Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber +

I think this amp was made in the 80's some time? It's got both a clean and a dirty channel, but they share the same EQ. Its very basic: one basic eq section, reverb, graphic eq. Pretty easy stuff.

I play this head through an old Marshall cab. Its sounds fantastic. I'm in love with the clean channel in this amp. It's chimey and cuts through the mix just great. The built in graphic eq makes a major difference in overall tone. I know people will complain that the shared eq makes it hard to use this live, so I started using stomp boxes and prefer the versatility of the pedals to the amps distortion channel. I can get this amp to scream, using distortion pedals. It's avery basic amp, really. Not a lot of bells and whistles, just pure awesome tone. I have a mark 4 which I loved, but I did not utilize all the features. I always thought mesa should come out with a basic one channel amp, that delivers a great clean sound and a great distorion sound and thats it, nothing fancy, just a very usable, great sounding amp. Well, this one would be it. If I find a combo version of this amp somewhere, I'll definitely pick it up.

this is a REALLY old amp, but the previous owner has taken good care of it. Mesa has a pretty good rep when it comes to their stuff and I have a feeling that the older the amp, the beter the craftsmanship? It is a tube amp, so all the usual concerns are there, but so far so good.

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I've been playing a long time and have had plenty of amps. Some great, some not so great. This one hapens to be my favorite. At the moment, it fulfills all my needs. I don't see myself buying another amp, unless of course I fine a 50 cal+ combo?

This is a very versatile amp. The addition of the EQ makes it even more so. If you now run and EQ pedal, you can sell it.

This amp is the best I have ever owned. I have an original Marshall jcm 900 2205. This mops the floor with it. I also use a Mesa 2:90 and Studio Pre. This head is as good. Just not as powerful.

This is the one area where Mesa truly beats other tube amps. The tubes require no biasing when you replace them. This saves time, expense and hassle. Plus the amp is tough and tubes last a long time. But the plug and play aspect of the amp is really attractive for people who play out a lot.

Unfortunately Mesa support is just ok. Not the best. They dont seem to have any record of serial numbers, when things were built, etc. Have never had to buy parts so no problem there.

This is the best sleeper amp out there. This thing blows away a Marshall, and any other wanna be amp companies. Mesa Boogie all the way. If you have a chance to buy one, get it. You will not be disappointed.

purchased used on ebay, 50 watts, all JJ tubes (6L6 in the power section), 2 channels (clean and crunch), 5 band graphic eq, effects loop - the usual stuff (and unlike new mesas, very easy to rackmount). at first it might not seem incredibly versatile with only 2 channels, but once you plug in you realize that the compleity of the tone makes it a very versatile amp.

there is one downside, though. because of the way the clean channel cascades into the crunch channel, it's hard to get a good balance between the two in terms of level. i have to compensate for it in my effects rack.

this amps sounds fantastic. i play european-style gothic/prog metal, and i prefer this non-recto mesa tone - pretty darn fuzzy but not so much that the playing loses dynamics. i use the crunch channel most of the time, and it has a shocking amount of gain for an amp built in the mid-late 80's, and while the actual volume doesn't change much no matter how hard i pick, i get lots of subtle changes in equalization and fuzz depending on how i play. despite the extreme gain, i never lose clarity, and when i play this amp i feel very connected to the guitar. (which, btw, is an all mahogany neck-thru custom job with a hardtail strat style bridge.) leads are very compressed and liquid, like jon petrucci. come to think of it, this amps reminds me a lot of john petrucci.

interestingly enough, i had the same model about 15 years ago in my old band (alt-country/roots rock) i used the clean channel a lot, and it was pretty much the same story: the amp was very responsive to my picking, staying jangly when i strummed light, bouncy when i chicken-picked, and got great power-amp punch with a dash of crunch when i strummed hard. that amp was stolen in 1997, and at the time there was no ebay, and i could not find another one. i bought a new mesa dc3 to replace the 50 cal, and while it's a great amp as well, the 50 cal was really my favorite. now that we have ebay, i was able to pick up another 50 cal and it was as great as i remembered it.

