stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
Mesa Boogie Strategy 500 .... I am thinking of picking one up.
The good , bad , ugly ? What do you know ?
The good , bad , ugly ? What do you know ?
thegame
Well-known member
Great power amp, but not quite as 3-D as the Strategy 400. They crammed 12 output tubes and alot of switching circuitry into 3 rack spaces, while the 400 is the same # of tubes, simplier circuit but 4 rack spaces. Lots of guys on the boogie board say the 400 is more reliable.
J
jasonP
Well-known member
stephen sawall":2ea0k15f said:
I've only owned two power amps. Mesa 395 and 500. Really like both of these power amps. The 395 is a little darker and smoother. Feels spongier, looser I guess you could say. The 500 is more 3D sounding, brighter and tighter. Both have great amount of options. Lots of power.
stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
thegame":28t9jo9f said:
I did a few searches over there ...... I found nothing about reliability at all. I did find a guy who bought one used and was replacing the presence control.
What do you mean by 3D ..... dynamics ?
Sick Michael
Well-known member
395 is awesome FWIW.
locoed
Well-known member
500 is fine,super guitar geeks only hear a slight difference in the 2.I would buy it.It weighs a ton
and it sucks to lug around with a rack but i think you'll like the overall tone.
Bad side is when you have to replace tubes,it's not cheap.
and it sucks to lug around with a rack but i think you'll like the overall tone.
Bad side is when you have to replace tubes,it's not cheap.
turmoil
Active member
yeah, replacing the tubes in that thing would suck big time.
i have a mesa boogie bass 400+ and i retubed it once in the last 8 years. it has 16 tubes total, 12 6L6, and it cost me around $300 + some labor
i have a mesa boogie bass 400+ and i retubed it once in the last 8 years. it has 16 tubes total, 12 6L6, and it cost me around $300 + some labor
thegame
Well-known member
stephen sawall":3gonfhl8 said:
I read those Boogie board posts years ago, they've probably been deleted.
By 3-D I mean an extended frequency response. The highs shimmer more on the 400 IMO. Also a bit more detailed sounding.
Capulin Overdrive
New member
stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
I was going to trade a head I do not use much for this. The owner is the original owner. It was re tubed and looked over not long ago. Never had any problems. He baby's his gear.
It was over kill for him as it is for me. But I always wanted one. He was going back in forth on the deal. Having owned it for so long.
A band I was in years ago shared a practice space with Tad and Grunt Truck. The guy from Tad had one and I spent time with it. I have spent time with a 395, 400 and several others from MESA over the years.
I have not had a stereo power amp since 97 when my rack was stolen. I have been using the power amp of my MESA Mark IV as the wet side of my rig for years.
Yesterday his brother (one of my better friends) called and told me he died a few weeks ago from a heart attack.
I well be getting the 500 before long it looks like.
Thanx everyone
It was over kill for him as it is for me. But I always wanted one. He was going back in forth on the deal. Having owned it for so long.
A band I was in years ago shared a practice space with Tad and Grunt Truck. The guy from Tad had one and I spent time with it. I have spent time with a 395, 400 and several others from MESA over the years.
I have not had a stereo power amp since 97 when my rack was stolen. I have been using the power amp of my MESA Mark IV as the wet side of my rig for years.
Yesterday his brother (one of my better friends) called and told me he died a few weeks ago from a heart attack.
I well be getting the 500 before long it looks like.
Thanx everyone
