Mesa/Boogie 20/20

This model has a silver face, so from what I read this is an older one. Check out the website for features.

For the most part this catagory doesn't matter.

This amp is way under rated at 20 watts. It is really all the power you should need unless you are playing through 20 stacks at an arena. My set up for now is this: Ibanez Artist with 2 seymour duncans, a jb model (bridge) and a pearly gates (neck) then to a Marshall jmp-1 preamp, a bbe 264 sonic maximizer(cheap but it works) then to the mesa 20/20 and finally to a Marshall 1960a cabinet.(I didn't list fx because they don't matter here) My setup is very quiet.

I chose this amp because of something that I read on the Amp Tone website. I'm not going into details here, but basically you don't need 100 watts of power. That being said why pay a $1000 or more for an amp that you don't need. Most of them that I've seen take up three rack spaces. This amp, on the other hand, Costs $499 and takes up one space.

The way I run it is this, I have the volume on the amp set to just under 6. Then I just use the volume on the jmp-1. This way my tone stays very consistant. This amp is very full sounding I love the tone of EL84s.

I was originally going to get a Marshall 20/20 but, after reading a few reviews about the Marshall and finding out that it over heats after an hour I began to look at the Mesa 20/20. From what I've read on here it seems very reliable. I haven't had mine long enough to say.

I wish that they would answer questions when you email them. For some reason they make you call during business hours. That to me is annoying.

I have been playing for 12 years and I own a Marshall TSL 100 which is what this amp is replacing. I don't regret buying this amp one bit I love it. I have more sustain with this setup and smoother distortion. Like I said I chose this over the Marshall because of the over heating issue. The only other Mesa product I have is a
V-twin which I hate. The only thing about my setup that I might change is my bridge pickup. I think I'll put a dimarzio tone zone in because the jmp-1 is a little thin sounding. If that does't work I may breakdown and save up for a triaxis preamp. There is nothing bad to say about this amp.

I think this is an earlier modle because it has the chrom face instead of the black face. I play just about every style of music accept classical and this amp sounds good for everything. It is a stereo tube power amp with 22 watts per side, volume and presence for each side, one 8 ohm and two 4 ohm speaker outputs per side as well as stereo slave outputs. I've used it everywhere from small clubs to stadiums and it is loud enough. The only thing I would add would be 16 ohm speaker outputs.

I use a custom made semi-hollow tele with Joe Barden pickups and Graphtech String Saver Saddles. The guitar signal hits a Danelectro Chili Dog octaver, a Dunlop 535Q wah and ends up in a Line 6 POD wich I use as a preamp. I have two Marshall one ten cabinets(mini stack) loaded with 10 inch Celestion Vintage 60s. I ususaly only use one cabinet, this thing is way loud!! It sounds good at low volumes too. I usualy run the Mesa's volume wide open with the presence at 12 o' clock for a little more bite but it realy depends on the room I'm playing in. I play all types of styles and it suits them all. The Line 6 POD never sounded better. This amp is a good way to warm up a digital preamp. Clean or dirty this amp sounds killer. However it breaks up a little if you run your preamp too hard. I don't particularly like the sound of the power amp clipping. But I mike it everywhere I go so I don't have to run it that hard.

It a pretty rugged box. One rack space. one side of the amps 8 ohm outputs crapped out on me but a little blue shower and bending of the pins and it was back to normal. The only backup for gigs I bring is an extra fuse.

Never had to call Mesa Boogie.

I have been playing for 17 years and have used Fender amps. 78' Twin Reverb, 78' Delux Reverb,89' Princeton Chourse, 94' Blues DeVille 410, 96' Blues Deluxe, 66' Super Reverb, 65' Princeton and a Blues Junior. I switched to the Mesa because I was looking for allot of power in a small package (I hate shlepping gear). I bought it because Mesa Boogie has a good reputation for makeing tough products. I beat the hell out of my stuff and this thing can definitly take it. If it was stolen or lost I would buy the exact same thing. It has the tone I have been searching for. It sounded better than any power amp that I tried including other Mesa Boogie's. Hands down it kicks butt!!! I am verry happy.

