Welcome to Voodoo Guitar, a site about guitars & gear, from vintage to new. As a guitar player, sound engineer, and general gear connoisseur, I thought I’d begin sharing information gathered over the years, along with demos, photos, videos, and anything else that might be interesting.
Some of the fondest memories from my adolescence involve AC/DC: cranking Highway to Hell for the first time, mimicking the Angus duckwalk in front of a mirror with an air guitar long before I ever had a real one, being banned by my mom from purchasing any more albums with that "screeching voice" on them (still not sure if she meant Bon or Brian), and then buying them anyway, along with a louder stereo... my first real guitar was even a Gibson SG. If your most impressionable years were anything like mine, you probably also believed the long-held notion that Angus and Malcolm both plugged their guitars straight into their Marshall heads, cranked to 10, with nothing in between to clutter them up; pure rock-and-roll simplicity at it's finest. While this approach certainly won't do you wrong, a secret ingredient was recently unearthed, adding an unsuspected wrinkle to this purist legend.
You know you've done it.
It began in 1975, when engineer Ken Schaffer was touring America with the Rolling Stones and witnessed first-hand the limitations of wireless technology at the time... radio frequency interference, police sirens, unwanted noise, signal degradation, awkward dropouts. He then set out to create a system designed specifically for guitar, one that would avoid interference and prevent dropouts in front of thousands of screaming fans, allowing guitarists to roam the stage freely without fear of failure. The Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS), manufactured by the Vega Corporation of El Monte, CA, was introduced in 1976, and quickly revolutionized live performance for the likes of KISS, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, and of course, AC/DC.
An original Schaffer-Vega transmitter pack atop receiver tower.
Schaffer's new Diversity System transmitted signal over VHF frequencies and utilized two independent receivers in the same unit, with a comparator monitoring the strength of each and switching to the stronger signal when necessary in order to prevent dropouts. It worked magnificently, and became immensely popular, but the real secret in this system was the compression and expansion circuit; the belt-pack transmitter compressed the audio at a 2:1 ratio and boosted the level, enabling a beefier signal to be sent wirelessly to the receiver, where it was expanded back to it's normal dynamic range and fed to the rest of the guitar rig. Although Schaffer intended this system to be as transparent-sounding as possible, some guitarists noticed it was not, and instead actually enhanced their guitar tone with a rich harmonic boost, so much so that users like Eddie Van Halen, Rick Derringer, and our own Angus Young used it in the studio for some of their biggest recordings (EVH fans should be just as excited, as the Schaffer-Vega may very well be the secret to the elusive VHI "Brown Sound").
Vintage Angus, with his SVDS feeding a Marshall head (atop Cliff Williams' Ampeg)
As the story goes, Angus, who has eschewed any type of pedals or boosters for his entire career, began using the SVDS in the studio as early as January 1978 at the suggestion of his then-producer and older brother, George Young. Upon entering the studio for the recording of the Powerage album, Angus wasn't getting the same great tone he'd been enjoying live, and George Young suggested he use the exact same signal path as on stage, including the Schaffer-Vega; it proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle. In the studio again later that year, this time with Robert "Mutt" Lange producing, he kept the same signal chain, and the classic Highway to Hell recordings followed. In 1980, the band travelled to Nassau in the Bahamas with new lead singer Brian Johnson to team up with Mutt Lange once again for a new album, and the Schaffer-Vega was an important part of the process; recording engineer Tony Platt recalls using the wireless system to feed different amps in different rooms of the studio, which were blended together based on the song or section. Later, when some overdubs were required during the mixing stage at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the SVDS unit wasn't available, and the team struggled to match the tone without it, particularly the midrange edge it added. They made due as best as possible, and upon completion, Back In Black become one of the biggest-selling albums ever, an instant classic, and Schaffer-Vega helped cement that guitar tone as a huge part of rock-and-roll history.
An early studio shot of EVH with an SVDS circa 1978 (left), and David Gilmour's rig for The Wall tour with a pair of SVDS units, circa 1980 (right).
