Mesa/Boogie Studio .22

I like simple amps. To me only volume and tone pots would be enougt.
I don't need features like effects-loop or line-out.
The reverb sounded ok.

The rhythm channel is very good. I don't like these hi-gain amps very much, so if i had one, I would be using the rhythm channel the most of the time. I get tired of these overdrive channels in one hour. And this one was very hissy.
Though this Mesa has a master volume pot, one still has to play loud to get a really really good sound out of it. The Studio 22 I played is not mine. My main amp is an old non-top boost Vox AC-30. Thats something, that doesn't make me tired at all. So I prefer my Vox amp with the normal channel.

I don't know. I've never owned a Mesa.

The thing I really liked about this amp, was that it's so compact. It was relatively easy to carry(I have had a Masrshall stack) and sounded ok. I won't propably ever buy one but it's still ok. It's not the best amp for gigging thought. It think the 22+ is better for that.

very simple>volume acts as gain for clean and lead channel, master is master,bass, mid, treble, presence, reverb and 5 band graphic eq (it can be always on or only active in the lead channel.
effect loop on the rear side. five 12 ax7, two el84>20 watts, one 12 inch speaker. It ain't heavy at all, super to transport.
For studio use it's loaded with enough futures, for live gigging it could use some extra knob for gain and lead volume, maybe footswitchable eq and reverb>but it's a studio amp and it sounds amazing so I give it a 10.

I never liked any Boogie I' ve tried and I actualy don't know why. Their sound is so much different than Marshall's which I used (still use) in the past. After playing this amp for half an hour I fell in love with it>sustain....even clean sound just....sustains and this was an experiance I never had with any other amp. Although Marshall's sound somehow fatter (I own a great jcm 800 4010 combo), their sound isn't so compact and dynamic. The distortion in a dream come true for all Santana lovers to mad trash metal fans. Some people wrote that the distortion isn't hard enough for metal>listen to Megadeth sound, or Iron Maiden>their sound isn't that much high gain. I dare to record a metal band guitars on this little amp with wolume on 3-4, rest of the controls around 5, accept the mids little down and graphic eq v shape.Metal sound isn't just high gain, it' s amp voicing, eq...high gain kills amp's tone, on this one the distortion sounds the same with gain on 2 or 10, but there is a great difference in how compact, dynamic and transparent it sounds, how it fits in the mix.
...and there is clean>very usable. I love the overdrive tone I can easily get from it (strat with EMG SA and 81, with spc mid presence boost>actually a mid boost).
As I said this is an amazing sounding amp for the studio, add an extension cab and you'll be in tone heaven. It is a Mesa Boogie and it sounds like one so you have to like it's sound or give it some time to enslave you. That's what it did to me!
It' s 20 watt and you can easily open it to 6-7, it will be just loud enough to play a lead over a loud drummer and the tubes will give you a reward that those in 100 watters on 2 can't.

I wristles a little when it's very loud, but only with internal speaker (no problems with extension).I guess it has something to do with resonance the box produces>not such a problem since it occurs only when it's on 10 (yes, I tortured it a few times).

LOOOOVE IT.

22 Watt All tube Combo with 12 inch speaker. Two channels with Shared EQ. It's rather simple to operate...no guesswork required.

I use the Amp primarily with a '74 Les Paul retrofitted with Seymour Duncan JB (Bridge) and Jazz (Neck) pickups, and a Strat copy made from
Spare parts and Fender Lace Sensors.

First the good news: the Rhythm channel is very versatile. You can get some really good clean sounds along with slighty dirty, vintage blues/Rolling Stones type tones. If you raise the Master slightly higher than the Volume (Gain), then you can control the amount of drive with your guitar's volume knob. The Lead channel is powerful and over the top. I haven't found a distortion pedal that can come close to the power. Tons of sustain, crunch, feedback...it's there. Again, raising the Master higher than the gain will allow you to control even the most dirtiest tone with your guitar's volume knob.