i haven't had my "new" 50 cal for very long, but i gigged with my old one for years and it never let me down. i'll rate it a 7 simply becuase i never had to test it under extreme conditions like roadies or airport baggage handlers.

the amp is long out of warranty, but the guys at mesa are very knowledgable and pleasant. the one downside it that they will not answer questions by email, so you have to call them. i might add, that mesa service centers tend to be higher quality shops with better training than a lot of amp service guys.

i've been playing for 20 plus years, have owned fenders, marshalls, and several mesas (still have a dc3 and a formula pre) and the 50 cal is the best one they ever made. i love it so much that when my first one was stolen in 1997 i bought another one (though i had to wait for the rise of ebay and the internet to find one for sale.) the tone in both channel is just amazing. i like that it's easy to rack mount and does not cost an arm and a leg (i think that when they were new they were considered mesa's "workingman's amp".)

i wish they a better way to balance the levels between the two channels, but i found a workaround, and for this tone it was well worth the trouble.

I won't bore you with repatition.. Read the other reviews or visit Mesa's web site..

Pretty straight forward 2 channel amp.. Small venues and bedroom rocking/pracice is my typical uses..

This is where I tend to differ with alot of the other reviewers and here's why..

OF COURSE THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A MARSHALL!! It's a Mesa and this is a GOOD THING! Folks, If everyone wanted a Marshall then Mesa/Boogie wouldn't be in business! Not eveyone prefers that tinny gain of EL 34's that Marshall often utilises..(Plexi's and Super Leads)Hendrix and everyone else SETTLED for that wimpy sound because that was the heaviest sound of it's day.

ALSO, Before you plug this thing in, read the entire owners manual which is conviently available at Mesa's web-site.(ALL MODELS EVER MADE!!) This Mesa can cover about every sound imaginable. It has a very nice Clean,(Not a Fender or Roland Jazz Chorus, but very usable and recordable) AND
The Distortion/Gain channel handles Crunch to shred with no problem.
The whole key is taking the time to tweak this amp's controls.

Another key point to understand is watt ratings.. Their is Solid state watts, Tube watts then there is Boogie Watts and they are louder watts then any other amp on the planet.

And don't even think of complaining about ANY amp if you are using a $100 Squier or LTD P.O.S. 'Nuff Said

Like any piece of equipment, if you properly maintain it, it will serve you many many years..

Love their web-site, Very friendly service people..

playing 17years.
Guitar tech for 7 years
Been buying/selling/ trading Guitars and guitar equipment since '2000 (Kickaxeguitars)

I have sold over 800 guitars. I have owned 3 Mesa Combo's (Subway Rocket, DC-3,and .50 Cal +.. I have owned Marshall JCM 800 w/ Zakk Wylde mod, Valvestate, DSL. Crate 2X Blue Voo Doo 120 watt head, Mesa. Line 6 Flextone II, Peavey XXX,Fender Twin (70's) Soldano SLO And tried almost every other make out their.. I Love the non Rectifier Mesa stuff. It's very versatile and very reliable.
If I was a serious gigging/recording musician I would own several amps. Fenders for sparkly clean and Mesa's or crunch and Gain.. If I were still playing Shredd/Death metal i would stick with my Peavy XXX but it is a 1 trick pony and the Mesa is way more versatile.

I bought my 50+ head many years ago and paid about $900 new. It is an excellent amp for most any style, but the dirty channel is the powerhouse of the amp. Clean channel is very respectable.

Boogies have a certain sound you either love or hate. It does not sound like a marshall to me. It has a nice distortion channel that allows you to obtain anything from slight fuzz to shred. Clean channel sounds good, just not very warm or open. I much prefer the clean channel on a fender like the hot rod deluxe

Unacceptable. I've brought the thing in for many repairs such as bad caps and such and I just don't think with the amount of time this amp has spent 'ON' warrants the amount of costly repairs.

They will refer you to a local authorized repair person, who may even do it out of their house. Not much quality control over their 'authorized repair' folks

Even though I complain about its reliability, it is still a great amp capable of a variety of tones. Maybe I caught a lemon, who knows?

