Mesa Boogie Mark 1 King Snake LTD Multi-Watt 1x12 Combo Overview
The maker of Signature Tone! This is the quintessential guitar amplifier that inspired the Legends and changed the role and musical range of the electric guitar forever! World famous for its expressive vocal/violin-like tone and sustain, its sound is unmistakable yet unique and musical in the hands of each player to allow for co-authoring of your "Signature Tone"!
In 1971 at the crossroads of Vintage and Modern amplified guitar sounds stood two pioneers, Randall Smith and Carlos Santana, and the little amp that could... the Boogie®. The passion, creativity and dedication of these two artists intersecting at that revolutionary time in music history can only be called fate, and the resulting impact on the guitar’s voice will be felt forever more. With so many “FIRSTS” it set the world’s pro guitarists on their collective ear, the Boogie ushered out the old notion of a guitar amp and transformed it once and for all into a legitimate instrument. and a tribute to the evolution of electric guitar tone.
The Compact 100 Watt 1x12 Combo, Tube Cascading High Gain Preamp (Sustain), footswitching (Clean to Overdrive), Half Power Switch (100/60), Pull-Gain Boost, On-Board Graphic EQ, Slave Out, All World Export Transformer, Custom Hardwood Cabinetry and a Wicker Cane Grille were all innovations seen exclusively on the world’s first boutique amplifier by the world’s first boutique amp builder, Randall Smith and MESA Engineering.
The Limited Edition King Snake is legendary in both sound and story because it is the direct descendant of the original Boogie that stood alone at that intersection so long ago. That amp was the transitional link between the low gain single channel amps of yesteryear and today’s current high gain, multi-channel footswitching amplifiers. Before the Boogie’s appearance back then, players had to turn an amp all the way up to get overdrive and sustain and it occurred in the power section, which of course was LOUD.
With the creation of the world’s first high gain tube preamp in 1970, found only in the little Boogie by MESA Engineering, players could achieve sustain and singing tube overdrive at any volume. Revolutionary! The rest is history – and while it is correct to say that the little high gain, high power 1x12 Boogie Combo changed guitar and popular music forever, the story doesn’t end there!
This tribute model is an exact replica of the amp Carlos Santana toured with in 1972/73 as he introduced the world to this new sound, right down to the unique chassis size and the aged Snake-embossed Lambskin covering. But it has also been updated to include all our most secret Tone discoveries uncovered throughout the 43 years since the original’s creation.
These improvements, some visible and some hidden, increase the performance and versatility while recreating the original voice with full authenticity. They make the Snake more usable across a wider range of musical styles and power requirements and add exciting new possibilities for expression and enjoyment.
- Custom-aged King Snake Embossed Lambskin Leather with extruded edge moldings and Vintage Weave Grille
- Custom Designed AND Handcrafted in Petaluma, California
- All-Tube Amplifier: 4x6L6, 5x12AX7
- Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
- 10/60/100 Multi-Watt™ Power Switch controls the Patented Duo-Class™ Power Amp (Patent 7,173,488) providing three power and two operating class options. Choose from:
- 2 power tubes operating in pure Class A (single-ended), producing 10 watts or;
- 2 or 4 power tubes running in traditional Class A/B, producing 60 or 100 watts respectively
- Single Channel Simplicity featuring Two Inputs that provide 2 Style Modes:
- INPUT 1 - Our legendary multi-stage "cascading-gain" mode that runs through Volume 1 & 2
- INPUT 2 - Normal-Gain mode that runs through Volume 2 only
- Channel Gain, Volume and Tone Controls: Volume 1, Volume 2, Master Volume, Treble, Mid/Boost, Bass and Presence (rear panel)
- Powerful Mid/Boost Control - The Midrange Tone Control doubles as both a standard Midrange Tone Control (from 1 to 5) AND a Variable Gain Boost Control (from 5 to 10). Its range from 1 to 5 operates like a standard Midrange Tone Control but once you go past 5 it becomes a variable Gain Booster providing precise, incremental increases to dial in added levels of sweet harmonic overdrive, from subtle to blistering. When set to 10 it duplicates the Gain Boost Switch on the rear panel of the original Mark I
- Exclusive "Blackface/Tweed" Dual Presence Control Switch and Level Control provides access to the world's two most revered Presence Circuits enabling you to choose your ultimate vintage experience.
- All-Tube, Long Spring Reverb (control on rear panel)
- Reverb External Switching Jack (rear panel)
- Fully Buffered FX Loop with Automatic True Bypass and Send Level Control - FX Loop is fully removed from the circuit unless and until cables are plugged into the Send & Return jacks.
- Slave Out with Level Control
- All Aluminum Chassis
- Slip Cover
- FORMATS, WEIGHTS & DIMENSIONS:
- 1x12 Combo (Dimensions: 17 1/2" H x 18 5/8" W x 10" D - Weight TBA) "¢ 12" Fillmore KS-100 Speaker