Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel 1x12 Combo

No problems here, just not very many features, which is what I wanted. Plug in and play with a great sounding amp that is very responsive to attack and guitar volume. I have had a number of Swiss Army amps and was ultimately dissatisfied with all of them.

I am currently playin an Am Std Tele with stock pickups through a Varidrive into the Blue Angel with a 1-12 widebody Mesa exension cabinet. I couldn't be happier with the tone. With the Tele, the 6v6 tubes sound a little thin for me. Still a very good sound but not as ballsy and juicy as the EL84s. Simultaneous setting is also good but I almost never use it. The amp has some hiss like almost all class A amps- nothing to worry about. This thing is loud for an amp with less than 40 watts. It is as loud as my other guitarist's Pitbull 4-10 so no worries there either. The thing I absolutely LOVE about this amp is the responsiveness of it. Volume on 6/7 and tone controls wherever you like (I cannot get a bad sound out of this amp- it is extraordinarily musical) and the amp is superfunky clean with the guitar on 6/7. Crank the guitar and get some dirty angels singing the blues. Stomp on the Varidrive and hold on! Incredible fat, singing, complex tonal heaven. I have been playing for 30 years or so and this is easily the best sounding rig I have put together. Blues, Funk, Country, Jazz- it doesn't matter. This amp does them all extremely well. No metal sounds here, tough. If you like the sound of an old Deluxe cranked to the limit, you will love this amp! The only reason I didn't rate it a 10 is because i don't think I have heard an amp that rates one ever.

I've had the amp for about 2 years and have had absolutely no problems with it except for the lamp burning out. rock solid and heavy.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

If this amp were lost, etc. I would buy another in a heartbeat! The only other amps I have played that sound as good to me cost about twice as much (at least). I love the portability, looks, responsiveness and ability to cook and deliver the goods!

I believe this is a 1998 model. The Blue Angel is a fairly basic amp, except that it can switch between el48s, 6v6s or combine them in the power section. This is a single channel amp without anything fancy. Reverb is really the only 'extra'. There is a parallel effects loop, but I haven't had the need for it. The controls are simple and highly 'interactive' - especially the mid control, which acts almost as a gain control.

Although it's part of Mesa's Dual Recto series, I believe it only has the tube rectifier.

I use this amp at home and when gigging. I have another amp I keep at the practice hall so I'm not hauling this one around endlessly.

I give it an 8 because there really aren't many features - but that's exactly what I was looking for.

I wasn't sure if this amp would have enough power for gigging, but rest assured it is plenty loud even with the single 12". The other guitar player in my band uses an old Fender Twin (2-12", 85 watts) and the Blue Angel keeps up no problem. In fact I often use a THD Hot Plate to *cut* the volume and mic the amp through the PA anyway. Even without that the amp is plenty loud and can reach that breakup point as opposed to the Twin which can never be turned up the the breakup point without major ear damage. That means I can get the guitar and amp to really sing without any pedals or such. The Twin has a great loud, clean sound, but to get that edge you need some sort of outside help.

The amp has an outstanding clean sound - it's very easy to get it right at that edge where with the guitar volume on 7 it's nice and clean and with the guitar on 10 it breaks up in the nicest way for solos. Very bluesy in that way. The amp seems to make the single coils more sensitive than my other amps - the harder you play the more break up you'll get.

Definitely *not* a high gain amp - very un-Mesa like in that way. You'll need a pedal to do that.For me this amp fits about 85% of what I do. I use a pedal if I need added distortion for a song.

I find that this amp really likes a strat. My strat has the Kinman AvN Blues set and they seem to go well with this amp - it really lets them sparkle and brings out the nuances really well. I also have a home made strat with an old Dimarzio PAF in the neck position that sounds amazing. I've never heard that pickup sound so good through another amp. OTOH, Carvin pickups don't work well with this amp. They sound pretty flat. Those pups sound great through my high gain amp where they really drive the amp and get a great crunch, but that's not the Blue Angel's strength.

