IK Multimedia has created captures of five classic Mesa amps for a total of 70 tone models for its TONEX Pedal, including an exact recreation of Carlos Santana’s original Budokan Mark I amp.
The Mesa/Boogie Reference Signature Collection continues a near-decade-long partnership between IK Multimedia and Mesa with a major update to its TONEX modeler.
The five amps have been fine-tuned by Mesa’s in-house tone wizard, Doug West, and recording engineer Sean Beresford. They include a 1984 Boogie Mark IIC+ and a Boogie Limited Edition King Snake, which is a careful recreation of Santana’s Budokan. There are also three amps from the early '90s, a Boogie Mark IV, and two-channel Mesa Engineering Dual and Triple Rectifiers.
The quintet of amps celebrates five decades of Mesa’s tone sculpting history and has been “carefully preserved” in Mesa’s Tone Lab. The resulting reference amps, Mesa says, serve a dual purpose in preserving their legacy as well as providing “insights to shape future designs and guide Mesa forward”.
The 70 tone models are split between the five amps, with 46 captured with cabinet and 24 without. The cabs used were a 4x12 Slope and a 1x12 Widebody Extension.
These cabinets have been used by West for decades, offering a ‘broken-in’ and touch-sensitive playing experience. The King Snake combo, meanwhile, is loaded with a Jenson Blackbird 100 Alnico speaker. That gives it a warm, singing quality when cranked.
The captures took place at IK’s modeling-tailored studio in Northern California, where its acoustics have been engineered for precision tone capturing. Cutting-edge AI machine modeling technology was also used during the process.
The resulting collection is compatible with all TONEX incarnations, including the TONEX CS plugin and TONEX app. IK Multimedia has strived to make the loading of these new captures as easy as possible, priming players for Mesa-flavored live performances.
Of the amps selected for the collection, the King Snake (12 tone models: eight with cab, four without) is an exact recreation of the Mesa/Boogie amp Carlos Santana Mark I toured with in the early '70s. Limited to 600 models, it was designed to be a single-channel “monster”, producing the Latin rock tones that are quintessentially Santana’s.
The versatile Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (14 tone models: nine with cab, five without) is revered by rock and metal guitarists. It’s featured on records by Metallica, Toto, and Dream Theater.
Of the early '90s amps, the Boogie Mark IV (10 tone models: seven with cab, three without) offers a thicker lead tone than the Mark IIC+ and has inspired a raft of amplifiers in its wake.
The Dual Rectifier (nine tone models: six with cab, three without) is synonymous with intense high gains and has been favored by Metallica and Tool, whilst the authoritative Triple Rectifier (25 tone models: 16 with cab, nine without) is all about delivering a tight low-end and harmonically rich overdrive.
IK Multimedia, from the small town of Modena in Northern Italy – the sports car capital of the world and the birthplace of balsamic vinegar – is continuing the town's legacy for innovation. It’s been dedicated to the digitization of classic analog equipment since 1996.
Since then, IK has worked alongside Fender, Gallien-Krueger, Seymour Duncan, and Orange, among others in its time. It's also collaborated with the likes of Joe Satriani and Slash, who features on the psychedelic-tinged new single from The Dandy Warhols.
For Mesa, the release follows in the wake of its role in the resurrection of Gibson Amps. The Falcon 20 and Falcon 5, which channel Gibson's classic '60s builds, were hand-built under the stewardship of Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith.
The Mesa/Boogie Reference Signature Collection is available now and priced at $99.99.
For more information, head to IK Multimedia.
