Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel 4x10 Combo

I have owned this amp for a year now. I bought it barely used.
The features are well known.
Those buying an amp for it's made to do, rather than buying an amp unknown and whining that it doesn't meet their strenuous demands, should be satisfied.
This amp does exactly what it says it will do, and does it quite well. I use this amp constantly in clubs, and it has more than enough power to achieve very sweet, well articulated clean and distorted timbres (sorry, not 'tones'). I suppose those playing at ear-splitting, brainless volumes might have problems.

I play Blues in a trio. My guitars are Parkers, a Deluxe Single-2 and a Classic. This amp is supurb at responding to my softest touch, as well as handling my hardest whacks. It plays as musically as I can, and I don't think I have reached it's limitations.

I no longer use a back-up amp, though I carry a set of backup tubes. But what amp would not require this from a prudent player.

I have only called once for an informational answer. I left a voice mail, and it was responded to promptly by an extremely courteous, knowledgable tech.

In the year I have had it, this has become my sole amp.
I have been playing for 39 years.
If it were lost for some reason, I would most certainly get another.
I currently own a Marshall DSL-100, and a RI Super Reverb reworked by Don Butler.
Despite all the hype by the so-called 'tone queers', apparently seeking equipment to subsidize their musical deficits, this amp rivals any of the grossly over-priced, ptp handwired, totally 'acceptable' amps available, not to mention the old stand-bys from the majors.
For those looking for an extremely musical, responsive amp, I can't recommend the BA more highly.

Low-powered tube amp. Unlike other Mesas this amp has few features and is very straightforward. The key is being able to get power amp
distortion at moderate volume levels compared to your typical 50+ watt combo or stack. The sound is meant to be "retro" "rootsy" or "vintage" sounding classic rock/blues distortion. The features are designed to give you quite a bit of control in shaping the tone and overall volume of that specific sound. Mine came with the Eminence alnico speakers.

Sound quality is very good, perhaps just as good as any other boutique amp available. It's a unique mix of Vox meets Fender tonal characteristics, both in the clean and overdrive. The 6v6 is mushy when pushed, for me best suited to single coils while the EL84 is tighter and brighter, sounds good with either single coils or humbuckers. I prefer the greater dynamics and enhanced definition of the Bright setting. Reverb is nice although unlike the surfy sound of a typical Fender's. I use it a bit for clean, and just a touch with distortion. I set the tone controls at 9:00 or one quarter up. This is where I think it sounds best although I may occasionally turn the mid control up a little for a boost. Tone tip: if you think this amp sounds harsh or barky, experiment with the tone controls, you can probably dial out any frequency you think there's too much up. The tone controls, fat/bright switch, tube selection are subtle at low volumes but very effective at high volumes. Tone Tip 2: Try the sweetest sounding pickups you can find in your guitar rather than high output pickups meant for high gain amp settings. The Duncan JB humbuckers I was using in my guitars were too bright for this amp. I switched them for more mellower sounding pickups and it made a very noticeable difference.
I use this amp at about half volume for cleaner sounds and 3/4 volume for distortion sounds, then control the amount of distortion using my guitar's volume control and pick attack, and I also use a pedal for a boost- V-Twin on Blues setting or Fulltone 69 fuzz.
I find the noise of this amp to be negligible.
I'd like to try this amp through other speakers and cab configurations- however the stock speakers sound really good and not harsh or shrill at all. It is a very specific "bluesy"kind of crunch with these speakers though.

This amp is much more well built than the typical mass-produced amps I normally see. I'm confident in it except for possible tube failure.

Mesa has been very halpful. I left a message on their machine with a few questions and a tech called me back a few hours later to answer my questions.

This amp is well built with amazing tone, I could use this amp for the rest of my life and be very happy with it. It beat out all other amps I tried and was on par with Fender's Vibro-King amp although the Blue Angel seems to be better builtas well as IMO being more versatile and less expensive.