I saw some complaints about the noise level, but don't be scared off. I suspect they must have some tube problems or something. To be certain, there is hiss, but at least in my amp it's not as loud as some seem to say. At gig volume my hiss is only slightly higher than the other two guitar amps in the band - an old blackface Fender Twin and a newer Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. It is higher than my Peavey Triumph practice amp on the clean channel, but lower than the Peavey's crunch or ultra channels. It's not an issue for me.

This amp has plenty of lumps and has been banged around a good amount. I've never had a problem (only been gigging with it about 6 months), but I worry about it because it's got all those tubes. I've had many tube amps over the years and never actually had a tube fail on me. Still, I like to have backups with me so I can at least finish a gig then get it to a shop.

Mesa's got a great rep, so I'm hopeful it'll stay strong. I don't bring a backup amp, but I do bring a couple of amp modelers just in case (Tech 21 GT-2 and Boss GT-3).

I've always heard great things about Mesa's support, but never had the need for - and hopefully I won't! The manual for the amp is online, and that was nice to get since I didn't get one when I bought the amp (used).

I've been playing 26 years (gasp!). I own several amps and guitars. I'm pretty sure the Blue Angel is a keeper for me. I've really been liking the sounds in this amp a lot - especially with the strat, and they've been getting better each gig as I get more comfortable with it.

If this amp disappeared I would definitely look for another one.
No need for any extra features as far as I'm concerned. In fact they could lose the effects loop and the ability to switch power tubes and I'd probably like it even better (that much simpler).

I tried a number of other amps out before buying this one. In my search at various times I seriously considered getting an old blackface Fender Bassman, a Mesa Maverick, a Rivera Chubster, Rivera M60 and a Rivera R55. Those were also very nice amps. This one had that something 'extra' that really works for me.

The Rivera's are more flexible - no question, and they might actually make better gigging amps for a cover band (2 distinct [good sounding] channels, each with boost).

I also tried a number of newer Fenders (actually bought a used HRD and then sold it), other Mesa amps, a couple of Flextone amps and several Peavey's (I don't hate Peavey's unlike some folks :) What can I say - this one speaks to me in a way those didn't.

I think the BA is a great value amp - relatively simple, good sounding, well made and not too expensive. The fact is I didn't try any 'boutique' amps because I can't afford them and can't justify the cost and would be afraid to haul them around to smokey bars and such. This amp is reasonable enough and solid enough that I'm not afraid to take it wherever I go, and so far it has always sounded great.

2000 model of the 1x12 combo. I was interested in the variable power settings to be used for home and jamming with others. 15 watts with 2 6v6's and 33 watts with 4 EL84's and then the combination of the 2 sets of tubes for 38 watts. Fenderish tube reverb. 1 channel with volume, treble, mid and bass only. The features were just what I wanted.

In the rather noisey store, the amp sounded very good in all three power settings. You could really tell the difference between the 6V6's and the EL84's when you switched between then without touching the other controls. I could hear a little hissing noise above the rather noisey backround in the sore but I thought that was just because I was right underneath a flouresent light. I got the salesman to get a fresh one out of their warehouse to do the final check before I layed down the $$. This one had a bad preamp tube right out of the crate so my only otion was the floor model. I took it home and plugged it in. Man!!!! The fan in the back was whinning so loud I tought something was wrong with it. Then I took the amp off standby and the hissing became as loud or louder than the fan depending on the volume setting. Totally unusable for home use. And I question its use for small clubs in a quiet jazz setting. I was really disappointed! I took it back and bought a Fender '65 RI Deluxe Reverb. Much better!!! Fender designs very quiet amps in general and their noisey one, the Custom Vibrolux, is dead quiet compared to the Blue Angel.

Bad one out of the box in the sore. But it was probabbly a bad preamp tube. This was the only mesa amp I ever liked the sounds of and it was a real disappointment. I really wonder about the idea of designing an amp that has that much idle noise. I guess mesa amps are used only for playing loud.

I called them several times about the blue angel when I was researching my next amp. They called back and really tried to help.

