Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues

Just to add a note to my previous review.
If you don't have the owner's manual you may not know that the Mid control acts as a GAIN control when you get past midway. With that in mind be careful how you set it. It's probably the most important dial on the amp.

Bought this amp new in 1994. I am continually impressed with it as are all others who hear it. It does everything I want it to do. With it's low wattage, very minor tweaks in the controls can create huge differences in tone--from exceptional clean tones to great warm overdrive. I like the simplicity of it--volume, treble, mid, bass, and reverb. Since there is no master volume, I use a stereo volume pedal wired through the effects loop with acheives the same effect. Produces a VERY loud 20 watts--enough for any small club. If I need to cut through the mix better I have a 12 inch EV in a Thiele cabinet for an extension speaker. This setup is awesome and really shows what the amp can do. Unlike several of the reviews here, I have never experienced the noise that is mentioned.

I play mostly blues and blues oriented rock with humbuckers. It sounds incredible also for Telecaster and Strats.

Never had a problem yet except preamp tube replacement which is to be expected with any amp. It seems indestructable.

Never had to use company support.

If I lost this amp, I would have to find another just like it.

I have a '94 version of this amp (single input and microswitch for single coil/humbucker). The amp is for purists really (or old blues-men), which was OK former, but I haf the hum problem. Mesa knows about this, and there is a simple cure involving swapping a 103k '9434'resistor, and that sorts it.

However, the amp has now come into its own as I've discovered the Omnisonic Tube Amp Volume Box (see E-Bay), which you simply plug into the effects send/return, and hey-presto you can crank the amp right up and get a nice compressed tone that sings - and all for about ??10!

I use it with a '57 and a '62 strat (yes, the real thing), and I love the sound. If I was going for 'one amp', though, this amp wouldn't be it without the Omnisonic, since without master-volume it isn;t versatile in low-power settings.

I use it for a bluesy-boogie style. Overall the sound is pretty clean up to about volume 6. There is no harsh distortion or crunch.

It has been reliable apart from the buzz, which my amp-tech Theo Argiriadis, sorted inexpensively.

I have the original 15 year old tubes in it, which seem OK. I've tried Harma Vintage output tubes, but to no obvious advanatge so I swapped back.

Mesa sound very touchy-feely, but try getting an e-mail or fax through to someone. They were aware of the buzz problem, and ought to have made the solution more obvious. There is a circuit diagram available on thier site that refers to it, but you have to be looking for it. As it is I wasted ??50 swapping tubes around thinking I had a tube problem.

I've been playing 40+ years. I have a Mesa Boogie Mark III just for the hell of it. If the amp was stilen I think I'd look at the fender Blues Deluxe, or maybe an 'oldie'. I'm a bit of a retro-man.

It's a plug and play amp, and the beauty is in its simplicity. It's plenty loud enough for all sorts of situations, and without the Omnisonic box too loud for the bedroom.

I purchased it new in 1999 and still have it. It's not what I would call a versatile amp, but it works for me. I originally was going to get a Fender Blues Junior but the reverb on them was inferior to the Mesa (!)and just seemed to lack quality of build and sound so I shelled out some more and got the Subway Blues. I just wish it came with a 12 inch speaker but that is my particular taste and would probably defeat the purpose of a small carry-on type tube amp. I did convert mine to a head and play through a 1x12 cab. The folks at Mesa were great in helping me on this. I even came out about even in selling the cab!

The overall sound is what sold me on this amp. Unlike some earlier models mine has never had any problems with noise or hum. It is remarkably quiet and always has been. Really comes alive cranked up about 2 o'clock and loves humbuckers and especially single coils. Just a real good, quality sound that is somewhat unique. I have read it described as somewhere between a Vox and a Fender. That seems about right.

8 years in and no problems. I have replace the output tubes but the o.e. ones really weren't shot.

The best I have encountered by a good sized manufacturer. By far.

