hey guys. im really looking for a new pre amp... i was thinking the mesa triaxis.. however i havent found one in any stores around here and was wondering what you guys thought about it. also is there anything else like an engl or something better for that much money?

thank youuuuuuu

you're looking to buy one new? depends on what you have to spend, Engl preamps aren't semi-digital like the mesa triaxis, h&k acces, marshall jmp-1, etc.

IMO, I like pure analog preamps a lot better, they use tubes to make the distortion, semi-digital ones use tubes only to colour the distortion. Though semi-digital ones are more versatile, they sound less good to the real thing to me. But that's a matter of opinion.

Engl's will be hard to find over there I reckon. Rock Solid sells them, a E570/580 preamp is about the best rack preamp I ever played, I've got two Engl's myself, a 620 preamp and a Savage. Love em both, though the low-end Engl stuff is worth checking out, you might be better off going all the way if you're a tone-nut.

Also, what poweramp are you using?

depends on how much you're willing to spend and what tone you want...
the engl e580 and e570 are quite possibly the best midi preamps available imo... also, there is the CAE 3+ preamp, bogner fish, and egnator(foget the exact model).
but all that stuff is like well over $1,500.... even used.... and quite rare.

i'm not a huge fan of the triaxis...it's great n' all but they go for like $1,600 new and like $1,000 used... i like the ada mp-1 just as much and it goes for like $150 used. i like the marshall jmp-1 even more than the mp-1 and triaxis... they go for like $1,000 new and a little less than half that used.
imo if you want the best mesa has to offer in a preamp go for the quad... it's fucking big and all, but it's cheaper than the triaxas and sounds alot better...

i used to have a mesa vtwin rack pre(not the pedal version) that thing was a sweet preamp... tons of chunk... thickest distortion, i'd dare say it has more balls(less gain, but definately more balls and still plenty of gain) than the rectos.
the cleans were fantastic too... like really good for uberclean jazzy stuff with tons of dynamics and thick sound.
only two channels(three if you count the one that lets you blend the clean with the distortion). but plenty of mesa tone on tap. they go for like $300 used.

i'm selling my jmp-1 if you're interested... great preamp, but i'm buying a sansamp psa-1(s.s. but still awesome as fuck).

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agreed, if you want a lot of versatility and you don't want to spend a fortune, get a JMP-1, it'll do you well.

IMO, compared to a triaxis, the mesa is not worth the huge price difference (I prefer the H&K Acces to both, but it's probably impossible to find one over there)

oh yeh, i didn't even mention the h&k access... one sweet preamp... they're pretty rare, and are about $500-800 used around here... but they're fucking nice.

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so they do have them over there huh? if you match that with a VS250 poweramp, you basically got a triamp in a 4he rack size... seriously, pentode switching, the 3 amps in the preamp, its what they based the triamp on.

sounds like something for you?

meh, i've never heard an amp ass kick ass as a triamp..... even the access...

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but have you heard it with a vs250?

nope.... but, hearing it through a mesa strategy and marshall 9005... i'd say the triamp is superior...

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you shouldn't combine it with those poweramps, doesn't do it justice at all, the tone of a mesa poweramp just doesn't compare to a vs250.... its way more clear and bright like the original triamp is, compared with the acces.

I won't even get started about the marshall

seriously, if you ever see the acces/ vs 250 setup, try it, if you love the triamp, you'll love that setup for sure!