Mesa/Boogie 20/20

This is a new 2007 20/20 bought in 2008 primarily for use in my home studio. I wanted to simplify my setup and get rid of a lot of equipment including some boutique tube amps. It's a very simple power amp that has all the features I would want. Two volume and presence controls and plenty of speaker outs. One of the great things about this power amp, however, is that the volume controls allow you to gently raise the volume at lower levels, unlike other Boogie units. I had a Mark IV for 10 years, and it is was a beauty, but it was very difficult to play it at even moderate volumes. Once the master volume hit "1", it was LOUD. Not so with the 20/20. Don't get me wrong, it gets very loud, but you can get great sound at lower volumes too and that's what I was looking for.

I give it a 10 not because of its complex features, but because the simple features work so well.

I play primarily rock/blues, do a lot of looping and also like dreamy sound textures. Have a lot of guitars ... Les Pauls, Teles, Strats, Gretsch's, ES 335's. For the past 25 years, I've played through Boogies, Fenders and currently have a THD BiValve and a Groove Tubes Soul-O-Single ... both great amps and I've often used a Boogie StudioPre on the front end which sounds great through those low power amps.. I sometimes use a PODxt for recording direct but have always been disappointed by how a POD sounds/feels when played through an amp. I've tried every possible configuration, but have never gotten the POD or my Vox Tonelab to sound good except through headphones or direct into the board. That all changed with the 20/20. This poweramp does absolute magic with both the POD and the Tonelab. I'm very surprised that Boogie and POD don't market the 20/20 this way because WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The POD provides the sounds but the 20/20 brings them to life, smooths them out and moves a lot of air.

Having said that, I'm selling my POD and Tonelab because the Boss GT10 has finally achieved what digital modeling intended to do. The sound of the GT10 through the 20/20 is unlike anything I've ever heard. MUCH better than any amp/pedal/preamp configuration I've ever used and I've owned and experimented with a lot of gear (tube and non-tube) over the years. I'm running the GT10 through the 20/20 stereo out to a THD 2x12 and a Dr. Z 2x12 cabs and the sound is unreal. Almost no noise, extremely simple cable hookup and the SOUND absolutely Rocks on every level. The feel, picking dynamics, natural sound of each guitar ... they're all taken to a whole new level and happen at moderate volume levels as well. As disappointed as I've been with the live sound of digital modelers over the years, I have to say that I'm a convert now with the GT10 through the 20/20.

Haven't had it long enough, but if it's like the other Boogie gear I've owned (Mark IV, Studio Pre) then I've got nothing to worry about. The knobs are METAL and work very smooth. It looks and feels like a "Boogie-Quality" unit.

The times I've called Boogie, either at their store in Hollywood or the Petaluma location, they've been super helpful. They understand what voice to voice customer service is. No "web-support" nightmares, thank God.

Like I said, I've been playing a long time and have played a lot of gear, modern, vintage and digital. I have great guitars and still love the lower wattage boutique amps for what they do. But, the Mesa 20/20 driving the GT10 is the new gold standard in my studio because it sounds incredible through real guitar cabinets and at different volume levels. My previous setup was usually Voodoo Sparkle Drive >> Barber Direct Drive >> Mesa StudioPre >> TC Electronics G-Major >> THD BiValve >> Cabs. And it was a great sound, don't get me wrong.

But now, it's Boss GT10 >> Mesa 20/20 >> Stereo Cabs and the sound absolutely blows away my old rig on every level and the reason for it is the 20/20. I tried the GT10 through the front and back end of both the BiValve and the GT Soul-O-Single, and it sounded good, but not great ... nowhere near what the 20/20 produces using the same speaker cabs. Same thing with the POD and Tonelab ... However, don't waste your money on any tone generator until you've heard the GT10 and if you run it through the 20/20 with some good speaker cabs, you'll be in tone nirvana.

My 20/20 has the black faceplate. Not sure how old it is though. I got it used.
It has two independant channels with a volume and presence knob for each side.

I wish the amp came with a "deep" switch in stock form, a mono bridge more and a 16ohm output. The deep switch is crucial though.

