Best Mesa-Boogie Bass heads

[MegaSwing]

I currently have a Walkabout head that couldn’t possibly sound better. I’ve had others that were all exceptional performers. If anything with Mesa, the challenge for me has usually been taming them, because you (or your cabinets) cannot use all the beef they can deliver in the average playing environment. I hope this sounds like a ringing endorsement.

 

[MaxSpinrun]

On that note, in the used market also look at Genz Benz Class D heads. I have a Shuttle 6.0 and it is amazing.

So true, between my D800+ and my Magellan 800, I’m pretty much covered, but still have GAS for the TT, and Genzler Kinetix. The hole gets deep quickly!

 

[murphy]

Another vote for the D-800+....although I will keep my D-800 forever too.

There is a Bass 400 plus I have my eye on...but not sure these old Bones could handle the weight...
I get lazy and take everything that is lightest.

 

[billiard]

Walkabout Scout

 

[roccobass]

Everyone has their favorite. I love my two.
I like the D800 for basic simplicity and good sound
I also like the TT800 for the great tone of the Boogie channel. But the Subway channel is very cool too.

The Mesas pair up good with Phil Jones cabs. too. Heck, they probably pair up good with any cab.

 

[Wasnex]

Mesa has made bass amps with lot's of different personalities. Which sounds best depends on you what you like.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

The simplicity of the D800 is very appealing. Every knob presents you with a choice or decision. The fewer the knobs the better for me and many players. It is for this reason that the TC BAM has stuck around in my gear closet. The D350 would fill that niche too.

 

[burgerdj]

Gonna need to narrow that down. Lots of great options with different flavors. Some of the older heads (M Pulse, Carbine, Big Block) may be running into repair part scarcity. Best to check in with @agedhorse before falling in love. The Subway series gets rave reviews.

 

[Crusher47]

Currently own the TT-800 and D-800+ - No complaints whatsoever. Both sound amazing and are very powerful, light and compact and reliable workhorses.

 

[Jaycephas]

The TT-800 has been amazing for me. I’ve owned other Mesa heads, Genz Benz, Aguilar and a couple of 100-watt tube amps. What I get from this amp just makes me smile - versatility and tone.

I love it through my Ampeg 212av the best.

 

[VeryTallBassist]

Step 1: start lifting weights.
Step 2: get a Bass 400+

 

[Thumpin6string]

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

direwolfvt, the various Mesa Subway amps share similarities, but the differences between the TT, and WD models suit different types of music. I bought a D800 new, and a WD800 used. I would now prefer to replace the D800 with a D800+ because of the added features. I chose the WD over the TT because of the sound I want out of an amplifier. You can't go wrong with any of these amplifiers. If you do decide to buy one, I suggest that you also plan to buy a Subway speaker cabinet to go with it. Your use case will help you choose which Subway speaker is most suitable.

The bottom line is, there are no bad Subway amps, and speakers, and they all share a lot of things, but certain amps, and speakers are likely better for different situations, and types of music.

Tell us what type of music you play, and what gigging situations you will be doing, and you may get advice here from people who have similar needs.

 

[Pep]

I run a Mesa Subway D350 with two 8 ohms 12" cabs for the last 3 years and can’t imagine anything better and more user friendly than that.

No fan, no noise, no hiss, no hum and more than enough power on tap to play with any style of drummer and dead quiet when practicing silently at home.

Another vote for the WD800. If you get one don’t think that it’s underpowered because of how high you need to turn the master volume up. This control is linear and unlike other amps where you’re nearly at full volume before you reach the halfway point, it’s a linear/gradual progression from low to loud.
I sold mine about a year ago and missed it so much I recently got another one.

 

[akukulich]

It's hard to go wrong with a D800+. It's reasonably priced, sounds good and is well built. It has everything I need and nothing I don't.

 

[artisan4]

I'm going to get the Subway D-350. All my Mesa gear is top-notch.

 

[agedhorse]

Gonna need to narrow that down. Lots of great options with different flavors. Some of the older heads (M Pulse, Carbine, Big Block) may be running into repair part scarcity. Best to check in with @agedhorse before falling in love. The Subway series gets rave reviews.

Indeed, there are some parts that are no longer available for the legacy models, specifically the MOSFETs and some of the pots & switches (depending on the model). While we currently have good stock on the older eq sliders, the original manufacture got out of the slide pot business 2 years ago with no warning and these were a fairly unique part physically and we used a LOT of them (like hundreds of thousands) in the guitar amps in addition to the bass amps.

This is one of the challenges of maintaining amps that are 20+ years old, when the manufacturers stop producing parts that are unique or were never big sellers, they become difficult (or impossible) to find.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Mesa is a great brand, they make great amps, and they stand behind them. The question is; what do you need? If we knew that, we might be able to make a suggestion. Outside of that, we're just going to tell you our respective favorites.

I've got a first-gen WalkAbout in a Scout 15 combo cabinet I love. I have a D-800 that flat blows it away, as if I needed to, and a Subway DI+ that I probably use more than either of those.

Again, what do you need?

 

[Chris Wilke]

Plenty of info on this site. Just search. My vote is for the WD800.

Love my WD 800!!

 

[Chris Wilke]

My Bass 400 will always be my favorite amp ever.

I've never played through one, but for two local bands I am familiar with, I watched bassists change rigs and neither sounded as good as they did with the 400!