Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel Head

This is a single channel amp with only one volume control. It has six knobs, probably the least amt. of knobs for a mesa amp. They are volume, treble, mid, bass, reverb, and power tube selection.
There are three power amps to choose from - 2x6V6 for 15-18 watts, 4xEL84 for 35 watts, and simuclass which somehow uses all six power tubes for 38 watts.
There are twelve tubes in the Blue Angel - five 12AX7s, two 6V6s, four EL84s, and a rectifier tube. There is a little cooling fan back there as well. A fat/bright switch is also present. On the back panel you will find a line out, effects loop, and so on. I don't use these so I will not comment on them.

The way you get overdrive with the Blue Angel is to crank the amp. The overdrive that you get is raw, but very musical with plenty of sustain. Its not overly compressed or gained out though. It is extremely dynamic, so the best way to use it in my opinion is to crank the amp to get as much gain as you'll need, then roll back your guitar's volume control or picking attack to clean it up as required. This is a far superior arrangement in my opinion to multi-channel amps. Instead of 2, 3 or 4 discrete channels, you use your volume or picking to get one continuously variable channel that covers all your bases. Not every amp is good at that sort of thing and likewise, not every player is good at it either. It took me a bit of practice to really get a good handle on it. But once you get used to it, you'll be able to go from delicate and clean to searing distortion in the course of a single phrase simply by varying your attack. That's expressive!

The Progressive Linkage really doesn't make a huge difference until you crank the amp. At that point you have a lot of output tube distortion going on and the character of the different output tube types comes through. In general, the 6V6 setting is grungey in a ZZ Top kind of way with a spongier feel and a fairly loose low end. It's sound suggests a tweed Deluxe. The EL84 setting adds more chime to the top-end and tightens the low-end considerably, making it more British/Voxy in flavor. The combined setting does what you'd expect it to do -- combines the tighter bass and chime of the EL84s with the midrangey fat of the 6V6s.

The Blue Angel doesn't have a lot of headroom, which is a good thing with a non-master volume amp in my opinion -- that means it'll go into overdrive at fairly reasonable volumes. To get maximum headroom, its best to use the combined tube setting, go easy of the midrange, and then roll back the guitar volume just a little so you're not hitting the amp input as hard.

It is a naturally mid-rangey amp. If you're a fan of scooped mids, this is not the amp for you. I personally like a fat midrange because it helps a guitar cut through the mix better in a band situation.

In many ways, this amp is the perfect choice for a player that wants great vintage tone without paying rockstar/suit prices. Calling it an entry-level boutique amp makes it sound cheap, but in many ways that's what it is: for a reasonable price, you get superb tone. You could easily spend thousands more on an amp that sounds not so much 'better' as 'different'. This amp delivers great tone.

The reverb deseves special mention, as it sounds extremely lush and musical. To get a better reverb you'd probably have to get hold of a vintage fender outboard unit.

I must add that the Angel sounds great daisychained with other amps.

Wow this amp is almost perfect for a gig situation.
No faults in 10 years so its pretty good

Not much i can really say about the customer support becuase I have never called Mesa/Boogie.

I am about to put this on ebay( UK ).
So if you like the description of the tone as mentioned above the i would suggest having a look.

Basic single-channel head with reverb. "Class A" and running from 15 to 38 watts depending on power tube selection. It uses 6v6 or EL84 power tubes, but I have swapped the 6v6s out for 5881s. The design of this amp is focused on simplicity, and bluesy overdrive at lower volumes.
This isn't technically the head version of this amp, it's actually the 4x10 combo, but I run it as a "head" into a homemade 1x12 cab with an Eminence "Cannabis Rex" speaker. I will build my own head box for it soon, though- the 4x10 combo is such a pain to lug around.

The sound of this amp is a very warm, brilliant clean tone that quickly breaks up into a sweet, bluesy distortion. I use a Strat with Texas Specials, and a Les Paul with Duncan Alnico 2 Pro's into it. The 'Paul makes the amp break up sooner and distort more, and has more of a singing sustain through the amp. The Strat's lower-output single coils keep the amp cleaner, so to get more of a sustain with the Strat I'll use the "Blues" channel of a Mesa V-Twin pedal or a Fulltone "69" fuzz. The 'Paul, however, sounds incredible on its own...

