Mesa/Boogie Rocket 44

Well, many amps have only one eq so I won't knock any points off for that, but I will however say that opening in back is way too small for the foot switch. I don't know how many times I've hit my power tubes with it.

I play a fender tele with seymour duncans in it. I've swaped the black shadow for a eminence "the wizard" speaker and when tubes were gone I replaced with "tad" el84's. The sound is wicked! clean from heaven and the breakup is fenderish more so.

I do gig without a back up, but as with any tube amp routine tube checks are a must.

n/a

I would replace with another mesa because the rocket 44 is not production, one with an eq for each channel.

45 watt tube head. EL84 power section. Very simple layout, one channel, three modes. The modes are footswitchable. The amp is used for recording.

My main guitars are an Ibanez Roadstar Strat and Gibson SG both with humbuckers. The amp suits my eclectic styles quite well, providing great tone on all types of material. It's outstanding feature for me is the lead contour mode at high gain settings for solo use, a soulful singing voice which at high volume becomes a very aggressive screaming howl with tons of harmonics and plenty of controllable feedback. This is quite a loud amp and it sounds huge with a 4x12 cab.

I have owned many Mesa amps, and lots of other brands. Mesas are built as tough as anything I have ever owned, including Marshall, Fender, Budda, Orange, and many others. I would gig with a Mesa with no backup.

I have dealt with Mesa on several occasions, anything from tech questions to serial number research and they have always been knowledgeable, helpful and friendly to me.

I have been playing for thirty years. I own several amps and have owned dozens. If my Rocket was stolen, I would follow the thief home and beat him over the head with the amp and take it back home with me. I love its tone, versatility and rugged build. I chose this amp for it's sound above all else. It is one of my two all-time favorite amps.

Don't know the year, this amp is very warm, all tube, clean is warm sounding, unlike fender clean which is too clinical for my ears. I mostly play blues, classic rock, some shredding this amp can do all of those fairly well.
Problem, shared EQ, this is a shortcoming that could be tip the balance
towards not getting this amp for some.
It has 2 channels?? and a third setting called "CONTOUR" that I never use so can't comment on it, comes with a footswitch, effects loop, and headphone jack, with a mute/recording switch. If it a graphic EQ this amp would be perfect. I use it for practice and rehearsals, I haven't gigged it yet but it's loud enough so it should be right on the money..

I can get very bluesy sounds, and high gain tones as well, with everything in between. The clean does break up not sure exactly when..
This amp can do a lot of other amps, the gain and Master controls allow you to a wide pallete of distorted and overdriven sounds. I swear I can get a very credible plexy breakup, awesome!!!

Distortion can get very metal if the GAIN control is turned up to high, but it has so much gain that you don't really need that much gain anyway to get warm blues tones. I use a Les Paul Std with stock humbuckers and a OLP Luke with active pick ups, I use minimal effects with this amp and it responds beautifully to my touch, I love the meaty thick tone that is so musical without a hint of nastiness is that makes any sense. It is a bit noisy. So it would be a pain in the recording studio..

Can't tell yet.

Can't say,

I have been playing for nearly 20 years and I own a Gibson Les Paul Std, a OLP Luke a Mesa MKIII Simulclass some pedals and rack mount units.
I'd get another yes, this amp HAS tone, when properly dialled in, the secret is in the gain/master/eq settings. I hate the crappy reverb, I think it's solid state unit , can'r barely hear it, should have a sprig reverb unit really and graphic EQ..

I compared this amp to a Laney VC12 class A, a Peavey Valve king and it won hands down, it has real smooth tube overdrive distortion unlike the Peavey (harsh) and the Laney which sounded farty..

No need to go through all the features again. I'm giving it a low rating for features because of the shared EQ. BUT, it's an amp - and that's it. No BS. It could be considered a good thing.

I run a les paul style guitar made from mapel and mahogany, equipped with a dimarzio fred humbucker in the bridge. I use a carvin wah and a marshall compressor going into the amp, and a Boss GE7 EQ and an Ibanez DL10 delay in the FX loop. This amp can do all. I have to run a Boss EQ in the FX loop (so it's post distortion) with a mild low frequency boost, because the drive channel lacks bottom end in conrtrast to the nice fat clean channel. The contour is good for metal, but I wanted that nice "middy" sizzling drive tone to beef up a little with a 100-200Hz boost. Problem solved with the boss EQ in the FX loop. I'm not sure why people are saying the clean channel isn't "clean" enough - Why buy a high gain amp if you want sterile clean sounds? It's brilliant, you can get clean enough, and turn that gain up and it starts to break up just nicely. I replaced the stock tubes with JJ's, but then went back - I can't decide which is better. In my opinion the Mesa tubes produce really interesting overtones on the drive channel when used with my dimarzio fred, whereas the JJ's aren't quite the same. The differences are subtle, so I'm not sure what the dude that said it makes all the difference was talking about. Perhaps his stock tubes were faulty? Some retard has put a Marshall 12AX7 pre tube in it, 2 groove tube 12AX7's and one stock Mesa 12AX7 - so I will have to change that. So I will replace them and slightly improve my tone no doubt.

I haven't owned it long enough to have any major problems. One of the stock Mesa power tubes went microphonic on me - but no big deal, just replace - AND NOW BIAS ADJUSTING!!! How cool is that.

Never had to deal with them.

I'm giving it a 9 over all because this amp is so versitile for its size. It would get a 10 if the drive channel wasn't weak in the bottom end - does anyone else have that problem? email me if you want to discuss ways around it. If it were stolen I would cry and I wouldn't be able to afford another one. I do wish the EQ wasn't shared between both channels. My previous amp was a Fender Ultimate Chorus DSP (no tubes), and well, there is no comparison even though I did love my Fender amp.

I got this in 1998 or 99 I think - it must have been an early one as it shipped with an 80w Celestion Black Shadow instead of a 30w. Like others have said the 2 foot-switchable channels with contour on the lead is great and very versatile. for an amp in this price range, one can't expect separate tone controls of the 2 channels, but sure wish it had 'em as they sound very different and are hard to switch between during live performances. In their own right, the tones can be dialed in, but chances are, a tone setting in the clean will sound terrible on the lead channel. Otherwise, a nice array of things like headphone out, speaker switch off, included footswitch and effects loop.

I play a variety of guitars from a 70's LP to an Ozark instruments electoacoustic. I'm giving this a 'post-retube' 9. Otherwise, the way I got it, it would get a 6 at the most. First of all, the stock tubes downright suk! The amp was dead and cardboardy unless you cranked it to ear-splitting volumes (and yes this thing is LOUD). It took me years to realize it was the tubes. I recently put in JJ's from eurotubes.com and it made a world of difference: I cannot stress how much! I don't want to sound like a commercial for Bob at eurotubes, but I love the way this amp sounds now. The clean channel sparkles and the lead channel crunches and sears, but oddly enough is very clear in terms of hearing all the notes. Oh and another suggestion from eurotubes: change out that stock BS speaker (pun intended). for my taste it's way too dark and has way too much dope (sticky stuff at the perimeter). the result is a dead sound, that works sometimes for jazz. go for the weber bluebell with the jj tubes and this amp will be literally unbelievable sounding.

it's gone to gigs, fallen off a chair, played in a recording studio where punk rockers dimed on a daily basis, and moved between several states in the hot trunk of a car, and never missed a note. The fact that it doesn't need to be biased is great, no maintenance.

never dealt with them, but really enjoy the way the manual is written. these guys obviously love making amps.

