I am thinking of shelving my mammoth Quad Reverb and getting one of these Boogies. You can switch from 5 watts to 50 watts. They sound great clean which is a must for me and it its not too hard to overdrive the tubes either. It is a fairly spendy amp but it is rugged and smaller than what I have now.

Should I keep the nostalgia amp or get something new?

Mesa makes great amps and the power switching is a wonderful feature. The Quad may have nostalgia vibes, but I think the quality and attention to detail of the Mesa is better, plus it's using more modern technology, even though the first Mesas were built to replicate the old Fenders. I don't know anyone who has bought a Mesa that regretted it.

I love the amp from the little bit I have been able to play it, but I have to decide if it is worth $1400. I'm sure it is but that is a lot of dough for a struggling artist.

Too bad you can't work a sponsorship deal with them. They might not give you the amp, but maybe they'd give it to you at cost. Mesa is a big enough company that they probably don't have to do that, though.

Yeah, they are big enough that the "Highly Experienced" salesman at Guitar Center told me there is not a dimes worth of wiggle room on the price... Didn't know they were that good.

Have you tried any connections in NYC or LA? I'll bet they have some wiggle room. The problem with the online & chain retailers is that most of them are owned by one company. Check this out: http://www.worldmusicnashville.com/gear/amplifiers?page=shop.browse&category_id=52

$1299 at world Music in Nashville. Don't know if they're reputable, but you could use them as a wedge against GC.

I'll have to check it out. They are a good company so I've heard. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that Boogie will stumble across this forum and offer a sponsorship

Or write to them and ask for one to review. Don't say anything about returning it.