I have been playing off and on since the 60's. Have owned a bunch of Fenders, Peavey, and a Marshall. I wasn't looking for a Mesa Boogie when I got it as I had just started playing after a 10 year layoff and wanted something in my comfort zone (a Fender). Right now it's the only amp I have and I don't see myself ever selling it. Great value and great sound.
If I ever start playing out again I might get something bigger, louder but until then I'm quite content. I hate giving so many 10's but after 8 years I have to call it as I see it.

Simplest mesa ever, feels like fresh air...
13 kgs, not mesa-like at all again...
Lots of hum and unbearable noise level, very mesa in fact.
Fairly well constructed thing, seems to be quality components, excellent loudspeaker (but too soft for this amp, a tighter EV I had at hand was the perfect match here), and the loop works well.
Nothing, except the hum, one could ask more for.
Five points for the noise, and I am kind.

Very warm sounding thing, clean about to eleven o'clock after the farting begins.
Fingerstyle playing comes out exceptionnally, class A...
I can't stand single channel amps when they are not clean, matter of taste, so I am no judge for the natural overdrive of the subway blues (a loud fart with no finesse... or definition, of course).
Clean sound very good, eq is effective but natural, reverb vg also.

But the hum is so loud I can't use the damned thing more than 45 minutes at best! And on a small unsensitive speaker, sort of natural noise gate .
On a normal speaker, or worse a stack, there is no possibility to play at all, too much hum.

It is reliable, for the good it does.
I absolutely can't rely on it, for the noise it makes.
No tube swap helped, it is clearly a lousy design.
I had another subway blues eleven years ago, same thing.
On the f30 page there may be some leads about this problem (too small caps on the power section), I ll check it out when I have some time to lose.
Mesa doesn't install bias adjustment pots, no wonder all of their amps are the noisiest in the business.
Poor engineering, no customer listening, they may all be deaf after all...

Outside the USA it's up to your import company, and here they could as well sell ties... In clear absolutely useless.

For me the best mesa I encountered, useless because of the noise.
I'll post if I find a cure, which I highly doubt.
The speaker is way good, I use it in a Vox VR30 with fantastic results.
The hum is even there in the output recording jack, nonsense.

Read other reviews for details of features. Works great for me - nice and simple. I'm not into multiple channels with push/pull, eq, contour, etc. that many Boogies contain.

This amp sounds truly fantastic. It really gets that tubey, warm sound I love. I play a fender tele plus and my style is bluesy/rock/jazz. Turning the mid up on this amp really adds depth to the sound. It also makes the sound fatter. The clean channel sounds great and I use a TS9 for overdrive. The fat channel give a nice, pure old school overdriven sound when you crank the amp, but this amp is loud!! So, unless you want to go deaf or wear earplugs, the fat channel is out for me. The TS9 has always been the best overdrive/distortion box in front of any amp. I owned a Mark II which had really nice distortion, but I prefer the TS9 in front of the Subway. Anyway, back to the amp. I do have the later model so the hum found on earlier models is not that noticable, but it is there. However, I hardly notice once I start playing. I play mostly at home, so the volume is low. This amp sounds really full at this low volume. However, if I turn the volume knob up just slightly, this thing gets sooo loud! Wish the volume knob was more subtle. Overall, the sound is what counts with any amp, and this ranks up there with the greatest amps I've owned and played. The reverb is sweet! I like it more on this model than the Mark II I used to own. I have owned a Mark II, Fender Twin Reverb Reissue, Fender Champ (70's), and currently own a Fender 75 (Rivera Era). The Subway sounds better than the Twin. The Mark II, the Champ and 75 are right up there with the Subway. Of course, each has their own unique sound and are used for different purposes. The Champ is obviously just a practice amp, where as the Subway is both a practice amp, and an amp I would play a gig with. The Fender 75 is a great amp, but is too damn heavy to lug around! The Mark II was also so heavy, had a fan in it, and would make a loud popping sound whenever I switched the channels. The Subway is perfect for my needs.

