But is it new parts . What is actually happening. Or do they just think that’s better so they design them to sound that way . It just seems to happen to all the mesas thst get redone. I don’t count badlander . It sounds like a whole new amp to me . I love itNo, they don’t have imo more gain or compression. If anything my BL has less of both. That’s just how vintage vs newer gear tends to compare most of the time. To my ears it’s the nuances and details in tone I hear as the difference, but maybe that’s what you and others mean by clarity. I’ve always disagreed with the imo idiotic ideas that no one else will notice the difference or once it’s a band you won’t notice. Even the drunk guys who don’t play an instrument hear it. The only difference between them and us is that we’re just more aware of what we’re hearing, so with them it’ll just be the difference of whether they liked it or not (which is huge and can’t be underappreciated), while guys like us can just explain better why it was working or not
I don’t know and not sure if even the more technical guys really know, but the ears don’t lie. It’s not just with Mesa, but IME with all these brands including Bogner, Diezel, Soldano and Marshall. They all used to have much better sounding amps. It’s a shame. I find these same differences to be even bigger with speakers, pickups, pedals and guitarsBut is it new parts . What is actually happening. Or do they just think that’s better so they design them to sound that way . It just seems to happen to all the mesas thst get redone. I don’t count badlander . It sounds like a whole new amp to me . I love it
I think we just don’t really know. My guess would be maybe just aging or some components. I’ve heard for example that formvar wire in vintage pickups isn’t the same now and that nitro finish back in the day had different ingredients that you can’t get today. I’ve had plenty of very simple, expensive ptp boutique amps made today that still had that flatter, new amp sound to me, while my pcb and more complex iic+ and very complex ‘90’s Diezel’s for whatever reason sound and feel more alive to me. Fwiw, the California Tweed to me still has that newer amp sound. I’ve even had quite a few amps from the ‘50’s & ‘60’s where the tranny’s weren’t original, and while it may have sounded a little worse, still to me overall had that lively vintage soundRe clarity- I have thought in the past that it was an issue with modern components, then I'd thought that it may have to do with the dramatic reduction in filtering. Then, I got a (simple single channel) California Tweed and they nailed it with clarity & touch sensitivity, so now I'm just not sure. All that leaves is perhaps it's because most new amps are overly-complicated circuits.
I had a BL100 for a couple weeks. No interest in buying another, great amp for rock and surprisingly good liquid lead but WAY too thin for me.
I had a BL100 for a couple weeks. No interest in buying another, great amp for rock and surprisingly good liquid lead but WAY too thin for me.
...The Rev Gs OTOH, while I get they are the sound of the 90s, are just a bit too bloated in the ass for the sound I'm going for- even boosted. Here's a good example vs a MW.
TOTALLY true.I don’t know and not sure if even the more technical guys really know, but the ears don’t lie. It’s not just with Mesa, but IME with all these brands including Bogner, Diezel, Soldano and Marshall. They all used to have much better sounding amps. It’s a shame. I find these same differences to be even bigger with speakers, pickups, pedals and guitars
I did, hated it.Try it with 6l6's
Thanks. That's why I put the time stamps at the top of the description, so guys can go straight there! I see your point though, many people don't read.Cool riff and cool playing. Thanks for sharing.
If I could make a suggestion to make it better? Do the 1 minute riff comparison first and then the 3 minutes of talking
It's all good bro. I couldn't do it, so it was strictly constructive. You have a ton of awesome clips out there. I don't.Thanks. That's why I put the time stamps at the top of the description, so guys can go straight there! I see your point though, many people don't read.
