Title: | GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion |
Notice: | Discussion of the finer stringed instruments |
Moderator: | KDX200::COOPER |
Created: | Thu Aug 14 1986 |
Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
Number of topics: | 3280 |
Total number of notes: | 61432 |
Any comments on the Mesa Blue Angel or Subway Blues amps? The former has a "progressive linkage" control that allows the user select between two different sets of power tubes, or combine them all. I saw one in Daddy's in Cambridge, the 1-12 combo version. Heavy as heck, and quite a sight to look in the back and see all that glass (at least six tubes). It might be smart to get the head only version just to be able to carry the thing. The reverb was great on this puppy. The Subway Blues is a smaller 1-10 combo. It was alot easier to lift! The mid range control sort of puts it into slight overdrive when you get past 4. Something seemed to vibrate a little when it was cranked, but I could n't tell if it was in the amp cabinet or the tubes or what. Not a big deal considering how loud the amp was playing. Neither of these has master volume. The Blue Angel lists for 1199.00 in the 1-12 combo, and the Subway Blues is 449. The stores claim that Mesa amps all go for list, no discount. Kinda brutal. These seem like cool amps to me, and I'll be curious to see if people start using them. Dave
T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
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3012.1 | ;-) | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | db | Wed Dec 21 1994 09:34 | 10 |
> The former has a "progressive linkage" control Cool, I could really use one of those. Buck is probably already on his way to the music store. But Fred wants to know, if they are coming out with one that has a "blues linkage". db | |||||
3012.2 | low tone/pounds ratio | RICKS::CALCAGNI | The animal trainer and the toad | Wed Dec 21 1994 13:00 | 11 |
Daddy's Shrew had one of these in the 4x10 combo version; might've been a different name, but essentially the same amp with different speakers. This sorta became my default amp for checking out guitars there, largely because it's tone was so unobtrusive and let me hear "guitar" instead of "amp". But it escapes me why someone would pay the bucks for one of these. It didn't sparkle like a great blackface Super, or sing like a tweed Bassman, or pin you to the wall like a Marshall half-stack (all at less $$$). And if I were going to lug something that heavy around, I'd want some tone-payback for it. /aspen_pitbull | |||||
3012.3 | Blue Angel revisited | RICKS::CALCAGNI | The animal trainer and the toad | Fri Jan 06 1995 13:04 | 21 |
I went back and spent some more time with the Blue Angel, this time focusing more on the amp itself and playing with the controls. Not a bad little beast; it's pleasures are subtle but substantial. With the controls set properly, this amp can wail nicely when cranked. It still doesn't really sound like any of the amps I mentioned in my previous reply, or even like a Boogie, but it does sound good and makes you want to play. As with the Subway Blues, the 'middle' control is used to dial in distortion, though not with as much effect as on the Subway. This amp sounded dark in direct side-by-side with a Subway and a Mesa Maverick, but it's hard to tell what that means. The Blue Angel has a very thick sound and perhaps would work better in a band mix than the other two. It's also hard to get decent clean volume; the amps starts to grunge up rather quickly. The "progressive linkage" business lets you select between 4 x EL-84, 2 x 6V6, or a combination of the two (like Simul-Class); this changes the color somewhat, most noticably at high volume, but again as with most things on this amp it's subtle. This is basically a one (but very good) sound amp, probably most suited to blues-rock styles (sorry db). /rick |