If I lived in the United Kingdom and I wanted to purchase a Mesa Boogie amplifier direct from the manufacturer, then that would have to be delivered using trans-Atlantic means. I live in Australia though. So I’d have to rely on trans-Pacific means. Unfortunately Mesa Boogie don’t make a Transpacific amplifier head that I’m aware of. They do however make a Transatlantic TA-15 and it looks awesome.
I promise the rest of this article is about an awesome sounding amplifier head and less about geography. I apologise for any learning I may have caused.
The Transatlantic is most likely the most expensive amplifier head I’ve looked at so far. Regardless, it looks cool, is a similar size to the other amplifier heads I’ve looked at to date and is of course, all tube. What’s not to love?! Probably not much actually. Let’s make a descriptive list of things to love instead.
- Volume, treble, bass and cut/master controls (channel 1)
- Gain, treble, bass and master controls (channel 2)
- Power and standby switches
- Guitar and foot switch inputs
- Options for 5, 15 and 25 watts
- Normal/top boost switch
- Tweed, Hi 1 and Hi 2 switch
- Output options for 4 ohm and 8 ohm
- 2 x EL-84 & 4 x 12AX7 tubes
Lots to love. I knew it. To be totally honest, with this amplifier, the options and switches for the wattage, channels and amplifier styles are a lot more complex than any other amplifier I’ve looked into this year. There would be a lot of hands-on research required to get a proper understanding of the amplifier’s capabilities.
In previous posts I’ve linked to the occasional YouTube video so you could see and hear the amplifier being written about in living video colour. This week I make it easier for you by supplying one page with several videos to choose from. Well, I suppose that’s Mesa Boogie making it easy for you, but I’ll take some credit for sparing you multiple links in my article. I’m a giver.
I know I promised to stop the geography lesson, but the reason for the name Transatlantic is the classic British and American tones this amp head and its channels provides. With the options for such diverse tonal variety and output wattage, this small amplifier head seems to pack a lot into its compact size. This could be a good starting point for me and a good ending point. My wife may just enjoy that.
Disclaimer: I’ve not played through this head. I have not experienced the sound or tone of this head other than through video. That doesn’t matter. It looks awesome, it’s obviously played by winners and I want one.
I’ve had a few minutes with the TA-15 and was mightily impressed. A kiwi friend of mine, and pro guitar tech, has recently been raving about the TA-30 which they hired to quickly fill in a gap in their backline. He has a sideline in making tubes amps (including one for Rev Billy G) and if he is impressed then safe to say it is a winner.
Making your own amps with clients like Rev Billy G is impressive. Praising the TA-30 as well does make me believe these amps are seriously impressive.