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Mesa Boogie M9 Megathread: Pt II
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
Just my opinion:
with the M9, there is no need for the M6.
As far as keeping it simple, just click the GEQ off, and you have M6 controls.
just my devalued .02
with the M9, there is no need for the M6.
As far as keeping it simple, just click the GEQ off, and you have M6 controls.
just my devalued .02
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
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- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
My M9 sounds great, but the ridiculous taper on the master volume is, well, ridiculous. I give a DI signal to the sound guy, and then my stage volume is controlled by the master. A tiny nudge of the knob jumps between too soft and deafening. 
It seems like a blatantly market-driven choice of components, and makes the amp MUCH less usable to me.
I'd love to get a Mesa authorized mod to a master volume pot with a more reasonable, gradual taper. Has anybody done this, and were you satisfied with the results?
It seems like a blatantly market-driven choice of components, and makes the amp MUCH less usable to me.
I'd love to get a Mesa authorized mod to a master volume pot with a more reasonable, gradual taper. Has anybody done this, and were you satisfied with the results?
make your adjustments with the input gain then?
the master was never a problem for me.
set it for the night and leave it.
ymmv of course.
the master was never a problem for me.
set it for the night and leave it.
ymmv of course.
Chef, I'm guessing it was not your intention to trivialize my needs and situation, but that's how I read it.
Input gain changes affect the tone, as well as the volume of the feed to the house.
Set it for the night? So my very expensive amp has an important but useless control and I should just deal with it instead of looking for a solution? How about the unusable "mute" pull feature which ends up doubling or halving the overall volume because again, the master is overly sensitive in its lower range?
I believe that one of the biggest reasons for having a master volume is to be able adjust my monitoring volume independently of the FOH feed.
Yes, my mileage very definitely varies from yours. That's why I asked the question. I've heard it asked by other people and it's a perfectly valid complaint. Setting master volume and leaving it for the night should be MY choice, and not a requirement forced by Mesa's bad design choice. I can't think of a single advantage to the taper on the master, except to inflate the perceived volume capabilities of the amp.
Input gain changes affect the tone, as well as the volume of the feed to the house.
Set it for the night? So my very expensive amp has an important but useless control and I should just deal with it instead of looking for a solution? How about the unusable "mute" pull feature which ends up doubling or halving the overall volume because again, the master is overly sensitive in its lower range?
I believe that one of the biggest reasons for having a master volume is to be able adjust my monitoring volume independently of the FOH feed.
Yes, my mileage very definitely varies from yours. That's why I asked the question. I've heard it asked by other people and it's a perfectly valid complaint. Setting master volume and leaving it for the night should be MY choice, and not a requirement forced by Mesa's bad design choice. I can't think of a single advantage to the taper on the master, except to inflate the perceived volume capabilities of the amp.
"Trivialize"
Correct; not my intent.
It might be possible for a good tech to replace the dual function master volume with a single function pot of a different taper, and add a mute switch.
I don't recall reading of anyone having done that.
Correct; not my intent.
It might be possible for a good tech to replace the dual function master volume with a single function pot of a different taper, and add a mute switch.
I don't recall reading of anyone having done that.
I totally agree with you and that was one of the ultimate reasons for me getting rid of the amp. I wasn't willing to go through the tone changes by using input gain for master volume. On the M9, that input gain can dramatically affect the tone.
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
Installing a MUTE can be very easy on that amp.. But you would need to drill a hole in the front panel.. And make sure no Metal filings are left in the chassis when you are finished.
The MASTER is a push pull as you know.. IIRC its a DPDT.. Just get the same switch. lift the wires off of the Push/Pull and re-solder onto the newly installed front panel switch..
I dont have mine here right now.. but IIRC its only two or three wires...
The MASTER is a push pull as you know.. IIRC its a DPDT.. Just get the same switch. lift the wires off of the Push/Pull and re-solder onto the newly installed front panel switch..
I dont have mine here right now.. but IIRC its only two or three wires...
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
I go 'pre' not 'post' out of the DI, an old habit from my live broadcasting/recording days. No engineer wanted anything but Countryman type 85 or a Radial JDI. No pre-amp, no pedals, nadda.
So then the instrument and the main board becomes the place to work tone magic. On the M9, I generally have the contour switch on 3, and the compressor and GEQ off for Country, and both on for Reggae.
Why are you going through the PA again?
Pre out of the DI is still after the input gain control. Yes, I could use an external DI, but again, that should be my choice and not forced on me by bad amp control design. And obviously I do need to go through the PA at some venues.
If I use an external DI, my amp is relegated to nothing but onstage monitoring. I bought this amp for its tonal character, and if only I will hear it, I can use something cheaper and lighter.
I'll give Mesa a call tomorrow and see what they say. If I have to void the warranty to make the amp's controls usable, I may have to sell it instead.
If I use an external DI, my amp is relegated to nothing but onstage monitoring. I bought this amp for its tonal character, and if only I will hear it, I can use something cheaper and lighter.
I'll give Mesa a call tomorrow and see what they say. If I have to void the warranty to make the amp's controls usable, I may have to sell it instead.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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- Disclosures
- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
I have not found the DI in "pre" mode behaves that way. Perhaps I am confused. Here is a bit of text from the M9 manual:
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
- 16,223
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- Disclosures
- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
Honestly, the volume controls took some getting used to, but I don't find them a problem now. Keep at it.
Hello Fellow M9ers!