Now, the bad news: The HISS this amp produces, even in the rhythm channel, is astounding. New tubes and better shielded internal cable within the amp helped somewhat, but my repair guy explained to me that, for whatever sick reason, Boogies are made for the absolute highest gain possible with no attention paid to the resulting noise floor. Although the audience at a gig will probably not notice it much, it does drive me nuts anyway. I have to knock off two points for that.

Very dependable. I hear stories all the time of Boogies dropping out of the backs of vans and still working for that night's gig. Jsut be sure to service and change the tubes every 1-2 years, and you'll be fine.

Never had to deal with them directly, although i do find their website to be very helpful - this model was dicontinued, but they still had the manual available for download.

Pretty good value for the money. while it does contain a ludicrous amount of hiss, the sounds available - and its reliability - make it useful. If you want absolutely quiet performance, the only way around the hiss is one of those expensive Bradshaw custom racks, which I personally can't afford. Until then, this Boogie it is.

well, pretty simple:2 channels rythym and lead with a footswitch, send and return loop, direct,...it is rated 22 watts but it is incredible how powerful is the sound!!!mine have the EQ wich had a big punch on the sound when in!

I am using a american strat with fralin blues special a voodoo lab micro vibe, a blues driver and a vox wha for blues gig(SRv, jimi,ccr,p.chubby,...)I just bought this amps 2 month ago and well...fuck...the sound is great really bluesy if you want with a good compression.The lead channel is not really fiting my taste as it is to much overdrive.the best way is to push the volume to get this incredible breakup and crunch sound.My lead channel is way to overdrive and the output volume is to powerful when you footswitch.but it is a studio amp so not really for gig.It as enough power for giging if you play blues rock or funk.The sounds can be radicaly differents if you play with the eq but are almost the same in the clean range.the distortion is quite overdrive may be to much for my taste.I owned a fender deluxe before but this one is way better for clean sound and crunch sound.The lead channel is quite buzzing but seems to be normal.If you have devices like some floor pedal it is sometimes better to plug them in the send return.My microvibe is way much quiet and seems to work better on the send return loop and then you kan keep your guitar straight to the amp without any effect between the amp and the guitar.

seems ok for giging may need to change the tubes.

no problem at the moment

It is my second amp, I sold the first one caused I needed money and for 3 year I was not able to afford an amp but when I saw this one...love at first sight!!I played for 13 years now and was looking for that SRV tone, I am pretty close to it now and will experiment with tubes to change the tone(12ax7,au7,EL84...).If it were stolen I would like to buy a new one but they seem pretty difficult to find now in france!I love everything in this amps and the sound of course and the 22 powerful watt wich allow you to push it to get this perfect tubes crunch.

This ended up being a very long review, but in short I love it, it is very versatile, has GREAT sounds, but takes time to learn to tweak. I also think it has the right amount of power.

I have played guitar for five years, and I play a very wide variety of styles, Jazz as well as rock sounding both hard and soft and retro (LoFi), from cake to Kravitz, and '50s surfmusic inspired stuff. This amp produces any sound I want, with it's own touch of course, and I am extremely happy with this versatility. I have played Boogie nearly all the time I have played guitar, since I found a cheap studio preamp quite early, and I haven't been happy with the sound all the time, they are hard to tweak, but experience have shown that these amps have more versatility and better sound than anything I have tried, and over time I have learned to use them and now I have a sound (any sound) I am extremely happy with.

It may be nice to precise the differences between the "+" and the "no plus", basically the plus is a later version, it has a lead volume pot instead of the fixed lead volume this has (originally at least - it is a simple mod...) and I would guess it also has some changes to the circuits, but I'm not certain of this.

