Charlie Simpson (Busted/Fightstar) - My MESA/Boogie Story

Charlie Simpson from Busted and Fightstar talks about his love of the MESA/Boogie Dual Rectifier™ and Badlander™ amplifiers.

▶ Guitars & Amps Charlie Simpson is using:

We’re joined by Charlie Simpson from Busted and Fightstar to talk through his experience of using MESA/Boogie gear, dating back to the first time he tried them out in 2001 with his band Busted. Now a MESA/Boogie Badlander player, he demonstrates how he dials in his tone, using the MESA/Boogie Badlander 100 Head and the 2X12 Vertical/Slant Rectifier Cabinet.

"Dual Rectifier was always my favorite MESA. What's cool about the Badlander is it takes everything that was awesome about the Dual Rectifier and then adds more possibilities."

In this exclusive interview with the Busted/Fightstar frontman, Charlie Simpson talks about the first time he heard about MESA/Boogie amps, and how once he tried the MESA/Boogie Dual Rectifier at a Busted rehearsal it became a mainstay in his live and studio rig.

Watch as he talks about how he dials in his MESA/Boogie Badlander amplifier amp to get the optimal pleasing distortion and how the main thing he thinks about is "how well does it chug?".

Watch as he shows you how to dial in the metal and alternative rock tones as heard on Fightstar records as well as the more pop-punk style tones as heard on Busted albums using his MESA/Boogie Badlander. Learn how he pushes the trebles to get the pleasing harmonics and tube saturation and how he feels that the treble settings really make the MESA amps come to life!

Whether you need a compact 25-watt combo or a fire-breathing 100-watt head, MESA/Boogie’s Badlander™ Collection has been engineered by Randall Smith and his team in Petaluma, California, to deliver all the punch, power, and gain modern rock and metal players demand.

A tighter, meaner, and more aggressive twist on the Dual Rectifier® theme, the Badlander was designed in response to feedback from players who wanted less mid-scoop, refined highs and lows, and some British influence with their American-voiced gain. Running direct with our proprietary CabClone™ tech, or melting faces in the front row through a 4x12 cabinet, the Badlander redefines heavy tone.

Chapters:
0:00 Charlie Simpson's first MESA/Boogie amp
0:59 Distortion
1:38 Pushing the treble
2:23 Dual Rectifier vs Badlander


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ABOUT MESA/Boogie:
Welcome to the official MESA/Boogie® channel – the home of MESA/Boogie amplifier videos, including demos, reviews, new product announcements, artist interviews, and more. Get first access to the latest MESA/Boogie guitar amps, hear your favorite artists discuss their love of MESA/Boogie amps, and learn more about each MESA/Boogie amplifier meticulously handbuilt in our Petaluma, CA shop.

[callumvernon]

C’mon Charlie, get the lads back together for good and bring back Fightstar permanently!

[Dimillio]

So glad! At last Charlie got back to the real thing 🤘

[rhyuu-bcvl]

behind the devils back is one of my favourite albums ever. absolute hero

[nickfox]

Fightstar is soooo good. Don’t tease us Charlie!!

[georgedrummer]

Woomfy... new word for my vocabulary 🤘

[tedclaxton]

Hearing Charlie play those Figjtstar riffs makes me grin ear to ear 😅

[reccts]

The tone is just so crushing and raw! I love it! And that’s why I bought one when they first came out!

[killerratz]

Try the triple crown 100! Add a MXR 6 band EQ in the loop and it will blow you away 😁😁

[geraldrauch]

have the badlander 50W...great amp...I added a legendary tones mr. scary mod to it, and now its a fire-breathing monster...play it in a stereo rig with either a mark IV or my engl fireball 100...cheers all!!!

[jonnytremaine]

What’s the master volume like on these? Cheers

[DarrenPrice]

I’ve heard a lot better tones for far less money 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[BrieCheese-ov]

Good to see oul Charlie Simpson riffing out on a Kramer and MESA - but, alas, he's clearly been briefed/paid to drop in the phrase about MESA being a 'lifestyle brand' - this is Gibson's big idea at the moment - have people buying Gibson/MESA t-shirts, footballs etc, as no-one can afford their riduclously priced guitars/amps anymone and they can't be bothed designing new stuff that can compete with good, affordable gear.

[shreder]

Love the amp, but this is an awful demo. A handful of mid 90s sludge extended barre chords?