Mesa Boogie TA-15 & TA-30

[Sproto]

Any opinions on these things?

I am looking for a versatil (sp?) low watt amp to complement my Tiny Terror, just for use in my studio. I've got a TA-15 and can return it and swap up to the 30 but the question is should I?

I find the 5 watt mode on the TA-15 very not very useful, at least to my ear but I may just not have hit the right settings yet. I think it breaks up in a very ugly harsh way. In 15w and 25w mode its a different story. I like it a lot, mostly because I think its pretty versatile.

I am wondering how this stacks up against the TA-30, which is about $600 more, has an effects loop & reverb and operates at 15, 30 and 40watts ( or something close to that any way).

My understanding is that on the TA-15 5w mode is not true class A, 15w is True Class A and 25w is Class A/B, while on the TA-30 the lowest Mode (15w) is Class A with hald of the tubes used, the 15w Mode is Class A with all 4 tubes and the 40w mode is Class A/B.

Basically I would like to have the verb and the effects loop but I dont like the Idea of having to run the amp loud .... Grr. Will I have to push the 30 Harder in the 40w mode and therefore louder to get the same types of sounds I like in the 25w model?!?!

Advice please, I dont want my return period to pass and find myself wishing I had taken something into account.

......Sure, you could try everything out thoroughly before buying but that would mean an unbearable amount of time spent at Guitarget and the box is gonna sound different when I get it into my studio anyway.....






Plese ignore spelling mistakes, I am a musician

Steve

[mu6gr8]

I've used the TA-15 on quite a few records and think it sounds terrific--especially when you start mixing and matching various speaker cabinets. The 5W setting is actually quite useful in the studio. There's obviously less headroom at 5W, so you want to find the sweet spot on the gain/volume pot.

Re: TA-30, it also sounds great. For me, the TA-15 is a better choice...but I need amps to sing at quiet volumes in the studio. If you're a live player, you might prefer the 30 for the FX loop, reverb and extra loudness. That said, it's not a "better" amp than the 15--it's more about which features are more important to you.

One more thing: there's another new Mesa lunchbox amp, the Mini Rectifier 25, which is very cool. Knock it down to 10W with its EL84s, and you can get some unexpected tone grooviness. Food for thought.... Good luck.