So, you know the basics from the other reviews, A class 22 watt all tube yada yada, mine has the graphic eq, and it is also modified to have the lead volume resistor replaced with a pot, put in the "footswitch" hole on the front (the footswitch jack is on the back). This is a very simple mod actually, and I guess it is valuable (I haven't tried it without it) but only a very small spectrum is needed, which makes me think the amp works quite well without it as well. I'm planning to add eq and reverb footswitching, inspired by my Studio preamp, it appears to be an extremely simple mod (two cables into a stereo jack) since the circuits are very alike the studio (which has this) and thus ready for the mod, and it will increase the footswitchable range of sounds tremendously.

I'm very happy with the features of this amp, it can produce a very wide spectrum of sounds of top notch quality, and given the mods mentioned above, it has everything I need. Before I found this I used a Studio preamp (with a 1x12 solid state combo), and i was looking for quite awhile for an amp and I simply coudn't find anything which matched the tone and versatility this has. Imho, a Marshall for example sounds nice, but it only has one sound. I haven't found another amp that has enough versatility for me. Those old Boogies really rock the house! I would give it a nine if it had those mods from the start, but it is still a very versatile amp.

I still have the Studio pre, and planned to A/B them into the .22s power amp to basically double the tone setting possibilities, but actually I don't do this, which shows quite well how much switchable variety this amp (with my L-P) has, combined with being very transportable.

I haven't used this live or even rehersing, since I haven't had a band for quite some time, but my experience from my Studio pre tells tale of cutting through in a way that's hard to describe, and I'm sure this amp has sufficient power for most situations, if not micing or changing to a more efficient speaker or more powerful EL-84 tubes should solve this.

Another projekt still lingering is to use a MIDI switching device, and loop the few effects I use and all funktions of my two preamps to get the absolutely most wide array of gorgeous sounds imaginable...

I use a black Gibson Les Paul standard from '91, and i have a backup cheap Ibanez (R170 or something, h-s-h with vintage vibrato). I'm using the original speaker, and very cheap tubes. I occasionally use the following stomp boxes: an Ibanez compressor (very useful for some styles), a Danelectro Daddy O, which is a crappy pedal, but it can be used before the overdrive to make it less focused, which can be nice for , and finally a cry baby wah. I want a really good tremolo as well, but I haven't found one yet... Usually I just run a cable from my guitar to the amp, though.

It requires quite a bit of tweaking, and some time to get used to, but when you've got it, you'll never leave Boogie behind. The thing is that it requires different settings from other amps, as it is extremely sensitive. No "dime" here! I mostly use a single setting with different graphic eq settings to get the sound I want, I run the "volume" (gain in other words) constantly at about 1.8 which gives it extreme touch sensivity, for that really metal sound, I push it to perhaps 3. That's how much gain you have... Basically it has a very warm, rich sound if you want. (it can certainly go to extremes!) I also gets up and running without being too loud, which I think is positive (compare with the Mark IV - which in this forum is often claimed to be too loud).

To go into some detail, my basic sounds are the following (using different guitar volume settings): clean with bridge pick up; spanky clean to some dirt, clean w/ neck: WARM jazz tone, or other warm cleans. Lead w/bridge: basic overdrive sound, I like a little less focused varieties, thus the low "volume/ gain" setting, roll off for thin retro. Lead w/neck: fat, useful overdrive (not muddy actually, depending on settings) and creamy lead down to retro lead and rhythm or dirty clean to real clean, sine it cleans up nicely when you roll off your guitar volume. The Les Paul allows me thus to "switch channels" between pickups. And all this with the same settings on the amp.

In my opinion, the graphic eq is a must, as it broadens the amp incredibly, and allows huge variations in feel, sound and structure of the overdrive in particular. I usually avoid the focused boogie sound, and the famous "V" shape, and incredibly cool sounds can be found tweaking here, I like especially alot of mids, high mids. Switch the eq in and out for lead volume boost, or to change sound.

Finally, it certainly has a character of its own, and you should like this to like this amp. However, it can go very far from the "Boogie" sound you expect, but don't expect to find great sounds in the store, it takes some time.