I just recently bought my M9 from atrapp and I totally love it. I was running it though my Mesa 6x10 and then TALL&STOUT loaned me a Mesa 4x12 he just recently acquired and so I have my M9 pushing both cabs at 2 ohms. 2 words: Holy. Sh!t.
Talk about a monster!!! I'm in love. I think I'm going to buy that 4x12 from him. Now, just to convince my band mates to help load/unload my gear for shows.
Seriously though, the 6x10 and 4x12 compliment each other so well. They sound like they were made for each other. Here's a pic.
I just recently bought my M9 from atrapp and I totally love it. I was running it though my Mesa 6x10 and then TALL&STOUT loaned me a Mesa 4x12 he just recently acquired and so I have my M9 pushing both cabs at 2 ohms. 2 words: Holy. Sh!t.
Talk about a monster!!! I'm in love. I think I'm going to buy that 4x12 from him. Now, just to convince my band mates to help load/unload my gear for shows.
Seriously though, the 6x10 and 4x12 compliment each other so well. They sound like they were made for each other. Here's a pic.
Attachments
Hello Fellow M9ers!
I just recently bought my M9 from atrapp and I totally love it. I was running it though my Mesa 6x10 and then TALL&STOUT loaned me a Mesa 4x12 he just recently acquired and so I have my M9 pushing both cabs at 2 ohms. 2 words: Holy. Sh!t.
Talk about a monster!!! I'm in love. I think I'm going to buy that 4x12 from him. Now, just to convince my band mates to help load/unload my gear for shows.
Seriously though, the 6x10 and 4x12 compliment each other so well. They sound like they were made for each other. Here's a pic.
Welcome , I love mine too I've had one about 2 yrs now and probably never sell it .
I posted this in another M9 thread, but since this is the MEGA thread, I'll put it here too.
I've been running my updated (600w) M9 through my 8ohm fEARful 15/6/1. Man that is the loudest 320 watts I've ever heard!!! I have the gain at noon, and I can't get the master over 9:00. Audience reports concur with my own feelings that this amp sounds just amazing. Muscular, aggressive, and yet smooth and full. I thought the SVT-7Pro and ShuttleMax 9.2 both sounded good (especially the SM9.2), but in comparison, the M9 is scary in a good way.
But as I've mentioned before, the taper and the pull-mute are both silly. Currently, my stage volume goes between too quiet and screamingly loud in about 2 degrees of knob rotation. And push/pull usually rotates the master by around 5 degrees, so that means both master volume and mute are unusable controls.
Sure, I could change the whole way I work my stage/FOH volume, and treat the master as an unusable DON'T-EVER-TOUCH-THIS-ITS-TOO-DANGEROUS control as suggested by a few TBers, but why should I be forced to do that? No other amp I've used has that limitation. And yes, it is a limitation. There is no advantage to the ridiculous taper, nor the push/pull mute. Yes, I could "get used to" the way the volume works and control the volume from the gain knob. That means I don't get to use that knob to control the tone, and worse, I can't change my stage volume independently from what the FOH gets. Neither of these is acceptable in a high-end, expensive amp like this one.
Or, I could just go pre-eq, pre-gain, pre-preamp. But I like the coloration of the amp. I use a PA-style bass cabinet so I can get the same kind of tone that I send to the house, and that's what I want the audience to hear also.
So I dropped the amp off at ARS yesterday, to have the master pot replaced by one with a more gradual taper, and have a separate toggle switch put on for the mute instead of the push/pull.
If those mods work well, that make this amp 100% more usable for me. And if the magic smoke stays inside the amp, much happiness will be mine.
I'll report back on how well it works.
I've been running my updated (600w) M9 through my 8ohm fEARful 15/6/1. Man that is the loudest 320 watts I've ever heard!!! I have the gain at noon, and I can't get the master over 9:00. Audience reports concur with my own feelings that this amp sounds just amazing. Muscular, aggressive, and yet smooth and full. I thought the SVT-7Pro and ShuttleMax 9.2 both sounded good (especially the SM9.2), but in comparison, the M9 is scary in a good way.
But as I've mentioned before, the taper and the pull-mute are both silly. Currently, my stage volume goes between too quiet and screamingly loud in about 2 degrees of knob rotation. And push/pull usually rotates the master by around 5 degrees, so that means both master volume and mute are unusable controls.
Sure, I could change the whole way I work my stage/FOH volume, and treat the master as an unusable DON'T-EVER-TOUCH-THIS-ITS-TOO-DANGEROUS control as suggested by a few TBers, but why should I be forced to do that? No other amp I've used has that limitation. And yes, it is a limitation. There is no advantage to the ridiculous taper, nor the push/pull mute. Yes, I could "get used to" the way the volume works and control the volume from the gain knob. That means I don't get to use that knob to control the tone, and worse, I can't change my stage volume independently from what the FOH gets. Neither of these is acceptable in a high-end, expensive amp like this one.
Or, I could just go pre-eq, pre-gain, pre-preamp. But I like the coloration of the amp. I use a PA-style bass cabinet so I can get the same kind of tone that I send to the house, and that's what I want the audience to hear also.
So I dropped the amp off at ARS yesterday, to have the master pot replaced by one with a more gradual taper, and have a separate toggle switch put on for the mute instead of the push/pull.
If those mods work well, that make this amp 100% more usable for me. And if the magic smoke stays inside the amp, much happiness will be mine.
I'll report back on how well it works.
Great idea!!! That's the main issues for me as well.
Please report back how it goes
Do you know if you even can modify it so the master would NOT effect the DI?