Having built approximately 1,000 units, used by every big-name touring act you could think of at the time, Schaffer ceased building the SVDS in 1981, as his interests had grown larger, towards satellite communications. The FCC also clamped down on RF usage shortly thereafter, rendering the wireless aspect of Schaffer's design obsolete. Wireless systems would evolve and improve tremendously over the decades, but none would have the impact on guitar tone that Schaffer's original design inadvertently achieved.
The secret of the Schaffer-Vega system went largely undocumented for three decades, until just a few years ago, when lifelong Angus Young tone-seeker and gear collector Filippo "SoloDallas" Olivieri came across an ancient Guitar Player interview, circa-1980, where Angus mentioned using the wireless in his recording chain. Thinking it odd to include something so specific to the live stage in an interview about recording an album, Fil had to investigate; He contacted Ken Schaffer, and asked if he could possibly send him an original unit to test. Schaffer, equal parts shocked and flattered, obliged, and sent Fil the two remaining original units he had held onto as mementos from 1981. Fil fired one up, along with a meticulously-chosen Gibson SG and Marshall Plexi pairing, and that was it... instant Back in Black Angus. Thirty years of tone seeking for Fil had come to an incredible climax.
Filippo, Angus, and Schaffer Replica #001 (left), closeup of Angus' current rack (right), both courtesy of SoloDallas.com
With blessings from Schaffer, Olivieri funded the reverse-engineering of the units by an Italian engineer, and out of his own pocket, had an audio-only (no need for wireless) prototype manufactured to replicate the tone of the original Schaffer-Vega's compressor/expander and level boost circuit. Appropriately named the Schaffer Replica, model #001 went directly to Angus Young himself, as Olivieri was invited to meet him and deliver it personally while AC/DC were working on a new album in Vancouver. Angus currently uses two Replicas in his live rig, a main and backup, and the client list is growing with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, the Foo Fighters, Ronnie Wood of the Stones, and Sting, among others. The Schaffer Replica is available for purchase at Olivieri's site, along with a pedal version and a few other Angus-inspired products.
Original SVDS, Replica pedal, Replica tower.
Angus' current touring rig, sticking to his roots with 9 vintage Marshalls and a pair of Replicas in the left rack.
What was the best way to draw attention to your music shop during the cultural explosion of Swinging London in 1968? Paint it the most vivid, psychedelic shade of orange possible, and allow guitar luminaries like Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, and Jimmy Page to hang out.
The original Orange shop in London's West End
Clifford Cooper was a guitarist, amateur electronic engineer, and aspiring record producer, with plans to build a recording studio in an empty, neglected storefront at 3 New Compton Road in London's West End, not far from Carnaby Street fashions or the Denmark Street music shops. The studio itself would be in the basement, for soundproofing reasons, leaving the empty storefront to serve as a hangout. With little funds to spare on advertising, Cooper figured the best way to turn heads would be to paint his shop the brightest, most vivid shade of his favorite color possible, interior as well as exterior, and Orange Recording Studio was created. This drew the ire of his neighbors, attracting both the type of customers he desired and other businesses reviled. While Cooper had acquired some basic recording equipment and experience from his time in the band The Millionaires, having recorded with British legend Joe Meek, the studio business was a tough one, especially with the competition he was up against in London at the time, and struggled to make rent in those first few months. He soon turned that storefront into a retail shop by placing his band's old Vox PA system in the window; it sold that very day, and the first used gear shop in London was born, creating a swapmeet atmosphere for local musicians that favored the odd and quirky to the shiny and new. Cooper attempted to carry popular lines of new gear, but manufacturers and distributors didn't take his business seriously, as he and his employees preferred t-shirts and jeans to the jackets and ties of the Denmark street shops. At first a stumbling block, necessity would prove to be the mother of invention.
