John Frusciante’s Mesa Boogie Head (Unknown)
John used a Mesa Boogie Head amp briefly in early 1991, although there are very few photos or videos documenting it, as the band only played five gigs before taking a break to work on the Blood Sugar Sex Magik album.
In a February 1991 interview, John mentioned that the amp was already halfway broken, and he was considering a replacement. Based on his description, one might assume he was referring to a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. However, available photos suggest something different. Below is a capture from a concert on January 24, 1991, in Los Angeles, showing John playing through two amps—a Marshall on the left and what appears to be a Mesa Boogie (though this is not 100% confirmed) on the right. Unfortunately, the exact model remains a mystery. If you happen to know what it is, feel free to leave a comment below.
As far as amps go I have a Mesa/Boogie, and I don’t know what kind it is. But it’s two amps in one. The knobs are frozen in a good spot. I can control the volume, just not the treble or bass, but I don’t have a problem yet. I’m sure it’s going to grow little legs and walk away from me soon.
Guitar (UK), February 1991
One theory, suggested by Thwacko in the comments, is that the amp could be a Music Man. However, the metal label on the top left appears too wide compared to those typically seen on Music Man amps, and there doesn’t appear to be any Music Man amps from this period with black grill cloth.
By October 1991, at the start of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour, the Mesa Boogie was gone, and John was back to using two Marshall JCM800 heads. Interestingly, John had already used the JCM800 model in 1990, prior to switching to the Mesa Boogie. It remains unclear what prompted the initial switch—or the decision to return to Marshalls later that same year.
I like to keep things simple. Those MESA/Boogie amps were too hard for me to understand. For most of the basics, I used two Marshalls: a guitar head for edge and a bass head for punch and low end.
Guitar Player (USA), October 1991
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The amp in the picture appears to be a Musicman head, maybe a Sixty-five based on the number and placement of knobs and the logo.
It’s a Mesa Boogie Simul Class 295 power amp with a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp. I know because i have the exact same setup and John’s can be seen in his rack in the Psychadelic Sex Funk vid.
I just checked the Sex Funk footage, and it appears that that setup was different than the one pictured on the photo here. I’ll add that rig on a separate – thanks!
Edit: I just looked at the footage more carefully, and it appears to be a Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo Power Amp and Quad Preamp combo actually. Do you have any screencaps/photos of him using the Class 295?