Mesa Amp Owner's Manual

Hide thumbs

Table Of Contents

Quick Links

Download this manual

ESA

OOGIE

wner's

anual

The Spirit of Art in Technology

1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954

USA

Table of Contents

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Amp and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for Mesa Amp

Page 1 OOGIE wner’s anual The Spirit of Art in Technology 1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954...
Page 2 MESA family...WELCOME! Our goal is to never let you down. Your reward is that you are now the owner of an archetypal guitar pre-amp, bred of fine all tube amp heritage...benefiting from the many pioneering and patented MESA circuits that led to the refinement of your new instrument.
Page 3 Your MESA/Boogie Amplifer is a professional instrument. Please treat it with respect and operate it properly. USE COMMON SENSE AND ALWAYS OBSERVE THESE PRECAUTIONS: Do not expose amplifier to moisture, rain or water, direct sunlight or extremely high temperaturres. Always insure that amplifier is properly grounded.
Page 4: Table Of Contents
21 - 26 TUBE TASKS / PLACEMENT / DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS WIRING DIAGRAMS 28 - 35 FACTORY PRESET LIST & SETTINGS 1 thru 10SAMPLE SETS 36 - 37 PERSONAL SETTINGS PAGES 38 - 39 PARTS SHEET & PANEL IDENTIFICATION PAGE...
Page 5 NOTE: The A.C. power for TriAxis should be derived from the same power strip as that of the power amp in use. Any effects units used should also be plugged into this same strip. This close proximity of A.C. power supply for units within a system will prevent TONE degradation. Failure to follow this ON GROUND wiring scheme may result in harsh or excessively bright tonal characteristics.
Page 6: Program / Channel Window
FRONT PANEL: (Continued) 1. Press the key one time to access the programs. TO ACCESS PROGRAMS (via the numeric keys) SHIFT 2. Select PROGRAM using nu- SHIFT meric keys located below GAIN, COPY TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS, and FLASH ENTR LEAD DRIVE windows. PRESET PROGRAM/CHANNEL GAIN...
Page 7 FRONT PANEL: (Continued) COPY FEATURE To copy one PRESET to another PRESET location: 1. Choose the PRESET you wish to copy. 2. Press key and then press SHIFT SHIFT COPY key. This “Source” PRESET now ENTR FLASH ENTR flashes four times. PRESET PROGRAM/CHANNEL GAIN...
Page 8: Data Dump
FRONT PANEL: (Continued) PROGRAM / CHANNEL WINDOW: (Continued) NOTE: From Power-up, the Midi Program number last used appears in the PROGRAM / CHANNEL window. To view the current Midi Channel that TriAxis is set to receive Program Change commands on...Press the key below this window.The display changes to the current Midi Channel and the channel number flashes.
Page 9 FRONT PANEL: (Continued) RECEIVE (Loading) To load all of your previously written sounds and information into the TriAxis, the procedure is very simple! 1. Connect storage medium’s Midi Out jack to the TriAxis Midi IN jack. COPY FLASHES 2. Make sure storage medium is set to transmit the correct information (file) PRESET PROGRAM/CHANNEL GAIN...
Page 10: Phantom Power
Switch Jacks 1 through 4 provide “Tip to Ground” function switches for controlling or activating external devices such as the “Switch-Track” voicing features that are incorporated into Mesa/Boogie Switch Track power amplifiers. They will also control many, but not all, Bypass, Hold, Mute etc. func-...
Page 11 REAR PANEL: (Continued) OUTPUT These A/B jacks provide two outputs, left and right, for interfacing to power amplifiers or directly to your effects units. MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT ON/LIFT THRU ON GROUND These jacks provide a Mono send and Stereo return effects loop configuration. The LOOP is programmable via FX LOOP the LOOP/SWITCH and ENTER keys located on the Font Panel (see illustration below) and its’...