I'd like to talk about the overdrive on this amp. The Blue Angel is my first experience with a non-master volume tube amp and it took me a while to get the hang of it. When I first tried it, I actually HATED the sound of this amp cranked. Now, after a few years of experimentation, I absolutely LOVE the sound; it's pure heaven.

I've read some reviews of this amp here on Harmony Central, and I couldn't understand why some people would rave about the Blue Angel's sweet overdrive, yet others would dismiss it as being harsh and barky.
Here's all the tips I can offer to get the best out of this amp:

1.) Amp EQ. When I crank this amp to any higher volume, say, half or more, I set all the EQ knobs to "9:00". Any higher from any frequency tends to sound harsh to me. The bass will be too flubby, the treble too shrill, and the mid will sound too raw and "honky", which is actually ok for a raw blues or garage-rock sound, but I prefer a smoother tone.

2.) Guitar EQ. Maybe this is a no-brainer for more experienced tube-amp users, but you need to dial the shrill highs out with your guitar's tone knob as well. I had to modify my Strat so that all the pickups were connected to a tone knob, otherwise they would have been unusable at a higher volume. Strangely enough, with all the talk of speaker-swapping and tube substitution, this quick fix is something you never really read about on gear forums...

3.) The 6v6 for 5881/6L6 swap. This is really a matter of taste, but I was just finding the overdriven sound of the 6v6s too muddy. I replaced them with GT 5881s and the sound was immediately improved. Now, it has the same power and headroom as the EL84s in the "15-watt" mode, and more bass, and no flubbiness, and a sweet, clear top-end as well. The 5881s instantly became my favourite sound from this amp.

4.) Pickups. My humbuckers, the stock Gibsons, sounded too bassy through this amp, so I swapped them for a pair of the Duncans, which had a lower output and a truer "PAF" tone. Again, much, much better. You don't need high-output 'buckers with this amp, let the amp do all the work! I haven't experimented as much with single coils, but I am happy with the Texas Specials right now.

5.) Tubes. Other than the power-tube switch I mentioned earlier, I haven't noticed a huge difference when switching brands of power tubes. Pre-amp tubes is another story: I tried swapping the Mesa 12AX7s for JJs. I found the JJs kind of muffled the high-end and reduced the output. Maybe that's all right for a cleaner overall tone but I went back to the Mesas and am happier.

Through the semi-open back cab I built with the C-Rex speaker, the amp sounds fuller and warmer, but I find I keep amp and guitar settings the same as I would through the brighter 4x10 Alnico speakers in it's original combo form. The C-Rex is a pretty good match for this amp, I find.

I'd imagine that the tubes in this amp are as prone to failure as they would be in any amp; however, the amp itself is very rock-solid. The tone of this amp is fantastic but it's the build quality that, to me, justifies it's price.

I've had really good dealings over the phone with the Mesa company. No problems there.

I love this amp, it is the holy grail of tone for me, for sure... however, I would consider switching for something else only if it's low power became an issue. Say, if I was going to be a full-time jazz guitarist, and I needed a lot more clean power, I might swap for a Mark IV amp. Overall, however, I really enjoy this amp.

Features are covered by previous reviewers. It runs on 84s or 6V6s, or BOTH for 37 watts. I play jubilees for dirty and went looking for a good clean rig. I started with Vox AC-30 -- great tones... but unreliable for gigging. Next was a Gibson Goldtone -- good amp, but too much. I was going looking for a blackface head when I found this baby. SCORE. I live and play in Austin Texas -- some of the best tones IN THE WORLD come out of this town. If you play here -- you'd better sound good or you don't play long.

I mainly use Les Pauls live -- they sound great thru the Angel. Strats sound like heaven -- teles just as good. But try a PRS in this thing ----HOLY CRAP! The amp is so responsive and sweet. The breakup is so nice -- goes from glassy and smooth to edgy and biting. So good! Reverb is the best out of ANY amp I've ever owned ((and trust me, I'v ehad them all.)) No biasing -- just slap new tubes in it and go! It costs a fortune to re-tube but DO IT! Take those Mesas out and put in some JJs, GTs or Sovtek....great tone!

Feels very solid -- looks well made -- have not had any issues

if you're looking for an amp with TONE here it is. It only has one channel -- only a few knobs -- but TONE FOR DAYS! The reverb is footswitchable.