The Orange crew doing some mobile advertising (left), and the inside of the shop (right)
One day in October of '68, Peter Green, former guitarist of John Mayall's post-Clapton Bluesbreakers and leader of the new group Fleetwood Mac, was hanging out at the Orange shop with his road manager, and mentioned they needed a full backline for their upcoming U.S. tour. Cooper, seizing an opportunity, offered to supply it... tube heads powerful enough for guitar and bass, speaker cabinets, and reverb units. While Cooper had a bit of electronics knowledge, having built small amplifiers in the past, he needed help to accomplish this, and with only one month before the tour began, he reached out to a friend. Mat Mathias had been building amps in the back of his wife's retail shop since 1962 under the brand name Matamp, an evolution of his older RadioCraft company started in 1945. The Series 2000, a simple and pure 20-watt head, used a unique bent aluminum chassis that slid into a wooden cabinet like a window frame, and although very limited in quantity, was considered extremely high quality. Cliff Cooper reached out to Mathias about building 100-watt heads for Fleetwood Mac, a combination of Mat's current designs and Cliff's ideas, sub-contracting him to handle the electronics while the wooden cabinets would be built at the Orange shop (and covered in orange tolex, naturally). Mathias agreed, under the condition that the Matamp name be displayed on the front panel, along with the large, bold Orange logo (Cooper insisted on a logo that could be seen easily on a large stage). When Cooper and Mathias asked Peter Green how he'd like these new amps to sound, he replied, "I want it to sound sweet, but not like treacle. Like honey." The design used a pair of high-powered 6550/KT88 tubes to reach the 100-watt goal, while keeping the tone clean and sweet, as per Greeny's desires. They were also some of the first amplifiers to include echo send and return jacks on the front panel, a very primitive passive effects loop. The six prototype heads, sixteen speaker cabinets, and a couple of spring reverb units were completed in just under a month, 28 days to be exact, and Mathias hit the road with Fleetwood, keeping the amps maintained and running smoothly.
An original Matamp 2000 atop an early OR100
After the tour, production began on a full lineup of Orange/Matamp designs. Mathias realized while traveling with the band that they'd have to switch from the aluminium chassis to steel in order to withstand the rigors of the road, and while he was busy building the amps, Cliff Cooper was making friends with everyone on the London scene. From '69-'72, three amplifier models, along with a spring reverb unit, slave amp (a 100-watt solid-state power amp), and 4x12" cabinets were manufactured; the OR100, derived from the original 100-watt prototypes but now using four EL34 power tubes for a more popular dirty tone, the ORST 50-watt "student" head, and the OR200 bass head using four 6550/KT88s, competing on every level with Marshall, Hiwatt, and other British amp makers of the day. The oversized speaker cabinets used Celestion "Greenback" G12M and G12H speakers, and sounded as huge as they looked.
A rare Matamp-branded reverb unit (possibly reboxed), atop an early OR100
Peter Green (left) and Danny Kirwan (right) of Fleetwood Mac, with Orange heads and reverb units on top.
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash with his Orange amps
Peter Green, along with fellow Fleetwood Mac members Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer, and John McVie, were still the most prominent Orange endorsers, with Andy Powell and Ted Turner of Wishbone Ash sporting an Orange backline, and Paul Kossoff of Freeusing them occasionally to great result, as seen here. Jimmy Page would become one of the most well-known Orange players beginning in 1971, using Orange heads along with his Marshalls throughout the '70s and still to this day. An OR200, one of two built for Page and seen on The Song Remains the Same, was found in a garage in New Jersey, where it literally served as a rat's nest for years. It was cleaned up and sold on Ebay in 2009 by our local music store, the Rutherford Music Exchange, for $30,000.00 U.S. to an anonymous collector. The front panel engraving and Union Jack were added later by Orange after a factory modification (note the depth of both the oversized head and speaker cab).
"Custom Built For Jimmy Page" OR200, as displayed at Rutherford Music Exchange, 2009, and seen at Madison Square Garden, 1973 (above left)
Although never official endorsers, Black Sabbath filmed one of the first and most iconic music videos ever using a full Orange backline, creating a cult-like Orange following among Sabbath-inspired stoner rock bands for decades to come, including Sleep, The Sword, and Wolfmother.
