Mesa Boogie California Tweed Quick Review

A quick rambling demo of settings and features of a Mesa Boogie California Tweed. It’s killer!!
CORRECTION AT 6:15 OR SO - This amp has a 40W speaker, not the 100.

[@typenjw]

I own this combo, the master volume on this thing is amazing! Good demo man ✊

[@whimpypatrol5503]

Great sounding amp. Crisp cleans that blossom wonderfully when pushed. Home run for Mesa Boogie. Tone wise it is well worth the money. Quality is just a question of time to see whether these new tube amp circuit technologies last like true hand wiring or not. But the same can be said about any appliance nowadays.

[@realtruenorth]

I have hand wired amps, but my Mesa circuit amps seem to be built pretty ruged, they have lasted many years and still sound great. Other PCB stuff, I wouldn't bet on, for the most part. I think Mesa makes their own electronics so they can beef them up if they want.

[@Po1itica11yNcorrect]

Just bought this amp. Waiting for it to arrive.

[@houseofshred3725]

Oh cool. Enjoy yours!

[@whimpypatrol5503]

Probably by accident, this tube amp has a voice potentially good for Gibson archtops or gretsch hollowbodies. Few tube amp designers since Leo Fender voiced their amps for hollowbodies. Fender voiced his amp desins for his competitors' hollowbody guitars as well as his solidbodies. Back then solidbodies hadn't become widely popular. By 1969, that all changed when brittish guitar rock peaked in popularity. Since then LP's, strats and tele's have dominated, and few commercial tube amps have been voiced for hollowbodies, to the point of add nauseum. So, everything in perspective, making a demo of this Filmore without including an archtop or hollowbody electric like early artists used to invent rockabilly and early rock 'n roll artists used seems criminal. Other than the need to be jailed for such omissions, this was a great video!

[@greg6162]

This isn’t a Filmore… it’s a California Tweed? Unless you meant CT?

[@whimpypatrol5503]

​@greg6162 Thanks. I must have thought the 2 were the same. Mesa does great stuff, but they have gone to commercial manufacturing that may go in the trash can in a few years. They can't think beyond 60's California solidbodies, though. And I guess they sold out to Gibson which was once the greatest guitar builder in the universe before solidbodies, fenders, and Marshall's changed that. You would think that Gibson would be interested in an amp for hollowbodies and semihollows. But, I guess not.

[@stevenrisi1240]

just grabbed one of these...Man, its hard to find a bad sound on it. shreds

[@gregoriocarreno]

Amazing

[@InGrindWeCrust2010]

This might be the best demo for this amp on KZbin. Which delay and extra reverb are you using, please?

[@houseofshred3725]

Wow, thanks. I think at that time it was a TC Nova Delay and an MXR M300 reverb. Cheers.

[@shayeasy]

that is one killer amp

[@houseofshred3725]

It really is, and very versatile for being a one channel amp with just a handful of controls. SHOCKING heavy sounds too. More on that coming soon.

[@michaelweinman9051]

Great lead sound. great for solos. yep.

[@mikedenkinger9570]

Sounds killer. I just can't justify it as I've got a pristine 1973 Fender Deluxe Reverb. The cleans and reverb on this amp are very similar to s cross section of vintage Fender amps, which is what they were obviously going for....and succeeded! I'm madly love with my Transatlantic TA-15 and it's Tweed channel when driven by either my Tumnus or Timmy pedals. Mess really does vintage Fender and Vox Top Boost sounds really well.

[@houseofshred3725]

Those silverface Deluxes are fantastic. I had a TA-15 for a bit. I remember it being a little noisy (could have been in need of new tubes), but it sounded reeeally good. You're right about Mesa having the Fender thing down. Even my MKIV has a great Fender clean sound. There's a secret clean sound in the triple rectifier too. Turn the gain all the way down on the RED CHANNEL, oddly enough.

[@realtruenorth]

I have a TA30 and that is the only reason I don't need a Cali tweed, got it covered in spades with the TA30 into alnico golds.

[@yarbgreat1]

Love the way this amp looks, but prefer the versatility of the Fillmore.

[@canyonproductions7683]

Nice💯

[@jeffthomson1777]

I just bought this amp once you start playing it you want to keep it. I love mine especially being able to turn it to 2watt mode to practice

[@houseofshred3725]

It's definitely a great amp. Mesa have done a really good job with this one. Cheers and crank that sucker up!

[@houseofshred3725]

Update, lol, keeping it!

[@pabloperez4063]

Doesn’t it lose quality when uou reduce the atenuador?

[@eyeceeyooh]

Do you think 10 or 20 watts is good for bedroom level? Or is it too loud?

[@houseofshred3725]

I don’t know, I’m one of the psychos who useshundred watt amps at home lol. 10 or 20 watch though should be right on the money if you’re trying to avoid disturbing your neighbors.

[@hootowl6354]

It depends on the speaker too. Some are loud, some not so loud. Five watts can be loud. This amp goes lower than that.

[@kylem7572]

That fall apart sound seems wonderful for lead work but maybe not so hot for chords.

[@houseofshred3725]

It can get pretty chaotic for sure. I dunno, I dig it.

[@HartfordWhaler]

Is that the version with the Jensen bb40 or bb100

[@houseofshred3725]

40 watter.

[@hootowl6354]

How is this recorded? There is no mic on the speaker.