The fan is pretty noisy and I wonder if I could find a replacement fan that is silent for when I just want to practice at bedroom levels. Other than that, the electronics themselves are quiet.

Plenty loud. Its a total of all tube 44 watts. I run this amp through a 4x12 and I have no issues with getting enough volume, even with a loud drummer.

I play classic rock, classic metal, hard rock, blues, some new modern rock and this amp seems to handle those styles pretty well. I can get nice clear highs and at the same time, a nice low end chug, even when tuned down a 1/2 step.

I like the fact that from the preamp, I can dime the volume to really drive the Mesa's input tubes, giving me another stage of gain. It makes a big difference in tone and doing this works really well for me. It will clean up nicely depending on pick attack or the guitar's volume. You could also just use your preamp's volume as a master for more headroom. Regardless, this amp allows you to play around with the volumes to get your sound.

One important note on this amp though. When I first got the amp, I was very dissapointed. It was very middy and lacked bottom end. At times, I'd turn around to re-check my bass/mid settings on the preamp. very frustrating. Nothing I did improved the tone. After 48 hours, I was ready to return the stupid thing. It just sounded like a low fi transistor radio.

I did a bit of research on the web and found out about this "deep" mod. The 20/20 has a high pass filter that cuts the lower bass frequencies. This is the same idea as the TS-9 pedal by Ibanez but on the 20/20, the bass cut is pretty big. The mod is pretty simple and being good in electronics, I performed the mod (simply removed C1/C3 capacitors for chA and chB respectively). One of the reviews below describes how to do the mod.

Doing the mod completely transformed the amp. The frequency response is now "normal" and not modified at the input with the filtering crap. What a difference. The amp is now alive and playing clean chords on my Strat on the neck pickup sounds like it should.

My recommendation - don't buy this amp unless its already modified or you can modify it yourself.

The MESA EL-84s sound decent but some people say the JJ's are better. I might just try 'em someday.

I can't give a great rating in the sound quality department because you HAVE to do the mod to get this thing to sound good.

Looks pretty reliable but the tube sockets are mounted direct on the PCB which is held by a couple of plastic connectors. Doesn't seem very sturdy. be very careful when inserting the tubes.
not sure how it will hold up long term.

Never dealt with MESA

I like it. Its nice and compact but needs to be modded to sound decent. Would I get another if it broke? Not sure. I might try the Marshall 20/20 instead.

Mine is the old version, not the black one. Simple to use it has all the essential you need. Volume and presence for every channel, outputs for every use. 1 rack unit.

I think that it is so loud for a 20 watt per channel PA, impressive loud!! A great attack, great dynamics. It respect your playing, your sound will come out. It has a warm voice, and enough volume for every situation, not only clubs. Using the 20 20 your guitar will be heard by everyone, it brings your sound out from the mix at low levels too. great quality sound in a 1 rack unit.It's louder than some others 100w power amps...
I use this pa with a brunetti mille and an intellifex or only with a rocktron utopia g100, in both situations the mesa works great, I think it improves the quality of my sound.

Never brocken, it's a tank.

10 for those reasons:
- 1 rack unit, all tube pa
- very very loud!!
- great tone, smooth, warm, great attack, great dynamics
- very pratice and simple to use

I tryed others power amps and for my use this was the best one.
With this you are ok to play where you whant, at low or high volumes.....

It's a simple power head, not cluttered, outputs for 8 and 4 ohm, stereo in, I use it to drive a GP-100 into a Marshall 1968 4x12 though a Joe Barden loaded Strat or SG.
Two controls on each side:
volume and Presence, nothing else.
No bells or whistles

Great direct clean sound, that's all it is designed to do from it's own standpoint. Very bright, but the reviewer who said it would take on an 80 watt Marshall is incorrect. My JCM 900 50 Watt smokes (when the 20/20 worked) this thing, no contest.

I can't depend on it, it broke down on me with a very light load, and it's my backup, so it hardly gets used, and it was in the studio, so it was not even at 20% capacity.
In fact it singed the circuit board, it needs to be replaced and the fuse never kicked in, the room smelled like crap for an hour.

Not open on Friday.

Not impressed and I'm reluctant to ever but Boogie gear again.