Black Sabbath's Paranoid video, my personal introduction to both metal & Orange.
The Orange "Voice of the World" crest
Along with the success of their amplifiers, the Orange Shop became even more popular, as Cooper began importing Fender and Gibson guitars from America, providing Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash with the first of his trademark Gibson Flying Vs. It's notable that Eric Clapton purchased a very rare lefty Stratocaster in Olympic white finish at the Orange shop on September 17th, 1970, which he planned to present as a gift to Jimi Hendrix later that night; he never did meet with Jimi, though, and Hendrix passed away in the morning of the very next day. Following the same entrepreneurial spirit that started the Orange company, Cliff Cooper began making deals with many venues and production companies, and his brilliant marketing led to Orange becoming the official backline provider for the BBC's outdoor events, as well as festivals like Reading, Isle of Wight, and even the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, leading to the company slogan "Voice of the World" and a Coat-of-Arms-style crest logo. By the end of '72, Orange was outselling Marshall in Europe (there's even a rumor that Marshall began producing more orange-covered amps than just the usual custom orders in an effort to compete), but Mat Mathias' expanded amp factory could not keep up with demand, as many backorders accumulated. Mathias insisted on maintaining his meticulous, painstakingly high production standards at the sake of quantity, but Cooper wanted more cost-effective production methods and higher numbers. The two amicably dissolved their working relationship, with Cooper calling Mathias "A real gentleman for whom I have always had nothing but the greatest admiration." Mathias would bring back the Matamp brand and continue building handmade amps until his death in 1989, while the company has carried on under various owners since.
An original '73 "Pics Only" head, inspired by English road signs
The next phase for Orange came when R&D engineer John James designed the "Graphic Valve Amplifier", nicknamed simply "Pics Only". The unique faceplate of this model used graphic images to describe the knob functions, inspired by English countryside road signs, and became instantly polarizing for it's quirky new looks. It was also the first Orange amp available in a combo format, a 2x12" with Celestion Greenback speakers. By the end of 1973, production had moved to a larger facility and an extremely efficient assembly line, resulting in 20-30 amps manufactured per day. Orange began exporting to the U.S. for the first time, and the "Pics Only" head was slightly revised, both internally and cosmetically, adding text along with the graphics to avoid confusion (referred to as "Pics & Text"). The model names were also changed to reflect exaggerated output power rather than the original conservative RMS wattage ratings, upping the ante of the OR120 (120 watts) and OR80 (80 watts), again in both head and combo formats (the circuits were essentially the same, and this was mainly done to get a leg up on the competition). The Graphic design amp would become the most popular Orange ever, and the most widely-found of all the vintage models due to increased production and exporting. While some prefer the sound of the original Orange Matamps, there is no denying the influence of the Graphic series in the mid-70s and beyond.
A 1975 "Pics & Text" OR120, the most commonly found model in the U.S. and basis for future style
In 1975, a line of combos and head with Hammond spring reverb and tremolo called the Custom Reverb Twin, aka "Hustler", was designed to compete with the ever-popular Fender Twin Reverb, and combined a pristine clean tone with the fat crunch Orange had become known for, but with a new look of smaller multicolored knobs and a grey speaker grill. 1976 saw the introduction of the Overdrive line, based on the popular Graphics series but featuring a Master Volume control to allow cranked tones at lower volumes, which was becoming increasingly in vogue for amp design everywhere. Firmly established by the mid-70's as a premier instrument amplification company, Cooper set his sights on more diverse territory, and began experimenting with mixing boards, DJ equipment, solid state amps, and even digital processing, forming OMEC and developing a digital guitar amp (the first ever of it's kind and years ahead of its time), but never reaching the same heights of success as his early amp lines. By 1979, the original Orange shop was demolished, along with the rest of the storefronts on New Compton street; Orange would lay relatively dormant throughout the 1980s and early '90s, with Cooper building only small numbers of amps on a special order basis. Gibson attempted to revive the Orange name in 1993, but were not successful, and gave the rights back to Cooper in '97. A reawakening was about to begin.
