Mesa/Boogie Heartbreaker Combo

I have owned this amp for just over a year now and other than a good practice amp (read portable) I don't believe I'll ever "need" to buy another amp. I bought it new, I'm not sure what year it was built since it had been in the store longer than any of the sales staff. This thing is built like a Sherman tank. It weighs 110lbs, so buy castors for it. It has so many settings to play with I'll never get tired of all it's tones (I'll cover this more below). I am disappointed in the fact that you can't switch between the two channels with a foot switch, you'd think that with Mesa/Boogie's expertise in foot switching they could have done something about this, I understand that on certain settings matching volume would be impossible but still they should have given us the freakin option (I deduct one point for this). I would like to find a tech who could remedy this issue but I live in Alaska and I don't want some hack frying this jewel.

Although I can't foot switch between channels it does have a foot switch for the overdrive.

I play in my churches worship band every week and also play blues rock, alternative rock, and good ole grunge. With the Heartbreaker's two channels (cleverly named Love and Lust) and the multitude of tone shaping knobs and switches I can get every sound I want or need from it (not recommended for metal or nu-metal style gain though, more on this below). Be warned this amp will out play your band unless they have a monster sound system I've even had drummers tell me to turn it down. Now I keep it on the 60 watt power setting with the tube rectifier selected, variac enabled and my master volume never breaks 4 I often keep it lower than this for church.

It has a spring reverb but I never use it since it is the lamest feature on the amp. Even when turned on full it is extremely week (I deduct one point for this since I would find a good tube or decent spring reverb useful in the worship music I should probably cover this in sound but since it is a poor feature of the amp I put it here). I almost never look at the back any more so I forget if it has an effects loop, even if it did I wouldn't use it since I've always been a fan of putting my effects directly in front of the signal.

Another feature of this amp is the ability to easily swap out three different tube types easily without fiddling with a hard to reach bias nob and an oscilloscope, just change out the tubes, flick the easy to access bias switch to the proper tube's setting and make sure the power settings match what the tubes can drive (the owners manual explains this in detail). This review is for the factory stock tubes since I have been having enough fun with them over the past year. I will try the other types when I grow tired of these settings.

The manual is great! If you bought this amp used you can download it from Mesa/Boogies website. It's a must read for this piece of equipment.

I am currently recouping from some financial straights so I play a Yamaha AES-620 (which sounds surprisingly passable through this amp) it has a Seymor Duncan JB in the treble position and a Yamaha alnico humbucker in the rhythm position. I also play a Hamer Eclipse (which I am keeping forever) that has two Seymor Duncan mini-buckers (these pickups really shine through this amp). I will be purchasing a Les Paul Standard Faded from a friend soon and the uncovered Burst Bucker Pros in that guitar are one of the major reasons I'm buying it. In combination with this amp what can I say other than this is my own personal holy grail of "Heartbreaking" tone. Yes I have actually plugged this guitar into my amp and fallen madly in love. So I guess you can gather from this that I am a humbucker whore. I have never played a Strat or Tely through this amp and probably never will. I just need that perfect blend of sparkle, midrange, and bass that only certain humbuckers deliver.

Speaking of bass this amp has tons of that in both channels so dial it in sparingly. The special Celestion's loaded in this thing and the ultra heavy duty cabinet lend to this depth of tone. I've read many reviews that claim it is too dark sounding. I say learn to use those ingenious tone controls dude and stay on the Love channel, Mark Tremonti (Creed and Alter Bridge) still uses one of these for quite a few of his clean tones because he has so much headroom before breakup. Of course I got rid of the Twin Reverb because it was too brittle for my ears at volume so if that's your thing buy a Twin Reverb or some other Fender.

I personally adore the Lust channel for it's midrange when clean. When switched to overdrive this channel ROCKS. A lot of reviewers compare it to a Marshal Plexi since I have never played through a Plexi I can't really speak to that, although I can say that I like it more than say a JCM-900. If you play blues rock, or classic rock you will enjoy this channels overdrive immensely. I even enjoy playing some heavy rock rhythm through this uniquely voiced channel although the Love channel is probably more suited to the scooped tone needed for that styles leads.

The Love channel is different all together, much brighter in tone but thankfully none of the brittleness of my Fender. I use this for the more modern music I play. Oh I should probably mention that this amp was built to commemorate the Boogie Mark 1 before they started building them again. So that is what channel one is all about. Sparkly cleans and Santana overdrive. Enough said.