This is an update on my previous review below.
First of all however, I'd like to advise anyone considering this amp, not to be misled by reviewers who have tested this amp in music stores(!), or just for a short time!
This amp takes a while to get used to, it must be given a chance to show what it can do, and that cannot be done in a store, or at home in such a short period of time!
The tubes, and the speakers needed changing on mine, which can be expensive of course, and the amp cost enough in the first place, but this is something that I can live with.
I have Weber speakers in there now, 10A125, and 10F150. This is a Ceramic/AlNiCo mix, which makes a huge improvement over the muddy and unharmonic sounding Eminence Legends that were OEM.
The 6V6's are Groove Tubes new 6V6R's from ElectroHarmonix, and the rest are all NOS items: 5751's, GE12AX7's and Philips EL84's.
Another trick I've found out is; using a Roger Mayer Crossroads active splitter, to run both inputs together. This takes the harshness of the top end a little, without changing the EQ.
I would also like to mention that this amp is easily capable of running almost any venue, it can get REALLY loud if you want.
The Blue Angel is also one of the most underrated roots/blues amps on the market, partly due to negative reviews from people who are actually suited to a different kind of amp, maybe............
I don't think this is a bad thing however, they haven't sent many of these to here in Europe, I've heard there are only about a dozen or so 4X10 BA's in Germany, so mine's pretty rare!
Quite a few professionals have been seen using these amps too......
By the way, I've had my BA 4 years now, and it gets played almost every day, gigged every now and then, and....NO blown fuses, NO tube failures, NO breakdowns whatsoever! Reliable-yes-sir!

I do not own this amp. I spent half an hour testing it in a local store, because I thought that I wanted to buy it as a second amplifier. I already own a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue. It has controls for volume, treble, middle, bass and reverb. It also has a bright/fat switch and another switch which permits the guitarist to choose for output tubes two 6V6s, four EL84s or all six tubes. I like amplifiers with simple controls, which is one of the reasons I was interested in this one.

I was very disappointed with the sound. Previously, I had tried a Mesa RectoVerb and had been very impressed with the clean sound. The Blue Angel's clean sound was not nearly as good as that of the RectoVerb and poor compared to the sound of the Fender. On the 6V6 setting, the amp did not sound anything like my Fender. On the EL84 setting, the amp sounded harsh, nasal, reminding me of a Fender Blues Junior which I had owned for a few years and had disliked. The combined setting, with all six tubes, sounded the best of the three settings, but the sound was sterile. There was no bottom end, and the top end sounded grainy.

I know nothing about the amp's reliability.

I've never dealt with them.

I've been playing since 1976. Over the years I've owned a few Fenders - 1969 Twin, early 1970s Twin, early 1970s Bassman head, 1968 Dual Showman Reverb head, Blues Junior and Deluxe Reverb reissue, a few Peaveys - Rage, Artist, Triumph 60, VTM120 with 412MS cabinet, and a rig consisting of an Alembic F-2B preamp, QSC power amp and Ampeg VT-22 extension cabinet. The Blue Angel sounded lifeless to me.

Made in 2001.I would think that everyone is familiar with the specs,valves,etc,etc.4x10 jensens,fantastic reverb that has an enveloping quality to it,yet it still allows clarity and tone to predominate.The wattage is variable and this is fantastic.Play this amp live with or without a mic.The 15 watt setting with a traditional strat is Peaches and Cream for Rhythm & blues.Speaking of musical styles,this Amp is designed for blues,R&B,Roots music stuff,hence its name!..not heavy bloody metal or Jazz!SO,dont complain if youre strictly a Jazzer and you think this amp sux.This amp does not suck and I would put it on a par with Fenders Vibroking for pure tone! Anyway,now that ive voiced that out of concern for reading others reviews i will move to the next category.

The natural power valve distortion(clipping)is wonderful.Touch sensitive and very expressive for playing the blues!I prefer single coil p/ups and the amp on 15 watts,as this produces a sweet tone very similar to a small tweed Fender.I feel the class A poweramp gives it a bit more of a punchy tone,when compared to an old class A/B Amp like a Tweed Deluxe or Harvard.I love the tones found in the Fender Tweed Bassman reissue and im not sure which of these two Amps I prefer.Maybe the B/Angel is a bit more flexible,but it is always hard to surpass the bassmans thick/stinging tones.The bottom line will always be personal preference i guess,but the Angel cuts it for me and i feel it is a good package with flexability within a musical genere,with GREAT spring reverb added for a nice finishing touch.

Not had the Amp long,cant really say.I do know that Class A Amps chew through power valves quite fast, due to constant current running through the tubes which is part of the nature of this kind of Amp,and the valves run hot too! Good thing the B/Angel has a built in fan to help keep those valves cool.

