serious guitar tech question?

Question

ok so i have a mesa 4x12 cab and a piece o sh*t crate power block for a head so im saving up for a new head, im trying to decide between a mesa dual rectifier and a peavey 6505+ so here goes.

1. any recommendations on which i should get first (i play mostly metal)

2. eventually im going to get both of them so is there any way to connect the both of them to one cab because i want to blend the tones, the peavey for its chunkey low end and the rectifier for its clarity, so what is the best way to do this

Answer 1

Do you mean a Boogie? I've never heard of a Mesa Boogie amp referred to as a Mesa. Anyway, if you hear or read of your favorite guitarist talking about a "Boogie" then now you know which one he is talking about.

The Duel Rectifier, would be like buying gold and the Peavey would be closer to tin.

To prove this I would suggest visiting EBay.com and see what older Boogies are selling for compared to say an old Peavey 5150. You will understand what I mean about gold compared to tin. There is no comparison. Again, sound wise, there is no comparison.

If this is a serious question, all you need is a Boogie head for the cab you already say you have. Until you can save up for the new head maybe consider a Line 6 POD, which will increase the texture of your sound considerably.

If you want to buy a Peavey, they make a small 10w with a single L34 tube. If you plug into that as a preamp then patch into the head you have now you will get the thick sound you are missing now. Just max out the volume on the preamp, cut the mids (mid scoop), and you are good to go for about $100.00.

Answer 2

#2 first, get another mesa cab. Use volume pedals 2 blend. You could get 2 2x12 cabs by mesa if it's 2 big. If you get another 4x12, use a 3/4 back with the dual rec. More versatile, and the full back goes with the Peavey for more lows. You need a good sound person to blend the mic mixes since direct feeds wouldn't vary with the volume loops.

As for which to get first, definitely the rec. You can't get more clarity, but you can mud the low if you need to for a few months to save for the other. Remember, the audience won't hear the low as well as you will on stage, in most cases, but clear comes out clear any way you slice it. If you need a tweener, see if you can find a vintage Laney 100w. tube head - it will hold its value in a trade, and can give you a little of both - but not as good as either. If you want more, hit my blog below and comment.

Answer 3

You will have to re-wire the speaker cabinet for stereo operation. From the way you describe it you might want to wire the lower half for the Peavey, and the top for the Mesa, but I would actually try out both amps with the 4x12 and see what you get instead. You may find that you prefer the sound of one amp over the other by a mile with that particular cabinet, which will save you the expense of buying two amps. You might have to haul the 4x12 to the store to see if this works for you, but that's what you are going to have to do if you gig anywhere. If you really want some serious low-end "chunk", check into a separate Rivera Los Lobottom speaker cabinet that you can place under the 4x12.

Answer 4

1)I work in a guitar store and the 6505 is sick but you really cant go wrong with a mesa. I would try them out side by side and see which one you prefer.
2) Do you want to use them together or just hook them up to the same cab? I dont know if its possible to run to heads at the same time. Ive never seen anyone do it. But i would get 2 speaker cords and jsut switch them if you want them seperately.