Mesa/Boogie V-Twin Rackmount Tube Preamp

this unit is extremely easy to use. very easy to dial in a very nice tone, clean or distorted. no issues.

bloody spectacular. I run mine through a mesa 50/50. Can't add much that hasn't already been said EXCEPT that if you run crap tubes in the unit, it is going to sound like crap.

I run a 1960 RCA vintage black plate 5751 in the clean channel and a Raytheon 1959 black plate in the dirty. The reason I run the 5751 in the clean is because the clean channel is so awesome, it has a tendency to overwhelm the dirty channel. If you have two equal tubes, your clean (at half volume) will be louder than the dirty at full volume.

I get a kinda Eric Johnson meets Santana sound and every gig I have guitarists coming up to me and telling me how amazing my tone is.

Again, this unit is not MUDDY. If you run crap valves, your going to get crap out of it. Simple as that.

Haven't had a problem.

never had to deal with them.

however, don't order mesa tubes.. they're Sovteks rebraded. Go vintage for best results or JJ's Tubes for a baseline quality control.

incredible unit at a great price.

already rewieved in other rewiev, here's a quick rundown:

every mesa piece of equipment is not easy to tweak, but this is simpler than other bigger guns, so i'll go for a full 8, two channel hi mid low pres and gain for each one, three modes to further expand the musical horizon inside this little box, the manual is simple and useful with starter sound to understand the nature of the beast :P clean sound are easier than crunch sound, and this pre cover a broad range of sound, from scooped clean to oversaturated gain, except extreme metal

lacks an extra eq, that many mesa have, the famous 5band that is soooo helpful in tone quest but an extra outbouard eq is a simple add-on and much more powerful

pure mesa sound reminiscent of petrucci and metallica, i like it! the cleans are godly, i tweaked a bit and was going mad with it just adding a little delay to get that " where the street have no name clean " is easy to overlap the two channel to get purring blues sound that get you jamming for days, :) i use this pre with a boss gx700 to add effect eq and a little bit of solid state crunch to reach extreeeem gain, into a 20 20 mesa power amp, it sounds very bright! the guy i bought it from had it in a rack with some kind of marshall power amp and it sounded dull in comparison, the rack version of the v-twin is far more powerful than the pedal version, way more nicer sound and very effective eq onboard!

it's a bit noisy, but just when i'm silent, and a easy job for a noise gate, but nothing serious,
i'm using this preamp with a fender stratocaster
and an ibanez sevenstring with humbucker

i have to say that tweaking crunch sounds is difficult and you have to learn how the eq works in higher gain region, it's hard!

IT IS STEEEEEEL
:P
however, the pots are very exposed and if you don't treat them with proper care they could bend, behind the unit there are two smaller pot that are a easy damage if you do not keep the unit in a rack, so pay attention!

i'm using it without a tube backup confidently, but the gx SS pre section give me alternate backup sounds, i trust this little tank!

great company, they answer question even technical ones.

in italy the repair center is utter crap
so i service the unit myself
( the warranty is long void :P )

but no repair needed till now ( knock on wood )

i play a broad range of style, rock blues metal and every sound i can think of is inside this little box, just a little short of gain, but i prefer SS gain after 2 o'clock anyways :P

i've been playing for 15 years and i was always interested in rack gear, mesa is my guitar hero gear and so i found my tone heaven in these realms too!

you know? here in italy this is the best you can buy for the money, if you want mesa, the other rack pre are far abowe any serious amount of money the working musician can afford, maybe evilbay is helpful in finding these :)

it lacks a post tone eq to shape in a better way gain sounds

i compare this directly over the pedal version
and i sense great win in the rack incarnation
better high and himid , much more presence, it sounds real!!!
so real it's a dream!

Super easy to use as there are 2 clearly marked channels set up as solo and clean. Both channels have identical simple controls including the traditional gain/main volume controls, treble, mid, bass and a way cool presence control. What makes it even cooler is that each respective channel has 3 settings that are selected by a small toggle switch. Solo channel has blues, nice distirtion and a way thrshy distortion setting while the clean channel has settings for vintage, bright and scooped sounds. Effects patch is just that, also a direct out for recording and a headphone out for late night jamming. Have not yet figured out how to work the footswitch options since I didn't get any footswitches yet. The simple solo to clean swith seems pretty straightforward but there also seems to be a more complicated way to remotely switch between all six channel settings. Also a stereo output for both channels. I have my rack on top of my horizontal 2X12 cabinet and that whole set up is on top of my Leslie 120 speaker - point being that the controls are at eye level when I am standing up and easy to access quickly. I would find it difficult to bend over to adjust the controls if your rack set up is closer to the ground like waist or knee high.

The V-Twin is an all tube pre-amp and indeed that warm thick tube sound is evident as soon as you start playing. I am playing a Fender American Fat Strat, seymour duncan pearly gates double humbucker in bridge and two stevie ray vaughn texas special single coils at mid and neck. I go from these thick and punchy warm clean settings to some serious sustain and almost violin sounding tones with the overdrive settings. I finally figured out what the mid and neck pick ups on my guitar are for! I think what helps make the pre-amp is that I bought a Mesa all tube 20/20 rack mount power amp with it ($999 for pre-amp and power amp), and also got this amazing 2X12 Ear Candy BuzzBomb cabinet to play both through. The 3 independent sound settings on both channels give you six all analog/tube sounds at the tip of your fingers. You can also blend the clean and solo channels for additional tones. Stereo output too which works quite well with teh 20/20 stereo power amp. I only get hum when I am way close and set on mid/neck pick ups - I think they may not be shielded so well because the 2xhumbucker is super quiet even when gain is cranked.

