Cornford or Mesa Boogie?

[Jamie]

Currently im in a dilema. Which amp to gom for next, im pretty taken by mesa dual rec head or roadster combo but then again the cornford MK50 / MK50II are amazing amps aswell.

The mesa dual rec are just overall superior amps nuff said, and the roadster does boast 4 independent channels each with progressive linkage. But on the other hand cornford has amazing tonal flexability. The drawbacks in this particular amp is the single channel which will mean spending £2000 on the head alone for the MK50II with 2 channels.

All of these amps means getting rid of all of those pedals which are not nessary. The good thing about mesa's is that they are built like tanks and are reliable, they also feature handy extras but the confords are a bit basic. Is this a bad thing yes/no ?

People of the ernie ball forum what do u think, any suggesstions on other amps both head and combo.

cheers
jamie ( and my mate euan who is in the same situation )

 

[robelinda2]

mate, I know you listen to Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen, Jamie Humphries, these guys have TONE!

GO CORNFORD!!!!!!!!!

 

[brusdon]

Well I'm pretty much torn myself between Mesa Boogie or Hughes & Kettner... They're both such great amps, can't choose between them. Though if I had enough money I'd buy a Diezel so...

 

[CudBucket]

The correct answer to the question: "Cornford or Mesa Boogie?" is "Yes". Get a Cornford or Mesa and you'll be happy.

The Roadster is a Road King II sans progressive linkage. It's a great amp. Cornfords are so sweet though and totally different animals. The problem is getting your hands on one to play. I'm lucky enough to live within 2 miles of a dealer. The Cornford Harlequin is the sweetest 6 watts you'll ever hear.

 

[SteveB]

I'd get a Cornford, because you can.

 

[vexed73]

I owned a Road King and you can really get rid of your distortion pedals with this amp! Has a good clean channel and was able to get a good Marshall sound out of channel three and the rectifier out of 4 but that was with the road king so may not be as easy with the roadster. Actually get a road king you will have all the amp you will need if you can handle the weight and the cost.

 

[francric]

+1 for the roadster or road king............but get the head and cab, the combos weigh a ton

 

[CudBucket]

I owned a Road King and you can really get rid of your distortion pedals with this amp! Has a good clean channel and was able to get a good Marshall sound out of channel three and the rectifier out of 4 but that was with the road king so may not be as easy with the roadster. Actually get a road king you will have all the amp you will need if you can handle the weight and the cost.

I'd guess you could do the same with the Roadster except that you'd have to manually change tubes. The $600-$700 upcharge on the RKII is so worth it when you consider the progressive linkage lets you change tube configs with the flick of a switch. And, it's channel independent. So you can run 6L6 on one and EL34 on another.

It really is like having 4 amps because everything on it is channel independent.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Mesa or Cornford?

Blonde or Brunette? (and don't forget to consider redheads!)

In sum - all subjective. Let your ears decide, not ours.

 

[SouthernILL]

Norad is right.....Its all about ,YOU !!!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I always liked the Cornford, nice and simple, and made like amps used to be made!

 

[Pablo]

The Rectifiers never did it for me... I like Mesa's Mk-amps, but that's about it, I'm afraid. The Cornfords (to my knowledge) are built every bit as well as any Mesa and IMHO they sound MUCH nicer, so my decision would be a very easy one... Now it's time for you to decide!

Cheers

Eske

 

[Jimmyb]

Everyone has got their favourites, the best thing is to try as many as you can with your guitar (s).

For me, I think a HiWatt and a stack of pedals is the way to go, but that's just my taste .

I've heard some pretty good things about the Cornford though, plus they're made in the UK (should be a better deal due to import taxes etc).

Try a few different ones and see what sounds best to you.

 

[fbecir]

Blonde or Brunette? (and don't forget to consider redheads!)

In sum - all subjective. Let your ears decide, not ours.

You choose girls with your ears ???? Interesting theory I should try ...

But you are right ... for an amp you should try it with your own guitar and trust your ears. Don't believe the mags or the hip ...

 

[Jonny Dubai]

HHHhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm

Both quality amps. Have you tried them with your own guitars, not the ones in the store? If you are spending serious cash then i would do that. Once you have, you will get your answer.

Me........Cornford (i an a big kotzen fan)

Jonny

 

[greeny]

Unless you play exclusively Death Metal then Cornford all the way for me.

Might not have as many buttons as the Mesa but once you have a tone that good you realise you don't really need much else.



PS - I am a bit biased as a Cornford Carrera owner.

 

[Spudmurphy]

I like the Cornford - but that's me!
A mate of mine who builds guitars in Cardiff has one for sale. He took it in as part of a deal towards a guitar and he wants to move it on - I'll see what it is and how much he wants for it.

 

[Jamie]

Thanks for all the replies. I do like the sound that cornfords supply, and they have class if u know what a mean. though some of u were saying i should go and have a shot of one with my guitar, thats a good idea. all i need to do is hunt one down.

jamie

 

[Jamie]

mate, I know you listen to Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen, Jamie Humphries, these guys have TONE!

GO CORNFORD!!!!!!!!!

I think all of these guys are amizing on guitar. Guthrie Govan is one of my fav guitarist's

 

[CudBucket]

I never heard of Jamie Humphries before. I'll have to give him a listen.