Mesa/Boogie 20/20

Most of us know the features of this amp by now - right? It's certainly not the "new kid on the block" anymore. but for blah blah sake , here's the skinny: stereo el84 power amp with individual volume and presence dials per channel. that's about it - would you call these features or basic potatoes? the thing that's most exciting is the one space capacity in your rack but delivering a fairly LOUD output.

this 20/20 is late '03 or early '04 production. i bought it new in 2004. now that it's out of warranty , i did the Deep Mod to it myself.
after doing such , everything's the same as the operation of it goes other than the peak in the low mids is now gone. it's quiet just as the day i first got it. this amp has never let me down. i must say i like the results of the Deep Mod - but i also liked the amp as before because i don't play no stinkin' metal boys. i can hear why the metalheads like the Deep Mod. for myself, the Deep Mod just allows me to get more of that Fender clean tone - bigger , fuller , etc. - you guys know that sound. the mod is also more "user friendly" if you will by allowing other than Mesa preamps to be used. so , i see the mod overall as a benefit to my course of playing which is a variety of styles. here's the signal path: guitar(McCarty,SG,Strat,Tele,Charvel So Cal)> Marshall JMP 1 (effects loop > Intellifex > TC M300 > Dbx 215)> (master out)> Mesa 20/20 > 2x12 Lopo closed back cab WGS ET-65 loaded. the power is all thru a Furman RP-8. all the midi switching is thru a Rolls Midi Buddy. there's a huge advantage to using something like the Dbx 215 with the 20/20 - mod or without. overall , the cleans have improved from the Deep Mod. i like Fusion type music - mostly jazzy blues stuff more than the rock jazz stuff. for either style i can dial up the tones i need without any fuss ... the credit for that going to the Dbx 215. my JMP 1 does have a slightly different feel to it now after the Deep Mod and i find it for the better. of course i had to re-Q my patches on the JMP 1 by taking down the bass and re-shaping the mids and yes , the treble and presence as well. overall , my modest little eight space gigging multi rack setup as somewhat improved after the Deep Mod to the 20/20. it's a great little package and not too heavy to tote. i find it fascinating how the removal of two teeny tiny capicitors changes the amp's voice. my guitars are the initial "tone source" for my sound and each of their voices are rendered well thru this setup with a bit-mo-beef from the Deep Mod. a word about doing this mod yourself - it's fairly simple but you must use patience and proceed cautiously removing the circuitboard from the retainers. i don't recommend using a soldering iron to remove the miniscule caps - snip them off. instructions to this mod is fairly easy to find by a general web search.

i've owned this amp now nearing six years and it works as it should.

i've been playing many years - yeah , i'm an old guy. this is the only rack setup i have and the 20/20 is great for my objectives which is : lower the weight but keep the volume and punch to the sound allowing a variety of flava as needed. i also own and use a Super Reverb and a Vox AC15 Heritage head. i do use the rack setup more for it's flexible offerings and use the other two amps for a more "narrow and focused" authentic tone for 60's & 70's type stuff. i also own the Mosvalve MV-962 mosfet power amp and will sometimes use it in the rack setup. i do so when playing all Fusion type material because the Mosvalve delivers a big 'ol buttery smooth sound yet it is very tightly focused. i dig the marriage of the JMP-1 to the Mosvalve for the Fusion stuff - it's just superb. the 20/20 gets the lion's share of duty though for it's more complimenting sound for doing cover material which yields a larger audience. the 20/20 is the way to go if you're wanting to keep a rack setup at best performance per pound while saving some weight. i recommend the Mosvalve MV-962 for any JMP-1 user doing Fusion material competing against horns and synths ... you're tone will cut thru every bit as theirs (make sure to use a graphic EQ to get all the best from it).

early chrome/silver face version. does it have tons of switches and gizmos? no. does it have everything you need? yes. Simple, straight forward controls (volume, presence, power, standby, input, speaker outs, slave out).
No 16 ohm ouput, but Mesa discusses this in the manual, and you CAN use 16 ohm cabs with the 20/20.

Using a Gibson Les Paul Classic, or Fender American Deluxe Strat (from the late 80's) this power amp sounds great. Extremely quiet, the fan can be louder than any noise on the amp. Very versatile, cleans can be chimey and bell like, distortion as beefy as you want it and it retains its clarity.
Really warms up any preamp, and kills with a decent tube one.
PS- this 20/20 has the deep mod. (a must as everyone knows by now)

MESA/Boogie makes some of the toughest gear I've ever used. I hear abuse stories all the time, and how their stuff just keeps on working.

Very nice, intelligent people at Mesa. If you need help, they'll take care of you.

I would definitely buy another 20/20 if mine were lost or stolen. It's in a league of it's own. My rack is so much lighter than it used to be, but still sounds fantastic.

Everything you need in a power amp, nothing you don't.
Some say they want a standby switch for each channel, but there's no need since all you have to do is put the volume to zero and the presence to ten. Simple.

First off: DO THE DEEP MOD.
I liked this power amp fine before it, but the deep mod makes this thing open up and sound amazing. You lose that crazy mids and up boost, and get your bass back. Extremely sensitive, and alive sounding. Not sterile. You can actually get power tube distortion with it!

It's a MESA/Boogie. I've owned lots of their amps, and never had a problem with any of them. Built like a tank, would gig without a backup any day.

I've dealt with Mesa on a few topics (usually just regarding mods, or ordering parts) and they've always been very helpful and informative. Leave them a message, and they actually call you back. One of their repair techs gets under mine skin, but everyone else is awesome.

1 space tube power amp. Light weight. Amazing tone. There's nothing else I could ask for, so this baby actually gets a 10.
NOTE: this is after the deep mod has been done.

It's a stereo amp with independant volume+presence control for each channel and a shared standby switch. It supports 4 and 8 ohm cabinets. Thats *almost* it. No voicing options, no mono-bridging, no nothing... At this point I would rate it's features at a 5, which doesn't mean that it's a mediocre amp but featurewise it's bread'n'butter. However I will :
* add 1 point for it's slave outputs. I regard this as a feature (allthough I personally have no use for it)
* remove 1 point for it's lacking support of 16-ohm cabinets; rather annoying. I'd like to use this amp with a MesaBoogie Recifier 2x12 cabinet (powerful and portable), but that's a no-go since that cabinet (which would require a very simple stereo-modification) has 16 ohm speakers. You CAN attach 16-ohm cabs to the 8 ohm output but this is really sub-optimal and who wants to run their Boogie in a sub-optimal configuration?

The amp is fixed bias meaning that you don't have to worry about biasing (ie. pay a tech if you can't do it yourself) when replacing tubes. Simply buy the tubes from MesaBoogie, plug'em in and go. Nice thought, especially in live situations if you blow a tube. But, if you're forced to buy tubes from *one* specific supplier, do you think those tubes will be cheap or expensive? And when you've payed big bucks for an amp, do you like other people dictating what tubes to put in and at what bias to run them? I think MesaBoogie have shortcircuited their own design-philosophy in the sence that "we build premium ultra flexible amps" that "can only use low-biased (cardbox sounding) Sovtek Tubes". It's like buying a Ferrari and being forced to use snow-tires at too low air-pressure.

Powerrating is 2x20 Watts, and I will certainly never need more power than this. It can more than keep up with the drummer, and if you want it louder you need a PA anyway to keep everything balanced. In fact, the idea that the much sought after output-stage distortion can be obtained at tolerable levels with such a "tiny" amp is rather misleading if you ask me. It's still too damn loud. Remember, 50W is only 3dB lower than 100W, and this is a 40W amp! Playing through Vintage 30's speakers (100dB sensitivity) it's exactly as loud as my 100W Marshall playing through Greenbacks (96dB sensitivity). Headroom for clean-sounds is fine for me too, but I'm not the ultra-picky type in this respect who insists on a 6L6 Fender...

Oh, and the big plus : it's *light*, 1 unit and approx 6 kg. No back-ackes, which is my main reason for getting into this amp...

I play a Gibson Les Paul studio, and the styles cover pop, blues, rock and almost-metal; the last meaning that the loudness, distortion and energy is there but I don't chunck out (detuned) palm-muted powerchords (which is often associated with the metal genre).