[@houseofshred3725]

Promise not to throw things? iPhone 8+

[@danieltravis5082]

Just bought one. Need something for cleans after selling my 67 bandmaster and 92 matchless clubman

[@simonsmith2642]

Nice bluesy sounding amp. Just a plug straight in with a 335 and play. Nothing needed. Im thinking of selling my Valvetrain for one. Im just a plug and play blues guy. No pedals.

[@InGrindWeCrust2010]

But Valvetrains are so nice...and aren't they actually hand built, PTP or turret board?

[@simonsmith2642]

@@InGrindWeCrust2010 Hand built in Florida old school P2p . Yes its very nice. I did add a couple pedals and attenuator that took care of everything I felt it was lacking. And its too good to let go of. I still want this amp too though lol

[@InGrindWeCrust2010]

@@simonsmith2642 That makes two of us...I have some tweed type pedals and whatnot, but none of them sounds quite like my old Tremolux or Bassman. Didn't think I'd be interested in a Mesa but...here we are.

[@jeffmartinez6073]

Dude, a Valvetrain for this? No.

[@1lunesta]

I run a angry Charlie and it gets pretty raunchy.

[@houseofshred3725]

I bet. I actually found a Prince of Tone, of all things, gets pretty rowdy too as long as you get teh vol and gain high enough.

[@doctorskull8197]

Nice but how much does it weigh?

[@houseofshred3725]

It's not too bad, actually. About like a Fender Deluxe or something like that. Nothing like the heft of my MKIV combo.

[@sathira_anuk5179]

49lbs

[@wangleo6137]

hey man why this amp is 120v？

[@houseofshred3725]

Probably because that's what's in the powerlines. IDK, they probably make an export version. Otherwise, I'm sure there are converters you can buy to deal with 120V devices in 240V countries.

[@ElBrooklyn1]

Mesas are easy to convert from 120 to 240. You can do it yourself if you’re handy. Or a tech can rewire it in about 20 minutes.

[@patshep68]

I like the 20 watt version 1x10 a lot more.

[@houseofshred3725]

I didn't realize they made one. I guess, more like a Princeton?

[@adamricard9410]

@@houseofshred3725it’s smaller than a Princeton but yeah does the BF clean tones, tweed clean, AND tweed distortion. It’s a fun amp.

[@hootowl6354]

If I had one with a 10, I'd run it through my 4x12. 😁

[@friarbud]

Imo, this amp isn't finished. It's almost like Mesa Boogie wants you to buy more than one of their amps, 😄 What I'm saying is: it's a great amp, but it's a bit gimmicky, and the different amps they make sorta promote each other. Like this amp promotes the fillmore and the fillmore makes you want this one. But idk, and it's only my personal opinion

[@hootowl6354]

This is a tweed amp. It's its own thing. It's not a Fillmore. I have no idea what you mean by gimmicky. It's a very basic amp, power tube configurations being the only non-traditional feature.

[@friarbud]

@hootowl6354 it's just my opinion. I respect Mesa Boogie and capitalism. But their more recent stuff does seem geared to make me feel like I have to have em all(which is ok by me) - but, I just bought a Supro Delta King 12 for $501, cause I'm a cheap bastard, and I respect folks who pay the bigger bucks for the nicer stuff.

[@dannyharvey7398]

Maybe I’m missing the point of this amp, but it sounds stiff to me. Maybe that’s the intention, but it’s not for me. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@mattyounis5636]

Ya sold mine for the fillmore 50 instead

[@houseofshred3725]

What did you like better about the Filmore? This does the dying old amp thing better than anything else I own which is why I'm into it.

[@mattyounis5636]

@@houseofshred3725 two separate channels 6l6 takes pedals better for me than 6v6s

[@houseofshred3725]

@@mattyounis5636 Different amps for different purposes, I guess. It's good to have choices. Cheers.

[@pepppery]

The reason why no footswitch on a $2200 amp is... Gibson owns Mesa. That's why

[@pabloperez4063]

Then...is it not good money/value...in your opinion...? I am trying to gather info

[@pepppery]

@@pabloperez4063 That's hard to say when we speak of value=money. I saw a used one on Reverb for $1600 usd... I played one at a GC, and I liked it, but it didn't blow me away. I prefer the Mesa -Royal Atlantic/Transatlantic amp(s) better. (I can't remember the price tho.) My price point for gear tends to stay btw $500-$1000, and if it's more than that the gear has to be AMAZING. Take that for what it's worth.

[@hootowl6354]

@@pepppery For how long has your price point been $500-$1,000? Every year has inflation, you know? There is a lot more better gear available now too. Improvement tends to cost money.

[@dane4453]

The problem with Boogies is that they all sound the same to some extent. If you want the fender tweed sound, just get a fender.

[@houseofshred3725]

It'd be pretty sweet if Fender offered something of this quality with this feature set. I know what you're saying about Boogies though. They do have their own thing.

[@charliewilkins3041]

Forget what you know about “the Boogie sound”. The California Tweeds are completely different and truly capture that vintage Fender sound. The feel is also good but not like a modern Boogie at all. They are 100% vintage vibe and feel.

[@hootowl6354]

Fenders are budget amps, to some degree. They have that classic clean, but most of them fart out at high volumes. Their whole line of amps is pretty one-dimensional.

[@lgg468]

big fart

[@houseofshred3725]

Profound.