Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket

by Bryan on Apr.10, 2009, under Music

The Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket is the newest addition to my recording studio; it’s a 22 Watt vacuum-tube guitar amplifier.

Tone Controls - Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket

Specs

2 Channels: Rhythm and Lead+Switchable Contour
3 Band Shared EQ
22 Watts: 4x12AX7 Preamp Tubes & 2xEL84 Power Tubes
Parallel Effects Loop with Mix Control
8-4-4 OHM Outputs
Eminence 10″ 50 Watt 8 OHM Speaker (Labeled as Vintage Black Shadow)

On to the details

I have been considering making the jump to a tube amp for a while but the cost has always put me off. I have a collection of solid state amps that have given me great tone and I could never find a tube amp for less than $1000 that sounded significantly better than the amps I already had. Nevertheless, any time a new reasonably-priced tube amp shows up in my GC (Guitar Center) catalog, I have to go try it out. It was on one of these treks where I encountered the Subway Rocket.

I went into GC specifically to try out a second-hand Crate V33 they had priced to move. After ten minutes of tinkering, I was completely turned off. But I figured while I was there, I’d have some fun. So I grabbed a nice Strat and plugged into the ol’ standby: the Fender Blues Junior. The Blues Junior has always held a certain quality that attracts me. Set the gain at 7, roll back the volume on a neck-position single coil, and let the tubes sing. I’ve always loved the sound, but I could never justify spending $600 on an amp when I have an old $200 Fender Automatic that cries quite beautifully in it’s own (albiet, solid state) right. Well, while I was enjoying the tone pouring from the Junior, I glanced over and spotted a small combo amp with the logo which has become sort of a holy grail for me: Mesa/Boogie.

I think the main reason Mesa/Boogie has reached holy grail status for me is that I never thought I would be able to afford one. I’ve been a fan of John Petrucci (of Dream Theater) for a long time and his guitar tone is what set the bar for me. Any time he plays you’re sure to see a wall of Mesa/Boogie cabinets and his trusty Mark IIC+ amp heads. Those heads alone sell for $2500+, and since I’m not making a living off of my guitar playing, I could never justify spending anywhere near that amount of money on an amp. But man, is the tone incredible.

Now, my first thought as I looked at this unassuming combo amp was, “That has to be some kind of marketing gimmick”. I thought that there was no way Mesa could get the wall of tone that they’re famous for into a 10″ combo. But just for fun, I decided to plug in a see how it sounded. After five minutes, I was completely sold; this amp is amazing.

I’ve now had it for a week, I’ve put it through it’s paces, and I have to say, I’m still completely sold. The rhythm channel on this amp at half gain is the silkiest, smoothest blues grit I’ve ever heard. Flip it into the lead channel with the gain at 8 and you’re in metal land. Step on the contour switch and stand back! Even though it’s a 10″ combo, this thing will make your ears bleed. I set the lead channel volume at 2 in my recording room (a huge open room with vaulted ceilings) and I couldn’t take it for more than a couple of minutes; I had to turn it down. My final test was to throw an SM57 in front of it to see how it would track to “tape” without too much fuss and I wasn’t disapointed. That magical thing about microphones is that they don’t care how big the speaker is; it sounds monstrous. I’ll have some clips of the recording up here shortly.

In a final word, this amp is the perfect studio guitarist/owner’s friend. It’s extremely versatile and because it was built by Mesa/Boogie, it is truly a professional piece of equipment. Just by looking at it, you get the impression that it was built to last. If you’re a guitarist in the market for your first tube amp, I HIGHLY recommend seeking out one of these amps. This is one piece of gear I will never sell.

More Photos

Toggle Switches -Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket

Rear Closeup - Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket

Thanks for stopping by!

:Mesa Boogie, Subway Rocket

9 Comments for this entry

Sonny James Lovell
April 26th, 2010 on 4:11 pm
I had spent years looking for the right sound which was easy to manage. I found the Subway Rocket when it first came out and promptly bought one; best thing I ever did. A delightful little beast. My only beef is mine is the one without reverb, but hell; you can’t have everything….
John Pattison
July 28th, 2010 on 3:21 pm
I live in White Bear Lake, MN. I just saw your Craigslist ad for the Subway Rocket and clicked here. Sadly, I don’t think I am in a position to buy your amp, but I have to comment on what a great writeup and photo set you published regarding the amp.

I have been a professional technical writer since 1983, so I know good writing, photograpy, and page layout when I see it. Excellent work. It makes me want the amp RIGHT NOW!

– john pattison
Bryan
November 30th, 2010 on 12:33 pm
John, Thanks for the kind comments but I haven’t listed (and most likely never will) this amp on Craigslist. Thanks for reading.
Chris
December 24th, 2010 on 12:28 am
Bryan,

I was actually considering selling my subway rocket until I fell upon your post. I’ve owned one (with the external 1X12 cabinet) for years and always told myself that I would never sell it, even though I sold my guitar 2 years ago and haven’t played through it since.

Yet, here I am searching on Google for info on a used subway rocket so I can acquire a little extra Christmas money and I come across this post. I have to agree with everything you say about it. It’s always been everything I’ve ever needed with an amp… clean when it needed to be, a nice growl when you want it, and contour is just plain phat!!!

When I read the last line, I once again knew I wouldn’t be selling it. It’ll have top be the Ampeg bass amp instead.

Thanks…
Bryan
December 30th, 2010 on 9:23 am
Chris,

It’s now closing in on 2 years since my post about the Subway Rocket and I still feel the same way. Every so often I get the feeling that I might be happier with something different but that usually happens when I haven’t played through it in a while :) Inevitably, I’ll plug in and think to myself, “What was I thinking? I love this amp.”. It’s good to hear similar feelings from other owners out there. I hope you had a great Christmas!

Bryan
Best Canister Vacuum
April 22nd, 2011 on 8:39 am
Yup, i won’t deny it, Subway Rocket was one of my best purchase so far, love the way it sound when i play my guitar. Recommend playing in sound proof room though, if you don’t want to disturb your neighbors
kataskeyh istoselidon
April 30th, 2011 on 12:25 pm
I am not rattling great with English but I come up this real easy to interpret .
Rab
November 17th, 2011 on 3:20 pm
I’ve had my Subway Rocket for 3-4 years and have mainly had it sitting in my room, because I use my old ’80s Roland Cube 60 for practices. I recently thought maybe I’d flick off the Mesa and buy something else. Then I plugged in and played for an hour and totally underlined why I bought it. I have a gig tonight and the Mesa will be my only amp on stage. Problem is, even at 22W, this sucker is LOUD as! I doubt I’ll be able to get past 2/10 tonight and that’s not fair. However, even turned way down, the warmth and sustain is simply beautiful. Excellent job, Mesa! As I’m ancient (been playing for 50+ years) I really appreciate the portability and light weight of this amp.
Andy
January 2nd, 2012 on 10:08 am
I have this same amp. They are powerful and have a very rich sound. However, mine is making a crackling noise and a high squeal. Does anyone know what the problem might be? I haven’t played it in some time, but I want to either play it or sell it. Thanks