So far so good. Had it 5 months with no issues. I did however get a solid rack unit to mount it in and it has never left the bedroom since it arrived so it had been pampered. I will say that this this is solid. You can tell just by the way your guitar plug fits into the input, and by how sturdy the switches and knobs are. Very cool stainless steel design, super minimal but built like a tank.

I had to call the company for advice the day it arrived as I wanted to run the 8ohm stereo out from the 20/20 amp into two independent 16ohm 12in speakers. Left a message and they called me back that night. Even though I purchased used on eBay they were most helpful in talking me through the speaker choice and wiring set up.

Ahhh, this my friend is a total game changer. I knew I was getting a good amp when I bougth this based on the Mesa reputation, but I didn't know how truly amazing it would make my guitar sound. If you are struggling with the luxury of having extra cash to splurge on a new amp, and are considering a shiny new digital set up, take your time and try out one of these all tube workhorses. Don't waste your cash on some digital modeling amp. There is no imitation for the real thing and the V-twin rack mount is just that. Thank you Mesa Engineering!!

I use the v twin through a lexicon reflex and a marshall speaker sim. its ease of use and set upp is fantastic. ive never been more at home with a piece of kit.

It's all there, the clean channel is so sweet and musical. ii use a tube screamer in front of it for a little crunch and then for a little added gain for soloing. the solo channel just blows ur head off. i use a prs single cut trem, a 1994 prs custom 24 and a les paul standard through it and the tone of eache guitar just sings out.. love it

ive only had this a short while but it was in my mates studio for years and theres never been a pick of trouble with it. its hard for me to guage though cos it will be used in a lie situation now so i'll keep u updated

havent had to use yet so ive no comment about it.

i play in several styles, i play in a choir that covers all styles from ballads, wrship, praise, southern gospel and american gospel styles. i also play in a christian rock band which has a classic feel too so it works brilliantly in that scenario. i lean towards paul kossoff and gary moore in my playing styles and the v twin is more than capable in these catagories.. i love it

Couldn't be simpler to use. 2 main channels(clean and overdrive) with 3 switchable modes per channel. Each channel has it's own eq section. You can get more than enough gain for any style music. A cool feature is the mix mode which allows you to mix both channels together(with a seperate volume) or just turn it to either channel and you have a very usable lead boost.

I give the sound quality a 10 because you can get a ton of useful tones just by turning the knobs. I use it with a Mesa 20/20 power amp and have never needed more volume. I run it in stereo with a Lexicon PCM 70 effects processer into a Marshall 4x12 cab. This thing kills the newer rack units from Mesa in tone.

I've owned it for about 6 years and have never had a problem. I feel very confident that you could gig with it and not have a backup.

I've talked with the guys at Mesa several times and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. It is hard to talk to anyone at other manufacturers, let alone getting someone with knowledge.

I play mainly classic/modern rock. I've been playing for over 20 years. If it were lost or stolen, I would immediately go in search for another one.

Has a lot of features so it can be a little hard to dial in unless you get the switches just right. Needs to have the footswitch to make it all work.

Every sound I was looking for in a preamp and sounds great with headphones. Not as fat as the studio preamp tone but definately better for everything else. If you want the mesa mark 2 sound get the studio. If you want a recto sound but clearer then this thing rocks. Great high gain tones as well as clean. That's why I bought it. I've used it with a 2:50 as well as a 2:90 mesa power amp and it sounds great through either.

I've had it a couple years with no problems. Doesn't need a backup but always carry a couple extra tubes just in case.

Mesa didn't have a manual up for a while and it made it hard to get all the specs on but it's there now on thier site..

With a less paul or Ibanez Talman with lipstick pickups it sounds great. Without the manual it's hard to understand everything but with the manual it's pretty easy. Don't confuse this with the pedal model I've had both and this one is much more useable versatile and with the two channels three way switches and mixed mode has too many different configurations to go over in this. Don't get me wrong for blues and santana type stuff the Studio and quad preamps are better but for cleaner blues (more marshall type tone) to metal this thing RIPS. I've been playing for 15 years and have owned Carvin X100B Marshall 800 and 900 amps and many many preamps. I still love my ADA but this is much better and can use outside effects, also I prefer the preamp and effects to be separate so each one is distinct and natural. I use this with a G Force and 2:90 currently. I do wish they made a quad version of this.. Once you get it set up "right" it's inspiring to play. For the money it just plain works...

Well, the sounds depends on what settings you use and how you plug your pedal. I tried to pass it by the amp input by plugging my guitar in it and in amp after, but there was a conflict of preamp, and I got to choose my amp or pedal, but the pedal alone can't suit my style ( I'm playing Heavy/Speed Metal...). If your playing blues or classic rock, you'll find it really nice, but MetalHeads such as me will throw it on the wall(even though it will not break!). So I passed the preamp by the fx loop and tada! that's a miracle. What I do is that I boost the lead channel of my amp with the clean mode of the preamp, it had tight and it sings! Now, my pedal and amp come in a pack.

