Mesa/Boogie Rocket 44

I play Rock, Metal, Punk, Funk and clean kinda ballads and it works for me! It's got an effects loop I haven't used yet, same with reverb, it's single channel and most importantly - simple. I use this to practice at home and with the band, in the studio and live and it's pure perfection. All valve beauty!

I use a Gibson Les Paul and an Ibanez RG both with humbuckers which sound great with this amp. For my metal stuff its got the gain without going stupid like a line6amp on the 'insane' channel which just gets fizzy and non-distinct like other digital things. On the clean funk stuff its cutting without too much harsh frequencies to be peircing, as is the contour channel for playing huge leads. It feeds back lovely at higher volumes to bet that great 5th up harmonic feel which is great on those sustained notes. Very versatile for any style.

I had one problem but fixed it by just altering the tube angle coz I do a lot of moving with it so they just came a bit losse I guess. No probs tho.

No probs.

I love it, it's great, it;s gonna stay with me till the end of my days coz it looks tidy, is portable for practice and has tone to die for! It's keeper if you can get your hands on one these days.

45 all tube watts. This amp doesn't come packed with many features, and that is why I bought it. It has three different modes rythm, lead, and contour. It has a decent reverb, an effects loop, silent recording switch, and an fx loop. It has evything I need to get a great tube sound. This amp has no built in effects that could ruin the sound, like many amps these days.

This amp has a great versital sound that can be tweeked with its shared three band EQ. I play a fender fat strat (strat with a humbucking pick up). Execellent distortion when I select my humbucker pickup and put it on countour mode (gain 9), just like metalica or iron maiden. If I put it on lead and turn down the gain to about 4 I can get an excellent blues sound (Jimi Hendrix, Santana). The clean is als great. This amp really doesn't start singing untill turn the volum up to high levels (7 and up). Once you put it up there it will give you one amazing sound!

Haven't repared it yet. I just bought it used and its in great condition, a 2000 model.

Haven't delt with them yet, heard that they were good

This amp dominates any "portable" combo amp put there (mesa calls it portible, but it weighs over sixty pounds). Its simple, but it has all the power you would ever need and small to medium sized gig. I can't turn it up past 3 in my house. This amp is discontinued (Nomad replaced it), so if it were stolen I would have to track down the theif and get it back. If I could find another one I would most definetaly buy it again. This amp beats out any fender solidstate (princton chorus) or tube (deville). Offers great high levels of dictortion and cleans even better than fender. This is the perfect amp for any guitar style guitar player.

This amp has three channels, clean, lead, and contour. It also has Reverb ( you can't even hear it on lead channel, and you wish you couldn't hear it on clean channel.),and an effects loop. it also has jack for additional speakers. Foot switch, seperate volume and gain controlls for clean and lead channels. Very basic no frills tube amp. Wish it had a presence controll because the clean channel seems lifeless at lower volume.

I have been using my Gibson SG with "Dirty Finger" pick ups and the lead/contour channel sounds pretty good. I also have tried my Jackson DK 2 with the single coils and was not too impressed. This amp sounds best with humbucker pickups on the lead/contour channel. The clean channel I would rate no higher than a seven and the lead channel would be a 9 so averaged I would say a 8 for sound. I have been playing about 30 years and I have played/owned at least 50 different amps and I never really been happy with the sound I have got. It always seams that when I get the distorsion where I like it the sound lacks punch and if I have the amp set to get the punch I like I wish it had a little more distorsion. I also have a Carvin 100 xv combo (tube) with a electro-voice speaker and I have been using both of these together, with the Carvin set at 50% power on the lead channel with the gain at 5 and lead boost off. I set the Mesa on the contour channel with the gain at 7. You get Mesa distorsion with the punch of the Carvin, overall the fattest, best sound I have ever had.(You would have to play this to believe it.)

I bought the amp used so I don't know, looks to be well made.

I have been playing since 1973(Damn I getting old)I have a Carvin Xv100, Pignose G40v, Marshall MG DFX, and a line6 spyder (What was I Thinking?) For Guitars I have a Gibson SG, Ibanez musician, Ibanez Les Paul, Jackson DK2, Charvell 275, Schecter Diamond Series, Epiphone Les Paul, and a Fender strat. Overall I like the Mesa, it does sound great on the distorsion channel but the Carvin Kills the Mesa on the clean channel. I will rate this amp an 8 overall because no one is buying a Mesa to play clean with anyway. One last note to anybody who is considering buying a modelling amp, If you want your Mesa to sound like a line6, I suggest you piss on a sleeping bag then drape that over the speaker of your Mesa to be sure to filter out all the tone, that should give you a close line6 duplication, On the other hand if you want your line6 to sound like a mesa, tuff shit cause it ain't never going to happen. DONT BUY A MODELLING AMP THEY SOUND LIKE SHIT.

