Mesa Crunchberries

[EOengineer]

Considering the false rumors that the standard RI was going to be so limited it kind of makes sense that the “++” is the actual limited one


Also , I feel like it was common knowledge months ago that the ++ was coming and was going to be super limited So I’m not following all the shock and Pearl clutching currently going around

Im not ready to get out the pitchforks or anything, but I would have preferred to see them just release the IIC+ with the option to pull the mid knob and get into the IIC++ mode.

The real cork sniffers might not go for a reissue to begin with, so the IIC++ option could have been an interesting sweetener to perhaps encourage adoption amongst non purists.

Like I said though, not my company, and people seem to be buying them up, so all seems fine.

 

[GreatGreen]

Considering the false rumors that the standard RI was going to be so limited it kind of makes sense that the “++” is the actual limited one


Also , I feel like it was common knowledge months ago that the ++ was coming and was going to be super limited So I’m not following all the shock and Pearl clutching currently going around

I don't know if it's "shock" so much as people just kinda cocking their heads and going "really?"

 

[spawnofthesith]

I don't know if it's "shock" so much as people just kinda cocking their heads and going "really?"

Perhaps. I just DGAF enough to be bothered by it, even as a massive “pre Gibson” Mesa fanboy and frankly “collector” At this point

 

[GreatGreen]

Perhaps. I just DGAF enough to be bothered by it, even as a massive “pre Gibson” Mesa fanboy and frankly “collector” At this point

Same. I'll be honest, out of all the reissue stuff Mesa has been / might be doing, I'm by far the most excited about a possible Triple Rec Reissue than I am about any version of the Mark IIC, as cool of an amp as the IIC+ and ++ might be.

I just hope if they do a Triple Rec RI that they don't limit it to 200 pieces.

 

[2112]

Had a good chuckle when I saw how many of these are making it down to Australia - 2 total

 

[2dor]

Had a good chuckle when I saw how many of these are making it down to Australia - 2 total

You got more than what I was able to find in the EU lol

 

[laxu]

@JiveTurkey also keeps bringing up an excellent and pertinent point that evwrything that Mesa releases that isn’t a mark or recto variant gets overlooked, unfairly compared to the flagships , and eventually discontinued. Mesa tried to pull a fast one by calling the badlander a recto and as awesome as it was still got panned pretty hard for not sounding like a recto. This has been going on for decades. People can bag in Gibson all they want but realistically they’re just being smart and giving customers what they’ve been demanding for years

I do hope we still get some new “non flagship” releases and that in another 10 years following the schedule we get a new innovative mark. But like……. *gestures*

I think part of that is on Mesa themselves. Putting the Badlander in the Recto category, then it not sounding like one is a surefire way to criticism.

Similarly the Mesa Stiletto was marketed as "Mesa's take on Marshall" and IMO it really wasn't, so that expectation made people compare it to Marshall based amps, which usually meant the Stiletto didn't come out on top. Which made Mesa make several revisions of the amp. I've only played the original and didn't like it at all

California Tweed and Fillmore have been reasonably well liked afaik, and there are some fans of the Electradyne, Royal Atlantic and TransAtlantic ranges. Those last two being butt-ugly probably didn't help.

Overall it's hard to come up with an amp that sounds actually different. Weirdly the "bad things" about many amps are what gives them character. Marshall sizzle and big bright caps, the Mark series aggression, Rectifier's huge low end etc.

 

[EOengineer]

Same. I'll be honest, out of all the reissue stuff Mesa has been / might be doing, I'm by far the most excited about a possible Triple Rec Reissue than I am about any version of the Mark IIC, as cool of an amp as the IIC+ and ++ might be.

I just hope if they do a Triple Rec RI that they don't limit it to 200 pieces.

FWIW I’ve seen a number of revision G triple rectifiers in the local market here for well under what I typically see the duals go for. I’ve been tempted to grab one a couple times but I really just don’t want to deal with retubing those things. They sound awesome though.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

*flamesuit on*

Was the Badlander REALLY that good? It definitely had some forum hype and some talk on youtube but it seems to have worn off pretty quick. I’m not too aware of bands or recordings heavily adopting them. Is it not just an improved version of a Stiletto?

Same is kind of true for the Triple Crown, it had some hype for a little bit and then people moved onto the next new thing.

A lot of it is just down to customers being somewhat boring with their choices too. Not every new amp is going to become a “classic” and customers are generally going to keep going back to the iconic amps that were heavily used by bands and on recordings

 

[paisleywookiee]

@JiveTurkey also keeps bringing up an excellent and pertinent point that evwrything that Mesa releases that isn’t a mark or recto variant gets overlooked, unfairly compared to the flagships , and eventually discontinued. Mesa tried to pull a fast one by calling the badlander a recto and as awesome as it was still got panned pretty hard for not sounding like a recto. This has been going on for decades. People can bag in Gibson all they want but realistically they’re just being smart and giving customers what they’ve been demanding for years

I do hope we still get some new “non flagship” releases and that in another 10 years following the schedule we get a new innovative mark. But like……. *gestures*

My two all-time favorite Mesas are the bad lander and the Fillmore. So I agree with you.

