Mesa Trem-O-Verb: User experience between Combo and Head

B

Boogie808

Member
Hey all,

I'm new here to the forum and I am hoping not to get flamed too hard for this post :p. Anyway, I am a long time touring bassist (and mediocre guitarist), and figure I come to this forum to gain some insight from anyone who has experience with either the Mesa Trem-O-Verb amp head or combo. I've always loved the tones from the likes of Soundgarden, Radiohead, Incubus, and others who have used this amp.

Recently, I've been on the hunt for either version (although at the moment I’m leaning toward the head / cab configuration). My question--or rather questions-- is: What distinct qualities do any of you notice between the combo version in terms of tone? Are there any significant differences between Trem-O-Verbs that were made in the early 90s / mid 90s / early 2000s?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond to this...
 
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I can’t reply specifically to the various tremo-o-verbs. But I can give some insight into heads Vs combos.
I think for low gain and clean stuff, combos are great. Low wattage, under 50 watts.
When it comes to more powerful amps and higher gain, combos are problematic.
The cabs rattle, and that rattle can be heard in the tubes. It’s annoying as hell.
They make these foam things you can put on the tubes, but they don’t do a whole lot.
My advice would be to stick with the head and separate cab. Plus you can experiment with different speakers a lot easier and that makes a huge difference.
Trem-o-verbs are badass.
The old 50 watt Recto-verb is great too, and the roadster has a lot of the mojo of the trem-o-verbs as well.
 
I have had both. Both were great. Right now I'm using the combo on top of a REVV 2x12 and it sounds amazing at band volume with none of the rattling mentioned above. I play death/thrash metal if that matters.
 
Mr.Fun said:
I can’t reply specifically to the various tremo-o-verbs. But I can give some insight into heads Vs combos.
I think for low gain and clean stuff, combos are great. Low wattage, under 50 watts.
When it comes to more powerful amps and higher gain, combos are problematic.
The cabs rattle, and that rattle can be heard in the tubes. It’s annoying as hell.
They make these foam things you can put on the tubes, but they don’t do a whole lot.
My advice would be to stick with the head and separate cab. Plus you can experiment with different speakers a lot easier and that makes a huge difference.
Trem-o-verbs are badass.
The old 50 watt Recto-verb is great too, and the roadster has a lot of the mojo of the trem-o-verbs as well.
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Wow…thank you for the response! Somehow I never considered the rattling noise in the tubes (I guess that’s why I’m here, right? 😜). Also, my line of thinking as to why I am leaning toward the amp head and separate cab is for the exact reason you mentioned-ability to experiment with different cabs and speakers.
 
headlessdeadguy said:
I have had both. Both were great. Right now I'm using the combo on top of a REVV 2x12 and it sounds amazing at band volume with none of the rattling mentioned above. I play death/thrash metal if that matters.
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So your'e using the speakers from the combo amp and the REVV as an extension cab?
 
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dave74 said:
The worst thing about the combo will be moving it. Not so much it's heavy weight alone, but the combination of that and the general awkwardness of a big combo.
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That's the general consensus that i'm gathering from people who use the combo. Really wish i could try both versions out in-person...
 
I promise it weighs at least 100lbs.
IMG_0855.png
 
Tremoverb is a killer amp. I had an orange leather combo with green lights that sounded amazing, like unbelievable. It was a 94 or 95 I think. My friends dad had a head and a Mesa 2x12 and they were the same year and were very similar. Can’t go wrong with either
 
mooncobra said:
Tremoverb is a killer amp. I had an orange leather combo with green lights that sounded amazing, like unbelievable. It was a 94 or 95 I think. My friends dad had a head and a Mesa 2x12 and they were the same year and were very similar. Can’t go wrong with either
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Thats awesome! By any chance, was the orange leather combo you had similar to the color of the head and cab configuration they promoted in the Tremoverb ad?

3TOVFamily.jpg
 
Oh, I was helping my friend out on a studio session a few weeks back at Hyde Street studios and the guitarist was using an insane Tremoverb rig that we nerded out on for a few minutes haha. Here is a pic of the rig:

Trem Rig Hyde.jpeg
 
I'd just buy a new Recto. Tremoverbs are getting old and some of the channel switching parts are known to fail.

I had TVerb combo with Mesa's SUS-4 shock mount suspension and wow was it heavy. I've had 2x12 combos and still have a 2x12 JMP Marshall, but that was a new level of heavy. Sounded great but all Rectos do.
 
cardinal said:
I'd just buy a new Recto. Tremoverbs are getting old and some of the channel switching parts are known to fail.

I had TVerb combo with Mesa's SUS-4 shock mount suspension and wow was it heavy. I've had 2x12 combos and still have a 2x12 JMP Marshall, but that was a new level of heavy. Sounded great but all Rectos do.
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Known to fail…
I don’t think that’s true.
show me some evidence of this please.
 
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