Some people here would call it cork sniffing, but EVERY TIME I hear a better tone with the vintage amps. And, it's not just the unobtanium early Recto, 60-70s Marshalls etc that are super spendy. Take a 1K drip edge Bassman....put any 2 boost pedals in front(or a Dist pedal) and it will give you GREAT clarity and tone, that will be in many cases better than 90% of newer amps. You may need a tighter amp, one with a loop etc but I'd bet that boosted Bassman will just plain sound better than most modern amps. Some exceptions like a Naylor which seems to have a vintage/modern vibe but for the most part vintage always wins. It's either aging of the components or caps/resistors/transformers that just aren't available anymore.I don’t know and not sure if even the more technical guys really know, but the ears don’t lie. It’s not just with Mesa, but IME with all these brands including Bogner, Diezel, Soldano and Marshall. They all used to have much better sounding amps. It’s a shame. I find these same differences to be even bigger with speakers, pickups, pedals and guitars
Those are the kind of amps (the bassman I mean) I'd recommend to one that's open minded and on a budget. Most will maybe look at things like a Friedman Runt, Splawn, EVH, Fireball or whatever, but there's much more inspiring, expressive sounding older gear in that price range aka more fun to be had! I remember earlier in my gear journey (about 9 of 10 years ago now) I had so much Splawn gas since they had so much hype back then and the descriptions of it sounded perfect for me (boy was I dumb lol), so I found one locally on Craigslist (a Quick Rod), was very excited, tried it out at the guy's place and then I felt very awkward since I was so let down and wasn't sure how to exit smoothly lol, but luckily he was a super cool guy and was all fine. He then brought out his '60's Fender Bandmaster (which wasn't for sale). He let me try it cranked up and I was like yeah I totally get now why you're selling the Splawn and not this lol. So much more raw, live, full frequency, much more full, authentic roar on chords. Like a blanket was lifted (but not in terms of being brighter or darker, just the way the way the notes came out and all the details). He didn't even have a boost type pedal there, but I could already imagine it at the time in my head. At least I figured out this trend relatively early, but still took a good amount of time and money to realizeSome people here would call it cork sniffing, but EVERY TIME I hear a better tone with the vintage amps. And, it's not just the unobtanium early Recto, 60-70s Marshalls etc that are super spendy. Take a 1K drip edge Bassman....put any 2 boost pedals in front(or a Dist pedal) and it will give you GREAT clarity and tone, that will be in many cases better than 90% of newer amps. You may need a tighter amp, one with a loop etc but I'd bet that boosted Bassman will just plain sound better than most modern amps. Some exceptions like a Naylor which seems to have a vintage/modern vibe but for the most part vintage always wins. It's either aging of the components or caps/resistors/transformers that just aren't available anymore.
Either way, it's a real thing from my experience.
It's a mystery, but a beautiful mysteryRe clarity- I have thought in the past that it was an issue with modern components, then I'd thought that it may have to do with the dramatic reduction in filtering. Then, I got a (simple single channel) California Tweed and they nailed it with clarity & touch sensitivity, so now I'm just not sure. All that leaves is perhaps it's because most new amps are overly-complicated circuits.
These are I think the toughest mysteries for more technical guys to figure out. I would still bet money though that if we hypothetically swapped all the caps/resistors/transformers in a '50's/'60's vintage amps (if all original) with those of a modern amp, that the modern amp will still overall sound like a modern amp and the vintage one still overall like a vintage amp, but each I think would just get more in the opposite direction of what they are. Just my guess based on having vintage amps with some of those replacements. I think the '50's Gibson GA-40 I had had both tranny's replaced with newer ones, newer Jensen speaker too, not sure about tubes/caps/resistors (I'm guessing some of those were likely replaced also), but the overall package still sounded like a '50's amp to me, just not as good as others I've played of those models, but I wouldn't mistake it for a recent made ampSome people here would call it cork sniffing, but EVERY TIME I hear a better tone with the vintage amps. And, it's not just the unobtanium early Recto, 60-70s Marshalls etc that are super spendy. Take a 1K drip edge Bassman....put any 2 boost pedals in front(or a Dist pedal) and it will give you GREAT clarity and tone, that will be in many cases better than 90% of newer amps. You may need a tighter amp, one with a loop etc but I'd bet that boosted Bassman will just plain sound better than most modern amps. Some exceptions like a Naylor which seems to have a vintage/modern vibe but for the most part vintage always wins. It's either aging of the components or caps/resistors/transformers that just aren't available anymore.
Either way, it's a real thing from my experience.