I've been playing for 20 years and play a variety of musik from noisy experimental, to bossa nova, to bluesy modern, to alternative rock. This thing can really hold it's own. A lot of others have complained about the noisyness of this amp, and I beg to differ, it is very quiet... BUT, what they might be complaining about is that it picks up krazy RF signals from cops on their CB's to oldies on AM, to Cristina Aguilera girl-pop when you're trying to lay down some serious mojo blues. In NYC where I often play, it picks up so much RF that it all mashes into a dirty sounding white-noise. You then have to re-angle the amp and guitar for a few minutes to position the RF out.. kind of annoying as it can definitely 'break the spell' while you're playing. Finally a comment on the reverb: It is very smooth, subtle, and frankly beautiful sounding. So many others in the studio have agreed. i wonder what others have been hearing, or maybe mine is just different?

I picked up this amp recently and it's become my number 1 gigging amp. It's very versatile. Goes from clean to boogie distorion well. The clean sound isn't as nice as my old Fender Twin ( my previous gig amp ) no amp can match that, but it's rock sound kicks! Features are well documented here, so need to go into what it has, but I wish it had independent eq's for the seperate channels, other than that, all the features are easy to use and pretty responsive.

I play a PRS custom 24, and a PRS Hollowbody Spruce. The hollowbody is my main guitar and it just rings and sings through the Boogie. Can't really understand why some people on here say it's noisy, I haven't had any problem at all with that, but then again, I'm using low output humbuckers and not single coils. Stock Strat single coils can make any amp noisy. My clean sound is clean, and my distortion sounds thinck, thight, and full of texture without being over the top.

Haven't owned it long enough to have any problems yet ( only a few months ), but in that time, have had many gigs and practices without any issues. Sounds like when issues arise though, all you need to do is replace the tubes, and without having to bias them! Now that's sweet.

N/A. Although here in Buffalo, NY, we have a great amp repair service that is authorized by almost every name in the am business. So I'm guessing if I need to bring it in, all is good.

I already stated that it replaced my old Fender Twin Reverb for gigs. That speaks volumes in itself. Totally portable ( although it's still kind of heavy, but after lugging a Twin for 20 years, anything would feel light ) pure tube tone to go. Love this amp. Wanna biuy a Lonestar next.

Well documented fearures. 2000 model with the celestion v30 spks - 3/4 back.

Using stock 94 prs cu24, 99 prs ce22, & 74 Gibson LP.

Been playing 30+ years

Three channels ranging from pristine clean to raging distortion, reverb, all tube, etc... that we have all posted already.

The headphone out is a handy feature for us latenight jammers. Nobody can complain about the volume that way, and complain they would because this amp is just mercilously loud for a <50watt amp. The effects loop leaves something to be desired though.

This amp gets played with a pretty wide variety of guitars and pickups. Single coils on the contour channel sound kind of weak, but they sound great in the "lead" channel with lighter overdrive, P90s sound pretty good either way, Humbuckers seem to be the most agreeable.
The clean isn't quite Fender clean, but it is still very useable. The overdrive channel is quite nice, and can go from tasty light overdrive to a floppy mess. The contour channel is where you can get your super grind/angry face/angry depressed teenager sounds from. Quite thick and harsh with humbuckers, but doesn't go so well with single coils that weren't designed to produce those tones anyways.
All in all it is quite nice in the sound department, apart from the nearly worthless reverb.

It's Mesa. I've owned this amp for a few months now and owned a single rectifier with reverb before. Mesa stuff is built pretty tough, it can take a few drops before you need to worry about anything inside.

I've personally never dealth with Mesa Boogie tech support.

I've been playing long enough to know that I'll never get the sound in my head, but I have plenty enough toys to get close.
If this amp was stolen I'd probably end up with something else, but I do enjoy it for what I get out of it.
The things I dig on the Rocket are the shear volume of it (it can easily do larger gigs for you), the three channel operations, and the relative size/weight ratio.
Things I would improve upon the design would be independent EQ for clean and overdrive, better reverb as the stock one is pretty lame, a bypass switch for the effects loop on the footswitch, and a more sturdy footpedal casing.

This small package includes everything you need. I was little suprised when my friend told that you don't need anything else, Rocket44 is all you need. Clean beautiful sound and distortion that is so awesome. I bought it, and I have been love into Rocket44 since that. Great Job MesaBoogie.

I'm using Tokai's Les Paul with this Rocket44 and I have been proud of Mesa's sound. I don't know why someone supports e.g. Line6. I guess because it has some many different sounds and etc. But I can bet that when they play with Mesa they throw their shitty Line6 into the garbage.

Rocket44s sounds are so natural, clean and distortion is so powerful that your heart is beating hard while playing it. I have played with many other amps too, Fender, Laney, Marshall, Yamaha. Line6 but the sound of those has been so bad. Maybe because Line6 is SO digital that it even sounds like it.

By this Mesa, you fall in love.

No porbs with this amp. Have played many many years with it without any problems. If one can say that dog is man's best friend. I tell that Rocket44 never fails you and beats that dog easily.

What can I say more? Forget about Fender, Line6 and all the other amps. Rocket44 beats them easily.... Just listen its sound, it's so pure, natural, unbelievable clean, innocent but still powerfull. Best choice for home and training halls.

It costs a fortune but it is worth it. Trust me

clean channel is amazingly great. clear and loud and warm. The regular lead channel sucks, but turn on the contour switch and it's got the crunchiest, sweetest, tubie distortion ever. reverb doesnt do much and the EQ isnt very responsive on the lead channel, but it doesnt really matter- with the contour on, it sounds great. its very loud. it also weighs about 500lbs.

i play a fender strat. this amp is very noisy, but you wont care once the contour switch is flipped on and the thing starts singing to you. clean chanel sounds great too. not much variety in the sounds you can get, but thats not why you buy a tube amp. the distortion isnt very saturated, more like the guitar tone on the first Danzig album or kind of a marshaly ACDC type tone. Not for black metal, but great for hard rock, punk, and especialy blues.

I have had to replace the tubes on this thing a lot. I have even had it go out on me right before a show. right now the distortion channel (which i was raving about) doesnt even work. it just crackles and squeals. its been slowly deteriorating over the last year and now i dont even use it and i can afford to replace 8 tubes. this makes me very sad because i love everything else about this amp.

they gave me pretty good advice on how to fix the tubes myself, but thats all.

if this amp worked all the time, it would be the greatest amp in the world.