Separate volume & presence controls, 8/16 ohm & 4 ohm outputs, slave outputs that come after the power amp, and fan cooling that makes the power tubes last a long time.

I play a Les Paul Studio through a Hafler Triple Giant into this amp. It pushes a Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab run in stereo mode. I can't believe how nice this sounds. I was originally going to buy the 50/50, but this little guy blew it away tonewise. The notes just sound bigger and more harmonically complex than the 50/50. Plus this little guy is lighter, only takes up 1 rack space, and has all the power you need. It's also cheap to maintain because good EL84 tubes are inexpensive.

I've used it extensively for almost 2 years without any problems at all. My rack has even been dropped a few times. Like they say, you get what you pay for & Mesa gear is solid.

You can call Mesa direct and talk to a real live human. They really aim to please too. Cheers to all you Mesa employees!!!

This is the amp to have if you go with rackmount gear. It's also hard to find, and I hear that it may be discontinued soon. Buy it if you can find one. Why does Mesa discontinue all their cool gear like the MarkIIc, and the subway series???

It's new and suits my needs very well. I play in a coverband, songs from Skunk Anansie till Rage against the machine, Madonna till Lenny Kravitz...It has what it should have. Two channels with each their volume and presence. Tube power, more than ya'll ever need!

I have a Les Paul and a Ibanez RG570EX. I use a Boss GT-3 as a preamp. I'm still occupied changing the preselections of my GT-3. The 20/20 has a warm sound of it's own, so most of my patches are too "bassy".
Clean sound is great, lot's a punch, I use two 1912's of Marshall and even though the setup is small, it's kicking ass!

I'm planning for using it live, without a backup. If ya can't thrust Mesa, who else !?
It's new, so, no complaints *S*

I called the factory for some information and they where very helpfull and friendly.
Manufactures like this are hard to find these days!

I bought this with only one intention, and that is to keep it!
It's compact, small, has lot's a power, great tone..what else do you want from an amp? I would buy it again if I could afford it (again *S*)

Amp made in 2000. Extremely versatile. Stereo Tube EL-84's with presence and volume.

Ibanez RG-470. Stock pickups. Playing anything from Country to 80's hair, to Classic rock, to metal. The presence knob takes from a warmer sound to more edgy medal. The only complaint is that it sounds a touch muddy at the warm end. This takes nothing away from just how nice this thing performs.

Mesa product. Heard many great things. I have had no problems....

No contact.

Been playing for over 20 years. Had more equipment than I can remember. At this price I have NEVER played anything that sounds as round, robust, balls-out crunchy as this thing. I had moved over from a Marshall 80/80, which was functional. This adds a whole new dimension to my sound. I pointed out the slight muddy feel when the presence is not employed, but this is nit-picking. Nothing a little EQ couldn't fix.

i was looking for a poweramp. an tested this one.
second hand. so i dont know if it was loade with the original tubes.
is was the same color as the V-twin preamp from mesa so i think is a wee bit different the the normall 20/20's

I found my sound in this amp and i'm palnning to buy this one.
i played on it at verspuys rotterdam butt they asked to much for it.
in holland it costs 1900 new and here it was 1400 in a bad shape.
surprisingly bas shape for a mesa product.
i was surprised at wat power it had. even at a low volume it remained good in tone and stable volume.,

this is what i want.

i play clean and metal. i like the warm dark clean marshall sound. and the Mesa.boogie overdrive.
and this thing can give me those sounds with thte gear i have.
( well not the mesa overdrive offcourse but close... )

my gear:

Guild DeArmond starfire/jetstar (single coil / humbuckers
rocktron chameleon 2000

i think i can depend on it.

this one has some paint damage and there was one knob that was starting to get loose. but i know if i would send it to mesa the would fix me up ( or the amp anyway )

THIS AMP IS SECOND HAND AND HAS BEEN ON THE ROAD

MEsa is the best company i ever dealt with.
i dont own mesa products except for 2 mesa/boogie 200 watt cabs.
but the helped me anyway.
Good! back in less then one day.

bla bla bla.

