Mesa Triaxis

[IrfaanSE801]

Anyone here have experiece with this preamp? I was going to buy the 5150II combo (coming out soon), but I've messed around with the head and it dosen't give me the versitility or the great clean channel I'm looking for. But the distortion is everything I want. So, I thought maybe I'd go rack on this one. I've looked into a few things rack wise and there are some pretty cool stuff I would love to mess with (G Major, Harmonizer, etc.) So, question is, what are some good/bad points on it and what would be the best power amp to use it with? I've heard of a couple people saying diff power amps work better with it. Thanks in advance for any help.

- Irfaan -

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

Forgot to mention, I play a lot of metal, jazz, and want to learn stuff like folk and country, so it's important that it have versitility. The distortion is what I want the most though. Bright, tight and focused gain. Guess I'll buy a Mesa 4X12 closed back cabto go with it too.

[Gilbert]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

Of course everyone has different opinions regarding tones, so here's what i think about the triaxis...
It is a very versatile preamp. You can get close to any tone your looking for once you've tweaked it enough and learn how all the settings work/change depending on wich mode you are using.
The clean modes are quite good considering most ppl say mesa clean is never really clean. I disagree. You can get many types of good clean tones for just about any style. The higher gain modes used for leads and ryhthms are also excellent, though i was never able to get exactly the type of high gain crunch tone i wanted. Im sure there are many people that are 100% satisfied with their triaxis' tone used in a death metal envirenment, but i was not. If you have played through a dual or triple recto head, then you should have a pretty good idea of what it is capable of as far as high gain crunchy rythms tones. Overall its a great midi tube preamp, though i think they are overpriced.

[ July 07, 2003, 04:52 AM: Message edited by: Gilbert ]

[terrax]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

i've had mine for probably 5-6 years now. I love the sounds you can get, and it takes tweaking, I didnt care for a lot of the sounds out of the box, they are a good starting point though.

I cant really find anything bad to say about it. I've had a 50/50 with it, and now the 2:90, the 2:90 is cool because you can switch the modes it has with the triaxis (modern, deep, 1/2 power).

I too have had NO problem with a clean sound, it's almost too clean. It is really Boogie.. so if you dont like those sounds to begin with you will not like it, it's not a marshall, it's not a soldano, it does boogie tones and does them well.

Dave

[Misanthrope189]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

It does take a lot of tweaking...and definitely read the manual, they've outlined each mode and it's particular "specialty" well, and tell you how to best make use of the controls. You don't have to pay any attention to what they say, they're just guidlines, and they tell you that themselves. The clean is very clean, and variations in the different modes is sometimes subtle, but the overall difference can be significant. I personally like how it glows when it's dark. [img]graemlins/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I use it with the 50/50, which delivers plenty of power and tone, it's Class AB, though, so if you're looking for a sweeter sound, the 2:90 has that simul-class mix of Class A and Class AB, which makes a difference. The 2:90s variations of Modern, Deep, and Half Power will help to make the triaxis even more versatile. The distortion and crunch is nice, if you want a different style tone, get the new 50/50 that has the 6L6 and EL34 variable bias, and throw the 34s in there instead of 6L6s. But, like Terrax said, it's Boogie, and there isn't really any way around it. You can make it sound different - spongy, or tight, harsh or warm - depending on tubes, what poweramp you use, the settings, and your guitar.

AMPFEST

This link is to an Amp fest from a link posted here a while ago...there are a lot of amps, one of them is the triaxis through a VHT poweramp...it sounds different from mine, particularly because of the VHT with KT88s instead of my 6L6s.

Cheers,
Nick

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

Thx for all the replies fellas. This is one of those things I have to sit with for a few hrs at a store and mess with. I don't wanna buy a $1600 preamp and not like it. THe poweramp variable is what I'm still stressing. So many to choose from and dunno how each effects tone. Can anyone shed more light on the poweramp issue?

[Gilbert]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

What cabinet(s) do you have? how many instruments in the band? And what styles do you mainly play?
I personally wouldnt go with anything but a mesa simulclass 2:90 (90 watt tube power per side). I've been playing through one for about 3-4 years and still love it. I run it through a mesa recto 4x12 cab with custom 90 celestion speakers, HUGE tight low end. The three voicing modes are 12ax7 preamp tubes, "modern" is for a more defined high end, "half drive" cuts the power in half for more saturation at lower volumes, and "Deep" will make the low end just explode while tightening it up also. They are definatly handy and almost invaluable features to have in a power amp. It is a good sized investment (about 1200 bucks) but you'll never need a better power amp, unless yer running 4 4x12 cabs at the same time, in wich case i would use 2 simulclass 2:90's [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
As far as how they all effect tone, most tube power amps (with no voicings or eq features enabled) will all sound relatively similar and usually you can get a great tone. Then there's solid state power amps. Unless yer on an extreme budget and dont mind a thin, nuetered tone, i would stay away from any solid state power amp.

[ July 08, 2003, 06:13 AM: Message edited by: Gilbert ]

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

Well, I'm looking for a new setup, so I have no cab or anything. I'm buying everything new this time around, so I was going to try a rack setup for various reasons. As for cabs, none at the time, but I've heard nothing but great things about Mesa's 4X12 closed back cabs, so I think that's where i'm going with that. You guys explained the power amp issue incredibly well, thanks. I like the Mesa tones (first one I ever played was a Road King and I loved it), so I don't see me hating this unit. Gonna give it a try if i ever find it to demo and report back if I buy it or not. Again, thanks a lot.

- Irfaan -

[BigDaddyD]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

I had one and I had a Marshall JMP-1, JFX-1, 9200 rig at the same time, in fact the Triaxis was in one side of the poweramp. Anyway, I hated it. I was not digging the tones. Mind you it wasn't awful, but I actually preferred the Marshall's tones. It is also very deep. It is a full 19" in depth which is sort of lame for portability. I know many people swear by them, but tone is definitely different for each person. I might consider getting one again, but that would be after I have everything else that I want first. I have personally been thinking about picking up the JMP-1 again and building a small portable rack for gigging and jamming.

[Misanthrope189]

Re: Mesa Triaxis

yeah, it doesn't really make sense to pay that much for a triaxis to only get a solid state power amp. The 2:90 was designed to be partner to the triaxis, so it's probably your best choice to really make the best of what the triaxis and the power amp combination can give you.

Cheers,
Nick