Onto the tone controls. They are very unique in that they are set up in a cascading gain structure. When cranked past a certain point they actually add gain to the signal. Play with them carefully and you can achieve some truly magical tones, and once you get that tone locked in with your volume and master set to those sweet spots you have an overall Level control so that you don't seriously compromise your tone to play at a level that matches your band. (Thought of putting this in features but since it has so much to do with the sound of the amp I put it here).

There are also various switches for each channel. Love has two one of which is a boost switch that seriously takes your lead out front. The other switch controls how your guitar's signal is colored by the gain of the overdrive it is labeled Trim/Fat. They don't come into play when this channel is set to clean.The Lust channel has two switches as well. A Trim/Fat switch just like Love's that only affects the overdive and a Bright/Warm switch that effects both clean and overdriven settings. In addition to these switches there is yet one more labeled Bold/Curvaceous this switch is AWESOME along with the use of the Rectifier selector you can totally transform the character of this amp from vintage tones to modern. Bold is modern headroom and Curvaceous is vintage breakup it affects both channels.

You would have to do something seriously twisted and stupid to break this thing. I use this amp without a backup every week. The wiring is of good quality for a mass produced amp. I check this with my cell phone. If an amp has crappy wiring or boards my cell phone will make it make some really annoying sounds. This amp is also very quiet no hum or chassis vibrations in mine.

Never had to bother them.

I have been playing 13 years so I have had time to develop my own taste and ear for tone. I originated in the Fender amp camp. I've owned a decent Twin Reverb, a 1970 Music Man HD212 (great blues amp), and one POS Laney LC-50 (what a nightmare), but over the years I have played through many borrowed amps (Marshals, VOXs, etc. I even had the joy of keeping a friend's Matchless for two weeks). Up until now I've always had a solid state backup as well. Mostly cheap Crates, they sounded like crap but would get me through those last few songs if a tube went south or some other calamity befell me.

If this amp were stolen I would try my best to find another. If I couldn't I would settle for a Mesa/Boogie Lone Star which doesn't do as much but what it does it does well.

I love all that tone, tone, tone. I hate the fact that I can't switch channels with a foot switch.

As mentioned above I wish it had a channel foot switch and a decent reverb.

Before buying this I was considering a Vox AC-30 but couldn't find one that sounded decent, or a Matchless Cheiftan which sounded excellent but is very limited in what it can do not to mention pricy. Then I found this at almost half the price of either of those, tested it out and bought it on the spot.

If anyone reading this knows of a really good amp tech in Alaska of all places feel free to contact me, or if your into talking gear and music (which I assume you are) drop me a line. I love to learn from experienced techs and musicians.

It will be years before you truely appreciate all the features and that is a good thing, trust me!! You will never be bored.

Are you kidding. All right kids leave the room, this is amp is for adults. This is the best amp ever made on the planet, case closed! Fenders are glassy, but you need a pedal for any kind of overdrive. This SOB has a sustain and overdrive that is PERFECT ROCK AND ROLL! The boost switch will make you an instant guitar hero. All you putzes fiddling around in sam ash all day with tinny marshalls need to hear, no FEEL this boost switch!!! Your crappy playing will improve on the spot. As for the clean, the better the guitar the better the clean. I mean beautiful, articulate clean and no harsh or brittle tones here bub!. Randall Smith built his first Boogie's from Fenders and he knows the diagrams by heart and knows what the hell he is doing. This amp is so good I can play Satriani, Santana, AC/DC and Jeff Beck all from the love channel without changing one knob, I just adjust my playing style. NAme me a better all around amp, I said all around amp, not the one trick amp like a matchless (why spend 5 grand to have to put a distortion pedal in the front). For versatility in tone there is no amp, I repeat no amp on the planet that comes close to the sweetness of a heartbreaker 2x12. The 90 watt celestion black shadows are a perfect match as well. Good luck changing amps forever, cauz I am done with it.

I have had no problem in ten years!

The best in the business!

The best all around amp ever made. I have tried everything uner the sun, includig Sunn
(pun intended!) and its always been the heartbreaker. I dare anyone to name a better sounding two channell quality amp, go ahead embarrass yourself and show your little you know what!

Two distinct channels, plenty of little switches and knobs to dial in that special sound. Envision your dream amp that can get that ultra clean sparkle tone and a nice overdriven second channel with just that special, sweet tone thing that cannot be described, only heard. This is it. This is the great lost Boogie amp that came and went without much fanfareand what a crime! This is one of the best Boogie amps to ever, ever, and I mean ever hit the circuit. Mesa's official line is this amp was their tribute to yesterday, and the famed Mark I. Right, but since I never owned a Mark I what do I know? Funny thing is, in the manual they say use channel one for that famous signature boogie lead sound, and I only use ch 1 for the blackface style clean. Very very clean. Sweet silver clean. And channel two is your dirt. Golden overdrive, or shrieking lead, your choice.