So, I received the amp, hooked it up, and : it was god-awful! No bass and even worse, a boost in what I guessed was in the low-low-mids which sounds absolutely horrible. No matter what combination of preamps and cabinets (Marshall 4x12's, Mesa 2x12's, ...) I used I was unable to simply dial out the problems.
Luckily, some other reviewer had prepared me for this by saying something like "you really-really need to deep-mod this amp", so I didn't panic but reached for the soldering iron and mod'ed it. Got bass, but still this ugly honk sound. My signal line was down to this : Gibson->Triaxis->2020->Rectifier2x12. Spend days/weeks. Could NOT make this setup sound even close-to-decent and I have allways been able to dial in satisfying tone withing 5-10 minutes.
I added a programmable equalizer in the form of a G-major, so my signal line was like this : Gibson->Triaxis->GMajor->2020->Rectifier2x12, and started doing 1-2 octave wide cuts of 3-6 dB in the 200-400 hz region. Things improved but I just could not nail the right frequency, cut-level and Q-value to really get rid of the honk.
After weeks (of growing dispair), I ended up putting this amp plus another (good sounding) amp through full blown automated frequency analysis. By comparing the gain vs frequency characteristics of these amps, it finally revealed it self :
1) provided that the Mesa 20/20 is deep-mod'ed (which mine was by this time)
2) provided that the presence knob is in the mid-position, that is, pointing directly upwards
=> The Mesa 20/20 has a 3.2 octave wide 1.8dB boost centered at 180Hz! (compared to my ok-sounding reference amp)
I would never ever have guessed that it was such a subtle but wide boost that totally ruined everything for me. I set the Gmajor to do the cut and aaahhh! no honk...

So now I had bass (deep mod), no honk (external equalizer) but just a plain dull sound. Why? The cardbox sounding (probably under-biased) tubes that you are required to use according to Mesa. I bought a JJ-based retube kit from EuroTubes, because these guys provide the service of handpicking the individual tubes based on their individual electrical properties, so that when installed in the amp you will get a decent bias; plus a lovely sounding set of JJ's. At this point, the amp (finally) sounds good.

How do I rate this amp? Stock, I'd rate it a 1-2. It's almost totally useless to me. Deep-mod'ing it and adding external equalization I'd give it a 4-5. It's useable but dull. Inserting handpicked JJ tubes (this is the amp's current state) I'd give it a 7-8. It's consistently good without blowing me away, but occasionally it "shines". In the future I might upgrade it to adjustable bias so that I can really control things. I hope this will give it the last push into the 8-9 territory.

Rating is based almost entirely on it's character when stock (since this is what you buy), but acknowledging that it *can* be improved once you cracked the riddle.

I haven't had this amp for very long, so it's too early for me to say. However, I must say, looking inside the amp everything looks very tight indeed and I really feel that I can depend on this amp. I especially like the way air-ventilation has been designed. It sucks in air symetrically from the front, flows evenly over all hot compontents, and is let out on the rear side where it cools the tubes - which are exterior mounted for easy access and ventilation. In that respect it seems much better designed than it's competitor the Marshall 20/20 (with internal tubes and almost blocked ventilation ducts at the side of the amp due to the rackcase-wall)
I'd be surprised if this amp doesn't deserve a 9-10 in this category, but currently I'm unable to rate it.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing guitar for 20+ years. I *very* recently upgraded to a premium-brand guitar (Gibson), but before that I allways played cheap guitars, mid-to-higher end amps and was always able to dial in a tone that seemed good to me. At some gigs (with multiple bands) I would even play whatever amp was there, and make it work. Point being, I don't consider myself that picky and has made alot of friendly jokes to fellow musicians about their need for magic wood, virgin blood and angel hairs in their guitars.
But! regarding the (stock) MesaBoogie 20/20 I have never been so disappointed with an amp or any musical equipment before. Really! I don't love/hate any brands by default, I simply either like a product or I don't; regardless if it's a cheap Behringer or an expensive Mesa. But, if I pay alot I want quality right out of the box. If it's cheap I'm more forgiving.

The verdict : It's a rediculously expensive (certainly in europe), rock solid, god-awful sounding amp. It *IS* possible to turn the ugly duckling into a swan, but the steps required will not only void the warranty but are so involved and time-consuming that it's totally beyond what can reasonably be expected from a person who payed big bucks for a premium amp; regardless of this persons level of technical expertise. You should *definately* check this amp out before purchase (as always) which is an option I simply didn't have. (And, I'm way past point-of-no-return, and finally starting to enjoy this amp)

Again, I have to rate it based upon it's condition when stock.

I don??t know about year. Mine is black face. Very versatile and there are the possibility to obtain Marshall tones. 2 x 20 watts, 8 and 4 ohms outputs. Four EL-84 tubes and 3 12ax7 tubes (Sovtek EL-84 and JJ ECC-83). Very good for my music style, alternative brit rock, gothic rock a la Cult, Mission, Sisters, Siouxsie etc. This thing is very very very LOAD... Incredible for a 20+20 power!!! This amp sucks my Marshall JCM-900! The only bad news is about power and stand by switchs (commom for both channels), then i leave 9 for this topic

My guitars: MIJ 83 Greco Les Paul Custom and 95 Gibson Nighthawk special. My style: Brit pop, goth: The Mission, The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banchees, The Cult, The Cure, Joy Division, Gene Loves Jezebel. I use Triaxis + G-major + 2x12 Snake cabinet. Cooler is prety noise, but only in the pauses. Clean sounds presents high headroom, and are realy cleans! With Triaxis Lead Channels, i can to obtain good distortions, and harmonics. Brutal distortions, enough for metal style and hard rock. This amplifier is VERY LOAD!!! I can??t use volume 2 in my garage, or volume 3 in studio.

No problems. Like a tank. New tubes.

Mesa attention is very good. They return me all emails.

I??m playing since 1985. Other gear includes Triaxis, JMP-1, Marshall Cabinets and a lot of FX (TC 2290, Lexicon PCM)
I have Marshall 9200 dual monoblock. Mesa 20 20 is higher!!!! Beliave me!

It's a 2007 unit (Black). Two channels with independient volume and presence. Cab options are 1x8Ohms per channel or 2x4Ohms per channel. Slave outputs for re-amplifing.
Fan cooled, and let me say, the fan IS NOT noisy at all, in fact you can't even hear it unless you put your ear next to the unit.

It's a power amp, so too many features would be suspicious to me. It does what it have to and do it greatly.

It's rated 44 watts and believe me, it's loud enough for any aplication i can think of but the better part is that it still sounds amazing at lower volume levels (more on that later).

I gave it a 9 becouse of two things. First, I would like it to have individual power switches for each channel. Second, the Deep mod is a MUST and it could be easyly implemented putting a little switch next to the ground lift one.

I play prog-metal, fusion, hard rock, bluesy stuff, some alternative/modern stuff and the 20/20 seems to handle it great so far. My equipment includes a Strat with HS-3 pickups and an OLP with Steve's special/Air Norton. My cab is a Vintage Electric 2x12 with two 8 Ohm Celestion V30's wired separatedly, it's pretty much a Rectifier Cab copy made here in Argentina. I use two ADA MP1s, one stock and the other modded to sound close to a SLO-100. I also have a PODxt that I used before I had this setting and now is there just for FX until I can afford a Lexicon unit to go with my rack :D.

Out of the box, the 20/20 sounds too middy, the filters on the first gain stage really cut the bass out of the picture wich in my case wasn't a good thing. It may be cool for some aplications but not my cup of tee. First I tried to change my preamp patches to compensate but the more bass I added the muddier it got so I followed the advise of the other reviews and cutted the damn cap on the B channel. Then I did a side by side comparison between channels and boy was I shocked!. My cab came to life, the bass entered the picture and the preamp sound started to come through. I admit the stock sound is tighter but the lack of bass made it useless for me.
As far as unwanted noise...this baby has NONE so don't worry about it.

For recording or bethroom playing I found that turning down the output of the preamp and turning up the power amp volume brings more bass to the sound becouse of the power tube saturation making it sound extremely well at low volumes.
At high volumes it may need a little presence adjustment but I think is better to have low and high volume settings on your preamp.

Another thing I found is that the 20/20 goes extremely well with the PODxt. I tried using the PODs preamps without the cab simulation and the sound i got was really impressive, the tubes give that thing a lively sound that brings it closer to valve land, if you've got it, give it a shot and you'll see.

I rated it with a 9 becouse the deep mod brings the unit alive, if you have one and didn't perform the mod you just haven't heard it's full potential. As another guy said, the deep mod doesn't add things, it makes the response "normal" so you can hear your preamp and your poweramp interacting in a good/non destructive way.

Haven't had it for that long, but It looks like it's built to survive a nuclear war. I've opened it to do the mod and the insides look neat and solid. Metal knobs, smooth pots, heavy switches and thick chassis...that's the definition of reliable to me.

I don't think I'm gonna have to call them ever.

I've been playing for about 10 years, haven't tried a lot of high end equipment but I'm not a guy that looks at brands, if you like how it sounds then it is good.

