RaceU4her
Well-known member
Our local amp guru who’s the area Mesa tech told me use JJ’s
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
Well, there's your answer...I avoid Mk IIIs like the plague since the 2 I tried long ago were so harsh/abrasive in the upper mids/highs....ugh. You can have them. Mk IV, only tried one in a store and really liked it...far more than the JP2C that I went there to try. So, my experience with gigging Marks were 2C and 2C+s. Not the 2 that you have experience with.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
Problem with this is, none of the reissues you mention are on par with the originals. The vintage guitars 99% of the time sound and play better than any reissue. None of the new reissue Marshall plexis sound anywhere near as good as a 68 Superlead. I've played a few 2203xs....any 82/83 2203 smokes them. The JP2C? Puhleeze. Not even CLOSE to a real deal C+. Celestions? I've had resissue GBs, 65s, and have had 4 cabs with original 65s, and still have 8 Pulsonic GBs. No, the reissues DO NOT sound very close at all to the real deal vintage Celestions.
Maybe you think all of these reissues compare well to the originals? If so, more power to ya. I however do not. There are obvious differences, not just cost, with every reissue you mention vs the OG.
The only exception to this are these new Gibson/Mesas. They actually are so good, many are selling/cashing in by moving the OG in favor of the reissues.
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Nigel
Well-known member
There you have it. Put a real Mullard or JJ ECC803 in V1 and perfection awaits. Of course the RI slays, it has Ed’s recommended glassware compliment!
GJgo
Well-known member
As long as they're healthy, the microphone could care less about tubes.
Exo-metal
Well-known member
I have yet to hear clip comparisons with the RI against the top of the crop that ends the discussion. Let's hear a triple and some of its variants. The RI may dominate but I want to hear it put to the test.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
My friend, do not underestimate the power of tube rolling. In this amp, it may not make much of a difference BUT you'll never know until you try.
Yes, this is a rabbit hole you have yet to go down.....
GJgo
Well-known member
GJgo
Well-known member
Tom you've, IIRC, never reamped- all your opinions are based off your ears which are by their very nature inconsistent & tied to emotion. Send me your best tubes and I'll reamp them with whatever guitar & amp I have that you want to hear.My friend, do not underestimate the power of tube rolling. In this amp, it may not make much of a difference BUT you'll never know until you try.
Yes, this is a rabbit hole you have yet to go down.....
anomaly
Well-known member
Ya, I've never owned a C+. You're right about the III, they can be harsh. I had a red stripe. It was always a battle dialing in the highs.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
In my experience only vintage amps really amplify a noticeable difference with tube rolling. With the vintage Rectos I've had, the only pre tube that made a difference was the Chinese 8th/9th gen which makes total sense since that's what Mesa used in the early 90s. Winged C EL34s sounded really great and better than the JJs one of them came with. I actually noticed more of a difference with the stock coke bottle rectifier tube vs the modern JJ GZ34...except, I never liked tube rectified mode vs Silicon.
In the end though, our ears are all we have, no? As I always say, a clip does NOT always tell the story. Gotta experience the amp for yourself to really know. Your clip ^^ sounds great! But, those two amps in your clip sound IDENTICAL to me. I know for a fact they aren't identical, from what you and others have said. So, again, as cool as the clip is (and thanks for posting!) it simply doesn't tell the whole story.
Exo-metal
Well-known member
The clip sounds the same to me too. I don't hear enough variance to flat out say it ain't hype. There's actually more clips of the OG that crush the clip posted, no offense.
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ZEEGLER
Well-known member
Old stuff will always have intrinsic value, regardless of whether a particular product has been re-issued or not. That's the thing with old stuff, there is a finite quantity. Every year there are more people, but only a fixed amount of old stuff to go around.
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Nigel
Well-known member
I'll concede my Rivera sounded great with a 57 on a Mesa V30 and EXH 12AX7's, but it still had my underbiased JJ KT77's running at 220v B+...
I was shocked. But it was true. As long as I can get into the zone and happy like Dave Grohl in "Fresh Pots!" as a result of the form, IDGAF.
ZEN Amps
Well-known member
Interesting. I prefer the G - the RI has some honk in the mids I don't love. It's not glaring though and gets lost in the mix. Both sound cool, thanks for posting.
I mean I think reissues in general compare ok with the old stuff but let's face it, those classics are unbeatable for many reasons.
Maybe these new Boogies will affect the value of the OG's? Will take a decade or more to really know. My point is that there is no real precedent for this kind of thing, and I'm skeptical Gibson have finally cracked the code - vintage cool factor is not something easily bottled.
saxxamafone
Well-known member
I can buy a rev f here in Australia cheaper than I can buy a reissue
ZEN Amps
Well-known member
Fark, just saw the retail on these. $7500 is outrageous, and it probably comes with a long wait.
https://skymusic.com.au/products/mesa-boogie-90s-dual-rectifier-guitar-head-amplifier
GJgo
Well-known member
IMO the extra "cocked wah" mids the DR RI & HRG RI have are what make them sit much better live than their OG counterparts. That said, I can totally see why a bedroom / studio guy might prefer the more scooped OGs in both cases. Good thing we have both! Before these reissues I was about to abandon Mesas for live work and go over to @Racerxrated 's Marshall Dark Side.
Tone Monster
Well-known member
They definitely have great mids but I would hesitate to call it “cocked wah”. That always make
Me think of the opening riff in “Money for Nothing”. The tone has no clarity.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
"It would only take a nudge, to make you like me......mwahahahaha!"
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