I bought this amp used, but I believe it was made in 1999. It can keep a rock & roll player to a heavy metal player happy (IMO). It has EL84 power tubes (4), two channels (shared EQ), an effects loop, a silent recording/headphone switch and reverb. I like the fact that this amp doesn't overwhelm you with features.

I mainly use humbucker-equipped guitars. The sound on the clean is very clear yet warm. Very tubey. I personally like the contour channel on the dirty side. The standard lead channel doesn't have enough balls for me, but the contour channel is very thick. The true guitar's character definitely comes through. You can get anything from a minature rectifier sound to a more classic hard rock sound just by turning down your volume and tone controls on the guitar. Even though it has shared EQ, you can get both channels dialed in by using the EQ to dial in the distorted channel and using the gain to dial in the clean channel.

I have two other MESA/Boogie amps and have not had any problems. I believe this will be a reliable amp as well.

I have only called MESA/Boogie once for help and called right back with an answer.

I have been playing for 15 years and have many amps and guitars. If this were stolen, I would replace it because it is the perfect little amp.

I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS AMP USED AT A LOCAL SHOP(NOT A MESA DEALER)AND THE OWNER OF SHOP DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT.AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS USE AND SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH I KNEW A LOT MORE.DON'T KNOW WHAT YEAR,AND AS FAR AS FEATURES AND VERSITILITY,I PRETTY MUCH AGREE WITH WHAT I'VE READ FROM OTHER OWNERS.I PLAY CLASSIC ROCK AND BLUES AND, FOR THE MOST PART,IT SERVES ALL MY NEEDS,THOUGH I DO NOT HAVE MUCH USE FOR THE CONTOUR MODE.I WONDER IF SWITCHING SOME TUBES AROUND MIGHT HELP SOLVE THE THING WITH THE REVERB?AGREE THAT AN L.E.D.WOULD BE NICE ON THE F/SWITCH.OH YEAH ITS GOT PLENTY OF POWER FOR ME!

I MAINLY USE A MEX-MADE STRAT THAT I'VE CUSTOMIZED(PUT A CHANDLER MINI HUM IN THE NECK,P.A.F.IN THE BRIDGE,DIMARZIO VINTAGE BLUES IN THE MIDDLE)AND IT SOUNDS GREAT.I ALSO PLAY A NEW AMERICAN FAT TELE WHICH ALSO SOUNDS GOOD,BUT BE CAREFUL WITH THE BRIDGE PICKUP IN THE CLEAN CHANNEL.OUCH!RIP YOUR EARS OFF!YES IT IS NOISY BUT AGAIN,MAYBE TRY TO FIND THE QUIETEST 12AX7 TO PUT IN THE FIRST TUBE POSITION,MIGHT HELP?ALL IN ALL, FOR ME,WORKS WELL FOR STYES OF MUSIC I'M PLAYING.

I'VE HAD A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS WITH BAD OUTPUT TUBES,BUT I THINK THIS COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS USED AND REPLACING THEM SEEMS TO HAVE SOLVED THAT PROBLEM.HOWEVER,I'VE DISCOVERED THAT MY SPEAKER SUFFERS FROM SOMETHING I'VE BEEN TOLD IS CALLED"EDGE YELL" OR "CONE CRY".NO KIDDING!THIS REALLY SUCKS.MY AMP HAS A CELESTION VINTAGE 30 12"IN IT,I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STOCK OR NOT AND OTHERWISE I LIKE THE SOUND OF IT.THIS "PHENOMENON"SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE PLAYING THRUOGH AN OCTAVE BOX,ON MAINLY THE UNWOUND STRINGS ABOVE THE TWELFTH FRET.I'VE DETERMINED AFTER MUCH TESTING THAT IT'S NOT THE AMP.IF ANYBODY KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THIS I'DE APPRECIATE HEARING ABOUT IT.IT IS MAKING ME CRAZY BECAUSE IT'S REALLY THE ONLY BUG IN AN AMP THAT I REALLY LIKE.