If it where stolen I would just buy another one right away becouse there is no way of beating this baby in price/size/reliability. It won't get lost EVER!!
There was nothing to compare it to becouse all the other tube poweramps that sound good are two rack spaces so...
You couldn't get anything better than this for this price.

10 becouse:
- 1 Racks space
- VERY loud
- No heat issues
- TONE!!!

Get it, mod it and enjoy it.

ho comperato un mesa 20 20 del2007.
l ampli ha 2 canali da 22 w in classe A. e sono piu che sufficienti per suonare sia alle prove che in locali anche ampi.per gli esterni ci si appoggia solitamente al PA.

l amli ?? valvolare e si sente. io l ho abbinato a una effettiera gnx3000 come pre e a 2 casse 2x12 recto closed back.

i due canali non sono indipendenti...e qui ?? una pecca...cmq se si vuole attaccare solo una cassa basta mantenere il volume a zero sul canale e il potenziometro presence al massimo per evitare che il 20/20 si danneggi.

il suono ?? paurosamente bello! tutta un altra cosa rispetto ai marshall che ero solito usare.
l unico appunto che si puo fare ?? che qs mostro ha un sacco di basse ancora di piu enfatizzate dalla cassa closed back. ma basta aggiustare un po le patch del pre e qs mesa si rivela splendido sia sui puliti che sui distorti dando sonorita e chiarezza a ogni nota.

il volume 22 piu 22 ?? iper sufficiente e non ha problemi a far suonare sia le 2x12 che una 4x12

fino ad ora non ho mai avuto problemi.?? solido e cmq va tenuto con cura all interno di un bel rack

non ho mai avuto bisogno

?? da 10 anni che suono in giro per i locali d italia facendo cover band e pezzi inediti con vari gruppi. ho sempre usato marshall ma da qnd ho acquistato qs piccolo mostro con le sue relative casse il mio playing e suono ?? letteralmente incrementato in meglio

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!

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.

I don't know what year my amp is, but it is a black face unit with black knobs. This suits my setup very well, with a Triaxis (of course) and an Intelliflex in a home-made black case.
It is versatile enough for me, regarding it is a poweramp. I like the 'presence' in particular: I found out it is very conveniant to adapt your sound to the place where you have to play. I had to play with my band in a place that was very 'harsh': all concrete, low ceilings and tiles on the floor. I just had to lower the presence of my 20/20 to have the sounds I wanted. Very nice feature.
Futher one is a well build amp, very proffesional gear in a small package and it is damn loud if you want it to!
As other people have written: hey, it is a Boogie!
Perfect amp for me: the combination with the Triaxis and Intelliflex makes killer tone in a small package!

As I wrote before: I use a Triaxis pre, Intelliflex, a George Dennis wah in front of the Tri, and a Behringer FCB 1010 midi footcontroller.
I use a Blade RH 4 classic (beats Fender!!), best Strat ever made, or a Epiphone Les Paul with bird-eye maple top, with Seymour Duncan '59 pickups instead of stock.
This combination is holy grail for me. I can go from classic, smooth jazz to glassy strat clean to bouncing rockabilly, to bluesy rock to screaming rectifier in just a click with the foot.
The 20/20 is very musical and can follow all the nuances with no problem. It is not an amp, it is an instrument itself that flawlessly follows your picking technique and the nuances of your playing and choice of pickup/guitar.
It is very dynamic and it suits the Triaxis very well. I am a very happy guitarplayer with this setup!
Besides the little build-in fan, the amp makes no noise but the noise you put into it....
It is loud enough to play on a large stage. I was considering a 2:90, but as more people stated here in this review section: considering the weight, the size of the amp, the volume I need and the job and money when changing tubes, I chose this little friend, especially after reading the remarks of other reviewers here.
Thanks mates!

Hey, it is a tube amp. I take care of my gear, and I am never surprised in a bad way by Boogie (look at my name). I am using Boogie amps for 14 years now and never ever regretted doing so.The only problem is I have trouble selling them.
I am going to replace the stock tubes with JJ's, as more reviewers here have done. I am very curious what the result will be.
That is also a benefit of tube-amps, and Mesa amps in particular: you can create you own sound by using different brands of tubes. With Mesa, you don't even have to worry about biasing etc.
Very well built, very dependable, no I don't use a backup, just some spare tubes, just in case.
Never had any problems with Mesa however and don't expect it with my 20/20.

I never dealt with Mesa directly, although I use their amps quit a while now. Last year I broke down a pot in my Mark IV. The dealer in Holland told me to send and e-mail. Three weeks later I recieved a telephone call from a very nice lady, telling me the pot was on its way. The next day it was delivered, costing me a little more than the postal fee. Very good service.
The Mesa website is very nice. I like the benefit of finding manuals of out-of-production models, so you can always have a backup in finding your sound when you buy second-hand.

I would defenitely buy it again. I also have a Caliber .50 (+): my first Boogie and the one I will never ever sell. Then I have a Studio 22+, wich I use for practice and 'quick gigs'. The 20/20 and the Triaxis replace the Mark IV head I used till then. I was very happy with this amp, but the versatality and convenience I have now, beats everything. I still have the wonderful sounds of the Mark IV and so much more....I think I will never end up knowing all the beauties hidden in this combination. I am on a tribe for guitar sounds, that will never be halted.
I play in a band that plays (rock) covers: from early '70's rock up to modern rock and I play with a choir that sings pop: from ballads from musicals to 'Within Temptation': a Dutch Gothic band.
With this setup I can change my sound in an eye blink and always have a good sound and volume.
This combination can never be beaten by any modeling crap: this is no effects, no copy of whatever what sound. This is about musicality, dynamics, pure tube sound that suits your guitar and your playing style. Don't let the advertisements of those modelers fool you: what sounds do they try to copy? Why spend almost as much of your money on copy when you can buy the original (and have more musical satisfaction with it in the end).
Believe me: you are going to end up with the (as stated by the arrogant advertisements of the modelers) old fashioned, pre-war technology tube amp that gives you the musical insparation the modelers can never offer you. O.k., what they offer you looks impressive, in the beginning, but not after a while when you are going to make music instead of sounds...

22 watts per side, simple to use. A very LOUD 22 watts. If you are a 2:90 owner, you'll notice that there is no mode switching - no half-drive, modern or deep. You probably will not miss them and the lighter weight will make up for the missing modes. I run a Triaxis through an Intellifex out to the 20/20 and then out to 2 Pacific Woodworks 1-12 open back cabinets. I have a small pedalboard in front of the rack with 5-6 pedals. You might think that the EL-84 tubes would not have the bass response of the 6L6s in a 2:90. So far, I haven't noticed a major difference yet. Probably would in situations where more headroom is needed.

My main axe is a Tom Anderson Drop Top with a hum/single/hum configuration. Also have a few modified fender Strats. They all sound great through this power amp. The previous owner had put JJ's tubes in it so I don't know what the stock ones sounded like. The cleans are like crystal - smooth and not brittle. I've only owned this for a few weeks but the thing i love the most (so far) is that Mesa "mid-ness" (my term for that midrange honk that is part of Mesa's sonic fingerprint)is not present. I've even used it without the Triaxis, using my Roland GT-6 as a preamp. It absolutely screams! The only noise you will hear is the fan from the 20/20
I play mostly jazz and funk but also gospel and various sessions and it works well in all situations

Built like a tank.

Have not owned the 20/20 long enough but my first "good" amp was a Mesa Mark IIB, purchased directly from Boogie back in 1981. Currently also own the Triaxis and a Simul:290. Service has always been excellent. If they can't talk to you immediately, they actually call you back and are very knowledgable about their products

I've been playing for 40 years. I've owned Rivera and other rack gear and been through my monster 12 space shock mounted rack phase years ago and it's nice to have such a great TUBE power amp, effects and preamp in a fairly light 4 space rack

My 20/20 is a blackface version made in 2004. I play many different styles of music, literally ranging from Coltrane-influenced jazz to Cannibal Corpse. I love music, love guitar, and possibly most of all LOVE GREAT TONE. I needed a power amp that could handle anything I wanted...and this has it all. It is stereo, sounds great both quiet and loud. My only complaint is a lack of a resonance control...but not an issue.

I use two guitars with this, a PRS Standard 22 w/ EMG 81+85 and a PRS Singlecut with stock #7 pickups. Like I said, I submit this amp to guitar playing ranging from Bill Frisell, to Alex Lifeson, to Chuck Schuldiner, and it loves it all. I have never been so impressed by a power amp (VHT, other Mesas, Marshall, Fender, Peavey, etc) and I am very surprised that I ended up with a Class A EL84 amp.

It is dead quiet (aside from the obligatory fan).