Verb is not overbearing. Low key, even when on 10. Kind of a drag on the back of the amp.
holiday ale is much stronger than the rest of the year, especially the belgian ale.

see above, no really, the ch 1 is your sweet clean tone and ch 2 is the nasty overdrive, or pure rich harmonic balance overdrive, or singing lead overdrive. Not a chumk chumk boogie, no no. No metal here. Just gold tones. Many people here have spoken about the benefits of using 6V6 power tubes. I concur. Bottom line= 6L6 are great for higher volume applications. More balls, low end. For better tones at lower volumes, then use the 6V6 tubes, if you want more vintage vibes and classic cleans.

boogie built like benz beast burly \///\\//\/\\\\//\\

they are nice folk who answer the phone with answers, not machines. Very helpful.

very good overlooked mesa amp. for those who would like the perfect combo of fender clean and vox/marshall overdrive. True tones, no bs. Good fx loop and very wide varitey of tones and if you have lots of tubes even more tones. Not a metal boogie, you need to buy a recto for that metal sound. This is blues, country, rock, standards, etc.

This is a 1999 Heartbreaker Combo. Since she came into my life, I haven't looked at another amp(altho, I have flirted with Bogners for club gigs). She does anything I want as far as Blackface sounds on CH1.
CH2 I use to rock. Nuff' said.
I play clubs and outdoor venues. This combo amp can be very loud if you want it to be with the stock 6l6's. When you load it up with 6V6's and engage the "Tweed" rectifier setting you can release the tone in this bitch at lower volume. Wow.
Using Pauls, Strats and my own Frankenstrats. This amp is not for kids,you need to know what sound you are dialing in....looking for.

The clean channel is so good that I find myself dialing in distortion like I tried to do on the Twins I used to own, only to remember that the other channel has where I need to go. And if clean undistorted shit is what you're after - there you are. And that channel is totally separate. The thing is with the Heartbreaker, is there is 2 totally different tube based front ends for both "channels". And then there is the power amp.
Man it's fine.

Dependable. Built like a tank.

If you call Mesa, they WILL talk to you. And unless you are an anal ass, they will help you. I give them guys 100% - they care about ALL their products, no matter when they were produced.
It's NOT a boutique amp. It's a very powerful tool.
To all the whinies above.....you're probably not even playing music.

I have a leather-covered Mesa head that I don't like the sound of. So shoot me. This Heartbreaker is the shit. She does everything I want her to do.

Wow, what a versitile amp. You've heard this before but I'll explain again. It has many options, and many switches! The front pannel's switches include; channel select (1 - "Love" & 2 - "Lust"),Hi/Lo gain switch for both channels, Trim and Fat switch for both channels Hi mode, A normal/boost for channel 1's hi mode, a warm/bright switch for channel 2 and a power amp voicing; Bold (male) and Curvacious (female)...i generally like Bold more as it is more dynamic.
The back supports a rectifier select (silicon diodes and 5AR4 valve), Voltage supply (full normal and Tweed variac that changes th ammount of electricity going through the amp), 60/100 watt, The amp can accept 6l6, el34 AND 6v6 power tubes (which ill expariment with later on) slave output, FX loop. People often complain that you can access the 5 modes via footwitch, but there is significant volume changes from mode to mode so it wouldnt be practical at all really.
A whole lotta crap to play around with!

I currently use a Ibanez RG guitar with Dimarzio's (i hate this crappy guitar btw!) and use a Marshall Bluesbreaker booster pedal that only adds a bit of gain for gig situations (it doesn't change the tone at all) and it sounds amazing.

Channel 1 (love): This is the "american channel" It gives the Fenderish and Boogie tones. The amp isn't a clean channel/distortion channel setup, its very different. This channel has an AMAZING clean channel. So nice and sweet and warm. Probably THE best cleans I've heard from a hi gain amp. My freind has a 70's Silverface Twin REverb (you know how that sounds!) so ill do this maths comparison; think
Twin + more mids + way more warmth = HB's clean. Crank the gain and you get some nice crunchy clean/distortion rhythm tones. But it on Hi gain mode with boost on, and you get the Mark I "liquid" lead sound, this is very focused and nice, with heaps of sustain but not an overload of distortion. Very nice.

Channel 2 Lust: This is the "british" channel. Its kinda like a Vox/Marshall. Im not a fan of the cleans in this channel but i havent spent that much time with it as the cleans in "love" is so nice. But this channel can sound like ass when not set up right. But this channel can sound so good when set up right. I can tweak it so it sounds so much like a MArshall its not even funny. But the way I have set it up is so nice and smooth! think Marhsall + more/nicer bottom end + a bit of boogie lead sustain and your there! But it is very versitile as it sensitive to the pickup selection. I can get AC/DC kinda rhythm, blues lead, PERFECT lead sound and all out marshall metal chunk at the same time! perfect.