I have very good experience with the 2 Mesas I have, although my studio pre broke down on me once, about a month after I bought it (used) after repairs i has always worked fine though. I don't know what the problem was. Still, I have the impression that these old simple boogies are easily serviced and fixed and very rugged.

Carrying spare tubes and fuses and a spare guitar cord, I would trust this amp to the end of the world.

Mesas support is probably the best in the world, all catagories. I have called a few times and also mailed, and this level of service, given even to people who use 15 year old amps they bought used, is top notch. They certainly know their products inside out. I fear that the increase in size of the factory will eventually degrade this somewhat, but for now, it's great.

I think I've said everything in the other categories, in short I love it, I have compared it to many other amps and not found anything close to the combination of great tone and versatility, combined with good portability and a great price, that this little amp has, both for stage and studio. It's simply perfect for me.

I think it is a small amp with room to grow, I want to find a head cab for this (They're hard to find here in Sweden) or build one myself and start experimenting more with cabs, speakers and different tubes. I am also considering getting a Midi switching device (such as the Midi Octopus) to footswitch channel, eq, reverb (with several settings! easy to fix as well) and my stomp boxes when I want them. But this is quite "superflu" and mostly fun ideas because I am a tech freak. I have to admit nothing of this is needed.

Two channels plus channel switching. Only thing which I hated is that this combo didn't have master for Lead channel. It was fucking, chanels were balanced only when gain of clean channel was in the middle. But-I'm in DIY guitar FX boxes, so I modified my amp too...I found schematic somewhere on the web, found resistor which fixed the Lead volume and replaced them by potentiometer. I found empty hole on back of my amp-on some models there was Ground switch but not on mine- And I mounted that potentiometer to this hole.
Now my amp have masters for Rhythm and Lead channels. I'm satisfied.
I wish it had separate tone stacks for each channels, but for this money is that good.
My model is basic-without EQ, without Ground switch.

I use Epiphone Sheraton II and epiphone Les Paul.
I use several guitar boxes-between guitar and amp and in FX loop.

Amp can make variety of guitar sounds, only in Lead mode are tone controls less sensitive. My models doesn't have that graphic EQ as other models, I would like to have it but...for its money
Distortion is mellow, creamy but aggressive too-depends on the setting, mainly on presence control. I like that sound.

I don't have problem with that.

I don't needed that support, but good news is that: When I was looking for the schematic(because of my modification-read above)-I found them very fast on the web.

I allways wanted to have VOX AC30 combo, but I'm very satisfied with Mesa. If it vere stolen, I would buy it again, If I found them in Second hand again.
I love two channels, and switch. I love option of FX loop-only bad thing is that FX loop is designed only for line levels, so my old ELECTRO HARMONIX effects and my homemeade clones don't work good with that. I must build some external buffering for my FX loop.
Plus-I would like to have external-footswitchable on/off for reverb.
Maybe I will make that mod too, if I will find VACTROL LDR Optocells for that. But-again-for that money...
I'm satisfied with that combo.

MINE BROKE ALREADY!!I'm not sure what year mine was made in but I bought it '94 from Hotlicks when they were in PearlCity Hawaii.It came with the footswitch,the user manual and that little card everyone signs before it leaves the factory.I never even fiddled with the controls on the back.The EQ was great...I miss that amp very much.

I was using a B.C Rich & a Jackson guitar with EMG pickups straight into the amp.I mostly tried to play metal with this amp.Some reviews said this amp did'nt have enough gain to play metal,but it sounded good to me.The only problem was when I tried to use it with a band.The 22 watts could'nt get above the drums,I even maxed all the controls and only got screaming feedback.Worked great in my bedroom but...Mine Broke Already!!

The time I had this amp it always worked and sounded great,even when I accidentally left it on all night a couple of times.Then one day the volume dropped off to almost nothing!Even with the master vol. on 10 it sounded like the amp was being played in a neighbors house.I never called Mesa for service and the guys at Hotlicks said it might be the tubes.So I bought new Boogie tubes and the volume still was'nt normal.Desperate for an amp I sold to a local repair guy for $100.Only to buy a p.o.s. Marshall (MG50CD).I think now I would've been better off getting the Boogie fixed by an authorized repair shop.