I've never had the courage to turn it up beyond 5...it is insanely loud for a 22w amp. But, I think Mesa's general underrating coupled with it being Class A (rather than AB) contribute to that.

With my Engl tube preamp, I'm capable of generating lovely clean tones all the way to death metal inspired brutality. The Mesa wins, hands down.

I will say this: replace the stock tubes with JJ tubes. They run at the same bias, and will drastically improve your tone. It'll take away some of the "edginess", fatten up and tighten your sound. Trust me. Some individuals modify (the "deep mod") this power amp, but I think that's only necessary if you use this with a preamp that wasn't designed for the characteristic frequency response of an EL84 poweramp.

I've only had it for 7 months, but there hasn't been a glitch at all. It seems to be extremely well-built inside. No worries here.

N/A

I've only been playing for 11 years, but I have been searching and working to achieve the tones I've sought after since then. This power amp was the last piece in my puzzle. Other pieces include my Engl e530 preamp, BBE 482, ISP Decimator, Basson B212 cabinet, and various effects from Maxon, Analogman, and Electro-Harmonix.

As with anything, please try this amp out before you buy it...it might not be what you're looking for. However, I have a feeling that you won't be disappointed.

The Mesa Boogie 20/20 is a single space, rack mounted, two channel power amp that has a three 12AX7 preamp tubes and a four EL84 power amp tubes. The front controls are simple with the power switch, standby switch, front mounted fuse (nice for a crowded rack), and a volume and presence knob for each channel.

The back has an input for each channel as well as multiple outputs to match impedances. One of my favorite features is a pair of post-preamp-tube outputs that allow your signal to chain to a mixing board or larger power amp if on a whim you have to play in a football stadium.

Keep in mind the Mesa 20/20 is a POWER amp, not a preamp. That said, it is the magic ingredient that has warmed up, smoothed out, and breathed life into my otherwise solid state preamp chain. I have a Line 6 Duoverb, Tech 21 Tri-AC, and Johnson J-station that I use for versatility, portability, and silent recording purposes, but all of them suffered from the harshness of their tubeless existance. As soon as I ran the Duoverb's stereo preamp outputs into the 20/20 and powered my 2x12..... BAM!!! I was literally stunned at how the Blackface settings BOUNCED, and the Soldano and Recto sounds growled with that perfect tube sag. I've read reference to the 20/20 as being 22 watts per side. 44 watts would make sense because it's almost as loud as the 50 watt Marshall half stack I had. I'll likely pick up another 2x12 and run 2 speakers per side instead of 1. I keep the presence controls dimed, but subtly dialing them off can darken up the amps tone if you need it.

The only noise is the quiet, internal fans. You can only hear them when you're right next to the rack.

It's VERY substantially constructed, if not a tad on the heavy side. I have it mounted in a flight case, but even if the case were destroyed, I'd bet that the Mesa would survive. The only thing I would change would be a disconnectable power cable as opposed to the hard wired one it has.

I've owned other Mesa gear in the past and have alot of confidence in their construction and reliability. 12AX7's and EL84's are some of the least expensive tubes out there, so with any tube amp it's always smart to keep a few extra tubes on hand.

I had some questions answered about using a single side of the amp (you can, but you need to use a shorting plug, unused speaker, or some load, keep the presence maxed and volume at zero, and it's a good idea to trade sides once in a while to keep tube wear even) and they were very friendly and professional.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, but I don't play clubs and bars like I did in college. I love the sound of a tube amp, but accept that they're not the most practical application where volume needs to be kept low or small home studio recording. I had been frustrated with the practice and recording tones that amp modeling was leaving me with. The Mesa 20/20 is a life saver and a piece of equipment that I will NEVER be without again!

You know what this is?.......perfectly simple !!

Just the Mesa 20/20 and a Lexicon MPXG2, stereo output into two Marshall 2 x 12 1936 cabs.
I play an Ibanez JEM, an Ibanez JS700, an Ibanez JS1000 and an old ESP M100.
The Lexicon produces the most perfect FX once all the parameters are dialled in correctly, and then the Mesa 20/20 unleashes the sound without compromise and at amazing volumes.
I'm a big Satch fan, but also play more traditional Rock/Blues.
Adding the 20/20 to my rig was the best thing I've ever done.

Only had it for 2 weeks.
My friend has had one for 2 years without ANY problems

Never had to contact them.

This little valve amp is perfect. 'Small is beautiful' certainly applies here!!! I was using a Marshall EL34 100/100 rack Amp. Not only does the 20/20 have far superior sound quality and volume, it weighs a fraction as much and takes up 1/3rd of the space. If this little treasure ever went missing I'd replace it without a doubt.
I was lucky to pick up a secondhand one for #400, but wouldn't think twice about paying double for a new one..... I think it's worth it!!

Newer model, brown, with black buttons and silver toggle switch.
2 volume and 2 presence, knobs stereo ins and outs for 4, 8, and 16 ohm
Wish I could sum the the outputs to mono, wish I could split the input signal
to both channels, but this might be asking too much. A y cable should do the
trick for the inputs, have to rewire the cab to stereo.

Current Setup - PRS custom 24 - Soldano SP-77 preamp - Mesa 20/20 - Bogner 4 x12.
As you might guess, I have tone for days. Sweet, liquid, juicy, 12-tube tone..... yum
This review is for this setup, keeping in mind that Bogner cab is mono, and I haven't rewired it, so I'm just using one channel at a time. The sound at 20 watts is unreal.
I found myself backing off of the output on the soldano and using more of the volume of the Mesa because I didn't want to stick a HUSH C or anything in the middle. Super Clean.
Obviously, with the Soldano maxed out, it screams a little, but this is to be expected.
I play hard rock/metal live, but record all sorts of music and this does the trick.
Something I've noticed from this power amp that I also noticed on the Zvex Nano Amp is the greater tonal variety that it brings to the pickups. Switching through the 6 positions,
I found very distinct tones that were not nearly as apparent before.
Below a quarter of the way up, this amp doesn't do much, the highs are muffled and
it begs to be turned up, but once you do it delivers awesome, full, crystal clear tone.
I can't count that against this amp, because tube amps need a little volume to do their
thing, but if you're a bedroom jammer this could already be a bit loud for you. I live
in an apt in brooklyn and my neighbors fu*#ing hate me. Oh well.
Do not underestimate the loudness of this amp. Real tube amps don't need to be
a million watts, for those of you who have played Zvex's 1/2 watt Nano amp know
what I mean. I'm using the 8 ohm output and my bogner cab has 16 ohm V-30's (which I feel also exceed their modest wattage rating) and the headroom is very ample.
I couldn't be happier with the sound of my current setup, I think building your own rig
is definitely worth, I got away this amp setup for less than 1500 bucks. A steal.
Sorry, no 10's from this guy, unless it had a buit-in toaster. hmmm.... toast

No problems so far, but hey, its a tube amp, be careful

Pretty decent, I couldn't take calls at work so I had to get right through to someone
which took about 10 tries, but he was real helpul.

Very nice amplifier, loud, clean, versatile, and yeah, only 1 rack space.
Which makes me wonder why my SP-77 had to be 2 spaces, I opened it.
WHY, MIKE?

One rack space, light weight, tubes easy to change

Used in a classic rock band. Excellent tone.

Never broke down on me after 4 years. Always use mesa tubes with little problems.

I use the power amp with a Peavey rockmaster, digitech twin tube and a 2x12 vintage 30 cabinet. I have a really great setup where I can run the poweramp at full blast and control my volume. I run the line out of my Peavey rockmaster to the return of my twin tube. The output of the twin tube goes into the mesa. With the effects loop turned off I can steal the effects only from the twin tube and also use it as a master volume. With the poweramp at full blast the tone is incredible. Also with the cabinet rated at 120 watts I have tons of headroom. This setup will sing for days...And the volume, well I am killing my other guitar player who uses an all tube 120 watt Peavey head.

This setup is perfect for the classic rock covers we play. The only problem is that sometimes the life of the tubes is cut short. Sometimes they get changed every 5 months. Some of them can last up to a year, but there is a drop in volume.

Nice, compact, and simple.

This is the best sounding power amp hands down. Don't let the 20 watts fool you -- it's loud.

Never had a problem in 2 yrs, even on the same tubes. Own two of them, they're so good.

Mesa has some of the best customer service around. On my old 20/20, a pot went bad. I called them up, and they sent me the part in a couple of days at NO COST. It was out of warranty and I wasn't the original owner. What other company would do this? Mesa is just the best.

Good value, and sounds better than my 50/50. Perfect rack amp.

Perfect !

