Mesa/Boogie 20/20

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!

same as all the rest of the 20/20's here

I could not believe how much a tube amp would improve my sound. and this 20 watts per side is louder than any 100 watt head out there.

using digitech 2112 tube pre-amp
digitech dhp-55
charvel V and ibanez rg1570

2 4X12 celstion cabs

so far so good I have been using it for about two years

baught this off ebay and has been easily the best music gear purchase I have ever made... new or used.

Ok I bought this brand new (03/2005) with a whole bunch of other goodies and had the whole lot slapped into a rack for me. As I am quite new to the rack mounted gear aspect, I spoke to a load of people and read a lot of reviews. I bought the Mesa 20/20 along with a Marshall JMP-1 Preamp, Marshall 1936 cab and replaced the speakers with 8ohm Celestion Vintage 30's.

I am a gigging guitarist and play a lot of venues in and around London. My style is different, surfice it to say that I do anything from folk to rock to blue grass, blues and indie. London venues have a tendancy to mic your amp or DI you which just sounds sh!t! So, if they mic you and you have a 100 WATT tube amp there's gonna be trouble as the sound guy is going to b!tch that you're too loud and your amp bleeds into the other mics, but good tone only comes when you have enough juice going through your tubes!

I figured this "little" 20 WATT power amp coupled with a Marshall 1936 cab and 2x 8ohm Celestion Vintage 30's would be just peachy as I could crank the power amp and get my tone without getting the sound guy pissed. HA! Guess again! This amp is LOUD!!! Maybe too loud. No seriously I set my preamp to 1/3 output and I can barely get this past about 1 or 2 before I have neighbours and house mates freaking. Put it on about 7 and I have cops at my door. It is much louder than its 20/20 rating.

As far as features go, it's a power amp, they don't generally have that many features, although this one has some nice bits. Independent volume and presence controls for each channel (L/R), not much more to say there. Also comes with a decent fuse and easily accessible tubes. Manuals and web site are good too. One thing that really hacks me off though is the lack of numbers around the dials and a very faint indicator on the dials. It's a pain if you are trying to get the levels and presence right on both channels.

Ok this a hard one to judge as you need to look at all the gear. Any piece of equipment could be letting you down. I read a number of reviews and got REALLY cheesed with the guys who dissed or praised the amp without mentioning the other gear in their rigs!

Guitars:
- Stock USA Deluxe Strat with no mods.
- Stock Epiphone Les Paul with no mods.
- Crafter steel string acoustic.

Effects:
- TC Electronics G-Major.

Amps:
- Marshall JMP-1 Tube MIDI Preamp.
- Mesa Boogie 20/20 Stereo Power Amp.

Speakers:
- 1x Marshall 1936 cab with 2x 12" 8ohm Celestion Vintage 30's.

Wireless:
- Sennheiser EW172 G2.

Power Distribution:
- Samson PB-11 fitted to the top of the rack with 1u gap between the PDU and the wireless receiver. This unit has relatively low interference.

The 20/20 has a lot of punch and is really responsive. The sound you get out of the 20/20 is dependendant on you and how you play your guitar. If you play agressively, that's the sound you'll get, but slow down a bit and play with a bit of soul and she'll purr like a big cat. The most important thing for me though is that the 20/20 is quiet. I mean there's no added hiss or buzz and it preserves the sound you get from your preamp. I tried clean, crunch all out distortion; the sound stays clear, crisp and does not break up at the higher frequencies. This amp is tonefully sound and the sustain is good. It does need to warm up though. Let it sit for about 5 or 10 minutes on standby before starting to play.

There is hiss when you crank the gain on your preamp, but that is normal. It does add its own texture to your original signal, but with great taste. It really sounds amazing.

Those of you having trouble with the sound of this amp should either change your tubes or preamp OR check your cabling. Anything wound up in a coil will cause major interference. (I am a network engineer and we get all sorts of rubbish with coiled cables!)

Don't know yet only had it a day!

Again haven't dealt with them, web site is great though.

This is a damn good piece of kit. For the price I paid, it's pricey, #700, but well worth it if you plan to spend the money and get a good preamp, speaker cab and speakers. If you're going to skimp on anything, it's going to sound as good as your worst piece of kit AND it's not the amp's fault if you're too cheap to get a good preamp or effects rig!

I am going to complain about the bad markings though, come on guys, 700 quid and you can't put a few markings on so I can see what I have everything set too? Everything else is well marked so what gives?

Other than that one complaint it sounds fantastic, if it were lost or stolen I'd buy another without batting an eyelid. My only worry is that this amp may be too loud for me to crank and I'll still have sound guys telling me to turn it down!

My 20/20 is 4 or 5 years old, in mint condition. Bought it used on ebay.

Well there aren't too many features since it's just a power amp, but I do appreciate the fact that it's stereo, has a presence knob for each channel, and has a few different spkr output jacks for various ohms (which is very convenient for using different types of spkr combinations).

What can I say? It sounds fantastic! Better than I'd hoped. I bought it used on ebay based on the great reviews this amp has received over the years (and based on other great Mesa Boogie gear I own).

The thing that blows my mind is that each channel is only rated at 20 watts. It's incredibly loud for only 20 watts...plenty of clean headroom. I can't come close to pushing the tubes into compression. Nice and tight - and clean.

I use a Rocktron Voodu Valve digital preamp and it seems like these two pieces of gear were made for each other. I send one channel to the left side of my Marshall 4x12 cab - and the other channel goes to the right side. Very full, beautiful stereo tones. I've also used the 20/20 rig in stereo with two 1x12 cabs and it sounds great thru those cabs as well. Any kind of music you want to send into this little sucker........it delivers!

I don't usually give out 10's (even to gear that I think sounds superb)..but in this case I really don't have a choice. For a 20 watts per channel amp - it can't get any better than this!

Aside from taking extra tubes to a gig - I am 100% fully confident that this amp will perform flawlessly for me. I'll take a small back up amp anyways (as I always do just in case), but I've had no problems whatsoever since I bought it about 9 months ago, and based on the reliability of my 7 year old Mesa Boogie DC-5 amp and Mesa Boogie 2x12 and 1x12 extension cabs...I have no worries with this amp. Mesa gear is very, very well built and this amp is certainly no exception.

Been playing for 30 years...I've currently got 8 tube amps including: Marshall TSL60 JCM2000, Mesa Boogie DC-5, 3 Fender tube amps, Peavey Classic 30, etc... I normally use a '95 Fender Strat Plus or '82 Fender Tele, '84 Kramer Pacer Imperial, '96 Gibson ES-335, '79 Gibson Les Paul Std, '79 Gibson Les Paul "The Paul", or a 2001 Gibson SG Supreme.

Tons of pedals and other gear.

I was looking for a great sounding 1 rack space power amp that sounded great with my rack preamp and cabs...I hit the jackpot with this little guy. Can't say enough about it. I love it. Highly recommend.