Mesa/Boogie Nomad 55 112

I just want to say the following: Every channel sounds great, and you can get EVERY sound out of it, if you know how to tweak.
For the guys who want more distortion on channel 3: It's not about distortion, guis! This Channel 3 with Gain to 12:00 sounds as deep and heavy as my Recto, BUT: you have to attach a closed 4x12 Cabinet! Don't blame the combo for something it just can't be.
we play heavy rock to metal. I normally play my Recto Top with Marshal 4x12, but in smaller venues, I play the Nomad, and can get my tone!
BTW, I normally play Robin Guitars, FR-Strat Style, but the best matching partner for the Nomad is definitely a Gibson Les Paul, and you can get ANY tone you want!

Wohever rates tone in numbers has completely no point about TONE.

Nomad is by far the most versatile amp I have played. There are few amps that can really handle many styles like rock, pop, and jazz at the same time, and Nomad is one of them.

It is almost impossible to get really bad sound of this amp, once you take the time to learn how to use the controls. There is not just one good sound for each channel, but plenty - it takes several months to explore all the possibilities. Take time to look for the sweet spots, it is definitely worth the patience. It's not noisy, once you put in the right good quality tubes and swap them once in a while. At the beginning, there was a slight extra hum coming from the amp. As soon as I replaced the Mesa stock tubes with better ones, I found out that the slight hum I had experienced was from the bad tubes, not from the amp itself. With the right tube combination, the amp is very quiet, even with higher volumes.

I have owned this amp for two years, and it has never broken down on me. However, as the manual states, if you turn the gain all the way up, it will wear your tubes out very soon.

I haven't contacted Mesa.

I have owned several high-end amps (from Mesa, VHT, Marshall), but this has been the best of them. Nomad is like the swiss army knife - there's a sound for almost any circumstance. I would buy it again, because I haven't found another amp that can cover as much styles as Nomad and still sound so good. It think it's among the most versatile tube amps there is.

I have the 2000 model and bought it new after a terminal failure from a Marshall TSL.
I find this amp to be amazingly versatile - after nearly two years I am finding out most of what it can do.
I use the effects loop to feed a mesa 20/20 power amp with some wet processing.
Features are well described in earlier reviews. I tend not to use the clean channel for gigs as the volume does not match too well with channels two & three.
Plenty of power from 55 watts for all the gigs we play.

Nice quiet amp. I play mostly rock covers. This amp does everything I want and more.
Sounds best with my Gibson standard Les Paul.
I love the sounds and the distortion.
Basically I am writing this review because I was so pissed off reading the reports that slate this amps sound.
I really can't believe that the lousy reviews are based on any real experience. It takes a long time to begin to understand all the tone options, but it is worth every effort.
So you don't like the sound of a Boogie? - O.K., fine don't buy a Boogie!! - but this amp can do most things better than most.
The versatility is staggering.
I agree that the controls are all but invisible on stage - problem solved by bits of sticky paper - not elegant, but easy.
The only other practical problem is that in carrying the amp in to gigs, I often accidentally move the knobs a bit - and as others have pointed out, that changes the tone a LOT - but what a problem to have - how can any amp have too much tone?? -and I can't believe that any half serious musician could really fail to notice a change of tone and not know how to put it back on track PDU!!

I don't think any valve amp is entirely reliable.
Mine has never actually let me down, but I have had one of the pots changed and another is going - as another report says in the last third of the travel.
But this is not much after a couple of years of lugging it around in the back of cars/vans etc.
My Marshall was nothing but trouble.
I would never go to any gig without total backup of everything.

Pot changed under warranty - took two weeks.
I can't be bothered to deal with the current pot problem as it still works and is now out of warranty.

I have been playing for 40+ years and still gigging.
This is by far and away the best amp I have heard.
I would certainly buy another if stolen.
Above all, don't listen to those whinging reports about the sound -
As I said above, I've had this amp two years and I play it nearly every day - I'm not in the first flush of love here - but I do still love it.
Don't just go into a shop or get it out of the box, plug it in and say 'it doesn't work properly' - that way you are just showing your ignorance.
This is an amp for those who want a partner for the long term - not just the lastest gimmick.

2002 model,3 channels with 2 tone sounds each,55 watts, all tube
power, footswitchable between channels also solo boost,reverb on\off.
Each channel has separate controls fo EQ,gain,volume,reverb,presence.
There are several output jacks, recording\headphones,slave and an effects loop.WOW! Nuff said? If you want versatility,like to tweak to
see what this does ect.,and don't like the sound of solid state amps,
you should include this one in your trials.A word of caution,GET THE MANUAL,you can download it from Mesas website.It explains what each knob does in the separate channels because they are not simply duplicates of each other.For a tube amp,I give it a ten. In the stores in my area,there wasn't anything that compared to it.