I use the Luk Music Man guitar, into Triaxis and before I got my 20/20 I had Marshall 8008 power amp. Cabinet is 1936 ( 2x12 ) from Marshall.
It was like night and day to go from 8008 to Mesa :-) Now I finally love my Triaxis. All my preamp needed was a good power amp ! !
My only problem now is to set the volume : As told I set Triaxis volume between 5 and 7, and almost without touching the 20/20, my volume is too high :-) :-) ( If 8008 = 80 watt, I think Mesa is 800 watt ! ! )

You can always trust a Mesa !

No need for this after I bought Mesa !

Mesa is the best !

The features of this amp are quite simple. There is only volume, presence and a standby-switch. But it's quite enough for a power-amp. And power it has!! Its amazing how loud this amp is with only 2x20 watts! I play mostly progressive rock and need crispy cleans and a smooth medium/high-gain distortion. Both are possible, although I would prefer a little more presence.

I use the 20-20 in combination with a Marshall JMP-1, a Boss GT-5 effectboard (with midi!) and a Marshall 1936 (2x12"Celstion, stereo). A great combination. Before I bought my Mesa, I used a Marshall 20-20 EL84. As you can read in the reviews of this Marshall, this amp gives you al lot of trouble and this also occured to me. I prefer the sound of this Marshall-amp but the Mesa is is a good substitute.
The guitars I use, are: Blade (R6, R2), Parker P44, Ibanez S540MAV and PRS Santana SE. All sound good, beside my Blades. It lackes a bit of definition.

As I said, I used to have a Marshall 20-20. The construction-design of this unit fails. As many others, I had a lot of trouble with the cooling. Once it burned-out during a gig and that's at least very "anoying"!! I didn't want this to happen again and wanted to have a reliable amp, so I turned to this Mesa. And I am rewarded. I use this amp for over 2 years now and never had a problem. The fan is quite enough (the Marshall-fan was a lot more louder) and the overall-construction of this Mesa is sturdy enough for gigging over years.

Never dealth with.

I am a satisfied user of this amp. Although I liked the sound of the Marshall 20-20 a bit more, I prefer a RELIABLE amp slightly beyond its sound. Besides that, is the compact size of it very important to me. Before I switched to the 20-20 unit (19", 1 rack-space), I used a Marshall 9200 EL34. This one is much to loud AND has (very!!!!) to much weight!!!. If you want a 19" unit with tube-power, not to much power and -weight, there is not much to choose from. It's Marshall or Mesa. For me, the Mesa is the winning amp!

P.s.: I would like to thank Mario, who posted a review at 10-3-2002. He discribed a simple modification of the Mesa 20-20 to get a customized sound, with appeals very much to me. I certainly will try this out soon. Leo

This amp is about 8 months old now. It only has two presence knobs, two volume knobs, and two toggle switches. One for power, one for standby. On the back you've got the two inputs, and various outputs. lol... I can't remember. Several speaker outs. These work great for what it was designed for!

I am using this thing with a POD 2.0 in front of it and a Marshall 1960VB w/Vintage 30's in it. HOLY COW!!! I LOVE this setup!!! I can get the most awesome sounds. I've been playing about 6 years and this amp definitely adds a new dimension to the sound compared to the Marshall Valvestate VS102R I was using with it earlier. That sounded like crap now that I've heard this Mesa with this Marshall 4x12! One thing I did that made a HUGE difference. Ok, to when I first got them amp, I was actually quite disappointed. We had a gig the first day, so I took it along with my VS for backup. Well, we got there and turned it on, and it just sounded like crap. I was upset. It was very muddy and muffled and not clear. Well, I tweaked my POD to it (Mesa stuff is rumored to be voiced dark, anyways, so SOME of this was expected, but not the amount I got) and that helped a lot and it sounded pretty good, but it still left some to be desired. Well, that was when I decided to change tubes. DING! That's a winner!! After putting some JJ/Tesla EL84's in it, this thing came to life! It sounds much more open, clear, and robust now. THIS is what I was looking for now that I've changed the tubes. It had the stock Mesa tubes in it. The stock tubes also had a thing for having a REALLY heavy bottom end. Not with the JJs!! So if you buy this amp and it still has the stock Mesa tubes, PUT SOME NEW TUBES IN IT!!! JJ's are rumored to be the "best" EL84, but that's obviously up to you to decide. :) I know I'm VERY happy with them. This amp has helped me out A LOT in my sound. I can't really describe it, other than saying it has added a new dimension to my sound. OH! One thing... this thing is LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!! And I mean LOUD!!!! I thought about going with a 50/50 instead of the 20/20, but went ahead and got the 20/20 based on price and weight concerns. I was really concerned about the 40 watts... HA!! Never will I be again. This thing is RIDICULOUSLY loud! I have honestly drowned out the other guitarist in my band at about 60% volume and he was cranked all the way with his 100 watt crate blue voodoo half-stack. I don't know if I'll still be able to drown him out when he gets his T100 or not, lol, but it'll be close, I'm sure. You definitely do NOT have to be concerned about volume.

The amp itself I think is more than fine and dependable, it's the tubes and fuses I worry about. :) I went to Radio Shack and bought some extra fuses... I think it was like $3 for 4 of them or something... and I kept the stock Mesa tubes for backup in case I'm at a gig and one or more of the JJ's die... heh. I've not had any problems yet, but they're there for when I need them. No blown fuses or anything yet.

I've called them once about a VERY loose and "springy" presence knob, but I didn't get a reply. I also set ridiculous times that he could contact me and, to be honest, I wouldn't have called me back either... lol... so I'm just going to leave this be.

I've been playing about 6 years. I've got a little bit of gear. An Ibanez AE18, Marshall 1960BV (that I traded a valvestate 4x12 for... STRAIGHT UP!! That was a GREAT day... hehe), a Jackson/Charvel CSM1-G, 12 space rack, etc., etc. If this thing were stolen, I would definitely buy another one. And, no, I wouldn't kill the ________(insert choice word here)who did it, because I probably couldn't find him. ;) I really cannot think of anything to change on this amp. For me, it works perfect. OH!!! One thing... many people are griping about not being able to use 16 ohm cabinets with this thing... YOU CAN!!! READ YOUR MANUAL!!! In the manual it states that you can, it will just run your tubes down a little bit more.

Stereo two-channel. Volume and presence controls for each channel. All the output configurations that you would probably need. Of course it has a power and standby switch. It is a very basic tube amp, which is a good thing. It does have "slave" outputs which allow you to run from this amp to a larger amp if needed and still get that "cranked" Mesa sound.

I use a Paul Reed Smith CE24 Maple Top with the stock pickups. I also use a Marshall JMP-1 preamp and a TC Electronic G-Major effects unit. We play all types of music from country to metal and the amp adapts well to the changes in pickups and preamp/effect settings. It is never noisey and never overheats.

I relaced the stock tubes in it with JJ's and it made a HUGE difference in the tone. The amp has a harmonic-rich tone that just seems to screem with character. The bottom is very tight, the mids are rich, and the highs are very smooth and do not have that "scratchy" sound that some amps have.

Our stage volume is pretty loud and I have yet to get the thing past half-volume. Even though it is only putting out 22 watts per channel I have been able to crank up clean sounds and actually stay clean. At first I was not sure about the tonal range of the amp. It was designed to work with the darker sounding preamps that Mesa produces, so when I teamed it up with my Marshall JMP-1 it didn't have quite the balls that I hoped it would. So I performed the "deep mod" that evening and ordered the tubes the next day. Now it is the perfect partner to my JMP-1 and I would not trade it for anything.

It has not let me down yet. We play twice a week and practice once. It never gets hot and always retains the exact same tone every time I use it.

I have emailed and talked on the phone with a couple of the Mesa techs and I couldn't ask for better help. They took the time to answer all of my questions, even before I bought the amp.

Probably the last rack amp I will ever need, unless I need some crazy stadium volumes or something. Even then I will use "slave" outputs to run to a bigger amp. If you want an amp with a personality, this one is it. If it were stolen I would have to hunt the bastard down and beat him with a mic stand!

This is a "chrome-face" `95 model, and as stated an EL-84 loaded tube stereo 2X20Watt power-amplifier. It has individual controls for volume and presence per channel, and a ground lift-switch in the rear. One 8 ohms output per channel and two 4 ohms/ch.
This is enough for me, but I`d like to see an 16ohm output per channel as well, to suit different speakers.

