eliot323
Well-known member
I've got the Cornford Mk50 head Mark II - the one with the clean channel and its awesome.
I've also just bought a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace Combo - it's also awesome.
Hope that helps...
Seriously, I thought I preferred the OD channel on the Cornford until I heard the Mesa Boogie by A/B testing - they're both great but very different. I then hit on the idea of an amp signal splitter and play them both at the same time...the best of both worlds.
The Cornford is mellower, with a rounder sound than the Mesa, but the Boogie bites and cuts through like nothing I've heard from them before, and is especially good if you downtune your guitars.
The clean channels on both amps are lovely - sort of a Fender/Vox hybrid on steroids and much more magical than most clean channels on these sort of amps.
The Cornfords are more complex than you may think, especially the Mk50 Mark II which has 2 channels, OD, two channel-assignable FX loops, two master volumes and a big footswitch. Mesa's often have a lot of features, which some people love and which others find frustrating as there can be too much choice. If you get a Mesa, you need to spend some time getting your sound right, as the tone controls are very sensitive and with all the options available you can feel a bit bewildered. They do represent good value.
Both manufacturers have superb reputations and the amps are handbuilt (Cornfords have point to point wiring and no PCBs) and use top quality components.
Enjoy choosing!
I've also just bought a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace Combo - it's also awesome.
Hope that helps...
Seriously, I thought I preferred the OD channel on the Cornford until I heard the Mesa Boogie by A/B testing - they're both great but very different. I then hit on the idea of an amp signal splitter and play them both at the same time...the best of both worlds.
The Cornford is mellower, with a rounder sound than the Mesa, but the Boogie bites and cuts through like nothing I've heard from them before, and is especially good if you downtune your guitars.
The clean channels on both amps are lovely - sort of a Fender/Vox hybrid on steroids and much more magical than most clean channels on these sort of amps.
The Cornfords are more complex than you may think, especially the Mk50 Mark II which has 2 channels, OD, two channel-assignable FX loops, two master volumes and a big footswitch. Mesa's often have a lot of features, which some people love and which others find frustrating as there can be too much choice. If you get a Mesa, you need to spend some time getting your sound right, as the tone controls are very sensitive and with all the options available you can feel a bit bewildered. They do represent good value.
Both manufacturers have superb reputations and the amps are handbuilt (Cornfords have point to point wiring and no PCBs) and use top quality components.
Enjoy choosing!
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