My FIRST Boogie - might be an Electra Dyne.

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SirJackdeFuzz

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Hi guys (...and girls)

I might be able to get a brand new ED (head - not selling AT ALL, at this guitar store) as soon as mid July.
The head has been there for over 2 years now - so i am pretty sure it will still be there, mid July.

I've been doing a lot of research on this amp, and watched many YouTube clips.
My cite does not stock Boogie, and the closest city is 13 hours away :(

The English guitar mag, GUITARIST, and Sweetwater clips are by far the best demos of this amp - albeit in combo form.

What can the Boogie Gurus tell me about this, now discontinued, amp ?

I read a lot of things about; "excessive low end", "not sounding like a Marshall", "shared EQ not a good thing", "very dry sounding tone", and the scariest one of them all, "volume knob is either off, or maxed at 1.5" !!!!

As you now know, i will buy 'un-played' due to logistical reasons.
Any helpful tips, and personal insight on this amp will be greatly appreciated, so that i know exactly the short comings and positive aspects of this Boogie.

In Other Words . . .all info will be great !

Thanks to all.
 
I owned a head for a while and gigged with it a couple of times. I'm not an EL34 guy, so I ran 6L6s. The bass would literally shakes stuff off shelves; I loved it! Like most Mesas, it needed to breathe to really shine, which became a turning point in my tone quest. I always prefer Mesas on full-power, and the 90 watts was waaay too much. Even my Mark II is a bit too much for the venues I play, so I picked-up an Orange Dual Terror (30-15-7 watts) that fit my needs much better and sold the Dyne. I liked the relatively simple signal path (compared to a Mark IV), and though it's pretty straight forward, I found it a bit tricky to dial in. After playing one in Guitar Center, I thought it would be the end-all amp for me; not the case. The shared controls was not really a big deal for me, but Mark IIs are my favorite Mesa.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
 
Thanks for your insight !

I am playing mostly Classic Rock / 90's Grunge'y stuff (Soundgarden) and 90's era Stoner (Kyuss, Sleep, Acid King) and modern Hard Rock - think Black Stone Cherry, Alabama Thunderpvssy, Five Horse Johnson, Burner, Sasquatch, and, and, and.

This will not be my one-and-only amp either.
I am looking to add another flavour of tone to my arsenal.



This question goes to anyone :


Was this amp aimed at a Marshall'y Britt-like tone, or more of a "Recto-Lite" kinda tone ?
 
I've owned a 2x12 combo with V30s, a head (thru my 4x12 Marshall cab with greenbacks) and finally settled on a 1x12 combo.
The cleans are awesome, so is the reverb.
You won't find many amps that take pedals as well as this one....IMO.
I put wet pedals in the loop, any OD pedals out front.
I rarely use OD pedals anymore, the Vintage Lo mode pretty much covers what I play.

If you're Hellbent on 100% Marshall tone...buy a Marshall. Otherwise, there are tons of
pedals that will get you close to that tone with this amp.
This amp is otherworldly awesome thru a 4x12 with greenbacks. Especially with p90s.
I love my combo with minihumbuckers...insanely great 3D, organic-ish tones.
I tried EL34s for 3 months...went back to 6L6s. More of a "stout" tone/feel to amp for me.
Pros....it's all good.
Cons...none in my camp :mrgreen:
 
SirJackdeFuzz said:
Hi guys (...and girls)

[....]

What can the Boogie Gurus tell me about this, now discontinued, amp ?

It's one of the best amps I've ever played and everywhere I've played it, I have heard glowing comments on my tone. People love the sound of it and I love the sound of it so I deal with the shortcomings because it's just THAT good.

I read a lot of things about; "excessive low end"

Uh ya? But it's not as low end heavy as my 2 Channel recto is. Basically all boogies have huge phat lows and if you're used to a Marshall and dial this amp in that way, the lows will overpower everything quickly. The simple remedy is to 1) Read the owners manual. 2) Dial the bass in to taste. Once you understand how the controls interact, it is relatively easy to dial in a balanced tone.

