. I bought a Mesa/Boogie Studio Pre off eBay. When it arrived, I plugged it in as a preamp in front of the Nomad. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE SOUNDS! Chills and hair standing up. Then I learned about using the stereo outs. I would send one side to a big tube amp and the other to a small tube combo. Unbelievable. Almost every stereo combination was indescribably amazing. I will never sell my Studio Pre. Another time I was at a huge rehearsal complex that had a club in the building for bands to play for other bands. I saw an amazing band there but what stuck out to me was the guitar player with an older Mark. It was the strongest(!) clean tone I have ever heard! Amazing
Great video! I got my first Boogie in around 1982. I got to speak directly with Randall Smith when I ordered it and also his wife who I think worked in the office. I was blown away that you could talk directly with the people who made the amp. I ordered a MarkII B and when I received the amp they sent me a MarkII C. They included a letter explaining that they were transitioning to the newer model and sent me it instead. It was a tone machine. I gigged a lot with that amp but unfortunately sold it sometime in the 90's. I've used other Boogies over the years but still miss that one. Mesa Engineering was a great company and people to do business with.
Unfortunately I ordered mine when they were making the IIC+ which described drenching reverb..instead not saying anything they sent me one of the first Mark lll. Reverb was non existent and that extra channel nothing I would use ever being a one pickup 1957 Les Paul junior guy. I’m a real reverb person and liked the reverb on the demo that prompted me to sell my Marshall Plexi for the Boogie. Big flop..I eventually got a Mark IV which I like much more. But they should have delivered what was ordered.
All 5WW videos are amazing and informative.... but that went above and beyond. As always, thank you for all the research and hard work preparing these videos.
I am a proud owner of an F50 Combo with the Black Shadow Celestion. This amp kills! Unbelievable tone and power when needed. And please don’t forget Andy Timmons uses Mesa’s exclusively!
My magic moment was hearing Mark Knopfler playing a Schecter Dream Machine through a Mesa Boogie MKIIB In 1983. It just soared. The only amp that maybe got close to the tone was his SLO100 but it was a different beast, and a different sound.
Saw Walter Trout live in Aarhus, Denmark in 1989. I was just starting out on guitar and the sound of his Mesa Boogie on a small club stage was life changing.
Wow this is great info and I always loved Boogies from the first day I heard Keith Richards pronounce Messsa Boooooowwwwwgeeeee ! Long story short I bought a boogie head ( older silmu class ) off Dave Minehan back in 1989 at his house in Upton, Ma. fast forward 26 years later I ran into him in Los Angeles, Ca. before one of the Replacements reunion shows at the Palladium and he remembered that Boogie Head and how he regrets ever selling it, he wished he had it back, sad thing is i eventually sold it too. Love your work, Peace !
I’ve owned a lot of amps, but the most magical amp I’ve ever owned was a Mesa mkiib. I just couldn’t stop playing it. I’d tell myself that the was done playing and then I’d just play a couple more notes just to hear the amp. I’d then be stuck there for hours just intoxicated by the sound. I eventually traded that amp and have owned several mesas since then. Rectos, Mkiv and is still have a mark iii blue stripe. But none of those have the magic of that mkiib. It was literally magical to me.
Moonflower was a pivotal album for me growing up and I had no idea about the Boogie connection. Now I sit here mourning the fact that the Son of Boogie I now have was not mentioned and that I repaired to working order with limited knowledge. I plan to increase my knowledge off amp repair and mod this thing into a monster amp. Thanks for this video!
I've a Lonestar and love it. My dad has a Princeton and it sounds amazing with a BK Butler Tube Driver in front of it. As a kid playing in bands I always wanted a Boogie but couldn't afford one. Have a good selection of amps, but nothing beats the Lonestar for me. Thanks for the great videos.
Loved the video. You covered a lot of territory here. I have owned 3 Boogies. I had a Mark III Simul-Class combo, purchased in 1996 and sold in 2016. I have an Express 5:25+ and I just bought a Fillmore 50 combo a week ago. You got most of their amps in the video. Conspicuously absent were the Heartbreaker and the Express series.
