Mesa Boogie Studio Stereo Pre Amp Kurt Cobain Nirvana Guitar Amplifier

Here for sale is a Mesa Boogie Stereo Pre Amp and is all valve. This amp is incredibly versatile and allows you to have two separate channels at the same time which you can control individually. It has an amazing sound with a 5 band EQ and has now become very sought after. This is the pre amp made famous by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana who used one in the studio and Live for the whole of the Nevermind and In Utero eras. It is a legendary amp that has an incredible sound of its own but also transparent enough to take pedals well too. Kurt Cobain was such a fan of the amp he used it almost exclusively except for a few occasions he played his Fender Twin Reverb II amp. This amp model was also used by Metallica for the recording of the 'Black' album.

A 2 channels shared EQ
5-point EQ
"fat" and "bright" switches
channel switching (footswitchable not included)
reverb & EQ switching (footswitchable not included)
effects loop
2 main outs
2 recording outs
All tube 4 12ax7
1 12aT7 for the reverb tank
1 volume which affects both channels
1 master volume which affects both channels

Kurt Cobain used this amp in conjunction with a Crest Audio 4801 which I also have for sale but it works particularly well will the Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp which I am also selling. As you need a power amp to power the pre amp, the Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp is a quick solution as it is designed for the Studio Pre Amp and they connect straight away, where as the crest needs some special connectors which you would have to make or buy separately. The other good thing about the Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp is that it is lighter and fits the same slot size in a rack as the pre amp so they make a nice pair. But if you would like the complete Kurt Cobain Nirvana set up the Crest Audio 4801 is the way to go, or get both! This Mesa Boogie Studio Pre Amp is the rack mountable version of the Mesa Boogie Studio .22. The Studio pre amp is in good condition for its age, has been serviced and is converted to UK voltage (230V) and fitted with a UK plug. To use it in the USA you would need to convert it back or use a transformer and to use it in the EU you would just need a plug adaptor. This is a truly legendary amp. Here is some more info about Kurt Cobain's Studio Pre Amp: 

This was Kurt main pre-amp, used for live performances ever since May 2, 1990. Kurt trashed his Sunn amps the day earlier, on May 1st at the Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC, and bought the Mesa Boogie, Crown Power Base 2 Poweramp, and an Aria Pro II Cardinal Series CS-350 Guitar on May 2nd before playing at the Milestone in Charlotte NC.

The Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp were run into a Crown Power Base 2 poweramp, Kurt used these to drive anything from a single stack to four 8x12 stacks (depending on the size of the venue). From that point on, the Mesa Boogie was used for the entirety of Nevermind and In Utero tours. During most of the Nevermind tour, the preamp was paired with a Crown Power Base 2 power amp. The Crown Power Base 2 Poweramp never worked out very well and was a particular source of frustration for "Nevermind" tour tech, Nick Close. The output on the Boogie Studio preamp was so hot, the Crown power amp would blow up a lot and have to be repaired. This setup was used until around January 1992, when Kurt kept the Mesa Boogie but switched to a duo of Crest 4801 power amps. Finally, they found amps which could take the beating. Earnie Bailey called these "the amp that wouldn't die"

the "In Utero" tour, Same basic amp rig as the end of the "Nevermind" tour.

the Marshall cabs' speakers during the "In Utero" tour were Vintage 30's, Kurt used 8 cabinets, Chris 8, and Pat 4 Pat received Kurt's old 4x12's with the Celestion 75's when Kurt got his new ones with the V30's. The first Studio Preamp Kurt had was given to Pat, and Earnie ordered three more for the "In Utero" tour... two new ones for Kurt and a spare for Pat. "I kept tons of spares of everything on hand to avoid being stranded and unable to get parts, and to make sure the show never stopped due to a dead amp. I really liked the long, drawn out demolition sessions, and the more indestructible the amp rigs were, this part of the show would last as long as the guitar would, sometimes longer" A small,1980s red Marshall 3005 Lead 12 micro stack ministack was on stage, but it was never used. Kurt had one with Red Tolex, Krist and Pat both had ones with Black Tolex, they were used as Props. Pedals included the Sansamp Classic as Kurt's main distortion, Boss DS-2, E-H Polychorus & Echoflanger (whichever worked that day), and Small Clone chorus. Kurt took care of the settings on his pedals, "He knew all the sweet spots really well".

To get Kurt's tones you're going to at least need a closed back 4x12 cab, anything less and you just won't get the required air movement and low end thump. The preamp was set fairly clean, this allowed Kurt to use his distortion boxes to generate all of his signature aggressive distortion tones.