NAD: Mesa Badlander

[Drew]

First thing I did was max out the gain on crush mode, and while the amp is tighter than a standard dual rec, it's Pull Me Under territory for the heaviest sound on the amp.

Wait, I'm confused - are you saying that's not ENOUGH gain?

I'll confess, I'm still pretty disinterested in this amp. Doesn't sound that different from a Dual with ELs from the videos Ive seen, no solo boost, and it's voiced more towards traditional dual territory, not the smooth lead sound I like from Mesas. That said, the reason Mesa has a multi-line lineup is because it's NOT supposed to be the end-all-be-all amp for all players, and I'm sure there's a lot of guys out there who are looking at the spec sheet and are stoked. Which is cool.

[Vince]

Posted this over in the SAW thread as well. I was inspired and recorded this over the last 24 hours.

The video is meh, music is

[jacksonplayer]

That sounds great! Nice track and playing, too. Seems like enough gain, to me.

[Vince]

That sounds great! Nice track and playing, too. Seems like enough gain, to me.

Thanks man!. To be fair, I am running a boost out in front. The amp has a nice amount of gain, I just prefer the sound of a boost out front of almost any amp.

[Naren]

Sounds pretty good. Is it the Grid Slammer you got in front there? I especially love the lead tone near the end there. Classic Vince.

[Vince]

Sounds pretty good. Is it the Grid Slammer you got in front there? I especially love the lead tone near the end there. Classic Vince.

Hey I'm just glad you listened long enough to know there's a lead guitar part

Thanks man, yeah I went down the overdrive rabbit hole a few years ago. Started with a BB preamp, and about 15 overdrives later the one that stuck with me the longest has been the Grid Slammer. It's nearly identical to a Maxon 808, it just lets a bit more bass through. The Petrucci wah also boosts the signal when it's engaged as well, so you're hearing that on the lead track there too.

[Not Mr. Test]

I own half a dozen ODs now too, it's a sickness.

[Nick]

Be interesting to see how these compare to a rivera knucklehead which are also high gain el34 beasts. I almost bought one recently and from the limited clips the guy sent over I think these might be pretty similar