If you want to hide behind walls of gain as you one-finger your drop D chords -- stay away! But if you want an amp that will make your soulful playing sound better -- here you go. Just try it....trust me....the tone is heavenly.

I purchased one of the early models...blue/tan grill head/4-10 cab over a decade ago. Really nice! I use it on a regular basis, but not gigg'in (except at friends) since I bought it. No problems aside of a noisy volume pot, a problem since I bought it new - never did go away and I wasn't about to send it in for that cause I just couldn't part with it for a minor problem for any length of time. Sound: so so sweet, I'm not the best player by any means, but like the rest of you always on the quest for the "ultimate tone" and boy does this amp deliver. Just when I think that I found every tone this thing puts out, I'll be suprised again with a whole new dynamic. Got to mention the intuitive controls, v e r y touchy to the timid! You need a PHD in ampology to truly understand everything this amp is capable of. Word to the wise if you find an awesome tone - write it down for future reference. There are so many combinations of tone with just a slight movement of the controls not to mention the pick attack style the player uses. Note: This is a must have amp for any Les Paul "Deluxe" guitar player with coil tapped mini-humbucking pickups. I plugged into this with just a single coil on at the bridge and could not believe the sound. Early Jimmy Page ring a bell! Zepplin II should nail it for you. Unbelievable tone. The volume, and pick attack controls the amp dynamic! Awesome!! Now using a stratocaster, and G&L legacy, and both sound Jimi & SRV incredible. So if you need plenty of blusey tone. Go for it!

I got this in mint condition with a 1x12 cab. It's a one-channel amp, but has different combinations of tubes available in the power section, and several extra EQ options.

This is like getting an extra-sweet Fender Super Reverb in a portable head, with the capability of great tones at low volumes. It can go as loud as a Super, but quieter, too. The reverb is the best I've heard on any amp ever. Run this puppy through the speakers of a vintage Fender 2x12 amp, and the tone will make you cry.

The tubes went bad a little early, but after swapping them out, it has been fine. It's built very very solidly.

I called Mesa and was able to talk to a person, which was great. Unfortunately, they have a long backlog of repairs if you have to send the unit to them.

It looks great and sounds great. If you're good enough to get all the tones you need by working your guitar's controls (and maybe an overdrive pedal), you will be happy with this one.

Pretty much covered in the other reviews. Has everything I want and more. I play in a worship band and a rock and roll band and it covers all of the bases wonderfully. I play U2ish radiohead counting crows bluesy kind of stuff. Rather diffucult to describe.

I play this amp with a reverend slingshot, a 50's tele, and a G&L asat. It suite's my style of music perfectly. Tube amps always have a little noise, but by no means noisy. I play this amp through a kustom cab loaded with 2 greenbacks. Great blues sound with the 6v6's. Great chime with el-84's. I use the el-84's the most for live performances, but in the studio I like the 6v6's. This amp breaks up beautifully, at very decent volumes. The gentleman who said that the matcheless dc30 was would break up at a lower volume is mistaken. The dc30 is one of the loudest amps I've ever played in my life. I never turn the volume more than half way up on any setting and I keep it stocked with JJ el-84's, ehx 6v6's and jj 12ax7's.

A year of gigging at least twice a weak and nothing yet. I trust mesa.

When I called to ask the exact dimensions of the head to get a road case for it, I was greeted kindly and had an answer within 30 seconds. Good in my book.

Would certainly buy again. This is a very classy and tasteful amp. I think people see mesa and assume other things. I would certainly buy again if stolen, and I would also buy a maverick to sit right beside it.

Very cool concept-6v6 or el84 or combined output sections, nice tone controls, well built.

I was disappointed. I really prefer an amp that breaks up gradually going from clean to distorted. I know that's hard with either of these power tube types (Vox and Matchless pulled it off with el84s, Fender with 6v6s but no one else seems to have) but it's really what I want from a blues amp. Also, 37 watts is just too dang loud. I sold it and bought a Matchless Clubman (better) which is now gone for a DC30 (perfect!).

Boogie is usually great.

Fine

Not what I was looking for and long gone.