I'VE ONLY CONTACTED MESA BY PHONE,WHICH I DID AFTER TRYING TO GET INFO ON LINE AND BEING FRUSTRATED BY INABILITY TO GET MUCH OF ANYTHING BUT PRODUCT LINES AND PHONE #'S WHICH ARE VERY LONG DISTANCE FOR ME.RECOMMEND THEY SHOULD HAVE ON-LINE TECH SUPPORT.OTHERWISE VERY POLITE BUT NOT TO HELPFUL ABOUT SPEAKER BUG EXCEPT TO TELL ME THE NAME OF IT.

AS I'VE SAID I'M PRETTY MUCH SATISFIED THAT FOR THE PRICE OF THIS AMP AND THE SOUND QUALITY,FEATURES IT HAS I FINALLY FOUND AN AMP THAT AFTER YEARS OF TRYING MANY,FITS MY NEEDS.EXCEPT FOR THE AFORE MENTIONED "EDGE YELL"(SORRY I JUST LIKE SAYING THAT/,MIGHT BE A GOOD NAME FOR A METAL BAND).

rythm master control, lead master control volume, gain for rythm and lead modes. Treble, mid, bass and reverb controls. Clean, rythm and contour modes footswitchable. Has a effects loop, head phone jack and is versatile for direct recording or silent recording. Not alot to tweak but doesn't require too much tweaking to get your sound.

Playing through this amp with my Jackson kelly, and Jackson V. It sounds very solid on the lead contour mode. The clean channel is beautfiul! I love the sound it gives, i usually like to put my reverb on about 7 or 8 with clean giving it a "marshall" clean sound. The rythm mode is only good for rock, for a metal rythm you HAVE to go to contour mode, because it just wouldn't have enough crunch on rythm mode. Clean channel is slightly distorted at high volumes but you rarely need to crank the amp because it is all tube and all loud. It gives a great clean tone, and a great lead tone, however im not too fond of the rythm it gives at higher volume levels. If the volume is at 1 - 3 the sound is great but higher than that and you lose the mesa crunch, maybe i need to switch my el 84's with groove tubes..

I depend on this amp for every small show i do, any big shows i usually play my pod through the other guitarists rack. The amp has NEVER caused me problems playing live. It is very reliable.

I have never had to deal with the company or service for that matter. However, once i bought the amp it came with a 1 year warrenty which is currently up.

I have been playing for 5 years now, and this is my 3rd amp i've owned. I am satisfied with it accept for the rythm crunch and gain at higher volumes.. i dunno, i just wish it had a bit more gain because i love huge distortion. If it was lost or stolen i would probobly just by a pre amp and start up a rack.. i have learned now that a rack is the best way to go. Think of it this way, you get what you pay for! If your willing to drop 2000 on a pre amp it will never let you down and it will be pro sound. I'll give the amp a 8 though since it isn't a bad amp at all.

ALL YOU NEED

I WENT TO BUY THE NOMAD 45 UNTIL I HEARD THIS.THE CLEAN IS VERY NICE BUT WHAT SOLD ME IS THE BRUTAL DISTORTION YOU CAN GET.EVERY NOTE IS WELL DEFINED IN DIRTY BAR CHORDS.I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS CHEAPER THAN THE NOMAD.MUST BE BECAUSE OF THE NOMADS FEATURES.I PLAY A STRAT, AN IBANEZ AND A GIBSON SG THRUOGH IT AND THE SOUND IS 100% BOOGIE IN YOUR FACE TONE.GREAT BUY.

SO GOOD SO FAR

YOU KNOW THEIR REP

I'M VERY HAPPY I DIDN'T SPEND ALL THAT EXTRA CASH ON THE NOMAD 45 BECAUSE FOR TONE IT WAS'NT CLOSE TO THE ROCKET 44.

A minor drawback: At least on my 1999 model, the Reverb switch on the three-button footswitch does not have an LED indicator, although the Rhythm/Lead switch and the Contour switch each have one.

When I'm playing pop or country, the "Rhythm" (clean) channel is warm and beautiful for any combination of pickups on my single-single-humbucker Strat. For rock'n'roll, the Lead and Contour settings on the amp sound great, except for excessive noise, even with the humbucker only.

No problems.

I don't understand why Mesa/Boogie no longer includes this amp in their product offering. In 1999 their Nomad line had just come out, and it was the Nomad 45 I went to try out. But when I thought about trying to maintain the physical settings of the Nomad's 24 potentiometers, I selected the Rocket instead because it's basically amp, only easier to use at gigs.