I use two Carvins, a Bolt-t loaded with AP-11 single coils and a DiMarzio FRED humbucker in bridge pos. It also have a Wilkinson trem.
I olso use a DC200 with M-22N and M-22T humbuckers and a Flyd rose trem. Pre-amp is a Marshall JMP-1 with a G-major effects-processor in the loop, into the Mesa/Boogie 20/20, into an Marshall 1936 cab. loaded with celestion greenbacks.
My playingstyle differs from countryrock to gospel, pop, big-band rock and prog-rock. I Play in several different bands and projects which demands a flexible setup and sound.
I owned a Marshall 9100 poweramp which was too heavy to carry around, and I once tried the Marshall EL84 that I imediate liked very much! I came over this Mesa unit, and I loved this at once!
It`s a much "darker" sounding amplifier than the Marshall, I must confess that I would have liked to switch the tubes on the Marshall from Sovtek to Svetlana before comparing the differences in sounds..but the 9100 sounded "thin" and "harsh" in comparison to this Mesa 20/20. And I swear, this is just as loud...!!! :) Amazing! I have not yet tried it on "10" o`clock. The sound compared to The 9100 and a Rocktron Velocity 150 is: Full and lively, Fat, very dynamic, loud, harmonic and very likable! It fits my setup as a glove! It was a bit too "dark" with the original "old" Mesa powertubes, but a installed a quad of JJ`s Tesla EL84, and after about 10 hours of playing, It waked up!! Shimmering harmonic content and deep nice dynamic lows on clean sounds! Forget about mods, change the tubes! On crunch and "hi-gainy" sounds it remains detailed and not harsh or "narrow" at any time. Very "open" and "wide" in its soundscape. The low-mid is accentuated rather than the "Marshally" upper mid. This makes it easy to tune in to many usable sounds without ever getting "harsh" or "nasal". The effects thru the G-major remains clear and "airy" (re:after the tubechange)
The best poweramp for this setup IMHO! I am so satisfied now..and I sleep very good at night these nights.....:)
And also, important! It is very quiet! Just small "shh" from the fan.

Nothing to mention, the fan makes a small "screech" as I switch the unit on, but is gone by 15 sec.

Answered my e-mail after one day, about the fixed-bias setting on their amps, and where to get tubes...Very good!

I`ve been playing for 20 years, and I`m very specific about my equipment, I strive to get the sound I hear, and I think this is IT.
I use quality cables, .010-.046 strings, Crybaby wha, Ernie Ball volume pedal, Marshall ED-1 compr.pedal. I can really adwise anyone playing any style to check this one out!
Price taking in consideration..A BARGAIN!!!:)

Nothing to be mentioned. It?s a power amp.

First of all I?d like to tell what gear I use around this pre-amp because I think this is really important. My guitar is a Ernie Ball Music Man ? Axis (which is the one that Eddie van Halen used to play before he switched to Peavey if I?m right). My pre-amp is a Marshall JMP-1(unlike any other Marshall this one really good). For effects I use an Alesis Quadra Verb 2. I use a cab with a Classic Lead Celestion speaker in it (I will buy either a Mesa Boogie 2x12 horizontal rectifier cab or a Bag End S12-B).

About the Mesa Boogie 20/20: When I used to look into music store folders I always thought that the 20/20 was not worth the attention. Boy was I wrong or what! I was ones testing a guitar and by coincidence discovered this little amp. Everything changed. All the time that I was playing I have been playing through filter-compressor-amps or so it seemed. The 20/20 really offers a wide spectrum of sound it?s like your entering a new world (really I?m not lying).
And wen you?re talking of wattage the people of Mesa Boogie really did their homework. This amp is louder then most of the amps of other companies. Although they have the data-sheets saying that the amps are suppose to have the same power output.
And this amp is incredibly dynamic and that?s something that is very important to me.
When this amp is cranked all the way up, it starts to get real teeth. The tubes create this nice little distortion. Superb!

It still works and I hope it will in the future.

I never talked to them.

This is a really cool amp.

I?m kind of late with this review because I bought the amp at the second day of March of two thousand and one. But this means I really know the amp by now. I also tried a Mesa Boogie 50/50 but that a whole different ball game (sorry Mesa but that thing suck when you compare it with the KING 20/20)
I?m really looking forward to when I can Hook this baby up to the cabs I mentioned earlier.

Well done Mesa Boogie!

I believe the amp is a 96 model. I agree with others that it can drown out anyone else you play with -- young, brash and in your face, but also sweet and quiet. True stereo is amazing feature -- I run a V-Twin (rack) through one side and a Pod v1.0 thru the other -- the layered sound is a beaut. I also build my own cabs and this gives me unlimited options. No need to use those presence knobs on the front though.

Whisper quiet, loud as hell, but still sounds greatest with both pres knobs set at around 7 o'clock -- I use it through a 15 and through my own custom open back 212, and both are impressive.

Not a problem ---ever!!! had it 5 years, and I wouldn't trade it unless offered, oh, about 6 times what I paid for it.

The Mesa guys are the best. Period. They call back, they help, they help because they love, and don't let anyone tell you otjherwise.

I'd buy another no prob, especially if it were stolen. That is after I was paroled for greivous bodily harm committed on the thief. Own a JCM 900 series Marshall, which I haven't been able to fix or ply through for about a year (one "pop" and no more sound.), and a Pod v1.

1999 model, 20w per channel stereo tube power amp, el84, volume & presence for each channel. Handles any load impedance. No need for the presence controls.

Very sweet sounding amplifier. Cleans, and all other tones are very warm. Excellent sounding at extremely low volume, excellent at high volume, but I rarely acheived output tube saturation because the lead player always made me turn it down. Obviously I'm the rhythym. This amplifier can drown out the drummer, and a 100w Marshall TSL full stack. On the other hand, this amp can drive a 1x or 2x12 or a pair of 1x12's in your living room while your wife watches TV. One of the nicest output sections I've ever heard.

These guys actually call you back, and they do it when they said they would! They bent over backward to send me information I requested. Unbelievable! If you could get 'em on the phone right away they'd get a 10.

A great power amp which proves 100w is ridiculous. I wish it would overdrive at lower volumes, but nonetheless the sound is just sweet and warm. I used various pre-amps, and even the digital ones were warmed up enough by this amp. For el84s, the amp ran fairly cool, even after 4-5 hours of playing. Absolutely worth every penny of what I paid, no doubt. This amp has none of the problems associated with the marshall el84 20/20, so if you're in the market for one of these two amps, the Mesa's the one.

Gig 8-10 times per month with this amp. You already know the features. Prescence control is kinda standard now on power amps and it does help. I'd like to see a power amp made with eq and a comp/limiter built in. That would be very versatile.

Use various guitars. Fenders, Gibsons, Charvel. The amp likes them all. Use it with a Triaxis and a Rocktron MultiValve. Mushes out if turned up too high but has plenty of power nonetheless to suit my needs.

Very reliable. No problems.

Mesa is a good company but I do not like the fact that I cannot get a response to an email question. If I call, which is a toll call for me by the way, I am never able to reach anyone and by the time I get a callback, I am no longer available. Very frustrating. Their hearts are in the right place but they need to rethink their customer service approach.

Playing over 35 years. Own a SimulClass 2:90 power amp also. Used to own the 50/50 too. I also own a Rocktron Velocity 120 which is a nice SS power amp, but there is not comparison to tubes. I'm sorry. I keep trying and trying to get away from tubes but it just plain aint gonna happen. I like this power amp the best. For the size, it is excellent.

It's as basic as any power amp should be. Just volume and presence for each channel. It's a power amp, it just has to amplify what the preamp does..... Uh, yeah, it has to sound good too!

Rate: 8 because it has too many knobs for my tastes... Volume is enough on a power amp! If u need some tone tweakings go ahead and buy a good EQ instead!

Geez, it is loud!! I wouldn't expect all that volume from a 1 unit rack space power amp rated @ 22W/channel. It is louder than the Line6 Flextone head of the oher guitarist in my band, which is rated @ 150W! (the amp, not the guitarist :-) ).
My setup consists mainly of:

Mesa/Boogie TriAxis (THE poweramp! JMP1 sucks)

Ibanez RG 7 strings

Quadraverb

20/20 (of course)

2x12 Marshall 1922 cab

I play a lot of stuff, Rock mainly.

To be honest it sounds a bit thin and too mid-rangey/trebly for my tastes, anyway I'll try that "DEEP" mod as soon as the warranty will expire, I'll post another review then if it's worth it.
It's not bad anyway, it's not difficult to find funky sounds a la John Frusciante yet it's good to play Petrucci-like distortions but I think that it depends largely on the preamp. With a REXX 602 preamp I created some good 80's-shred sounds a la Cacophony/Tony Macalpine (which definitely ain't the sound of the TriAxis). I'll give it an 8 beause it lacks some balls (which I hope to improve with the mod), otherwise I'd give it a 10.

Well, it is a tube amp so I wouldn't depend on it. Anyway I owned and currently own several Mesa pieces, I gigged them a few and they never failed on me.
As a just-in-case I own a solid-state backup amp whih consists of a REXX 602 preamp and a Marshall 8008 power amp. Yes, it sounds different, but always better than a blown tube amp!