Hey Keith, excellent video. I saw Santana at Madison Sq. Garden in 1978. The band actually took a break during the show. After the break, Carlos came out on the stage with his guitar, and a roadie followed him pushing a cart with two Mesa Boogie on it!!! I had only seen Mesa Boogie amps in Guitar Player magazine. The band jumped into "Biala Mi Hermana", Carlos scorched the house with that solo section, WOW!!!!! Carlos blew the house down that night.
I bought my Super Sixty (Mark II?) foot-switchable Boogie in 1980, after hearing Santana’s Moonflower. The guitar sound of the song Europa, in particular, blew my mind. My son still plays that amp on tour and locally in Richmond, VA. I bought that amp via mail order while living in Manhattan. I’ll never forget the trip out to JFK airport to pick that sucker up. Changed my musical life.
I owned an early MK I with the press on labels and used it as my main amp on many recording sessions in the 70s and 80s and had it on the road with Maynard Ferguson for a while. I wish I had that amp back!!! Also used a Randall Smith modified Princeton (with a 12" speaker) on a record which was amazing. I've always requested Mark series Boogies when on the road.
Fascinating stuff Keith. Thank-you. They’ve always had a bit too many knobs and switches for my liking but I appreciate that better players than me can get the most out of them.
I’ve had my ‘86 MkIII since ‘96 and my son (26yr old) wants it when I die 😂🤘🏻😎🤘🏻A lot of good amps have come and gone over the 30+ years I’ve been playing but she remains my favorite.
The intro, in addition to the quality of sound and information packed into this video is amazing. Thank you Keith for your love and promotion of learning/growing. Well done sir!
Terrific Episode Keith!!! We've had a MKIII and a Lonestar in the family for almost 3 decades combined. Love your videos and channel, keep makin' em' we'll watch more!!
For a company that has put out literally dozens of different amplifiers my all-time favorite hands-down is a 4x10 Dual Rectifier Blue Angel. It's the perfect Blues / Jazz amplifier and the cleans are just something to behold and when you get into the break-up it is so organic and beautiful I'm at a loss for words. I think they've been out a production for years and I would love to get my hands on that 4x10 Blue Angel! I have no idea how much that amplifier would even cost in today's market! If you've never played through one and can find one you owe it to yourself to check it out because I don't think there's a better clean tone, pedal platform super versatile amp on the market! For the life of me I can't get a decent tone out of any other Mesa Boogie amplifiers other than the Trem o Verb. For my simple Fender Deluxe Reverb approach, the fewer knobs the better, there's just too much going on for my pea-brain to grasp and get a decent tone out of them. But for those that do man, my hat's off to you guys and just keep rocking on man because that tone is from the gods!
Keith - yet another stellar Short History. Amazing how much quality content you got into just over 27 minutes. I feel dumb at how little I knew about Mesa - thanks so much for filling in so many gaps in my knowledge.
Had played an early Mesa Boogie and my ears told me all I needed to know, although I couldn't afford at the time, so much tone in such a small Amp with Eq settings and that unique Presence knob in it. Thanks for the backstory on this innovative company and Fantastic amps.
Keith: I am not a guitar nerd, but I have a son who is. He can go on for hours talking about the fine differences that either a guitar, an amp, or a pedal can make on the sounds that are produced. You help me to relate, enjoy, and be a part of his world. Thank you.
Thank you for creating this very informative short history on Mesa amps! I just want to make a honorary mention of one very famous user - namely John Sykes on Whitesnake‘s 1987 album. He used a Mesa Mk-2c Coliseum (six!! 6L6 in the Power section). Kudos for mentioning Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy!
When I built my Fender Champ style amp recently I drew inspiration from the blue angel schematic dual output design. So my Champ has a selectable 6V6 or EL84 as well as a negative feedback lift switch. It's actually a really great amp and I couldn't be happier with it. But the Blue Angel schematic was pivotal in me figuring out how to implement the selectable output tube. The EL84 is louder but not because it's louder in itself but because it takes less bias voltage for a given output than the 6V6. So not only do the two tubes have tonal differences but the EL84 is kinda like a boosted mode. Very fun amp to play. I did a write up about the build on Marshall amp forum if anyone is interested in trying it themselves.
