First Impression Playing aTransatlantic TA-30 combo

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babow2

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On Monday, I spent 14 hours at Mesa Boogie working with Frank, their photographer/videographer. We had the chance to use the new TA-30 head through a 1x12 cabinet for some video production work. Jim Aschow was nice enough to let us take a TA-30 Combo for more video shooting on Tuesday. I promised to have it back on Wednesday.

So, I had a little time to spend with the amp. I thought I might share my first, limited impressions of the amp. I do admit to being a little “prepped” by Doug West in conversation, about the amp. In short, I fear for the Stiletto series, with the new TA and RA amps!

The TA-30’s clean channel is chimey. Using an Anderson Classic (strat) in the 5 watt/Clean setting, it is bright and light up to about 12:00 on the gain; as you push the gain to 2:00 it starts to get a nice little bit of hair and edge to the notes. At 40 watts, it responds similarly. The difference in the power setting isn’t so much a big jump in volume as it is richness. The 5 watt setting is plenty loud, but as you switch to 30 or 40 watts, everything opens up and blossoms. Top Boost mode is where Channel 1 comes alive. At 40 watts, the amp is Vox-y chimey at 10:00. The bass is rich and full, everything just rings. At 11:00 on the gain, it is amazingly touch responsive. Clean and brilliant with light picking, but if you dig in, it responds quickly with just a tiny bit of edge or grit. Very “Americana”. It is very percussive. The bass is rich and full and you can feel it in the room. (and this is the 1x12 combo!). With humbuckers (Anderson Hollow Cobra S) in this setting, you can feel it thump in your chest. Palm muted low end chicken’ picken’ is massive. I couldn’t believe how BIG this amp sounds. I was rattling stuff around the room, not because it was so loud per se, but the power of the notes, as opposed to sheer volume was what impressed me.

The lead channel has this same tight, responsive percussive feel. Tweed mode has a great R&B feel to it, without as much dynamic range. You could play old blues all night in 5 watt/tweed mode. Switching to Higain 1 or 2 shifts into overdrive. The amp is a monster of rich, complex gain. Again, what is most noticeable about this amp is how percussive the low end is. This is chest thumping powerful power chords. Sustained notes actually just get louder and louder instead of rolling into harmonic feedback. The amp doesn’t have the icepick brightness of the Stiletto or Ace. It has all the tight, responsive attack, but you get the deep rich chest thumping power. It was hard to believe it was a 1x12 combo. It is very much an English type of power behind the Channel 2 Gain modes. I closed my eyes and could see the stack….. but alas, it is a small, light 1x12 pounding my chest.

The amp makes your guitar feel like you are playing a Mark series. You get that easy-to-play, sort of elastic feeling under your fingers. However, you get a tight, percussive attack coming out of the amp. I have a Mark III, Mark V and a Heartbreaker set up as a JCM800. This amp is tighter and more percussive. I have used a Stiletto Ace. This amp is richer, more complex, rounder, but just as responsive. I totally dug the tones in the short time I played it, and felt like it was a very different, and complementary, amp to my amps. It was totally awesome to feel the percussion and tight bass response in Top Boost and in the HiGain sections at bedroom volumes. I am trying to figure out how not to return it to the factory!
 
Great review...puts a lot of the TA/RA features into perspective for us!

Now....what's goin' on with the Stiletto's? Please don't tell me they're about to drop them from the line up :( . I have to admit, I felt my stomach turn over when I read that little snippet in your post....Anything else you can share with us?

Thanks again for the TA review!!
 
As to the Stiletto, don't read anything concrete into my comments about the "future" of that series. Doug West said off the cuff that the RA/TA has more of a Mesa feel to the player and a bigger soundscape than the Stiletto. Based on that, he ponders whether Mesa players may prefer the RA/TA over the Stiletto for an English-style amp. This was just "around the water cooler" opining, not any official proclamation.

Other than that, they are doing all the promo work for the RA (photo shoots, videos) as they get ready to ramp it into production.

The RA is awesome. What I loved about the TA-30 is that it is so much lighter than a Mark amp to carry around, making it a perfect "grab and go" combo with a huge sound.
 
That's cool...thanks for the response babow2. I'm just in complete tone heaven w/ my Stiletto and I'm reluctant to think about it being retired already. :shock:
 
Hey Babow, great review bro, thanks!!

just wondering what speakers Mesa put on her and theyre open back right?? great they have a tight bass like you said.
 
Mesa C-90's are stock in the combo and in the new TA matching cabinets. Oh, and the 1x12 combo is amazingly light. Is it really a Mesa combo if it doesn't weigh a ton? My Mark III head is heavier than the TA-30 combo I think, or **** close..

Thanks for the kind words!
 
I ran out of time and was having so much fine with Hi/Lo, I didn't get to it. but, alas, I may be getting my hands on it again (or a head) for keeeepsies... If so, I will update, although folks are taking delivery and I suspect there will be plenty of updates before then.
 
Just because I love you guys, and will do anything for you, I went down the street to the Mesa factory and got a TA-30 head just to answer your question.... (okay, there were other reasons that I can't divulge, but it sounds really good, doesn't it?). Now, I am the proud owner of a blue glowing TA-30 head.

You asked about the Gain Boost on Ch2. Guess what? Yup, it boosts the gain. Nasty, vicious. I am not a metal player, but I know a little. I really suspect there is enough gain for metal with the gain boost. The amp is voiced pretty boldly and with tight quick response. Also, as I mentioned, you get a big percussive feel. So, with the gobs of gain in the boost, it sure felt like I could get a good chugga chugga going with my humbuckers. I don't have any EMG's or other active pickups, but my Anderson humbuckers seemed to work just fine. I am not saying this is the end-all be-all metal head. Certainly it isn't. It isn't designed to be a metal monster, but it has the capability to pull it off well enough given the limitations of the amp.

Hope that makes sense.
 
thanks for the review, i just got one too but don't have a cab yet. which of your cabs do you like the ta-30 best with? i'm pretty much limited to a 1x12, weighing the pros/cons of open vs closed back and different speakers
 
How do they justify keeping the Stiletto though. First off, price wise, the Stiletto is a bit of a rip off and isn't priced to compete. The Dual Recto offers three channels, as does the RA and they are both priced at $1899. The Stiletto is also priced at $1899 and offers only two channels.
 
Cabs- I kinda like the open back 1x12 with the Tone Tubby AlNiCo. While my ears are used to the EVM in the closed back from all the years playing Marks, the AlNiCo has a cool vibe that seems to connect with the EL-84's. I think if I could just use one, it would probably be that one, but frankly, I'd use both.

Stiletto- I've played the Stiletto once or twice. It is a totally different animal than the TA. Can't speak to the RA, as I haven't played it. However your point is valid, that they don't really need multiple "english" voiced amps in their line and the noise I heard in the halls at Mesa was that success with the RA/TA line could mean the phase out of the Stiletto, but that is nothing official and was speculation.
 
thanks for the advice, it gave me the confidence to pick up a cheap compact 1x12 open back (albeit with a C90) and i'm really happy with the sound i'm getting. :mrgreen:

i had been thinking about shelling out for a new thiele because i was worried about getting boxy or thin tones with the open back cab, but i'm not finding that at all. i'd like to try the tone tubby at some point, but it looks like the speaker costs almost twice what i paid for the cab.
 
Congrats, and I am glad you like the tone on the 1x12. You said "cheap compact". Did you get the Mesa compact 1x12 or some other brand? I realize there are a lot of them out there, and I have tried several. The cabinet size and volume can affect the tone and not all are created equal. If you found one that works for you, then you succeeded.

Enjoy!!!!
 
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