Mesa/Boogie Preamp Shootout - Studio • Quad • Triaxis

[@77JeffT]

3:04 DREAM THEATER "Metropolis part. 1" 4:14 GIANT "I can't get close enough" 5:35 LIVING COLOUR "Love rears it's ugly head" 7:15 GIANT "I'll see you in my dreams"

[@LeonTodd]

Mike Nielsen twiddled knobs for me, ask me anything!

[@BFahz]

Is it really big, you know, the tone?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Thanks so much Leon! I’ll be your knob twiddler any day!

[@JRP3music]

My two favorite gear guys in one video!

[@wadeburgan1574]

The grandeur of the LT guitar face can not be contained by one channel.

[@kylecoffey6010]

@@BigHairyGuitars Humm... Would that make you a Master Twiddler..asking for a twiddler! LOL!! Great chops @Leon Todd & Michael Nielson! Another Awesome Vid btw! THX \m/

[@martinkowalski5090]

Secret weapon to make the Quad (and probably the Studio as well) sound even better: Use the FX send as a main out, not the actual main out. Great difference with my setup that really makes it shine! Found this recommandation in some Mesa/Boogie forum, posted by one of the company's engineers that participated in developing the Quad. According to him it brings the Channel 1 lead sound even closer to a Mark IIc+, especially with a 50/50 power amp from the same era! Love the sound since I did that! By the way: This is the best video I've ever seen about those preamps - thanks for that!

[@davidbrasefield9151]

Interesting! I’ll have to try this since I have the Quad and the 5050

[@guitarzan11litwin51]

I’ll have to try this too. I have the 290 power amp. Thanks for the tip.

[@martinkowalski5090]

@@davidbrasefield9151 Please let me know how you liked it - I think it's a clear difference in sound and feel!

[@martinkowalski5090]

@@guitarzan11litwin51 Please let me know how you liked it - I think it's a clear difference in sound and feel!

[@guitarzan11litwin51]

Agreed. It’s seems to sound better at the lower volumes I’ve tested it at. I think the other unsung hero of the quad is the cleans are fantastic too!

[@Terribleguitarist89]

I bought a studio pre when I was 17 for dirt cheap. I'm 31 now and still keep coming back to it for my dirty rhythm tones. I'd love a quad but the prices have risen like crazy.

[@deathblowhere]

Almost same here.. bought mine when i was 19, for 700 bucks.. after 4 years purchased quad and 395 power amp for 1400. Now I'm 31 too, and I still think they are the best. OMG dont tell me about current prices of QUAD - that's insane!

[@lfscrazy]

I have 2 Quads. I got mine a long time ago when they weren't wanted and cost about $500. I bought the second one because the Quad is so precious to me that if anything went wrong and parts couldn't be found, I need a donor amp. I'm giving this video a thumbs up. Not because of the amps. Purely for the pink Strat!

[@bilalwehbe891]

the triaxis instantaneously gets that magical Petrucci tone from the Awake/Falling into Infinity era

[@marmaladecream2233]

Studio sounds great! They all sound great but that one consistently sounded the best to me when I wasn't looking.

[@Dejoblue]

YES!!!!! The preamp brothers UNITED at last!!!!

[@Doomzdayxx]

But they left out the V twin and Recto

[@stellarrays]

“She looks as lovely as she's ever gonna get I wake up from this nightmare in a pool of sweat” Good one !

[@Locoandchooch]

Leon Todd is a good soul.❤️

[@danthrax7407]

What a lovely surprise to see Leon!! For me to see that two of my best choices in youtube are friends is amazing, I´m always trying to steal a little bit of your talent guys!!

[@csgband]

I have both the Studio and the Quad, both are fantastic. Great video. Thanks

[@phillipcooper4329]

Studio Preamp for the win! That things sounds ridiculous!!