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!

Mesa Boogie Rocket 44 a year 2000 model. I play rock, blues, shred, and alternative. This amp shreds anything. 2 dependant channels. Footswitchable with a "contour" mode.Effects loop with a "mix" control. This amp is a loud 45 watts! All tube amp 4 el-84, and 5 12ax7 tubes. This amp wails.

Suits my rock style perfectly. It is noisy sometimes, but only with single coils, (60-cycle hum) and when cranked all the way up. If you can think it this amp can make it very versitle. Clean channel is distorted SLIGHTLY at high volumes, but not often. Distortion has sevral tones I set it for. Anywhere for light blues to searing heavy metal brutality this amp can deliver.

In the time I have had it it has seen gig, after gig, and practice, after practice, aand never the slightest problem.

Haven't dealt with Mesa at all. Cool website though.

I have been playing since I was 9. I have a custom strat (Frankenstien), boss effect proceors, a yahama bass, and a fender telecaster. If it were stolen, or lost I'd find the guy who did it beat him with a base ball bat, give him a swirly, tie him naked to the hood of his truck, and well you get the general idea. It sounds beautiful. The clean channel absolutley sparkels. The distortion is so creamy and smooth, yet brutal with plenty of low end punch. I compared it to sevral Marshalls(belch)Peaveys, old Fender silver faces, and just about everything. It won hands down.

The Rocket 44 seems to have been discontinued by Mesa... why I am not sure. This single channel amp has 3 modes...clean, dirt, contour. Has controls for treble, bass, and mid. The paralelle effects loop works superb. I am not a big fan of the reverb, but I use a digital unit for that any way. By in large this is a great amp... It sounds wonderful and is simple to use.

This amp is capable of playing some country,blues and other mor types of music... but it shines when you crank it up and play rock.

I have gigged with a few times and have not had trouble yet

I have not had any dealings with there customer support. They do provide a detailed list of repair depots though.

I would highly recomend this amp

Three Modes, 45 (Loud!) watts, 1x12 EV Black Shadow, 1 shared eq for all modes, Footswitchable modes and reverb. Check other reviews and the Mesa site for more details. Mine was made in 1999, this model has since been discontinued. I use it in a two amp set up. My '69 Vibrolux serves as clean, and the Mesa is high gain. This amp is perfect for my purposes. I play rock,jazz,funk and what some call jamband music (ala Allman Bros.,Grateful Dead,Phish) I need a full, fat, singing lead tone. This amp gives just that without the weight of a head and 4x12 cab. Portability is very impoertant to me, and althought this is by no means a "lightweight amp", it is a small package with plenty of satisfying tone.

I play a Godin LGX with SD Alnico Pro II in the neck and a Custom Custom in the bridge. A great guitar much like a PRS-quilted maple top, mahogany body, split coils and (unlike prs) an ebony fretboard. I must say with one eq the tones from this amp can be limited. The clean channel suffers from this, although in a pinch I would gig with it (and I HAVE). In my set-up this puppy rocks. The Lead sounds are classic Mesa, and yes like a Mesa it is very f*cking loud!!! I NEVER turn the master past 3. I have been asked to turn this amp down by many people including club owners, bandmates and my girlfriend. The important thing is you don't have to turn this amp up to get great sounds. This was not the case with some Marshalls and Mesas I have owned in the past. It will get noisey at high preamp levels, above 8. I usually have the gain a 5 and the master at 2, Bass 7, Mid 9, Treb 7. A high Midrange setting gives me great crunch in the break up, without being harsh or edgy. I prefer the break up of El84's, and this amp does that silky singing tone Mesa Boogies are known for. This amp has two distortion modes. The lead setting is midrangey and crunchy, the contour mode is a scooped mid crunch and louder of the two. I like both, but some don't like the lead mode. It is somewhat of an aquired taste, but give it a chance. As much as I love this amp I am thinking of changing the tubes and the speaker. This has more to do with the fact that I am never completely satisfied with my sound, because I always think there is something better out there. I spend alot of time searching for something that probably doesn't exist. Nevertheless, I am shopping for another 12" speaker, even though the Black shadow has never given me any problems. If you want great lead tone in a small package, this is a great option, but you will have to find it used.

Here is something that almost caused me to throw this amp off a bridge. I bought it on ebay, my first and probably last purchase from the internet. The short story is the amp "went out" at a recording session two weeks after I bought it. The seller was NO help at all. I called Mesa and they suggested new tubes, THEIR tubes. I finally gave in an bought a quartet of EL84's, I got the preamp tubes from another source (12ax7LPS). I continued to have problems. I took the amp to a reliable tech, who diagnosed the problem as a bad preamp tube. Three months and $120 later the amp is fine. I have had no problems since the visit to the tech and have definitely "opened it up" with the amp.

I spoke of this earlier. Mesa was easy to get on the phone and they were helpful although the did get me for $40 in tubes. I am considering changing the tubes by the way. I probably don't need to, but that's just me.

Good lead tones. Okay clean sounds. Versatile to a point. Small package. Can recombinate you and your dog's DNA if turned up past 4. In my set up it's perfect. Needed some tubes, but that's the way it goes with these type of amps. Very economical.

This is a supplement to my original review I had entered several months ago. I performed the Modification on the contour channel. This channel had the mids scooped out a little bit to much for my tastes. The contour channel is basicly a four fixed four band graffic eq that is set with resistors. Each band had two resistors in parallel that determined the gain to each selected band. I removed these resistors a placed 4 1/2 watt pinwheel resistors in there place. I now have adjustable contour. This of course can not be changed on the fly. The amp must be opened up to adjust the contour. I increased the band that controled the midrange and adjusted to my taste. I am very happy with the results. There is a easy way to add more midrange to this amp and that is to change the tubes. Mesa boogie uses the sovtek El 84 in there amps. I know there tubes say mesa boogie on them, but they do not make there tubes. They simple buy them from the manufacter and test them and only use tubes that pass there inspection and are in the normal operational range. Now, these are very good tubes and there is nothing wrong with this tubes. However, the el84 from the tesla factory have a bit more midrange and the distortion is a bit fatter. I replaced my amps stock el84 with Groove Tubes El 84S. The Groove Tubes El 84 is from the sovtek factory, so it is the same tube that is stock on this amp. The El 84S is the one from the Tesla factory and will in my opinion increase the mids and sweeten the distortion. If you select grades 4-7 you will be in the normal operation of the tube and will not have to mess with the amps fixed bias. ONLY PUT TUBES THAT ARE IN THE NORMAL OPERATIONAL RANGE IN ALL MESA BOOGIE AMPS,OR YOU ARE ASKING FOR TROUBLE.

I loved this amp before this mod and now I dig it even more

Great amp. You really should give it a try. I understand that they will stop taking oders on this amp soon and it will be out of production.

