Mesa/Boogie Nomad 55 112

UPDATE ON MY EARLIER COMMENTS. After my first NOMAD 55 was replaced for being faulty the new one worked fine for a month and then, half-way through a gig, decided to screw up. With no warning the amp began making a loud electronic hum - no guitar signal coming through at all. This hum was the same on all channels and modes. Switching off and on again didn't fix it. Replacing the power values didn't fix it. END OF GIG! The next day the amp seemed OK - took it to rehearsal and 20 minutes in the same hum started up. I cannot believe that MESA have let their quality standards slip so far - DO NOT BUY THIS AMP!

See other reviews for details. The solo boost on all channels is what I have wanted on every amp since I started playing - about time!

Great sounds all round, but it WON'T do your "monster distortion", especially at lowish volumes. Go for a dual rectifier if that's your thing.

Build quality is poor - this is not what you expect from this company and especially for this amount of money. Channel 2 started cutting out and then the effects loop stopped working. I just couldn't trust the amp for rehearsals or, especially, gigs. Maybe I just got a dodgy one.

Two weeks after the effects loop problem I got a whole new amp - no quibbles. GREAT STUFF! I just hope that this one works better.

I've spent the last few years playing through a 30th anniversary Marshall. The rhythm sounds is excellent but the lead channel is too thin and the clean sounds are not up to much. The MESA is far superior overall, but it just can't give you that final killer crunch that you sometimes want, although a V-shape on my BOSS EQ can helps matters. It is very loud for 55W and, as long as reliablility holds up, it will become my main amp. It is very sensitive to the pickups on your guitar, the PAFs on my Les Paul sound great, the Seymour Duncans (Pearly Gates and Tone Zone) on my Explorer not so good. Much sure you try it in the shop with your main guitar. If you want to hear it in action come and see my band UNDERCOVER playing gigs around BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND.

This is the new Nomad series (99) that just came out. I've been playing DC-5 Boogies for a about a year and really got to love their sound, but the Nomad has far more versatility. 3 channels (clean, vintage gain, and modern gain) plus each channel has a toggle switch for a different sound, giving you a total of 6 different sounds from clean to heavy gain. So far the only quibble I have is that the clean channel isn't the Fender clean that I love, but it still sounds pretty good with my strat. Sounds especially good with my Les Paul. I tend to play classic rock, jazz, and blues adn it fits all styles well.
Great 5 button footswitch, one for each channel and a reverb button. Also a solo button to boost the volume for solos.
On the amp, each channel has it's own reverb, gain, master,etc. So far as features I wish it had, it would be nice to have a 2nd input jack.

As stated above, I'm using this with a Strat (noiseless pickups), a Les Paul, and an ES175D Gibson. Love the Gibson humbuckers through this on all channels. The Fender sounds good, too, but doesn't have that high end "Fender Clean" that I'd like to be able to dial in, at least yet. I'm still playing with the sound overall. This a a VERY versatile amp overall, tho and can go from a great blues amp ala Santana to heavy gain in a heartbeat (or the switch of a channel).
Don't know how the top end of the clean channel is on distortion, because this amp is so load that I haven't had occassion to push it that hard. But the toggle switch on the clean channel gives a very sweet overdriven sound.

This thing is built like a tank and heavy! The circuit board seems thicker that my fender amp and overall construction seems very solid.
As to playing without a backup, I probably would carry extra tubes, but would expect no problems with it. When I was test-driving it, I found that one of the preamp tubes was bad and needed to be replaced. Did that and it cured a bad noise problem.

One year warranty. I don't think I'll have to worry.

Been playing a lot longer than I care to admit. I have a Fender HRD amp and the guitars mentioned above, as well as a few stomp boxes.
If this amp were stolen, I'd probably look for another one. I was very lucky to find a used one and got it a great price. I doubt I'll ever find one that cheap again.