[@gerrieduin]

Greatings from Holland. Fantastic shootout !! Thanks

[@bengaldad]

I have had a Quad for a number of years and it is a riddle, inside a puzzle trapped in a maze. I know the greatest tones from SRV to crushing metal are inside but the knobs are like tumblers on a safe locking away secret tones.. There are so many knobs and they all push and pull for and added level of complexity. And if that is not enough the assignable EQ will completely change the sound with the slightest touch. I have also found absolute killer tones by mixing channels on the quad which I don't believe you can do on the modded one you have. But if you dial in a clean on 1 and then layer crunch or lead channel, "D" style tones are possible. I run mine through a Strategy 500, the best clean and SRV type tones are with a EV12 speaker, absolute killer spank and bottom end. I have a few Weber and Eminence speakers and cabinets. The possibilities are endless with the Quad and the Strategy 500, which is not always a good thing. The rabbit hole is deep and wide.

[@TheGgreen100]

I'm kinda surprised at how rough the Triaxis high gain sounds were in comparison to the other preamps. Then again Mesa preamps have always lived and died around their graphic EQ, and the "Dynamic Voice" control acting as the Triaxis' graphic EQ has always been garbage. The Triaxis really does need an external EQ in the loop for its high gain to sound good. However I'm also surprised that the Triaxis had the best clean and "very slightly overdriven" cleans of the three.

[@FedericoMK]

I run the triaxis with a Mesa 5 band eq pedal in the loop and I agree that it sounds way much better with it!

[@TheGgreen100]

@@FedericoMK Me too, I run mine with an external EQ in the loop and it sounds fantastic that way. Dynamic Voice just makes the Triaxis sound different degrees of artificial and hollow, lol.

[@JRP3music]

I run an Empress ParaEQ through my Mesa Nomad 100. I would love to try the Mesa 5 band EQ with that amp. I got the idea from trying the JP2C at Sweetwater. Adding an EQ usually does wonders for any amp in general.

[@aristocaster]

Extra points for "Love rear up it's ugly head", great song.

[@MrSpike7590]

Great demo of Mark Series Tones!! Always been a fan of the Quad Preamp over the Rest!! Gotta add the Recto Recording Preamp to this Mix for comparison, Great Video!!

[@ondrejholiencin8555]

This video shows why the Triaxis is my most favourite clean ever.

[@freakkyt]

This is just not fair. People are trying to detox here.

[@Holtenstein]

As a Quad owner, I'm surprised you were able to grasp all the controls that quickly. I think it took me a week. I have the Bass knobs rolled way back usually. The graphic EQ dials in the rest. I always thought that the Studio was just Ch1 of the Quad which is an MKIIC. Also, I would give extra points to the Quad due to it being Stereo and a 2nd point because you can trick it to run both Ch1 and Ch2 simultaneously. Also, these are commonly modded to MKIIC++ too.

[@skallen59]

Wow two of my favorites Michael and Leon in the same video , brilliant guys ❤️

[@chrishastings]

What the heck... two of my fav channels connecting, BEST!

[@pwrmac7600]

Really cool to see you and Leon collabing together!

[@AdamIronside]

I had a quad for a couple of years then retired it, and moved it on last year. This video is making me miss it a little, it had some of the best DT style rhythm tones. It was a little noisy at times however.

[@jasonmccarthy3370]

That was a fantastic comparison. They were all great...maybe leaning toward the Quad but not always...a lot of fun. It was great to see you collaborating with Leon Todd! I always look forward to and watch all videos from both of you. Also, very happy you've been putting out more frequent content.

[@FedericoMK]

My findings on how to make sound the triaxis as good as the other two: 1) put presence on 10: the presence on the triaxis is a low pass shelve filter it is taming the highs too much, making the sound too opaque. On 10 it is disabled. The presence should really be on the power Amp and not on the preamp. Compensate the presence by using the presence on the 2:90. You can hear in this video Tha the triaxis does sound as it if was muffled. 2) ditch the dynamic voice and put a mesa 5 band eq in the loop. The dynamic voice is not handling the Mesa 2200hz band (which is really centered arouns 1500 hz band) correctly which IMHO is the crucial one in order to have a great sound. And it is also dumping the 750 hz band way too much. Do both and the triaxis will sound the same as the quad, especially with the iic+ sound.

