Tone 1986 mesa boogie studio we w/ EQ

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Mopar196973

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Newby here ....the Mesa is different than any amp i ever used before.

Can any one explain the tone controls on the studio 22? I acquired one and can can get some awesome clean tones but can't quit dial in the overdrive. The controls area little different than anything I've used before.

It is different how the treble impacts the gain.

How do the combination of the push pull volumes work together?

A lot of subtle interactions with the knobs.



Thanks!
 
It is great shape i Replaced all the tubes ordered a foot switch; looks like it might have a popped capacitor

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Looks like volume sets the gain for the lead mode. Check out some of the recommended settings in the manual http://mesaboogie.com/media/User%20Manuals/Studio_22_manual.pdf. Should get you pointed in the right direction.
 
I sent my Studio .22+ to Mike Bendinelli for him to add a fourth volume pot at the back of the chassis.
With this "Lead Drive" pot, you can dial the gain of the clean and the lead channels independently (it resembles more of a Mark II and III).
It is a very common mod in these amps.

Maybe there is a similar mod for the Studio .22
 
Thanks for the manual it definitely helps some...It does'nt say much about the push pull volumes.

Both are push pull I'm not quite sure how they work in tandem.

I see alot of video of people getting great tone out of these (most are the + model w/ the lead volume).

I'm just not getting it everything seems a little finicky. Seems you have to use alot of treble to get any drive, but it sounds a little thin.

I been using a 90's American strat w/ seymor duncans, and just tested an LP junior w/ P90's did'nt sound great. I'll try some humbuckers on it see if it drives it better.
 
igfraso said:
I sent my Studio .22+ to Mike Bendinelli for him to add a fourth volume pot at the back of the chassis.
With this "Lead Drive" pot, you can dial the gain of the clean and the lead channels independently (it resembles more of a Mark II and III).
It is a very common mod in these amps.

Maybe there is a similar mod for the Studio .22


Wow looked up Mike Bendinelli pretty impressive .........maybe that is an option.. I'll have to find out how much.

I'm guessing the Studio 22's are worth about $600 so don't know how much to put into it. But i'm ahead of the game $ wise; Before My friend passed away i bought the boogie, 77 Twin, a park, a midi keyboard, and 5 guitars for $2500. I fixed the twin up but that is loud and Max headroom.

I have tried a lot of settings i'm just not getting that legendary MESA sound i keep hearing about.


I want to love this amp but just not getting the sounds crunch and drive.....wonder if some of the filter caps are bad. There must be something wrong with it.

I see lots of Tone for the 22+ but not many video s on the 22..

I want to hear what this thing is supposed to sound like....Any 22 users on here with some tone settings?
 
Mopar196973 said:
Newby here ....the Mesa is different than any amp i ever used before.

Can any one explain the tone controls on the studio 22? I acquired one and can can get some awesome clean tones but can't quit dial in the overdrive. The controls area little different than anything I've used before.

It is different how the treble impacts the gain.

How do the combination of the push pull volumes work together?

A lot of subtle interactions with the knobs.



Thanks!
Are you saying the pots on that amp are push/pull pots?
If so it's been modded as the studio 22 never had push/pull knobs just regular pots.
You won't be able to get the lead channel working without the footswitch.Or you could plug a grounded jack into the footswitch socket.Again that's unless the amp has been modded.With a stock 22 like the one pictured with just the volume and master the higher you set the volume the more gain/overdrive you will get with the lead channel engaged but this will also make your clean channel dirty.As you say the higher the treble adds a bit more gain too.Later models also had a lead master where you could balance the channels a bit better similar to a mark II.
 
MK IIB said:
Mopar196973 said:
Newby here ....the Mesa is different than any amp i ever used before.

Can any one explain the tone controls on the studio 22? I acquired one and can can get some awesome clean tones but can't quit dial in the overdrive. The controls area little different than anything I've used before.

It is different how the treble impacts the gain.

