mesa/legacy/marshall - how to compare

[tagg 7]

Ok man my currant marshal is letting me down
ive tried one of the new Mesa Dual Rec's, and the three channel deal really sounds nice. I played it through one of Mesa's stakable slant cabs.
Now here is where it gets tricky I've been eying the legacy and its cab, and any combination that would sound good between all 3 brands and there cabs.
When I play for myself I play vai'ish guitar, but for my band they play more modern heavy rock. So what could I expect to encounter problems wise with the Legacy/ or Mesa for those sounds.
So i guess there are a couple questions that I need help with. Thanks for your comments

buzz

[keith]

From my limited experience and knowledge, in my opinion the mesa is too dark to do Vai, while the Legacy is too Vai to do dark.

I heard of the legacy not being able to do those scooped sounds, but there's a guy on HC whose uses a Boss Metal Zone to do FearFactory stuff. I don't know if his result is good enough. If your are looking for vintage hard-rock like Led Zeppelin I thing the Legacy will do ok if not great, but if it's the 'new' modern hard rock like DreamTheatre you're searching for,as you say, the Mesa is the way to go.

In my opinion the dual recto with a soldano suprcharger infront of it would be a great combo. The dualrecto is simply built for modern rock, while the soldano will do simply great for those vai and lead moments, especially since Vai used to use Soldano products in the old days.
I think the dualrect lacks something in the sweet lead department, however some may disagree.

My decision would be: Soldano Supercharger pedal, into a Mesa Dual Rectifier and then into a Mesa Traditional Recto 4x12.

PS: I would however advise you to go out and try the stuff and take your own decision. Don't just start thinking the same thing that people say...see for yourself.

(Edited by keith at 10:31 pm on Mar. 19, 2001)

[tomizm]

Gain wise, the Legacy is at the bottom of the list of the 3 amps you mentioned.
I have a Mesa Mark IV and Im pretty happy with the sounds I get out of it. *I play a lot of Dream Theater and Satch stuff and Extreme, but I dont expect to nail all the right tones with the one setup. *It doesnt have the bottom end for heavy rythem stuff that you might need. *I really dont have any Marshall previous experience, so Im no help there.
I'd say you might have to pick an amp that has most of the sounds you like, and sub in a pedal to fill the in the one sound the amp can't do.

[RSVampire]

I'd say buy the amp that sounds best for you and then stick a POD or somekind of preamp in front of it. If I'm wrong don't kill me for it.

[shawn]

i say screw the band youre in, theyll probably be history in a matter of a year or so anyway, buy what sounds good for what you like to play and then make it fit the "necessary" tones as well as can be expected. *make no mistake, your tone will shape your playing -- so dont sacrifice where you want to go with your music personally for what you need to satisfy the sound of a bunch of other guys (who will probably never notice a difference anyway). *mesa sucks for sweet solos, marshalls are too buzzy for me, and ive yet to play a legacy head, but the cabs are phenomenal. *if you really want my opinion, get a vht 2/50/2 power amp, a marshall jmp-1, a triaxis, and a DMC gcx switcher -- if youre on the wealthy side that is.

[tagg 7]

Wow shawn that does make a lot of sense...

thanks guys for your input. Its just tough to get a legacy to try around here man. I know nobody who plays one within 3 hours of driving. I have tried the dual, and can get most of my tones from it. Marshalls just bug me I guess latly.
humm if only I could try the Legacy out.....
buzz

[lgascoig]

I'm a bit curious about the new TSL series from Marshall. *I have heard that they sound really great and they are reasonably priced when compared to Boogie gear. *I think it's time for a trip to Guitar Center...

[tagg 7]

Ok guys Im having a little problem still. I want to get a tube amp. Im not gonna get a Marshall.
First can anybody explain the actual sound differance from a A class amp and a A/B class amp? I've heard that the A/B looses its sound when turned down. Therefore either being really distorted or not distorted at all.
I like the look of both Mesa/dual and the Legacy. Obviously the Legacy is a lot cheaper, but do I want a amp that lacks distortion. Is it more easy to add distortion to a Legacy, or to turn down a Dual Rectifier?
I've played a Dual, and liked it a lot, but that was without the benifit of having a Legacy to try.

Can anybody give me a full on report of what the Legacy can, and can't do? Im looking for some old AC/DC sounds, but still being able to get a Wes Borland sound too. Its obvious i can get my Vai sound out of it.

As for the Mesa the only real question is can it bring it down a notch for that classic rock feal while still holding a sweet tone?

Thanks for the help
Long winded answers apreciated.

buzz

[lgascoig]

You bet your sweet *** it can! *You have 3 channels on the new dual, a clean, a crunch, and a lead channel. *Try setting the gain from the preamp pretty low (3-5). *Better yet, check out the manuals on www.mesaboogie.com. *I found that they were SUPER helpful before going into the store to play because they give you an idea of settings to try and what each knob does and its "usable" range. *You can always turn the volume on your guitar down as well. *My Mesa sounds really different depending on the input signal level, so you'll also want to play on it with your main guitar(s) to see if they work well.

[tomizm]

To support the whole input signal makes a big difference deal....

I played my JPM thru my Tremo-Verb (might as well just be a Dual Rec). *On the bridge position, it was a paint peeling tool, but then, with just a flick to the middle pickup position (cut the coils on each hummer) the input signal drastically dropped down to a single coil sound and I got a real SRV sound. *It had more of a pre-amp tube squash sound.

[tagg 7]

Thats sweet guys, but does anybody have a good idea about the Legacy.

buzz