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Mesa amp…….do it?
- Thread starter NYgiant
- Start date
I own a Mesa Subway D350 which is its little brother and I wouldn’t change it for anything else if I was shopping for a new amp. It sounds good and it’s very robust.
I can play music for hours with it without any listener’s fatigue which wasn’t the case with my GK 400 RB II amp I had before.
The only other thing I may want to buy eventually is a little tube amp such as the Ashdown CMT 15 just for the fun of it but still there, my Mesa head might be satisfying enough already.
I can play music for hours with it without any listener’s fatigue which wasn’t the case with my GK 400 RB II amp I had before.
The only other thing I may want to buy eventually is a little tube amp such as the Ashdown CMT 15 just for the fun of it but still there, my Mesa head might be satisfying enough already.
There are only 2 music stores here in Roanoke, VA so I found a 800+ and 1-15 Subway cab on TB classified. I had to drive to Baltimore to get it but it was worth it. We are playing today in a warehouse or outside (depending on the weather) and it will be the 1st time I can crank it up. The Subway cab weighs about as much as my Hartke 350 head I was using. I love it!
I *love* G-K amps. At one time a few years ago I owned 5 heads and a combo. Great for playing rock but they’re not one trick ponies, either. I realized I didn’t need that many and sold three, leaving my MB800 and 1001-RBII that I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of.
But, just to try one, I bought a D800 and couple of years later traded it in for a D800+, which became my main gigging amp. It’s got the perfect feature set for me, has tons of musically useful tone shaping, it’s been just as reliable as my G-K heads, and it has a more a neutral general tone than the typical G-K as a starting point. It’s a great amp.
I still love my G-K’s and I realize that, in some ways, they’re apples and oranges compared to the Mesa. But I won’t get rid of them, especially not the 1001-RBII, and I do sometimes gig them just to give them some playing time because the are really good amps. However, they’re generally my backup amps now. I prefer my D800+ because of the more neutral tone and some of its features not on the G-K. The variable HPF and the variable high mids and low mids are very useful when playing live and I find the Deep switch in conjunction with raising the HPF frequency can give a wonderfully full low end without the muddy boom.
I won’t tell you to buy one, but I will it’s definitely worth considering. Demo one if at all possible.
But, just to try one, I bought a D800 and couple of years later traded it in for a D800+, which became my main gigging amp. It’s got the perfect feature set for me, has tons of musically useful tone shaping, it’s been just as reliable as my G-K heads, and it has a more a neutral general tone than the typical G-K as a starting point. It’s a great amp.
I still love my G-K’s and I realize that, in some ways, they’re apples and oranges compared to the Mesa. But I won’t get rid of them, especially not the 1001-RBII, and I do sometimes gig them just to give them some playing time because the are really good amps. However, they’re generally my backup amps now. I prefer my D800+ because of the more neutral tone and some of its features not on the G-K. The variable HPF and the variable high mids and low mids are very useful when playing live and I find the Deep switch in conjunction with raising the HPF frequency can give a wonderfully full low end without the muddy boom.
I won’t tell you to buy one, but I will it’s definitely worth considering. Demo one if at all possible.
That’s a decent price. Just do it. If you don’t like it, pass it along and try a WD or a TT next.
This. Then put the GAS on hold for a year. Get to know the ins and outs of it.
I paid more for mine because I bought it new. Of course it’s worth $750.
Exactly.If its not gone already.
In fact, why are you asking and not ordering!
I am one of the few here who have probably had too many Mesa Boogie guitar amps in the heyday of me taste testing guitar tube amps,-- even visited the Petaluma office ( no factory tour ) - had the Prodigy, the 180 and still have the 400 plus a hifi tube power amp. Now I am down to 3 Mesa Boogie Guitar amps and one all tube bass hifi stereo power amp.
I did borrow an 800+ for about 2 weeks and for some reason it just is not for me, The WD-800 is. But the GK Legacy and Fusion S are if I am going to be playing more loud music and schelp is an issue. I am keeping the Mesa 400 for sentimental reasons and will probably do as long as I live in the same house. but not really for gigging. But I may sell it also. Someone is bugging me for it. But every time I play it, there is just something about an all tube rig. When I have jams, everyone loves the Mesa 400 sound even if it's not electric music.
I have 2 AI heads . The Clarus Series 4+, I keep in the small studio powering a 110 EA. The AI Clarus Series 3 combo for small gigs and the Focus 1000 watt for louder gigs. Since I play the upright, these amps make sense With the ZIO preamp plus a choice of couple of Sushi, I got it covered for electric bass gigs. I have Euphonic Audio speakers that do the job well. Yes they are lesser than Subway cabs slightly heavier and just over half the power handling of the equivalent 112. But hey Lee Sklar still tours with EA rig. I got replacement drivers for them.
My AI amps I understand that they are not going to be repairable anymore and if they all went poof yeah maybe that will push me to get a WD-800 or a GK Fusion S.
I did borrow an 800+ for about 2 weeks and for some reason it just is not for me, The WD-800 is. But the GK Legacy and Fusion S are if I am going to be playing more loud music and schelp is an issue. I am keeping the Mesa 400 for sentimental reasons and will probably do as long as I live in the same house. but not really for gigging. But I may sell it also. Someone is bugging me for it. But every time I play it, there is just something about an all tube rig. When I have jams, everyone loves the Mesa 400 sound even if it's not electric music.
I have 2 AI heads . The Clarus Series 4+, I keep in the small studio powering a 110 EA. The AI Clarus Series 3 combo for small gigs and the Focus 1000 watt for louder gigs. Since I play the upright, these amps make sense With the ZIO preamp plus a choice of couple of Sushi, I got it covered for electric bass gigs. I have Euphonic Audio speakers that do the job well. Yes they are lesser than Subway cabs slightly heavier and just over half the power handling of the equivalent 112. But hey Lee Sklar still tours with EA rig. I got replacement drivers for them.
My AI amps I understand that they are not going to be repairable anymore and if they all went poof yeah maybe that will push me to get a WD-800 or a GK Fusion S.
Wish I was in control of GAS and could just shelve it with the flip of a switch. It is a REAL problem. If it’s not amps, it’s something else. Just dying for a Spector Euro 4LX.
If its not gone already.
In fact, why are you asking and not ordering!
Getting it shortly, just messaged the seller!!!
Nah. If you want another bass, get a Gibson Thunderbird. Your hunt for tone will be over. Pj’s are fine for what they are. But once you go humbuckers, you’ll never go back.
EDIT: Good luck with GAS. I totally understand. Take a look at the list on the info page in my profile.
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Are you gigging a lot and do you consider an amplifier an important part of your live sound? Do you play at the venues where there's no P.A.? If the answer is no I wouldn't get the amp. You have a working rig that's reliable and flexible. The new amp will just be another piece of gear that you'll need to store at home and you're either going to have to sell it if you don't like it or the other amp if you do like the Mesa and selling used gear takes time and effort.
Also like other posters have said, this is going to lead you to other temptations. Do I get the Mesa cabs as well?
Also like other posters have said, this is going to lead you to other temptations. Do I get the Mesa cabs as well?
Yep, I was one who "resisted" Mesa because of all the fanfare. I typically shy away from the masses. So, I resisted and, " just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in".
I bit the bullet and bought a D-350. Sometimes the fanfare is justified. Lovely amp!
