Mesa Boogie Blue Angel

[Richard_G]

So I’ve come across a used Mesa Boogie Blue Angel 4x10 combo for sale.

I don’t think these show up often locally, and it piqued my interest.

Anyone have any experience with these?

 

[spawnofthesith]

No experience but I always thought they look pretty neat

 

[Blix]

Been a decade or two since I've tried one, but remember it as a fantastic clean amp.

 

[EOengineer]

The Blue Angel is sort of like Mesa’s Princeton Reverb. A little bolder, more mids, but an awesome amp if you’re not trying to play Metallica on it.

 

[Richard_G]

I’ve now been in contact with the seller.

He says he’s had it since 2001 or 2002. It looks really clean on photos and seller says everything works like it should. Seller says he used it on 20-25 gigs over the first decade, but that it since then has mostly been left alone. Everything is supposed to be original. It is even supposed to have the original tubes (!).

I’m kind of torn here; on one hand it seems to be in mint condition. On the other hand, it’s a quarter-of-a-century-old amp that has never been serviced (!). I guess I - if I buy it - should have an amp tech go over it, and I guess that could be costly.

 

[newholland]

not really. i play a 1981 mark daily. give it a go!

 

[spawnofthesith]

If the price is right wouldn’t sweat it, although if it’s been sitting for a long time without being played that’s when caps start going bad….

The progressive linkage between el84 and 6v6 on these amps is super intriguing imo

 

[TSJMajesty]

If the price is right wouldn’t sweat it, although if it’s been sitting for a long time without being played that’s when caps start going bad….

The progressive linkage between el84 and 6v6 on these amps is super intriguing imo

So if I have a MWDR, I should play it once in a while? It's probably 15 years old.

 

[spawnofthesith]

So if I have a MWDR, I should play it once in a while? It's probably 15 years old.

I doubt that’s old enough to start being a concern yet, but yeah generally speaking cala should have some shit happenkngng WVERY now and again to stay healthy

 

[spawnofthesith]

So if I have a MWDR, I should play it once in a while? It's probably 15 years old.

But also why you not plugging into that MWDR more often anyway

 

[TSJMajesty]

But also why you not plugging into that MWDR more often anyway

I knew I was gonna hear that.

But seriously, I thought age wears out capacitors. You're saying playing the amp will help stave off them wearing out? (Sorry for the thread drift.)

Edit: Oh shit, I only jumped to the reply above. My bad.

 

[Orvillain]

You know what to do. You can feel it in your heart.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Is the Blue Angel a dual rectifier? Or am I thinking of the Heartbreaker?

 

[spawnofthesith]

I knew I was gonna hear that.

But seriously, I thought age wears out capacitors. You're saying playing the amp will help stave off them wearing out? (Sorry for the thread drift.)

Edit: Oh shit, I only jumped to the reply above. My bad.

I could be a dumb dumb but to my understanding and knowledge caps that haven’t had anything pimping through them for decades are more likely and at higher risk to swell and fail then well loved caps. Perhaps someone smarter than me can hike in to confirm

 

[paisleywookiee]

Is the Blue Angel a dual rectifier? Or am I thinking of the Heartbreaker?

It was billed by Mesa as a Rectifier series. But certainly not what most would equate to a “Rectifier”.

 

[spawnofthesith]

It was billed by Mesa as a Rectifier series. But certainly not what most would equate to a “Rectifier”.

Origin story of doing dumb shit like calling the badlander a recto

 

[paisleywookiee]

Origin story of doing dumb shit like calling the badlander a recto

Yep. Basically. The Blue Angel was the hipster misidentified Rectifier.

 

[EOengineer]

It’s settled science that if you don’t play a dual rectifier at half volume or greater weekly, your amp will blow up and your balls will fall off. That’s what colleges are teaching these days.

 

[TSJMajesty]

It’s settled science that if you don’t play a dual rectifier at half volume or greater weekly, your amp will blow up and your balls will fall off. That’s what colleges are teaching these days.

So THAT'S what happened to ma ballz! FUCK! That damn Axe III!

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I could be a dumb dumb but to my understanding and knowledge caps that haven’t had anything pimping through them for decades are more likely and at higher risk to swell and fail then well loved caps. Perhaps someone smarter than me can hike in to confirm

Use is better for electrolytic - voltage “heals” any breakdown in the insulator layer via fresh oxide formation. It’s a voltage driven process, not current, so no need to crank to get the healing effect.