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

💀

[@JRP3music]

Sounds logical. If the presence is after the eq section it would be fine for an amp that has no presence control. Using it in conjunction with an amp that has one would clash or not be a great idea.

[@clintnoteastwood]

Best opening of all time

[@ian1eh944]

I like the Studio preamp just because it's simple.....Thanks for posting!

[@paulsimmons2150]

Toto - Can't Stand It Any Longer .... just awesome

[@neonether]

Triaxis just sounds so tight and mean. Beautifully designed and built machine!

[@jakedibiase7404]

For the Studio to get tight rhythm and enough gain it’s essential to have bass on zero or barely above that, mids barely on 1, and treble very high. The higher the treble the more gain you get.

[@KanlydNorge]

Love it Michael.. made me feel good about me Studio Pre Just bought. Had one back in 93-94 also. To me the loser was the Triaxis. I also had that one and didn’t like it then.

[@jake13b]

love the Giant tune ! good job Michael

[@willissellars6304]

Clearly, my heart goes to the Quad... even though it has some hum in the quiet.... Triaxis seems to have a thinner sound, but it is so versatile! With the right reinforcement, it's all good. You know what? The 2:90 is really the ultimate. I have 2 formula pre preamps, which I think have the triaxis spine without the triaxis brain... and I like them... but they are a little harder to fatten up with my mesa 20/20s.... I may look into a used 2:90... it is the best sounding combo I remember from way back when I was buying.

[@PhilipJoyceMusician]

thought I was the only person with 2 formula preamps. I love it. I think it captures some of the best of boogie. the clean is so nice. and more dynamic than the mark series imo. and the crunch and lead channels are super versatile. I think the lead channel gets very close to the mark III/IV lead . I run mine with a 50/50 power amp and I thin they're perfect together. I would love to have heard them add the Formula to this shootout

[@alguitarchristie]

Still have my mine. I love the graphic, it just seems to be the right frequencies! The 750 is just perfect to cut to get that scooped sound. And the lead fat boost is great for the Strat! Wish I had the Quad! I was in the same studio as Big Country and Stuart Adamson was using that. Not really a band you think of having these amps.

[@TheActressAndBishop]

Way to go Leon!!!! Very funny!!!! Michael - beautifully done!!! .. Love it

[@Gorbyrev]

You'd get a thumbs up for the Petrucci lick but throwing in Dann Huff, that made me smile. Fascinating shootout.

[@edwardmamahit9216]

Michael, great demo. I have all 3 of them. One thing about the Quad is that you CAN simultaneously use both channel at the same time. I use the footswitch and activate both channel to get different texture. Channel.1 for mid focus and channel 2 for mid scooped but different gain...try it. I actually like the Studio Pre more than the Quad. While the Triaxis, I use the Subroutine fuction to do real time change with Midi and Volume pedal...this 3 Preamp I think.is the best preamp Boogie ever made.

[@Holtenstein]

I mentioned the fact that the Quad can use both channels together too. Also, is the Quad the only one that is Stereo?

[@StreetsOfVancouverChannel]

4:19 lovin' dat DANN HUFF riff'n, bruh...

[@paulkielt9301]

Don't know why, but the Studio Preamp sounds the best to my ears!

[@chrisretro81]

I know you're very good as a producer and technician and you know your gear, but I absolutely love your guitar playing too. So awesome thank you 🙂

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Thank you!!! I super appreciate your ninja vibes!!!

[@chrisretro81]

@@BigHairyGuitars I'm training to be a guitar ninja. I require your shurikens :D

[@eduardoprieto5267]

If I recall correctly these amps are heavy weight lol.Thanks n God bless.

[@bobjoe7508]

Finding myself loving all of them, however the studio preamp is the most defined. The gain is at the perfect level. The quad gets pretty mushy, and less defined. The Triaxis has a low end resonance which I have a love/hate relationship with. Overall, I would probably go with the studio. They all have their place, and all sound great.

[@AngusClarkGTR]

Iconic tones!!!!! The Studio really holds up! For some reason the quad feels a little less defined than the other 2 on most of the sounds.

