Triple Crown TC-100 - 100-watt Tube Head Review

Another great amp from Mesa

This is one of the most versatile amps that I have ever owned. The clean is crisp and chimey just like a Fender, the blue channel voiced like your favorite vintage British amp and the red channel will melt your face off with plenty of gain on tap.

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Absolutely crushes, another Boogie masterpiece.

People have been saying this is a hybrid between a British and American high gain amp and I would agree with that - maybe more like 30/70 ratio. If you're looking for a Marshall sound with a Mesa label on it, this isn't it. This is a very aggressive Mesa amp, with plenty of midrange and high mid punch, but never gets fizzy/muddy. Plenty of gain available on the lo-gain channel,… read more and the hi-gain channel absolutely crushes. A great "channel switching" amp. Very tight and fast, has great low end for anybody playing 7 strings. There's so much gain in this thing, it's just silly. It's VERY easy to dial in tones (when compared to a Mark V - which I also own). The clean channel is warm, and crisp. I would say this is amp sounds more like a Mark series amp (with more gain) than a Recto, but it's still its own unique thing when compared to those to families, and it's absolutely killer. I love it. It can get noisy as you pour on the gain (duh), so I definitely recommend having a quality noise gate for it. If you want a little extra magic, get a Mesa Boogie Tone Burst pedal for a clean boost, leave it on, and you'll just die and go to heaven.

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Almost 3 years in and it's amazing

Bought this amp in spring 2018 and wanted to share my thoughts. This amp is incredible. As someone who looks for both vintage and modern tones, I was having trouble finding an amp that suited my needs. I'm not a big fan of amp modelers, prefer a plug and play approach with pedals instead, and I don't think there's a more versatile amp on the market. You can get classic crunchy… read more Brit tones along with modern high gain from this amp, and you really don't need much else. I use a few different overdrive pedals in front of the amp, but they're not really necessary (I use them for a clean boost mostly). I play a lot of classic rock (Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), prog (Dream Theater), and modern djent/metal including 8-string low tuning stuff (Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Leprous), and the amp can handle all easily. There's no flub on the bottom end when doing heavy down tuned palm muted lines, and there's a head of breath and headroom that I feel you can't get with a digital rig. The only aspect I've struggled with is getting jangly cleans since the amp is so mid forward. Some of this might have to do with the power tubes (I use the stock EL-34s). My remedy for this has been to keep the mids all the way down on the clean channel with the gain somewhat low, and then to use my overdrive pedals as a clean boost. A nice reverb pedal helps as well. This is a fairly minor complaint, because a lot of bands that utilize those chimy clean sounds do so with a lot of digital processing. Overall, hard to imagine most wouldn't love this amp. With the bias switch you can swap out the tubes if you're not a fan of the EL34s.

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Perfection

This is hands down the best amplifier on the market. Fender cleans, British-voiced channel 2 as good as any Marshall, and that classic Mesa gain that's between a Mark and Rectifier structure. Add in all the extras like midi, true plate reverb, solo boost and individual channel attenuators and you have all you need and more.

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The Prefect Amplifier has Arrived!!!

I have played and recorded with Mesa's for over a decade, including the dual rec roadster, single rec; the other guitarist in my band has used the Stiletto, Express, Mark V (currently) and recto-verb. I've owned Laney's and Hughes & Kettner, and PRS MT-15. I hadn't owned a 100 watt head for several years, and wanted to get the best I could buy. I considered Bogner, Soldano, Diezel,… read more and all sorts of other boutique stuff. Then I watched the Video play through's of Mesa's new flagship amp. My mind was made up and I have ZERO regrets. This thing smokes every other amp I've owned! You get all the famed Mesa build quality, stage appeal, and then just infinite miles of TONE. I use it recording at home attenuated, and in rehearsal holy #$@! Set channel 2 to 100 watts and chug out the most awe inspiring rhythm chunk imaginable! Not to mention all other tones are perfect. Then thrown in a ton of features like the built in cab clone. Randall Smith really has reached the peak of tube amp design!

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