Mesa Boogie Transatlantic TA-15
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Guitar
Mesa Boogie’s Transatlantic TA-15 is an amplifier that, without a shadow of a doubt, will have the huge majority of guitarists foaming at the mouth. Sure, this is hardly anything new when it comes to the Californian conjurors, but the biggest news here is the size.
Yep: for the first time ever, that incredibly huge tone is available in a portable format, weighing in at just 12 pounds and with an included satchel-carry-case. This doesn’t mean you’ll be lacking anything in the way of power, though; a multi-Watt switch means that you’ll be able to hop between 5-, 15- and 25-Watt power levels, depending on the tubes the amp is told to run with.
There are two channels to set up, one of which is rocking either normal or ‘top boost’ modes, the other running ‘tweed’, ‘hi 1′ (Brit gain) and ‘hi 2′ (fat gain). All of these are tweakable via an independent channel EQ (volume/gain, bass and treble), with an added cut added to channel one via a push-pull on the master volume.
A footswitch included with the Transatlantic TA-15 shifts between the channels, and the overall design of the amplifier is sturdy indeed – the metal chassis will take a knock or two, that’s for sure.
It’s also worth noting that, rather than jumping on the ‘lunchbox’ bandwagon and just saying “well it’s small, innit,” Boogie has put some serious thought into the concept of true portability – the retractable handle makes everything easy to deal with, and is easily accessible, designed as it is harmony with the carry case. The latter also has enough room for the power cable too, so everything packs up into one very tidy solution.
The sheer weight of other amps from this manufacturer’s stable has in the past been enough to make the prospective purchaser at least a little wary – no one would dispute the tone, but in the past many a guitarist has faced a difficult decision regarding future back pain or perhaps being sued by an angry roadie.
With the Mesa Boogie Transatlantic TA-15, this possible worry has been quickly quashed, and there’s little doubt that a fair few long-term fans will be overjoyed. Suddenly, those trips across the pond won’t be quite such weighty affairs!
Tags: lunchbox guitar amplifier, Mesa Boogie amplifiers, TA-15