I currently play a G&L Asat Special with the stock pickups.(P90 style).This amp suites my playing styles well.(Rock,Alt,Jazz,Hard Rock,Blues,you get the pic.)It has a multitude of sounds in it that cover a broad spectrum from crystal clean to ripping,snorting overdrive,BUT you must be willing to tweak to find them all and once you do, WRITE THEM DOWN so you don't forget.It is a little noisy,but this could be the tubes or my pickups,for now it's not too bad.This is not a box stock metal amp,you'll need a pedal to go there.A closed back cabinet would be a nice addition to this amp,I'm going to get one and I can't wait to hear the sound of this amp pushing 4-12's!!HUNDAMAHYAH!!I'm speaking in tongues!!

I haven't had it long,but so far so good.Again,GET THE MANUAL,it has critical information about taking care of the amp,tubes,ect.If you don't read the manual you will wreck the tubes again and again by useing the amp improperly.OK?,OK.

Never had to call,but the first thing I did was go to the website and DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL so I could make sure I used it the right way.
Is there something subliminal going on here? Hmmm.

I have been playing for 18 yrs. I have owned many different amps and guitars.I compared this amp back to back with a Peavey Classic 50,a
Marshall Combo,Fender Hot Rod,and some others I can't remember.While I loved the sound of all of them,and would like to own them all.For my budget,this amp covers a broader spectrum of tones that I need to use for my playing style.I hope this review will dispell some of the negatives I have seen mentioned. They may not all be perfect,(they ARE made by humans),but this amp is certainly NOT junk.BALANCE!!

lots of features. tons of stuff, 3 channels, 'verb, etc... see other reviews. nice looker too

the second and third channels sound like crap. has a nasally high midrange you CANNOT DIAL OUT! needs the 5 band EQ that my Mark IIC has to help it out, but stock? yikes! pretty good clean channel though!!
save your money and buy a Triaxis. Tthat's the most versatile preamp I've ever owned...and with a 2:90 power amp...you'll never even think about owning a Nomad. what a non-musical paperweight these Nomads are....

no problems. Mesa make great stuff (I have tons of it (Mark IIC, Studio 22+, Triaxis/2:90, Solo 50 Rectifier, etc.) but this Nomad sounds bad...REALLY BAD

great folks. always extremely helpful and go the extra mile.

well built with lots of options, BUT IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE! avoid at all costs, Mesa makes other great amps...

This amp has a lot of features. It has 3 channels, effects loop, and a solo boost (a feature now offered with their Rectifier series). Each channel has two modes. Pushed/Clean on Channel 1, Modern/Vintage on channels 2 and 3. It also has a direct output for recording and reverb. A Built in Bias select switch allows you to put 6l6s or El34s in. This amp is a very loud 55 watts.

This amp has a lot of features, and you can get a lot of sounds but none of the tones this amp offers are very good. I have a 91 Gibson SG with Lindy fralin humbuckers and a 2000 Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat, and the tone left a lot to be desired. I'm mostly into heavy blues and hard rock (Aerosmith, AC/DC, SRV..). This amp's clean channel is not as good as a fender's, the distortion is not as good as a Marshall's and it doesn't have enough gain for metal, the gain is also extremely harsh. If you want a lot of tones then this amp might be for you. I'd rather have one great sound than a lot of mediocre ones.

This amp's lack of reliability is astounding. The Nomad I owned had a factory defect in the preamp which was not corrected by the dealer. This led to the amp's blowing up while jamming. I mean, this thing just started billowing smoke during a song! I took it to an authorized mesa/boogie repair shop, who took 3 months to fix the problem and when I got it back it blew up again! Buyer beware, mesa/boogie has a reputation of making durable amps...that reputation is valid for their older amps (Mark IIs and IIIs, old Rectos) but the newer Mesas are garbage.

Never dealt with mesa directly. The necesary repairs were made under warranty. Mesa has a good reputation for service and will always call you back. Stay away from the Nomad amps and you probably won't need to call them anyways.

This amp is not worth it. The Nomad is supposed to be versatile, and it is, its tones are just useless. The clean channel is by far the best one here, and who buys a mesa for a clean sound anyways? I sold this amp and bought a JCM800 2204 which is much better for me than the Nomad.

I just wanted to tell anybody intrested in one of the Nomad amps to check all the pots for proper function. Especially in the last 3rd of the range. I've tried tree Nomads in tree different stores and each one had a pot or two who would crap out in that range.

2001 model.The amp has lots of features. If you're reading this i'm sure you know them already. This is probably one of the most versatile tube amps out there.