"not sounding like a Marshall"

Then buy a Marshall. This is a Mesa and it sounds like a Mesa. It has two British inspired crunch tones and a fender inspired clean tone but it is what it is. I'd describe the cleans as being anywhere from skinny funk to rich and 3D swirling. The cleans are elastic, bouncy, and wonderful. Vintage Lo is exceptionally dynamic while vintage hi is a more saturated rock tone which is still quite dynamic. The amp is boogie's take on more vintage tones and I'd describe the crunch tones on vintage as a cross between a cranked plexi and a Mark I. Vintage Hi is more like a cross between a JCM800 and a Mark I. Playing Mark I mode on a Mark V, the feel and sort of organic tonality is really quite similar in some way. The amp has a tonne of soul and is almost hypnotic to play. It's a bit squirrely but this really allows for so many tones to be drawn out once you learn to control it.

"shared EQ not a good thing"
The design of the amp is absolutely genius and it's amazing what Mesa managed to cram into such a compromised design. They really flexed their considerable design chops on this piece. Now, the shared EQ is very annoying and quite unnecessary in my opinion. I found that to get this amp really working for me, I had to choose guitar pickups around the amp design and then adjust them until everything balanced out right tonally. With everything at 12:00 noon, things work really well but as you explore more and more extreme settings there will always be compromises. This is really irrelevant live and when recording, you can dial in all the specific tones you require.

I have had the most success with a hotter bridge / more vintage neck setup, at least for my playing style. Single Coil Neck / humbucker bridge works really well, especially with Vintage Lo. I find that when I use this amp, I spend 90 percent of my time on Vintage Lo, rarely use the clean mode, and I use Vintage Hi as a solo boost.

"very dry sounding tone"
Whatever this means. It has tube driven spring reverb =-/

"volume knob is either off, or maxed at 1.5"
All mesa amps have touchy MV pots and this one is no exception. I've got good tones as low as 85db even if it is a bit tricky to dial in, but 45watt mode is best for anything that isn't gig levels.

As you now know, i will buy 'un-played' due to logistical reasons.
Any helpful tips, and personal insight on this amp will be greatly appreciated, so that i know exactly the short comings and positive aspects of this Boogie.

In Other Words . . .all info will be great !

Thanks to all.

No matter how good an amp is it's always a risk if you've never played one. You may bind with the vintage feel or you may be frustrated by it. Best of luck with the tone chasing.
 
Well said YellowJacket.

Too much bass? Turn it down. I did not change any of my pickups and the Dyne is still the best amp I have ever played hands down. I inherited a Road King 1 and I will still take my Dyne over that amp any day. Like YellowJacket, I live mostly on Vintage Lo. I also use an Xotic BB, which adds another mode to the entire amp. I use 5751 preamp tubes for the clean mode. To tame the volume "issue" I use my rack effects output level to tame the knob. I've only tested the 45 watt mode, and always play in 90 watt mode. I am one of the few EL34 users. It's just better to my ears, but that's my taste.
 
My favorite amp ever. Wonderful cleans with tons of headroom - better than my 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Blue channel is out of this world with the exact amount of grit.

Needs to be turned up a bit to bully the power tubes into breakup.

We have all struggled with the shared tone controls, but it is possible to find a happy medium.

The thing just sounds gorgeous. And the feel. Tons of transient punch.
 
Again,thanks to all for the great info.



PS : i am not one to complain about "too much low end" . . . in fact, i love a low end heavy tone :twisted:
 
To me, the low end is entirely different. It does not get muddy. It's more like a brick hitting you in the chest. BIG sound. I use a 2x12 and it feels like a wall of 4x12s.
 
jnoel64 said:
To me, the low end is entirely different. It does not get muddy. It's more like a brick hitting you in the chest. BIG sound. I use a 2x12 and it feels like a wall of 4x12s.


Gotcha !
 
Another Electra Dyne question :


Thinking Classic Rock type tones . . . which speaker will pair 'best' with an ED Head ?