This amp is a major departure from the bulk of Mesa's amps, being a single channel, non-master volume, class A amp. An extremely simple setup: a single volume control, bass, mid, treble, reverb and a 'progressive linkage' control to switch the power output from 6v6 tubes to EL84s or a combination of both. Whilst you could surmise that this amp isn't exactly feature laden, the philosophy with the Blue Angel is obviously to strip away anything not required for getting vintage-style Class A tone. I personally like the simple approach, not only from a useability perspective, but also from the obvious benefits this approach has on the amp's tone. It's also worth noting that this amp is much more flexible than many of the vintage and boutique amps it deserves to be compared to.

I use a custom Basswood Strat with Vintage Fralins (unbelievable strat pickups) and a custom 7/8 Strat-style with a floyd, Dimarzio PAF and bartolini single coils. I add an extra gain stage via an original Marshall Guv'nor pedal, which delivers very good low gain tones with the added advantage of not sounding like everybody else's Tube Screamer. The head is run into a Mesa 2x12 closed-back cabinet with Celestion 30's.

I play in a band that mostly does late sixties/early seventies funk and funk-fusion, and this amp sounds fantastic for that purpose. It also works very well for pop-rock, raw rock, jazz and blues. As the name suggests, the Angel is an excellent blues amp, as it is designed for cranked power-stage distortion. I can get superbly dynamic strat tones that run from extremely fat overdrive to sweet clean just by manipulating my right-hand dynamics and the guitar's volume knob.

The ability to mix output valves is great. You can get snotty, low wattage, blackface-esqe tones from the 6v6s and Vox-style chime from the EL84s, and run them together for a fuller, more dimensional sound than either set can deliver by itself.

For gigs, I run it with a both sets of valves linked together for maximum headroom and warmth. As I play smaller clubs, I don't mike, and this amp has just enough clean headroom to compete in a seven piece band with unmiked drums, bass, and miked horns. Overall, the Angel doesn't have a lot of headroom, but it breaks up so nicely that I don't mind a bit of dirt entering the sound when the going gets loud. It would certainly need miking for larger venues, though.

The reverb deseves special mention, as it sounds extremely lush and musical. To get a better reverb you'd probably have to get hold of a vintage fender outboard unit.

I must add that the Angel sounds great daisychained with other amps. I recall using a three amp setup once including a Fender Deville (clean) and a Carvin Legacy (high gain). Now that was some fun. Not especially practical, but fun.

One faulty valve, replaced by the dealer. Bulletproof sofar, but I handle it fairly carefully. I'm probably going to buy a modelling unit for rehearsals and practice to cut down wear and tear.

No problems with my local dealer, though sending it back to the factory from New Zealand would be impractical.

I've been playing for over fifteen years, and have used a decent array of the better amps available. New Zealand isn't exactly brimming with vintage and high-end amps, but I've played most of the classic designs or reissues of them.

If my Angel was lost or stolen, I'd almost certainly buy another. I say 'almost' simply because I'm keeping one eye on the modelling amps to see how they develop. Every year they get closer to the real deal and more flexible, and I could easily see myself heading that way.

I love the tone, the overall aesthetics (I have an original issue, blue leather with tan basket front model) and the small size of the head. If only the mesa cab was lighter...

I compared this amp to Fender DeVille (good workman-like amps -I traded one in for the Angel) Vox, Marshall, other Mesa, and Line 6 amps. The Angel was similar to the Vox, with more flexible distortion tones and the added bonus of being available in head form. The Line 6 amps couldn't cut it (that year), and, well, Marshall are totally different beasts, really. As for other Mesas, I'm not really a fan of the compressed lead tones they produce. Aside from the MK1, the Trem-o-verb and perhaps the Rectifiers (for metal), I wouldn't use a Mesa amp.

I wish it had more clean headroom at times, but I'm not overly concerned about it. Everyone else can just turn down a bit.



I'm extremely happy with this amp. Short of buying an extremely high-end boutique amp like a Vibro King or a Matchless, I can't conceive of improving on it. Granted, it doesn't do Marshall, or Twin, or Bassman tone, or even exactly replicate AC30 or Deluxe tones for that matter, but I don't expect it to.

