Mesa Boogie 400+ with 2x15s

[AltraSound]

Hey guys whats up? im about to purchase a Mesa Boogie 400+ thats in good condition with all the orginal components in it and im thinking about buying 2 15inch cabs to go with it or one big 2x15 (think mesa powerhouse) and i wanted to know what you guys thought about that amp and cabinet combo?

Background Info:
My current head is a Carvin BX1200 going to a Carvin 410 cab that i absoluetly hate! my sound is thin and not powerful at all, i can get to sound good on recordings but thats because i eq it form the bored.

I play a custom made fretless with a warmoth neck with Bartolini P&J pickup combo. it cost my $300 so its not top of the line. I sold my Warwick Katana for it though cus the fretless sounded better...surprising i know.

The issue is that in my new project (think Mars Volta mixed with Tool, Link Removed) and im looking to get a very warm tube like sound with tons of low end,

i am currenttly boosting my low and low mid freqs while cutting out all my highs and thats the strongest sound i can get from that bs carvin.

In the recording i am playing a cheapo bass through a hartke head with a tube preamp, eq set the same way (my old amp :'[)
keep in mind that i am trying to get a better sound then on this recording it is just an example of my style of music.

Ive decided i really want an all tube head or close to it cus thats the sound ive always tried to go for. Any suggestions on these would be nice to!? Ampeg classic is of interest and the fender bassman 300 as well, i just happen to kno of the mesa for cheap.

Im thinking the 2x15s cus i boost my bass so much anyways and i need more power! like all bassists lol.



Please help! thanks.

 

[KramerBassFan]

A mesa 400+ with a good 2x15 will blow the carvin 1200 + 4x10 out of the water.

 

[billhilly66]

I just got 2 LDS 3015 cabs to go with my 400+ (review coming) and I'm liking them so far. Low end for miles!

 

[Chef]

I played a Mesa 400+ thru two Mesa 115 cabs for a while, and it was glorious.
The Mesa 115's aren't terribly deep, but they're meaty and punch right thru a mix.

 

[jonotronic]

Have used a Mesa 400+ with powerhouse cab on a number of occaisions for gigs. This combination will fit exactly what you want, huge beefy tube tone with bone crushing low end. Add in build quality that would survive a rocket attack as an extra plus...

 

[AltraSound]

Thank you all of you! Im almost certain thats the way im going to go, i played a M6 through a 2x12 today and was getting some serious tones out of that with my bass! What's your guys opinion on that compared to the 400+?

 

[Chef]

The M6 is much cleaner and faster with a clearer top end.
Better...well, that's up to what you like.

 

[AltraSound]

So the 400 has what? More grit or overdirve? ive never actually had the chance to play one or see one in real life but i kno people who have had them.

 

[Chef]

The 400 is pretty tubey, adding mucho harmonic content, tube compression, grit and grind as you work your way up the input gain.
The M6/M9 are just big clean powerhouses.

 

[babebambi]

OP wants a fat sound.
400+ and PH215 will be great.

It doesn't sound like the OP necessarily wants a really deep tone.
He wants the low mid to make the sound more "powerful".

OTOH, don't be afraid to use the EQ.

 

[AltraSound]

Ok great, thank u all very much. It sounds like im gonna go with the 400+!

 

[rayzak]

Just be aware that, for a tube head, the 400+ is brighter than most, but thick and luscious. It's just difficult to cut-out those highs.

 

[AltraSound]

Actually, how many tubes are in the 400+? i feel like one of my friends said if u need to retube it, it costs around 600 bucks is that true? also was told to get a rack case thats cushioned so that nothing goes wrong. would i need all that for the m6?


i have a rack case for my carvin already that would most likely fit the mesa m6

 

[HollowSound95]

I have a 400+ and 2x15 Mesa Diesel rig.
It's unspeakably sweet.
Absolutely no complaints with it but I will say the Mesa 15s are the brightest and punchiest 15s I've ever heard. The 400+ is also a very punchy head, not as warm as an SVT or Bassman 300. It does kick out plenty of excellent tube tone though, and in a band with 2 guitars I've never had to push it past 4 on the volume knob. I hear the 400 is warmer than the 400+ but I've yet to play one. I run a Sansamp bass driver to get that warmer sound.

 

[Chef]

the 400+ has 12 power tubes, and 4 preamp tubes (or was it three, been a while).
Mesa sells retube kits for about $250-ish, I think, and so do eurotube and some other vendors.
re-tubing will require someone who knows how to check and set bias.

 

[Alex1984]

The thing that scared me about the 400+ was the 12 tubes. The 400, D180 and Buster all seem to be excellent choices and might be closer to the Carbines than the 400+. Of course, if you need that amount of power, the 400+ is still the way to go.

 

[Chef]

IMO, the M6 trumps all those for sheen power.
However, it's not tube-ish much at all.

The first 400's and the D180 have 6 power tubes, I believe, and the Buster has 4, I believe.

Power tubes aren't something that need to be replaced on principle, and an amp with good tubes and a proper bias will last a long, long time. When I sold it two years ago, my 1984 MusicMan HD150 still had the stock Sylvania power tubes in it, and it was running quite fine.

 

[paganjack]

The Buster has 6 6l6s in the power section, like the D180. The early run 400s had 7025s, IIRC. They are all sweet in slightly different ways. The 400+ is incredibly loud- I hope you are ready!

 

[Chef]

OK, so I was wrong about the Buster...that's why I put IIRC...

As best I remember, my old 400 came with 6550's.

 

[NecroticImbecil]

Mesa tube bass amp through a diesel 2X15 is awfully hard to beat for rock n roll.