[@morellasgeorgios8449]

Man the triaxis sounds like shit vs the studio. On not like shit but less treble and definition. But it has presets. I had both at the same time. The studio is better. End of discussion. It does one sound at a time... Live I wouldn't hesitate to use the triaxis but for inspiration, only the studio.

[@Holtenstein]

It's the tubes and how they're dialed in. The Studio should really sound the same as Ch1 on the Quad.

[@morellasgeorgios8449]

@@Holtenstein having one channel can make a difference even for the same tubes and same signal path vs the exact circuit with a second channel. Their switching at the time was less than perfect in isolating and loads the circuit somewhat even if the second channel is off. This happens on the rectifier and the soldano amps as well.

[@JohnSmith-ef2sx]

Giant I'll see you in my dreams... Nice bro forgot about that song.

[@jatna77]

Thanks for the demo. More lead playing please. Also would like to hear the Rocktron Piranha.

[@nathancloud6344]

Quad 2 is vicious indeed....just something about the TirAxis. Mesa Boogie could be the best ever!!!! I will own one 1 day.

[@revjeffg]

Very cool shootout! I’m kinda surprised how poorly the triaxis compares. The other two are in the same (major) league, at least.

[@rockostiffredi4276]

What a great comparison. Every owner, including myself, initially struggles to dial in the EQ/ volume pots on the Studio Pre/ Quad because they are extremely finicky, and you can easily end up with mud. My suggestion to get 'bell' like clarity for both clean and dirty sounds, is to remove the 'mud' and go to the 5 band EQ, and cut 80Hz @ -3dB, and cut 250Hz@-5dB. Then the last 3 sliders need to gradually tilt up to help define the sonic image, so 800Hz@-1dB, then next slider +1dB, then last far right treble slider @+3dB. I usually set the bass EQ knob @3-4, mid EQ Knob around 7-10, treble EQ knob 5-7. The far left Pre Volume pot needs to be up at least to 6-8 to allow headroom to you don't choke the guitar signal coming in, and let it breathe. From memory, the next volume pot to the right (post?) can be down a bit, along with the Master Volume so you don't overdrive the power amp. Add Gain to taste. Try it, you may be impressed and thank me later.

[@bengaldad]

Agree. I have. Quad and I sometimes spend more time dialing the tone than playing. Especially if you play multiple guitars. Another trick I have used to clean up the sound on the quad is to go out the send and by pass the final master stage. This bypasses the cab simulator that is in series(?) with the main out. The possibilities of the quad are endless if you have the time.

[@paulschlachter4313]

How did you get rid of the capacitance of the 7,000 mi + cable for Leons demo?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Hahahahahahah 😂

[@gingataff]

Duh! NUX wireless FTW

[@LukeEll]

For my taste the ch.1 of the quad is the winner.

[@PainterDans]

Triaxis is one of my have to finds. I remember growing up seeing those on stage just killin it

[@youvsyou945]

They all rocked, the studio cleans and slight breakup sounds are unmatched IMO, I see why Dan Huff used them for those Clean sounds..and the drive sounds go toe to toe with the Quad.......I like them all though, I do agree the bigger preamps sounded more natural but it wasn't bad at all against the Triaxis which sounds GREAT(wish I would have kept mine now). I'm leaning on the Studio being my fav.

[@Hoscitt]

I've coveted the triaxis for 30 years, yet it's lacking something when compared to the other two here. Almost like there's a blanket over the cab in comparison. Interesting!

[@jonathanbelzley2877]

Same here. And then I got one. Sounds amazing in person, but I don’t crank the gain. It’s finicky.

[@Nightdare]

How old are the tubes? They don't wear out as fast as powertubes, but they can go out throw in a bunch of new EH 12Ax7's, see what happens

[@FedericoMK]

Hey guys check my comment! I have the triaxis too, and I've removed the blanket effect by putting the presence on 10. It will disable the low pass shelve filter. Use the presence on the power Amp to compensate. Le tme know, you will hear the difference I can assure you!