I've owned one of the original 20/20's the year they were introduced (brushed aluminum) and later bought another black one for the studio. Both continue to amaze me - the older they get the better they sound, never changed tubes in either one to date. Sounds good loud or soft - presence controls help dial it in perfect. Designed for stereo rigs, easy to operate, two volumes, two presence, a fuse protector, stereo inputs, stereo outputs, 4 or 8 ohms - built like a tank.

The EL-84 Dyna-Watt Stereo Power is elastic and flexible, rich and warm, smooth or gritty depending on the preamp / effects. It can get loud and narly, or smooth and buttery. I use the Boogie Triaxis preamp, and can get sparkling clean sounds or heavy overdrive distortion - and everything in-between. Coupled with a Keeley compressor, TC G-major, and Fulltone Full-Drive 2, it gets the Robben Ford sound like nothing else I've used - great mid-rangy blues rock sound with a strat or 335. I play mostly funk, fusion, jazz rock, blues rock stuff and it is the perfect power choice. I also own a Boogie Stereo Simul 2-90, which is a bit cleaner for clean tones, but I actually prefer these little 20/20's more overall.

As I said, I own two, and neither has broken down, or required a tube replacement - in fact, they seem to sound better the more you run them - I'm concerned that if I replace the tubes I'll lose some tone. Mostly fan related noise, sometimes annoying in the studio - but at stage volumes not noticeable. I run them for hours at a time - these things are indestructible. Boogie is legendary for quality control - I've owned lots of their gear over the years - always reliable and highest quality.

They have the best staff I've ever dealt with - they know their gear. The warranty is a moot point, I've played numerous models of Boogie gear over the past 25 years and have never had even one problem or breakdown.

The only time I've call them is to get tips for dialing in cool tones - and they know how to get what you're looking for.

Been playing guitar for over 35 years. Would replace in a heartbeat if stolen - can't live without, don't know what else I'd get? About the only negative I can think of is that if you're looking for the Marshall sound, this is not it - even though I've read previous reviews who say they can get it - I can't. It's just different than Marshall - but on the other hand, Marshalls can't get the Boogie sound - so there you go. It would be cool if it had a switch to opt in for a Marshall sound, but for me not really necessary. I'm an equipment / tone junkie and every time I try something else thinking I should consider switching, I keep coming back to these little 20/20's - I'm addicted to them.

i've used it almost everyday since dec 02. this post is dec 30 06. this thing has really paid its dues for me. plenty of features for what it is. all previously stated. i wish it a mod switch/button or something that would give it a flat response. with highly effcient speakers this thing is ...LOUD!!!!! WOW!! presence controll are subtle but usefull and very nice at higher power.

OK... here it is after four years...
1. this thing gets it round, warm, gutsy, ballsy tone from a huge boost in the low mid range.(somewhere between 100-500 i think) which in most cases is good thing, like when the mids are scooped on your preamp, or your preamp lacks body or punch. makes for a focused, gritty, power tube breakup at higher levels, real marshallesque (depending on preamp).
2. the dynawatt gives you astounding, articulate, pick controll over your distortion, as another reviewer said it makes you play with real expressive pick technique. it actually teaches you how to play correctly through a tube amp (if you dont already know how... chew on that you digital modelers!!!) dynawatt is especially nice in your warm clean modes when you can take it from a delicate passage into a bitting phrase or chop just with your attack!
3. the bad news is that there is a huge boost in the low mid and you will not get the true character of your preamp to come through. this why i am considering doing the deep mod. it set the response close to flat so that the lows, high mids, and highs come through more. it also lowers the pecieved volume because the mid boost is gone. in its current state(with mid boost). i have played all kinds of preamps through this amp. all sounded good, a few sounded great, a few needed this power amp to sound alive and become usefull, and a couple sounded absolutely killer!
however..... several lost their identity in front of this thing ie. some amps have very sensitive tone/distortion controlls and the mid boost seemed to nullify all but the most extreme nob tweaks. on one amp the final gain nob used to get delicate, gentle breakup at 3. now 3 is indistinguishable from 10.
overall enjoyable and... VERY punchy, and thats good right?
4. the other bad news is the dynawatt. it would be nice... no great to turn it off occasionally. its near impossible to keep the power tubes from distorting at even the lowest volumes with the most delicate pick technique. and it also adds a lot of color/character to your sound and can sometimes over power the subtle nuances of a quality preamp. but power tube distortion is why you buy a 20/20 anyway... right? if you dont understand then compare it side by side with any audiophile type tube reference amp and you'll see.
overall its outstanding and i love it!