The features are very simple for a boogie amp, the tone controls are interactive with the treble control cascading into the levels of the midrange and bass controls, the midrange also acts as an additional overdrive setting when set above 5, this really helps get the clean channel into a slight overdrive at lower volumes which is easily controlled with the volume on the guitar - great feature.

My main guitar is a Heritage 150CM (Les Paul) the pickups are SD SH1's in the neck and bridge, my second guitar is a 57' strat reissue with SD Antiquity pickups in the neck and bridge (standard fender in the middle) the Antiquities are hot at about 9.6k ohms each. The amp responds very well to both guitars, the fender naturally produces more hum, due mostly to the electronic signals in the places I play, with the humbuckers the amp is very quite. These amps do have a tendency to be noiser than a standard fender or marshall circuit but not enough that I've been able to hear it while playing at a gig. The amp gets both a very good tone with both guitars, unique and variable to the point where you can play any style of music. The clean channel does overdrive at higher volumen setting (the volume tends to flatten out at about 5/6 and from there on out your only effecting the drive) but cleans up well with the volume on the guitar, The distortion will kick your butt - it's defenitely a boogie. Some reviewers don't like the non contoured drive setting but I find it very suitable for rythmn on most rock songs, kick on the contour and take it to a very thick lead sound even with a strat on the bridge pickup. Not bad for a single twelve 40 watt combo!

After buying the amp and playing for about a month I had a tube go out, but then I've had tubes go on every amp I've ever owned - I think the preamp section of this amp is hot (current and temp wise) so the tubes need to be checked regularly and replaced when noise becomes audible (mine had a high pitched ringing sound when it went, fortunately pulling the tube and moving it down the circuit solved the problem at the gig). Since replacing the tube I've used the amp ALOT and have had no further issues with it. Right now this is my only amplifier and I have no reservations our concerns about reliability.

When the tube went I called Mesa, the tech indicated they did have some bad tubes, he sent me a complete replacement set (not just one or two) and some extras just in case!!! I also received detailed instructions on replacing tubes, testing them for noise and finding the bad one. I received the tubes in four days!!! Meaning he mailed them the day I called him, best service I've ever had from anyone.

I've been playing a few years and have owned a variety of amps and sizes, right now I only have the boogie. If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again, it's very portable, sounds excellent and is loud enough for virtually any situation. The reverb lacks but I have a nanoverb that gives me some excellent reverb sounds, plugged into the effects loop it sounds great, so it's not an issue, I will say it has more reverb than my JCM900 combo had. I compared the amp with other single twelve combos and some dual twelve inch combos (fender, marshall, peavey) but this little amp was lighter, louder and overall offered a wider variety of tones than the others. With the fenders and marshalls you get that particular sound and pretty much nothing else, the boogie is very versatile, I could have spent much more and got less. I'm giving the overall rating an 8 not because I can think of anything particularly wrong with the amp but because a 9 or 10 rating would mean the thing gives god like tones which it doesn't do, but if you looking for something a step up from the average fender, marshall, peavey, carvin, whatever then check this amp out.

Year 2000 rocket with 12 inch speaker 3 modes rhythm,lead and contour. It also has effects loop headphone jack and reverb. It has a single row of tone controls. So the lead and rhythm both share them. It has a very nice clean sound and the classic boogie over drive. I do not have the noise problem that other people mentioned on there review. I would suspect that is a preamp tube problem. If those earlier rockets had chinese 12ax7 that would be my suspect of the noise . My boogie has 12ax7 that a from the tesla factory and are pretty quiet. The sharing of the tone control on the lead and rhthym is no a problem for me, since all my other amps have this feature and I get along just fine. The contour mode is not to my musical tastes. It is a four band eq that is preset to scoop out the mids and boosts the highs and lows. Again this is no problem. Since the contour is set with fixed resistors instead of the graffic sliders, I can easily change four of the resistors that control the gain to each selected band and adjust to my taste. I plan on doing this mod next week. Like the other reveiws mention the reverb is weak and most of the time I can't tell if it is on or off. Again this is not a concern of mine because I usually do not use much reverb. If you need a a strong reverb in a amp, this is not the amp for you. It has the perfect amount of volume for stage use. This was one of the selling points for me.

I use a Ibanez 570 on this amp and it sounds very good. The clean sound is not quite fender clean a bit smoother,perfect for my tastes. It has a very nice boogie lead that you would expect from mesa boogie. I would again mention how much i enjoy the 45 watt rating on this amp. When a amp gets pushed the output tubes contribute to the amps character and response. Higher wattage amps must get to unbearable levels for this to take place and your audience and band members pays the price.

It is built like a tank a I suspect it will last like most boogies.I do not use a back up guitar or amp. It must hold up or it is out the door. Like all tube amps you must replace the output tubes when you notice a tone change or loss some gain or you are just asking for trouble.

Mesa boogie is tops whith customer service they treat you like a pro. I called them and they returned my call within a hour. I asked for a partial scematic to adjust the contour and I recieved it the same day via e-mail.

I have been performing for 25 years pretty consistly. I do mostly club work and play top 40,blues,R.B,funk,tex mex,classic rock and latin rock-salsa I really like this amp size,power and tone and choose over the mkiv and nomad. If it was lost I would seek out another one. I own a torres mod fender baseman and a carvin x-amp. The torres has been my amp for years and sounds great. I just wanted a small combo and this fit the bill perfectly.

see previous

see other

$74.00 to repair some freakin' output board. 6 months out of warranty, to boot. mesa boogie won't cover, even though the tech that fixed it implies something faulty with power tube could've caused the problem. i retubed amp WITH boogie tubes just a week before it fried. screw it, i'll pursue tube issue with the store i bought them from, but i think im done with mesa boogie. i've been playing too long without problems using fender and other amps.

see reliability

This is an addendum to my previous review (since I fried the amp).

Gonna knock down the reliability a bit. After 18 months(yes, 6 months after warranty expired), the amp went poof midway thru a club date. It's in for service now, but I believe it to be a transformer. The amp started crackling, followed by a burning smell, followed by a loud hum and about 1 watt of distorted power. Wasnt even pushing it hard. All tubes ok...bummer...

