Mesa/Boogie Official Club Thread...Part #2

[SirMjac28]

Here is a picture of my Mesa M3 Carbine combo I really want to join the club I hope the Mesa Gods are smiling on me

 

[monsterthompson]

Thanks...will do a google search on fEarful ....never heard of them.
will check it out.

And so it begins...

 

[Mrfstop]

And so it begins...

Huh?

 

[monsterthompson]

A fEarful or similar cab under a Carbine head is a beautiful thing IME. It'll be clearer than a PH cab, and about as loud as a PH 610, while going deeper, at a fracxtion of the cost and weight. Have fun.

Which fEARful are you thinking? 1212/6 to get into 610 range?
or do you think a 15/6 would go that far?

 

[Dave W]

Huh?

It seems that people would have sex with Fearful cabs if they could

 

[Mrfstop]

Which fEARful are you thinking? 1212/6 to get into 610 range?
or do you think a 15/6 would go that far?

No clue...know nothing about those cabs....was considering the mesa 610?
What I really wanted was a mesa PH 210 and a mesa PH 115....then run it with the M6 head.
BUT?
I was checking them out at the local musicstore yesterday AND....the M6 or M9 do not have any ability to seperate the highs and lows and send them to the proper cab...
My GK 700RBII does...

so not sure I want to get into spending more money on extra items to make that happen? Might just hang onto what I have for the moment and do more head scratching to get what I want.

 

[tombowlus]

No clue...know nothing about those cabs....was considering the mesa 610?
What I really wanted was a mesa PH 210 and a mesa PH 115....then run it with the M6 head.
BUT?
I was checking them out at the local musicstore yesterday AND....the M6 or M9 do not have any ability to seperate the highs and lows and send them to the proper cab...
My GK 700RBII does...

so not sure I want to get into spending more money on extra items to make that happen? Might just hang onto what I have for the moment and do more head scratching to get what I want.

FWIW, I really love my PH212/PH210 stack with my M6. No need to bi-amp, just run both full range. Not that those other setups can't sound good, too. But you might be able to stay all Boogie, not bi-amp, and still get what you want.

 

[Chef]

the gk biamp heads will not "power separate cabs," the high section is for a horn only.

 

[Mrfstop]

FWIW, I really love my PH212/PH210 stack with my M6. No need to bi-amp, just run both full range. Not that those other setups can't sound good, too. But you might be able to stay all Boogie, not bi-amp, and still get what you want.

Yea that is what I wanted to do, go all boogie.
It is tried and true kicks butt.
I really just want a tube head...
thus the consideration to jump ship from GK.
I am running a GK 700 RBII head...and a GK115 and GK 410 now.
No horns in any of the cabs.
And it sounds good...really good actually.

But I played thru the MESA gear at the local store and just loved what I heard.

 

[Mrfstop]

the gk biamp heads will not "power separate cabs," the high section is for a horn only.

huh? I know it has the bi amp for the 50 watt horn.
BUT, thought it had a crossover built in to split the signal as well? no?
I want to have that be what I get into if I make a switch to another brand.
I want the lows going to a 15 and the highs and mids going to 210's.
In a perfect world of course.
Champagne taste and beer barrel pockets as my mom always used to say lol

 

[tombowlus]

huh? I know it has the bi amp for the 50 watt horn.
BUT, thought it had a crossover built in to split the signal as well? no?
I would to have that be what I get into.
I want the lows going to a 15 and the highs and mids going to 210's.
In a perfect world of course.
Champagne taste and beer barrel pockets as my mom always used to say lol

You could conceivably make a custom cable, but then you'd only be giving your "top" cab 50 watts.

FWIW, I don't think that there would be any sonic benefit to driving a 1x15 and 2x10 in the configuration you've mentioned. In fact, I'm pretty confident that the rig would sound better with both cabs driven full range. Better still (in most cases) if they are matching cabs.

My recommendation on the PH212/PH210 is based upon trying a bunch of mix and match and really liking that combination. In general, though, you are more likely to get consistently good results when matching two similar enclosures.

 

[stjohn1299]

I'll just throw a PH1200 or older PH1000 out there for consideration as well, since you mentioned the 610. It's about the same size as the 610, probably a little wider and heavier, but it brings the wood big time. And if you search it on the forums, you will see alot of threads where people say you shouldn't mix speaker sizes in a setup, and especially in one cab. I'm here to say, though, that my PH1000 is deep bass greatness, with good punch from the 10s. One of the best rig investments I have ever made.

 

[Mrfstop]

You could conceivably make a custom cable, but then you'd only be giving your "top" cab 50 watts.

FWIW, I don't think that there would be any sonic benefit to driving a 1x15 and 2x10 in the configuration you've mentioned. In fact, I'm pretty confident that the rig would sound better with both cabs driven full range. Better still (in most cases) if they are matching cabs.

My recommendation on the PH212/PH210 is based upon trying a bunch of mix and match and really liking that combination. In general, though, you are more likely to get consistently good results when matching two similar enclosures.

thanks Tom,
WOuld not want only 50watts to a cab for sure..
I am FAR from a tech person...FAR from it.
so I am at the mercy of what I read or ask...etc.
I just am not 100% pleased with the cabs and head I have now.
Nor was I 100% pleased with the Hartke 810XL and Hartke HA5500 head I had running that before this switch to the GK stuff.

Maybe since ya mentioned running two of the same cabs.
Just go with either two PH210 cabs?
or one PH410 cab and call it a day with the M6 running the show.
I seriously doubt my business will be allowing me to get into a band anytime soon...so being it will be in my music room at home, size and weight is not a huge concern.

