Mesa/Boogie Titan V12 megathread!

[oZZma]

Exchange with Mesa tech support ongoing.

How did it end? Did you go for the update? I'm curious how much does it cost in Europe out of warranty (actually I am interested in the M9 but it's just to have a rough idea...)

 

[Wasnex]

I have a line on one for $750 without the footswitch.
Thoughts?
I need to go back and read through the thread on the update etc....

Get the serial and call Mesa to see if it is updated. If it is, that's a pretty good price. If it's not, you need to factor in whether you will just roll with the reliability concern or send the amp to Mesa. While you are on the phone with Mesa, ask how much the update currently runs and post it here. Last time I checked, it was about $450 plus shipping to Mesa, but that was over 5 years ago.

You might also consider whether the footswitch is value added. The Mesa preamp is a two channel switching design and it is very flexible. The Titan has four tubes that are shared between the two sets of channel controls. Both sets of channel controls are identical and include a switchable high gain section. Two tubes are used for low gain, and all four tubes are used for high gain.

The amp is setup so you can switch between two basses as well. What you can't do is use both channels at the same time.

The output section also has a switchable Solo volume so you can engage a volume boost with the footswitch at any time.

IMHO, the unique features of this amp really make the footswitch fairly attractive for a gigging musician.

I bought my Titan used in 2014 for $1,000. It's mint in the bronco headcase with the footswitch and manual. I thought I got a bargain because I was told the amp was a late model (less than 2 years since the original purchase) and came from the factory with all the updates.

When I called Mesa, I learned the amp had been manufactured more than 5 years before I bought it and the original purchaser did not register with Mesa. I was the third owner and the original owner had moved to a different state. I tracked down the store who originally sold the amp, and they confirmed the New Sale Date, but refused to provide proof of purchase and ghosted me, so no warranty. I am pretty confident the selling store or distributor misrepresented the amp. Since I live two states away, I eventually gave up.

It's been several years, but I have seen Mesa sell several updated Titans on Ebay for $850 both with and without the footswitch.

I have not updated my Titan and the only problem I have had so far has been a faulty preamp tube. I have a nice amp collection but I don't gig, so it does not get run frequently or hard. I do worry about though as it is an awesome and unique amp. The only amp that sounds and feels like a Titan is another Titan.

 

[baxter_x]

It's not expensive. I would go for it.
Do you have the serial number of the amp? About those updates, my guess is even if this amp is not upgrade it's not a big deal as it if should fry, it would have happened a while ago. I had two Titans, and one of the two wasn't upgraded. The only issue I had with it was a capacitor that blew and got replaced. That was not an overheating issue. Appart from this no issue at all.

 

[popinfresh]

Hey TB,

Haven't posted here in a while. Just found a V12 Titan and Mesa 6x10 cab local here for a descent price but it is a silverface and a quick read around shows they seem to have a few issues.
I will get the serial off the seller and check with Mesa on production date.
Just a couple quick questions, are all the silver faces prone to overheating/failure? What is a reasonable price for one without an update?
I'm in Australia and don't really like the idea of sending an amp back stateside to be repaired, are there authorised repairers for this issue and the update in Australia?
It is currently sitting in a RR case with a rack tuner sitting directly above, would it be recommended to remove the tuner to allow the amp to breathe?
I also have a couple leads on 400+'s so deliberating if going the old school tube might be a better investment although I like the idea of the V12.

Cheers!

 

[Wasnex]

Hey TB,

Haven't posted here in a while. Just found a V12 Titan and Mesa 6x10 cab local here for a descent price but it is a silverface and a quick read around shows they seem to have a few issues.
I will get the serial off the seller and check with Mesa on production date.
Just a couple quick questions, are all the silver faces prone to overheating/failure? What is a reasonable price for one without an update?
I'm in Australia and don't really like the idea of sending an amp back stateside to be repaired, are there authorised repairers for this issue and the update in Australia?
It is currently sitting in a RR case with a rack tuner sitting directly above, would it be recommended to remove the tuner to allow the amp to breathe?
I also have a couple leads on 400+'s so deliberating if going the old school tube might be a better investment although I like the idea of the V12.

Cheers!