Page 12: The Controls
THE CONTROLS DYNAMIC VOICE GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE This is by far the most critical and powerful of the controls in TriAxis. It not only determines the overall gain amount, shape and sensitivity of each mode...but it is sort of a Tone control as well. Generally speaking, whatever is dialed here ultimately determines the mode’s personality.
Page 13 This is the principal gain control for the Lead 1 group of circuits. It determines the amount of overdrive present at the most crucial pre-amp tube stage in these three lead modes. As we mentioned earlier in the Mode section of this manual (see Lead 1 Red), this controls’...
Page 14 (high compression) circuit, we discovered that this same basic concept can apply to many PRESENCE parts of the tube amp in guitar amplification and your TriAxis is the first benefactor of such a breakthrough. With greater understanding and patent grants behind us, lets talk sound.
Page 15 Lead circuits that make up Lead 2. As mentioned, these modes don’t benefit from high settings of the BASS control, because large quantities of Bass dialed up early in the pre-amp, produce flubby indistinct attack characteristics. The pre-set curve in the DYNAMIC VOICE was custom tailored to add just the right frequencies of Bass, blended with specific highs to yield a huge low end, while retaining a tight focused attack.
Page 16 Two of them are Bass players and one is an acoustic player that uses his TriAxis for acoustic guitar sound reinforcement. Hopefully this will tell you that in the three and a half years of R&D time spent on TriAxis, we absorbed it and came up with the curve that seemed to cover most all the bases.
Page 17 So we encourage you to explore! Consult the glowing oracle, TriAxis. Learn from the stages of tube audio history we have assembled for you in this pre-amp. Whether on the stage or in the studio, this quiver of classic guitar sounds will help you rally the masses, out- shoot the bad guys, get the girl/guy and save the day...well maybe not all that, but it will certainly make playing more fun and...
Page 18 “stay put” and behave better, producing less rampant low frequencies that can trigger unwanted subharmonic feedback from a stage full of live mics. Being narrower it will seemingly use less power per given watt from your power amp. This makes it seem a bit more “headroomy,”...
Page 19 MODES (continued ) Like Green, Yellow Rhythm includes a dynamic bright circuit that transforms the GAIN control into an additional tone control. Again, like Green, the lower the GAIN contol is set, the more top-end harmonics are allowed to pass freely. The higher it is set, the less highs are allowed to pass and more lows and mids replace these as the dominant frequencies.
Page 20 This group of three modes is probably the older, more tradition based of the Lead Modes in TriAxis. They all have one thing in common and that is all three are what is referred to in amp freak circles as pre-tone-control gain circuits. This means the boosting of gain by progressively “slamming”...
Page 21 Red flips the pre-tone control circuit upside down and inside out to produce the biggest crunch we’ve ever produced in a pre-amp. This basic design was inspired by the Vintage / Orange channel of our Dual Rectifier Solo Head.
Page 22 This is normal and no cause for alarm. We have found the TREBLE and MIDDLE controls offer plenty of shaping. The PRESENCE control in circuits of similar nature to Lead 1 Red are always found in the power amp section of the amplifier.