First of all, anyone who knows anything about Mesa amps knows that the controls react like no other amp out there. To get a good sound, you have to know how to use the eq and tone controls. READ THE FREAKIN MANUAL!!! I play just about every style of music except for metal. This amp covers all of them wonderfully. My main guitar is a strat plus with lace sensors. What's amazing about this amp is the vast array of distortions that you can get out of it be tweaking the controls. I love the rhythm type of distortions that you can get out of channel 1 (but you have to read the manual to understand how to get these sounds). Channel 2 is classic boogie and is probably one of the fattest lead sounds out there (sounds amazing with a les paul). I don't use channel 3 as much as the others but it sounds just as great as the other two. It seems that a lot of people complain about it being too weak and thin. Again you gotta know how to eq. it right and to get a recto type of sound you will need some sort of closed back cabinet since this combo is open back. Hook this thing up to a recto cabinet and you'd be surprised at just how similar it sounds. In any sense, if you want a rectifier sound, JUST BUY A RECTIFIER!!!

Only problem is the solo boost is messed up. I'm sure it could be easily fixed but I don't really care because I've never used it anyway. Its very heavy, but what tube amp isn't?

never dealt with em

This is a great amp that is very reasonably priced (although i think its selling for $1300 these days). Anyhow its well worth the money. Know how to use it and you'll be more than satisfied.

My amp's a 2001 model. Need not elaborate on it's features as it has been thoroughly covered by other owners. But generally has 3 channels with 2 mods each. Clean, Mid gain Boogie lead and Hi-gain(somewhat almost recto kinda gain with teh right pickups and power tubes!!).Just love that warm and mid-rangey boogie lead tone on channel 2, but be warned you gotta spend time tweaking it first.

I'm using a PRS CU22 with Dragon II's. I'm a suker for the Santana nasal-womanish kinda tone and I would say that it does get the job done convincingly. No noise so far with the amp.

Do play jazz, blues and rock. Again, to get these genre of stules, need to use the right axe, pickups and finally tweaki, tweak, tweak.
To be honest this is not a p;ug and play amp. When i fist got it, was so darn disappointed with the amp, that's until I read the manual and understad the EQ controls. Be careful here, just by changing them a bit would alter your sound and feel. Experiment with all different combinations and you'll be rewarded. Am very pleased with the one so I'll give a 10 in practical use terms.

SO far so good. But would always carry backups aor tube replacements!!

Excellent I must say. Contacted them with some questions and they replied in a jiffy. Very helpful and friendly.

Been playing for 15 years. Owned Marshalls and Fenders and I must say this is the one which has nailed my tonal preferences the most. My main amp now. If it were stolen would get the 100 watter with EQ instead. However, do remmember spent some time understanding the EQ controls and then try different combinations and you'll unlock many usable and awesome tones.

I guess I don't have to expand on the features of the Nomad as it has been thoroughly explained by the other users below. Go to boogie's website should you require more info on this. In practicality sense, every function seems to be useful in accomodating my musical preferences and live work. The 55 watts of pure tube power of this beast is able to boast a tremedous amount of power and volume for various medium/large size venues. Should you need more power, change the power tubes and let 'er rip baby!! At the moment, my Groove Tube 6L6's is more than I ever need!! Hence I would give it a 10.

I run this baby through a PRS Custom 22 with shileded humbuckers (for those classic tones) and an Ibanez Prestige S1540 with Dimarzio high-out put hummers, for more aggresive and harder tone.

Have read reviews by other users that there's not enough gain, or sounds too thin, etc. Hey man....there's no perfect amp in this world which can do everthing can it? If there is, we would all be in Heaven already!!!

First of all, tis amp was design for more of the "Old School" kinda vibe. Now dun get me wrong, this does not mean that it cannot cover various musical styles. As a matter of fact, it can cover almost all types of music Jazz, Rock, Metal, etc... rather convincingly.

Now the question is how is that so? It actually boils down to your gear, i.e type of guitar, pickups, speaker and cabinet you amp is driving and most importantly...your playing techniques and dynamics.

If you have shit gear and pathetic playing style, don't expect this amp to shine..blame it on yourself first. Secondly, do remmember that this is an all tube amp! Do some study on the vast and different tubes available in the market place today and find the one which suits your style and you amp wold definetely meet up to your expectation...that's GUARANTEED!!

Despite the above bein said, in general this amp has got a very warm and rich characther. However, it can get Fenderishly twangy in Channel 1 and anything else in between without any problems. Channel 2 is the "Sweet" lead tone ala Santana and Carlton. Channel 3 is your hottest channel whereby the overdriven sounds an more aggresive an bighter, suitable for more high-gain rock/metal appication which I rarely use. However, before U can get your tone, please read the manuals as every EQ control on each channel is a bit different. Understand them and you'll find what your looking for.

As for me, all thrre channels are equally impressive to my ears and as such deserve a 10!

So far so good. But would definetely carry spares when gigging or a spare amp!!

Had some queries for Mesa and they e-mailed me back in a jiffy. Excellent service!

PLayed different kind of amps throughout my 15years of playing. In my sonic conclusion, it's a very versatile amp. Of course this is not a a completely "Do-it-all" amp, but does the job rather convincingly. I'm so impressed with it that I'm thinking of getting the 100watter with EQ for further tone shaping.