The Orange line, circa 1978, including PA speakers, mixing board, turntables, and of course guitar amps.
An incredible collection of '70s Orange, top row from left: Pics & Text head, Overdrive head, Pics & Text, Overdrive in custom cab; Bottom row: Pics only, Pics only, Orange/Matamp OR120, Pics only; Front: PA monitor wedge, Custom Reverb Twin "Hustler" 2x12" combo.
1998 would witness a rebirth of the Orange name, with Noel Gallagher of Oasis leading the way, working with Cooper and new technical director Adrian Emsley to combine the best of the early years with the needs of current times. Noel initially used the Overdrive heads of the late '70s, but desired more crunch; this led to the OTR 80 and 120 heads, bearing a striking resemblance to those '70s classics with improved circuitry and quality. The AD series was launched soon after that, featuring Class A electronics and EL84 tubes, and receiving much critical acclaim and success; models included the AD30 head, AD30R 2x12" combo, and AD15 1x12" or 1x10" combo. An EL34-based AD50 head, switchable from 50 watts Class AB to 30 watts Class A, would combine the old with new designs, and the monster 200-watt AD200B bass head, utilizing four 6550/KT88 tubes, payed homage to the original OR200 (my favorite bass amp ever, personally).
Noel Gallagher with a pair of Orange stacks, circa '98
Jimmy Page and his Orange AD50 heads at the 2007 Celebration Day reunion concert
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta was a dedicated user of the newer Orange line, with an AD30 early on and a Rockerverb head here.
Orange would follow this rebirth with several successful designs, incorporating channel switching into heads and combos, introducing the Rockerverb series, Tiny Terror mini tube heads and combos, Orange Crush solid-state practice amps, and many variations of its older designs, all with the signature orange tolex that started it all in 1968. Cooper is back to his great marketing tricks, bringing in the endorsees left and right, including Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, John McVie of Fleetwood Mac (again), The Eagles of Death Metal, Devon Allman, harder-edged bands such as Slipknot, Down, Mastodon, the Deftones, and many more. Clifford Cooper's "Voice of the World" mission statement is alive and well, and stage backlines are psychedelic orange once again, everywhere.
Mesa/Boogie amplifiers started out as a joke. Literally. In 1969, Randall Smith was running a small repair shop north of San Francisco called Prune Music, working on gear from local bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, when roadies from Country Joe and the Fish dropped off a bunch of the band's equipment for him to take care of. They also wanted to play a practical joke on guitarist Barry Melton, and asked Randall to do something "wild" with his little 12-watt Fender Princeton combo... something that would blow his mind immediately upon plugging in to it. Randall got the idea to squeeze a Bassman-style 60-watt 6L6 circuit into the chassis, along with a JBL D120 12" speaker, which just barely fit. Upon finishing up this clown car of an idea, he asked a frequent customer who just happened to be hanging around the shop that day to try it out... at first disregarding it as just another Princeton, Smith convinced him to plug in... the guitarist obliged, began playing, louder and louder, drawing a crowd of anyone within earshot, and when finished, exclaimed, "Man, that little thing really BOOGIES!". That guitarist was Carlos Santana, and he ordered a similar hot-rodded Princeton for himself immediately, which was used for his classic album Abraxas.
An original "Boogie-ized" Fender Princeton Reverb
Dog kennel-turned-amplifier shop.
While Randall kept busy "Boogie-izing" Princetons for local clientele in the Bay Area, he also began building custom amps from the ground up at his home workshop in Lagunitas (a converted dog kennel in his backyard, actually). This shop became MESA Engineering Ltd., the name inspired by his side job as a Mercedes-Benz mechanic (not the CA or AZ towns as often assumed). Smith was inspired by the precise engineering and heavy-duty durability of Mercedes engines, and overbuilt his musical creations with a similar style.