* Greenbacks ?
* V30's ?
* Reaper 55Hz (Guitar Wearhouse product)
* Swamp Thangs ?


PS : can you buy the Boogie C90 (their V30 - i was lead to believe) speakers withOUT a cab ?

I am asking about the speakers only, because i do not live in the US, and will have to ship it :!:
 
What's the cab or is it a Combo? I recommend the following 4 x 12s:

Marshall and Mesa 4 x 12.

A 2 x 12 horizontal Rectocab

A RA 2 x 12.
The RA 27" 1 x 12 (which is honestly AWESOME) HIGHLY recommend this cab for smaller stuff. Seriously get one for practice / rehearsal / low power gigs, you will NOT be disappointed.

Speakers: Mesa mc90s are great with this amp. They really bring out the fantastic lead tone / feel.

Mesa v30s are also great. I'd recommend mixing mc90s with v30s for a 2 x 12 or 4 x 12.

Greenbacks / G12H 30s will also be good in a 4 x 12. I even like G12T 75s with it. BUT, still the Mesa cabs / speakers just work best because the tone details really shine through well.
 
YellowJacket said:
What's the cab or is it a Combo? I recommend the following 4 x 12s:

Marshall and Mesa 4 x 12.

A 2 x 12 horizontal Rectocab

A RA 2 x 12.
The RA 27" 1 x 12 (which is honestly AWESOME) HIGHLY recommend this cab for smaller stuff. Seriously get one for practice / rehearsal / low power gigs, you will NOT be disappointed.

Speakers: Mesa mc90s are great with this amp. They really bring out the fantastic lead tone / feel.

Mesa v30s are also great. I'd recommend mixing mc90s with v30s for a 2 x 12 or 4 x 12.

Greenbacks / G12H 30s will also be good in a 4 x 12. I even like G12T 75s with it. BUT, still the Mesa cabs / speakers just work best because the tone details really shine through well.



It will probably be a 2X12 Orange cab.
 
SirJackdeFuzz said:
It will probably be a 2X12 Orange cab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eal4fep7pK4


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2 x 12s. Try: Horizontal 2 x 12 Rectocab. Road King 2 x 12 cab. RA 2 x 12 and RA 27" 1 x 12.

Orange cabs are a bit more congested / fizzy when used with a Mesa. Definitely look into the Mesa Cab options first.
 
the dyne is cool. you wont regret it. it needs time to get used to though. this animal needs tempered.
for classic rock you might use 2x12 or 4x12 vintage greenbacks but mesa cabs to maintain bass. but if i had a head i'd buy 2 separate mesa cabs with 90w black shadows.
 
YellowJacket said:
SirJackdeFuzz said:
It will probably be a 2X12 Orange cab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eal4fep7pK4


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2 x 12s. Try: Horizontal 2 x 12 Rectocab. Road King 2 x 12 cab. RA 2 x 12 and RA 27" 1 x 12.

Orange cabs are a bit more congested / fizzy when used with a Mesa. Definitely look into the Mesa Cab options first.


Gotcha . . . will see what they have in the Boogie range !
 
For sure! Boogie cabs are some of the best in the business and they work well, particularly with boogie heads.

Again, my personal preference is the RA 27' 1 x 12. The c90 sounds really cool with the Electra Dyne and it's great for practicing / rehearsals / smaller gigs.

Any 2 x 12 I would personally mix a c90 and v30. The Fillmore 75 is another option as it's less 'fizzy', according to mesa. They're supposed to have those speakers available on their store at some point soon.
 
YellowJacket said:
For sure! Boogie cabs are some of the best in the business and they work well, particularly with boogie heads.

Again, my personal preference is the RA 27' 1 x 12. The c90 sounds really cool with the Electra Dyne and it's great for practicing / rehearsals / smaller gigs.

I thought the C90 sounded very well-suited for my ED head.
 
Had an ED myself for a while a couple of years back and it was the best sounding amp I've ever heard. Volume shouldn't be an issue unless you're in an apartment at night.
 

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