Mesa Boogie Flux Drive & Flux Five (Overdrive) - IN DEPTH REview

What an incredible pedal... which one? Well, both of them.
This is really all I can say! Just great!!!
Mesa Website
www.mesaboogie....
Here are some links in case you want to buy anything... that would be nice.... if you use these I get points!!!!
Mesa Boogie Flux Drive
www.thomann.de/...
Mesa Boogie Flux Five
www.thomann.de/...
Bulldog Stands DRAGON One Bubinga
www.thomann.de/...
Bulldog Stands DRAGON One Tineo
www.thomann.de/...
Bulldog Stands DRAGON One Zebrano (MY FAVORITE !!!!)
www.thomann.de/...
Gear from this video at Sweetwater:
Here is tons of stuff I use in my videos...
imp.i114863.ne...
Current LIMITED TIME deals:
imp.i114863.ne...

[@WowDarski]

I have to say. The Flux Drive is by far the best overdrive I've ever played. I use it with my Blackstar HT club 40 and it sounds great on the clean channel. The surprise came when I used it on a lead channel on Mid Crunch setting (as a boost); with lvl at 10 o'clock, gain at 10:30 o'clock. and bass and trebble to taste. This thing Screams in ways I never thought possible. It's great for really pronounced solo sections. You might like to use your Ibanez Jem for that :) Check it out in that configuration, You might like what you hear. Cheers!

[@redcomn]

Had a mesa grid slammer Man the tone of it with flux with my Bogner alchemist couldn't be better.

[@Bognerman14]

good review! one of the best purchases I have ever made. so versatile. I get amazing Mark series tones into my cleans channels. into my gain channels it gives me tones I could otherwise not get, and that is the fun part, dialing in unique and creative tones. to me it sounds very Mark like but blends amazingly with my amps. I got one used for about $180 US. A must have pedal.

[@nunocarmona]

Thanks for the review. I bought the Flux Drive and was a bit desapointed because my expectations were high. On a clean channel you need to compesate a lot of bass in order to maintain some warmth in your sound. I find it best boosting a mild crunch type of sound into lead sound. I looked inside the pedal and saw the JRC4558 that is typical of Tubescreamers which makes sense since these pedals tend to reduce bass in your signal. So maybe this is kind of a revoiced and improved Tubescreamer/Grid Slammer.

[@ThrashForwardGuitarClips]

Great review and I really enjoyed your playing on this one!

[@BigMikeGuitar]

The Flux Drive sounds better to me than the Throttle Drive, which is weird because I typically like The Metal products. The Throttle stuff might be better for building a metal sound from the ground-up, while the Flux seems great for putting in front of an already metal amp - the way people keep putting Tube Screamers in front of Rectifiers.

[@stratometer]

Great idea to put the looper in front ! never thought about that!

[@1961jscofield]

That Flux-Five pedal is a beast! But Lord, @ $400 USD, it's as pricey as a lot of amps!

[@WowDarski]

+JH Scofield I bought mine for $120.00 on reverb.com. Money well spent.

[@1961jscofield]

Nice!

[@arbitermatt]

These are decent pedals, I just have no desire to buy anything from Mesa lately. I think their treatment of Anderton's over their honest review of the Cab Clone was quite frankly shameful. Awesome video as ever though Henning!

[@Todesnuss]

+arbitermatt I agree. Similar thing for me is JHS. A lot of guys love them but JHS allegedly copied some designs from other people (Devi Ever in particular) and sold them for about twice as much as the original, mostly getting away with it because they are a big, well known manufacturer unlike Devi Ever FX which is a small boutique brand.

[@tiagogalvao654321]

+Todesnuss Every pedal is a copy of another though haha

[@Todesnuss]

+Korax Yea, kinda. I have no problem with some far east mass manufacturer copying a boutique pedal and selling it for cheap. People who want the original are still gonna get it. But copying an original design of another smaller boutique manufacturer and selling it for way more than the original seems kinda douchy. I'm not saying I hate them for that, I'm just not gonna buy their pedals if I'm not sure if I am morally on board with them.

[@JavierZulauf]

+Todesnuss Sorry, who is copying an original design and is selling this for much cheaper?

[@EytschPi42]

+Javier Zulauf I think they are talking about JHS.... there really are one a few things that work anyway... they are all very very similar and this quickly becomes a pissing contest....

[@jekyllv2]

Your clean guitar tone always sounds so compressed. Is that because you got your amp's master cranked or do you use som kind of comp.pedal? Keep up the good work! :) Cheers

[@Cocolia3]

Awesome, good to know because I ordered one for my Mark V 25, it would be like having a 3rd (crunch only) channel, controlled by my Joyo PXL Pro of course. Any tips? Thanks again Henning!

