a Deluxe Reverb hidden inside that’s been
juiced to high heaven. With a dash of reverb
(controlled from the rear panel), it was perfect
for light and heavy chording, only getting
thicker and more powerful the harder I hit
the strings. I realized that I’d finally found a
Mesa clean tone that beat out my favorite, the
aforementioned Trem-O-Verb I used to own.
Being highly satisfied with the clean tone this
amp is capable of producing with a Les Paul,
I wondered what it would sound like with a
guitar known for that tone. I reached for an
American Fender Jazzmaster, and kept the
amp in the 90-watt mode. The high end was
more pronounced of course, so I flipped to
the 45-watt setting and brought the presence
down a little to compensate. With the Reverb
almost dimed, I was able to get some huge
Johnny Greenwood-esque soundscapes with a
glistening crispness that was absolutely beautiful. That reverb is no slouch, either.
Put Some Gain on It
The gain modes on the Electra-Dyne are simply that: modes, though you can footswitch
between all three (Clean, Low and Hi) quite
effectively. Mesa wanted to keep the amp as
close to its single-channel roots as possible,
so the two gain options are British-voiced
variations on the core tone. Starting with the
low-gain option with the Les Paul, the amplifier
took on a very unique tone for Mesa, one with
more punch in the upper mids and a slight roll-off in the highs. This mode can get saturated
to a point, about as much as some of the mid-gain settings on a vintage JCM800. The Hi gain
mode definitely had that liquid gain that Mesa
is known for, but with the same kick in the mids
that the Low mode had. It was strange at first,
because I wasn’t used to hearing this sound
come from a Mesa amp. After a while, however, I really started to love it.
Since these two modes are Mesa’s homage to
vintage Brit amp tones, I decided to compare
them to an original legend in that vein. I set
up a 1973 Marshall Super Bass head with a
Bogner 4x12” next to the Mesa, and ran an
A/B box between the two. I know full well that
the Super Bass traditionally has fewer highs and
more lows than a Super Lead, but this particular one seems to have the best of both worlds,
and is one of the best representations of that
era that I’ve come across. Switching between
both amps driven, the similarities were highly
evident: strong upper midrange, smooth lows
and strong attack in the high end. What was
particularly evident in the Mesa was just how
strong and balanced the sound was over the
vintage Marshall. Obviously, there is a major
difference in the power amp structure, but this
was why I set up both in the first place. Mesa
took some of the best things about British
preamp design and stuck their own engine in
17” of
Archtop Attitude!
John Buscarino Custom
Gibson
(used 1966)
Johnny
Smith
629 Forest Avenue • Staten Island, NY 10310 • 718-981-8585
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