Mesa/Boogie Buster Bass 200 115 Combo

This has got to be the most "organic" sounding amp I've ever played through! I play many different styles of music, from Alt & Classic rock to Latin and Pop! The available tones from this amp complement all those styles! The only thing it WON'T do VERY WELL is super clean and spanky funk... but hey, no one's (nothing's) perfect! (besides, Larry Graham always had a little "grit" on his tone back in the day!) It's also got to be the most straightforward amp I've ever plugged into... one channel (vol, T-M-B tone controls & Master) with a Graphic EQ; a tube driven effects loop, an XLR direct out... that's pretty much it! It's got a jack for an EQ footswitch, but I didn't get the footswitch with the amp... I can't complain though, because I got a D**N GOOD DEAL on it! It's loaded with a 15-inch EV speaker and a tweeter (with level control) driven by 200 watts of tube power. A two-hundred watt tube combo amp is more combo amp than anyone would/should ever need! If you need more, go to the next level and get a Mesa 400+ head and separate speaker stacks!

I play several different basses through this amp... an American Reissue '75 Fender Jazz, an '82 Yamaha BB1200, a '79 Ibanez Musician, and (more often than not) an '01 MusicMan Stingray 5. Every single bass sounds better than it ever has through this amp! Since it's a tube amp, it always sounds sweet and plush... no matter how hard I'm driving it! Yeah, it'll get a little "furry" at higher levels, but it's a pleasant kind of "furry"... the kind of "furry" that kind of helps the bass blend into the mix in certain songs. As for a variety of tones, the Graphic EQ is very powerful... you'll be able to sculpt your sound till the cows come home!

The way this beast is built, I doubt that it'll just quit on me. Every aspect of construction is like the proverbial "tank"! And as for replacing power tubes, the good thing is that it uses 6L6's... and those are a whole lot cheaper than some of the power tubes that other amps use!

I've dealt with Mesa once before as a favor to a guitarist friend of mine. Their customer support impressed me then, so I expect that if I ever need them to help me with this amp, I won't be dissappointed. Since I bought the amp New Old Stock, I didn't get a warranty, but hey... that's an assumption on my part! If I find out different, I'll let you know!

I've been playing bass for (gasp!) almost 30 years now, and I've owned/used all kinds of bass amps and preamps. This baby is among the best I've ever played through. It's a discontinued item, so I feel fortunate to have found it and even luckier to have paid what I did! If I lost it, I might go to the trouble of tracking down another, but here's where it's one shortcoming comes into play: for a combo, it's not very portable. For one thing it is very heavy. It is also very large, as far as combos go. It's got handle's galore, so that's good, but instead of regular casters, it's got a pair of itty-bitty "in-line skate" type wheels built in to the back bottom edge and those are used with a luggage-type pull out handle. It's a cool concept, but those little wheels don't roll very easily over carpeted floors.
BUT DON'T GET ME WRONG!
That one little niggle over portability is cancelled out once you hear this amp! If a Buster! comes available, whether it's the 1 x 15 combo like mine... a 2 x 10 combo... or a head only version... GET IT!

For me, this amp get's it done. I currently am playing in a church praise band with occasional jams playing mostly rock and blues. I have been playing for over 20 years in lots of different bands, again playing mostly rock and blues. I recently purchased the single 15" speaker combo new. Although it has been discontinued, I "needed" this amp. It has all the features I want in a bass amplifier...and nothing more. The gain and tone controls are basic: volume, treble, mid, bass, master volume, and a graphic eq. The controls are quite powerful, however, for shaping your tone. There is a wide array of tones inside this amp and the manual provides an excellent guide for the user to find their sound. Powerwise...200 watts seems to be more than enough. Remember, we're talking tubes here. I am looking for the 1x15" extension speaker for those times when lots of volume is needed. The amp also has a built-in DI, and an effects loop with a blend control. The cabinet has an integrated transport system consisting of a retractable "luggage" handle and two small casters on the bottom back edge. The idea here is to move the amp around like a piece of luggage. Sounds like a good idea, but the amp does weigh a ton and it's not as easy as it sounds. (I purchased a dolly board...much easier). This is a nicely featured amp with all the right stuff and no nonsense.

