The Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head is a Mesa Boogie amplifier, currently around $1799. Close alternatives include the Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8 and the Magnatone 460E-SPP. It pairs well with the Marshall Guv'nor and the Greer Tomahawk.
Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head
Mesa Boogie · amplifier
The Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head is a 25-watt two-channel amplifier with a distinctly late 1960s to early 1970s voicing, delivering fat clean tones through to the classic overdriven sounds reminiscent of Carlos Santana's signature breakup. Its two channels are identical in layout, each offering three voicing modes called Clean, Drive and Hi, so both channels can be set anywhere across the amp's range rather than one being fixed as the clean side. Power is switchable for smaller rooms. Unlike the Mark and Rectifier families it is deliberately a vintage-flavoured amplifier rather than a modern high-gain one. It suits blues, classic rock and roots players who want period voicing with modern build quality.
What stands out
“It suits blues, classic rock and roots players who want period voicing with modern build quality”
— from the listing
“The Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head is a 25-watt two-channel amplifier with a distinctly late 1960s to early 1970s voicing, delivering fat clean tones through to the classic overdriven sounds reminiscent of Carlos Santana's signature breakup”
— from the listing
“Its two channels are identical in layout, each offering three voicing modes called Clean, Drive and Hi, so both channels can be set anywhere across the amp's range”
— from the listing
“A warm, dynamic voice with lush, dimensional cleans that bloom into a thick, harmonically rich classic crunch, the simplified controls making it musical and easy to dial”
— from the reviews
“Bought by players who want a vintage-voiced Mesa , and it surprises people who assume all Boogies are metal amps”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“The main caveat is that players wanting modern high gain should look at the Mark or Rectifier lines instead”
— from the community notes
- classic rock
- clean
- breakup
- roots
- rich
- fat
- lush
- crunch
Good for
- Live
- Studio
- Worship
- Practice
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Blues
- Metal
- Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
25% matchpushes an amp at the edge of breakupPushes an amp already sitting at the edge of breakup over the line. (edge of breakup → mid-forward)
Feed a edge of breakup signal into Marshall Guv'nor and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Greer Tomahawk
Greer
23% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → medium gain)
Greer Tomahawk is voiced for Fender-style amps — Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head gives it exactly that
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Catalinbread
23% matchpushes an amp at the edge of breakupPushes an amp already sitting at the edge of breakup over the line. (edge of breakup → mid-forward)
Catalinbread Formula 5F6 takes that edge of breakup character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler
TC Electronic
16% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head's transparent voice out front: TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler goes after Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head in the signal chain so its mid-forward voice doesn't muddy it
Goes in front of the amp
Xotic SP Compressor
Xotic
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Xotic SP Compressor leans toward smooth, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
7% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay in Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head's effects loop, clear of Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Strymon BigSky
Strymon
7% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Strymon BigSky in Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head's effects loop, clear of Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Caline CP-16 MR. Mark
Caline
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Caline CP-16 MR. Mark goes in front of Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head in the chain
Cheaper alternatives
Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box
Catalinbread
72% similarityCatalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Universal Audio Uafx Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier Preamp
Universal Audio
72% similarityUniversal Audio Uafx Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Tone King Imperial Preamp
Tone King
72% similarityTone King Imperial Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Marshall 2245 JTM45 Head
Marshall
57% similarityShared character: rich, crunch, classic rock
Marshall 2245 JTM45 MK II Reissue 2-Channel 30-Watt
Marshall
57% similarityShared character: rich, crunch, classic rock
Victory VC35
Victory
49% similarityShared character: rich, thickness, crunch
Boutique & premium upgrades
Magnatone SL100 Slash 100 Watt Head Black
Magnatone
48% similarityShared character: singing, thickness, crunch
Orange Custom Shop 50 Head
Orange
47% similarityShared character: two channels, thickness, crunch
Suhr PF100 Peter Frampton
Suhr
45% similarityShared character: singing, rich, thickness
PRS DG Custom 30 David Grissom Signature 30W Head
PRS
42% similarityShared character: singing, classic rock, high gain settings
Marshall 1959JMH-U Handwired 1959 100w Limited Edition
Marshall
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8
Electronic Audio Experiments
72% similarityElectronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8 recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Magnatone 460E-SPP
Magnatone
50% similarityShared character: rich, clean
Dumble Overdrive Reverb
Dumble
49% similarityShared character: singing, clean
Fender Bassman AB165 Amp
amplifier
47% similarityShared character: two channels, clean
Mesa Boogie California Tweed 6V6 4:40 Head
Mesa Boogie
44% similarityShared character: classic rock
Bad Cat Jet Black
Bad Cat
42% similarityShared character: classic rock, clean
See all alternatives to the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head?+
The closest matches in character are the Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8, the Magnatone 460E-SPP, the Dumble Overdrive Reverb. Budget picks: Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box, Universal Audio Uafx Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier Preamp, Tone King Imperial Preamp. Boutique upgrades: Magnatone SL100 Slash 100 Watt Head Black, Orange Custom Shop 50 Head, Suhr PF100 Peter Frampton.
What pairs well with the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Guv'nor, Greer Tomahawk, Catalinbread Formula 5F6 — Feed a edge of breakup signal into Marshall Guv'nor and it comes out closer to mid-forward.
How much does the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25 Head cost?+
Around $1799 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).
Compare
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