Mesa Boogie 400??

[Trauma Boy]

Whats the difference between the Mesa Boogie 400, the 400+, and the 400 Strategy bass amps??

I'm looking for an all tube amp and I want a Mesa Boogie 400 but I don't know the difference between the 3 heads.

Also which one would you perfer??

I'll be hooking it up with a 4x10 Basson and a Line 6 pod, I will be playing out of a Musicman Sterling 4 string and a Musicman stingray 5 (for all of those who helped me in my quest for my future bass, I'm deciding to go with Musicman stingray 5 instead of Warwick, Thank you)

 

[Drunk Heffalump]

This might help, the 400+ is still in the Mesa catalog. It has 2 inputs one for active, one for passive, and more than enough power to drive your neighbourhood nuts. As for the other 2, I'm not so sure. I recently found a used 400+, made in the good 'ol US of A no less, and all I can say is DAMN
Drive that head through a 4x10 and a 1x15 and you WILL be heard, felt, and envied

 

[sickest beast]

I think the 400 strategy is just a Power amp, so you'd need a separate pre-amp.

I read what the diff between the 400 and 400+ is but I can't quite remember. Maybe someone else knows.

 

[Fealach]

Mesa Strategy 400 and 500 were power amps only.

Mesa 400 and 400+ are essentially identical in the preamp section; newer 400+ amps would have one more graphic EQ slider IIRC. They differ in the power section.

On the used market, 400s can be found with 6 of either 6L6 or 6550 power tubes. I do not know if they shipped originally with 2 different tube types, or if at some point Mesa swtched form one to the other. It's my understanding a 400 can be set up to use either, though it's best to have a tech do this. I tried both types in my 400, just plugged them in, and nothing blew up but the CYA principle dictates I do not advise anyone else to try it. I found that with 6550s the amp sounded almost exactly like the 400+ I also owned at the time, while with 6L6 tubes it broke up into distortion before I had it turned up to the volume at which I usually played the 400+. It was a glorious distortion. The 400+ uses 12 6L6 power tubes. Because it can take 2 different power amp tubes for 2 different sounds, I consider the 400 more versatile tonally.

Most 400s only had 8 or 4 Ohm speaker outputs, where the 400+ had 8, 4, and 2. I had heard of people who ran their 400 at 2 Ohms for years with no ill effects. Someone claimed to have been told by a Mesa tech it would be safe. When I spoke to a Mesa tech, he told me "the transformers would not like it." Make of that what you will. I did try it for a few practices with no ill effects but decided not to push my luck.

I prefer the 400. They're somewhat harder to find but cheaper. I prefer the D180 to either, however.

 

[Trauma Boy]

whats the D180??