Tri-modal Amp with 2 separate Master volume and drive controls , common eq and reverb controls is about 5 months old. Because of the 2 gain controls this amp is rather versatile compared to say the Studio 22(also a fine amp!). I notice nobody complains this amp doesnt pack enough volume - in fact if anything, it is too damn loud. I use it for rehearsals and the guys complain when this thing is on just Vol 2., so you have an idea. I seriously would consider the Subway Rocket as an alternative just to drive the power amp harder than is possible with this amp.

Any Strat blues players should check out the Clean or 'Rhythm' mode with vol on say 3 to 5 and gain on 7 for a fabulous fat blues tone, albiet it, well, LOUD. Pump the Middle control up to 8-9 and get extra mid break up which is even better! Its true that the reverb doesnt overwhelm you but it is most definetly useable - I set it to around 8. It virtually disappears in the Lead and Contour modes, OK just a hint remains, but I am sure Boogie have their reasons for this. Plug a Les Paul in the Contour channel just going thru a Cry Baby 535 into the amp for a juicy lead tone . But the great thing with this amp is every guitar comes thru sounding with its own voice, no effects required, Ok except the above wha..and maybe a TubeScreamer TS9 re-issue into the clean channel. I have never enjoyed plugging straight into an amp as much as this one esp. the Clean channel.
There is some noise with this amp which should be taken into account but remember it is a high-gain amp after all. Probably too much noise for running into recording desks with added distortion, anyway.
I got rid of a Hot Rod Deluxe for this amp and have never regretted it a bit. The reverb is better in the Boogie, not as strong but not harsh like the HRD. Rating of 8 due to noise in the gain stages.

So far no probs with this amp.

n/a

My major complaint is that this amp, particularly the Contour mode, is just too loud. The speaker is a Black Shadow Celestion rated to handle 90 watts which is a lot and it obviously copes with the job. But seriously if you cant turn it past 3 the power tubes dont get to add their character as much as one would like. As stated, the Subway Rocket may be better from this perspective but have yet to try one. Rating of 6 'cause I just never get to crank this thing and cant enjoy it to its full potential. If you dont like volume, keep away.

This is a discontinued model but Mesa says that they are still making them to catch up with orders. Dual channel with three sound "modes". Footswitch is basic and works well and silently on my amp. Has effects loop but is very sensitive and difficult to adjust a good level for an effects unit. Reverb is subtle to non-existant, I can live with that. Very basic all tube amp with straightforward design. Very few bells and whistles, utilitarian. Just what I wanted. Built in crap does not make a great tone.

I use an American Standard Strat stock. I play heavy blues to heavy metal. Stock pickups are a little weak but the sound is good. That said I have to say that this amp gives the most (useable) gain of any amp I have tried. I get very good crunch and sustain with my stock setup. Also the sound is very fat and absolutely huge even with a strat. I cant believe the sound that this thing generates and its loud! Distortion in the contour mode is a tad on the smooth side for shred but the clarity is amazing! Very expresive and the touch sensitivity is withought peer. Lead setting is a bit boxy but is perfect for blues lead and some old top 40 stuff, very useable. I have read complaints about the clean tone and I have to say that those detractors should go back and check again. Good clean sustain and a sparkling high while remaining warm. A little break-up at high volume is good in my book. Bone hard clean sucks! The bigest sounding little amp I have heard. Reverb is there but just barely. Again if I want concert hall reverb I get it from the rack.

Just got it so I havent had any problems so far. I will reserve judgement for now.

Nice people, receptionist is a bit short and pissy sounding but hey, I bet she gets calls from a lot of stoned idiots on a daily basis. I forgive her.

Been playing for 20 years. I have had many other amps from old Mesa Boogies to Marshall stacks and combos, even tried Carvin and Peavy. This is overall the best brown sound that I have heard from a stock amp. If it were stolen I wouldnt hesitate to get another. The best feature of this amp is that you can have a well defined fat warm tone and not be mushy or fuzzy that is still good for hard rock or heavy metal, its just very controllable. I made a comparison to the Marshall DSL 601 and what I found is that the Boogie has more gain and you dont have to use a pre-amp or hot pickups to get that pushed sound. The marshall sounded flat to me. I wish this thing had a graphic eq or a broader mid control to get more scoop for low volume metal sounds. Im glad I got this amp. Its American made and hot as hell. Its sure to be a classic one of these days!