I am hoping that my local dealer will have luck convincing Mesa Boogie to extend warranty. In the event they do, I'll come back here and give 'em a nice shiney 10.

see other submissions - lead/rhythm/contour channel switching, etc. 1 12 inch speaker, treble/bass/mid,gain, yada yada. nice effects loop, reverb unit as bad or worse as any other opinions stated here.

use a std am strat with lindy fralin pickups(the best), a carvin tl-60t, a std am tele, and a DeArmond starfire special(for grins). I play in a rockin' roots/blues/jump band with bass/keys/harp/drums. i primarily use it in clean channel with gain pushed but not maxed. my harp player decapitates most people with his volume and keyboard player has the left hand from hell that'll suck all the bass out of my other amps(fender princeton reverb II, Fender blues deville), but not this amp. while it doesnt have that fender tone that does the strat justice in the notch positions, it is one loud amp. i seldomly use the lead channel, although i'll occasionally jump to it when we play j geils stuff. im happiest soloing in clean channel with a tube screamer in front. i honestly havent found a use for the contour channel. pretty mucky. tone controls for me sound good straight up at 12 o'clock on all knobs. again, i cannot state strongly enough that the reverb unit is a useless pos. nothing worse than strapping on the tele while the keyboard player rips in to green onions only to get a dry fart out of this alledged reverb unit. mesa clearly is a top notch company, but should be ashamed of this feature. i'd give features a "9" if it wasnt for the reverb thing.

never broke down, been gigging with it 2-3 times a month for last few years. just retubed. took it in once because of a blender type noise when in lead mode. couldnt duplicate at store. turned out it was only happening when i had delay/chorus pedal in effects loop with tube screamer up front, powered by same power source. go figure.

never serviced

i've been playing paying gigs since 1974 and have owned mostly combo's.(twins/marshall jcm 900/mostly fender stuff). this is my 1st boogie. i know this amp isnt their cadillac, and ive known and played with alot of cats who swear by their amps. this amp is an instrument. you can tweak it, yank it, crank it, but it ain't never gonna be no fender. it's it's own beast, one i've come to like and depend on. i've never owned an amp that i didnt have a love-hate relationship with, and this one is no exception. i cannot be faithful to it and occasionally go back to the fenders for quack/twang relief. i think im gonna try an outboard reverb unit to compensate for their pathetic one. if this unit were to fall out of my car, i'd be very sad. if it were to be stolen, i'd be somewhat sad until the insurance check came. then i'd go and buy an old super reverb or a matchless.

This is an update to my previous review. Previously I was just testing it, but I decided to buy by it. However, I ran into a few problems.

After bringing the amp home and playing it through my guitars it sounded even better than in the store. I am very happy with the way this amplifier sounds. I still don't use the clean channel much. I normally us a Fender DR for that. Again the reverb is not all that great but it somewhat effective in clean mode.

It is difficult to set the tone controls properly so that all modes (clean, lead, lead+contour) sound good. You pretty much have to pick a mode and go with it, otherwise you will have to tweak the tone every time you switch modes. I pretty much accepted this because I was trying to get away from a complicated amp (and save money).

Also there is some vibration noise when playing loudly. While the bass response is good, I think that connecting up an enclosed speaker cabinet would improve the sound greatly.

I ran into some interesting problems with this amplifier. After two weeks, the amp started to lose its "life". It started to be kind of weak and lifeless. I started to inspect the tubes and noticed that only 3 of the 8 tubes were from Mesa. Not a big deal for the preamp tubes, but one of the power tubes did not come from Mesa. Since their amps have a fixed bias, I was not sure if this tube was properly matched.

Anyway, I started tapping on the tubes to try to locate a bad one and the non-Mesa tube would crack and pop when I tapped it. Then a small puff of smoke came out! I immediately turned it off and took it back to the dealer. After some persuasion, they finally exchanged it for another one. They wanted to send the amp back to Mesa which would take a month or two. The dealer is an authorized repair center but they did not want to mess with it. Lame.

The other thing that I noticed about the amp was that only 3 mounting screws were used to attach the power supply transformer. There should be 4 screws. Odd.

The replacement amp has 100% Mesa tubes so I am not worried about any biasing problems. However this amp was much noisier than the last one. It kind of sounded like a small jet engine even when no guitar was plugged in. I traced the problem down to a single preamp tube and bought a few spare tubes. After replacing the offending tube, the amp became very quiet.

I also noticed that the reverb unit appeared to be crooked. I opened the amp up and found that one of the mounting springs was disconnected. It was a simple fix to reconnect the spring.

Based on the fact that a screw was missing on the first amp and the reverb unit was not properly mounted on the second, I kind of wonder about Mesa's quality control. Since the first amp did not have the original tubes (although it was a "new" amplifier), I am considering this to be a problem caused by the dealer and not by Mesa. So far I haven't had any problems with this second amp but it's really too early to tell.

I did not contact Mesa regarding my problems since I was going through the Dealer. I ended up solving the reverb and preamp tube problem myself. I tend to just fix things myself because it's faster than waiting on somebody else.

With the exception of the problems that I experienced, I am still happy with this amp. I think that as long as there are quality tubes in it that there shouldn't be any further problems. But we'll see.

At some point in the future I will probably get a 2X12 enclosed cabinet to improve the bass response and to prevent vibration in the amplifier. If I was to do this all over again I would probably buy a head instead of a combo. Once I get a cabinet I will most likely trade the Rocket 44 for something that has dedicated EQ for each channel.

I just bought this 1x12 amp (a used 99 model) and it is as close in sound to my old Mark II-c as anything I've heard. With channel switching and contour, the ability to setup three distinct sounds is very nice. I don't use any effects so I cannot comment on that aspect. It has tons more power than the average human being really needs and it doesn't weigh a ton. I plan to use it doing managerial/consulting work with a local band. I know that I can hold my own at rehearsal and get the sound I want without a lot of mucking about. I do miss the 5 band eq but I can live without it since I am not using the unit on stage.

Currently, I'm using a Les Paul BluesHawk, an Epiphone G-400 and my 66 stock Tele. They all have their nuances and the amp has more than enough tonal range to accommodate all of them. I haven't noticed any unusual noises and the clean and distorted settings and performance are what I would expect from a Boogie.

I do not use this amp in a stage performance situation. It is used primarily at home and at the rehearsal hall for preparing arrangements. I do not expect a catastrophic failure based on past performance of my other Boogie. I used it (mark II-c) on stage for 5 years without a failure - tube, fuse, whatever...it never missed a lick.

I have talked to Randall Smith as well as several of the guys at the factory and have always been completely satisfied with their answers to my questions and their eagerness to resolve -ANY- problem.

I have been playing since 1961 and had previously owned and used a Mrk II-c. I would buy another Mesa product before considering any other brands. I have only used a Mesa Mark-IIc, a bunch of Fender amps and a Music Man HD-130 so I cannot comment on any others. If you can afford to purchase a Mesa product, you will be buying the best there is. I originally bought my Mark based on the fact that it sounded a lot like a Fender without the clipping and mush at higher volumes.

Since there are already plenty of descriptions on the feature set, I won't go into much detail. It's appears to be a Rocket Reverb with twice the number of power tubes and subsequent wattage. Otherwise it has the same features as a Rocket Reverb.

I haven't purchased this amp (but I might), but I did test drive it and cranked it up for quite a while. I did not focus at all on the clean or rhythm channel, but instead spent most of my time checking out the lead and lead with contour mode.

This amp really cranks out a lot of distortion which is good for hard rock and heavy metal type music. This is the kind of distortion that I am looking for. The amp has a lot of clarity even when playing full chords. Not a lot of mud here. The bottom end is very tight and crisp which is good for those chunky rhythms.