50w is enough power for most people. I use it to play metal, grounge and it works wonders for this. Don't know if it works for kiss, ac/dc and so on. If you like the sound of Metallicas masters of puppets then you like this amp. Meshuggah use one for many of thiere recordings so does Pepper Keenan in Corrosion of Conformity. The + on 50 caliber + means it's got a knob for lead master also. It is used for balancing the volym beetwen rythm and lead.

The distortion is Brutal! It's got that Metallica Master of Puppets sound (dead on). The clean channel is awsome but you can't have a great clean channel and great distortion (my opinion). That's why i use a Roland jc120 for my clean and my distortion with the mesa .50 caliber + head (i just love my distortion from this amp). My best tip for this and all other amps are! go by a MXR 10 band EQ, it makes all the difference in the world in any amp. I use one in the mesas effect loop, gives me better distortion (heavier and more clean)

It's like a tank with great quality! think this baby will last for many more years. It's a tube amp so some service is recuired.

Haven't dealt with Mesa Boogie staff. But one thing piss me off!!!! They don't got a support e-mail adress, and i'm not gonna call them from Sweden. Give me a e-mail adress.And the homepage suck in design. It looks like the homepages looked in Sweden 1990 or so.

Played on and off for 12 years. I use a Roalnd jc120 for clean, .50 caliber + for distortion, Whirlwind aby selector stucked in a Morley Hum Eliminator, MXR Blue box, Mxr Dynacomp, BOSS TU-2 Tunner, IBANEZ flanger, Electroharmonixs small clone, Rat.

I would by i again if it was stolen for the right price. If i don't find one i would probably by a Peavey 5150 2(6550).

Mine is a 50 caliber + head. A straight forward all tube 2 channel head with a 5 band EQ, etc. It is a very versatile amp if one takes the time to dial it in. Very freakin loud for a 50 watt head.

I play a Peavey XP mahogany archtop w/ stock humbuckers thru it. I play heavy doom/stoner rock to metal and the lead channel sounds good without the EQ engaged, but it sounds incredible with it engaged. This head has more gain on the lead channel than anyone needs. I dial it back to about 3-4 and scoop the mids some and viola, I get the crunch/chug from hell. The clean sounds great as well, though I don't use it much. Some people don't like the type of gain Mesa Boogies put out (almost too much?), but when reigned in a tad It has a very rich textured tone, with a lot of depth. I love the sounds I can get with it.

I believe its a mid 80's model and I play it daily. I've had no problems at all(so far)

No need (yet)

I've been playing for 20 years (seriously for 10) I've owned just about every brand of amp there is. various Marshalls, various Randalls, Ampeg VT40, Hughes & Kettner, various Laneys, Carvin MTS, Trace Elliott, Orange, and many, many others. and with tweaking this amp can replicate just about ANY of these amps signature sounds. Of all the amps I've owned I'd rate this one up there with the Orange, and the Ampeg as the best I've had. Right now my other amp is an Orange Rockerverb. and I A/B'd the two side by side and the it took me about 3 minutes to dial in the Orange sound on the Mesa. Bottom line is the 50 caliber can sound like a Marshall, etc. but a Marshall will never pull off the Mesa Boogie sound. If you see one of these at a reasonable price get it. A tremendous amp for the price.

Mine was made in 1991 the best I can tell. The features have been described but I will rehash a bit. The amp has two channels, rhythym and lead. The EQ can be turned off, turned on, or put in Auto where it is only active on the lead channel. It has a 3 spring reverb, an effects loop, presence, 3 band passive eq, pre gain, lead volume, and master volume. The preamp uses 4 12AX7's and the reverb uses another. The output tubes are 6L6GC's. The speaker is a 12" Celestion Black Shadow. The cabinet is thick plywood and is very sturdy. It is covered in black tolex and has steel corners. It is pretty basic by today's standards but that is OK with me. I am happy with a decent sounding single channel amp usually. It has plenty of headroom for club gigs and can be easily mic'd for larger gigs.