Overal it is a very bassy, warm amp that CAN sound muddy if eq'd worng, but holy-f'k it is great.

Mesa's are known to be very reliable, well built amps with good quality-control. I got mine second hand (I could never afford a new one :0 ) so i can't quite mention how reliable it is properly. But when i first got it the rectifier valve and the tubes where stuffed. But the cool-as guy I got it from sent up a new pair for free the next day! Now its going fine!

Don't know.

A fantasic amp! It suits the needs for many. Just don't get it if you play death metal or something. I just don't know why it never really took off, probably got left between the cracks between the Dual Rectifier and Mark IV, I dunno. It's not a typical "boogie". And the whole "love, lust, heartbreaker" comcept is a little bit corny, but im just being superficial here! It is very gig-friendly as it sensitive to your external gear, so you can get many different sounds under the same setting depending on pickups. I mainly play jazz, fusion, but also everything else and this amp is perfect for my needs.

Features are covered adequately by other reviewers. My only gripe is that the "modes" are not footswitchable and you need to buy a separate reverb footswitch. (Since I use the amp to gig in a cover band, that added flexibility would be nice).

Here is the real reason I am posting... I use 360 Ricks (6 and 12 Strings). No one else has mentioned a Rick...

I am new to the amp so I am still experimenting but I'm getting some nice VOX and Marshall tones out of the "Lust" channel. I am still working with the "Love" channel and trying to squeeze some good clean tones... I may ultimately switch and try "Lust" for clean and "Love" for clip. (I'm used to a superglassy Fender so I am probably too critical of the clean. Sounds nice, but not quite there... Probably also just need to tweak it more).

I play 80's covers and pop/rock originals...

I agree with the other posters... This amp doesn't model others, but it adds its own flavor to the impersonation... To me, it sounds sweeter and more mellow than an AC 30 or JCM 800... (A buddy has both of those... He also has a Matchless, vintage Fenders and a Plexi. In the next few months, I am going to take this puppy over to his sound room and lay it out).

Right now I am getting some good clip that suits a Rick nicely... Think Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Connells... I am still working on that ethereal clean, glassy sound to bring out the natural chime, although, for shits and gigles last night I plugged my 12 String up and it sounded pretty darn good.

Mine is set up with EL34's. I'll swap out to 6L6's to see if that changes things...

I also like the overall level control that allows you to match the volume of each channel at a reasonable level when setting up, then dial in the overall level control at soundcheck to the required volume... Makes things nice.

To put things in perspective, I'd rate my Fender Hot Rod Deville about a 6 in this category.

Too early to tell. Heard good things...

Too early to tell.

I'd rate this pretty darn high. Like every piece of equipment, there are strengths and weaknesses...

I'd say it is much more versatile than most channel switching combos. (I may even be able to get rid of my pedalboard)!

I'd say it is more sturdy than most run of the mill combos out there.

I'd say it is more adjustable than other combos out there. Someone earlier wrote that this is an amp to tinker with... Given the number of parameters on the amp, I think that is a pretty astute observation.

I like the tone more than most of what I have heard... I am still trying to clean up the clean a bit (with 34's I may be as close as I can get to that), but what I am getting so far is passable and the clip is amazing.

Complaints...

Heavy...
Beef up the footswitch section and give me a little more reverb...

Again, to put things in perspective, I'd rate my Fender Hot Rod Deville about a 7.5-8 in this category.

1997 Heartbreaker 2x12 Combo. 2 Channels with switched options. Series effects loop. The variac feature is great. You can run the amp with 93V or 117V. It gives the amp different characteristics. Too much power! I always run it at 60 watts. You can go deaf with this amp very quickly. Perfect for blues and classic rock.

I use a Les Paul Standard and an American Strat. Nice and fat sounding. The maximum gain on the amp puts you at a classic rock sound. If I want more distortion I use the Tube Screamer or Daddy O pedal. I am getting some vibration noise. Mesa is working with me on this problem.

I have a Nomad 45 for a back up amp. Back up tubes are enough actually. This amp is almost 7 years old and still looks new.

Very good customer support. They call you back the same day. I can take it to the dealer, but since I live near Petaluma CA, I can take it to the factory myself.

This is a great amp. If it were lost I would probably get the same amp or maybe try out a current product like the Lonestar.

