Any love for the Mesa Nomad?

[Variable]

I picked a Nomad 55 1x12 combo up used from GC last Saturday. Holy crap, I can't believe this amp doesn't get more love. A lot of options, but unlike some other Mesas I've tried, they all sound good. Here's how I have it configured now:

Channel 1 - Clean mode
Channel 2 - Vintage mode
Channel 3 - Modern mode

I cranked the mids on channel 2 and put them at 2:00 on 3. I get some really awesome meaty, touch-sensitive overdrive on Channel 2 with the gain about half-way up. Channel 3 has this great liquidy Mark IV kind of sound to it, but with a little more looseness.

Kicking in the BB Preamp on either gain channel is GOLD. Channel 2 can be coaxed into a Cameron Marshallesque kind of thrashy drive. The BB on channel 3 is... well, it's insane

Channel 1 in Pushed mode can get some awesome overdrives as well, and has a lot more gain than you'd expect.

Still in the honeymoon phase, but I'm going to see how it does at band practice next Tuesday. This is the first Mesa amp I've ever owned (used to own a Recto Slant 4x12, but that's not an amp ). I've always leaned toward Marshally distortions, but so far I'm pretty happy with this amp. I tried EL34s in the back, but I actually prefer the 6L6s. Gives it more of a "breathy" sound.

The only thing I don't like at this point is that there seems to be a perceptible lag when switching channels. Maybe I've just been spoiled by the instantaneous switching on my Guytron...

-Russ

 

[SFW]

I had a Nomad 100 head a few years ago. I really thought it was very muddy. And for the record, I'm a huge Mesa fan.

 

[mincy]

I had a Nomad 100 head a few years ago. I really thought it was very muddy. And for the record, I'm a huge Mesa fan.

Pretty much the same for me other than I had the combo version. I wanted another Mesa badly, bought the
Nomad and sold it after I realized I just couldn't get a really good sound out of it. It wasn't a bad amp, but it
just wasn't a good one either, IMO. For the same money, I probably could have picked up another Mark III and
been much happier.

 

[blackba]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Mesa started with the Dual Caliber series, then came out with the nomads, then the F-series, now the express series.

There are fans of each amp and in each case, it seemed like people liked the previous series better than the new one. I do remember when the nomads were out, they got little respect, it was all about the rectos. I was looking at picking one up at one time and my buddy told me to stay away. I have tried one briefly a few times in a store, not really long enough to form an opinion though.....