[@jonathanbelzley2877]

I tube-rolled mine until I got what I wanted. Less mushy, more percussive. Not as much gain, but more attack. I’m happy. I’d love to do what Michael does by comparing them, but I’m content.

[@Holtenstein]

Also, the Quad is Stereo. So It's almost like 2 Triaxis. lol

[@BrandonBames]

I think in this example the Studio Preamp is my favorite, though DAMN they all sound great!

[@realtruenorth]

Soooooo,,, if you could only buy or keep one... which one?

[@TrumpetsInMy4x12]

The Studio is my fave. I had one back in the day and this video made me miss it :(

[@johncecilia4517]

Cool videos Is the Mesa Boogie Flux 5 pedal with eq sound similar to this? Same general concept

[@JRP3music]

I really like the comparison of the Triaxis and the other 2 Mesa Classics. Very cool.

[@Burkhimself]

I liked ch1 of the quad over all of them (ears) ....ironically it takes up the most space 😂. But, the triaxis being all of this at only 1 rack space......pretty good bang for buck. I guess that’s why I’ve owned one twice in my life....went back to me Soldano modded SP-77 both times 😂

[@zorroborro5146]

Aaaahh LIVING COLOR Riff 😄👏👏👏👍

[@RodrigoRamirez-eq6gj]

I believe the triaxis would've sounded much closer to the other preamps if Presence had been at 2.0 and Bass at 3.0. I always have to do that to match the sound of my Boogie head.

[@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145]

Man, I miss my old Quad! I sold it some 15 odd years ago to fund the Diezel VH4s, that is still the core of my rig. From your clips, I never once prefered the Triaxis, wheras the Studio and Quad are really close. For giging puposes, I would choose the Quad, but really, I actually think I prefer the Studio's tones. The main challenge for me with the Quad is that I prefer channel 1 both clean and dirty... but with vastly different settings - hence, I'd be better served with two Studios... and a CAE 3+, just for good measure ;)

[@Holtenstein]

I have the same issue. I prefer Channel 1 on my quad for both clean and dirt and they're very different settings

[@MRxr400]

i used to have a mark 1V. amazing tone machine, but like you said, little adjustments made big differences and i found myself always turning knobs. plugged into a single rec, set it up bass low and every thing else at 12 o'clock, and bang out a riff. totally satisfied and always happy. do miss the mark series, but the rec's are more plug in and play. there's a rec pre-amp too. would love to hear it with your set up

[@instrumentalist28]

Wasn't the studio used on Nirvana nevermind? One preamp that's not mentioned a lot is the carvin quad x, I got it for cheap because the foot switch was missing, but it's amazing sounding, one of the best clean sounds I ever heard

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Yep. Essential Cobain

[@donewithmodernlife]

It was part of Kurt’s live & studio setup from around Nevermind to the end. His live tone was a DS-1, Studio, Crown (which kept blowing up) then Crest power amps & a Marshall cab. The DS-1/Studio/Crest rig was the core tone on In Utero.

[@Jalliams]

Wow! Learnt something cool today. Watching Nirvana live footage, I always assumed (wrongly) there were JCM800/ 900 heads behind Kurt’s Marshall cabs on stage. And in the studio? How interesting! Going to listen to Nevermind again. Cheers 🍻

[@jamesmillington7122]

Loving the Dan Huff riffs. I think you should do a vid on nailing the "Last of the runaways" tone

[@BigHairyGuitars]

BROOOOO! GOOD IDEA! Thanks!

[@shatteredsquare]

Quad sounds like they made the power supply more akin to the amps, it's breakup sounds stiffer like a MarkIII, studio is squishy and super compliant and fast, you barely have to hit it hard for it to crackle and crunch

[@lfscrazy]

The Quad amp 1 is identical to a IIC+, amp 2 is a Mark III, not sure which stripe. The Studio has the IIC preamp.

[@dorko57]

That Quad Ch2 sounds wonderful!

[@sebaseba33]

I had a quad... Sold for a Marshall tsl60... I was young and idiot... Still crying today...

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Oh man

[@kevins4222]

Hey man, I had a Mark IV...I sold it for rent. Happens to the best of us.