This is one of the most amazing stomp you can buy. It has 3 channel, 2 footswitchable, gain, presence, low, mid, high and master. There's even a out to plug directly in a mixer or plug headphones on it. Mesa didn't forget anything! The only thing I found a bit disapointing, is that the eq is universal, which means work for all channel, but if you really need that, buy the rack version, it corrects it!

The preamp is unbreakable, the only little things is that i bought it used, and the led of the blues channel is all ****** up, but I don't care, since I don't use this channel. And the adapter... I'll need to buy another one because the AC adapter seems to get out of the hole... but that's not a big problem if you're not dancing on your V-Twin.

Haven't dealt with them, but so many people are saying they're really helpful ( or maybe they're paying them.... aha!)

The only thing I'll tell you is that the other guitarist and the bassist of the band didn't even wanted to try a mesa/boogie before. Now, only the pedal itself changed their mind, they're both boogie now! Could I make it obvious?

Dialing in sounds is extremely simple; standard EQ and drive knobs. I rate it a 6 because you need an external channel switcher to change between all 6 available channels. Mesa only offers a footswitch to select between one clean and one drive channel. However, I do take into consideration that the Triaxis was created w/ midi control and is better suited for those already using midi in their rig. I don't like the fact I have to spend even more to change through all the channels. The manual is classic mesa material. Easy to follow w/ a corny joke here and there.

I can't put a number on sound quality because everyone has their own opinion. I think it sounds fantastic for what it is. Compared to a rectifier, the sound is ALMOST identical. Only thing different is you can't get ALL the highs or ALL the lows the recto has. Only one end of the spectrum. I used this unit through a mesa 50/50 poweramp. ---- One other note, the direct outs on this unit sound awful whether used for recording or running through a PA. Maybe with several thousand dollars of equipment it sounds good, but the average musician can forget about it.

Extremely reliable. I never encountered any problems w/ this unit. However, when I sold it, it arrived to the buyer w/ a broken tube. It was well packaged, but I assume UPS threw an extreme beating on it. I never broke a tube w/ it bouncing around in my rack in the back of a cargo trailer.

Mesa has great customer support, but sometimes you have to leave a number and give them a couple of hours to call you back (thus the 8 rating). I actually bought this particular piece because someone @ Mesa recommended it as their best pre-amp (this was before the recto preamp was available).

Each and every day, I go behind the woodshed and beat myself because I sold this unit. This will continue until I find another one. It's a shame they quit producing this unit.

Easy? No-brainer. I bought this used, and downloaded the manual from the
Mesa site, and was up and running within minutes. My only problem is
having to decide which way to use it, not because I can't figure it out,
but because I can't decide, they all have their strong points.

I'm currently using it in an effects loop configured in a MOTU 828MkII.
No noise problem in the clean and blues modes, but quite noisy in the
metal/crunch modes. This can be worked around, though, by turning down
the treble and mid (a solution for me, since I'm running bass, cello
and Stick through it).

Like the Bottle Rocket, this preamp doesn't neuter a bass signal; the
sound of my electric upright is clear and punchy on the low notes, the
way I expect it to be.

Another top-quality Mesa product. Dependable. Built like a tank. I'd
definitely be comfortable with this on a gig without a backup.

Mesa Customer Support (and Sales Support) are top-flight. When I called
for advice (before I bought the V-Twin), I told them that I'd seen a
couple of different units on eBay. Knowing that they probably wouldn't
make any money off me, they were thoroughly helpful anyway. Big points
for that (and big thanks). I wound up having to buy the channel switch
from them, and received it in a matter of days.

I play improv-jam music, sometimes loud/noisy, sometimes ambient,
sometimes in-between, and this unit is perfect everywhere.

If it were stolen, I'd track down the schlub who stole it, and... don't
get me started! If it were lost, I'd never admit to being that stupid;
I'd have to find some poor schlub to blame instead. :)

very nice cleans , crunch or even big distortion , need a good EQ or enhancer like ultrafex to really boost the unit !
i use it with my rg 7620 and sa 1260 + rocktron xpression +marshall 9100 2x50 watts +2x12 v 30 NOS cabinets .
it suits very well to my style eventhough i am making death metal melo style, blues at home...and everything between !

may buy a rectifier preamp to have a much more overdirven sound , but , this one is very loud and powerfull, could be a little bit more agressive to really make me touch heaven ,but i am not far from it !
judge by yourself here :
http://www2.serveur4u.com/jnogier/the%20gear.htm
some samples and videos of the v-twin!

very versatile preamp , 2 channels , with 3 voicing on each channel.
6 switch to change the voicings with a switcher unit!
stereo effects loop with volume and footswichable activation.
lot of things in this single rack space unit.
go and see the mesa boogie user manual available on their website to see more.

seems to be unbreakable....love it

never delt with them?

love this unit , not expensive .
would try to buy a rectifier preamp , because this one is pretty difficult to find.
i will keep it even if i buy a more expensive preamp!