hey its tubes!!

the only problem it had was when i got my new mark4 dialed in and could not stop playin it so that the 20/20 spent part of winter closed up in my rack. when i got back to hookin it up, it would not get that fat tone thing goin, it sounded sick. so i let it sit all afternoon in standby mode untill it got good and hot and wadayaknow, problem gone. mesa stuff is built well. real pro gear.

the only dealing i had with them went wrong (they sent a small part for my mark4 that was wrong). but i have to say its obvious they feel a special responsibility for their products.

overall a great amp but be aware of the low mid boost.
probably the best single rack space stereo 20/20 ever made.
right now its mated to a carvin quad x with midi. insane combo!!
if it burned up i'd probably try somthing else just to if the boogie 20/20 could be bested. if i couldn't find a better amp, i'd buy another. it really is hard to beat. expensive though. i imagine it would be stellar with the deep mod.

20 watts per side, separate volume and presence for each channel, EL84 power, 3 x 12AX7 to clean it up, and all in a 1U configuration. If you can't deal with the simplicity of this thing, best give up on the electric guitar and go all acoustic.

Ok, this thing is amazing. The low wattage of the EL84's through 2 cabs each loaded with 2 x 12 celestions is just huge! And it's incredibly LOUD!!! I've owned Boogies for over 20 years (yeah, I'm that old), own Marshalls, Fenders (oldies), and have played through so a large assortment of ultra expensive boutique amps. Right now I'm running an old ADA MP1 into a TC G Major, into the 20/20, and the brutal distortion or sparkly clean is frankly, shocking, considering the configuration. The only area I'm not 100% satisfied is with the clean tone is lacking a little punch, but I have a sneaky feeling it might be the ADA, and it's probably nothing a BBE couldn't clean up. Oh, and did I mention it was LOUD!! 2 x 20 watts that will piss off any small club owner when only turned up to 5!!!

It's a Boogie, enough said.

I've dealt with Boogie for over 20 years, and the guys are always top notch. It's slightly ironic because Boogie gear isn't that prone to failure, so you might never have to deal with them.

Loud, easy to use, great tone, and in a small package. You can't go wrong for the price! Rock on...

Tube power amp,stereo,VOLUME and PRESENCE knobs for each channel,1 rack space.Nothing more needed here.

Now I'm using it together with a Parker MidiFly guitar,a Yamaha DG-1000 preamp,a Lexicon LXP-15 II effects processor,a Yamaha UD-Stomp delay/modulation unit,a DMC System Mix line mixer,a Roland XV-3080 sound module,and a pair of Carvin VE212 speaker cabinets.

Superb match.Very clean and not noisy at all.It can really make the difference when connected to a nice sounding preamp and some cool effects.

Built like a tank.

This power amp is an excellent Boogie product and one of the best power amps of the market.Additionally,it has a major advantage comparing it to other power amps:the 20 watts per channel make it easy for home use,which means that you can play at low levels without disturbing the neighbours who live next door(that's very important in my case),and also have enough power to cover a live performance in a bar or somewhere else.

So,if you just want to have the necessary power to play in a band and playing in stadiums or other gigantic stages is not the most usual thing for you,then there is no reason to spend a fortune to buy a VHT 2150 or a Mesa/Boogie SimulClass 295,because the 20/20 is the power amp for you.

My 20/20 was built in 2003. The features are pretty straight-forward with independant volume and presence controls, standby and power switch, and the speaker jacks fo various ohm loads. I think the slave output was a great idea and allows the "tube tone" to be run to the main board enabling this lottle beast to play nearly any size venue. I do wish Mesa had figured out how to add the deep and modern voicing switches to this like my 2:90 has (of course the hlaf power would be a bit silly though). My rig consists of an ART SGX-2000 Express and this power amp. I use this for shows in a medium sized venue with a pair of floor monitor wedges, each loaded with a Mesa Black Shadow 12 (basically a relabeled Celestion Vintage 30). I run the out to the board for the house mix. Even for shows, it's hard to really crank it up and fully saturate the power tubes as this thing is insanely loud for a stereo 20-watt amp.

