Mesa/Boogie Content (read on...)

[agedhorse]

For clarification, (as I get these questions all the time) the Carbines are quite a bit brighter and more in your face brash than any of the Subway amps. Some players really like this, but for some it was difficult to get along with, especially in a smaller room.

The D-800 and D-800+ are kind of a hybridized cross between the Walkabout and the Carbine, without much of the brashness of the Carbines and with a more neutral voicing like the Walkabout but with the tighter low end of the Carbines. The D-800/D-800+ is however quite a bit more flexible tone-wise then the Carbine, which is much more of a straight ahead harder rock/metal amp. I would say that the D-800/D-800+ is between the WA and Carbine overall, maybe leaning a little bit more towards the carbine side of things.

The WD-800 is really a quite different amp, strongly in the Walkabout "tone & texture camp", it's inherently a little brighter (extended but not brash like the Carbine) then the D-800/D-800+ and is modeled after the early half of the over 10 year production life of the Walkabout (which was originally quite a bit brighter). I would say that the WD-800 is right between the early and later Walkabouts in terms of brightness. The tube texture is much more Walkabout like, as are the features and the overall tone/feel. The major differences are the ability to tighten up the sometimes uncontrollable low end of the Walkabout by using a combination of the variable HPF and Damping switch, the ability to drive the amp hard without it becoming too woolly, and the ability to extend the articulation under higher drive/volume conditions. Of course there's also a lot more power available with the WD.

Hope this helps clarify the differences if the Subway amps in context of the original legacy products.

 

[dorej]

For clarification, (as I get these questions all the time) the Carbines are quite a bit brighter and more in your face brash than any of the Subway amps. Some players really like this, but for some it was difficult to get along with, especially in a smaller room.

The D-800 and D-800+ are kind of a hybridized cross between the Walkabout and the Carbine, without much of the brashness of the Carbines and with a more neutral voicing like the Walkabout but with the tighter low end of the Carbines. The D-800/D-800+ is however quite a bit more flexible tone-wise then the Carbine, which is much more of a straight ahead harder rock/metal amp. I would say that the D-800/D-800+ is between the WA and Carbine overall, maybe leaning a little bit more towards the carbine side of things.

The WD-800 is really a quite different amp, strongly in the Walkabout "tone & texture camp", it's inherently a little brighter (extended but not brash like the Carbine) then the D-800/D-800+ and is modeled after the early half of the over 10 year production life of the Walkabout (which was originally quite a bit brighter). I would say that the WD-800 is right between the early and later Walkabouts in terms of brightness. The tube texture is much more Walkabout like, as are the features and the overall tone/feel. The major differences are the ability to tighten up the sometimes uncontrollable low end of the Walkabout by using a combination of the variable HPF and Damping switch, the ability to drive the amp hard without it becoming too woolly, and the ability to extend the articulation under higher drive/volume conditions. Of course there's also a lot more power available with the WD.

Hope this helps clarify the differences if the Subway amps in context of the original legacy products.

Great information to have, thank you! @agedhorse

 

[Chef]

I'm contemplating buying either the MESA SUBWAY WD-800 or the MESA SUBWAY D-800+.

Does anyone have experience w/ both amps? I play hard rock that tip-toes into the metal realm and wondered which amp would suite me best?

I have a MESA Carbine 6 that I really love. The Carbine is such a huge sounding amp, though I would like to have another MESA option as a back-up should the Carbine fail.

Is there that big of a difference between the 2 amps to really concern myself with other than the $100 price difference?

Thank you. \../

If you looooove the Carbine, and you should bc it's great, neither of the new amps can do just exactly what the Carbine does, if you run the Carbine "kinda bright."
Which is what I did.
Voice 3 with a little mid cut and a little bass and treble boost; or, voice 2 with a bit of mids added back and a little treble boost.
Neither of the new amps have exactly that wide open, airy feel to the treble extension.
But if you don't need or like that, the D800+ is probably fine if you have simpler eq needs, and like having deep and bright switches,
and the WD800 is probably better if you have more complex or very specific eq needs, and don't need deep/bright.

I have owned all three of those.

 

[dorej]

If you looooove the Carbine, and you should bc it's great, neither of the new amps can do just exactly what the Carbine does, if you run the Carbine "kinda bright."
Which is what I did.
Voice 3 with a little mid cut and a little bass and treble boost; or, voice 2 with a bit of mids added back and a little treble boost.
Neither of the new amps have exactly that wide open, airy feel to the treble extension.
But if you don't need or like that, the D800+ is probably fine if you have simpler eq needs, and like having deep and bright switches,
and the WD800 is probably better if you have more complex or very specific eq needs, and don't need deep/bright.

I have owned all three of those.

Great info as well, thank you! I have the 800+ coming and it'll be a winner I'm sure. And yes, the Carbine is pretty damn amazing. I love it. I thought the Darkglass amps were the be-all end-all, nope.