Previous posts list the features quite well, nothing to add here. Biggest gripe here is that the Reverb and Presence for each channel is on the back panel. Also agree that on each channel the hi/low gain needs to be on the footswitch.

I have tried the stock 6L6's and recently replaced them with the 6V6's. I was pretty pleased with the 6L6's but when I put the 6V6's in there man o man, this thing really came alive. It has the creamiest, smoothest overdrive in channel 2. Try the 2 pickups closest to the bridge on a Strat, use tube rectifier, adjust tone stack to taste and listen to the articulation of every string in the chord. No mud, no crud, just that elusive perfect overdriven strat rhythym sound. Channel 1 gets the more Fendery-Boogie tones while channel 2 gets more Marshall-Vox tones. Just a general comparison, it does not nail these amps but it introduces neat tones of it's own.

There is a rattle in the amp at high volumes that I am trying to get rid of. It only rattles whn I hit an E note. ? Any suggestions?

Mesa Boogie has spent a lot of time on the phone with me trying to nail my problem. I would say their tech support is first class.

I have been playing since 1981 and have had Marshalls, Fenders, Ampegs, Boogies and I swear by Boogie. In fact, every amp I have now is a Boogie. I may get a Soldano or a Cesar Diaz if I can find one but I will probably stick with Randall Smith and his crew as long as they stick to their current philosophy: Build for quality, not for a price. And to get down to the nitty-gritty, Boogies really aren't that pricey. Compare TUBE Marshalls, Vox's, and Fenders prices to the Boogie line. Best bang for the buck. And the whole fixed bias thing is a non-issue. As long as you buy the same type tubes with a similar gain structure in matched sets you do not have to set the bias voltage every time you change tubes. I just wish I could get rid of my high volume rattle/sizzle. But then again it is a high power combo, and we sometimes have to deal with the quirks combo amps are prone to.

I've reviewed this amp before (see christopher) but after having it a while have some more to say about it. Found out it was made in June of 1999. Let's discuss tubes!!!!!

I have used all 3 types of tubes as recommended in the owner's manual. The sounds available in this amp are amazing. The stock 6l6s are great for loud, balls out volume at any power setting but way too hot for club gigs IMO. That said I offer this as food for thought. If you're going to be doing mid to outdoor size gigs go with the EL34s and whatever power setting you like. The lower setting will give you ample breakup and moderate headroom with nice saturation when overdriven. The 100w setting will lay you out but adds headroom for your cleans and very hot leads. Mind the mid and bass controls with these tubes. AND REMEMBER TO USE THE SOLID STATE RECTIFIER or change the Tube rectifier to the 5AU one b/c the stock recto tube will cook if you don't!!!!! I think the 34s are a good middle ground between volume, power, and tone with this amp. The 6V6s are my favorite for blues and jazz gigs b/c even at full power the amp sings. I've found that with the 6v6s I can open the master up in addition to the channel masters so the amp can breathe and all the character of the amp shines through. With the 6L6s or 34s you can't do this without hearos or baffling. Another thing i've tried is running the 16ohm 2x12 speakers into the 8ohm outlet on the back and found the presence to be increased and the responsiveness augmented. I've also disconnected the 2x12 and run a 4ohm single 12" celestion enclosure and found the amp still sounds fine. Here's the bottom line:
If volume and large rooms are your thing go 6L6s or 34s
If you want power to spare depending on rooms go 34's
If you want to open up the amp in any setting go 6V6s.

I've never encountered a problem with this amp. The thing just does it's job well.

they gave me the date of maufacture after I sent them the serial #. Still no catalog though!

I don't think I'd buy it again b/c as I get older I realize how much I hate hauling a heavy ass amp. I'd like to trade this for a Subway series amp or a Mark IV combo. I gig enough to make it a hassle to haul this around. I'd prefer a smaller combo (with similar power) to the gargantuan task of hauling this baby. The MArk 4 is only 85lbs this one's 110 lbs. Other than that it kicks ass and now that it's discontinued it's value should go up.

This is a simple amp to use. It is not fanciful - it's quality comes in its capacity and sound.

This amp is not as versatile as it makes it out to be. In some ways it has a limited sound compared to the Mark IV, but if you want a clean powerful, toney, bluesy amp that will bring the roof down then this is for you. It is very bassy (Very) but this is why it is special. I have not tried the high gain option as yet, because one of the speakers needs changing but nevertheless its potential is audible. I play through a tube screamer and this brings out lots of heavy tones. i agree that it is hard to practice with.

Needs attantion, but the best amps tend to.

A great sound - unusual, but if you want a clean powerful sound then look no where else. i have gone through a lot of amps and this one maintains a richness of tone even when played at full whack unlike other amps.