New to me: Mesa Buster 200 Head

[rnilson]

Well boys I understand now why it is worth it to carry a 60lb tube amp around, and it's called tone!

To this point my "tubey" amp has been a LMII with a DHA VT1-EQ Bass in the effects loop. This combo sounds darn good and can do modern to vintage, clean tube to very dirty very convincingly.

The Buster in comparison is just more compressed and punchy it just sounds way more full. The buster does an awesome vintage motown/soul vibe which is what I was after, but as noted before it does not excel in grind by it self.

Now when I put the DHA into the effects loop I can get the grind tone I want for sure. The cool thing is that it is almost like a preset as I don't have to turn knobs and in a click i get the grind I want. The fact that it is a tube pedal keeps that touch sensitive thing in tact which is missing form non-tube dirt like a VT. I would be interested in trying a EBS valve drive in the loop too as I remember that being the best tube dirt pedal I have ever gotten to play. Why I sold it I'll never know, stupidity I guess.

Anyway I am very happy.

[HUnt49]

Originally Posted by rnilson

Well boys I understand now why it is worth it to carry a 60lb tube amp around, and it's called tone!
...

The Buster in comparison is just more compressed and punchy it just sounds way more full. The buster does an awesome vintage motown/soul vibe which is what I was after, but as noted before it does not excel in grind by it self.
...
Anyway I am very happy.

I really miss my 15 combo Buster. But if I get another it will be the head, for sure. A good find, they're rare.

As you say, it doesn't 'drive' the way some think a tube amp will - it's not about SVT tones, it's more about tube clean with complexity in the tone.

Miss that amp... Enjoy yours! Ever want to unload it, PM me.

[paganjack]

Nice. The Buster is my first all-tube amp as well, and I do love it so. Having a dirt pedal is pretty crucial, although my amp breaks up when the master=dimed, volume past 2 o'clock and I dig in. I also use lots of OD/fuzz, so having an all-tube amp just sounds...so good.

It's an incredibly punchy amp with a smooth natural tone. It's kind of an atypical tube amp in that regard. It's kind of a blend of roundness and quickness. The 9-band EQ can make it sound a bit more modern though.

Have you gotten a good hold of the 3-band rotary EQ? That throws a lot of people off. When any of the 3 knobs is above noon it dominates the tone. You'll notice that having the treble above noon makes it sound really thin. I don't use a super bright tone ( I like flats), so I keep that knob down pretty far.

[rnilson]

Yeah I am getting to rotary down. You are right It is not an SVT tone for sure but with a tube dirt in the effects look blended 50% it get pretty dang close, and with out the ear bleeding volume. I am in the quiet is good minority.

When people said a tube is more 3D sounding I didn't get it, but it really does sound more "in the room" than a solid state.