This amp was made in 99. It's incredibly versatile, has most the options of the Mark IV without the complication. It has 3 channels each with two modes--Ch.1-Clean/pushed, you can get the great fat warm sparkly sounds of a blackface fender, or flip to "pushed" which basically sounds like a fender with the powertubes overdriven to get a wonderful blues sound for lead or rhythm(humbuckers bring out this mode's true potential). Ch.2--Vintage/Modern gain. This channel is unbelieveable, my personal favorite. Very Marshall-esque but more compressed. You can crank it to get a fat ass high-gain sound, with a violin like tone with solos. Lower the gain to get a fat blues sound much like the creamy sound of the allman brothers with their overdriven Plexi's. Ch.3--Modern/vintage gain. This channel is quite interesting. If you play metal, this would be your channel with the gain cranked, however metal is not all it is destined for. The amazing thing about this channel is even with the gain all the way up, you can use a neck position humbucker, and it still wont get too muddy. When the gain is turned down, you can get a early Santana tone ie. Samba pa ti, Black magic woman. It has a direct recording output, which I've plugged into a 4 track along with my friends Marshall, the Mesa's signal was incredibly hot and all the tone got on tape, whereas the Marshall...well let's just say I can get better tone out my arss. Has a solo boost switch, to boost the volume for you guessed it...solos. Slave out put, el34/6l6 bias, spkr mute, Celestion 90 black shadow speaker, five button footswitch(the 3 channels, solo boost, and reverb) seperate reverb for each channel is also included. I wish the amp came with a slip cover, the Nomads don't for some reason, I bought one though, it is well worth the extra 30 bucks. A fan to cool the tubes would be nice to, but not necessary. I use this amp at home, band practice, but no gigs thus far. It could play madison square garden though, no problem. Plenty of headroom for high volume clean work. Mesa should change their modo from "the spirit of art in technoloy" to "yeah we've got tone and testicles"

I primarily use a Heritage 535 (ES-335)with Duncan P.U., which is an amazing guitar, i should submit a review about that as well. I also have a 50th anniversary Strat with texas special P.U. Both sound great. Compliments both very well, if you looked up the word Versatile, my heritage would be pictued leaning up against the Nomad. I prefer the strat with vintage Fender Amps, but the Nomad still does a great job. You'd swear the Strat had humbuckers when you play through channel two. I play Jazz fusion, blues, classic and progressive rock and this amp covers it all and then some.

It is a mesa, so the amp is quality, I've dropped it once, it got slammed around in the back of my friends trunk and it still works without a flaw.

I haven't had any problems yet. Probably won't for some time. The amp is warrantied for a year, while tubes and speakers for 6 months. The dealer I worked with was very helpful, and basically explained how amps function, and it was clear that the mesa function the most efficiently.

I've been playing for 5 years. I was kind of spoiled with the fact that I learned how to play through my Dad's vintage fender princeton reverb, so my ear became accustomed to great tone. I plug into many amps and just say "oh that's nasty" Man that just didn't happen with the Nomad 55. It's truly a great value, and is the closest thing I've found to possessing the best of both worlds(great clean and overdrive) We all know that is the one seemingly endless quest unless youre a rich son of a gun. If it were stolen, and I had the means(money) I would buy it again. This amp looks killer as well, it has the classic fender jewel on the front panel only it is purple. The Mesa/Boogie Nomad truly is a modern meets vintage instrument with both tone and power.

The Nomad 55 is Mesa's new addition to their line this year, it is basically a new caliber. This amp kicks major ass!!! 3 channels with 2 modes each and bass, mid, treble, AND presence for each channel, not to mention gain and master. This is the most versatile amp I have ever seen! (other that the Mark IV that is), I play funk, jazz, metal, classic rock, blues, almost anything you can think of (well not country....) and this thing can handle any thing you throw at it. This thing screams , it has 5x12AX7s (yes you heard me, 5 , on a 50 watt amp) and 2x6L6s. It puts out these great deep, mellow, rolling tones, with out losing the high end. Not to mention the spring reverb. The only thing I could ever ask for is a second imput. I have played a crate 120 watt solid state, and I can say that it well out powers the crate, by far. The celestion black shodow it comes with is a dream.

I have a Washburn HB35 hollow body with 2 humbuckers (stock), and I also play an Ibanez RX40 with 2 single and 1 humbucker (also stock). I can get exactly the sound I want with this amp. It is practically noiseless. And the distortion on this amp RIPS! I mean RIPS!

I have already dropped it twice, with out any problems. But I really haven't gotten a chance to abuse it yet though. I know some one with a Mesa and he hasn't had any problems for 10 years and its been through hell.

I have only been playing heavily for the past year and a half but I have been playing off and on for 3 or 4 years now I am completely content with this amp. It is the greatest thing I have ever played. I also own a cry baby, a Fender champion 110, and a crafter acoustic. If it were stolen I would buy a new one in a heart beat. That is after I beat the living hell out of the person who stole my amp. I compared this amp to Marshalls, Crates, and Fenders, but it blows them all away. Contact me if you would like to ask anything about it, or if you are selling equipment.