I bought this mesa product for 400 euro from someone in the Netherlands. I was looking for a quit easy to use preamp for my 50/50 and after I read some review I bought one. Well..After I have downloaded the user manual I found out is is very easy to use this great preamp. I use it with a midi board, a boss GX 700 for the loop FX and I use a little midi interface to preset te mesa and the Boss.

The sound is really amazing, It is just what you can expect from a good tube amp. The clean is good and clear and the distortion is warm and smooth. The only argument is, the amp doesn't have to much gain. If you only play very loud metal, this amp is maybe not your amp. I play several things like dire straits, nirana, metallica, vai, satriani and queen but i don't really play death metal. The use the footswitch only for switching the loop on and off. I use the midi floorboard to switch the channels of the preamp.

Mostly I play with Gibson les paul models but I also have an Ibanez with paf pro picks on it and a nice push pull switch. Most important with this amp is: your guitar signal stays natural, your strat will sound lik a strat and your les paul sounds like a les paul. What isn't with the modern digital preamps. The distortion is very deep and toneful, if you play a full chord you can hear every indipendeble string of your guitar. Very great clean for blues, mark knopfler solo's and a really good slash look a like sound. The preamp itself is very noiseless, I only have to replace a cable, but that doesn't have something to do with the amp.

I haven't used it yet with a gig, cause I have this thing just for a week but I've got enough trust it will work very well!! It is build very proffessional and solid. I don't have a backup so I have to trust on it.

Never dealed with them, but...If you live in the Netherlands and you want to order some mesa stuff direcly from their website, it is not possible to ship things. They suggest to concact with a local dealer. That could be easier i think!

I play for 7 years, of course that's not a guarantee to play well and know a lot of the gear but I have lots experience with different musicstyles and different types of gear and I have to say this is absolutely a great amp. But you must use it with a good Power amp like the mesa 20/20, 50/50 or 2:90. I use two 50/50 units (one as backup) and found out a real good combination. I think I never will buy anymore than mesa stuff!! It rocks!! If it where stolen I Would buy another one or maybe another mesa preamp with a little more gain. I really like the full tone what is useble for any type of solo. Use a wah pedal and a eq for a more kirk hammet sound!

Playing an Ibanez UV777GR with Evo7 in the bridge and a Blaze bridge in the neck with stock Blaze single. I use this guitar to play death metal and some shred and it does an ok job just by itself. I can manage to get a variety of distorted and clean sounds with the UV ranging from Meshuggah-like tones to Fender-like sparkle cleans. The preamp isn't noisy when used by itself direct to board. I've used the headphone output to feed the line-in input of my soundcard to record on-the go riffs and it wasn't noisy. When used in a rack setup, I had to use a noise suppressor/gate so I can access higher gain settings without feedbacking like hell!
Like any tube amp, each guitar will affect how this preamp will sound. As for the preamp's tone, I'm only going to compare 2 modes. I've compared my setup with a Dual Rectifier head and I was happier with the sound I was getting with my setup. Lead mode Distortion takes a while to get that elusive Rectifier grind but once acheieved, it's a sound that devastates (combined with an awesome poweramp of course). As for the Fat Mode, the bass is turned up while the overall tone is 'louder' compared to the other clean modes. I'm giving it an 8 becuase this preamp had so much potential in terms of sounds but certainly lacked in the hi-gain department, despite having the gain set almost to max(!).

1994 V-twin Rackmount stereo Preamp. 2 12AX7 tubes (1 Mesa SPAX7 and 1 Mesa 12AX7-russian),6 modes, 2 channels (3 channels if ya include the Mix channel that enables both clean and distorted chnanels). Essentially, a very stripped down and basic Mesa/Boogie preamp that has its own tone. 3 modes for each channel. Lead mode is Mesa Boogie; basically a Dual Rectifier-type sound. Crunch mode is Marshall-like; good for Rock if gain doesn't exceed 12'o clock. Blues mode is a very light distortion over the clean signal but can sustain for days; Santana comes to mind with this mode. As for the clean channels, there are 3 modes as well; Scooped, Bright, and Fat. All of these modes can be accessed through individual relay ports using a switching device or 2 of these modes can be accessed by just the accompanying footswitch.
Personally, I think the best feature on this unit is the fx loop switching. Basically, this preamp can be setup to enable the fx loop on either channel which can be done via a toggle switch or via relay. What's missing in this unit is the mythical reverb unit which was integrated into this preamp's design. I'm giving it a 9 because of the missing and non-existant reverb unit.

I'm kinda worried about how the 12AX7 tubes are mounted perpinduclar to the PC board on individual sockets where the only thing holding them are a couple flimsy metal contacts. Otherwise, it hasn't broken down on me. I've replaced the FX loop switch twice and it still works fine. The pots need cleaning but it's nothing major at the moment.

I purchased this unit used and was hot-rodded by the previous owner. He had replaced the master volume in the rear with the same concentric volume knob found in the Triaxis and installed it where the blue light originally was. I had to replace a few parts and had to order them directly from Mesa/Boogie, not the Hollywood outlet store that was 15 minutes away from me. Great support and treated me with top priority, although it might take them a few hours to call you back. They indeed had the parts I needed to make the repairs while a couple of 'em were out of stock. It took them about 3 weeks to send the remaining parts and wasn't charged until it was en route to my house. They even let me choose how it should be shipped. Overall, getting a Mesa/Boogie means 100% customer support from the people who make these amps.