The tone on this puppy is phenomenal. No, I am not a neophyte who is getting all excited at a new gear purchase. I have owned several of the 50 cal+'s and have recorded and toured with them. I recently sold my Marshall JCM-800 because this amp is my tone. If you don't crank the gain way up and turn up the master the amp is very responsive- like an expensive boutique amp. Crank up the preamp and you go into Metallica territory, especially if you turn on the eq and get the scooped "V" going on. Back the preamp down to 4, turn off the eq, turn down the highs and put the mids on about 7 and the bass on 3-5, crank the master volume to 5 and you get a reasonable facsimile of an old Marshall Bluesbreaker. Go to the rhythym channel and twek it and you can get a decent Fendery clean sound. Mess with the preamp volume and go into Stevie Ray territory. Better break out the TubeScreamer.

It is a tube amp. I have had to do repairs over the years. But that is to be expected, it is the nature of the beast. I drop this to a 7 because the dang thing is hard to work on with the printed circuit board. And it does not have a bias pot. I've read your white papers Randall Smith, and I'm still ot convinced. But damn, you have made some good amps over the years.

They are usually helpful when you call. Some of it depends on the individual you talk to. Sounds like a real everyday workplace, huh?

I have been playing since 1982 and have had Marshalls, Ampegs, Carvins, various Mesa Boogies, homemade amps, Fenders, Silvertones, a VHT, and some I can't remember. I like the old non-Rectifier Boogies as well or better than any of them.

I believe my .50 Caliber + is a late 80's model. Features are fairly basic for a 2 channel amp- 5 band eq., reverb, effects in/out, etc..I pretty much use all of the features. For 50 watts, its sounds full and I believe is plenty lound. 6L6s (Electro Harmonics) and 12AT7 is my current tube set up.

Played with one of my 70s Gibson Les Pauls, it sounds freaking great-no idding. I also have some other Mesas-Mark II and Mar IIC+, however, I can't believe some of the bad comments I have read about the 50 caliber written by others. You have to spend a little time tweaing in the 5 band eq, and treble, bass, mid and volumes know-then magic! Distortion is great for vintage rock and AC/DC type rythm and leads, as well as yes, Santana. When played with my 76 LP Custom fitted with a DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup, the damn amp sustain just keeps going,,,and going-think Black Magic Woman and you got it,,,,

It is a Mesa-hoe could there be a problem. I am alos an electrical engineer, and looking at these pieces, they are built with miltiary quality electronics components and mounting techniques.

Mesa is great, very repsonsive and helpful whenever I had a question or wanted to order anything for this or other my Boogie amps.

I have to give it a nine. If it had some additional features, it could be a ten. However, I also forget it is a late 80s amp, and often compare to a newer amp like a Mar IV that also cost several times as much. So, it is a very gret sounding 50W 2 channel amp, with great vintage distortion and sustaaaaaiiiiinnnn :> Regards, Joe

Ok features...nothing really cool, but equaliser helps. Great amp if you use pedals to get your overdrive, because to me, this amp has one of the best cleans. Very harmonically complex, intense really. Very rich, what a beautiful sound. Lot of people complain about sharing the same eq for both channels and I agree...but you can set your clean the way you like and use the eq to fine tune your overdrive but is a hassle because your switching 2 pedals to get your drive.

Some other reviewer said harmonically rich or sumtin, and I agree totally. It is capable of Fender clean but three dimensional. One of the best cleans I heard ever, however it doesnt have much headroom and starts breaking up a little after 3 and a half. Add in some of the Calibers rich and sensitive reverb and your in clean tone heaven The drive channel is that boogie sound you expect.

This amp is so beat up but working like a champ.

I ended up getting a Nomad 55 instead because the clean is still very good (not as good as the caliber) and the 2 SUPERB drive channels. The Nomad also has a footswitchable solo boost. Nomad reverb not as good as the Caliber reverb. Man, if I can put the Caliber clean in the Nomad clean channel and have the Caliber reverb...it would be perfect.

Whatever, this is a Caliber reveiw and in conclusion, this is a tone monster amp. I think every tone head and guitar tube amp collector should have one, especially because they are cheap too. I just can't afford having it and the Nomad.