I've been playing 3 years. Have a Fender Blues Jr., '52 Ri tele, '57 RI strat, Gibson Howard Roberts. I loved the idea of the Blue Angel's 3 power settings. It had a good sound when you played loud. But it is NOT a bedroom amp and could not be used for recording. WAY too noisey!!!! This is only mesa amp I like the sound of and it was a failure in my eyes.

All you need, a volume, treble, mid, and bass. Add the best combo reverb available and something called ?Progressive Linkage? and you have every knob you need for great tone. My Blue Angel was special ordered with a hard rock quilt maple cabinet with a clear black stain and a gold grill cloth. It is truly a work or art.

I have been playing for three years and still struggle playing. During these three years I have been a gear gear-oholic acquiring guitar and amp after guitar and amp. For guitars I have owned a Fender Strat, G&L Legacy, Godin LG, Gibson Les Paul Reissue, PRS CE-24, Dean Cadillac, Heritage H-150, and a Anderson Drop Top Classic. For amps a Peavey 112 Transtube (for about a weak! Solid state amps suck!!), Fender Hot-Rod DeVille 2X12 (too loud for home use!), Fender Blues Jr. (a great little tube amp), Marshall JCM2000 DSL-401, Smicz 112H (a very cool, great sounding battery tube amp), a Mesa Boogie Nomad 45 (way to many knobs and features) and my Blue Angel.

After going through all this equipment I have found the guitar and amp that I will never sell. The Anderson Drop Top and my Blue Angel. These two companies work together in harmony on products so your assured to get the best sound possible when you combine their products.

The Blue Angle sings for me playing blues material. Every pick stroke is perfectly articulated through the amp. I can go from a whisper to a scream just by backing off and digging in with the pick. I play on all three setting, (2) 6V6 tubes, (4) EL84?s or all six combined giving me both the bottom end of the 6V6?s and the spank and sparkle of the EL84?s.

I could go on forever about how I love the tone of this amp. For my taste it gets an 11! This amp gives excellent tone a low to moderate volumes. Something I had been searching for all the time.

It?s a Boogie! They last forever and hold there value like no other amp on the market.

The only complaint I could have is the amount of time I waited for the amp to be built. I was told 4 months ands it turned into seven. Was it worth the wait? You bet! The hard rock maple cabinet is gorgeous and will only add to the value of the amp as the years go by.

For me this is the tone I have been searching for. I will cherish this amp forever.

I have owned my blue angel for two years and have been very pleased with the features of this amp. The only feature I would add would be footswitchable tremolo and bright fat switching. Once you tweak this little bruiser a bit,it can do the deluxe thing or (with the right speakers ) the vox ac-30 thing very convincingly.

I use this amp for mostly blues guitar, leaning to classic rock and haven't found much of anything that it doesn't excel at. I use a 57 reissue strat with several mods including vintage tall boys and a 62 reissue strat with fralins for my main guitars. These babies really chime with this amp. I use the power combination or tube combinations that match the venue I'm playing. This baby really responds the the amount of attack you throw at it, and I've never heard another amp do this any better. You are not going to get an over the top ,high gain thing out of this amp, but if your bag is fender clean and vox sparkle, this amp may be for you.

This amp is worked like a rented mule and has never given me any trouble. I take my princeton blackface just in case but have never had to use it or the tube mic it pretty much requires for headroom. This baby is a "real" workhorse!

Great guys who have never neglected to return my calls and answer my questions.

Once I changed out the junky preamp tubes and replaced the 6v6 power tubes with JAN Philips NOS tubes, this baby shined! I traded a guy even for a Kendrick brown frame 12in. speaker and it was "shame on them". I'd put this amp up against any "boutique" amp in the business that is class A, and dare them to show me one that sounds better. I"ve been playing guitar for 24 years and this is the best all around amp I've come across yet. I've got an extension cabinet with two 12in. blue frame speakers for that vox EL84 tube configuration sound, and it nails it (even better). Closest thing I've heard to a top boost AC. If something happened to this amp I'd replace it in a heartbeat. By the way if you don't mind losing a little headroom, this amp sounds fantastic with Jan 5751's!