Rate: 10 so far. I would never expect such a reliability from tube stuff.

Too bad Mesa doesn't reply to emails. I live in Italy and the time difference makes impossible for me to call them.
Italian service center in my area really sucks, it takes a lot to have infos/spares if u wanna do the work yourself (and, because I am an electronic engineer, I DO wanna do it myself)

Rate: 5 you get what ya want but you have to suffer.

I've been playing for more than 10 years, I owned a lot of stuff, only the best stayed,and this piece will definitely stay. I think it's the best compromise between tone/size/weight available on the market, unless you wanna buy a blow-prone Marshall power amp.
If it were stolen I'd buy it again but would look for a used one (Why Mesa pieces have to cost THAT much???)

Rate: 8. It is almost perfect for my needs.

I finally figured out how to do the "Deep" modification a lot of reviewers talk about. If you own this amp and its out of the warranty period, I HIGHLY recommend this modification. If you do it while the warranty is still active, you will void it.
If you don't know already, the 20/20 has a "boost" above 200 hz (high bass and above) that is double the low range of the amp. Sounds good and cuts, but not "ballsy" enough. Doing this modification will give more low end "oomph", add richness, and open the treble a bit more. I find it gives you a more "modern" mix of vintage EL84 chime and new metal sound. This amp is a little too washed in the mid frequencies as stock. Here's how you do it (if you aren't tech / electronically inclined, find somebody who is!! Amps store high voltages even when unplugged and if you poke or prod the wrong thing, you can be electrocuted)

1. Take off the cover
2. Locate the 12ax7 input tube closest to the input jacks, this will be the farthest tube to the left if standing behing the amp with the tubes pointing to you.
3. Look at the circut board the input tube is mounted on. Slightly below the tube on each side of it, you'll see a series of capacitors / resistors. These are miniture "sausage" looking things about a 1/4" long, running up and down. Some are tan/brown with stripes, some aren't.
4. You'll see one in each grouping per side that is different. They are a bit smaller than the rest, NO STRIPES, and are a yellowish/tan color, and have tapered ends. THESE ARE THE ONES YOU WANT TO REMOVE.
5. One is very easy since its by itself to the left of the input tube. The other one on the opposite side is in between the other "sausage" looking devices (resistors).
6. I removed them by heating the back side of the circut board where its soldered in. Using very long, thin needle nose pliers (or a long thin screw driver). I disconnect on side of the capacitor from the circut board. Gently pry out the connection while applying the heat to the connection.
7. Repeat on the other side. Be careful not to damage the resistors next to it.

Enjoy the sound. If you don't like it, re-solder the connection. Thats why its good to only remove one end, its easier to re-connect.

You'll notice the perceived volume drops a bit. Thats because your ears aren't getting "slammed" with all the previous midrange. I like that because now I can open up my amp and preamp a bit more and not blow out my ears. You will have to modify your current bass and treble/presence settings since you've changed the overall sound.

Feel free to email me with questions or your comments on the mod.

I use this amp for home only at the moment. It has all the features you will need for small gigs or an average sized gig. I use this amp mainly for metal, but i also use it for some clean songs and it sounds amazing for both types.

It sounds brilliant, it's a boogie!

Unfortunatly my amp started to go wrong after 3 months, at first i thought it was the tubes at first but after i swaped the tubes in the channels and then it was on both channels. So i sent it back back to be fixed.

I purchased this amp new in '98 to replace a simul-295. (Probably the best sounding, largest and heaviest power amp I have ever had in a rack.) The 20/20 can cover a lot of ground. The presence controls help in making up for various room changes. Being able to switch off the cooling fan is a nice touch.

I use custom-made guitars with EMG pickups. The amp is pretty quiet. The amp (as any honest 20 watts will be) can be very loud. However, if you push EL84's past their headroom, you better be prepared to radicaly alter your preamp settings. All power tubes have a certain character when pushed hard. At extremes EL84's loose a lot of definition and tend to become unfocused in the low end. This can be great for blues and smooth mid crunch, however, versatility goes out the window. And isn't versatility why we hastle with rack setups? This amp on 10 is going to have a high slew rate. Good, low end transient response requires a substanitial power reserve. If you keep this amp around 4, you won't have a problem. This amp on 4 will power a good 4-12 cab to give medium stage coverage and cover everything from glassy cleans to smooth, sweet overdrive. If you are in a pratice room trying to compete with an old school "crank it 'till it sounds good" player, this amp will become a mid heavy, one-tone box.

It has been retubed only twice in four years of heavy use. That combined with the low cost of EL84's makes this the lowest cost of ownership I've ever had with a tube amp.

Mesa tends to a very friendly company. They won't bend over backwards, but they will do pretty much anything within reason to help.

I've been playing for just over thirty years. Everything from national tours and record dates to wedding bands and casual gigs. This amp is a compromise obviously. If I had my way, I would still own my 295's, 4 mesa 2-12 cabs, and refrigerator-sized rack. But these days I have to carry my own stuff so . . . I marry this with a triaxis, a GP100, and a Lexican reverb.

The features on this amp are exactly what a power amp should have. It's perfect for me. And it's so frigin light! I absolutely love this amp. My band plays hardcore metal. Most hardcore bands use Triple Rectos and Marshall JCM 800s, so this amp fits just fine.

My main guitar is an Ibanez RG 7-string with stock pickups(V-1 and V-2s I think). I'm also using a Line6 POD Pro for a pre-amp, and I usually use the Brit High Gain setting. Check this out: The Brit High Gain setting is modeled after the Marshall JCM 800. After playing through this power amp, you'd swear that it sounded like a real JCM 800. I get a huge sigh of relief ever time I turn it on. This is my first tube amp, and I don't think i'll ever go back to solid states again.

I've had this amp for about 6 months. It is extremely versitile. I play quite a bit, and even at that rate the tubes will last me a few years. I should gig with a backup, but I don't. I am that confident with this amp.

Prety decent support. This first one I bought was defective and stoped working after two weeks. I brought it back and they just replaced it.

I've been playing for 6 years now. The amp I used befor was a Marshall MG-100 solid state head. I also use a Marshall 4x12 cab. If it were stolen, I would do two things: First, I would go buy a new one right away. Second, I would hunt down the guy who stole it from me and cut off his nutsack!! I'm that passionate about this amp. And as many people said before, this amp is far more powerful than its 44 watt rating. THIS AMP F!@#$%G RIPS!!!!

This is the earlier chrome faced model which looks killer! basic features, but all you'd expect in a power amp. i'd perhaps like a less noisy fan or at least 2 speeds so i can slow it down when i'm just playing at low levels. Also, XLR inputs would be a sweet touch.

i am playing anything from metal to jazz using a Carvin Quad-X preamp. This amp delivers well. It is not so overpowered that you never get to crank it into tube saturation; this, afterall, is what having a tube amp is all about. aside from the noisy fan, the signal is quiet(the fan noise does not come through the signal chain). despite 20W per side, there is plenty of clean headroom in here.

dunno yet

at first i was afraid after reading that EL-84's lack a strong bottom. however, there are no worries here. the 20/20 does great with the low freqs through my peavey 2x12 horizontal cab.

Dual Volume and Presence controls, single standby, 4-8ohm outputs, slave out..simple yet effective. I guess the output section could be expanded for a mono 16 ohm cab, separate standby switches would be nice too.

EL-84 fatness, nice round yet ballsy tone. Not really what I would call a Heavy Metal power amp, no pun intended. Using it through the Mesa Recto cabinet with V-30's is nice but can't break up the 65 watters. Has a really warm tone that takes some of the edge off those chilly V-30's. Usable gain from 1/4 volume to 1/2, 3/4 has a nice sweet clip.

I like this for it's contemporary blues sensibility with enough punch for a hard rock vibe. I'm using an ADA mp-1 through it but would like to experiment with a Hughs & kettner or a Rocktron preamp. The prior post does not mention what type of preamp he was using so go figure. It would seem this amp will warm up any solid state preamp, and really smoke with a tube preamp.

My suggestion would be to get 2 separate 12" greenback cabinets and a high quality preamp. I'm positive this thing can sound as fat & warm as the best boutique amps. This may be limiting as strictly a blues tone but the amp still cranks some serious tone for hard rock.

Not as pleasing through a Marshall 1960a mono cab due to again, the wattage on GT-75s. Not as much midrange bite as an El-34 amp so metal heads may be disapointed. I used this mainly for a bluesy SRV and Queen tone, generally it will work for fattening up any cold or boring rig.