Been playing guitar for more than 10 years as a hobby. Mainly shopped around for a preamp to replace the Studio Pre I had. The Studio Pre was great, but not necessarily the sound I was looking for. Within the price range I was looking at, it was either a Formula Pre or a V-twin rackmount. I was sold on the V-twin due the fact it came out around the same time the Dual Rectifier's were at its peak and the misunderstood headphone jack.
My rig consists of a RackRider RR-15, BBE 482 Sonic Maximizer, Hush IICX, and a Mesa/Boogie Simulclass 2:95 poweramp shockmounted in a Mesa 12 space rack. Still a very basic setup for now but there will eventually be a couple more 'toys' added in the long run. The Hush and BBE are connected in the V-twin's fx loop at 100% (serial) and set to be enabled only when Distorted channel is selected. I like this preamp because of the Mix Mode feature plus the selectable FX loop. I'm not going to get rid of this anytime soon but I'd like to compliment it with an additional preamp; perhaps a Rectifier Pre or an Engl 530. Although, I wished Mesa actually used more than 2 preamp tubes for more gain saturation.
As mentioned earler, Mesa tried to integrate a reverb tank into this preamp but never got to it. It would've been a better choice to have a reverb tank into this unit since the only other preamps that have them are the Studio Pre and the Quad Pre.
As with any Mesa amps, read the careful manually and adjust knobs very slowly.

the sounds this thing can produce are phenomenol. This thing rocks. I am using it with a mesa 50/50 power amp and it plays like a dream. I can get the best crunch like the recto and a sparkling clean tone. I don't get it, when other people say that it isn't any good. You need to have time to play around with it. That is what i have been doing everyday for the last month.

this is an extremely versatile amp. It kicks ass. It is great because you can mix the clean and distortion channels to get basically any sound. I wouldn't be able to find a more versatile amp that sounds this good, not including all that line 6 crap that has no tone. I have only had it for a month, but i am amazed. Though nothing gets a perfect score.

Haven't had it for too long. From what i have heard mesas are built like tanks.

I have asked them many questions about it, they seem nice and helpful.

Great amp. Try it first, because it is not for everyone. It is the amp for me though. I play punk and hardcore and it sounds awesome

Played with Strat, Tele and LP. Excellent clean sound - especially the scooped setting - clean blues aplenty with lots of depth and bite.
Mediocre overdrive channel though. Not a patch on the MB Studio or Quad for the classic rock and blues that I play. Seems to lack definition and tightness for chord stabs. And muddy with many overdrive tones where the Studio is clear.

Bought this for the versatility (two independent channels), having owned MB Studio Pre and Quad. Voice switches are useful and effective. Loads of footswitching options. Can't work out a purpose for the Mix mode though!

No problems during the time I had it. I'd worry about damaging the board when replacing tubes though. Since there are about 16 screws between you and tube replacement though, it's not meant to be a tube-swappers sort of preamp.

No idea. MB stuff tends to last in my experience

Still got my MB Studio that this was supposed to replace, I hoped the V-Twin would give me the same sounds with more versatility. Wrong! If this was my first preamp, I might have thought it was awesome but after the Quad and Studio, it's disappointing. About on a par with the JMP-1 (which can't do a decent clean tone to save it's life).

I primarily use Ibanez guitars (a JEM7VWH and a UV777BK). My other electrics include an American Standard Strat, an old Ibanez RT450, and a custom, Jem-style guitar loaded with Dimarzio Evolutions. To give you an idea of my style, my favorite artists are Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dream Theater, etc. I also play in a local jazz band.

From shred to jazz, this preamp covers all of it. The crunch channel is great for rhythm, and the solo channel is really smooth and great for lead tone in Satch and Vai songs. Great dynamics. The blues channel is ok but I don't often use it as it doesn't suit my style. All of the clean channels are exceptionally tight and responsive. Perhaps the best characteristic of this preamp is that it is incredibly quiet. Even with maximum gain there isn't even the slightest hint of a hiss or hum.

As for the brutality of the distortion, I would say that this preamp will cover everything except extreme death metal crap. It sounds too sweet and smooth for that. If that's your style, then get something cheap and solid state.

Very versatile, with 3 distortion channels (crunch, solo, blues) and 3 clean channels (fat, bright, scooped). You can mix clean and distortion channels, too, which is very cool. Lots of outputs and different methods of control. No midi, of course since it isn't digital. Also no reverb. What you get is six channels of great-sounding tube tone. Uses 2 12AX7s.

It looks very, very solid. I feel it is very dependable and I would definitely gig without a backup.

It's Mesa/Boogie. I bought this preamp used and as soon as I got home I downloaded the manual for it, which was exceptionally well-written. I haven't dealt with Mesa personally but I've heard great things.