I am playing a P-Bass through the amp...oh my...the tone of the gods. This is what it's all about. For rock, blues, priase, jazz, this amp covers it all. The only style that I am not sure about is slap/funk. (Fingerstyle funk...no problem). The speaker configuration is a 1x15" and an adjustable tweeter. Always smooth and never brittle. It can get surprisingly loud and the sound remains coherent. This amp is quiet when not playing, no buzzing that I can detect. (I am using EMG's with a tone circuit/preamp in the bass...a passive pickup might induce some noise. I am going to install some passive pickups and will submit a report at that time.) IMHO this is the best sounding bass amp I have ever used. I must admit that it is the first tube bass amp I have owned, however I have had the occasional opportunity to play through an SVT, but, to be fair, had not had the opportunity to sit and dial in "my" tone on the SVT. I have owned a vast array of solid state heads, all the usual ones, and none of them come close to matching the tone of the Buster. I will never willingly go back.

I haven't had any trouble yet. I haven't had it very long either (4 months), but I am not expecting any trouble aside from normal tube amp maintenance. Mesa has an excellent reputation, and I am counting on that.

I needed a replacement handle for the top and the side (minor problems) and they, without question, sent me new parts along with advice on how to perform the replacements safely. So far my experience with Mesa has been graet.

I don't think I will ever need another bass amp. If stolen, I would cuss & swear loudly, then cry, and then I would find another one and buy it immediately. I wish it hadn't taken me as long as it did to make the switch to tubes, but am I ever glad I did. The superior tone is incredible. Mesa has been doing tube tone for many years so I have put my trust in them. I only wish the amp hadn't been discontinued - (check E-bay, etc. for used and music stores selling old inventory). This is not a worry, though. Mesa will support this product forever. To summarize, the Buster Bass 200 1x15" combo is an excellent bass amplifier for any serious player - the metal boys & girls might need a bit more power and volume, but the rest of us will be just fine.

This is a 200 watt all tube bass combo. There are five 12AX7s and six 6L6s. This will make it fairly expense to retube (probably around $150). It has a EV Pro 15 and a small horn which is on an adjustable pad. I bought it new this year (2000) and have since heard rumors that it is being discontinued. It has one channel with preamp gain, master volume, bass, treble, midrange, and seven band eq. There is a front panel switch to engage the graphic and a foot switch (included) to control it remotely. There are outputs for both 8 and 4 ohm loads, a XLR balanced out, and an effects loop with level controls. The amp is very loud for it's size and with an external cabinet will hold it's own against a solid state amp of at least 450 to 500 watts. I use it for all my gigs where previously I would use either a 15" combo (Ampeg B100R) or a large Ampeg rig with a 4x10 cabinet. The Mesa easily produces the same volume as the larger rig. The downside is this amp is HEAVY. It has an integrated pull-up handle and casters so it rolls like a piece of luggage. It's still a bitch to move because sooner or later you have to pick it up and it weighs 100lbs.

The amp sounds fantastic. It has a warm, deep, powerful, tone with lots of punch. The thing I noticed right off was how responsive my basses felt when played through this amp. The notes jumped off my fingers in a way I had never noticed with my solid state amps. I don't think I'll go back to solid state after playing this amp. You can get a lot of variations of tone from mildly distorted to vintage thump but the cool thing is none are bad. It's hard to get the thing to sound unacceptable. I don't think it would go over big with a thrash player or big time slapper, it's too vintage sounding. But if you're looking for TONE, this is your amp. Of particular interest is that the horn doesn't sound like a horn (you can't tell it's there). On other cabinets, I've always turned the attenuator down because I don't like a harsh top end. On the Mesa turning the horn up just adds top end sizzle with no brittleness.

I haven't had it long enough. Mesa has a good rep for reliablity though.

I called Mesa to get a cover and some spare tubes. They were very helpful and called back to let me know the order was on the way. Once again, this is something Mesa is famous for. My guitar friends with Boogies routinely call the factory with questions about 20 year old amps and never get the brushoff.

I''ve been playing 25 years. I would definately buy this amp again as long as I have a good back. If you want tone, buy one - if you want portability, don't even think about it.