Soft Launch: new USA Theodore

[jb_abides]

In the new launch video for the MESA designed/manufactured Falcon 5/20 Gibson Amplifiers, one guitar employed to demo at ~13:35 is a model that's familiar but new: presumably a USA Theodore yet to be officially released.

Shown with humbuckers vs P-90s, trapezoid inlays vs dots, and no walnut center stripe.

 

[zacknorton]

the new lawsuit guitar ?

 

[ADP]

Glad I never pulled the trigger on the "archive collection" version. I was right again, New Gibson ruined another. It was sooo close to being cool. Who hired that Mat Koehler guy?

 

[rockabilly69]

Screw the guitar, I like the amps, especially the 20 watter! But, I do love the Black Trini he was playing!!!

 

[DutchRay]

Screw the guitar, I like the amps, especially the 20 watter! But, I do love the Black Trini he was playing!!!

The 20 watter turns out to be a 12 watter... 15 watts with 6L6's.

 

[rockabilly69]

The 20 watter turns out to be a 12 watter... 15 watts with 6L6's.

Better yet. I prefer lower wattage. I generally don't play that loud, and getting a good tone at a lower volume appeals to me, especially in the rehearsal room. And I have other Mesa amps (DC20, and Fillmore 50) and both of these low wattage amps are generally a little louder than I expected when I bought them. Funny thing, I used to always slag on Mesa amps because of the endless knob tweaking you used to have to do to get useable tones, but when I put a Weber 12A125A speaker into my DC2, I fell in love with that amp, and it's really easy for me to find my sound with it. And then I got the Fillmore 50, and that raised the bar even higher. I have some really great amps (Clark Beaufort Premium, TopHat Club Deluxe, Victoria Regal II, Handwired Vox, and even a vintage 1964 Deluxe Reverb), but I play through the Fillmore 90% of the time when recording, and I'm using my DC20 at all of my band rehearsals with a Tele partscaster plugged straight in. So if Mesa (Randall Smith) is behind the design of this Falcon 20, most likely I will be giving one a try! I love that's he's coming back to simpler amps (Fillmore and California Tweed), so I'm excited to hear this amp!

 

[lure555]

In the new launch video for the MESA designed/manufactured Falcon 5/20 Gibson Amplifiers, one guitar employed to demo at ~13:35 is a model that's familiar but new: presumably a USA Theodore yet to be officially released.

Shown with humbuckers vs P-90s, trapezoid inlays vs dots, and no walnut center stripe.

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First time I saw a pic of that guitar I was like wtf? It looks cool in black. Love how lowkey it was presented. Those amps sound killer.

 

[zhivago]

Did you guys also notice the slab body Epiphone Coronet in the background too? Very cool!

 

[jb_abides]

Did you guys also notice the slab body Epiphone Coronet in the background too? Very cool!

... and hoping to see batwing Epi-s coming into the fold.

 

[rockabilly69]

Did you guys also notice the slab body Epiphone Coronet in the background too? Very cool!

That Epi looks sweet! I'd hit it... repeatedly!

 

[Coachmoe]

... and hoping to see batwing Epi-s coming into the fold.

JB, one of the videos shows an Epiphone Firebird V with a Maestro Vibrola in Frost Blue, THAT'S what I want to see!

 

[Itsallmuscle]

Glad I never pulled the trigger on the "archive collection" version. I was right again, New Gibson ruined another. It was sooo close to being cool. Who hired that Mat Koehler guy?

I must have missed this tea. What's the controversy?

 

[ADP]

I must have missed this tea. What's the controversy?

I don't know about controversy or anybody else. I just observe and have my own opinion. Cesar has had an "accurate" looking "Theodore" hanging in his collection with the proper design pickguard and switch. Had I foolishly drank the Gibson Kool Aid this time I would be absolutely pissed with my "Archive Collection" version which barely resembles what Ted McCarty drew. Furthermore the production USA version featured in a recent MESA demo was the true dagger to the heart for any collector. Now when I see a Theodore, I shake my head and wonder how Mat Koehler still has a job.