Page 23 LEAD MODES: (Continued) GREEN: Unlike the Lead 1 modes, all three Lead 2 modes are actually very similar in their respective amounts of gain. In Lead 2, the gain is enhanced differently in each of the three modes by focused boosting of frequencies. This enables the player to choose a particular mode for specific ranges of the instrument or simply for a given song or a certain part therein.
Page 24 British heads using Euro-style EL34 power tubes for their ponies. This elusive sound affects the feel of the strings and players accustomed to such sounds have difficulty feeling at home on an amp that doesn’t deliver these loose highs.
Page 25 MODES OVERVIEW Now that you’ve read about each mode in depth, you should be more familiar with them and able to choose the appropriate one for your particular style and sound of music. For quick referencing, the names of the modes should be of help to you. RHYTHM Green=Vintage Fat Rhy Yellow=Modern Bright Rhy...
Page 26 1/4"jacks for just such applications. If you already own a foot controller that does not provide these jacks, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one. In fact, the Mesa/Boogie Abacus does not, as it was designed before there was control change software developed for Midi gear.
Page 27 CONTINOUS CONTROL SOFTWARE: (Lingo Continued) 4. CONTROLLERS: These are “Channels” which information travels upon in the Midi domain. The Midi Specification provides 120 such channels on which information can be sent and received. Some are permanently set for specific functions, others you can use for whatever you decide upon.
Page 28 CONTROLLER ASSIGN SUB-ROUTINE (continued) Choose a Parameter. Press any key under a parameter display and you will see the corresponding STEP 2 display window begin to flash. For now (because you are most likely dealing with a new unit that has never been programmed) all the parameters are set to Controller 00 (PROGRAM/CHANNEL window).
Page 29 IMPORTANT TO READ NOW! "RULES OF VALUES" 1. There are fifteen positions of change and it is possible to change in either a negative or positive direction. 2. “00” in the Program Window =No Change from your BASE Preset. 3. BASE! Your Preset is your BASE. If you don’t connect your pedal, or you have the pedal calibrated so that “backed off” is “no control change message sent,”...
Page 30 VALUES OF CHANGE: SUB-ROUTINE (Continued) STEP 2. Assign a Value. Start with the first parameter that you assigned a controller to, “TRUST US ON THIS ONE”. Press one of the arrowed keys under this parameter. It will start to flash! Now Use the keys under the Program/ Channel window to Decrease or Increase the parameter’s maximum modulated VALUE.
Page 31 Second...Here is an example of what you can do with the control change software. We’ll take Factory Preset 04 and go from the sparkling clean sound that is the Base Preset and modulate almost everything to produce a low wattage, cranked vintage amp sound. Follow the 10-step procedure and assign the parameters as follows: Control Change Demo...
Page 32: Specifications
TUBE LAYOUT and TASKS INSTRUMENT INPUT Back Panel of TriAxis MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA MESA 12AX7A 12AX7A 12AX7A 12AX7A 12AX7A V1 V2 ALL TUBES 12AX7A LEFT RIGHT SIDE SIDE Front Panel TriAxis Top View TUBE ASSIGNMENT DIMENSIONS SPECIFICATIONS V1 =...
Page 33 STEREO SIMUL - CLASS 2: NINETY CABLE SPEAKERS INPUTS 8 OHMS INPUT LEVEL MODERN 4 OHMS DEEP HALF 4 OHMS EXTEND DRIVE UN-SHIELDED CABLE NOTE: BASIC HOOK-UP OF TRIAXIS AND STEREO SIMUL CLASS 2 : NINETY POWER AMP. PAGE 28...
Page 34 SUGGESTED WIRING #2 SHIELDED CABLE 7-PIN MIDI FOOT-CONTROLLER ON/LIFT MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT RETURN FX LOOP THRU SEND INST INPUT ON GROUND SHIELDED CABLE SHIELDED CABLE STEREO (MONO) MULTI EFFECTS UNIT SHIELDED CABLE IN MIDI OUT OUTPUT INPUT (MON0) AC POWER SHIELDED CABLE STEREO SIMUL - CLASS 2: NINETY SPEAKERS...