How do the combination of the push pull volumes work together?

A lot of subtle interactions with the knobs.



Thanks!
Are you saying the pots on that amp are push/pull pots?
If so it's been modded as the studio 22 never had push/pull knobs just regular pots.
You won't be able to get the lead channel working without the footswitch.Or you could plug a grounded jack into the footswitch socket.Again that's unless the amp has been modded.With a stock 22 like the one pictured with just the volume and master the higher you set the volume the more gain/overdrive you will get with the lead channel engaged but this will also make your clean channel dirty.As you say the higher the treble adds a bit more gain too.Later models also had a lead master where you could balance the channels a bit better similar to a mark II.



Yes both volumes are push pull. not quite sure what they do, maybe it is already modded. The guy i bought it from used to be a studio musician so it would'nt surprise me ..........I did order a foot switch to get the lead can't wait hear it.

I'm going to take it to the amp guy when he gets back from vaca and fix all the caps etc. See what has been modified.

While i have it there what mods would you guys recommend for the 22? May as well get it all done at once.
 
Mopar196973 said:
MK IIB said:
Mopar196973 said:
Newby here ....the Mesa is different than any amp i ever used before.

Can any one explain the tone controls on the studio 22? I acquired one and can can get some awesome clean tones but can't quit dial in the overdrive. The controls area little different than anything I've used before.

It is different how the treble impacts the gain.

How do the combination of the push pull volumes work together?

A lot of subtle interactions with the knobs.



Thanks!
Are you saying the pots on that amp are push/pull pots?
If so it's been modded as the studio 22 never had push/pull knobs just regular pots.
You won't be able to get the lead channel working without the footswitch.Or you could plug a grounded jack into the footswitch socket.Again that's unless the amp has been modded.With a stock 22 like the one pictured with just the volume and master the higher you set the volume the more gain/overdrive you will get with the lead channel engaged but this will also make your clean channel dirty.As you say the higher the treble adds a bit more gain too.Later models also had a lead master where you could balance the channels a bit better similar to a mark II.



Yes both volumes are push pull. not quite sure what they do, maybe it is already modded. The guy i bought it from used to be a studio musician so it would'nt surprise me ..........I did order a foot switch to get the lead can't wait hear it.

I'm going to take it to the amp guy when he gets back from vaca and fix all the caps etc. See what has been modified.

While i have it there what mods would you guys recommend for the 22? May as well get it all done at once.
When I had my studio 22 same as yours(but minus EQ) I just used it stock.Mines didn't have any push/pull pots and I suspect your amp has been modded.Do you hear a difference when you pull the knobs out?The ony mod I know of is one which adds yet another volume to help balance both "channels" If you google Mesa studio 22 mods I'm sure you'll find some info on mods for that amp.
P.s I ran mine more or less flat out and it just sang.I was listening to an old recording just the other day with that amp and a Strat Plus and the lead sound was just awesome.I remember the presence had to be fairly low or else it caused a piercing sound and was also prone to some internal feedback but that might have been because it was being ran flat out.
I got some awsome tones from that little amp.
 
When I had my studio 22 same as yours(but minus EQ) I just used it stock.Mines didn't have any push/pull pots and I suspect your amp has been modded.Do you hear a difference when you pull the knobs out?The ony mod I know of is one which adds yet another volume to help balance both "channels" If you google Mesa studio 22 mods I'm sure you'll find some info on mods for that amp.
P.s I ran mine more or less flat out and it just sang.I was listening to an old recording just the other day with that amp and a Strat Plus and the lead sound was just awesome.I remember the presence had to be fairly low or else it caused a piercing sound and was also prone to some internal feedback but that might have been because it was being ran flat out.
I got some awsome tones from that little amp.

It gets louder when i pull the volume and some more gain, but I'm not getting great gain at all; definitely not singing. I think there are some bad caps and scratchy pots.

