MESA/BOOGIE
M3 CARBINE HEAD
BY E.E. BRADMAN
Fans of Mesa/Boogie’s guitar amps might be surprised
to learn that the first amp the
Petaluma, California, manufacturer
built—way back in 1969—was
made for bass. In the years since
then, Mesa products such as the
highly desirable (but discontinued)
400+ have embodied the company’s
quest for bass-tone perfection.
And their current offerings, which
range in size from the WalkAbout
to the Big Block Titan V12, have
attracted a long list of players such
as John Myung of Dream Theater,
Ozzy Osbourne bassist Blasko, and
Korn’s Fieldy.
The 300-watt/4-ohm, solid-
state/tube hybrid M3 is the latest
addition to the company’s Carbine
series, which includes the 600-
watt M6 and the 900-watt M9.
Besides being less powerful than
its older brothers, the M3 has
far fewer controls, but simplicity
is part of its charm. And when
paired with the Mesa Boogie
Powerhouse 4x10 cabinet—a beast
that can handle 600 watts at 8 or
4 ohms and comes with its own
tone-shaping options—the M3 is
a formidable and affordable head-
and-cabinet package.
Simple Head, Hefty Cab
Our test M3 arrived unracked,
and my first impression is that this
unit is built to last. Plugging it in
and flipping on the sturdy power
switch illuminates an LED that’s
bright enough to see under stage
lights. Control knobs are big and
easy to read, and the simplicity
of the front panel is a plus, too.
There are only five knobs: Gain,
Bass, Mid, Treble, DI Level, and
Master Volume. Everything else—
the fuse, two 1/4" speaker output
jacks, an effects send/return sec-
tion with a bypass switch, the line
out, a tuner output, a mute pedal
input, and a ground lift—lives on
the back panel.
Input signal
clipping LED
Push-pull knobs for Deep,
DI Send, and Mute functions
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