For about the cost of one of those silly little Line 6 PODs (hehehe), I got a flexible, powerful tube preamp. It doesn't try to model anything, it just has its own unique sound. Go buy it. Oh yeah, and buy it used from someone who doesn't need it anymore--not from those commission-driven jerks at Guitar Center.

this petal is easy..plug in. If u can do that ur on ur way. like i read and found out,,this petal will work wonders on a good amp. Initialy there isnt a wide range of tone but with an amp with good eq... this baby squeel's. switch on bottom for adjustments.

well i wanted to beef a vintage setup to rock while maintaining all tube quality,,,and job done! i run this through a fender twin (loud), and an american strat with single coils (changing neck p/u for real use of the petal). u wouldnt believe the sound..the petal has by-pass so i dial in the amazing fender sparkle..then with a stomp,,,get a very liked distortion. very cool for blues...sustains great and can get those van halen squeel's too. Also goog for rock/heavy rock but wouldnt recommend this if u were a metalhead. for my case this petal is great and recommend this if u are in the same boat. u have a set-up that is real good but threw falt of ur own for not being knowlegable enough u by something with no balls,,,,,buy this...its a pre-amp so its like best of both worlds.

this baby i assume is reliable exept the plug in that just falls out....i really dont understand such a great company cant fix something like this,,ohh well.

dont know final sale .. but i took that risk when i saw this tank...shouldn't ever be more than changing tubes for a probem.

expensive...and going up 200 bucks(woah!),,so if it were stolen id cry cause $620cdn. is kinda alot to spend on a petal. i play heavy type blues and rock/heavy rock and this petal solved alot of problems.i feel confident bout my tone AND sound and after 5yrs. im happy.love the petal , hate the cord . im kinda anal for not wanting some digital or transistor crap but but there really is a difference to a boss jo-blow. people diss this petal are people who use a 20watt amp made from sears or somthig..cause with a good set up this baby works!

Using with Ibanez w/ dimarzios Super Distortion and Paf-Pro.No noise or distortion on the clean channel!!Great!!
The distortion is great.Not enough if you play crappy new metal(arrrrrggghhhhhh!!!!).newmetalcocksuckers,stay away!Singing sounds from the solo channel,and for metal leads,I stick a Ds-2 w/ it.
Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaattttttt!!!!!

One of the recent ones,tube preamp from Mesa/Boogie.More than enough for the styles that I play,an I play jazz,70's funk,progressive metal and all the styles that you could imagine!3 channel,alternate button to switch beteen blues and clean.No Fx loop(that I wish it had!) and a very useful headphone jack.

Built like a army gun!I could trust my life this thing will never let me down!

Never dealt w/ them

Have owned digitech,zoom and boss distortions.Couldn't be hapier.
Own a Dc-2.

Go to next store and try one of this...

Lo tengo conectado a una etapa MARSHALL 9200 DUAL MONOBLOCK y es muy peligroso ,te puede reventar la cabeza de un empellon.
Sonido dulce y calido cargado de graves muy definidos...

Increible, puedes acceder a cantidad de registros sonoros ,con una gran calidad..desde el Pop pasando por el Blues y terminando en el Metal

Facil de manejar y bonitoo:-)

Perfecto...profesionalidad a tope

Mola mogollon ...si tienes para pagarlo

I am playing with an Ibanez Prestige guitar with Damarzio pickups and a double locking bridge. I have a Mesa 20/20, the V-Twin, a BBE Sonic Maximizer, and an Alesis Quadraverb GT. This setup is amazing, it is versitile enough to play jazz, blues, country, rock, and heavy metal, but most importantly it is easy to use.

Two channels(clean & solo), and a three way toggle switch for each. It has a mix channel that is amazing. It has everything you need in a preamp and more

This unit is built like a truck. The tubes are internal, not opened in the back like the Tri-axis. The knobs and switches are smooth. the only thing that will mess this thing up is maybe falling down a flight of stairs.

Mesa Boogie is a great company, they don't make one bad product, but their customer support is ok, not great. If you are unable to speak to a real person and you have to leave a message, it could be a couple days before they get back to you, but they will get back to you.

Overall, this preamp with this setup is all I ever asked for. I used to play a Marshall DSL 100 and that thing sounded like crap. All I can say is that you cannot go wrong with Mesa!

I think it's easy, altough I didn't get the sound I really want out of it (yet?), but maybe it will never do that...The footswitch is easy, with 2 channels and 1 combined. I have the late model, without the possibililty of changing from 'sound-type' 1 to 3...But I wish I had it!!
The manual is ok, but there should have been some more examples of possible 'presets'

I use my vtwin with a peavey 19" 2x60 Watt Classic PW Amp, a marshall 4x13 cab and a digitech RP-5, which I'm going to replace very soon, what a piece of rubbish....My guitar is a musicman silhouette.
I think the vtwin-gain/overdrive sounds rather 'thin', I wish it had a little more warmth, depht and power, I can't get a real heavy-metal sound out of it an I can't get a real heavy solo sound out of it.
The clean channel is ok.

It never failed to work (YET??)
I have no money for a back-up, but I might gonne use it as one, when I'm gonne buy a tri-Axis!!

I play mainly covers, but I don't think it's 'allround' enough. Thats why I'm gonne buy a Tri-Axis once...
If it were stolen, than I would buy a tri-axis!
I choose it, because it's was cheap and because it is a mesa-boogie!!

Esp EXP STD, emg 81's. Very great for Metallica/Megadeth tones. Clean channel is very sweet. Solo channel provides good gain, but not markIV gain....still very sweet dual rectifier sound....running it through a boogie 50/50 power amp and Crate 4X12.

