MESA M6 Head or Combo?

ccouch7 · #1 12-20-2010, 05:35 PM

Ok, I got my Christmas bonus and I'm way overdue for a new amp, I've been playing through a Peavy Mark VI head and Peavy 4x10 and 1x18 for about 20 years +?
It's never let me down by the way, but I'm ready for something different.

I've been looking at the GK700rbii and the Mesa M6, I'm pretty sure I'm getting the Mesa.
I play in a rock cover band that plays anything from The Allman Bros. to Tool.
With two guitar players with Bogner half stacks, a keyboard player and a loud drummer.

I can't decide if I should just get the M6 head (with head case) or the M6 combo ($100.00 more) with 2x12 speakers. I have the other cabs to choose from or a 1x15 to add to the combo for outdoor festival gigs, which we do quite a few of every year.
So my question is would the combo's speakers hold thier own in a loud rock band in medium sized bar gigs or should I just go with the head. Thanks.

My basses by the way are an Alembic Epic 4 and MIM precision.

Tom F · #2 12-20-2010, 05:45 PM

I owned and loved the combo for a couple years. Sounded great everywhere I took it. Volume was never an issue - I had it on plenty of gigs, both indoor and outdoor, and never had the master above 10 o clock. Moving it wasn't a big deal either unless you had to go up or down stairs. The handles and wheels are well designed and placed.

However, I live on the 3rd floor, and it got to be a little much to carry it up the stairs at 3-4AM. I sold it and moved to a head/cab setup (Walkabout/LDS 2x12) that is much lighter and easier to move. I do sometimes miss the heft to the sound that the M6 had, but I'm much happier when I get home.

That said, if I was doing it over again, I'd buy separates. The M6 combo is awesome, but you buy flexibility and portability by going head/cab.

Shinyflavors7 · #3 12-20-2010, 05:56 PM

Buy the combo. You'll thank yourself later. The head comes out so basically your asking if a pair of mesa boogie twelves is worth a hundred dollars. I own a mesa 4x12 and I love it!

ccouch7 · #4 12-20-2010, 06:24 PM

Thanks Tom, I hear ya about the load out. I usually have help loading out and only 4 steps to get it in the house. Glad to hear you liked it and thanks for your reply.
By the way did you ever use a external cab with the combo? I noticed they sell a 4 ohm version and a 8 ohm version as well so I'm not sure which way to go there either.

Thanks shinyflavors7, so the head is removable and is the same as the rackmount version? If so that's happening.

Any more opinions? Keep em' comin', I'm going to pick one up within a week or two.

onegunguitar · #5 12-20-2010, 06:59 PM

I bought the M6 combo.Yea,the head does come out and it's a standard 19" so it'll fit right into a rack,so like it was already stated it's worth it to get the combo for 100 extra bucks. I was running it through an pre Fender SWR 6x10 but got tired of lugging the bigger cab around(sounded awesome BTW), as of lately I put the head back in the combo and have been using it that way and I gotta say it sounds incredible!!! The M6 is one simple,straight ahead amp that gets the job done in a huge way.It's got plenty of power for just about any small to medium sized venue and it's so easy to get great tone out of it,basically a plug and play amp-you won't be disappointed.

ccouch7 · #6 12-20-2010, 07:54 PM

onegunguitar, thanks for that man.
I'm going with the combo.
Have you tried using an external cab with your combo? Just curious how it'll work out. Thanks again.

babebambi · #7 12-20-2010, 08:55 PM

I see no harm going for the 4 ohm combo cab, since the head goes down to 2 ohm.

Unless, god forbid, if you ever wants to run more than one extension ...

CElton · #8 12-21-2010, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccouch7

onegunguitar, thanks for that man.
I'm going with the combo.
Have you tried using an external cab with your combo? Just curious how it'll work out. Thanks again.

I've run a 2x10 extension cab underneath the combo and it sounded great. Definitely go with the 4 ohm version.

onegunguitar · #9 12-21-2010, 07:24 PM

Yea,I actually hooked the combo up with my SWR 6x10. It was running at 2 ohms-but I never really pushed it since it was sitting in my living room but I did turn it up a little and it sounded sweet! I'm thinking what I may do is sell my SWR and get a Mesa 2x12 ext. cab at some point,I really like the sound of the 12's when they are turned up.

NickRich · #10 12-21-2010, 07:41 PM

I'll resume my personal story with this : I should have bought the combo instead of only the M6.

The Powerhouse 2x12 has a different tonal profile than the combo, the latter being more mid forward I think. I tried various cabs and none has the bite of the combo.

Anyway, if it sounds right, buy it.

onegunguitar · #11 12-21-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickRich

I'll resume my personal story with this : I should have bought the combo instead of only the M6.

The Powerhouse 2x12 has a different tonal profile than the combo, the latter being more mid forward I think. I tried various cabs and none has the bite of the combo.

Anyway, if it sounds right, buy it.

So you're saying the 2x12 ext cab has a somewhat different voicing? Hmm,I was figuring they would be pretty close the same but in looking at the measurements of the ext cab it is a little bigger in size than the combo speaker cab. I would see why they may sound a little different.

NickRich · #12 12-22-2010, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onegunguitar

So you're saying the 2x12 ext cab has a somewhat different voicing? Hmm,I was figuring they would be pretty close the same but in looking at the measurements of the ext cab it is a little bigger in size than the combo speaker cab. I would see why they may sound a little different.

Yep, that's my impression, but since I never compared them side by side, I might be wrong.

onegunguitar · #13 12-22-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickRich

Yep, that's my impression, but since I never compared them side by side, I might be wrong.

I'd feel safe in saying that pairing them together would probably just crush!! One thing I can't figure out with the combo is why Mesa put a 1/4" plug for the speaker connection,you would think they would have used a Speakon connector. I'm thinking on changing mine over to the Speakon here one of these days.

ccouch7 · #14 01-06-2011, 08:36 PM

First I'd like to thank you all for the comments on this thread.

Well I went to the music store the other day to order the combo but they said it's on backorder for about two months. And I did'nt want to wait or the money would surely burn a hole in my pocket.
So I bought a new M6 rackmount head that they had in the store and went straight to band practice that night and hooked it up to my Peavey 4x10 and 1x18 (both 8 ohms) and man, I've never felt these old clapped out speakers move like that before. The only head that has ever been on top of those speakers is the old Peavey Mark VI.

I set all the EQ controls flat (on the M6), the gain at noon and the volume at 8 o'clock just barely cracked open really.
This head has the sound that I thought me or my speakers could never produce.
smooth mids and highs, deep lows and warm and punchy, as you can tell I love this thing.

Can't wait till I can afford some new speaker cabs in a few months.

I think this amp will make me a better player too as I can already tell I need to refine my playing on some things.

Well I guess you could say I'm still in the honeymoon phase. But so far this thing is killer and everybody in the band loved it, especially my drummer who said he could never hear me with such clarity and definition before.
I don't even think I was as loud as I was with my Peavy head but it sure seemed like I was and I just like the punch and feel of this amp.
I surely was'nt disappointed.

While I'm still curious about how the combo would've sounded, it kind of worked out good for me because I can easily take the head with me when I leave band practice or gigs and I have other speakers to hook it up to at home, rather than moving the combo back and forth.