1x12 combo. It certainly is versatile enough for the music I play (blues-boogie etc.)One channel,I can't stand channelswitching amps.
Effects loop.I WISH IT HAD TREMOLO. I only use it in the 4 x EL 84 mode, never the 2 x 6V6 or combined. I like 6V6's but not in this amp.
Effests loop works well with my old Boss analog delay but surprisingly not with the Marshall Vibratrem or whatever it is called I bought recently. (Good pedal, better anyway than the others I have tried, but as I said I want tremolo in an amp. It certainly has enough power. It is only 30 watts, but that doesn't say much. Boogies always seem to be very loud. I use a Koch power soak, but I always put it trough the PA. That way the sound spreads better and I get less complaints from the rest of the band.(Theoratically)I leave the tone controls all on 12 o'clock and the fat switch on, I turn the volume up for "the blues" and back for cleaner sounds.

I use it with a Gibson SG from around '73 with the original mini-humbucker in the neck and an old Di Marzio humbucker in the bridge position, a Fender Telecaster and a new Japanese Strat. I never change the settings on the amp when using different guitars- I believe that you once search for the "right" way to set up a particular amp and then leave it like that. That's the way it seems to work for me anyway, but that is probably the very reason why I am attracted to an amp like this in the first place. I must say that I never liked Boogies, had a Mark 2 and did not like it,had a Maverick and quite liked it , so I tried the Angel and really am very happy with it. Is it versatile ? Probably not very, depends on your perception of that word. If you want to drastically change your sound, use different guitars or effects ( personally I don't use an overdrive or something I use the volume knob on my guitar to which this amp responds beautifully but in all fairness there are sounds in this world that you can't make without pedals.)

I bought it secondhand from a shop. It looked new enough, but broke down on the second gig.Tube failure, someone had a switch installed to switch off the internal fan, maybe not a good idea.That was 1 1/2 years ago, no problems since and I use it a lot. I always have a backup amp with me, that has nothing to do with Boogie, there products seem to be very reliable.

I can't comment on this, I live in Holland , you go to a shop here or your local amp-guru who as a rule are very slow.

I have been playing for 35 years. I also own a Fender Pro junior and an Ampeg Jet. If I lost it, I would buy it again . Yes, I have compared it to other products ,like all the different amps I have owned over the years. Too many Fenders and Marshalls to mention, I like this better than any of them except maybe the old JTM 45 trough a big bass cab combination I once had (but to me the reissue didn't sound as good although I usually don't believe in the vintage hype)
I only wished it had tremolo !

Bought it new. No channel switching. Progressive linkage lets you choose output tubes, 2- 6v6's, 4- EL84's or all 6. It's in the Dual Rectifier series but only uses tube rectifier. Not many options but has everything I want.

I really like the sound with all of the output tubes on. I use a PRS CE-22 Maple top, Nady UHF wireless, Way Huge Green Rhino overdrive, Boss OD-3, Boss PS-3 Pitch shifter delay into the front end and a Morley Volume pedal through the effects loop. The clean sounds are incredibly clean but have a lot of harmonics so notes and chords don't sound dull or muddy at all. Takes a little tweaking on the tone controls because they interact with each other, but once you've found your sound, you will be grinning form ear to ear. It sounds big and full for a 1 x 12 combo. My drummer has even commented on the big warm sound of this amp. But, what do they know?

This is where I am a little dissapointed. It was missing the Preamp retaining tray and clips that hold it in place. (see cust. support section) and the switch had a problem where I couldn't turn on all of the tubes at the same time. I almost gave up on this amp because it wasn't giving me the same sound as the head I owned. But I did find the problem and I am happy I stuck with it.

When I called about the Preamp retaining tray, they really went out of their way to contact me and get the parts to me, at no charge whatsoever. I have also talked with them on other occasions and they really impressed me.

I have owned about 15 amps in as many years and this is the one I hope to use indefinately. I could have rambled on about this amp in each of the categories listed above but this covers the main points.