[@freedomseeds8194]

@@kevins4222 Been there done that, more than once. Sometimes life throws you curve balls, and it's all you can do.

[@markfranke8326]

All of them are great preamps. I wish I'd picked up a quad when they were reasonable. Studio Pre is my favorite for overall tone, but Triaxis is more friendly for switching. I would go as far to say that the Studio Pre is my #1 favorite preamp ever made, just for the musicality of it.

[@dan_perry]

🤘 Boogie greatness!

[@ZachWish]

Sounding great man! Awesome seeing Leon on here!

[@surf247365]

Dude!!! Amazing comparison! Such a rad quiver of Friedman guitars!! The Green one!🤘🏾

[@vinn.5215]

I'm subscribed to both Leon and Mikes channels, very cool collabo. I wondered what the Mesa Pres sound like. I was watching a 290 on Reverb for a long time and probably not so coincidence it got an offer the day this video posted, so they are listening!

[@RussWoWSolo]

Studio my favorite. sound awesome

[@Basedboomerchadbear]

Best intro ever!!!! 🤙😎

[@TheLexluthier]

My buddy has a Quad/Simuclass 295 setup. I personally like it better than his Mark V head.

[@Holtenstein]

It's stereo too so Its like 2 MKVs haha

[@TheLexluthier]

@@Holtenstein It definitely moves some air!

[@stevej.1428]

I had one of the first Triaxis's made (original version). I used to bother the guys at Mesa for weeks for technical info while they were fine tuning it for production and when they told me where the first units were being shipped, I went to a store about 300 miles away to grab one. For over 20 years I ran it into a Strategy 500 and at one point I swapped the 6550 section in the Strategy for KT88's. After all that time I never was satisfied with it. Like what can be said for all preamps, it was never as "ampy" sounding or feeling as a traditional head, nor was it as full as the Quad or Studio.

[@BenBreard]

I will always have a soft spot for mesa gear. Most of what they make is bad ass and we'll made. .......but the act of "dialing in a mesa product" = thanks but no thanks. My current amp sounds good no matter where the knobs are set. After being spoiled with that, I can't go back to the endless tweaking and hunting for other tones. Life is too short. ....but I very much enjoy living vicariously through videos like this. Thanks for this one, it was excellent.

[@DOKITT]

The thing that sucks about the Quad is channel 2 is much lower volume than 1, if you are going from high gain in CH1 to a clean on CH2 you pretty much dissapear.

[@ericharbauer]

I love this! I was looking for a mesa boogie studio pre on your channel the other day.

[@arronsondrini380]

Sweet always wondered what the tonal differences are between these preamps, not to make more work for you would love to hear how a tube screamer, maxon 808 etc... would sound in front of them. Thanks again for the awesome vids :)

[@Twobarpsi]

I see eye to eye with you on a lot of things!

[@backingtrackscave]

hey Michael! would you do a demo of the carvin quad x preamp? Nobody has done one good yet

[@petesorensenguitar]

Nice Toto licks! Great video.

[@davemcafeeguitar]

The TriAxis is so sexy with the lights, but seems to lack the girth and warmth of the Studio and Quad. Could be just the settings, but my ears prefer the Studio and Quad.

[@deanbibb3680]

I about ate my hat when you kicked up some Living Colour!

[@jerryshigan2305]

Man, that Quad sounds money

[@sebaseba33]

You know that on the quad using the jacks on the back to turn on and off the channels it is possible to turn on more than a channel at a time..? Example rhitm 1 and Lead 2 turned on at the same time... The tone shaping possibilities are endless... My main Lead tone was lead1 (creamy gain) +rhitm2 (set at crunch...) Damn i miss my quad....

[@BigHairyGuitars]

I don’t think so. Not effectively

[@sebaseba33]

@@BigHairyGuitars i hard mine from a session guy that had his gear modified largely, perhaps mine had a mod on It to allow some tonal tweaks... I could turn the eq knobs and the gain knob on each channel, when used toghether, and the sound was affected...