I never contacted the service center since the warranty had long since expired.I only went with suggestions from guys who might know something about tube amps.

I've been playing since 88' the Studio 22 was the first REAL amp I bought in 94'.In my bedroom I was using it through their armored 4-12 recto cabinet.It sounded very nice.So,if your Boogie ever breaks get it repaired no matter what it costs!!! (never sell it for $100)All in all the studio 22 with the EQ is a great amp and if the price was right I'd definetly buy another one. =D

Purchased around 1987, and have been gigging and recording with this charmed beast ever since, playing classic rock, R&B, Funk , Jazz & pop. 2 Channels, pretty much dedicated to using just the lead channel, which when used with different volume levels on either my Strat or Jackson affords ample head room for gentle as well as smooth tube driven high gain lead lines. Would enjoy having a speaker mute feature to play without the speaker keeping everyone in the neighborhood up (later models have this) Sometimes stereo output calls for that all-around you surround sound when playing in a small trio covering bigger ensemble songs. To do that I bring extra external gear to the output, which works fine for me. Love the direct out for recording. I've played this miked at the Channel in Boston (big old rock venue - dating myself, who cares, it was a major landmark in its day), it puts out. I swapped the original speaker recently for a CElestion vintage 30, and it's been renewed with an even crisper tight crunch sound, with really nice sustain and crunch anthem rock chord sound, like from Bryan Adams lead guitar player. Nice mod for another $100 or so.

I play with Fender Strat Plus using the Lace sensors, and with a Jackson PRO fusion with two singles and a humbucker pickup. Standard fare is classic rock stuff, Cream, Clapton, Santana, & Allman Bros. & the amp fits right in with those styles of playing. It has been serviced over the years for tube replacement mainly. Otherwise it's a workhorse, used for practice and playing out. For rock and blues and depending on the flexibility of your guitar for tonal variation and use of different pickups this amp is fine for jazz fusionfunk type playing, and softer pop stuff if you wanta get sensitive. It's got more range than I have been interested in exploring, since I go for some kindof crank in most things I play.

Built like a tank, it's surprisingly weighty for its size. It has taken major road bumps and knowcks over a decade and a half and still turns heads with it's consistent performance. Only major problems have been with rare high level buzz or hiss usually due to really ugly power source issues when playing out in the open - flat bed band stand using diesel power generators to supply power for the whole band. Switching the ground setting has usually fixed that kind of nasty and rare anomaly. But if you go anywhere and play wherever you may be called stuff happens, and this amp has been there and back.

Old products don't get the same attention as the new stuff, but manuals can be found and given the 2 service jobs over a decade and a half I can't complain. Mesa has a pretty good rep for going the distance to keep things ticking, but after warranty you are into local tech support wherever you may find it. For this I feel the fundamental design specs that enable reliable performance provide overarching assurance that customer support will be only for very unusual needs. In general, just having a MESA product with a company promise to keep things ticking for the long haul is more support than I can use.

Playing for longer than I care to admit, over 30 years probably. Long enough to start recognizing a constant high pitched whine in my left ear from standing next to the cymbals of a masher of a drummer for clearly too long without ear plugs. Guys/Gals protect your ears! If I lost this I'd go after an update of it, probably something like the studio .22 plus with separate EQ for both playing channels, and mute speaker option. The major difference I've perceived between this and similar Marshall high gain sounds has been a difference in two things: added high harmonic distortion like what ZZ Top gets with the Marshall, which has showed up with the Celestion vintage 30 speaker mod; and, the speaker array influence, with 4 x 12 cabinets versus single 12's, and I have gottent closer to that larger wall of sound effect of the larger cabinet with a Johnson station that has competent speaker emulation, when I've wanted that kind of sound. Being able to get high gain sustained lead lines at low volume with this amp has made it a great resource for learning songs and solo practice as well as direct out solo recording. Thease of getting around with just this little thing has made setting up, and breraking down so much more manageable too over the years. Save your back with this kind of gear. When your fingers connect with the expressive potential of tube based smooth distortion like this Studio .22 brings ... I can remember feeling doors open in expanding soloing nuances, melodic embellishment, and a general feeling of self expression open up as a guitarist. I love what I can do with this stuff, and hope you find similar pleasure with your own endeavors.

