Mesa/Boogie V-Twin Tube Preamp Pedal

The sounds I get are quite smooth and harmonically rich. I guess it's like a cross between the Mark and Rectifier series of Boogies. I don't like it for high-gain sounds, it just kind of lame, nu-metal, Nickelback sounding. That's not the unit's fault. It was a cool sound in the early/mid 90s when it first came out. Everybody uses a Recto now, the sound is too cliched. It sounds nice for lower gain though, and that's all I use it for.
Through a cranked tube amp, the unit adds a cool bluesy boost (blues channel at 1/2). At a quieter amp setting, I've experimented and came up with a sound that to me is a cross between Trey on Phish's A Live One and the Eric Johnson lead tone. I tried to get enough gain on the red channel but too much gain on the V-Twin just pushed my sound into Nickelback territory, so I used the Tubescreamer (with the red channel gain at 1/4) instead.
The clean is nice, too, can fatten up an amp's tone for jazzy sounds.
I've tried to use it direct for overdrive sounds- too dull and muddy. For direct clean it's not so bad, but too noisy. Maybe there's something in the unit that needs to be changed to get rid of the noise. I experimented with different 12AX7s but the noise factor was still there. I've tried it direct with different instruments including bass, at different places, haven't been able to avoid the noise factor.
For different sounds, I often experiment with the V-Twin EQ as well as the amp's EQ. It can sound different through different amps. Fender style, simpler amps have worked the best for me so far, I use it with a Blue Angel and Pro Junior.

3- channel preamp in a pedal. Most features are useless to me (direct applications), never tried it into a power amp. I only use it into an amp. It's the only way to get a good sound out of it IMO.
I usually use it into a cranked tube amp for a gain boost, with the blues channel at about half. To switch to a cleaner sound I switch to bypass.
I also use it into a quiet amp with the red channel at about 1/4 gain, then I either switch to bypass for a true clean sound, or just between blues for a clean-ish sound, red for a slight distortion, and then switch on my tubesreamer for a relatively transparent gain and sustain boost.
I use this with a strat and les paul, and non-master volume tube amps.

I got this used, it was scratched up on the underside, the LED for Blues doesn't work anymore, but otherwise the unit is well-built and holds up fine. I've had it for 6 or 7 years now.

I've dealt with Mesa a few times, they've been really good to deal with. No issues there, great service!

This pedal is probably more important to my sound than using a specific guitar or amp. I really like it. I'd have a hard time without it, just for it's slight, sweet gain boost. So far I've never heard anything I've liked better. That's just my specific taste in guitar sound though.

i use a twin reverb 65 amp with fender strat, and a gibson custom 355.
up until now i have used and replaced many peddals, among them
the ibanez tube king, sans amp classic, ibanez ts9.
there is no best or worse, just diffrent.
i still have them all together and i use eache one for diffrent sound.
but when the v twin is working the sound signal comes out better,
it improves the sound of your guitar on any channel you use.
i use mostly with the lead sound ,i have allways had the problem with distortions that could not give me a 70s classic sound and a steve vai more agression in one.
the v twin is the only one that dose it.
pure proffesional!!!

3 channels (clean , drive and lead)
all in one!!!

i allways say take good care of your gear ,
and it will never fail you down.
it looks like it was built in an army and been tested to face
Nuclear Bombs .

super super super!!!!!
i live in israel , so i got mine shipped to me from the US.
like i said befor, it looks like an army device , and in isarel they dont take chances ,so they open it for check and forgot to place back one of the bolt thats holds up the tubes cover.
i calld mesa's Customer Service and explained it...
they send me two new bolt to my house in israel with no charge!!!!!!
this is a company that has earn its best reputaition for a reason.

i have been playing guitar and making music for over 15 years,
and i have seen and heard a lot of pedal , this one beats the high standarts of sounds.

this is truely should be a pro's choice.

it is a very good looking unit. it isn't easy to get THIS sound every one is searching, but you can easily get an overall good sound.

There are only knobs you really need, nothing special.

i use an IBANEZ RG550, sometimes Gibson Les Paul Studio with it through a MESA RECTIFIER 2:100 poweramp and a MARSHALL 2x12 cab.

on high gain it is noisy, but i think every serious guitarist has an good working noise gate. the sound is really straight forward and it has the MESA-low-mids. not that articulated and present like the rectifier, it is sounding more old-school. the clean sound is really nice, not a fender, but it is a mesa so don't complain. the cleans are really dynamic and good sounding. The blues-channel, i was never using, because it is sounding like a downstepped, muddy solo-channel.
The solo channel is tight, but you need a lot of highs to win the fight against the muddiness. this thing has power, twice or triple more output volume than my POD XT PRO (i ran my poweramp at 2 or 3 and i got pain in the ears!)

