Marshall or Mesa? - Page 4

screamndemon69 · #46 06-25-2007, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racerx2k

I don't believe the "shred: go for Mesa" comment, as many who play Mesa these days seem to steer clear of solos, in general, mainly (and this is purely MY opinion) because they CAN'T. It's the Old Guard, such as myself, who say "F@#* you, I'm gonna tear it up" who solo AND swear by the Marshall sound (or in MY case the Laney AOR sound, which is pretty much the same thing. hehe)

No doubt Marshall has the (hyped) name and sound that most are very familiar with but just because you play a Marshall over a Mesa says NOTHING about your abilities. It does say other things to me but I'll keep those opinions to myself. (sorry to sound jaded but after working in music stores for so many years I see and hear all kinds of "great decision making skills" on why to buy one amp over another that usually have no real value on why to buy one amp over another.)

Everyone is different but I believe that if you don't have an amp (any brand) that is capable of getting good clean tones then it is not a good amp for a main amp. Cases in point would be alot of pro players that love the Marshall crunch use a Marshall for the crunch but have to A/B switch to an amp with a good clean sound because Marshalls just don't have it. Mesa's get both tones and do them well - period. You have to buy boutique amps to get the variety of complex tones most Mesa amps are capable of costing far more money than a Mesa.

Mesa is a USA hand built amp at the cost of import amps of inferior build. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I see people trying out Mesa's and say they sound like shi*t but literally 99.9% of the time it IS user error. Ex) treble on 10, bass on 10, mid scooped down to 1 or 2 and Gain on 10. If those are your settings, your ears probably can't discern complex tone anyway so enjoy your Marshall.

I guess it's best to just dissagree about the Mesa/Marshall discussion as people have their own reasons for standing by one product over the next. I was just hoping to be a little more informative by sharing some facts as well as my personal experience rather than saying something intelligent like, "Marshalls OWN and Mesas SUCK dude!", which is all is seem to be hearing.

Metal Tiger · #47 06-25-2007, 10:12 AM

Thanx for the comments guys

screamndemon69 · #48 06-25-2007, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Tiger

Thanx for the comments guys

What did you get or plan to get?

This site rocks. Even when we dissagree, there can be things to learn thru some of these valuable discussions. I've learned more in over 5yrs+ around this site than I did in my 17yrs BJ ("before jemiste" - you sickos

).

jimmyfingersminion · #49 06-25-2007, 10:20 AM

i'd say that of those two amps, the marshall is way overpricesd but, i'm a marshall player and i wouldn't swap mine for anything.

Metal Tiger · #50 06-25-2007, 10:35 AM

[quote=screamndemon69;679109]What did you get or plan to get?QUOTE]

I dont know, am comfused, as i said before the amps are used and i can hear the marshall because the guy who sell it is in other town, i am going to try the mesa till friday, if i like it i will get it, if not so much i will keep searching for something else

yoyo1299 · #51 06-25-2007, 10:44 AM

i didn't like the triple rec, but i know the mark series is more waht i'm after. marshall just doesn't cut it. mesa

screamndemon69 · #52 06-25-2007, 10:52 AM

MT, your ears will be the best way to decide which has the tone for you but thru research you can learn "why" your ears might appreciate one amp over the other. It is kinda like the saying about "learning how to fish will feed you for life".

The quest for YOUR tone is a very personal experience but thru reading as much as possible, trying out as many different amps as possible and being patient you should find an amp or tone that will suit you. "Grail tone" tends to change for most people thru the years as peoples tastes change as they grow in playing skill and develop their own ears.

Take everything you read with a grain of salt but let your own ears be the final desicion makers. If the Marshall works for you over the Mesa, congrats!

I can rejoice in the fact I have found "my tone" with Mesa and I love to hear others be as happy with their tone (with whatever they use) as I am with the sounds I get from my Mesa.

Metal Tiger · #53 06-25-2007, 10:59 AM

You are so right my friend, thanx for your precious advices...

j.arledge · #54 06-25-2007, 12:56 PM

i have owned both marshall and mesa voiced amps (copies..whatever) i enjoyed both . both can do some pretty cool things , ultimatly it depened on what i had going with the amp . which guitar with which pickups and what cab .

i can say i am really happy with my mesa mark III . It is versital and provides me with nearly anything i want . I recently switched out to all emg active pickups from dimarzios and the amp was still able to keep up and adjust accordingly to what tone i wanted now i have more clarity . the sound is still thick and full but it cuts and that is what i wanted. Clean the emgs sorta suck but the 85 in the neck and the way the clean on my amp is voiced still gives me a good fat clean clean sound .

i can say that i typically like mesa more then marshall . I would rather buy a mesa stiletto over any marshall any day , but i sort of have a thing against marshall .

Gudster · #55 06-25-2007, 02:59 PM

I went the other way Mesa > Marshall. I love my TSL. :-D

bammbamm · #56 06-25-2007, 03:48 PM

You mean you agree, Mesa is greater than Marshall?

Racerx2k · #57 06-25-2007, 04:16 PM

The only Mesa I'd consider would be from the Mark series. The rest I've tried have left me very dissapointed.

voodoo_child · #58 06-25-2007, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.arledge

i can say that i typically like mesa more then marshall . I would rather buy a mesa stiletto over any marshall any day , but i sort of have a thing against marshall .

+1

If i woke up tomorrow and decided I wanted an amp with a Marshall-esque tone, I could think of half a dozen amps i'd be looking at, and none of them would actually be Marshalls.

I have a lot of respect for Mesa/Boogie products, even though i might not necessarily like the tone of every single one of them (i much prefer the Mark series to the Rectos for example) - they're well built amps, and a lot of thought has gone into the design of each one. They seem to be on a constant quest for self-improvement as well, listening to feedback and fixing things, making improvements & revisions etc.

Marshall just seem to be in it for a quick buck these days, with all the dreadful recent amps (MG, AVT, Mode-Four..). Mesa could make a $100 piece of crap if they wanted and it would probably sell loads and make them a fortune, but they've stayed true to their commitment to quality.

waylay00 · #59 06-25-2007, 05:31 PM

You can't compare the two. They are completely different. Even the Stiletto sounds different from a true Marshall Plexi or JCM.

The only Mesa amp I've actually been impressed with is the Mark IV (Now that's an amp worth buying). Past that, Mesa doesn't do much for me, especially considering the price they ask on most. I recently spent over an hour with the Mesa F:50. Sounded like utter crap. Way too fizzy...

Sure, Marshall cleans aren't that great, but I can go out and get a Fender Super Reverb AND a plexi combined, for a whole lot less than a Mesa Roadking.

Racerx2k · #60 06-25-2007, 05:49 PM

Yeah, an F50 was the last Mesa I tried, and may very well BE the LAST MESA I try. I thought it was total garbage. I agree about the Mark IV, though. Great amp.