Selling my Mesa 2:50 for a Matrix. Good idea?

[JoeB]

I'm contemplating selling my 3 month old Mesa 2:50 poweramp for a Matrix 800 or 1000. What do you guys think? I was either going to do that or just sell my poweramp, 3 cabs, and get 2 Mackie HD 1221's. GAS attack.


I play progressive metal, jazz, blues, and rock. I use my Axe-Fx Ultra for everything. I do have a 5150 combo, but it is collecting dust...so I always have a tube amp to fill my needs if I need it.


HELP!

[noodles]

Wirelessly posted ()

Normally, I wouldn't be the guy advocating selling a Mesa, but that is the worst power amp they make. The 2:25, 2:90, and Recto 100 are all better.

[Vince]

The recto 100 is discontinued. I've owned 3 50/50s and disagree with Dave I think they sound awesome and for $400 used you can't beat them for the price. However, the 2:90 does crush it, mightily. I mean it's not even close. If you can get your hands on a 2:100 they're great, but Mesa stopped making them a year or two ago.

[Drew]

Why a Matrix?

[darren]

Flavour of the month over at the Fractal forum?

[Greg McCoy]

Originally Posted by Vince

I think they sound awesome and for $400 used you can't beat them for the price.

+1, They sound awesome, (the blue light ones at least, I've never had a red light one) but the other Mesa power amps are better. If you need something cheapish 50/50s rule, they used to go for like $350 shipped, which makes them the obvious choice. But now that people are wanting like $450 shipped for them I'd just go for a better Mesa out of the gate, like a 2:90, since those go for under $600 used.

Plus a Mesa is going to more or less hold the same value on the used market forever, if you buy a new Matrix be prepared to sell it for like 1/3rd of what you paid for it in three months, when the ecrowd is tired of milking it for forum cred and they need some quick cash to fund their Oakland Axe Factory builds the forum classifieds are going to be full of that shit. Buy one then if you want one.

[Greg McCoy]

Originally Posted by noodles

Wirelessly posted ()

Normally, I wouldn't be the guy advocating selling a Mesa, but that is the worst power amp they make. The 2:25, 2:90, and Recto 100 are all better.

2:25? You mean the 20/20? (That's the closest thing to a 2:20 Mesa makes AFAIK) I didn't know that existed? There is the 5:25, but that's not a dedicated poweramp, and I doubt you'd be recommending that.

[Vince]

The market for a 2:90 is interesting, depending on the week I've seen them go for as low as $550 or as high as $850. Either way, that's an awesome power amp.

I would take a Mesa or VHT tube power amp over just about anything else. The power amp makes all the difference in a rack system. My Triaxis rig, Chameleon rig, and Axe FX rigs all were based on that 2:90's deep and modern modes being on.

[Greg McCoy]

Originally Posted by Vince

The market for a 2:90 is interesting, depending on the week I've seen them go for as low as $550 or as high as $850.

Yeah, same thing I have seen, weird stuff.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by darren

Flavour of the month over at the Fractal forum?

That was my guess.

I think it says all sorts of good things about this place that we've quickly moved onto a discussion of which Mesa poweramp he should own.

No love for the 20/20, BTW? I've never played one, but I'm a big fan of the power sections of all the Mesa EL84 combos I've played. It wouldn't necessarily do the deep chug of a 2:90 quite as well, but it's plenty thick and has a little more midrange snarl if the combos/heads are comparable to the power amps.