I think this is a pretty straight ahead tube amp, two EL84s and a pile of 12AX7s. A footswitch changes from clean to distorted, and with out the footswitch you have to ground a cable to get it to switch channels. EQ, Volume, Master, blah blah blah. pretty standard stuff

The clean channel is surprisingly punchy and full, but it starts to break up pretty early. With the preamp above 3 or 4 you will start to break up. Same thing goes with the master above five. Of course its a tube amp so if you back the volume of your guitar off it cleans up nicely. The dirty channel is so out of hand for my playing style, way to much distortion, you can do some 40 second long notes, but to much for my phishy tastes. The dirty channel is noisy as all hell. Both channels are loud enough to jam and play small clubs with relative ease. For larger stuff I guess you could mic it or get out your wallet and buy something louder. I don't think I'll ever play a venue so large I needed that many watts. If its too loud turn it down. My drummer and i get along fine.

yo no se. reverb tank makes funny noises when you drive it around, but i'm not too worried

I think its a nice little amp and sounds great for the money. It fits nicely in my dorm room and is loud enough to play out. The clean channel has plenty of distortion for my tastes, it sounds good, it does everything I want. just a good solid cheap tube amp. what more can you ask for

For a little 1x12 combo it actually has a lot of features. It's a 2-channel amp with standard clean/rhythm (if you turn the gain up it will cease to be clean as it reaches higher levels!) channel and a lead channel. It doesn't have seperate tone controls for the seperate channels, but on top of the standard low/mid/high controls it also has the 5-band EQ which can be switched on/off/auto. On auto it is on for the lead channel and off for the rhythm channel. So using that you could have seperate EQ for each channel!

I'm actually using this with my Marshall JMP-1 preamp and Digitech GSP-21 effects rack. It replaced my power amp and quad, and I think it has a ballsier sound than the quad did. The overdrive itself sounds pretty good, but I love the way it improved the sounds I already had setup on my JMP-1. My main guitar is a custom made Ibanez/Jackson sort of type thing, with DiMarzio Evolution pickups in it. These are high output pickups but through amps like standard Marshalls and things I think the result can often sound week as neither the guitar nor the amp has a lot of mids. Through the JMP-1/studio .22 combination it sounds great! I've never managed to find a Marshall amp that sounds as good as the sounds from the JMP-1!

I haven't had it all that long, but I've not had any problem. Mesa/Boogie make very tough reliable gear. I'd easily use it at a gig without a backup. Since it's an all-valve amp it might be a good idea to take some spare tubes, but I would think that would be all you'd need to be safe. The rest of the amp is basically bulletproof!

Never had to deal with them

I bought this to replace my quad box because that was just overkill, too much to carry around for my main uses, and I replaced the big heavy quad and the 2 rack unit very heavy power amp with this little and relatively light combo. And it sounds better! And it's loud too! It's only rated at 50 watts, but there's something about Boogie gear that they seem to be able to totally outblast anything else in the same wattage and more. I was expecting to not get as good bass from an open back 1x12 combo, but this is better than the quad!

I was initially thinking about a Boogie Mk III or something like that, but this amp is just as good if not better I reackon and much lighter! It's rated as a lower power amp, but has easily enough. It's way too loud for my place at with the master at 2 and the gain at 3! I couldn't see myself ever selling this amp! Nothing else would be an upgrade! And for the price I paid, it's just awesome!