Randall testing an amp in his workshop
The next step in the evolution of his design came when guitarist Lee Michaels asked for a custom preamp that would capture the sustain of a cranked-up tube amp, but able to be run thru his clean solid-state Crown DC-300 power amps. Randall added an extra tube stage to the preamp circuit he'd been using, as well as multiple gain controls at certain points in the circuit, all controlled simultaneously, creating "cascading" gain, and the first high-gain tube preamp was born.
He then combined these two ideas into one chassis, with the cascading gain preamp feeding into a Bassman-style GC6L6 output section and single 12" speaker; This combo would later become known as the Mark I, but at that time, in 1972, it was simply the MESA Engineering Boogie model (if it says Mark I on the faceplate, it's a reissue). The finished design featured two separate channels with independent inputs and volumes, a shared EQ section with pull knobs for Bright and Treble Shift, and a master volume control. Input 1 had the extra cascading tube stage for increased gain and sustain, while Input 2 was similar to the original Bassman preamp circuit. 60 or 100-watt output, spring reverb, and an additional 5-band post-preamp graphic EQ were options, as well as the choice of Altec 417, JBL D120, or EVM-12L speakers; the most popular configuration was the "HunRee", 100 watts with reverb (the reverb control was on rear of chassis, along with presence). Caring about cosmetics as well as tone, Smith built his own exotic hardwood cabinets with wicker cane grills, which became a trademark look throughout the 70s and early 80s. Blonde tolex covering was also very popular as a lower-priced option, as well as other custom colors and patterns.
A koa & wicker Mark I combo
A 1975 ad featuring Santana and a blonde Mark I combo, like the model pictured to the right.
A very early prototype head, supposedly the oldest documented with graphic EQ
Santana would acquire one of these original Boogie 100-watt combo amps almost immediately, in a snakeskin-covered cabinet with Altec 417 speaker, which was used for his Budokan Japan performance and subsequent live album Lotus. At one point in the mid 70's, while hanging out with Bob Dylan in New York City, Carlos was invited to join the Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden... he hopped in a cab with his guitar and Boogie combo, watched their set, then jumped onstage for the encore tune, "Sympathy for the Devil"; Legend has it that when he hit the first note of his solo, both Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood immediately turned to him with a "what the hell is that amazing sound?" expression, and the next day, Keith ordered his own... six of them, in fact. The only problem arose when Stones management told Randall Smith, "The Rolling Stones don't pay for gear; they get it for free"; Smith then spoke with Keith directly, and explained that he was building these amps by hand, mainly by himself, and simply couldn't afford to give them away for free, no matter the artist. He also explained that even the Stones would have to wait in line for their amps, which was about seven months at the time. Keith obliged, and would use Boogies from 1977 until 1993 on all major tours and albums, including the Chuck Berry "Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll" concert and documentary film. Ronnie Wood also used them, and the Stones would purchase over 40 amps and cabs from Smith over the years. Other early Boogie users included Pete Townshend of The Who, jazz/fusion great Al DiMeola, and both Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.
The Stones, circa '77, with Keith's Boogie in clear view
Keith with a pair of Boogie combos atop 2x12" cabs, for the "Hail! Hail! Rock'n'roll!" concert with Chuck Berry, 1987 (and Steve Jordan on drums)
Smith, along with growing help, would build nearly 3,000 Boogie amps in the same Lagunitas shop from 1972 thru 1978, eventually moving to a larger facility (with a much larger staff) in Petaluma, where the company remains to this day. As the next model began taking form, MESA/Boogie Ltd. was created, and the Mark series name was born. In 1978, the Mark II was released, leading the original Boogie to be forever known as the "Mark I" in amplifier lore. The Mark II introduced channel switching for the first time (via footswitch or push/pull knob), separate master volume controls for each channel, and renamed the Lead channel input volume "Lead Drive", a more accurate description, as well as a new Gain Boost pull knob for the lower-gain channel (an additional Bright pull was added for the Lead channel as well). The main difference from the Mark I circuit was that the preamp gain now came after the EQ section, resulting in a tighter, more focused sound, which would become the signature sound of Mesa moving forward. The Mark Il was also available in a head or combo format, and was switchable from 60 to 100 watts output. Graphic EQ and reverb were options, just as on the Mark I, but the reverb could be noisy on these models, and the extra EQ deemed an unnecessary expense by many, although it worked wonders to tame a boomy cab or room. Around this time, the Son of Boogie (SOB for short) was developed as the first Mark I-style reissue. While the Mark II pushed the line forward, the SOB kept it simple, just as it began with two independent channels, separate inputs and volumes, shared EQ (no pulls) and master volume, in head or combo format. Reverb was an option as well. This was still a hand-built amp that shared the same chassis as other models, with no skimping on quality.