This is a simple, straight-forward, vintage-style amp. Six knobs: volume, treble, mid, bass, reverb and progressive linkage. 2-6V6's, 4-EL84's, solid-state and tube rectifiers. 15 watts with 6V6's, 30 watts with EL-84's, and 38 watts with progressive linkage kicked in (all the tubes together). Class A power.

I play a Rickenbacker 620 with vintage single-coils. This amp is great. Input two is padded, so I don't use it. It hisses a bit at idle, and whines a bit when you first take it off standby, but once you're cooking it's heaven for sound. Actually with the unique "mid" control you can dial in several different sounds. Till you get about halfway up on the mid, it acts as a normal mid control. After that, the mid acts as another gain control. With the 6V6's going it's mainly in the Deluxe realm, perhaps just a bit harsher. With the EL84's kicked in, it does the AC-30 thing quite well. With progresseive linkage going I'm just not sure. I think it sounds a bit strange, but I haven't really experimented that much with it yet. It also has the best reverb I've ever heard in any amp period! With the single coils on my guitar there's more than enough headroom and I really haven't distorted it all that much yet. Like any amp with a simple preamp, it sounds great with pedals. I use a Boss blues driver and a Boss OD-3. I haven't gigged with it yet, as I'm not currently in a band, but I'm sure that when that day comes I won't need anything more in an amp than this one gives me. The clean sound is just awesome!

So far, so good, but I wouldn't gig it without spare tubes. Other than that, there's not much to go wrong. It's built like a tank. It's absolutely the best-built amplifier I've ever had.

Mesa has been very good. Before I ordered it I called them and they gave me alot of good advice so I couldn't be happier.

I've been playing for 35 years, but haven't done much in the last 15, but I'm at it again and really enjoying myself. I would most definitely buy this amp again, it's the best I've ever owned and played through. It kind-of takes me back to my Kalamazoo and Silvetone days, (no master volume) and that's not all bad. I think one improvement that Mesa could make would be to forget about the reverb footswitch and make the Bright/fat switch footswitchable instead. This would give it just a bit more versatility, but I'm not complaining, I've always wanted a really high-quality amplifer and this one has answered the call. If you need channel-switching, 18 knobs and all those hassels, this is not your amp. But if you love a great clean/mildly distorted tone and have a couple of pedals you like you just can't beat this amp. I wish I could afford another one so that I could use the Rick-o-sound on my guitar. Maybe if I'm real nice to the wife?

An all tube, class A 1X12 combo. This amp uses a pair of 6V6s' and/or 4 EL84s' for power. A knob ( named Progressive Linkage ) on the front panel allows you to select power tube types or combine them. The pair 6V6s' are rated 15 watts, with the quartet of EL84s' it's 33 watts, or combine them for 38 watts. Very very cool indeed. The preamp is all 12AX7s with both a solid state and tube ( GZ34 ) rectifier, hence the name Dual Rectifier. Controls are Volume,Treb, Mid, Bass, and Reverb. As well as the "Progressive Linkage". Two inputs, number 2 seems padded down a few dbs. There is also a Bright/Fat toggle. In the back there a variety of speaker outs for different ohm matching. An effects loop, Slave out, and Fuse round out the rear panel. No channel switching, graphic EQ, or master volume. In my opinion this one of the most well thought out amps available for real world working musicians. For me anyway, I don't want three different channels and endless knobs for EQ and such. I want one great responsive tone, maybe two with a Tubescreamer, and put the rest of my concentration into making music.