The one negative comment that I have is the reverb, which is VERY weak. I noticed this attribute in the normal Rocket Reverb as well. Like the smaller Rocket, it is hard to tell if the reverb is even on. I'm used to the reverb in my Fender Deluxe Reverb. Now that's reverb! Although for the style of music that I am looking to use this with, it really doesn't matter. I have to wonder why they even put the reverb in there at all. It seems like they could produce a cheaper amplifier by eliminating it. If you are going to add a feature, make it good otherwise don't bother. I still give this amp a 9 because I don't care much about reverb when playing War Pigs or Wiplash.

Haven't purchased yet, so I can't say.

I've been playing sporadically for about 15 years and currently own a Fender Sidekick 10 (sucks) and a reissue of a 65' Deluxe Reverb (awesome!). I am looking for an amp that works well in the opposite end of the spectrum as the Deluxe Reverb.

So far the Rocket 44 is what I am leaning towards but I still have to try a few others. I have tried the Dual Rectifier and it is even better than the Rocket 44 and probably defines the type of sound I am looking for. The Dual is a bit more money than I am ready to spend at this time.

This Amp was made in 1999 and is a one channel amp with three foot switchable settings, record out, and 44 watts of Mesa Power.

The amp does not have alot of extra features which was a plus for me, I was able to dial in my tone very quickly. The manual came in the mail a couple of weeks after I bought it but it was easy to figure out without the book.

I am playing Contemporary Christian music and Blues. I use Epiphone Sheriton II and 58 V reissue guitars and both sound great with this amp.
I used to own Fender amps and much prefer the Rocket 44 to my old Fenders. I like th punch and the mid hump in the Mesa tone

I have had a problem where the amp pop's from tme to time. This has gone away with the addition of a fan to the back of the unit.

Not a big problrm but I didnt expect it from Mesa Boogie. I figured the quality would be excellent but I have to give them a 6 here.

These guys have the best customer service I have ever dealt with! They returned my calls and have helped me through the poping sound probelem I have been having.

I dont think I have ever had better customer support from a company.

I have been playing for 26 years and tis is the best tone I have had. I am really sold on Mesa products If this were stolen I would probably buy another Mesa Boogie amp but not the Rocket 44, I think I would upgrade to a Mark IV combo.

For the monet this is a great amp.

This is a reasonably new amp form MB that has a combination of some features from previous models combined. One channel I wich it had two. Versatile enough for me. Major power and nice tube clean channel. I utilize the foot switch and the extra kick lead is great for xtra punch. The driven lead channel has a classic boxed tone and I use a Fender Strat Plus with lace sensors and a Epi/Gib with a pearly gates in the bridge and and classic 59' in the neck and this sounds great!! in all modes. I use the amp in church believe it or not we play relavent music that fits the pastors mssg for the unchurched that want to know more about God and His Son...

I mentioned guitars and pickups earlier and play mostly pop styles and blues. MB really put a nice package in a little amp. This thing kicks buns. A little noisy. reverb a tad weak but overall I'm really happy with this one, probably a keeper.

I've had for close to a year and no probs yet..

Havn't used this yet so no comment

I've been playing for over 20 yrs and this is the best amp I've ever owned. I wanted a tube amp and I had a friend who has a Mark IV? and it sounded great so I checked this little gem and bought it on the spot. I've owned a Roland Blues Cube before this and a Marchall Valvestate before that and a Roland Jazz amp before that.

I'd been looking for a small amp (as opposed to my 4X10 Super and my '65 Showman) when I found this one. This one really fit the bill, being a 1X12 combo. I was a bit concerned about the wattage rating, but I was relieved when I realized "Hey, these is 'Boogie' watts". I play in a four piece classic rock band, and this thing hangs in there with the other guitarist's Boogie MKIV and the bass players Hartke rig. It can be heard over the drums just fine, as well. While it has channel switching, I'm a bit of an effects nut, so the amps' footswitch stays in the back of the amp, and I use other pedals to get my sound. I only use the Rocket44 in the "Rhythm" mode. The main thing I like about this amp is the simplicity with which it can be operated. I've never been a fan of amps with a lot of bells and whistles, and this one has few. It allows me to play everything from CSN to The Stones to The Barenaked Ladies without having to fuss with the controls.

I play a few different guitars through this amp at every gig: a 1990 American Standard Strat (with Lace pickups), a 1997 G&L ASAT, and a 1998 G&L ASAT Classic. I also have a guitar of my own construction which is currently in pieces. One day, it'll get played through this amp, as well. This amp sounds great regardless of the guitar. I've read comments where people have complained about this amp being noisy, and honestly, the first one I tried was noisy, as well. I went to different store and tried the amp, and it wasn't nearly as noisy. I was in an isolation room and really ran this amp through its' paces. It passed my noise test just fine. I've also read complaints about reverb. I don't know why that is, as mine has reverb for days...

Really can't comment on this, as I've had the amp only around two months. So far, so good. I never take a backup amp with me; don't really think I need to.

While I've never dealt with them, my understanding is that they're a joy to deal with.

I've been playing for over 22 years, and own the following gear: 1990 American Standard Strat, a 1997 G&L ASAT, a 1998 G&L ASAT Classic, a 1986 Alvarez-Yairi DY-66, and a "home-made" guitar (came out quite nice, too!). For amps, I have a 1993 Fender Super, a 1965 Fender Showman, and this new Boogie Rocket44. If the Rocket were ever lost or stolen, I might look at other amps, but getting another Rocket would always be a strong consideration. It really is a damn good amplifier. Like I said earlier, I love the simplicity of this amplifier.

Newer updated model for '99. 2 channels, 3 modes, treble, middle, bass, reverb, 2 masters, 2 gains, clean, lead, contour, 1x12 celestion, effects loop, record out-headphone, mute, ext. speaker. 4-EL84's & 4-12AX7's.

Les Paul Standard w/HB, '79 Strat s.s.h, Parker Nitefly 4. I use this amp for blues,rock,metal,R&B,funk,soul and country. It's very versatile. I have made one change in the pre-amp section. I replaced (1) 12AX7 with a 12AT7 so I could control the drive better in the contour mode when I'm using the amp for blues however if you crank the drive it still wails for rock and metal.

N/A I've had it only about 3-4 months with no problem and I gig with constantly.

Thery're great! John Rinker is the man; he's helped with numerous questions and has always called back if I had to leave a message.

I've been playing for over 25 years and have owned numerous Fenders, Marshall, Randall, Peavy and Pignose amps. This has got to be the best small amp I've played especially at its price. I would buy it again or upgrade to another Boogie; I'm hooked. I love everything about it except the reverb is WEAK! I've running and RV-3 in the effects loop to make up for the lacking reverb unit. I also have a 1x12 boogie open back cabinet that I'll use at larger clubs; it's 45 watts go a long way.....loud man!