A unique custom IIA head with black hardwood cabinet and wicker grill
A blonde Mark IIB head with a pair of matching 1x12" cabs
The Mark IIB revision, released in 1980 (and from here on rendering the original Mark II as "IIA"), added the first tube-buffered effects loop to a guitar amp, and introduced Mesa's patented Simul-Class output technology, wherein one pair of 6L6 output tubes run in class AB pentode mode, as the norm on previous models, but now another pair of either 6L6 or EL34 tubes could be run in class A triode mode, either simultaneously or switchable. All four tubes together would result in 75 watts RMS output, whereas just the class A pair would be 15 watts. The front panel remained identical to the IIA, and was available in the standard 60/100 watt power model as well. The IIB line also introduced the first Coliseum Series 300 models, designed with arena rock in mind. Available as widebody heads or 1x15" combos, the Coliseum models featured 6 GC6L6 output tubes for 180 watts RMS power and nearly 300 watts peak at clipping. Both Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Stones used two of these heads each through EV-loaded 4x12" cabs on their '82 world tour. The Coliseum Series would be the rarest of the Boogies, with only 500 or so made over the course of the IIB-IIC-IIC+-III lines. Note: If you're ever trying to identify a Mark series amp from a distance, count the number of "Pull" features above the knobs... Mark I has 2, IIA & IIB have 5, and IIC/C+ have 6.
A beautiful Dagame hardwood Mark IIC+
1983 would be a pivotal year for Mesa, as it saw the updated Mark IIC & C+ amps, the zenith of over a decade of design and most coveted of the early Mesa line, still the go-to amp for some players over 30 years later. The Mark IIC improved a persistent problem with popping in the channel footswitching by using optocouplers rather than hardwired relays, and also cleaned up the noisy reverb circuit, while adding a new Bass Shift pull option that extended the low frequency content. The C+ revision took the gain a step further with a dual-cascading preamp stage on the Lead channel, and also improved the tube-buffered effects loop from previous versions, making it much more usable with pedals as well as rackmount processors. The graphic EQ now became a mandatory option for many, as it interacted incredibly well with the thicker, creamier, higher-gain lead channel, and helped refine and enhance the improved clean tone as well. The IIC+ is regarded as the pinnacle of the line, and still the studio amp of choice for James Hetfield of Metallica, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, and many others. It was replaced by the 3-channel Mark III in 1985, but is still sought after highly in the vintage market, fetching as much as three times it's original price, as some claim it's tone has never been matched or improved. It was the last of the classic Boogies, that's for certain.
An ad featuring James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett of Metallica, both longtime Boogie aficionados.
The guitar rig of Dream Theater's John Petrucci, featuring three original Mark IIC+ heads, from the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence era of '01-'02, an album which I had the pleasure of working with them on.
The Mark III underwent many revisions from 1985 thru 1989, and while a great-sounding amp in it's own right, never caught on as well as the earlier models, mainly due to a not-so-user-friendly 3-channel layout crammed into the traditional size chassis. It was replaced by the Mark IV in 1990, which paved the way for the future with a larger chassis and front panel, allowing independent control of most features on all three channels, and stayed in production for nearly 20 years before the current Mark V took over the line. More recently, Mesa has revived the IIC+ in the form of the JP-2C John Petrucci signature head, which features three channels (two lead, one rhythm), all inspired by the IIC+, and two graphic EQs that can be switched into any of the channels. These newer amps, along with the hugely successful Rectifier line, are marvels of engineering and analog circuitry at it's absolute finest, and continue Randall Smith's early vision for innovation, following the "spirit of art in technology" mission statement. Too many knobs for me though, I'll take an original Mark I Boogie any day.