Very impressive, heard alot of slack about these not having enough gain, these pathetic morons need to get a life and some real pickups. Like say EMG 81's. Of course you won't get alot of gain, using a fender strat, or a peavey predator (pathetic as hell) b/c that's not what those paticular guitars were designed for. Bought this and it's a very cool preamp....

Never had a prob....

never had any probs, no need to contact. rave reviews though...

Overall great mesa preamp. If it were ever stolen, i would personally track down who stole it, and beat their damn ass, and then piss on their corpse.....really though, if it were stolen i would replace it. Just purchased a triAxis though, and the things killer. Thought about getting rid of the vtwin, 5 seconds later i reach a decision: hell no, it's now my backup, and a very good one at that. If you can't afford a triAxis (i busted my ballz and saved for quite awhile) then go with the vtwin rack. Great boogie tone, and for the price you sure as hell can't beat it.....

I haven't gotten bad sounds out of it yet. Cleaner gives more attack, Solo gives ridiculous gain, great features: two 12AX7's, (Preamp, not just regular fuzz box) Drives headphones, is O.K. direct to tape, good out to mixer, haven't tried out to pwr amp.

Stonesy on the "Blues" setting, blistering on the solo with a strat and 61 Blond bassman thru a Boogie 4X12, Clean setting is virtually uncolored. With the Les Paul, I got great Allman lead sounds out of the blues channel, and Slash-type gain on Solo. Like I said before, it loses attack as you raise the gain. Definitely use something to give a boost for a lead, though, because there's not much volume difference between channels. I Recommend a compressor, or something to get you the attack you lose as you raise the gain. Awesome toy, though, lots of features for the price.(I consider $300 more than fair when you consider 3 tones, switchable, recording, direct/headphone out, tube circuitry, remote switchability, and all around Boogie goodness

Let's get this straight. Never go to any gig without backup. Very dependable though. It's Boogie. I'm only going on reputation though. I got it last week. No funny stuff yet.

Never dealt yet.

I've been playing alternative and classic rock for about 6 1/2 years. The V-twin will fit right in with my Silver Face Twin and Bandmaster, Champ112, and the 61 Bassman, Ibanez TS-9, Boss CS-3, Strat copy, Les Paul Studio, and Tele. Great signal to the 424MKII Portastudio. I'm dying to get my hands on a good set of headphones now too, cause i was rather impressed by the sound that came out of my garbage KOSS $20 dollar phones. I do wish it had separate E.Q.ing for the Solo voice, maybe an attack knob, separate voice gains or volume boost, another footswitch to switch between blues and clean(there's a plastic switch to make clean or blues the "alternate" voice, but you have to remember where you are if you wanna try and use it, and I don't think it's meant for foot use), but I think I'm being greedy for $300, but you asked what else I wanted.

Honestly, I've only had this thing a week. But, it's my second mesa preamp, and my 4th piece of mesa gear, so what the heck, I've got a little experience with mesa so I'm reviewing it already.
Using this with a Mesa 50/50. Sounds great for rock. Cleans are very nice. Lead mode (2) is very cool for single note sustain for days. Crunch is good for rock, but will not do metal. Not a heavy enough sound for me, that's why I'm going to sell mine. I prefer the tone and tightness of this preamp over my Mesa Studio Preamp, but the Studio preamp kicks but on this unit for "in your face punch", which this unit, as the previous reviewer, has stated. This unit also does not have enough gain for me. Sounds like a Dual recto, but imagine if you could only turn your gain up to 5. It just starts to get downright nasty with the gain all the way up. Another beef: this thing has a very compressed sound, but it is flatly compressed. I.E. it is compressed but does not vary or compress more or less with volume, picking changes, etc. Does not sound very wet and elastic. Cleans are dynamic and it still does sound very good for rockin and has a great, rude tone. I couldn't keep away from it when I first got it. A welcome change from the scooped, 'processed' sound that my other preamp has (when using the graphic EQ on the Studio Preamp, basically the only way to get a usable distortion sound out of it).
This preamp only has 2 tubes: the clean channel is all tube, but the distortion sounds are generated by solid state diode clipping, much like the Silver Jubilee, JCM800, and JCM900 series marshalls, and (yes!) the JMP-1 preamp. This lends to a softer, less harsh clip than the Mark Series Boogies, which have 'cascaded preamp' tubes for gain, but also leads (I suspect) to the less lively, more compressed sound aformentioned.
I think this thing would suit very well rock and modern rock sounds, modern blues sounds ok. But if you're really playing blues, you should be playing an old fender or marshall. I think this preamp would be great in a studio tracking situation. It certainly has a lot more usable sounds than my Studio Preamp, it just doesn't get as heavy.
One nice thing with the mix mode is to set the mix ratio all the way to lead, and turn the mix level up louder than the normal lead channel. Blammo!--playing live, you've got a footswitchable solo boost, so everybody in the room hears your leads.

Good features. Two channels with 3 modes each, which change the tone or gain structure noticeably. Independent EQ on each. Stereo outs, footswitchable between 2 channels plus a mix mode with independent mix level (volume) and ratio of mix. Foostwitchable or auto assignable FX loop. Midi interface for access to all 6 modes, but can anyone really use this? Tuned recording outs. Main beef: squeezed into 1 rack space, valuable features like the main output volume knob is in the back, kind of a pain sometimes when you need to turn down both channels just a touch.