I feel very comfortable knowing the Boogie is reliable. The Mark II I owned for many years never had a problem. Also, the Boogie factory is not that far from where I live, so if there were a problem, I'd drive up to the factory. My friends have done so and said the guys at the factory are really nice and enthusiastic about their products. I hear they give a great tour and are very helpful with any problems or questions about your amp.

Been playing for over 20 years. If this were stolen or lost I'd search for another. Again, this amp suits my needs for a practice/recording/gigging amp. No need to search for another.

1994 or 1995, purchased in Toronto. The Subway Blues I purchased was not extremely versatile but great for blues/classic rock. Decent reverb for such a small tank and very loud little amp, ~ but mine was also very loud as in HUM!

The sound quality was good if you could play it loud enough to overcome the hum. Fine for band practice/small gigs but sucked at lower volumes because of the noise issues.

I could not depend on mine. It was a little noisy when I first purchased it. After a couple jams sessions it was unbearable. After calling Mesa in regards to the noise they told me mine was an early production model and that the switch on the front panel needed to be replaced and the circuit adjusted??? After footing the bill to ship it to Mesa I received my amp back and they had replaced the heavy duty style switch (like a solid metal Les Paul pick up selector switch) with a tiny little switch that looked like the small type used for coil splitters on Strats. They used a washer to cover the now too large hole and install the new switch! I had expected much more in 1994 for what was a $500 Canadian (about $350 American at the time) amp. The hum was still there but it was slightly quieter, but still not quite bearable playing at low volumes. After about ten hours of playing the hum came back in spades. Worse than the first time. In frustration I put it in the closet and hauled it around for about six years and a few moves before pulling it out again because my amp tech said he'd look at it and new tubes may help. This is same guy who restored my '68 Champ that I still use for practice (nice amp) and did tube replacements and maintenance on my HD65 210 Music Man that I used (and still use with no problems, thank you very much!) for gigs. He informed me that the plate voltages were off and way too hot. His best guess was the board was bad and that whatever Mesa did when they "fixed" it was BS. Because of the board construction/epoxy my tech said the only fix for it was a new board or if he were to fix it, basically a complete rebuild. He said it would probably be cheaper to find a good used one. I called Mesa back after being informed of this and was instantly told it was out of warranty and a discontinued model that they would not fix. I really would like to have been able to use it as it sounded great when it wasn't humming uncontrollably...

See above...

Good tone if it's working well... I would not consider buying one sight unseen, especially at the prices they've been bringing lately. Buyers beware.

I play blues and rock. This amp covers all. For blues it's a genie. Must be in the name... Features are suberb for me. 1 channel with volume, high/mid/low and reverb. What else does a guitarist want? I use effects a lot. For this amp I would use a TS9 tube screamer (Ibanez) and maybe a MT-2 Metal Zone (Boss). You don't need any effects at all if you own a good guitar (I have a '89 USA Strat which likes the amp al lot) and you know how to pick the strings and play with the pickups, volume and tone pots. The amp is loud enough for a small gig and allmost most practice situations. For a live audience of over 100 people/a larger establishment/outdoor performance I would mice the amp into the P.A. The amp has a line out as well if you fancy that more.

I've owned almost every amp in my 40 years of life now. For my stuff this amp is great. I have a Music Man 130 top + 2x12" cabinet as well and an original Fender '67 Super Reverb (4x10") blackface. The 3 can cover everything I ever wanna do. The Subway Blues I would use for practice, home, and a small gig probably (never did this up 'till now because I can't let the Super Reverb alone). The 3 tone pots are a miracle. Look at the Mesa site for the manual of this amp how it works. Tweaking the 3 knobs can give you almost every sound which includes genious ones. For blues this amps really sings all-right. It's really an amp that gives you back what you tell the strings. It's very fast (10") and sensitive about how you touch the string. Great actually! I would never give an amp a 10 because this would mean I could never buy another. Holy amp grails don't exist (I would give my Super Reverb a 9 though and the Music man another 8). This amp is perfect though for what I use it for. A must have! Just buy it!