In many ways, this amp is the perfect choice for a player that wants great vintage tone without paying rockstar/suit prices. Calling it an entry-level boutique amp makes it sound cheap, but in many ways that's what it is: for a reasonable price, you get superb tone. You could easily spend thousands more on an amp that sounds not so much 'better' as 'different'. This amp delivers great tone.

I'm giving an 8 here because I feel the amp covers a lot of important features such as reverb and option to switch between 6l6 tubes or el84s, or combine the two. I also like the non-master setup. that is how you get your best tones these days. Crank the amp for gain. What is channel switching anyways? There are not a lot of extra knobs or anything to mess with so it's simple. Bright/fat switch is cool addition if you use different kinds of pickups etc. I just use single coils, so it stays on the Fat switch. the amp is already really bright. I mean really bright!!

I love this amp head. I think a lot of people don't like this amp in the combo version becase Mesa dosent make the greatest of speaker cabs in my opinion. Not to knock them or anything, but this amp just dosent really go along with any of their kind of speakers, and most people complain about their choice w/ the 4x10 and 2x10 cabs along with this amp. As stated in some other reviews speaker cab selction is very important with this amplifier head. I use a custom made cabinet with 2x12 EV force speakers. They are bass heavey, therefore my settings are low on bass and about midway w/ the treble and the Mids close to full for the best sounds. It has also been stated that this amp is pretty midrange heavy. I disagree to some extent. With humbuckers yes it could be overbearing but with strats i pretty much crank the mid knob. It's the perfect amount of midrange, not to much and defiantly not too little. Makes the overall tone very complex and 3d sounding. The amp would be best with single coils because with humbuckers it is just going to be too harsh. Putting strong output pickups thru this is just overbearing because it ruins the nature of the amp which is to clip naturally. Extra pushing reults in a bad sound.
As for the tube selections, the combined setting is my favorite. It realy does do it's job making the best of both worlds. The 6l6s are good for more gain at lesser volume. The EL84s i find work best with overdrive pedals, which are the only kinds of pedals i would ever use w/ this amp. I tried putting some chorus once, and even a delay in the effects loop. The loop is pro quality, but I just dont like delay with this amp. It's better off as a straight ahead amp, by using playing dynamics you get your tone. Overdrive pedals will be good, but the amp is somewhat picky to selection. I find the boss ds sounds better than my fulldrive 2 pedal actually w/ this amp. The vox valve tone is too trebly sounding.
The dynamics of this amp is astounding. I dont really mess w/ my volume knob very much with the amp. I find it takes away too much volume on the overall sound. however, using more force, or picking lighter will be the exact same as lowering the volume, just that it wont really lower the volume as much as it will clean up or dirty up your sound depending on how to play a certain phrase.
Another interesting fact about this amp is that it is hard to make sound bad or muddy. It usually sounds good where you put the knobs, very uncharacteristic for a Boogie. You normally will have to mess w/ their knobs for hours just to get a useful sound. They also have really odd control settings for some amps, like their newer F-50's On the gain channel of the F-50 you can turn the bass off, and treble and mids allthe way up and have the best tone the amp makes. really strange! the bass is totally there even w/ the knob off. Doing this on the blue angel will be too piercing on the treble, but it is not a bad sound at all. You'd just want to be using your neck pickup for this tone.
Another great feature of the amp is that I feel the gain is JUST RIGHT. Never too much or never too little. And you, the player controls this with dynamics. It clips beautifully for blues sounds, and playing lighter will get you those complex jazz tones, and putting an overdrive in front of it will get you to anywhere from a fully cranked Vox tone,or marshall early tones. Speaks a bit of Fender super tone on the 6l6 setting too.
One must use good judgement with the amp when setting the volume knob on this amp head. I find that half way up is perfect, but this may be a little too loud for practice or some gigs even. This amp is loud as piss!!! Going anywhere past 1 0'clock on the volume knob is NOT recomended. The amp starts getting barky at such settings. The controls are pretty much set where you want and go, but the volume is a different story. it has a sweet spot, and it's 12 o'clock. the 11 setting is also very useful.

I would venture to say all mesa gear is reliable and they do care about their customers satisfaction. I recieved this amp used, 3 yrs old and hadnt been retubed and was the guys main gigging amp for all 3 years. If thats not reliable what is?

never had to deal with them yet, but am assured their service is geat.