The distortion character is old-school, nirvana isn't a big problem with it.. but for over-cruel-heavy metal or nu metal there are better units! (what do you expect from 2 x 12AX7 preamp tubes.. other amps are using 3 gain stages --> V1, V2, V3, TUBE BUFFER, PHASE INVERTER)

it is built like a tank and very good looking. i would use it without a back-up.

i haven't ever dealt with them but they seem to be very patient and helpfull

i play nirvana, limp bizkit _-> need tight, heavy, focused distortion

playing since 2000!

I'm using a gibson flying v 67, a ibanez superstrat, and an esp lespaul copy with
a marhsall jtm615 combo, a marshall vs100 combo, a hugheskettner attax 100 combo or a hughes kettner warp 7 stack
i play very different styles, from early rock to blues/jazz to high gain metal.

This pedal was thought as a alternative to my pod pro, thanks god my pod always worked. thats also the reason why i sell it now.

first the good aspects of the v-twin.
the recording output is okay if you don't have a pod.
the clean sounds are very fine; they have a warm but direct sound, and it is easy to get the sound you like. especially with my favourite, the flying v, they are incredible!(but i think thats more the guitar than the effect)
and the little lights are very good, you see them always.

but thats it. there are not more positive things to say.

the distored sounds are bad, really bad. no really usable sound for hardrock, early rock, or even metal. if you play music like these then look for another preamp. i tried it with several pairs of tubes, no one could make my v-twin sing. the distortion is just what i call thin, tiny and unreal.

as already said i sell mine and never buy one again.
i give it a two because of the nice cleans.

very heavy and robust pedal
nice outfit
2 12AX7 tubes
many in and outputs

great. build like a german car.

never had to contact them, so no complains.

have it now for three years. never enjoyed playing.
i hope i won't ever have to play it again.

Ease of getting a good sound:10
Edting:10
Users Manual:9
Upgrades:Considering the upgrades would be tubes:10

Setup: USA,Hand made Strat->Mesa V-twin->Crate Gx-120 Amp.

Noisy?:nope, not really

The sounds are excellent. YOu can get a great range of sounds. Blues to Rock in terms of distortion.

The Clean sound is BEAUTIFUL!

My favorite sound is Santana's newer creamy, Dumble sound. It doesn,t really do this sound. But it can get creamy-smooth if you set it right.

It sounds more bitey around the edges. But very fun!

THE CLEAN IS WHERE IT'S AT!
Clean rating: 10!
Distortion rating: 7.5

REMEMBER THE TUBES MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!
THIS PEDAL IS INFINITELY UPGRADABLE CUZ IT USES TUBES!!

Rating with chinese tubes it comes with: 7
Rating with electro-harmonix: 9.5

GET RID OF THE STOCK CHINESE TUBES--RIGHT AWAY!!

You could shoot it point blank with a tank!!

Never called

Very easy and very versatile. Six pots. Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble,Presence, and Master. Bypass switch, clean/blues switch, and overdrive switch. It basically has 3 settings: clean, blues, and overdrive.

Mine is an older unit that doesn't have a volume control underneath the pedal. It's supposed to be on newer models to help keep the volume the same between different channels. Nonetheless this pedal is awesome. Forget about other pedals that have a tube in them driven by 9v and 300 ma. (Tube Driver, Tube Factor, Tube King...etc)This pedal utilizes REAL voltages that tubes are meant to use creating harmonics that "voltage starved" designs don't.
It's a true tube preamp. Now for a little secret: I've found you get the best sounds out of all 3 drive settings if you replace the right tube with a slightly lower gain preamp tube like a 12AT7A (ECC81)It creates a smoother harmonic distortion with less "white noise" in the sound. Makes the clean channel transparent. Just makes your sound clearer, vibrant and crisper with a sweet "just barely breakup" at maximum gain. The blues channel is also less muddy and has more clarity in the lower gain settings. The overdrive channel has more even order harmonics and doesn't go into insane overdrive level so quickly. I use a Chinese 9th generation 12AX7 in the left socket and a Groove Tubes 12AT7A on the left. I've tried lots of different preamp tubes in both sockets and so far like the sound of this the best into a Fender blackface amp.

I've tried about 10 tube pedals over the years and the only one that comes close to this is...A Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket...which sounds just as good in the heavy distortion category but no clean channel. but if there was ONE pedal I could have...this would be it. If you MUST use a pedal (instead of your amp) to get distortion, or want to plug directly into a PA or recording console. THIS is the way to go.
I'd give this pedal a 10 if I didn't have to go through all the experimental tubes to get a great sound...But now that I got there with it it's great.