I had Mesa Boogies before. The Mark IV and the Blue Angel. I like this amp more than the both of them. The Mark IV has like 60 controls (what for?) and the Blue Angel is way worse as it comes to price versus sound. Oh yes, the reliability. Never a Mesa Boogie has let me down. And the only thing I hear is that they send in a army of help if it does. I would gig wany Boogie without backup (actually, our leadsinger is my backup, if my amp stops, he will sing more and I will play a bit more but on his amp). Trust the Boogies I would say.

Never needed them.

I'v been playing for 25 years. I had every amp. The 3 I have now cover everything. The Subway Blues is one of them. Unmissable. I would buy another one (if I could find one for a reasonable price) if it was lost ore stolen. I love the sound and the 3 tone controls which give you a book full of sounds. I like the weight as well (I believe it's about 15 kilo's). Amp left, guitar right and a small bag with cables and a few effects, backup strings and other stuff on my back. Up the stairs one time instead of 2 or 3. It's fun to try an amp like this. You buy it for 400, you will certainly sell it for 400 or more...

Pretty much as simple as it gets. Has a so-called half power speaker input on the back. Fat switch on the front. Reverb and Tone controls. 10 inch Black Shadow by Mesa.

Using a G&L ASAT Classic. Tone is pretty good with the combo but still sounds "boxy", so to open it up I bought the companion Mesa Boogie extension cabinet with 12 inch speaker. Much better tone now. I still run some pedals with it, primarily Analogman's modded Boss pedals (BD,DS,SD) and an old Ibanez chorus. At one point it would all of a sudden sound like a transitor radio, very tinny. I would have to switch the stand-by switch off and on to get it back to full tone. Then I pulled the chassis to see if there was something obvious..burned chip, loose wire. Did not see anything, so I put it back together and it has not done it since. ???

See comments above about sound issue. Other than that no issues.

No had to deal with them. I have heard they are not as helpful or as knowledgeable as before.

Overall I am very pleased. Very loud for a 20 watter, especially with the extension cabinet. Would probably sound great with a Marshall slant cabinet. Very good for roots style players, particularly the blues (I guess, hence the name Subway Blues)

Subway Blues Oak Hardwood Cabinet

There are many reviews out there for the Subway Blues. I agree with the ones that assign all ratings a 10. I love the sound and feel and simplicity of the SB. It can go from a great cranked "violin like" output tube distortion to a nice bight clean twang with a lighter touch or less guitar volume. The Fat/bright switch is most useful as I play both humbuckers and single coils, and a Weber 10" speaker replaced the Boogie original which sounded fine, just different, I happen to like Webers.

But this review is not about this amp in particular, but about this amp and how it sounds in the new solid hardwood cab.

Doug Stalters at Vintone Circuits ( www.vintone.com ) builds heavy duty "boutique" amplifiers of his own design to order, along with gorgeous hardwood amp cabinets, also to order. I requested a solid wood cab out of American red oak built to original SB dimensions, and requested installation of my existing amp chassis, along with the Weber speaker and all the original SB hardware -- chassis mounts, handle, feet, reverb pan, etc. Mr. Stalters produced a furniture quality cabinet with flawless half-blind dovetailed corner joints, evenly stained finish and cane grille tight as a drum, perfectly aligned. A picture speaks a thousand words, so you might take a look at this cab at the following URL:

http://www.vintone.com/rc_boogie_blues_o

The natural finish hardwood cabinet definitely is more resonant than the original vinyl clad cab; one can ???hear the wood???. Tolex or other vinyl coverings have to mute the natural wood resonance, no? They don???t tolex the tops of acoustic guitars. Vinyl adds to long term durability though, I suppose. I ramble.

The finish is beginning to take on a deeper, richer appearance than the website photo reveals. That picture does not do justice now, though it did when it was taken. Its an heirloom quality cabinet! It can be seen and heard at some of the finest garages, basements and open mic nights in south central PA.

The price paid listed below is what I paid used for the amp in its original (acoustically mute) tolex cab.

One might contact Vintone Circuits c/o Doug Stalters for current pricing and design info for custom amps and cabs.

Doug Shaw