Recently scored this Mesa boogie buster bass 200 combo amp and wow! it’s a tube amp of its own kind. I mean that in a positive way. The rotary shaping controls along with the seven band Eq makes this amp easy to find all sorts of great tones .
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Mesa Boogie Buster Bass 200 115 combo
- Thread starter xxcody2gunsxx
- Start date
I love my Buster head, especially when it’s sitting on my Henry the 8x8. Still clean and clear when pushed, but with some sort of magic fairy dust sprinkled on top.
It seemed easier to carry twenty-five years ago, though.
It seemed easier to carry twenty-five years ago, though.
Nice sounding (if heavy) tube amp. I had the amp head version some years ago that I used with various cabs and found it to be a very clean sounding amp that did not really give me what I wanted (tube warmth/saturation) from a tube amp. But still, nice piece of gear for sure.
enjoy!
enjoy!
Yeah its not light by no means and I agree that it stays clean until you really crank the gain .
Thanks!
Its different amp then say an AMPEG but I can definitely hear the tube tone from this amp .
I used the wedge-shaped version of this amp with two 10s for a while. Good sounding amp but note that the DI on mine did not handle phantom power at all. It took me only one time for the FOH guy to apply global phantom power and me losing 90% of my amp sound. No permanent damage but forever after I had a separate DI box. Just sayin'.
After spending some time with the Buster 200 I can say that it’s a absolute awesome amp . The treble knob really sets the mode and engaging the eq really opens up the options.
On side note ,I have AMPEG 810 that was in rough shape . I removed the torn Tolex and rolled on the Duratex. Also removed the cover and added speaker grills . While at it ,I also Duratexed the Buster 200 combo replaced the speaker cloth and scored a Mesa Buster Bass 200 head in the mix
On side note ,I have AMPEG 810 that was in rough shape . I removed the torn Tolex and rolled on the Duratex. Also removed the cover and added speaker grills . While at it ,I also Duratexed the Buster 200 combo replaced the speaker cloth and scored a Mesa Buster Bass 200 head in the mix
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No damage. Was if it never happened. Always use a separate DI box with this and you’re golden.
Have fun. I kinda miss mine but not the weight.
Edit- recently, on a whim, I picked up a Mesa M Pulse 600 and giged it last Saturday nite. Interestingly it took me back to Buster days with girth, depth of tone and power. My main gig rig is a WD800 and two Subway 1x12s but this older Mesa stuff, even the Mosfet power, has something special going on. Just sayin’. Enjoy.
Have fun. I kinda miss mine but not the weight.
Edit- recently, on a whim, I picked up a Mesa M Pulse 600 and giged it last Saturday nite. Interestingly it took me back to Buster days with girth, depth of tone and power. My main gig rig is a WD800 and two Subway 1x12s but this older Mesa stuff, even the Mosfet power, has something special going on. Just sayin’. Enjoy.
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My Buster started blowing fuses a few weeks ago so I decided to take it to Wizard in Atlanta.
First, it was a great conversation piece. They obviously dug it and don’t see many Busters.
I got to talk with the tech when I picked it up today. He said that the 1/4” speaker connector was shorting the jack on the back of the amp (this is the 210 wedge). He also said that usually a speaker short would damage the output transformer. However, these transformers are so massive they still function normally.
I’m happy I didn’t have to buy new transformers. And even happier to have the amp back and working.
First, it was a great conversation piece. They obviously dug it and don’t see many Busters.
I got to talk with the tech when I picked it up today. He said that the 1/4” speaker connector was shorting the jack on the back of the amp (this is the 210 wedge). He also said that usually a speaker short would damage the output transformer. However, these transformers are so massive they still function normally.
I’m happy I didn’t have to buy new transformers. And even happier to have the amp back and working.
Congrats on the new amp!! I had a Buster in the 2x10 “wedge” combo form for a couple years. As I recall it was a VERY clean and “fast” tube amp, and I loved the form factor of the 2x10 cabinet combo. Ended up selling it as I really bought it as a nostalgia piece (it was the house amp from my first gigs back in the late 90’s) and the tone just wasn’t working for what I needed at the time, but it’s a solid tube amp that was near indestructible!