[@-jk-2580]

Nice demo once again! I’ve too struggled with Triaxis. I use it for my live rig and tried to match it with my MK IV. It really needs additional EQ in loop. Otherwise it’s a little middy and nasal. GEQ brings it alive, like other Mark-amps.

[@Locoandchooch]

Yes finally 😉Quad does Hetfield all day long.

[@coldbastard6859]

Nope. I had both Studio and Quad preamps and although the tone is reminiscent of Hets tone it's far from matching. Bought myself a Mark III Red Stripe Simul-class and now I'm getting pretty close but I have to be honest - the only thing that will come close to that Puppets/Justice/Black album tones is a legit Mk IIC++ coliseum unit with a 500 series parametric EQ in the loop (or 2 of them). Why? C++ is a f*cking brutal amp with a 105 power transformer that runs on about 480 volts and it the amp sound so brutal. Next is Hetfield utilizing pull switches on the amp: deep on master which boosts the low and "mid" mids quite a lot and shift on treble which changes the frequencies the Treble pot affects and adds some gain (although C++ has ton of gain, I'm already maxing lead drive and volume to the max but with this setup it could use a bit more on my Mk III). Then he uses the EQ in the fx loop to get cut 2 or 3 db from 120ish frequency which is the side effect of using deep switch, it boosts this really poky lower mid range which doesn't help the tone at all (I cut that with my mxr 10 band and I also boost about 3,5-4 db on the 16k to give it a bit more clarity since my 2x12 cabinet uses V30/Creamback combo while James used 4x12 marshall cab with g12-75Ts). I think that's about it when it comes to bare bones of his tone. Cheers :)

[@Locoandchooch]

@@coldbastard6859 FYI tone? Is subjective yo

[@Skoora]

Had a studio and now have a quad. I love it. Does great semi dirty as well as the typical big clean and super heavy. It sounds likes a beast into the power section of my MKV with the MKV on ch3 set to Extreme. I will say I think CH1 sounds better than CH2 for any setting. If CH 2 was a clone of CH1 it would be perfection.

[@Holtenstein]

I've been thinking of modding my Quad to the MKIIC++. But I have the same issue. Ch1 is just better

[@jasonsapp792]

Have been patiently waiting for this video

[@jasonsapp792]

On my weeee little cell phone speakers the Quad Channel 2 sounds the most pleasing.

[@anmolatwal]

Hey Michael, WE....need you to demo the Steve Stevens SS2 man., pretty PLEASE!! The JEL demo was beautiful and the SS2 demo is sorely needed!! Thanks

[@tomwyant9532]

Giant? Stop giving me reasons to love this channel!

[@Mr.Goldbar]

I an think of the Studio and Quad as more so Lukather or Sykes, and the Triaxis as more so Petrucci or Hetfield. I loved all of them :D

[@TheChrispablo]

the Studio pre amp sounds F!!! awesome!

[@6120orange]

Great shootout. The big boxes sounded amp-like. TriAxis sounded like a pedal in comparison - smaller with softened top end and nasal mids. Studio Preamp easily wins out for my taste. I used to run the TrAxis/2:90 rig. It was super sensitive and the controls interacted, as you mention. Now, the JP-2C does away with all that angst and kills for Sykes etc.

[@FedericoMK]

Triaxis nasal mid and presence issue can be resolved with a 5 Mesa band eq in the loop and by setting 10 on presence

[@SluggerStark]

I liked the Triaxis I had better the Studio I had, plus it was more versatile. Like many Mesa's it was definitely finicky setting it up though. I also agree on the jp2C....I would take that all day over any of the Mesa preamps.

[@mramp4035]

Curious...my personal perception,was totally different all the three devices sound is really good but in my personal opinion the triaxis clearly owns the most refined,perfect,complex and musical growl of the pack,then,to me the Quad ..wich like the triaxis,is brighter with more light in the mids than the studio wich is to me a more Flubby sound despite that is probably beefier than triaxis but anyway,too dry in oposition with triaxis wich is more liquid and fluid sound to me...

[@mikkywhalan]

Honestly liked the Triaxis the best for cleans