I feel this is a package well worth checking out.It has TONE offered to the guitarist who desires to dig in and let rip!!It sounds good with H/buckers too,and it has a Bright/Fat switch to adjust things to suit.I heard a 335 through it at the shop i purchased it from and this guitar did suit this Amp.The 335 sounded like a soulful blues Axe through this little amp.

I am not sure of the year my mesa boogie was made. I play alternative, pop rock, punk, with a little blues mixed in. The blue angel has one channel with a bright/fat switch, volume, treble, mid, bass, reverb and a progressive linkage switch which allows you to select the type of power tubes you wish to use. It has an effects loop and a slave out on the back. Also you can hook up different speaker cabinets: 16ohm, 2 8ohm, and 2 4ohm. Since it is a single channel amp, you cannot switch channels. There is no head phone jack, but you can add a reverb footswitch if you want. The only feature I wish this amp had is a lead channel, but that is not what the amp is designed for. I use this amp for band practice in my basement as well as for gigs. Even though this amp is only 38 watts, these are class A, and it is loud as hell! It will cut right through any mix of drums and bass. This is an all tube amp, 12 tubes!

I own two guitars: an american made fender stratocaster with a jb jr. in the bridge position, and a fender mexican made toronado with no modifications. This amp suits my music style just fine. When I first purchased this amp, I was looking for an amp which has great clean tones. Recently before owning the blue angel, I had owned a silver face twin reverb. The blue angel in my opinion, has equal too, if not better clean tones then the twin. Since I love pop rock and punk, I use several distortion boxes with the amp. Currently I am using a budda phatman and a big muff. There is hardly any noise coming from the amp except for the normal hum of tubes and the fan in the back. In every situation I have used this amp, both indoors and outdoors, I have never had a problem with too much noise. Since this is a single channel amp, you can get basically two different sounds: a clean sound, and the sound of tubes being over driven. The overdrive on this amp is crunchy, but not heavy. It is decent for solos and blues if that is your thing. The clean channel does distort at high volumes, but that is what this amp was designed for.

Since I have had my blue angel, which has been about six months, I have replaced the power tubes twice. This is my only complaint. The first time I replaced them because I was not sure how old the original tubes were. The second time, the amp broke down when I was playing a gig. It could have been the heat or a faulty tube, but it made some real weird sounds. After replacing the tubes, it has been working fine. I do gig without a back-up because I am a teacher number one, and number two I am getting married in five months.

I have had mixed results with mesa boogie. The first time I called them, they never called me back. The second time I received a call the same day. They seem pretty good, but I would have liked to have been called back a day or so later. The first time I left a message, they never returned my call for a month.

I have been playing guitar now since 10th grade. That would be about 9 years. I own the blue angel, and the two guitars mention above. I have previously owned a peavey bandit, fender m80 half stack, a bandmaster, and a twin reverb. In my opinion, this is the best amp I have every owned. It does what I want, is plunty loud, and sounds great. I do not know though that I would buy it again. I might try to get a budda super drive 30. I love the sound, but I do wish it had a lead channel. All in all the blue angel is a great amp. It does fender clean very well. I have come to the conclusion that if you want great sound you really need two amps. If you want fender clean, get a fender. Then buy a high gain amp for your lead tones. Split your signal between the two amps and off you go! Bottom line: for clean sparkling tones, you cannot beat the blue angel!

Amp made in 2000
Anyone that says this amp is Not about tone should drop an MXR Dynacomp in front of it and check it out again
The EL84's have a tight sound and this amp works out great with almost every effect box I ever put on my pedalboard.
Not a lot of features, but I didn't buy it for that.
With pedal combinations it becomes a type of "guitar monitor"
smooth tone, never harsh or bitey. A perfect "miked amp"

Custom shop Tele and Custom shop Strat
Versatile in what I need, being able to switch from R&B to Rock to Country simply by switching out guitars
I don't turn the amp up much past 11 o'clock position
works well with the single coil sound.

I've owned 3 Boogies and never had a problem.
Before that I was a rock solid fender man

Never had to call for service

Playing professionally 25 years
I probably would look around at first, but always with this amps sound in mind

I have a 1997 Blue Angel. This amp is fairly versatile but it's definitely not for heavy metal, blues, alt. rock,etc. One channel, class A, and the use of either EL84 or 6V6 tubes makes this amplifier well worth owning. It's more power than I need but I'm glad I get to play through it while it lasts.

