Mesa M-Pulse 600 or D-180

Matt Dean · #1 03-16-2010, 05:36 PM

Well, after having GAS for an all tube mesa bass head, I may have an opportunity to get a D-180. The thing is... should I offer to trade my M-Pulse 600 (seller is looking for an m-pulse type head) for it or buy it outright. Trade would be easier than cash financially, but I'm reluctant to trade my m-pulse.

What say ya'll?

anderbass · #2 03-16-2010, 05:59 PM

I guess it comes down to...

Whats his cash price?
And, how much are used M-Pulse 600's like yours going for nowadays?

Matt Dean · #3 03-16-2010, 06:05 PM

In this case they're the about the same (~$800 zone) and the D-180 looks to be in pristine condition... as is my MP600.

RickenBoogie · #4 03-16-2010, 06:52 PM

I gotta say, If it's possible to have both, that's the obvious choice. I love my Mesa Buster (tube amp), but wouldn't give up my Walkabout. The "new thing" always seems like the best choice, but in time, you'll miss that 600 hybrid watts, methinks.

pfschim · #5 03-16-2010, 07:40 PM

Both are very cool, but these two amps are totally different animals.

The most obvious thing will be the 200w vs 600w difference.

The D180 has very basic controls with somewhat limited tone shaping tools. The MP600 is jammed with tools for tone shaping (Bass/Mid/Treb, EQ, comp, multi-button footswitch) as well as neat performance capabilities (like the solo setting - like having a totally separate channel setting).

The D180 will also break-up much easier than the MPulse600 will (I never was able to make my MP600 break-up in a natural way).

The D180 does fat tube tone for ever, whereas the MPulse600 is a very tube influenced hybrid (and I really like hybrids personally. But these are very different tone machines.

You might really dig the D180, but I'm guessing you will really miss the tone shaping and options on the MPulse has that the D180 simply does not.

If you can swing it, have both. Ultimately you can just sell either one once you figure out which works best for you.

good luck

Nightlyraider · #6 03-16-2010, 08:17 PM

I would keep everything I ever bought if I could afford it.

It sounds like you have the finances to straight up buy the amp; so do it!

Then you'll have two kick ass heads instead of one.

Krügmeister · #7 03-16-2010, 08:29 PM

I had a D180 and I let it slip away (now I have a 400+)
The tone it made flat was as wonderful as any amp I have ever tried before or since.
I don't think there will be a short supply of used 600 anytime soon.
There is only 1 amp I miss and it is the D180, don't miss out on this.. you can always sell it to me

Matt Dean · #8 03-16-2010, 11:38 PM

Thanks for all the comments... I really do like the clean modern tube tone of the M-pulse 600... so much that this is my second M-pulse 600 due to a similar situation a few years ago when I had a bought of Edenitis.

The problem is that one of the bands I play in is a roots rock band where I play with a more broken up tone, which I am currently achieving with a C-bread SFT and/or Bass BB. These pedals work ok, but to my ears still fall short of a all-tube head, especially one like the D-180 and it's cascading circuits.

The real solution is for me to just buy it, but the problem is that I am on a spending moratorium until my taxes are paid in April and the D-180 will likely be gone by the time I am able to buy it outright.

Oh well... C'est la vie!

Randall · #9 03-17-2010, 10:28 AM

D-180 are getting kinda hard to find especially in clean condition. You can get a M-pulse new or used quite easily. The D-180 will do clean tones and dirty tones well and if it has the graphic EQ you can make a lot of adjustments. There are also push pull pots that change the sound too.
Tough choice but I still have mine bought new from 1982

Webtroll · #10 03-17-2010, 11:38 AM

I let a D-180 slip me by about a year ago for 600 and kicked myself for not jumping. They are amazing sounding heads and at 200W tube not lacking for power either.

Matt Dean · #11 03-17-2010, 10:22 PM

Thanks for all the comments... lot a love for the D-180. The thing I am thinking is... there seems to never be talk of 200 watts being a problem/insufficient for Hiwatts or Reeves. Why should the D-180 be any different?

derridiandrift · #12 03-17-2010, 10:30 PM

200 watts of tube power is plenty. You'll be fine with it. I recently sold my M-Pulse because I couldn't get it to break up the way I wanted. The D-180 will kick!

JimmyM · #13 03-17-2010, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Dean

Thanks for all the comments... lot a love for the D-180. The thing I am thinking is... there seems to never be talk of 200 watts being a problem/insufficient for Hiwatts or Reeves. Why should the D-180 be any different?

exactly.

sunbeast · #14 03-18-2010, 02:10 AM

If you can afford to do it, I recommend owning both at the same time for comparison purposes. I had a D-180, a 400+, and a Carbine all at the same time and the Carbine and 400+ ate the D-180 for lunch volume-wise (at least if you wanted a tone with a fairly hefty/warm low end). The D-180 might have been my favorite sounding of the three though. I ended up selling it when I bought a Walkabout, and I feel like the Walkabout gets really close to my favorite range of tones on the D-180- enough that I couldn't really justify the extra size and weight of the D-180. The Walkabout doesn't get that full on bloominess of notes that you could get with certain settings of the D-180, but seems to fit in the mix very similarly.

All that said though, I think the D-180 is my favorite all tube bass head because of its ability to get that warm fuzzy tone at just about any volume I could generally need (from apartment practice volumes to fairly loud shows) with the use of that crazy Master Volume voltage limiter feature. Depending on how loud your band is you may not really need the cascading gain to get your crunch though - in a loud band you'll be pushing past that 180 watts of clean volume pretty fast. I found the cascading gain to work best in combo with the voltage limit/Master settings at lower volumes (cascading could get really harsh and overly middy at high volumes).

Karl

air_leech · #15 03-18-2010, 02:58 AM

I have zero experience with the D180 (I wish I had though) but I think it's popular enough with Guitards for you to be able to unload it without a loss.

btw, the going price for a nice clean 1982 specimen on a used gear internet store has been 1199$.

Ayliffe · #16 03-18-2010, 06:48 AM

trade for the D-180 now, when your taxes are done, pickup an MP600.

Mojo-Man · #17 03-18-2010, 08:13 AM

Buy the MP-600.
And send me the phone number of the D-180.

Hurry !!!!

RCCollins · #18 03-18-2010, 08:20 AM

the M-pulse will be around and easy to replace

get the d-180 and don't look back.

Matt Dean · #19 03-18-2010, 01:12 PM

... another option is to get the D-180 now and then get the new Baer Valkyrie later this summer.

Krügmeister · #20 03-18-2010, 01:37 PM

The D-180 is an unusual offering from Mesa IMHO.
I love the sound of my 400+ but I would trade for a clean D-180 any day of the week.