It sounds great clean, i can't wait to hear what else it can do i heard alot of great things about this amp.

i'm looking forward to some different tone i been playing the 77 Twin silverface and it is mid scooped and way to much head room. This seems more my size.
 
You'll not get the singing overdrive sound without the lead channel engaged and you need the footswitch for that.
Maybe somone has added a gain boost(like the mark II)this lifts the tonestack from the circuit and gives a bit of a gain boost but it's really just specultion.
You could post a few shots of the guts of the amp under the chassis to get an idea of what's been done to it.
 
MK IIB said:
You'll not get the singing overdrive sound without the lead channel engaged and you need the footswitch for that.
Maybe somone has added a gain boost(like the mark II)this lifts the tonestack from the circuit and gives a bit of a gain boost but it's really just specultion.
You could post a few shots of the guts of the amp under the chassis to get an idea of what's been done to it.


The switch i ordered should be here tomorrow i will see what it does and will post up a gut shot.
 
Wow i ordered a switch from Mesa on 2/28 10 am eastern , i recieved a UPS notification figuring it was just delivered but it said it just shipped and will arrive 3/14!

What company these days has a 15 day order fulfillment cycle?

Should have just bought a generic switch.
 
You can activate the lead channel with just a speaker cable. Plug one end into the footswitch jack, and ground the other end to the metal handle cover. You may have to tape it in place, but it will work.

Try these settings:
Volume: 5-6
Master: 5-6

The volume and master interact. You can dime the colume, but the master has to be set fairly low. OR you can set the master up real high, but you have to keep the volume no higher than 3 for a Santana tone.
Treble: 8-10 (higher treble = more saturation)
Bass: 0-2 (higher bass = flubby farty)
Middle: 5

Set reverb and presence to 0, and turn off the eq until you get the best sound with the tone stack.

You can set the presence and eq to taste after you get the sound you like. The eq can suck the tone out, in my opinion. I never use mine in my quad, and my .50 caliber is your amp with twice the power.
 
Thanks for the inputs I went and bought a hosa swtch for $15 and now I'm getting some drive it still sounds k

I can play around with it now

I tried it with some humbuckers it drives it more but still sounds a Little thin I'll have experiment

I tried those setting Tommyhawk, thanks they are a good start. The EQ definitely suck the tone out. It is a kluge little amp with all that treble and the wierd interactions of the volume & tone nobs, i guess you have to use the tone on the guitar more.

@MKIII it is singing now, i'm still going take it in and get it capped, i see if i can post up a picture this weeked to see what those push pull mods are.

Starting to like this thing.
 
The preamp section is very (and I mean very) similar to the Mark IIC.

Does your silverface Fender have an effects loop?
You can use the effects send from the Boogie into the return of another amp to use the Boogie preamp and use the second amp's power section. You could also use the line out to amplify the whole sound of the Studio 22. You will need to keep the speaker plugged in.

I din't know if you can safely do the above suggestion directly into the input of you Fender. Maybe someone on the forum can chime in.
 
tommyhawk13 said:
The preamp section is very (and I mean very) similar to the Mark IIC.

Does your silverface Fender have an effects loop?
You can use the effects send from the Boogie into the return of another amp to use the Boogie preamp and use the second amp's power section. You could also use the line out to amplify the whole sound of the Studio 22. You will need to keep the speaker plugged in.

I din't know if you can safely do the above suggestion directly into the input of you Fender. Maybe someone on the forum can chime in.


Good idea, but No the Silverface doesn't have an effects loop
It has an output and a recording line but no return


I received the mesa foot switch it is pretty nice compared to the generic

I'm getting some decent tones playing around with the settings but it still seems to be underperforming


Some of the gain sounds a little fizzy sometimes, at s a bad cap?

Also the bottom end sounds muted and farty. It sounds good crazy sustain but a little too thin in the lead channel.
 
Just read this these on the eq design makes some she of the bass response

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=72930
 

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