I'll just leave this here and walk away...

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by imwjl

From serious consideration of selling or trading that particular Mesa (my photo) and a fair amount of shopping I remain lost on most complaints about the new Falcon amps.

Maybe what I see would stand out or be more obvious if people made a table, spreadsheet or did some simple math. I'm not finding turret style, US made, has reverb tank or power switching (could be attenuator), or absolute highest standards build without spending 50% to 135% more than these new models.

These new models also have a considerable dealer and service network which is important for sales and post-sale matters. The dialog with sellers of the Supro and Laney you could consider competitors and also their more premium brands all got me answers where they don't do repairs. It also got answers where some of the boutique options have really poor service.

I'm not sure what I'll do or buy but so far I'm getting over the bad taste Gibson left in my mouth, and these look like reasonable contenders for the niche they are in.

It's not a matter of math, it's matter of reliability. Having 4 tubes mounted directly to the PCB next to other components, that may be affected by that heat, is not very sensible. There is no ventilation for those tubes being inside the chassis like that. Yes they are warrantied, but well designed tube amps, if well maintained, should last way beyond any warranty period. I'm still using my 1964 Deluxe Reverb and 1969 Vibrochamp Fender amps.

As I said I am a Mesa fan, but I just don't get this tube layout. Plus having to remove the chassis to get to the preamp tubes is just a pain in the rear!