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mesa auditioning

Brad Barker

Brad Barker

Apr 13, 2001
7,141
13
41
berkeley, ca
#1
turns out that the music store that is only three minutes away from my house is one of the few licensed mesa dealers in florida (where i actually live).

they had an m-pulse 600 hooked up to powerhouses 4x10 and 1x15. they also had a walkabout scout combo (1x12).

the m-pulse knocked me out! and possibly up, too. *checks*

...er...anyway, the sound was very beefy and "clean." very clear. and the more gain i added, the more balls the amp got. the gain all the way up, the amp didn't have a very musical sounding distortion, though. more like a "turn the gain down" type of distortion.

i compared it to the svt4pro and ampeg 8x10 rig right next to it, which seemed to be brittle, harsh, and nasal in comparison.

i also played through the scout combo. it sounded muffled compared to the big rig.

yet another reason why i wish i had money. actually, probably the only reason...
 
#3
Brad Barker said:
turns out that the music store that is only three minutes away from my house is one of the few licensed mesa dealers in florida (where i actually live).

they had an m-pulse 600 hooked up to powerhouses 4x10 and 1x15. they also had a walkabout scout combo (1x12).

the m-pulse knocked me out! and possibly up, too. *checks*

...er...anyway, the sound was very beefy and "clean." very clear. and the more gain i added, the more balls the amp got. the gain all the way up, the amp didn't have a very musical sounding distortion, though. more like a "turn the gain down" type of distortion.

i compared it to the svt4pro and ampeg 8x10 rig right next to it, which seemed to be brittle, harsh, and nasal in comparison.

i also played through the scout combo. it sounded muffled compared to the big rig.

yet another reason why i wish i had money. actually, probably the only reason...
Click to expand...

Mesa has some great stuff.

Happy to own (again) a:

400+
Walkabout :D

Couldn't be happier
 
#4
i envy you mesa owners. above others who have good amps in general.

ESPECIALLY those who have two mesa amps! *looks pointedly at JSCHRO*

may i ask why?

i would also like to know why bass central doesn't carry mesa gear (new mesa, that is). they carry damn near everything else!
 
#5
Brad...I walked in to the music store and came out with the Pulse 600 and the Scout... I traded in a SM 500 SWR head and paid the difference. I was looking for a change and had been using SWR gear for about 10 years. I am very happy with the Mesa bass line ..the pulse 600 runs 2 Bag End 15 Cabs and is very versatile with plenty of head room. The Scout comes with me to all the smaller venues and I always dial up a real good sound. The stuff is pricey but its well spent and they have strict pricing rules so there is no haggling ... Good luck..
 
#6
yep. no haggling.

but there is ebay! and the used gear section of the site. (the classified section is pretty cool. is that going to replace the other used gear section?)

except...there is the five year warranty deal. not sure if that transfers with the ownership of the equipment. hopefully in some cases...?
 
#7
The only time I have noticed a muffled sound from my Scout was when it was sitting on carpet. I A/B tested mine on different types of floors, okay on two types of floors, carpeted and tile. Noticeably different.
 
#8
Yesterday I finally got around to taking my old SVTIIIPro down to GC and trading it in for an M-Pulse600. :D

Now, the IIIPro is a good amp, no mistake. I had a set of (4) Telefunkens and a Mullard in there and it sounded pretty damn good, but after 5+ years I was ready for something different.

Well, I got it home, set it up and spent the afternoon trying 8 or 9 basses through there (I'm using an Aguilar 212 - 4 Ohm).
Yow! It was a snap to get a really good tone out of every bass with just the Gain, Bass Mid and Treble controls. True to Mesa's, very small adjustments in these controls made real apparent changes. The Gain is like a tone control in itself. The passive mid is very well voiced, the highs aren't shrill. The entire parametric EQ is just gravy for tweakers! I got it specifically for those tough rooms that come up from time to time (vs the 750), but I'm not sure I'll be using it much. I also found the compressor to be excellent with the adjustable threshold and ratio.

I will be gigging it several times this week and I can't wait. I am very impressed with its build quality and tones. I believe it can make any bass sound great with ease. Looking forward to some real world testing - have a couple of gigs outdoors...no getting lost in the mix with this thing! ;)
 
#9
Hey Brad-

After being an Eden fiend for years, I ended up getting a Mesa Powerhouse 15, and have really been digging the sound. I've still got the Eden amp, but I'm no longer really attached to it, as it were.

I think if I was to do a full on switch, it'd be to a Mesa rig. I think they put out a great cabinet and amp for rockin' like Dokken.
 
#11
Brendan said:
Hey Brad-

After being an Eden fiend for years, I ended up getting a Mesa Powerhouse 15, and have really been digging the sound. I've still got the Eden amp, but I'm no longer really attached to it, as it were.

I think if I was to do a full on switch, it'd be to a Mesa rig. I think they put out a great cabinet and amp for rockin' like Dokken.
Click to expand...

just checked your profile. wow, i missed a lot of gear switching in the past year!
 
#13
Both Bass NW and Bass Central donot carry Mesa. Could be that Guitar Center is a Mesa Dealer? The M Pulse 600 is a tone monster... it is darker then my SVT-CL which to me right now is a very good thing. I have played it through an Ampeg 8-10 and have been very pleased. M Pulse is high up on the GAS list...
 
#14
I've become addicted to the driven Mesa tube tone. I've now been using my D-180 and 1x15 exclusively for the last month. I haven't even touched my other amps (not even the Bass 400+, it has too much headroom to get the grit, though it's great for many applications).

The ballsy sound that the tube amps get (especially around the 200 watt area) are great. Try to give a D-180 or Buster Bass a try. While the M-Pulses sound great, the older stuff is just as good if not better.
 

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