Been playing for about 6 1/2 years or more...Other gear includes 2 fender twins, peavey classic 30, and a good collection of strats and a tele. If something happened to the amp i'd try to get another one. I got a good deal on it, so i don't know if i would be so lucky again. I would hope so. My favorite part of the amp is how it responds to dynamics, my least favorite part is probably the volume. It's really loud, but loud is good right? The best tone of this amp is in the REALLY loud range.

This is not a feature-laden amp. It is a single-channel, class-A, non-master-volume amp targeted at fans of simplicity. It has volume, bass, middle, treble and reverb controls, and a fat/bright switch. It also has a parallel FX loop with a mix control on the back. The only feature that really distinguishes the Blue Angel from other amps is the "Progressive Linkage" control and its ability to select from different output tubes (6V6, EL84, or combined EL84 and 6V6). Normally, I would rate an amp this basic below a "4" or so because there are so many feature-laden amps out there that provide a lot more options. But because of the unique Progressive Linkage feature, I'll rate it a "6".

BTW, as far as I'm concerned a high score in this category is not necesarily a good thing. It merely means that the amp in question has a lot of nifty features that may or may not help the sound....

I use this amp with a variety of guitars for a variety of different styles of music. It is well-suited to low or medium gain sounds -- so we're talking rootsy rock or blues.

The way you get overdrive with the Blue Angel is to crank the amp. The overdrive that you get is raw, but very musical with plenty of sustain. Its not overly compressed or gained out though. It is extremely dynamic, so the best way to use it in my opinion is to crank the amp to get as much gain as you'll need, then roll back your guitar's volume control or picking attack to clean it up as required. This is a far superior arrangement in my opinion to multi-channel amps. Instead of 2, 3 or 4 discrete channels, you use your volume or picking to get one continuously variable channel that covers all your bases. Not every amp is good at that sort of thing and likewise, not every player is good at it either. It took me a bit of practice to really get a good handle on it. But once you get used to it, you'll be able to go from delicate and clean to searing distortion in the course of a single phrase simply by varying your attack. That's expressive!

The Progressive Linkage really doesn't make a huge difference until you crank the amp. At that point you have a lot of output tube distortion going on and the character of the different output tube types comes through. In general, the 6V6 setting is grungey in a ZZ Top kind of way with a spongier feel and a fairly loose low end. It's sound suggests a tweed Deluxe. The EL84 setting adds more chime to the top-end and tightens the low-end considerably, making it more British/Voxy in flavor. The combined setting does what you'd expect it to do -- combines the tighter bass and chime of the EL84s with the midrangey fat of the 6V6s.

The Blue Angel doesn't have a lot of headroom, which is a good thing with a non-master volume amp in my opinion -- that means it'll go into overdrive at fairly reasonable volumes. To get maximum headroom, its best to use the combined tube setting, go easy of the midrange, and then roll back the guitar volume just a little so you're not hitting the amp input as hard.

It is a naturally mid-rangey amp. If you're a fan of scooped mids, this is not the amp for you. I personally like a fat midrange because it helps a guitar cut through the mix better in a band situation.

My only complaint about the amp tone-wise is that I wish it would tighten up in the low end just a bit more. Its Fendery in that way and I wish it had a little more Marshall character....

I've been gigging regularly with this amp for almost two years. No problems yet. Being a class-A amp, it does go through tubes pretty quickly.

BTW, with regards to tubes. The Blue Angel is a cathode-biased amp, meaning that it is effectively "self biasing". You don't have to use Mesa tubes with it (as you do with other Mesa amps). Just get matched sets, pop 'em in, crank it up: If the tube plates do not glow red and it sounds okay, the amp and tubes will be just fine.

I've only dealt with Mesa support once. It was to order some basketweave grill cloth so that I could match my non-Mesa cabinet to the Blue Angle better. I also enquired about using non-Mesa tubes in the Angel. They were very helpful on both counts. My experience and the reputation of Mesa lead me to believe that their support is better than most major amp manufacturers.

I've been playing for almost 20 years. I've owned and played through a huge variety of amps, including new and vintage Fenders, Marshalls and Voxes, as well as several "boutique" amps. The Blue Angel holds its own. Its not the finest amp I've ever played through, but relative to its price and its intended musical purpose its a remarkable amp. It sounds better than a lot of amps that cost twice as much.