Have had this for a short while now and have used it for a show in a band. At 50W, it's easily capable of keeping up with a drummer, Live, I had the master at about 10 to.
Tone wise, I use humbuckers. Clean channel has wonderful clarity and you can really dial in that American shimmer. "Lo" channel doesnt have a lot of gain but a good amount of crunch. Not a lot of bottom end, but it's a very even tone. "Hi" surprised me. Loads of gain on tap and tone curves you can create from thick vintage rock to full on heavy metal. Tight switches as you'd expect "tighten" the sound, but I feel it loses a bit of bottom end. The single vintage 30 works very well with this. You can really pile on the reverb if you wish, but in a band, I think you only need it at about 10 to to be tasteful. CabClone DI, regardless of the setting, as I sort of expected, isn't great. You'll get a much better sound with a decent mic in front. Unlike some other Mesa's, you don't get any send/return control with the FX loop, so when you activate it, don't expect any change in volume or abilities to blend. Solo button is very handy for that extra lift. I cant comment on the MIDI as I haven't used it. It's a lot of money, but it is an amazing sounding amp. One other thing, do not be alarmed by the long screw sticking out by the power valves, after speaking with Mesa, it's meant to be there!