Make sure the tuner is not obscuring any vents and that the hot air is not pooling in the case. If you add a fan, make sure it is assisting with the Titans natural air flow.

If the amp is not updated, factor the update into cost. I checked several years ago and it was around $450USD plus shipping to Mesa. I would hope Mesa would have an authorized service center in Australia. Shipping the amp back and forth to the US would likely be cost prohibitive. Maybe @agedhorse can give you the scoop. If not, I would contact the Mesa distribotor for your area MESA/Boogie®

I think you will find the 400+ and V12 are a bit apples and oranges. Both are awesome though. If you can, try before you buy.

 

[popinfresh]

Thanks Wasnex,

Will most likely just pull the tuner as it's sitting flush with the Titan. Will hopefully go for a roadtest this weekend on the Titan/610. Can't test the 400+ but I ran one years ago and enjoyed it. I ended up gigging a Trace V8/NV610 combo before I sold all my gear to go travelling. I thinknI could work with either a Titan or 400 happily. Only reason for grabbing a bunch of gear again is a local band is looking for a bass player and I thought why not. Have a HH Stingray on it's way so if it arrives before the weekend and take it around for a test.
I have a Mesa Strategy 500 at the moment which could also be an option with a pre. It's currently our home audio/vinyl amplifier and sounds great. I could pretty easily pull that on the weekends to take to rehearsals.
Biggest concern is just buying the Titan and having it blow at a gig.

 

[Wasnex]

Thanks Wasnex,

Will most likely just pull the tuner as it's sitting flush with the Titan. Will hopefully go for a roadtest this weekend on the Titan/610. Can't test the 400+ but I ran one years ago and enjoyed it. I ended up gigging a Trace V8/NV610 combo before I sold all my gear to go travelling. I thinknI could work with either a Titan or 400 happily. Only reason for grabbing a bunch of gear again is a local band is looking for a bass player and I thought why not. Have a HH Stingray on it's way so if it arrives before the weekend and take it around for a test.
I have a Mesa Strategy 500 at the moment which could also be an option with a pre. It's currently our home audio/vinyl amplifier and sounds great. I could pretty easily pull that on the weekends to take to rehearsals.
Biggest concern is just buying the Titan and having it blow at a gig.

I have both a V8 and a Titan...they sound absolutely nothing alike . I am sure the V8/NV610 was marvelous.

My Titan has not been updated, but all of my amps are basement queens, so it is not critical. It does make me a bit anxious because it is such and awesome and unique amp, and Mesa will not have the parts to fix it forever.

Having a micro Class-D as a spare would make sense for gigging purposes.

 

[popinfresh]

Micro Class-D is definitely something that crossed my mind as a back up. Have been out of the game a while but was looking at the darkglass amps as an option.

Yeah wouldn't expect the Titan and V8 to sound alike but think I'd be happy with either tone set! I have been keeping an eye out for another V8 over the years just to hold on. That and my old early 90's Warwick NT Thumb 5'er are two bits of kit I regret selling!

 

[agedhorse]

Note that the cost of updating in Australia is quite a bit more costly due to shipping the parts as well as the exchange rates., taxes, duties and fees. If you are interested, you will need to check with the importer/service center agent there for the current costs.

 

[popinfresh]

Thanks agedhorse, will do.

 

[popinfresh]

Just got a Titan and PH 610 rig home yesterday. Sounds great! Very impressed with the tonality. I do feel like it could have a bit more low end extension as an open E seems to have a bit of a pillowing effect and almost delayed response. Perhaps a tube change out could help?

It's an earlier silver face (No. 169).

Interesting response I got from Mesa in regard to the Titan updates which I thought some users may find informative. The rep who responded didn't seem to be aware of any updates performed on these amps, may point them in the direction of this thread.

"That said, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing one of these amps for your sole amplifier at this point due to the scarcity of some select parts. We are having difficulty sourcing some parts for these amps and it could be that at some point in the future, certain necessary parts or potential replacements are no longer available."

 

[baxter_x]

Such a bad news for such a fantastic amp......

 

[oZZma]

"That said, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing one of these amps for your sole amplifier at this point due to the scarcity of some select parts. We are having difficulty sourcing some parts for these amps and it could be that at some point in the future, certain necessary parts or potential replacements are no longer available."