If you're looking, you know. Suprisingly loud.

OH MY GOD!!!
I'm running two warmoths w/ Lawrence pickups into an ADA MP-2, and various other rack mounted processing into a 4x12 made of birch w/ 30w celestions. It no longer sounds like a rack setup, it is now a 128 channel amp!! The clean sounds bloom, the crunch sounds have smoothness that was before sorely missed, and the heavy distortions have plenty of bottom. Suprising for the EL-84s.

Opened it up. Traditional heavy duty Mesa manufacturing.

Never used it

I was very close to the sound in my head before, and this power amp got me there. If any of my gear was stolen I would take my insurance money and buy the exact models. Then I would kill the sonofabitch because it took YEARS to get this sound

New 2001 2 channel 2x20 watts. (stereo, tubes) Very versatile. Plenty of power for small/med clubs, can be used as tone generator for lager set up with slave outs. Wish volume could be adjusted simultaneously if you wanted to, but 2 vol's are fine.

I have a Schecter, Mahogany body 007 with Duncan JB bridge, single coil in neck. Amp has plenty of clean headroom, smooth overdrive at full volume. If you set the amp volumes at 3/4 (very loud) and use the volume on the guitar you can dial in so many amazing degrees of pure clean, to sizzling sustain. With my Rocktron Vudoo valve preamp for effects and distortion it is louder with the same equipment then the Rocktron Velocity 120 I had (50 watts per ch) and Way louder then the 100 watt B&K Butler mosvalve amp I have. At full volume it is smooth, warm, NOT brittle at all, it is the best sound Ive ever heard at such high volumes. My set up sounds incredible with this thing. (It sounded pretty lousy, and I almost got rid of the Vudoo Valve before I bought this amp)It has so much clear, thick, bass, on clean settings with the bass eq'd up, you can break the neighbors windows with my 7 string.

Its a Mesa, the only thing Id do is bring extra tubes, they are only good for like a year anyway. It hasnt broken down (only 2 months old, I dont expect it to, it is obviously made like a tank, its heavy, vol knobs and switches are smooth, heavy, feel great) Top quality.

I have dealt with M/B twice, I had questions about speakers, ohms, cabinets ect. (I have 2 -2x12 cabs-) Thats why Im writing this review actually- both times they e mailed me back the next day with more info then I needed, and the second time I sent a "thanks" back, and heard back in 10 mins! Obviously a great company to deal with. They sent schematics , all kinds of info, free, right away.

Ive been playing 17 years. Id replace it immediatly with another 20/20, and kill the thief. I love how its small, built like my F350, most importantly it sounds better then the sound Ive been trying to get since I was 12. Im not kidding, Ive had just about every "hot" amp-Marshall 800 (lets blow tubes and sound shitty), Fender Deluxe,(thin, raspy shit sound) Soldano 100,(actually not too bad, not exacly as warm as I wanted) Rocktron velocity 120 (sounded lousy), Peavey 120 (p.o.s, blew tubes all the time, overheated, sounded shitty) Roland JC 120,(soul-less 80's clean crap sound)Crate 100 and 50 watt heads and combos (not bad for cheap, not warm enough),B&KButler (reliable, good distortion at low vol, tin shit turned up loud) This is my advice- ALL COMBO AMPS ARE MADE TO SOUND GOOD AT "STORE/BEDROOM VOLUME", TO SELL TO UNKNOWING SUCKERS. Try to use them in a real band situation, and you sound awful, thin, shitty, and then you have to buy more amps... When your done WASTING your money, buy a Mesa Boogie (My friend has a 50/50, which is why I bought the 20/20) it is great too! Your sound comes from -quality wood in a guitar (Mahogany is the best for me)throw out your cheap cables and buy the best quality, cables you can, use celestion, ampeg,mesa,top quality replacement speakers, sealed birch ply cabinets, and listen to what it sounds like without effects! Use at LEAST 10 guage strings,and Rocktron effects. (They dont color your sound like digitech (shit) and the others (you can play my gibson, schecter, fender through my friends 2120 and 2112(expensive digitech preamps/effects), and you cant tell the difference on the same presets what guitar Im playing! (That means any p.o.s will sound like a $3K Gibson. And, you sound like everybody else) I could have David Gilmour or Clapton play through my amp, and I wouldnt cringe a bit. Buy your last amp once and for all. If I didnt lose money on all that other shit I could have put enough money down to buy a new car in high school.

