NAD: Mezzabarba content

JerEvil

Roadie
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443
So… happenstance seems to be my thing. Got this guy tonight for a fucking song. Like… used 50 watt JVM pricing and no… not stolen! Lol!

Seriously one of the loudest fucking amps I’ve ever played.
 

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The red transformers and open front are cool. I don't know that brand (name almost seems a spoof of Mesa Boogie). Looks like a sweet find, overall. Enjoy! :beer
 
Nice what is that, an MZero?
Yeah man, MZero Overdrive.

The red transformers and open front are cool. I don't know that brand (name almost seems a spoof of Mesa Boogie). Looks like a sweet find, overall. Enjoy! :beer
Made by Pierangelo Mezzabarba. These are made in Italy. Basically a heavily SLO inspired amp with some Plexi DNA built in.
 
The Mezzabarbas basically ARE dead-on SLO clones with veeerry small tweaks (according to the schems floating around at SLOclone forums).

This is also what I hear when listening to YT vids.
 
The Mezzabarbas basically ARE dead-on SLO clones with veeerry small tweaks (according to the schems floating around at SLOclone forums).

This is also what I hear when listening to YT vids.
I respectfully disagree, as an owner of an SLO 100, a Mezza trinity, skill 30 and Mzero OD. Those tweaks are far bigger than very small.

I find the Soldano has more saturation at lower gain settings, and all of the Mezza stuff to have gobs more gain on tap than the SLO. The SLO is the choice for 80s rock/metal on down, the Mezza stuff picks up where that leaves off throughout the most high gain tones you can imagine.

FWIW, Pierangelo LOVES the SLO and you are correct it shares the same pedigree as the SLO, but the differences are just too great to call them dead on clones.

I’m definitely nowhere near an amp builder and wouldn’t know the difference between an amp schematic or a lightbulb one, but the same has been said about the dual rectifier which to me also sounds light years apart from an SLO as well. I dont get it. If they’re built the same, I’m not going to pretend to know why they sound so different.

At any rate, to the OP, it’s a great amp built by a great company. Pierangelo and JP are gentlemen. This matters to me when picking gear, maybe I’m weird. Good team and good roster of players. Eric Steckel has his own model amp now (he borrowed my Mzero for a few local dates around here) and Howie oh god I forget his last name but he goes out with Winger, Nelson and a few other 80s throwbacks plays them, too. Joel Hoekstra has one as well, although last I heard it was in David Coverdale’s studio out west. Not sure how much if at all he has used it.

Just a tip I found out the hard way: do NOT hot swap anything out of the FX loop, you’ll blow the fuse. With that amp I power down before plugging anything in or out of the loop, as I chewed thru a few fuses this way. Standby may be acceptable too, ask them.
 
Tbh I can only tell from the Trinity, whose schematic had been traced on the SLO clone forums. That IS an SLO, with it's three sounds as three channels (two of them sharing a tone stack, IIRC). Only the loop of the old SLOs isn't implemented on the Trinity, it has a more useful circuit and position in the signal oath AFAIR.
Some of the sound switches on the Trinity are elements of the original SLO, but just switchable.
I was assuming, the other Mezzabarba amps go in the same direction, because their layout resembles the SLO (also their looks...well, kinda..). So, sorry for taring them with the same brush (is this the correct term ...?).

However, these are very well built and they use good components, simply very good amps.


The Rectos essentially take the preamp and tone stack of the SLO and combine it with a different power stage and NFB concept. Hence the mostly rather dramatic differences in sound between the two. I also don't know about the revisions, or what was altered in the circuit for which revision.
 
C7F42772-EA46-43EC-ACF4-6C27B67AA691.jpeg

I was looking on social media for some Mezzabarba pics and myself to tell some of the story better but stumbled on this one. Does anyone recognize the gentleman in the green jacket over my left shoulder? Explains my grin lol.
 
Tbh I can only tell from the Trinity, whose schematic had been traced on the SLO clone forums. That IS an SLO, with it's three sounds as three channels (two of them sharing a tone stack, IIRC). Only the loop of the old SLOs isn't implemented on the Trinity, it has a more useful circuit and position in the signal oath AFAIR.
Some of the sound switches on the Trinity are elements of the original SLO, but just switchable.
I was assuming, the other Mezzabarba amps go in the same direction, because their layout resembles the SLO (also their looks...well, kinda..). So, sorry for taring them with the same brush (is this the correct term ...?).

However, these are very well built and they use good components, simply very good amps.


The Rectos essentially take the preamp and tone stack of the SLO and combine it with a different power stage and NFB concept. Hence the mostly rather dramatic differences in sound between the two. I also don't know about the revisions, or what was altered in the circuit for which revision.
I completely believe everything you’re saying.
 
You bet. He was on our flight out of LAX back to Long Island. I told my wife when I saw him going thru TSA pre check “Holy shit look, that’s Petrucci”! She said no it isnt, no way. Sure as shit it was him at our gate. I’m not the type to bug these guys in the wild, but my wife always goes up to them and asks them if we can get pics and whatnot. He is super cool. Talked guitars, his camp, grilling meat and how much a pathetic fanboi I’ve been all these years.
 
Audio not so great, but this was their NAMM booth, I think back in 2019. Howie SIMON playing guitar, Pierangelo ducking in and out of the frame to the right. Howie was demoing one of the amps and playing his parts to the new (to 2019) Jeff Scott Soto record.

 
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