Page 35 CABLE STEREO SIMUL - CLASS 2: NINETY SPEAKERS INPUTS UN-SHIELDED CABLE 8 OHMS INPUT LEVEL MODERN 4 OHMS DEEP HALF 4 OHMS EXTEND DRIVE UN-SHIELDED CABLE NOTE: STEREO FX IN PRE- POWER CHAIN (between Pre and Power Amp) PAGE 30...
Page 36 SUGGESTED WIRING #4 GUITAR MIDI FOOT-CONTROLLER TUNER 7-PIN SHIELDED CABLE ON/LIFT MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT RETURN FX LOOP THRU SEND INST INPUT ON GROUND "Y" CABLE SHIELDED SHIELDED CABLE CABLE CHANNEL A CHANNEL B IN MIDI OUT STEREO (MONO) COMPRESSOR/LIMITER SHIELDED CABLE OUTPUT...
Page 37 DRIVE UN-SHIELDED CABLE NOTE: USING A VOLUME PEDAL ALONG WITH FX UNIT WHEREBY THE TONAL CHARACTER OF THE AMP IS THE LEAST ALTERED...(between the Pre & Power Amp). 1 X 12 Extension Cab 1 X 12 Extension Cab PAGE 32...
Page 38 SUGGESTED WIRING #6 ON/LIFT MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT RETURN FX LOOP THRU SEND INST INPUT ON GROUND SHIELDED CABLE SHIELDED CABLE CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH3 CH4 MIXER OUT TO TAPE SPEAKERS INPUTS UN-SHIELDED CABLE 8 OHMS INPUT LEVEL MODERN 4 OHMS DEEP HALF...
Page 39 SUGGESTED WIRING #7 ON/LIFT MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT RETURN FX LOOP THRU SEND INST INPUT ON GROUND TO POWER UNSHIELDED SHIELDED CABLE CABLE PEDAL JACK POCKET PEDAL UNSHIELDED CABLE SHIELDED CABLE CHANNEL A CHANNEL B MIDI OUT OF F.S. MIDI IN WITH 5-PIN CABLE MIDI CONTROLLER MIDI OUT...
Page 40: Stereo Delay
SUGGESTED WIRING #8 ON/LIFT MIDI SWITCH RECORD OUTPUT RETURN FX LOOP THRU SEND INST INPUT ON GROUND SHIELDED CABLE SHIELDED SHIELDED CABLE CABLE STEREO CHORUS SHIELDED CABLE SHIELDED CABLE STEREO COMPRESSOR DELAY SPEAKERS INPUTS UN-SHIELDED CABLE 8 OHMS INPUT LEVEL MODERN 4 OHMS DEEP...
Page 41 FACTORY PRESET LIST & SETTINGS 1 THRU 10 FACTORY PRESET 01 Dual Rectifier Crunch / Solo Sound MODE: PICKUP Lead 1 Red Rear Humbuck PROGRAM / CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE DYNAMIC VOICE...
Page 42 FACTORY PRESET LIST & SETTINGS FACTORY PRESET 06 MODE: PICKUP Vintage Amp Cranked Rhy Green Neck Style PROGRAM / CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE DYNAMIC VOICE Neck Humbuck FACTORY PRESET 07 MODE:...
Page 43: Personal Settings
PERSONAL SETTING PAGE PERSONAL SET 1 MODE: PICKUP PROGRAM / CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE DYNAMIC VOICE PERSONAL SET 2 PICKUP MODE: LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE PROGRAM / CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE...
Page 44 PERSONAL SETTING PAGE PERSONAL SET 6 MODE: PICKUP GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE DYNAMIC VOICE PROGRAM / CHANNEL PERSONAL SET 7 PICKUP MODE: LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE PROGRAM / CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE...
Page 45 TRI AXIS FRONT PANEL Shift Key Parameter Display Window Loop Switch Key Copy / Enter Key Mode Access Key Preset Display Window Mode Selection Indicators Program/Channel Display Window OUTPUT LOOP COPY SHIFT MODE ENTR PRESET PROGRAM/CHANNEL GAIN MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER PRESENCE...
Page 46 TRI AXIS FRONT PANEL Shift Key Parameter Display Window Loop Switch Key Copy / Enter Key Mode Access Key Preset Display Window Mode Selection Indicators Program/Channel Display Window OUTPUT LOOP COPY SHIFT MODE ENTR PRESET PROGRAM/CHANNEL GAIN TREBLE MIDDLE BASS LEAD 1 DRIVE LEAD 2 DRIVE MASTER...
Page 47 778-6565. Call us 10-5 California time, Monday through Friday. Thank you for trusting MESA/Boogie to be your amplifier company and we wish you many years of toneful enjoyment from this handbuilt all tube instrument.
Page 48 The Spirit of Art in Technology (707) 778-6565 FAX NO. (707) 765-1503 1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954...

This manual is also suitable for:

Triaxis