Just moved to Portland a bit back and am looking for a little more modern amp for a new music project. Mainly interested in a couple specifics, but some of them I'd like to be able to try first, hence the "Portland area" aspect (which means that you can try my amp(s) as well). The amps I'm definitely interested in at this point are:
Mesa Carbine M6
Genz-Benz GBE750 (or possibly 600)
Thunderfunk TF550
I am open to other possibilities as long as I can try them out! And all can be +/- money depending...
Basically looking for an aggressive/ punchy rock amp- but a little more modern and clean with tighter lows than my tubed companions....I still love both of my Mesas, and will be keeping whichever remains for future projects and recording (I've had a hell of a time deciding which one I'd prefer to keep- so I'm letting you all decide).
Both of the Mesas are in good condition, and have both been regularly serviced/retubed since I've had them. The tubes in the D-180 are almost new (low hours, retubed and serviced 4-5 months ago), the tubes in the 400+ are about a year old or so- also low hours as my main band broke up shortly after the retube! The D-180 has Svetlana 6L6s in the power amp and a mix of JJ and Mesa tubes in the pre. The 400+ has Shuguang 6L6GCs in the power section and JJ 12ax7s in the pre- all the tubes in both were matched/installed by Lord Valve/Fat Willie in Denver.
Heres an old Trade ad I posted for the D-180 that describes its tone and what-not pretty well:
FT Feeler: Mesa Boogie D-180 just serviced and retubed!
The 400+ sounds surprisingly different considering it is a fairly close descendant of the D-180- its more massive, with a ridiculous room-filling thick low end and more subdued high end. It tends to be a challenge keeping this amp from being too loud (ie drowning out anything within a couple blocks!), which I must admit has been kind of addictive...
. It doesn't have the versatile "gooey tube overdrive at any volume" that the D-180 excels at, but it can get a pretty wicked grind for sure! The tube complement in this guy far surpasses the stock Mesa tubes in just about every way- louder, deeper, more defined, sweeter overdrive, etc... Lord Valve suggested the tubes for both amps, and he definitely knows his stuff!
The 400+ is currently mounted in an awesome and sturdy 4 space Road-Ready rack, which I may include depending on the deal. The D-180 will come with a fairly crappy rack bag. Actually either could go in either, depending on the deal...
The 400+
The D-180
I'm sure I'm leaving out some pertinent info this late at night- so feel free to ask any questions. For the right trade, I'd be willing to drive a bit from the Portland area- but I'd really like to be able to try any amps out first!
Not putting these up for sale at the moment, but I may if I can't find a decent trade.
Thanks,
Karl
Did ya notice the date?
no