I've heard some people have broken the sockets when replacing tubes but I've never had that problem (and have messed with it a lot in that department). The LED that lights when the clean channel is engaged burnt out over the years and could be replaced if I ever got to Radio Shack. It doesn't matter much to me. The case is built like a tank.

I play more standard rock (not heavy metal) so I never seem to use the overdrive much. Just the clean and blues settings. I can imagine maybe using the overdrive for lead guitar like on "American Woman or Sweet Child of Mine" But not really my style. It's there for you kids though. I'm thinking of buying a second one I love it so much and I'm afraid they won't make them in the future for backup.

update

after 4 years the lights have fallen in and the red channel ceased to work.

The v-twin takes a while to set up.. its got lots of bottom end, it sounds great once you dial in your specific sound.. and im sure everybody can.

I'm using a Gibson nighthawk through a Fender Red Knob twin hooked up with a marshall master lead 30.. No other effects besides my blues driver occasionally. The Lead channel is a bit muddy but thats how alot of mesa boogies are, the blues channel is great smooth, responsive its really cool sounding. The clean channel is mediocre, it sounds for some things but my fender's clean is better. my only problem is finding a clear sort of distortion where you can distinguish every note but still play palm muted rythem and sound good

i dropped it down a flight of stairs and all that happend is it broke a tile on the bottom

i heard there a pain to deal with.. the folks at guitar center informed me

I play different types of music mostly hardcore punk rock bands like propagandhi and minor threat. I also play blues/classic rock clapton,LZ, bowie.. there is no way that you cant find a decent sound out of this pedal.

Ive been playing for about 2 years.. i play every day all day, i have a band and if this was lost or stollen id buy another.. but i would never pay 400 dollars for it.. thats a waste, they are on ebay for 170-200

This device is simple and easy to use, I found all the tone controls really have an effect across the range unlike most other pedals.

I use this pedal witha cheap but effective Laney 50W valve head into a marshall 4x12. Other effects include a whammy pedal, tremelo pan, maestro phaser and shredmaster. My set-up works best when the V-twin is at the end of the chain.
This can be noisy but then thats what you expect when youve got the gain cranked up.

My first V-twin broke after some tech tried to change the voltage supply from UK to USA whilst on tour. I sent it back to Mesa (more on that story later!) but ended up buying another one. Theyre built to last as long as your not gigging worldwide. Also the lights that tell you which channel youre operating tend to stop working or fall into the box. This is really annoying when its the by-pass light!

Mesa Boogie equipment is near enough impossible to fix. Im based in the UK and first stop was the main distributor up in Scotland. They had the pedal twice and couldnt get it to work. Laast resort was to ship it out to LA to Mesa head-quarters. After about 2 months it made its way back, but in a worse state than I had sent it. It still didnt work properly, when I adjusted the knobs they crackled and the by-pass light was intermitent. I think they make their gear so complicated no-one on the planert actually knows whats going on inside !

I play rock/pop music (that always sounds rather handbag, but you know what I mean foo fighters, U2, pumpkins). I have baught two units now because you just dont lose any bottom end when you switch from your amp tones to this pedal. The sound just gets bigger rather than thinning out like most distortion pedals do. I wish you could utilise all 3 channels rather than having to chose between the clean and crunch channel. Ive found this unit works amazing through an amp and straight into a desk for recording. I couldnt recomend this pedal more, just make sure you dont break it !

You could be the village idiot and get a good sound out of this thing...

I use fender guitars (strats, and a mustang) through a fender 65 reissue twin.

The coolest part is that it is SOOOO versatle... you can change the tubes out from 12ax7 to 12at7 and get less gain... you can even use one of each... this is a great pedal for blues, to rock, to even metal... ( I play alot if indie and it provides me with a good ballanced sound, lots, of mids. (the only thing I suggest is that you get a noise suppressor right after it in a loop, this gets rid of some mud that really ruins the clarity.)

The nice thing is that in my set up you get the best of both worlds, and ungodly clean tube amp, and a great distortion!

the 9 is b/c I feel that you need a noise suppressor

built like a tank... I think that you could shoot this sucker w/ a .45 long colt and it would laugh at you...

never dealt w/em... but there is really no need to.

As I said I play indie/neo grunge... it is great... I also like using it for blues (like SRV)

I would buy another in a heartbeat!!!'

Beats the living crap out of all the old pedals I had (DS-1, DS-2, TSDX9, Big Muff pi, etc, etc, etc)