From: mike@vm1.mcgill.ca (Mike Woo)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar,alt.guitar,rec.music.makers
Subject: Mesa 50/50 (was New Amp from MESA!)
Date: 26 Jan 93 18:18:48 GMT
Organization: Computing Centre, McGill University

In article <1993Jan26.003323.11883@novell.com> sonny@novell.com (Rosanno "
Sonny" DeLara) writes:>>: amp - a 2x12 DUAL RECTIFIER Combo!  To my 
knowledge this is their first >>
>>      I saw some preliminary specs in dec '92 about 19" rack mountable
>>      Dual Rectifier head...
>>

>I like the sound of this amp too but can't afford it at the moment.

>What do you guys think of the rack mountable all tube Mesa Boogie Fifty/
Fifty?
>Thanks,
>Sonny

Hi Sonny,
     I recently went shopping for a power amp for my rack and tried several 
before settling on the MESA 50/50.  I use two Strats (Amer Std and Plus) 
through a Marshall JMP-1 preamp, Rocktron Intellifex, and a Marshall 1960A
4x12 cab.  With this gear, I tried out:
      
       1) Marshall's 9050 (50W stereo - EL34's)
       2) Marshall's 8080 ValveState (80 watts stereo - solid state) 
       3) the Rocktron 300 (150 watts stereo - solid state)
       4) the MESA 50/50 (50W stereo - 6L6's and 12AX7's for presence)

   The all tube Marshall sounded REALLY good with crunch or distortion, 
but the clean sounds were lacking (IMHO) when compared to some other amps.  
I also decided that it was too large (4U high) and heavy for my taste 
(although that wouldn't be a problem for those of you with roadies :-) ).   
   I wasn't crazy about the sound of the 8080 Valvestate, but it is only
one unit high, very portable, and the cheapest of the lot (about $450 Can).
It also has a switch for running it in "linear" mode if you want to use 
it for non-guitar purposes.  It comes in a 40W model (the 4040) if you 
don't need the extra power.
   The Rocktron surprised me in that the response was very tube-like.  It 
has a knob for each channel which boosts the bass and loosens up the bottom 
end to give you that Marshall-like "knock" (very similar to the Resonance
control on the Peavey EVH 5150 head).  Unfortunately I found both clean 
and crunch tones to be on the clinical side when compared to the MESA 50/50.
For strictly heavy distortion though, I would have to say that it's not a 
bad choice.  It's only 2U high, fairly portable, and vents air from front
to back.
   My favourite of course was the MESA 50/50.  Clean/crunch/lead tones all
sounded full, warm and dynamic.  The low power switch was very effective at
getting bluesy power amp distortion at a controllable volume.  The presence 
controls were effective/useable and added just the right amount of sheen for 
those "quacking" Strat tones.  The quiet side-mounted fan keeps things cool, 
it's only 2U high, and the tubes are immediately accessible if they ever 
blow during a gig.  It's the most-expensive of the bunch, but definitely 
worth it IMHO.  I'm sure their new line of switch-track power amps (like the 
2.90) is even better, but they're priced accordingly too.
    
   As always, please take this review with a grain of salt and try them 
out for yourself.  Your sound is such a personal thing that I wouldn't even 
think of making a recommendation (go for the Mesa :-) ).

Best of luck,
Mike (The Dr.) Woo