In this blog mini-series, I'll be focusing on working-class musicians from three cities close to my heart: Dallas, my birthplace; New York City, my home; and New Orleans, my favorite getaway. These are guys who grind it out several nights a week, three-hour sets, twice a day on weekends, while working a 9 to 5 or getting by as best they can on music alone. I call it the American Blues Dream, and these are it's heroes...
About two years ago, I was on one of many music-and-booze-filled vacations in New Orleans, this time with my friend and Voodoo Blues-brother Anthony Galasso, a great guy and even better bassist. It was Saint Patty's Day weekend, and after a parade filled with pubs-on-wheels, cabbage-tossing, shamrocks painted on my bald head, and many afternoon drinks at Molly's, we headed down Decatur towards Frenchman street, stumbling into the Balcony Music Club, drawn by the sound of some great hard-hitting blues... Johnny Mastro and Mama's Boys, to be exact.
Johnny Mastro & Mama's Boys at the BMC, March 2015
Immediately recognizing the guitarist, Smokehouse Brown, as someone i'd seen on past visits to the Big Easy (tough to mistake the signature look of a fedora, shades, long beard, and ES-335)... I recalled a very inebriated night on Bourbon Street during a previous visit, standing in one of the many tourist trap cover band joints, seeing a guy with the same beard, sunglasses, and Gibson semi-hollowbody absolutely SLAYING a Duane Allman solo on slide guitar (Fuzzy deja vu is the best kind, right?)... had to be the same dude. Ant & I ordered a round of Abitas and hung out...these guys were absolutely crushing it at BMC, from the harmonica-howling lead vocalist, to an incredibly solid bassist with a beautiful '65-style block-inlay sunburst Jazz Bass laying the foundation over pounding drums, and Smokehouse switching back and forth from slide to standard, doin' his thang thru a Silvertone combo. This was the kind of music Ant & I both loved, a blend of traditional Delta blues mixed with fuzzed-out garage rock guitar, lo-fi vocals thru a Green Bullet, intense yet delicate at the same time, inspiring enough for us to start our own group upon returning home.
Smokehouse Brown (left), with a Gibson semi-hollowbody and vintage Silvertone amp, along with Johnny Mastro (right)
After the set, we met the guys, and learned they got their name from their singer, Johnny Mastro, originally from Geneva, NY, who started the group in Los Angeles almost 20 years ago, with CA native Smokehouse joining soon thereafter; but who was "Mama"? That would be Laura Mae "Mama" Gross, longtime proprietor of Babe's and Ricky's Inn, a south-central Los Angeles blues institution for over four decades, graced by such names as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, T-Bone Walker, Albert King, Albert Collins, Eric Clapton, Keb Mo', and many more. Mama would encourage beginners to join the open jam on Monday nights; if you showed promise, maybe you'd get a Thursday night slot. From there, after much practice and "goin' to school" under Mama's tutelage, you might be able to join the house band on Fridays or Saturdays, and truly become one of "Mama's Boys". There's an excellent documentary on Mama and her Inn that I suggest any blues fan check out.
Smokehouse and Johnny with Mama
Dean Zucchero and his beautiful Jazz bass
Johnny and Smokehouse gigged incessantly in the Los Angeles area, recording several albums including Beautiful Chaos (my favorite) before relocating to New Orleans in 2013, where the thriving live music scene provided even more opportunity for gigs and growth. With the internationally-known rhythm section of bassist Dean Zucchero and drummer Christophe Gaillot joining the Mama's Boys in NOLA, they've embarked on several European tours and released a great new album, Never Trust The Living, earlier this year. They can be found at the Balcony Music Club, as well as Bamboula's and the Apple Barrel, both on Frenchman Street, regularly. This is the NEW New Orleans blues sound.