Can't comment, haven't used it more than twice live, but mesa stuff in my experience is very reliable.

heard that they are great...

I think that this is a pretty good piece for the money. YOu could do a lot worse. Been playing 7 years, owned some mesa stuff. I like it, but in a few years suspect I will have moved out of my 'high gain' preferences, into kinder, gentler sounding amps (mainly old fenders and maybe even voxes, which I'm getting soft for already). Till then I'm saving for a Dual Recto!

The clean sounds are my favourite, very beautifull crispyness in clean1 (Scooped). You can get a very Fat vintage sound with Solo 3 (Blues) and clean3 (Fat) mixed together with the mix turned mostly towards the clean sound (as another reviewer mentioned, this has to be done very delicatly because it's so sensitive) For the Solo sounds i.g. Solo 1 & 2 you have to use a graphic eq, my opinion is that it misses the directness of other Mesa amps in the solo channel, i've had a studio preamp before this one, and therefor sounds very different (it's sound even differs from the V-Twin pedal version) there's just no "balls" present without the eq. I think Mesa made a mistake in there definiton of "crunch" in the manual (Solo 1)

Virtualy all you need is in there, even for customizing plenty of room and connections are already present, i've build in a MIDI interface to access all six modes and there mixes myself. The MIDI interface was originaly planned as an option but was never developed,however the V-Twin Rackmount is ready for it (the same goes for a reverb option). The thing i realy missed is the 5-band graphic equalizer this unit needs it so badly! Luckely the new Formula preamp has one onboard (probably my next step,just wish Mesa brought it out sooner!) For equalizing i use my Rocktron Replifex. For different functions IC's were used thus revealing it's origin, the V-Twin pedal! Inside you'll also find two LED's to enhance the glowing of the 12AX7 tubes when viewed from the frontpanel, very distastefull and not at all Mesa like, these make the unit look very cheap! Controls are like any normal guitar amp but now you have two completly seperate preamps.

Never experienced the kind of tube problems as one reviewer mentioned before. However when opening the unit i found two of the three studs which hold the powersupply printboard to be broken, very dangerous indeed ,check these if you buy one! (easely solved by exchanging them with the ones already present for the reverb printboard!) In the future i think the mounting of the tubesockets are bound to give problems, these are very fragile placed (on a wobly verticaly placed printboard) and replacing a tube can be very difficult.

I think Mesa has the best support without any doubt. They'll help you in any way, if they can. I got some great help with building in my MIDI interface and with some problems with my .50 Caliber THANKS JOHN! Altough they could not send me proper drawings of the V-Twin rack, these were never made due to internal problems, (i still find this unbelievable)i was promised they will send me them when/if they were made. And you know what? i'm sure they will do so! I'm that confident in there support. I've given a rating of 9 just because they sometimes were not able to help me fully due to internal problems, but otherwise it would definetly have been a 10!

This unit is not suitable for every style but it's very usable. Considering it's price and overall features and ofcourse being a Mesa product i think it's a good buy. However to be hounest i don't think i would buy it again at this point because i'd rather save up for the new Formula preamp which i think is more proffesional, my expectations are very high for this one.

I don't use all of the modes but I love what it does to my Les Paul. Since my effects are digital it is nice to run it thru some tubes to really fatten up that mahogany even more. I love it! It can be somewhat niosy so I keep a noise suppressor at the end of the chain. I'll try a different brand of tubes...

I won't describe it for the record but tell you one of the little things that bug me. When in Mix Mode the adjustment for the Mix, from clean to dirty, is too sensitive. It is hard to find the right balance as it tends to swing too much one way or the other.

It seems to go through tubes rather quickly and I have not figured out why yet. I gig about three time a week and I get a blown tube about every four months. Maybe this is normal? I run Audio Glassics but want to experiment a little with Groove Tubes.

Not needed to this point.

I have played it about a year and a half and I love it. i would buy it again...been thinking about picking up a second for backup. I typically run into a Boss GT-5 with the MB set in the EFX loop as the first device in the Boss chain. I also use the Lexion Reflex (sweet unit). From there I presently run straight into house. I am looking to pickup a Vox AC15 maybe a Roland Blues Cube in the next year. I amy also add the MB Tri-Axis to my rack.

This unit has two channels, clean and dirty each in three flavors. You need a tip to ground switcher to access all of them. The footswitch allows you to toggle between two. Wait, you you can also mix the two together. Discrete controls per channel with mixing controls also.

Exists on the Recto side of the Mesa product line. Sounds are similar to the Dual Rectifier/Tremoverb. Clean sounds are pristine yet fat. Quiet. Dirty sounds have plenty of juice for sustaining notes. One variation has mid dip/bass boost for big rhythm meat. Its definitely not similar to the MarkIII/IV series. Use a gate for super high gain settings. The range on the gain control is vast, with lots of character in the mid way settings. Juicy.

I've used it live 5 times. No problem. The rating comes from my previous experience with other Mesa gear.

Probably the best

Complements my Mark III. Wouldn't think of getting rid of it. Provides my clean and brutal rhythm sounds live. ALSO the direct recording cab simulator sounds pretty great.