According to its slogan, this Californian company claims that the spirit of art is embodied in its products' technology, in this case a guitar amplifier. Is that true, or is it just a well-crafted phrase from the demanding world of marketing?
Well, as the saying goes, there's a bit of both. First, let's identify this brand. Still far from rivaling the mythical Marshall and Peavey in fame, though not in quality, the American company Mesa/Boogie has carved out a place among an ever more numerous field of competitors. Today it's at the forefront alongside brands like Gallien-Krueger or Carvin, fighting hard to close the gap that still exists between the two brands par excellence and the rest.
But right now it isn't important to rank brands, nor to despair, because the amplifier in front of us will give us a different kind of concern, as always. Whether we'll get along with it is almost not even a question: it will always be a resounding “yes.” Its build fits the typical combo to a tee, around 20 kilos in weight and fairly small in size... remember what to do with this type of amp: they make handy ottomans when you're not using them.
Right in front of our noses, the aforementioned “thunder box” tells us we're returning in one stroke to the classic tube atmosphere; that's what we'll see glowing if we turn around and look at this Nomad45 from behind. At this point, it's unnecessary to talk about tube sound, because everybody knows it. What we will talk about, as far as the space in this article allows, are the particulars that set this Nomad45 apart from its colleagues.
Controls
No sooner do we lean over a bit (remember the size of this stool) than we find 25 controls between knobs and switches, and that's just on the front, because there's more “meat” on the back. Without further ado: how would you like to have at least six amplifiers in one at the press of a button? Magical, isn't it? Well, it's possible thanks to all these controls. All these knobs tell us that their functions are repeated three times, or that we have three independent channels: we'll have three gains, three masters, three presence controls and three ways of EQing the bass, mids and treble. Are we still lost with all this “three” rhetoric? OK; let's say, then, that you can customize your amp's sound three times over. Obviously you'll set up three different EQs, so you won't need to touch any knobs; you'll just press a footswitch button that takes you in a second from one “amplifier to another,” so to speak. Having seen that we can have three amps in one, we notice three tiny little switches. And what are those? Well, another way to keep the smile on our faces for a long time and to have three more ways of experimenting with another EQ within the ones we've already designed. What a way to gild the lily! From this jumble it seems complex to get around the Nomad45, but it isn't; the practice is much more rewarding.
Well, let everyone amuse themselves finding their own personal style. We should identify this marvel a bit further and say that this model has a 12-inch speaker with 45 watts of muscle. Mesa/Boogie offers this “Nomad” in three “displacements”: 45 (this one), 55 and 100.
It has its master volume knob and another called “solo” to deepen and perfect that all-important part of building a guitar song. On the back, it has a knob that selects the type of channel we want to use (what we said about three amps in one) and a final position called pedal control. We'll leave it in that position, because the most sensible thing is to connect the pedal that comes with the Nomad and stop fiddling around back there, where it's far too hot to keep sticking your hand in. Another knob indicates the FXMix level, or effects mix. Further along we have a switch that takes the amp's power from normal to extreme, or in other words, from a more refined, cleaner and balanced sound on each of the three channels to a more aggressive, faster and rawer one. It's one more option in the catalog of possibilities the Nomad offers; that said, it's also fair to recommend moderate use of this amp in its wildest version: first, because our precious electronics can burn out if we abuse the extreme power setting on this switch, and second, because our neighbors, if we don't have a rehearsal space, can mutate into dangerous killing machines. It also has three knobs to set the reverb on each of these three channels to give it more quality, and that's a great touch, because instead of one master knob, these folks have given us the chance to give each channel its own reverb to use as we please.
You can connect speakers to the Nomad to multiply its wattage through three outputs, one 8-ohm and two 4-ohm, and another output for use with a “slave” amp, that is, to pump out even more with a simple little guy that stands barely knee-high. Lastly, two jack inputs/outputs, one send and one return, to be used without restraint by anyone who likes to experiment and has enough gear to do so; and an input for headphones or line, in case we want to run our Nomad into a mixing console.
And What Does All This Sound Like?
That's a smart question. The sound of this Nomad will be warm, clean, explosive, rocking, metal-ish, bluesy, poppy, rumba-flavored, and anything else you can think of as long as it ends in “-y.” Careful: ends, not starts. Although, come to think of it, this amp's sound can also turn out to be sexy to our senses. That's the Nomad's particularity: being able to play with its knobs until you find your personal sound and spread it across three channels. Just imagine: I'm going to start with a soft arpeggio, then move on to powerful riffs and cap it off with one of those knockout solos. And I can do all of it just by stepping on three buttons.
Yes, I know some of you will say: “Big deal! To change modes you have to step on a pedal, so I don't see what's new... It's always been done that way.” True enough. But I'm not talking about the physical act of pressing a button with your foot and... presto, hocus pocus! The Nomad lets you build three independent playing modes, which can be doubled with a light flick of a switch. The emphasis is on making good use of the unit and its great variety and richness of sounds thanks to its knobs. Because pay special attention to the “solo” button. If guitarists are already known for their excessive “zeal” when playing a solo in the rehearsal room, with this feature the rest of the musicians had better start fitting good earplugs for their long-suffering ears. These are details that will leave you pondering as you look over its lineup. It's tempting to see that many knobs in front of you and not dare to explore sounds. In any case, the manual, which is in perfect English, has deigned to give us a cheat sheet so that, to start, we can enjoy the power and clarity of this amp with a few sample EQ settings, from the mildest to the most aggressive and rockin'.
Conclusions
Well, I think we've taken a brief but, I hope, meaningful trip through the real possibilities offered by the Mesa/Boogie Nomad 45. If you'll allow me, I'd like to christen it with another name more fitting for its versatility: “the three.” With the “3,” hard rock guitarists will feel for a moment like musicians in legendary bands such as Whitesnake or Iron Maiden. I give such a significant example because I think this Nomad suits those folks to a T. Once again, whoever ventures to buy one of these amps presumably does so because they don't have much space and because their finances don't allow them to fill the van with cabs and amp heads. Although we'll never tire of repeating that size doesn't matter here, and in the case of this Nomad 45 even less, given what's already been said about being able to “bridge” slave cabs to our little amplifier. And if not, there's always the magical line input into a mixing console to solve that problem.
As I said: if you're tougher than nails, this is your amp. If you're a purist of those fat, resounding riffs, the Nomad is also your amp. If you're a worshipper of tube sound, you are definitely cannon fodder for this cute thunder box. If you're none of these, why on earth did you buy a guitar? I'll make just one complaint about the Nomad 45, much as it pains me. Access to the front panel, that is, to its knobs, is a bit awkward because of the little space between the controls. You'll have to adjust the parameters with your fingertips. That said, it could never be a blot on the description of such a phenomenal amplifier.