4xEL84's, 3x12AX7's, stereo power amp, volume and presence for bother sides. Various speaker outs as well as a line outs. I wish it had the deep switches that are available on some of the other Mesa power amps.

I use this with various pre amps (Mesa V-twin, ADA MP-1 & Johnson J-station). The cabs I use are Mesa 2x12" Recto cab, Mesa Thiele 1x12" cab w/EVM and Marshall 1960a. For guitars I use a Les Paul with EMG 81's, Peavey Wolfgang, Schecter C-7 w/Duncan Invader in bridge, Schecter CB2000 w/EMG 81. My tunings range from standard, drop-d and down a perfect 5th (A). I play math-core style music...basically hardcore or metal style music with lots of odd time signatures, syncopation and jazzy chords. I need lots of clarity and low-end.

The biggest question people have about the 20/20 is it loud enough. Well the 22 watts per side might not seem like a lot it is easily as loud as my 100-watt JCM 800 Marshall and that is not a quiet amp. I actually rarely turn the amp past 9:00, I like clean headroom from my tube amp and I crank the pre-amp for my tone, but I back off the pre-amp gain (too much gain is the easiest way to kill your dynamics and tone). The tone is everything you expect from a tube power amp. It really gives warmth and life to my pre-amps especially the digital modeling J-station which actually sounds great live. EL84's aren't usually known for their super tight low-end like say 6L6's but I have no problems palm-muting heavy complex chords. It's really nice running stereo effects into the 20/20 especially chrous and ping-ponging delay, very lush and spacious.

I've had it for around 4-months and use it about 6-hours a week. I've had no problems. I even forgot to plug in a speaker load while I had a input load (major fuck up usually) but that amp suffered no damage.

I like that Mesa no has tech. support available via email now. But I haven't needed to contact them about any of their projects except possibly modding my V-twin.

This is a great power amp...my only suggestion would be to add a deep switch. Well maybe the ability to bridge both sides of the amp but I use either stereo cabs (Marshall 1960a) or two cabs together (Mesa 2x12 and 1x12).

20/20 means 2 channels of best 20 W. in earth!! handmade, fan cooled, separate level and presence controls for each channel, power switch, standby switch, slave outs, 4 & 8 ohm speaker outs, ground lift switch in the back, uses 9 tubes: four EL84 and three 12AX7, the tubes are in the back of the unit so you can replace them very fast.
All that you could ask for in a one space rackmount stero power amp.

I'm a Ibanez lover, use it with RG guitars, RG570 & RG3120 Prestige with Dimarzio's going into an ADA MP1 Tube Preamp-->Rocktron HUSH IICX-->Lexicon FX's-->20/20-->Mesa/Boogie Thiele cab 1X12 (i need the second one for stereo setup).
It has lot of headroom, a big/fat in your face sound.
The 20/20 replace my ADA Microtube 100 stereo power amp.

It's a Boogie!

They've got a good reputation, but I've got no personal experience yet.

Been playing for 13 years, i have tried a lot of amps, power amps, preamps and combos and this one is a great one, portable, versatile, excellent sound, what else do you need? it fits perfectlly into my setup.
You can hardly find 20/20's new/used because everybody loves them!