New Mesa All Tube Amps - Strategy and Prodigy (fresh start)

[pfschim]

since the last one got shut down due to serious off topic direction, and I for one remain interested in the original topic, I thought I would start a new thread on these amps.

lets please keep it on topic, as in New Mesa All Tube Amps, and lets please keep it civil.

thanks

[fuzzy beard]

Pics?

Asking price?

Anyone play one yet?

[garmenteros]

video demos would be awesome.

[Bassragerstitch]

well fuzzy beard if you look thru interstate musics web site you will find a price and as far as pics there is a youtube video from musikmesse if you wondering what the amp look likes, pfschism thx for keeping my thread alive release date maybe summer namm ? idk so dont quote me on that

[chief redcok]

I CAN'T ****ING WAIT

[pfschim]

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

Pics?

Asking price?

Anyone play one yet?

there were some pics taken at Muiskmesse in the original thread (now closed). I will try to grab them and put them in this thread.

here is the link Bassragerstich put in his OP.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13379966438253

and here is a vid from Musikmesse 2012 that shows the amps (also from the original thread)

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13379968728373

and here is a pic of one of the amps from yet another thread.
new mesa amp

[GregC]

I'm still very interested in these heads, too. The features sound pretty cool, and given the weight of Mesa's previous tube heads, I expect them to be on the light/middleweight side of tubedom. I'm optimistic that at least one, and possibly two, Mesa dealers in this area will carry them when they come out.

[MSUsousaphone]

(Promise to stay on topic)

I'm extremely interested. I love my Mesa Bass 400+, though. The Ability to switch from 12 tubes to two is AWESOME, though. I've been looking into picking up a practice amp so that I wouldn't have to turn this old guy off and on two to three times a day....this would be like two birds with one stone. It's a $1400 upgrade....so it needs to sound pretty amazing to seal the deal for me, though.

I flip flop daily on getting this or sticking with my Bass 400+.

[jmpiwonka]

^ if you've already got a good working 400+ i don't really see the reason to get one of the new ones

[whoatherechunk]

man those amps are ugly, but hell if it sounds good thats all that matters.

[ZanaZulu807]

What's the story on these? I have a Mesa dealer in my area and he urges me not to to try to purchase his 400+ in his store (perfect setup: rack, furman conditioner, and head for $1049.99) and to wait for these to come out. I've been GASing over a 400+ or regular Bass 400 lately and I've neglected buying one for years. If these new heads are that much better I think I'll wait, but with no videos and just a few pics out there forgive me if I feel just a bit skeptical....

[Premierbass]

Here's the basics:

Mesa Bass Prodigy

Four 6L6 Power Tubes and three 12AX7 Preamp Tubes, Class A/B. 2 power options via a Full/Half Power Switch (4 power tubes = 120 watts or 2 tubes, = 60 watts). Fixed Bias for maintenance free performance. Controls are Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume, effects loop, footswitch, Balanced XLR Line Out w/Ground Lift, Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control, 8 or 4 Ohm. $1,499.00.

Mesa Bass Strategy

Twelve 6L6 Power Tubes and 3x12AX7 Preamp Tubes, Class A/B. 3 power options (12 power tubes = 300 watts, 6 tubes = 150 watts, or 2 tubes = 60 Tube-Watts). Fixed Bias. Controls are Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume, Bypassable 9-Band Graphic EQ, effects Loop, footswitch, Balanced XLR Line Out w/Ground Lift Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control, 8 or 4 or 2 Ohm). $2,299.00

They look pretty interesting to me. I'm most curious about the weight, but don't have any info on that yet. Pretty attractive price point for USA built product.

Dan

[MSUsousaphone]

Originally Posted by jmpiwonka

^ if you've already got a good working 400+ i don't really see the reason to get one of the new ones

I don't have the space to keep two rigs around....and as much as I love the Bass 400+, if that thing goes down, it takes a LONG time to repair it. And if a tube goes out at a gig, I'm screwed for the rest of that show.

But with the ability to switch from 12 tubes to 6 and down to two, it's like this is a gig amp and studio/practice amp in one, it's newer, so if Mesa did it right, it shouldn't spend weeks at a time in a shop, and (coolest part) if a tube goes out during the middle of a show, just switch it down to six tubes. Less volume but it's all good. At the very least, the show gets halted while I switch some tubes around.

So that's a HUGE bonus....but it's all about sound. We'll see how it goes.

[Jim C]

Really happy to see Mesa developing new bass products and equally happy that their equipment contiues to be built in the USA.

They must have some special marketing crystal ball as I would not have thought that a 120 watt tube bass amp would be very sellable at $1,500 in this economy.
Here's to hoping these amps are a huge success.

[CarlosRoberto5]

Originally Posted by Premierbass

Here's the basics:

Mesa Bass Prodigy

Four 6L6 Power Tubes and three 12AX7 Preamp Tubes, Class A/B. 2 power options via a Full/Half Power Switch (4 power tubes = 120 watts or 2 tubes, = 60 watts). Fixed Bias for maintenance free performance. Controls are Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume, effects loop, footswitch, Balanced XLR Line Out w/Ground Lift, Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control, 8 or 4 Ohm. $1,499.00.

Mesa Bass Strategy

Twelve 6L6 Power Tubes and 3x12AX7 Preamp Tubes, Class A/B. 3 power options (12 power tubes = 300 watts, 6 tubes = 150 watts, or 2 tubes = 60 Tube-Watts). Fixed Bias. Controls are Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume, Bypassable 9-Band Graphic EQ, effects Loop, footswitch, Balanced XLR Line Out w/Ground Lift Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control, 8 or 4 or 2 Ohm). $2,299.00

They look pretty interesting to me. I'm most curious about the weight, but don't have any info on that yet. Pretty attractive price point for USA built product.

Dan

Are those prices List or Retail? I would assume the former, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
These things look awesome! Ive been GAS'ing for a 400+, but might hold off and save for these. Any speculation as to how the 400+ and the Prodigy/Strategy will compare as far as sound goes?

[Stu L.]

Originally Posted by CarlosRoberto5

Are those prices List or Retail? I would assume the former, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

With Mesa the pricing is all the same, list or retail. Same goes for every dealer. I really like that practice. Makes it fair for all.

With regards to the $1,500 price, let's be honest. It's a speciality head for a speciality market. It'll sell, and I would assume very well.

[Jim C]

Agreed that it's a specialty head that has been built many times before (Sunn, Ampeg, etc.). Maybe it will sound amazingly different and be different.
Just don't see the specialty market supporting it anything more than botique numbers which may represent the pricing.
Got to give them credit though; they continue to push forward althugh I thought their biggest triumph was the Walkabout. Its' downfall is that it "only" has 300 watts making it unusable for loud applications with anything less than a multi-driver cabinet for clean tone with headroom.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[Baird6869]

The Strategy intrigues me.

300w tube amp that does 8ohms and doesn't weigh 85lbs.. Cool if it sounds better than my Mesa M9!

[Tractorr]

Originally Posted by MSUsousaphone

At the very least, the show gets halted while I switch some tubes around.

That would be nice but if Mesa didn't design it with this functionality in mind it could take an hour to get to the tubes. Unscrewing various parts, pulling out the chassis, etc. This seems like it would be a stupid design but I am guessing this function is built more with the studio in mind than stage.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Jim C

They must have some special marketing crystal ball as I would not have thought that a 120 watt tube bass amp would be very sellable at $1,500 in this economy.

Ampeg sold 50 $4000 25w combos last year and have plans for another 100. Not a huge market but it exists.