 

[Chef]

If I understand the GK biamp system right, you have 5khz and below going to the woofer section, and 5khz and above going to the horn section, which is only 50 watts.
This is so when using the GK bi-amp ready cabs, you can send the overdriven signal to the paper drivers, and a clean signal to the horn. Overdrive thru horns tends not to sound great.
It's best not to think of GK bi-amp as a traditional bi-amp system that can be used to split signals between two cabs that are full range.
It's not designed to do that, but, rather to maximize the quality of GK's dirty tones, within the GK bi-amp cab range.

If you really want traditional bi-amp-ability, with lows to a sub-cab, and highs to a second cab, you're better off with a whole different system.

Eden Navigator into a QSC poweramp is how I used to do that. The navigator has a dedicated crossover and other features you'll need to do that trick well.

Or, you can get a preamp, crossover, and power amp; and a sub cab, and a top cab.

Biamping with two fullrange cabs such as the ph210 and ph212 isn't really the right thing to do either, IMO, IME, YMMV, etc.

 

[Mrfstop]

I'll just throw a PH1200 or older PH1000 out there for consideration as well, since you mentioned the 610. It's about the same size as the 610, probably a little wider and heavier, but it brings the wood big time. And if you search it on the forums, you will see alot of threads where people say you shouldn't mix speaker sizes in a setup, and especially in one cab. I'm here to say, though, that my PH1000 is deep bass greatness, with good punch from the 10s. One of the best rig investments I have ever made.

Thanks .,..
Yea the PH1200 was what I thought could be the perfect answer.
They even have one at the music store locally too.
But I searched that cab and read up a bit on it.
Some users has issues with it when recording or something or another....I saw mixed reviews...so I started thinking in other directions.
Sure does look like it would blow a house over...

 

[tombowlus]

Maybe since ya mentioned running two of the same cabs.
Just go with either two PH210 cabs?
or one PH410 cab and call it a day with the M6 running the show.
I seriously doubt my business will be allowing me to get into a band anytime soon...so being it will be in my music room at home, size and weight is not a huge concern.

Either of these would rock! I'd opt for two PH210's, since one cab alone is enough for a lot, and with the two, you can stack them horizontally or vertically.

 

[Mrfstop]

Chef, thanks for the time and advice man! truly.
You and tom know light years more than I can ever hope to figure out...As mentioned...tech is NOT my strong point...hahaha!! derrrrrr

I dunno?
I am thinking maybe just try to do what Tom suggested and go for the M6 Head I wanted initially.
And then IF I do end up going with two Mesa Cabs.
Just run them full range as he suggested and hope it sounds the way I hope it will?

I have been told several times by guys to not bother with the M6 and for $200 - $300 or whatever more...step up to the M9.
My only thing is for the moment this stuff IS being used in a mid sized home musicroom.
now that said, I DO crank up the rig to 5 ish often and blow the roof off and anger neighbors purposely....hahaha!!
Just wondering will an M9 sound good at 2? 3? 4?
I know with guitar heads they are crap until cranked up to max the tone out of the tubes ...not too familiar with tube heads for bass at all?
I never owned a tube head for bass.

If I understand the GK biamp system right, you have 5khz and below going to the woofer section, and 5khz and above going to the horn section, which is only 50 watts.
This is so when using the GK bi-amp ready cabs, you can send the overdriven signal to the paper drivers, and a clean signal to the horn. Overdrive thru horns tends not to sound great.
It's best not to think of GK bi-amp as a traditional bi-amp system that can be used to split signals between two cabs that are full range.
It's not designed to do that, but, rather to maximize the quality of GK's dirty tones, within the GK bi-amp cab range.

If you really want traditional bi-amp-ability, with lows to a sub-cab, and highs to a second cab, you're better off with a whole different system.

Eden Navigator into a QSC poweramp is how I used to do that. The navigator has a dedicated crossover and other features you'll need to do that trick well.

Or, you can get a preamp, crossover, and power amp; and a sub cab, and a top cab.

Biamping with two fullrange cabs such as the ph210 and ph212 isn't really the right thing to do either, IMO, IME, YMMV, etc.

 

[Mrfstop]

Either of these would rock! I'd opt for two PH210's, since one cab alone is enough for a lot, and with the two, you can stack them horizontally or vertically.

Thanks Tom!

 

[tombowlus]

Please note, the M6 and M9 are not "tube heads." They are hybrid heads: tube preamp with solid state output section.

That being said, I love my M6 because it is for all practical purposes as powerful as the M9, and because I don't feel the need to tweak the tone any more than I already can (so I don't need the graphic EQ), and since I don't typically use a compressor. If you do like to tweak your tone a bit more or if you do like to use a compressor, both options are very nice on the M9, and may be worth your while. I would not upgrade based upon a desire for more watts/volume, though.

 

[Mrfstop]

so being hybrids they sound good at ALL volumes? low? mid? as well as high?
I would never need more volume than an M6 would produce...
I do not use the full power the GK 700RBII produces ...
And the M6 is more.

I just want to make one purchase and run with it for a long haul...do not want to keep buying and selling and loosing money to chase the dream for a rig I will love...
gets old...
I love buying and selling basses to keep me sane...
but prefer to stick with just one rig.

Please note, the M6 and M9 are not "tube heads." They are hybrid heads: tube preamp with solid state output section.

That being said, I love my M6 because it is for all practical purposes as powerful as the M9, and because I don't feel the need to tweak the tone any more than I already can (so I don't need the graphic EQ), and since I don't typically use a compressor. If you do like to tweak your tone a bit more or if you do like to use a compressor, both options are very nice on the M9, and may be worth your while. I would not upgrade based upon a desire for more watts/volume, though.