Brand new, don't know yet

Interesting folks, 1st unit scratched, swapped it out for a 2nd. Unit also didn't match the website picture. 3 different faceplates, crome, black, solid.

I got tired of reading last post. This amp is great for a traveling musician or the low maintenance of El-84's. Tube prices are getting out of control and I hate solid state. Compared to my Crate VC3112B(it bury's so many EL-84 combo amps it's scary like the price) it really has the sweet tone of an El-84 amp, but it is system dependent on speakers, preamp, and guitar. I don't like the price, way high for what it is. Due to the ever shrinking available rack power ams, this is one of the few viable options if you have the cash. You won't be dissapointed but may be underwhelmed after reading all these posts.

According to my serial #, there are only around 1800+ of these units floating around since 1995-6 when they first came out. Makes it very much a boutique product and a priveledge to own. Unfortunately, it comes with a price. Mesa would sell boatloads of these if they lowered it but perhaps quality would suffer.

If your in the mood for a VOX-ac30 power section on steroids with enough volume to hang with the loudest 50 watt head, this may be for you. Just remember, IMHO, it's really geared more on the blues/wicked creamy distorted tone side. Not the sandpaper/fuzz tone of a Recto or the Midrange crunch of a Marshall. Ideally I'm sure Mesa would like you to plunk down the $ for the V-twin to go with it but for that price, I would go buy another VC3112 any day of the week and grin on every note picked.

Volume and presence on each channel @ 22 watts.

I bought this poweramp at Guitar Center, and couldn't wait to get it to my space and hear it. I had it for three weeks, and tried several different pre amps and cabs (various Marshall 4 X 12's, w/different celestions in each cab).

Well, I wanted to like this amp. I wanted to be blown away by it's tone and volume. I wasn't. It sounded dry and distorted (not in a good way). It sounds very weak to me. Maybe it's just not the Power amp for me, maybe I had a bad one (everything spec'd out okay, and the tubes looked perfectly healthy). It wasn't nearly loud enough for me and my band. To be honest (and I *really* wanted to love this amp) I thought it sucked.

Don't know if mine was a bad one, but when I returned it to GC, they Let me A/B it with a second 20/20, and I didn't hear a difference in volume and/or tone.

Too weak, too thin, no balls, no guts. I've been playing for about 20 years, and have spent the last 10+ playing through various rack gear. My tech has done work for Boston, Experience Hendrix, Alice in Chains, SoundGarden, and others (IE he knows his shit). This power amp did not have the volume and/or the tone I had hoped. I would absolutely NOT buy one again. Maybe a VHT? Wanted to like it... too bad it sucked.

New in store demo.
volume , presence on each channel. My rating of 6 is not a slam, but I 've always liked EQ on a power amp.

I play roots music. my rig is Tube works blue tube II into the 20/20. Depending on the gig, sometimes I have effects , sometimes not. The sound is great. with the volume on the power amp, I can create a "sweet spot" anywhere by adjusting the preamp out and the power amp volume. clear clean tones, creamy distortion, nice crunch.

Haven't had it long

I've had several Mesa Boogie pieces and though, I've never had a real issue, they are good about answering questions. I wish they still had email for questions, but it's not that hard to get 'em on the phone if you call early.

I put together this rack because My back couldn't deal with my Mesa Boogie Rectaverb 50. Great amp, beautiful tone, higly recommended, but I'm getting on towards 50 and have developed a bad back. The 20/20 racked with my preamp and wireless is very light and splitting the amp/speaker makes it very manageable. I'd replace this rig with another 20/20 and whatever good simple tube preamp I could find in a heartbeat!

Basic power amp with a presence control. No control for the bass frequencies like the Peavey amps. No prob, just eq from your preamp.

Here is my current rig: Rocktron Voodu Valve, Mesa Boogie 20/20, VHT 4x12 with V30s. I play an American Fender Deluxe strat with lace sensors and an Ibanez RG 550 with EMGs. This set-up rocks! I had a Peavey 120/120 which sounded great but weighed like 500lbs. I decided it needed to go after one gig! The fan on the 20/20 is pretty noisy, no big deal. As everyone else has said, this amp is unbelievably loud for 44 total watts! At practice I played my Peavey 120/120 at 4 on both channels volume knobs. I play the 20/20 at around 5 on the volume knobs. This amp can easily handle any club my band will play.I play prog rock and my heavy distortions are very tight and crisp with this amp, clean tones are great too! Totally blows away the solid state amps I tried (Rocktron Velocity, Ada Microtube). One last note on sound, there is an easy mod that you can make on this amp to beef up the Bass. You can search for it on www.dejanews.com. I found the amp to work fine for me without modification.

I havent had it that long yet, so cant really comment, but it is built extremely solidly. The knobs and swithces scream quality. The Peavey 120/120 looked cheap compared to the style and class of this amp. I bought this used from a local music store, it has the silver face. Very solid.

Don't really know. The website lets you download the manuals. Thats nice.

This amp is amazing! Its light, fits in one rack space, and is built solid with quality in mind. I would hands-down recommend this amp to anyone who is looking for one. If you think tubes dont matter in the power section, just A/B this power amp with a solid state one!

Has exactly what a power amp should have: just presence and volume. At first I was sceptical about buying it because it only has 40 watts. But the key to the power is the tubes. This is my first tube amp and I say that tubes make a world of difference.

I use mainly an Ibanez guitars: an S370 and an RG7421. My pre-amp is a Line6 POD PRO. Both guitars sound great, but the RG simply kills with the 7th string. It simply sounds great with any guitar, and kicks ass for hardcore metal.

It already got messed up one time so I got it replaced. I would problably take a backup with me just in case the tubes blew out or something

Never dealt with them

Been playing for about 6 years. Before this amp I had a Marshall MG100. It was ok for a cheap solid state amp. This amp is far better. Very delicate but great sound and power.

I fully concur with Rick Hanson's review above and simply add: I've been using the 20/20 for my wet spatial imaging into top two 4x12 recto cabs, and the bottom two REcto 4x12s for my dry signal from Dual Recto Triple Channel head. The dry signal goes out from the head out into to a Digitech GSP2101A, then Stereo our into a Lexicon MPXG2, then Stereo out into a BBE 462, then Stereo out into the mesa 20/20. I have read that the VHT 2502 is the sweetest 50 watt per side EL34 amp out there. Guess what, The 20/20 is cheaper, cleaner, sweeter, louder, and just as reliable. Thanks again Randal Smith.

Great

Never konked out once.

Awesome next day call back.

Stupid question.

Pretty bare bones, but what else do you need on a poweramp? 2 channels, 22 watts/channel, volume, presence per channel. Thats about it. It doesnt have the extra modes of the 2:90 that it replaced in my rack, but I dont really miss them. Another thing it doesnt have that the 2:90 had is WEIGHT... BACK BREAKING WEIGHT!!! I can lift my freaking rack again without getting a hernia... thats always nice!!

I use this with either a gibson explorer with SD JB and 59, or a heavily modified Ibanez RX with an EMG 85 and S singles(81's are yucky!!!) into a triaxis preamp, then a TC Electronics G-Major processor (great sounding FX!!) then this, then out to a Mesa Rectifier 2x12 cab. I am going to get a Thiele 1x12 with the Celestion Custom 90 in it so I can run in stereo for my effects. It replaced a Mesa SimulClass 2:90 amp, and the tone went from great to great; Im not missing anything that the 2:90 had. Basically, the EL84s give me that great musical just bordering on distortion sound that warms up any tone at about half of the volume the 2:90 took to get there. But dont get me wrong; its been said before, but this thing is LOUD!!! I only have it up to about 11 oclock, with presence at about 9 o'clock for gigs. Another plus is a set of el84s cost like $35 for this; for the 2:90, you are looking at like $140 or so for a set of 8 6l6s... ouch!!!!!!

here comes the cliche line: being tube, reliability wont always be 100%. But for a tube amp, so far it has done great. I have owned a lot of mesa stuff: VTwin pedal, Triaxis pre, 2:90, 4x12 and 2x12 cabs. Everything has been exetremely reliable in any situation, so I am expecting the same from this little guy

I have never dealt with them, so Im not the person to ask

I have been playing about 4 years now, and am in an original punk band. I chose this as a replacement for the 2:90 cause, honestly people, who NEEDS 90 watts a side besides an arena touring musician? Its overkill, for about $700 more than this thing costs. Sure the 2:90 had those modes, but you dont realize how much you dont need them until you dont have them. Anyways, this amp is a great choice for anyone. I compared it to the Marshall 20/20 and the Mesa 50/50 when I was shopping around, but the 50/50 was too big, and the Marshall just for some reason didnt sound as warm to my ears. So I ended up with this, and Im very happy about it!!!