The amp as stated before by other submitters is a 1X12 combo with a 90 w celestion black shadow. It has 2 channels each with independant gain and volume. The bass mid and treble are shared with each channel. The amp also has reverb. It also has two modes or voices in the gain channel one called lead and one called contour. It also has an effects loop located at the back and a silent recording switch with a headphone and lineout. It has a three button footswitch that comes with it to get between the three modes and turn the reverb on and off. It has 4 12ax7's for the preamp stage and 4 el84's for the power stage.

I use a strat with texas specials and two Ibanez Gibson copies on is a Les Paul copy and one is a ES-335 copy. They all sound fine through it. The Ibanez Les Paul sounds the best I think. I play mostly Funk/blues/rock mixtures and some modern and classic rock. I think it can be tweaked to fit all these styles nicely. I have only played it loud once in a band practice the other day. I have only had it a week. I thought it sounded awesome. It was only on 2.5 and the guys were asking me to turn down. So the 40 watt rating isn't of great consequence, it is loud. I agree that the amp is a little noisy but it isn't intolerable or worse than any other amp I have owned. If you have it on the drive channel and you aren't playing anything or muting your strings you will get noise. I mute my strings when I am not playing or switch back to the clean channel so the noise doesn't really bother me. The clean channel is still clean at 2.5 which is loud enough to play in a practice hall and probably 3 would take care of some small clubs without a mic. The distortion is great, the contour mode sounds killer and with it off I can get some great Led Zeppelin II kind of sounds (Think The Lemon Song or WHole Lotta Love) This is the best sounding amp I have owned and it is my first all tube amp. The reverb is nice but it is sublte, no drenching super soaker 2000 reverb here like on a fender or a Hughes but it is nice, on ten it is like a fender 4 or 5.

I think its pretty reliable, it seems to have been made well. I have only had it a week and a bit so time will tell. It is a very new amp, mine is serial # 00-439, so I assume it is one of the first 500 made.

Haven't needed it yet. I also own a V-Twin pedal which was a major part of the reason I wanted a boogie. I have owned the V-Twin for over 3 years without any problem.

I have been playing on and off for 7 years. I have owned 3 fender amps and a Peavey, the fenders I have owned were an 85 deluxe and a Performer 1000. This amp smokes then both hands down. Although they both had more features the boogie kills them for tone. I think if it were stolen I would definitely get another one, the other boogies are two big and heavy for me, the rocket 44 fits in an eagle talon perfectly and I love the simplicity of the amp. The only other amp I would consider buying would be a trem-o-verb and right now I don't have the $$$.

this is one of mesas newer models. 1x12 black shadow speaker, reverb, footswitch with rhythm, lead, reverb and contour control (drops out mids in lead mode ), variable effects loop, silent speaker switch, headphone/recording jack. All the features sound better than they actually are. I play progressive, melodic to grungy style rock. this amp is best suited for only hard rock, if even that. the regular lead channel is useless, but the contour switch gives thre amp some hope- when this is on you can get a good lead tone. The reverb is almost non existant. Although its rated at 44 watts, this is a very loud 44 watts. another problem i had with it was the master volume goes from 0 to 60 with the SLIGHTEST turn. Thats bad- no subtelty whatsoever.

In the store it sounded fine -with everything on 1, but when i took it to a band rehersal and cranked it up all that changed. The lead channel, w/o the contour activated sounds muddy and is all but useless, whether thru seymour duncan ap-1 single coils or a jb humbucker. The amp also has an annoying white noise when you stop playing and the master is turned up.

ive owned it for three days and im taking it back this week so i cant speak on that.

Althugh the receptionist was rude and impatient, the tech guy i spoke to was very knowledgable. However, i couldnt help but feel that he didnt have a great deal of confidence in this product. I'd bet money that if i asked him off the record, he would not buy the product. If the company doesnt have faith in a particular product why should the public?

lead tone w/ contour on is good, but aside from this, this amp has nothing to offer.

Made in 1999. Tube amp with 4-EL84 and 4-12AX7. Very versatile for everything from clean to extremely heavy distortion. One Channel, three modes (Clean, Drive, and Contour). Reverb. Used it for a few gigs, and tried some studio recordings with it. Plenty of power. The only thing that limits the versatility is the lack of fine tune volume control. I play next to an amplified acoustic guitar, and had a hard time making this amp quiet enough to play clubs with him.

I prefer strats. But I cheat and use noise canceling pickups, like lace sensors, and Dimarzio Virtual Vintage 54's. Its an interesting amp, because I don't think you could dial a setting that didn't sound decent. At the same time, the drive channel sounds like you're playing through a wah, because it takes out all of the highs and all of the lows. I suspect that Mesa did this as a compromise for heavy metal players so they didn't get mud when they cranked it. But it got annoying really quick that I could never dial in an open crunch. I liked the way it sounded live. Like I said, its impossible to make it sound bad. But the day after I recorded it in the studio, I got rid of it. The hiss was completely out of control (something you don't notice as much live). The drive channel sounded nice live, but on tape it had the sound of a cheap fuzz box when close miked, no matter how the mike was placed.

Worked fine while I had it.

Did not deal with them.

I've been playing 9 years. I prefer the british sound of a Marshall or Laney. But I've used Fender Hot Rod Devilles, and Blue Voodoos. I like the way it looks. I like the way it plays live. You will never get that Marshall THUMP and GROWL with this amp. You will get a nasal yet warm, tight sounding amp that looks great.

Bought in March 99, and the model is new for 99, I think, so it can't have been made too long ago. I'm a fairly new (6-ish months) electric guitar player, and I play (if you can call it that) blues and alternative rock mainly. The sum total of my amplified experience up until now is with a basic pignose, which, I must say, is a pretty cool little rig in it's own right. At this point in my checkered musical career (being an ex-brass player), I'm looking for the perfect garage band combination of tone variety and enough volume to hear myself over the schizophrenic standing next to me. The Rocket has exactly the features I would want in a small venue rig, tube electronics, maximum oomph for the size, footswitch to go between rhythm & lead for when it's my turn to fumble through a solo, separate rhy & lead gain & masters with enough gain control to get some good gritty blues leads (ZZ Topish), summary EQ, etc. According to Mesa's web site, this particular unit is a Subway Reverb Rocket preamp and a DC-3 DynaWatt power amp, which in theory would make it perfect for the application I have in mind, and absoutely untouchable by anything else in the price range. The feature rating is based on the theoretical features - the ones that lead you to buy after copious reading and a little diddling at minimal volume in the music store.