[@Neverlast2010]

Great Vid!! I've owned a Flux Drive for a couple of years now - I find its great boosting an already crunchy amp. However when used on a clean channel, to me it sounds slightly boxy and not so good. I'm getting the same vibe from this vid too. I've used it with a Mesa TA-15 and a Cornford Roadhouse, thru V30s and Creambacks with similar results. It could just be me though :-/

[@paulsguitarstudio126]

See my further comments below. Not that this drive cannot crank w gain especially the 5 band'er. But I love it w the gain cut back and more tone, anything it runs into clean amp, breakup amp, dirt amp or any pedal sounds better. A great stacking pedal. Cut the gain back to like 10:00 and hear a really great circuit design drive. Eytsch does some great videos but not sure the tone on this really comes across and I never really saw the gain cut back to more tone enhance. I also have the Tone Burst, hated the high gain one (too buzzy for me), have not tried the TS model drive, but the Flux Drive is a great drive, I use Les Paul's and it is a great match.

[@Leo_Fender]

Yo henning, the d'dario guy was talking about your tone burst demo where you accidentally said the "T" word (telecaster) then you called it a television I think haha

[@JavierZulauf]

+Keegan A true :D

[@paulkielt9301]

Tape delay for thin and lizzy sounds? To me overdrives are not meant to be played on their own... they are rather meant to push the front end of an amp. It's the place where they really shine!

[@arturocivit]

Dude, sorry to ask, but, how you get all that gear?!?!? Man, how I envy you! Other than that, great job dude!

[@Janine.Najarian]

I'm surprised anybody is willing to demo ANYthing from Mesa now.

[@MrRobbwallace]

Hi Harley!!Really appreciate your work here in demonstrating pedals!! When are you going to start on the Walrus stuff?

[@EytschPi42]

+bobbie lee That is still going to take a while... and my name is Henning, by the way!

[@JamesShore1990]

I believe I'm the only one in the world who uses the Flux Drive as his main rhythm pedal. I have it set at a low to mid-gain setting and it just works so well with my Strat into my Hiwatt.

[@paulsguitarstudio126]

Not the only one to be sure. I am picky as hell about my ODs. The smaller Flux Drive has been my main drive for some time now. I use it as a more moderate gain drive w my Les Paul's really hear the sound of the guitar and that mid position on the LP. All the videos I see are too gainy. I use an OD more to enhance the sound not dist. This works exceedingly well into a dirty amp as well. Not sure the 5 band one does what the little one does w less tweaking. Cut the gain back, EQ to taste, a better sounding drive. Everyone on videos cranks everything too much, tone is where it is at and this is the drive I have over many others. Cleans or into dirt is hard to beat. Not sure it comes across on the YT medium even with this amazing chap. Anyway I dig it, a superior and unique sounding drive circuit.

[@NikolajHoelgaard]

Cool video! Is there any Joyo pedal that kinda resemble this concept ? :D

[@RJW14]

Soooo, what happens if you boost a dirty channel with the low gain mode of the flux 5?

[@antropomorfizacja]

nice sound, but a bit solid state

[@nopeoplecorp]

Six years later, what would you recommend over, or as an alternative to, the Flux Five, please?

[@EytschPi42]

look at the Revv Tilt

[@nopeoplecorp]

@@EytschPi42 High gain Mesa Flux 5 Vs medium gain Revv Tilt - gorgeous tones from the Tilt, though 👌

[@gingerjoe666]

>plays Jem >not being ostentatious or going full shred with it I don't think I've seen this combination anywhere else before. Weiter so, tolle Videos ;)

[@EytschPi42]

+Audio Joe Danke Danke !!!

[@16cam2005]

though this guy would never use Mesa products again? guess they are too good to not use eh

[@abelaragon5153]

Nice

[@ErebosGR]

The Flux Drive through a clean amp sounds like a choked Mesa amp with the volume below 3. How does it compare with the Joyo California Sound?

[@EytschPi42]

The California Sound is one of Joyo's least desirable pedal...way too much bass and no clarity at all.... no clue why it is so popular....the others in that series are so great.... it is also an amp simulator.... can't really compare it to the Mesa.... totally different league here.... and I have no clue with what you mean when you say it sounds like a Mesa amp below 3??? I have a Mesa amp here and it doesn't sound like that....the Flux Drive, in my opinion, is one of the best and original sounding over drives out there....

[@ErebosGR]

If you take any high powered Mesa amp (not the 5/25) and try to play it with the volume backed off (around 3 or below), it sounds really boxy with very little presence. Only when you turn it up above 4-5 it's when it sounds airy and open. Pretty much like before/after you kicked in the Walrus Avenger. The Flux Drive by itself didn't sound that inspiring to me, that's why I compared it with the California Sound which sucks by itself.

[@EytschPi42]

+ErebosGR I agree on the "below" 3 comment, but this pretty much applies to every tube amp, even the really really good ones... they need a bit of volume to work... I don't feel that the FLux Drive doesn't sound open.... it is fun to play, very usable in a mix and just feels great... doesn't feel like an amp that needs to get more volume... but that's just me.

[@dago6410]

14:49 - 16:10 - GREAT ;D what was that rev... delay? Or whatever?

[@EytschPi42]

It was a Tale Delay from the Eventide H9

[@dago6410]

thanks :)

[@josiahluck4385]

4th view!

[@aaronwibr]

5:30 😆🤣😂