 

[James Freeman]

gibson can fof with the "limited" bullshit and the prices in europe.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

@JiveTurkey also keeps bringing up an excellent and pertinent point that evwrything that Mesa releases that isn’t a mark or recto variant gets overlooked, unfairly compared to the flagships

Tbf, this is just like Marshall selling DSL's for a fraction of what Jubilee/2203/1959HW/JCM900/JVM's etc all cost even though its not a "worse" amp. People just want the classics and flagships and the market for new designs or something different will be smaller. When people think of Mesa amps, their brain immediately assumes Recto or Mark

 

[Stone]

If it makes you feel any better I have a bunch of boogies and I've been recording almost exclusively on my FM9 recently. The recorded tone is closer than you may think, but a real tube amp in a room is still an unmatched experience.

Well yes this seems to be true, But I play in a small 15 x 16 Room/Studio and moderately low levels, hence i could never Justify using or spending insane amounts of Money on these types of amplifiers Head /Cab or Even Combos
Its what works for me

 

[JiveTurkey]

*flamesuit on*

Was the Badlander REALLY that good? It definitely had some forum hype and some talk on youtube but it seems to have worn off pretty quick. I’m not too aware of bands or recordings heavily adopting them. Is it not just an improved version of a Stiletto?

Same is kind of true for the Triple Crown, it had some hype for a little bit and then people moved onto the next new thing.

A lot of it is just down to customers being somewhat boring with their choices too. Not every new amp is going to become a “classic” and customers are generally going to keep going back to the iconic amps that were heavily used by bands and on recordings

It is, imo. I'd say it's one of the best "base guitar tones you can build things on top of" I've ever heard/used. The TC doesn't eat up any space in my head or feel like anything I ever have to try.

 

[EOengineer]

There was a TC 50 that sat on marketplace for over a year here. It got down to nearly $1k before it was either purchased or pulled. The clips I’ve heard sound good and it has some neat functionality being able to run 6v6/various tube configs and some of the switching/MIDI.

My own personal take was that it was just too ambiguous in terms of what it was bringing to the table, and what that really offered guitarists.

 

[JiveTurkey]

There was a TC 50 that sat on marketplace for over a year here. It got down to nearly $1k before it was either purchased or pulled. The clips I’ve heard sound good and it has some neat functionality being able to run 6v6/various tube configs and some of the switching/MIDI.

My own personal take was that it was just too ambiguous in terms of what it was bringing to the table, and what that really offered guitarists.

The layout and feature set seems great but I look at it and expect to be bored by the sounds

 

[EOengineer]

The layout and feature set seems great but I look at it and expect to be bored by the sounds

Yeah I just think in the current gear world it almost demands simple, bold marketing statements or people get confused and pass it by. For better or worse you need to be able to look at it for 5 seconds and know what it’s about.

 

[spawnofthesith]

*flamesuit on*

Was the Badlander REALLY that good? It definitely had some forum hype and some talk on youtube but it seems to have worn off pretty quick. I’m not too aware of bands or recordings heavily adopting them. Is it not just an improved version of a Stiletto?

No idea if its similar to a stilletto or not (I actually thought the circuit lineage was more based on the ED) but yes it really is that good imo. It's biggest issue is that its very misunderstood due to failed launch/marketing

 

[paisleywookiee]

*flamesuit on*

Was the Badlander REALLY that good? It definitely had some forum hype and some talk on youtube but it seems to have worn off pretty quick. I’m not too aware of bands or recordings heavily adopting them. Is it not just an improved version of a Stiletto?

Same is kind of true for the Triple Crown, it had some hype for a little bit and then people moved onto the next new thing.

A lot of it is just down to customers being somewhat boring with their choices too. Not every new amp is going to become a “classic” and customers are generally going to keep going back to the iconic amps that were heavily used by bands and on recordings

Yeah. It really is that good. It’s a fantastic amp that’s extremely versatile.

 

[Allexi]

*flamesuit on*

Was the Badlander REALLY that good? It definitely had some forum hype and some talk on youtube but it seems to have worn off pretty quick. I’m not too aware of bands or recordings heavily adopting them. Is it not just an improved version of a Stiletto?

Same is kind of true for the Triple Crown, it had some hype for a little bit and then people moved onto the next new thing.

A lot of it is just down to customers being somewhat boring with their choices too. Not every new amp is going to become a “classic” and customers are generally going to keep going back to the iconic amps that were heavily used by bands and on recordings

I would say yes, REALLY good for many reasons.
- Good form factor being not too big.
- Simple knobs layout that gets the job done. Very easy to dial.
- NOISE is VERY LOW on it, I guess due to the way they laid out gain stages. Crank gain to max and it is whisper quiet.
- Take boost like a charm.
- Reactive load/IR built in.
- And finally the SOUND. In my opinion is very good and balanced. Somewhat refined and well rounded that works well in recording situations.

And as mentioned before I think it was a quite a bad marketing and naming. It has nothing to do with actual rectifiers sound wise and feature wise. It is a versatile amp on its own.