Like anything else, it's all in how you set it up. The Mini has a pretty basic tone stack (identical set for each channel), but very interactive and sensitive; small changes, especially in the treble and presence, can yield big changes. So, first thing: READ THE MANUAL. It's online if yours doesn't come with one.
I've had my Mini Rec for just over a year and have played out with it at a few different venues, big and small, mic'd and unmic'd, as well as once a week rehearsals. For context, I'm using my Mini with the Mini slant 1x12 cab w/the Mesa V30, playing an Epi Dot semi-holler with stock hummies in a trio with bass and drums, and we play a bit of everything from the classik roks to da bluez to some funk and old R & B. Think Little Feat meets Miles Davis meets Bill Withers meets War meets Santana. Here's my take. All settings given in "o'clock".
Cleans - really nice and sweet. On 25 watts it's good for no break-up with the gain up to noon and the master maybe at 2. If you use a hard attack it will break up at that setting, but just barely. Anything past that and there's some hair on the dog. **That said, my favorite OD from the amp comes from the clean channel with the gain and master dimed. Try it.** :wink: Take advantage of the EL84s. The amp likes the master cranked, so you can almost treat it like an old NMV amp and leave the master dimed and control level with the gain. That's probably, other than the power, the main difference between the Mini and its bigger cousins.
Dirts - I found the amp is able to really get that old Mark I Boogie vibe on the "vintage" setting with the gain about 9 and the master at 1-2 (remember, those are "o'clock"). I don't like a lot of saturation and compression, so that's a nice setting to get some great growl with power chords and sweet, singing sustain for leads. I add a Fromel Shape in the loop for some mid boost, and that really brings the Mark I vibe to life. Oh, the loop is in series, and I've had no issues with it at all. Just keep in mind that the master vol acts as a send level control, so if you crank the amp your effects will be more present in the mix than they were at bedroom levels. As long as you have level controls on your effects, not a problem.
This last weekend I was at a local amp/gear fest and had a chance to crank it through a 4x12. One of the guys there was a metal player, and he had a go with it on the "modern" setting, cranked. There was a lot of :shock: :shock: :shock: The amp was amazing, although, yes, for the big metal sounds it lacks some of the bottom end of the big bottle amps, but it was LOUD. It didn't seem to get much louder with either or both the master and gain much past noon-1; just more saturation and compression.
The "pushed" setting on the green channel - It just sort of picks up where the clean setting leaves off, actually with some overlap. I often play with the gain and master around noon which, with the guitar wide open has some nice crunch. Guitar vol rolled back cleans up really nice. Pushed is a great "edge of break up" pedal platform, too. I keep one OD pedal on my board - either a ZVex Distortron clone or the Mesa Grid Slammer (I swap them out , mood depending), and for songs that don't call for the full on Boogie setting I have on the vintage/red channel, kicking on an OD pedal to goose the amp is a nice option.
**A note on the Mesa Grid Slammer: it's like adding a third channel to the amp, perfect for getting an in between clean and full OD sound. So if you're looking for a foot-switchable third channel option, that is something to consider.**
So, the verdict for me is that the amp is incredibly versatile, and its performance is highly reliant on the operator to get the most out of it. I want another one for a stereo set up.