For a long time I used a 4X10 Angel as my main amp. It was fantastic but it seems like as you do better and better in clubs you need smaller and smaller amps due to improving PA's and sound men...er...sound people. In order to overdrive the 4X10 (w/84s' at 30 watts) it was too loud, I ended up using baffles too often. So I got this 1X12 and it's perfect. Since I'm leaning toward a cleaner tone these days it 's just right when micked or doing small gigs running all six tubes at 38 watts. I have an Analog Man modded Tubescreamer I use for more dirt once in a while. I plan to get an extension 1X12 for un-miked gigs with louder bands or jazz gigs when I need a loud very clean tone. The Angel has a class A configured power section which is very responsive to picking dynamics, this is what the Angel excels at. Not only does this amp sound great but it "feels " great to play. Using it with EL84's at 30 watts lends itself to the Vox AC30 thing but a bit more aggression. Using the 6V6s' alone and full up in the studio is great for a "Deluxe on Viagra" tone. However, combining the tubes for a good almost clean tone is where it's out for me. When you really push this amp, with a 335 in my case, it's the best overdrive out there and at a volume you can use in the real world. The clean tone, of which there isn't a great deal of headroom, is great. Not unlike a good Twin with the mids rolled back and the Fat switch off. The amp doesn't stay clean long with humbuckers but the way it breaks up is so great you'll never miss it. The reverb is just great. Some of the best on any combo, nice for just a splash as I tend to use it, but go heavy and any Surf player would be in envious. I should mention that I switched out the rather harsh sounding Black Shadow/Celestian 90 watt speaker for a Celestian Vintage 30 and it made a huge difference. The Vintage 30 just smoothed it right out. It's beyond me why they don't use the Vintage 30 as the stock speaker since they use it many of their other models.

Mesa are some of the best built amps out there. In fact it's amazing how well they hold their values over 15 or more years. How many cheap used Boogies have you seen? Because this amp is Class A, tube life is shortened due to increased heat. I always have a full set of tubes, fuses, and a Sansamp to go into the board just in case. I like having easy access to the fuse but in the past the fuse cap has come off getting out of the car, maybe they could put it on the underside

I've never talked to them

This is a serious tone machine and gigging/recording work horse. As a mid powered class A amp I think it wants to be opened up at a good club gig much more than sitting on 1 at home. If you're at the point that you want one great foundational tone on which to build, and want the simplicity and freedom of an amp with just a few knobs, it would be hard to beat this Angel. If you need ultra loud clean tone at unmicked gigs this may not be your amp. If you need a great Blues tone or a fat mid -volume jazz tone this amp has it in spades. Like all Mesas' stuff it's heavy, but It's built like a tank and I feel that much more confident at gigs when I grunt moving it.

Well another one trick pony amp, no make that two,no three! I have used it for about a year on a country gig and it was great! I used it on the EL 84 section alone and that ping was fantastic! The 6v6 section was way to mushy almost to the point of being behind the beat, know what I mean? BUT the 6v6s do have a trick of their own. The stock speaker was not for me, it sounded way to harsh even after breaking it in. So I used a 70 watt celestion from an old peavey cab and it was twang heaven, I also used a THD hotplate to knock it down about 8 db. So there I was with this great country sound kinda like Brent Mason's tone but ballsier. It sat in the mix great. I took it in to the sudio and it sounded...........bad. Now the 6v6 section came into its own. With an old JBL-D 120 and the 6v6s it was great on tape! Oh, I also used input two on the amp for more air around the attack. There was the tone I was getting live on tape! Trick #3? Oh yea, if you run this amp with a clean tone on the EL84 section and paralell it with an overdriven amp { I use a Hound Dog Bloodhound} , you can balance the two and get Sammy era Van Halen tone no problem! Chorus the Blue Angel and you will have that clean attack with wicked crunch. Any way that is the three ways I use this amp.

Like I said I use two diferent speakers and the two power sections for different sounds. The stock tubes sounded fine but I think class A eats them fast. Seems to need new tubes every 6 months. There are alot of tubes in this amp too! It can get expensive. But I love those two or three sounds. Progessive Linkage? Ha, do'nt even use it. I think it sounds weird. Reverb is very smooth, but I don't use alot. Effects loops are not something I use alot either. I also don't overdrive this amp, sounds too mushy. I play it right on the edge.

Aside from the tubes { big surprise } it seems to be bullet proof. Not one problem for a year and a half playing it at least 4 times a week.

Mesa has always been great to me even when I sugessted modifications to the amp. They didn't freak and sceam about voided warranties, they offered sugesstions and guidlines and good vibes. Great company.

For what i use it for it is great. I would buy another with out delay if this one broke down. I'd have too, its a part of me now {sniff}.