Glad you’re loving it through the 8x-0, I’ll bet that sounds massive!
Glad you’re loving it through the 8x-0, I’ll bet that sounds massive!
I saw the Buster 210 Wedge at the Mesa Hollywood store shortly after they were introduced.
My first thought: "What IS that??" (Mesa was not all that big on bass gear back then). I found out what it was when I give it a try out in-store, and wound up wheeling it outta there, thus beginning a load-in process that still plagues me to this day!
That thing is heavy, and lifting it off the ground is totally non-aerodynamic due to the wedge shape. There's a rod inserted in the back to keep it stable on stage. I had a cover made for it, that required 17 measurements for Undercover NYC, and Mesa rewarded me with free logo patches for providing them with the measurements!
I LOVE this rig. I toured with it, and had a power tube failure on-stage in Prescott AZ, and had to finish the next nights gig in Jerome with a half- dead rig. Two frat boys working the dance floor came up to me mid-song and said "Hey- turn up the bass!" ... I tried to explain, but....
Had it retubed next week after I returned to LA, and cleaned & serviced years later by an expert tech.
It works perfectly.
Again- I LOVE this thing. I know about the BUSTER head itself, and the 15 Combo, but man, those 2 -10's in the wedge are so well matched and put out such strong sound...
Later on in the tour, a guy came up to me as we were playing outdoors on a patio in Covington, LA, and said he & his wife came into the place because he heard the bass outside on the street.
Today, I mostly work with a Quilter BB800 and a 38 lb. Schroeder 212PL, a winning combination IMO; light as a feather.
But I've yet to hear a rig that sounds as tight to me as the 210 Buster combo does. Some never got this amp, thought it too mid-rangy or something, to which I say: "Nonsense!" Learn how to work the eq!" But to each their own.
OP, enjoy that Buster 15 combo 6 months in, & watch your back- Remember - Bend when lifting (or is it don't bend, I forget.)
My first thought: "What IS that??" (Mesa was not all that big on bass gear back then). I found out what it was when I give it a try out in-store, and wound up wheeling it outta there, thus beginning a load-in process that still plagues me to this day!
That thing is heavy, and lifting it off the ground is totally non-aerodynamic due to the wedge shape. There's a rod inserted in the back to keep it stable on stage. I had a cover made for it, that required 17 measurements for Undercover NYC, and Mesa rewarded me with free logo patches for providing them with the measurements!
I LOVE this rig. I toured with it, and had a power tube failure on-stage in Prescott AZ, and had to finish the next nights gig in Jerome with a half- dead rig. Two frat boys working the dance floor came up to me mid-song and said "Hey- turn up the bass!" ... I tried to explain, but....
Had it retubed next week after I returned to LA, and cleaned & serviced years later by an expert tech.
It works perfectly.
Again- I LOVE this thing. I know about the BUSTER head itself, and the 15 Combo, but man, those 2 -10's in the wedge are so well matched and put out such strong sound...
Later on in the tour, a guy came up to me as we were playing outdoors on a patio in Covington, LA, and said he & his wife came into the place because he heard the bass outside on the street.
Today, I mostly work with a Quilter BB800 and a 38 lb. Schroeder 212PL, a winning combination IMO; light as a feather.
But I've yet to hear a rig that sounds as tight to me as the 210 Buster combo does. Some never got this amp, thought it too mid-rangy or something, to which I say: "Nonsense!" Learn how to work the eq!" But to each their own.
OP, enjoy that Buster 15 combo 6 months in, & watch your back- Remember - Bend when lifting (or is it don't bend, I forget.)
Hey Cody I purchased one of those buster combo's
Attachments
Those came with an 8 ohm EV15L, it would realistically be only capable of 200w, which matches the head pretty good.
The claimed 400w 15L was the same speaker with some sort of magic glue rated at a higher temp, but it did not handle any more power.
So you use the 8 ohm jack. If you want to add an 8 ohm extension cab, then you plug both cabs over to the 4 ohm jacks.