The only electric guitar I own at the moment is a 98 American Standard Stratocaster with 3 single coils (you know the setup). I have not played another guitar through this amplifier. On the rhythm channel, depending on the gain / master, the thing produces beautiful rounded singing bell tones in everything but the bridge pickup position (which is always harsh on the Am Std Strat - right?). Rhythm sound is everything I hoped it would be. But step on the pedal and click off the rhythm and, if you happen to not be playing at the moment, you will want to hit the dirt to avoid the 747 that sounds like it's about to plow into the room. Now I know that single coils have a reputation for being noisy, and I must admit that turning down the volume pot on the guitar makes a big difference, and some of the blame must lie with the Strat, but MY GOD. I have never heard so much gratuitous noise coming out of an idle electronic device in my life. It makes my teeth hurt to stand next to it. There is no way in hell I will ever click off the rhythm without potting down the guitar by at least half, and then I ask myself, "if you bought this amp because you thought you could go seamlessly between rhythm and lead, you're SOL". The seam's as big as the Grand Canyon. Tone is excellent, edgy biting strato-blues, but you better not let up on that pick. . . . I'm really torn here, because I love the sound under active playing, but the hum is so offensive as to make me too self conscious about the noise to be able to enjoy the music. I have to give this otherwise perfect amp a 5 because of the infuriating hum. Somebody help me out here. Was the solid state circuit / transistor invented because of the noise problem with tubes? Is this just something I should live with? Or should I be disappointed in this $700 device? Maybe I will take it back and exchange for a DC-3. Maybe I will order a Mark I reissue. Maybe I will play only acoustic for the rest of my life because of sheer disappointment.

Too early to comment - unless the horrendous buzz is due to something simple and stupid like poor tube selection. Otherwise, the thing's solid as you'd ever want.

N/A

Beautiful rhythm tone - better than my inflated expectations from everything I'd read about the Mesa line in general. Outside of rhythm, it howls like a caged animal, which makes me think I should never switch out of rhythm mode. Maybe I shouldn't let it bug me, but if the noise problem isn't inherent in the guitar / amp combo I'm using, I will take it back and try something else. Life is too short and money is too dear to be disappointed by something that by all rights should be better.

This is a new model and I bought it in Feb 99. It's basic but does have all the features I need: effects loop, headhpone jack, channel switching, reverb...I haven't tried the effects loop yet.
It's got 44 watts (i presume)--and it's a LOUD little sucker. I use it for recording and playing live.
Lots of glowing tubes that I love.

I use an old Frank Zappa-lookin SG and a fender squier strat...as well as my beloved Les Paul Jr. 58. It does very nice things to all three. It's clean sond is OK, not great. I like the distortion for rhythm ..and it's fair for lead, I guess. You can really tweak this amp to get lots of nice tones...and if you don't tweak it, you might get some very harsh and mediocre sounds. Tweak away.
The big problem is the noise when not picking away. It's noisy ..plain and simple.
Overall I dig the sound a lot...though live I combine it with a Fender Princeton to give things a little more variety...I LOVe the combination of the two.

After one week I noticed a loud buzzing sound when I hit certain notes at certain volumes (particually the b on the a string)..and out loud volumes TONS of that noise on every string.
This was a bummer. I took it back to where I bought it and they fixed it up (bad driver) in one day. But I was really bummed that I had problems with a 700 dollar amp within one week. I'm holding my breath. I don't want to give it up...but if I continue to have problems it's time to sell.

I used the local service center and they did a great job. But let's face it, it's a pain in the ass to take it in, pick it up, etc...

I've been playing 20 years in punk bands (real hostages) alt bands (smokin dave) and now in a I don't what it is band...(Apelife).. This amp is a great amp despite the buzznin' and the fact I had to haul it down for service in less than a month. I love the power and the tone (though it is a unique tone, and use other amps to compliment it when the need calls) of this amp.
however, if it gives me problems I'm putting it out for sale...

This is a all tube single channel, Tri-Modal amp that puts out a suprising big sound for such a small package. There are three footswitchable sounds(Modes)to choose from. The rhythum & lead modes have separate gain & master controls but share the same EQ (Treble, Middle, Bass). The amp comes with reverb (definately not Fender) that's not very impressive. The front panel has three switches: Contour, standby, & power. The contour switch set in the middle position allows you to change modes with the footswitch (included). The back panel includes a parallel effects loop with a FX mix control and a record/phones jack with arecording mute switch. There are 1-8 ohm & 2-4 ohm speaker jacks. This particular amp came with 1-12" Celestion V-30 (the owner's manual says it comes with their custom- designed magic ten inch speaker). The V-30 sounds great with this amp. I've had this amp 6 weeks and have used it at 4 gigs. I'm in a blues/ rock band that has a propensity to play loud at times. The Rocket 44 has more than enough power (40W) for my use.

I have a ES-335, G & L Legacy, & a G & L Asat Classic. I use a Fulldrive II & volume petal in the front and a Boss CE-5 Chrous in the effects loop. The 335 definately sounds the best with this amp. I've dialed up a good clean sound and use the Fulldrive for soloing. The lead channel can be made to sound good (at the expense of the clean). The contour mode is gain boosted way louder than the lead. Too much so in my opinion. The HR & HM people might like this sound. This amp will do a good job for rock, blues, country, & maybe HR-HM. One really annoying thing about this amp is the humm, whoosh, hiss when not playing. Anyone that has played or owned a Line 6 Flextone amp knows this noise. Even though the amp has a great lively clean sound, because of the hum noise and the reverb it gets a 7.

I have used this amp at 4 gigs. I would have used it at 5 but it came off of standby completely dead! Luckily it was a backyard jam instead of a club gig. I took it back where I bought it and the tech found a cracked 12AX7. Bummer. I used it at a club gig this weekend with no problem. Because I've only had this amp 6 weeks and missed a jam because of the tube, I'm giving this one a 6.

I had the tech repair the tube problem locally. He didn't charge me but he didn't think Mesa would cover it under warranty. Something about their policy on tube replacement. When I bought the amp it didn't have a owners manual. I called Mesa three times for one. I received two owners manuals last week.

I have been playing for 20 years and have owned Fender Twins, Supers, Marshalls, & Peaveys. I currently have a Fender HR DeVille, Marshall JTM 312, and the Rocket 44. Although the Rocket 44 sounded good with it's single 12" V-30, I added another single 12" V-30 in a bottom cabinet. This was a huge improvement at higher volume level. From the way I rated the amp above you might think I don't like it. I like it alot! It's small, lightweight, easy to haul, and has a great punchy, clean tone. Stick a good overdrive pedal in front of it (Fulldrive II is my favorite) and you have a good lead tone. The effects loop works super and easily tamed my chorus. Before I bought the Rocket 44, I bought a Line 6 Flextone Duo w/floorboard. After 2 weeks and realizing I didn't need the whole box of crayons, just a blue one, I returned the Flextone to GC. Our bass player worked at a music store that was going out of business, called me and suggusted I come down and check out the 44. I took my guitar down, tried it out and bought it. I was mainly wanting something small to haul to practice and to have a backup for the DeVille. Since I've bought it it's the only amp I use. Just wish it didn't hum and the reverb sounded better. I don't know if I would replace it if anything happened to it or try something else.