Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

While I love my Rick through most Fender tube amps(Blues Deluxe the current weapon of choice), some of the folks I hang with fancy themselves as more "METAL" than that. Sigh.

So, I tried my Rick through an old Mesa Subway Rocket Reverb. It had a really nice bite to it even for such a tiny amp.

Cool. Thought I. It's "METAL" enough for them *and* I like the sound.. So, I trooped off to my local shop to try the current Mesa lineup.

And couldn't find anything with anywhere near the same bite. The Express series has a nice clean, but the bite is only about 70%. The transatlantic was a bit better, but still not really what I expect as a "Mesa" overdriven, distortion sound.

So, it looks like Mesa has gone soft in order to have a broader appeal. I'm probably going to have to look backward in time a bit. Any suggestions for specific older Mesa's I should look at that might interact well with a Rick?

Yes, the obvious solution is to grab a used Rocket Reverb. However, those appear to be rare as hen's teeth these days, so I was hoping for some suggestions toward something a little more available.

Thanks.

I considered buying a Subway Rocket Reverb many years ago. However, I purchased a Silver Face Deluxe Reverb instead. Had the SFDR not been available, I would have probably gotten the Mesa.

Try a Lone Star Special.

You may wish to contact Randy at Phaez amps if you can't find the Mesa you want. Tell him what you are looking for. He custom builds, and at surprising prices. I have two, and number three will be ordered shortly. Check out some of the Daisycutter youtube demos.

If you want a low power amp with a metal bite try the Mini Rectifier.

There is a used Rocket 44 at the Mesa Hollywood store.

Look for an old DC-5 (like mine). It's a very versatile amp.

kiramdear wrote:Look for an old DC-5 (like mine). It's a very versatile amp.

Best selling Mesa of all time. I loved my old DC-5.

ken_j wrote:

kiramdear wrote:Look for an old DC-5 (like mine). It's a very versatile amp.

Best selling Mesa of all time. I loved my old DC-5.

I can get a great sound for any of my guitars with it. Even my Carl Wilson 12.

Maybe running a Mesa V-Twin into the Blues Deluxe will get you there, at least tone-wise.... not sure if you'll get the right amount of decibels...

I have a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues model (1 x10" combo) and I use it for band practice every week with my Rics because its small and easy to haul -- but has plenty of volume and crunchy tone to hold it's own against the other guys bigger Fender amps. The Subway also has a good sounding reverb. I also brought the Mesa Subway to a couple of our local Rickenbacker Mini Jams last year and folks seemed to like it.

You just have to patiently hunt on the Craig's Lists for people selling their old Mesa models, that are no longer available. I hunted for several months before I found this one on CL.

8mileshigher wrote:I have a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues model (1 x10" combo) and I use it for band practice every week with my Rics because its small and easy to haul -- but has plenty of volume and crunchy tone to hold it's own against the other guys bigger Fender amps. The Subway also has a good sounding reverb. I also brought the Mesa Subway to a couple of our local Rickenbacker Mini Jams last year and folks seemed to like it.

You just have to patiently hunt on the Craig's Lists for people selling their old Mesa models, that are no longer available. I hunted for several months before I found this one on CL.

I agree with this. The Subway Blues has one of the best sounding reverbs of many of the Mesa models. I had one but just couldn't get on with the 10" speaker. So I built a head cab and used it on a 2x12" 3/4 back Avatar cab. I generally used mine on the half power setting. Crank up the mids for TS type distortion or just use the volume and get the EL84s to sing.

Here's a shot of my DC-5 B with a Mesa 1x12" 3/4 back cab.

ken_j wrote:I agree with this. The Subway Blues has one of the best sounding reverbs of many of the Mesa models. I had one but just couldn't get on with the 10" speaker. So I built a head cab and used it on a 2x12" 3/4 back Avatar cab. I generally used mine on the half power setting. Crank up the mids for TS type distortion or just use the volume and get the EL84s to sing.

IMG_1702.JPG

Ken --- that Subway Blues head cab you made and the speaker cab are awesome ! ! !

Thanks.
Here is something that may interest you. You can use this simple wiring utilizing two 1/4" plugs that will convert your effects loop to a master volume. You can then use the volume pot to add preamp distortion and still keep the volume low. Best of all there is no mod to the amp itself. This was made for the F series amp but works equally well on the Subway Blues. I found this at The Boogie Board.

ken_j wrote:Thanks.
Here is something that may interest you. You can use this simple wiring utilizing two 1/4" plugs that will convert your effects loop to a master volume. You can then use the volume pot to add preamp distortion and still keep the volume low. Best of all there is no mod to the amp itself. This was made for the F series amp but works equally well on the Subway Blues. I found this at The Boogie Board.

F-SeriesMixMasterSchematic.jpg

Thanks Ken --- that is an awesome little gadget, to use two 1/4" plugs for getting a Master Volume function on the Subway. Definitely, I will give this a try.