Mesa/Boogie SOLO 50 Stereo Receiver User Manual


 
These are controls that work in the power section to reduce attack and brightness. They work on a different frequency than the
TREBLE control, and depending on the mode chosen and the amount of Gain dialed up, can sound higher or lower than the Treble
frequency.
In the RHYTHM mode it dials in sparkle and shimmer, letting clean sounds cut through better. Balance the
Treble and Presence until the desired blend is reached. When you have high gain or distortion sounds
dialed up, you will find it very helpful in darkening and compressing the sound for single note work. Set the
PRESENCE control low and this compression will also focus the notes and omit any unwanted “buzzy”
frequencies. For high gain chording try higher settings of the PRESENCE control to bring out the harmonic
haze. In the LEAD channel the Presence circuitry is quite advanced because it switches from one type of
Presence located in one part of the power section, to a different Presence circuit located earlier in the pre-
amp section.
This switching makes the complete transformation possible that delivers the VINTAGE Mode authentically and the Modern high gain
Mode absolutely over the top! In the Vintage Mode the Presence is similar in strength and frequency to that of the Green RHYTHM
channels’ CLEAN Mode. Set low it warms up single notes ‘til they purr. At high settings it adds bounce and improved dynamics that
can really help when you want to back your guitar volume down and “clean up” for rhythm playing.
When the Red Modern high gain Mode is called up, the PRESENCE control makes the move to a new place in the circuit and gets
revoiced to work on a lower frequency. Just right for adding attack and urgency, this Presence is the aggression control. It is normal
for high settings of this control to make Modern Red seem extremely loud in comparison to the other Modes. This is a result of
“unclamping” what worked as the Presence in the other three Modes and letting the RECT-O’S ponies run free. It is in fact, the
loudest setting on the amplifier.
Use this Presence with discretion as it can make for some ear damaging, almost harsh sounds if set too high. Try the Modern Mode
with the GAIN control set high, around
to . Dip the MID control to - then increase the Presence to dial in the right
attack and blend of aggression. You may want to play with the balance between the MID and PRESENCE controls as they are
somewhat similar in that they are very powerful and dominant in Modern. With these two controls dialed right, Modern is to this day the
most huge and heinous crunch we’ve come across. When you hear this, you will probably won’t believe that this could be the same
amp that moments ago was crying the blues with such mournful conviction.
A simple control found on most amps today, these serve to balance the playing level of the two channels. They enable the pre-amps
GAIN control to be used in a wide range of settings, while never having to affect the listening level. On the SINGLE RECTIFIER
50 these MASTERS serve another purpose as well. When the FX LOOP is in use, these MASTER controls double as Effects Loop
Send Level controls.
This is not their primary function, but the setting here does affect the channels’ Send strength. We have
found the middle ranges
through to be vary well behaved for most effects. Setting the MASTERS in
this region should make for trouble free effects interfacing when using the loop.
PRESENCE:
PAGE 5
MASTER:
CONTROLS:
(Continued)
HEAD VERSION
PRESENCE
BASS
HEAD VERSION
PRESENCE
MASTER