The clean sounds from the amp are ungodly. I use a Les Paul(Epiphone) Goldtop w/ SH-4 JB pickup in the bridge. The amp stays pretty quiet, usual hum you get from tubes. This amp would be great for any blues-oriented guitarist. I am not very blues influenced and it still does great at what I want it to(Fuel). Anyone looking for more distortion should try the V-twin w/ it. I've heard it is really something to behold. Has a very cool vibe, all around.

No problems thus far.

Mesa support team has been very friendly and helpful with any questions I've had(even the dumb questions).

I've been playing a little over a year and I always thought the amplifier should be only as good as the player(so I have to downscale). I wish I could keep it but I'll be looking for another in a year or two. I could say I wish it had more distortion but anyone who buys this thinking it's going to distort like a triple rectifier is sadly mistaken but it does get some nice classic crunch. If you have neighbors and want to buy this amp, invest in an attenuater.

This has been told in other reviews,however amps with loads of features, are great for musicians still looking for their ONE perfect tone. Once you have that sound in your head,and it's anything apart from heavy metal,a single channel amp like the Blue Angel is perfect to base your sound on. The rest you can do with good quality pedals.I use Fulltone effects,they harmonize perfectly with the Angel. This way you stay flexible,you can change at any time;that's not easy when it's all in the amp!!

It has taken some time to find my "perfect sound"-I don't think I ever will find it! Every time I thought it was great I tried some different tubes and it got even better.This is something that every Angel owner should try,throw the mesa tubes out! They come mainly from china.My experience shows that Groove Tubes are great,but here is my recommendation for my personal base-tone: (looking from the rear)PRE-AMP first right-(V1)GE-5751,(V2)GE-5751,(V3)GT12AT7/6201,(V4)GT12AX7R2,(V5)GE-5751. POWER-AMPS 4 X Philips 6QB5/EL84, 2 X Brimar 6V6, 1 X Sovtek 5AR4/GZ34. The NOS tubes in this set-up are obtainable from- www.watfordvalves.com The others from- www.groovetubes.com This arrangement gives me the kind of "TEXAS/SRV/CESAR DIAZ" tone pretty closely. The rest comes from your own fingers,(in this case mine!!) The sound I am getting from the Angel now is the sound I think it was ment to do in the first place, really fat and loud, but never harsh or flubby, and with a nice portion of true grit!!

Nothings gone wrong yet, I gig without a back-up because it's the only one I have!! I don't expect it to go wrong, mesas are really tough you know.

This is where I have my problems. When I phone Mesa, They are always helpful and friendly, but they have never have answered my emails,(I live in germany),and the price of mesa gear here in europe is absolutely mental. The old rumour that the Americans keep everything cheap for themselves and let the rest of the world pay the higher prices, seems to be apparent here, this is just not fair. My message for Mesa; THINK MORE INTERNATIONALY, or your international customers may run away from you, if you make your products unobtainable, who's gonna profit from that? I see what americans pay for the Blue Angel In the USA, (About $1000) I paid in 1997, DM3200, That was about $1900 back then. The Blue Angel now costs in Germany about DM4500!! (over $2000) with even more price increases in sight. These are crazy price politics and definately NOT RIGHT.

I play a Warmoth strat and Am.std strat through the Angel. Great amp-Lovely sound-Mental price politics. I would recommend anyone to buy this amp if you are looking for the ultimate blues-amp, just don't buy it outside the states!!!!

Features have been described.
Good for the intended purposes of playing blues classice R&R

Beatiful with either single coil or Humbucker pickups. A fat switch helps to beef up single coils or thin out humbucker. Beautiful sweet reverb. Clean spakling tones that make you shiver. Nice growl when cranked. Remember this is a Blue Angel not a Heavey Metal Harlot! This is a limited "jack of all trades" amp. What it does it does very well. Loud enough for small clubs, but has many beauty tones at living room levels too.

Never had any problems.

I bought this slightly used. I have never had a problem, so I have never called customer support.

I have played on and off for 30 years. I have a couple of Marshals, and a fender Champ. I love the Blue Angel best of all. I play a Fender Custom Shop 54 reissue, a Lonestar Strat, and Yamaha SG2000. All sound great, but the Yamaha I really like. The tones are just great. I would buy another if lost/stolen. I wish I had the 2x10 version for playing at home.