I wonder if it also applies to the Carbines, because if I recall correctly they went out of production due to scarcity of some components...

 

[agedhorse]

As a general note, most parts are still available for all models, but there are some parts that the original vendors no longer manufacture and have disappeared from the legitimate distribution sources. These are a problem because the secondary markets are full of counterfeit or remarked parts that are either inferior or simply wrong. This causes problems that no manufacturer has the resources to investigate, test and support.

Unfortunately, this is true is all areas of electronics. Ironically, it is more common in the higher tech digital world where parts may only be current for 3-5 years.

The Titans and Carbine amps were designed over 20 years ago, they had an exceptionally long production life.

 

[baxter_x]

Unfortunately, this is true is all areas of electronics. Ironically, it is more common in the higher tech digital world where parts may only be current for 3-5 years.

I think fractal audiosystem is actually currently facing what you describe. I heard the DSP used in their axe fx devices might not be available soon anymore.

The Titans and Carbine amps were designed over 20 years ago, they had an exceptionally long production life.

Weren't the Titan and the carbine released like 10 years ago?

 

[agedhorse]

I think fractal audiosystem is actually currently facing what you describe. I heard the DSP used in their axe fx devices might not be available soon anymore.

Possibly, I don't know.

Weren't the Titan and the carbine released like 10 years ago?

I go from the design date, since that's the point at which the parts are both available and selected. I don't know what the actual release dates are since we do often build a smaller first production run for testing purposes as well as sending out on the road for additional testing.

The original design date of the Carbine M6 was ~early 2006 which makes it almost 14 years (I was off a little bit here)

The original design date of the Titan was about the same time which also makes it ~14 years (I was off a little here too)

Even 14 years is considered an eternity in many areas of the electronic world (very unfortunately IMO).

 

[baxter_x]

Even 14 years is considered an eternity in many areas of the electronic world (very unfortunately IMO).

I totally agree. I'd like to keep my Titan V12 forever, but I the fact some parts might not be available someday worries me a little.

 

[agedhorse]

I totally agree. I'd like to keep my Titan V12 forever, but I the fact some parts might not be available someday worries me a little.

Wherever possible we maintain a good stock of parts, but sometimes when we go to reorder several years after a product has been discontinued, we find that the part is no longer available. This is especially true of parts that had low sale volume and were impacted by RoHS legislation. Many manufacturers of such parts decided that it wasn't worth the cost of changing over the production of a low volume part to a new process (and the certifications that go along with it) and simply discontinued them. We are starting to see the same thing happening as more and more companies are migrating towards surface mount assemblies. In fact, what's ironic is that some surface mount parts (especially the larger sizes) have become obsolete as the industry pushes towards smaller and smaller footprints while the standard leaded components have remained available. There's no hard and fast rule to go by which makes predicting even more of a challenge.

 

[Dalmasn]

I've gigged my old silverface quite a lot and I also use it every week at least twice during our band practices. It is updated according to the latest level, maybe a year a go or so. The price was $450ish including shipping from the US east coast to Mesa and back. Totally worth it imho. I have it at the bottom in a road case where I have the slot above free (+a small clip on fan in the back) and the top slot is housing the micro-D GK500 backup. As most fohs runs direct it'll always do the trick as well and 500w is normally ok for stage volume =) I've never had to use it though, thankfully.
As for needing more bottom end I've never felt the need for it, running through a mesa powerhouse (4x10+1x15) in 5-string drop A.
For the delay you're experiencing I've noticed similar behavior with the drive enabled, it's more of a spongy, almost swelling effect, much like the guitar rectifiers, and I like it, its like an earthquake under control, but also not really, needless to say I really like the Titan.
The day my silver Titan is not able to be repaired I'll be very sad. I will move on though and continue using my newer black face instead =)

 

[blong1]

I sent my silver face back to Mesa a couple of years ago when mine crapped out. It was around $450 to get it repaired but haven't had a problem since. It's the best amp I've ever owned and hope it lasts many more years!

I too run a clip on fan to help with air flow and leave a space above it...works like a charm!