I play Jacksons and Les Pauls through my ART SGX-2000 Express with this and it really warms up even the most "digitally enahanced" sounds I use. With the tube preamp circuit in the ART active, it's really fat and warm. I can get heavy modern Mesa rectifier all the way to Marshall plexi and way-overdriven fender raunch. The amp itself if really quiet - no hiss to speak of, especially compared to most other tube amps, regardless of price range.

I have been using it for daily practice and twice a week for gigs without a backup. I have never had it fail. The one problem I have had is that the bearings in the internal cooling fan started to go out and made the fan noisy (didn't effect the signal path, just noisy standing next to the amp). Radio shack and the other usual suspects don't carry a replacement, so I had to go back to Mesa. $30 + shipping later, I have a new fan and an amp that works like brand new. Again, even with this, the amp didn't fail and the fan still kept things cool, it just made some noise. Would have been nice if the parts used were more readily available standard stuff, but all in all, not bad.

I had to contact the company for teh fan issue mentioned above, and they were great. I told them what model I had and what I needed (hey, uh, I need a new fan for my 20/20...). They looked up the part number and shipped it out the same day. I didn't want to send it to a service center, as the nearest one to me would still require shipping back and forth, so I can't comment on the service center or warranty repairs. The fix was a quick few screws and two wires to solder, so I just did it myself.

I started playing when I was 7 or so, so I've been playing for about 20 years on and off. I have several rigs that I've used a different times, from DSL100 Marshall stacks, GK 2100SELs with ADA split stack cabs, and another ART SGX rig with a Mesa Simul 2:90 (which is WAY too loud for what I'm doing now - I could NEVER get it up high enough to saturate the power tubes and really capitalize on the tube distortion). Although I have been using this without a backup, I have finally decided to pick up another "just in case", so I'd have to say if it were stolen, I would definitely buy another. The light weight for it's power (again compare this to the 2:90 and it may as well be a feather) and the single rack space chasis were enough to get me to try it, and the tone was enough for me to keep it and buy another. If the "low" wattage rating is making you question this as a working amp, forget the numbers and just try it - you'll be hooked. If you still aren't convinced, I've got a 2:90 I'll sell you - it's never been turned up past about 4...

bought used a years ago, it's the silver face model, so it may be a bit old, it doesn't have a scratch on
it's a very basical power amp, just volume and presence, each for channel(it's stereo ), but the main point it's
IT'S SO LOUD!!!!!!!
and it's sooooooooo sweeeeet


i don't give a ten, only because it's not so versatile, but i don't need
freaky channel switching on my poweramp!!

main guitars are a stratocaster with hot rail in bridge
and an ibanez 7string with evo7 in bridge ( i like it dirt! )
it has a very round sound, warm, with enough power to pass trought two walls and make my bedroom shake, i can't believe the raw power this little silver jewel can give, great clean headroom, despite of the 22watt ratings, it warms up whatever pre are you using.......
i'm still curious to try my friend's marshall!!!!!!!
it's a bit noisy on very high volume, but be serious, when you hear the noise you can't play, because you'll fly out of the windows!

very rugged!!
i belive it has about 5years, and not a scratch!
still crome shining, a beauty to watch and a marvel to play
i never swapped tubes, but some jj are on the way!!
here in italy it's so pricey that i can't afford a backup
i was lucky to find it used for less than half the price new
i had a very lucky day!

low rating just for the tubes.......it needs attention
so don't go trowing it around all the way!

never dealt with mesa
dunno

i play since i was 8, i turned 21yesterday, so do the math :)
i play this marvel with a mesa v-twin, trough a pair of mesa 1x12 cab
(an engl 530 is on his way to my home)
i can't believe how much is it powerful, i love it's sound
and i can't think of something bigger
this is the right rig for the almost professional musician
perfect for little venue, and with the right pa even for the greatest
the best power amp
and best value for the money!