Well done as always Keith, and thank you. Surprised that as thoroughly as you researched this topic , that no mention was made of the .22 Caliber combo, dual EL-84 amp
When I was attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on a Saturday night I saw this band in the student union building called Traveler. I just watched them set up and saw this blonde guy who did not look like a rocker at all with the small amp on the stage. On top of that he was playing a BC Rich guitar. The band finally started playing and wow that little amp was loud. The guy who was playing had already mastered his craft and guitar. At that time I only knew three songs with my guild blues bird, play that funky music white boy, funk 49 and locomotive breath. The guitarist and band play locomotive breath but not exactly like Jethro Tull, he had his own style. This guitarist went on to join up with Rick Springfield and everyone in the music industry know him as Tim Pierce. We were both 19 at that time. This was my introduction to the Boogie and Tim. Fast forward during the Iran hostage crisis during my navy days I was forward deployed to an island called Diego Garcia. While we were waiting for Ronald Reagan’s inauguration there was a USO show Bob Hope was hosting. The guitarist was playing a Boogie. This thing was definitely loud enough for us in the outdoor movie theater and all the way to the road going to the air strip on it’s clean setting which I remember had a unique sweet chime to it’s tone. Unmistakably it was a Mesa boogie which stood out on its own.
Thanks for another great video. There have been 2 iconic pieces of gear that changed my whole understanding of amplified music. The 1st was my '71 Les Paul Custom which didn't let me rest until I conjured up a way to buy it (new). Seeing and hearing someone play a LPC is one thing, but playing one is an experience with a near perfect out of the box guitar. Several years later I started jamming with a work friend who was just getting into guitar playing. We went to a few music stores together and drooled for a while. Next thing I knew, he'd brought home a new Ibanez electric (ala EVH) and a Mesa Boogie Mark III. Once I plugged my LPC into it for the first time, I was willing to sell body parts to get one. Alas, that never happened, but I built a rig that came close enough. But that Mark III and my LPC was another revelation. Again, my concept of what wonderful sound was possible with the right equipment. I like other amp tones, but if I had to choose just one, it'd be a Mark series.
My first proper tube amp was a Mesa Rectoverb 25 combo. It cuts through the mix like a switchblade , and triggers jealousy and occasionally rage from other guitarists when I sit in. I've never had to turn up the master past 10 (o'clock!). You MUST turn it up to get THAT famous Mesa tone and sustain. The thing is waaaay too loud for anything but practicing in soundproof studios or live performance in front of a couple of hundred people. Using it at bar small gigs is an anti-social act. Don't expect to be invited back. Even on it's 10 watt setting. I used to wait until everyone left my office in a self storage facilit to play that puppy in anger. The rats fled the building in terror, leaving me with an audience of cockroaches. I still have that amp, and it still sounds epic. It's the sort of thing that tells other musicians you are serious about your tone - and being heard. If you are thinking of buying one, remember: Mesas are boutique thoroughbreds - Not the sort of thing you wanna gig with unless you have a security detail watching it like a hawk, and don't care how much beer and vomit get spilled on it, or how many times the speaker grill gets kicked in. For gigging I use a solid state Boss Katana , which gets me 97% of the Mesa's tone and 85% of it's playing feel - at whatever volume I like, at 1/10th the replacement cost of my primo amp.
Thanks for the in-depth history of Mesa/Boogie. I knew a few bits and pieces, and always thought of them as "those double rectifier amps that all the hair metal bands used." Clearly, Mesa is so much more than this. If I ever get a chance to own one, that will be a very happy day for me.
When i was a kid my dad had a mesa mark iic combo and i thought it was such a piece of shit could only get clean tones from that thing and distortion pedals just didnt sound good. Then one day im playing and hes messing with the knobs and he pulls them to engage the lead channel, i didnt know they did that. I love this thing now.
