MESA/BOOGIE TT-800 Questions

[agedhorse]

I had a sansamp and a few pres, including an Oracle. I just don't feel the need for any preamp. I get very close to the preamp tones that I was interested in with the TT. In fact, I ran the Oracle straight into the TT's power section, bypassing the two TT preamps. I still prefered the TT tone. It's a very special amp. I would try the amp first, then see if you need pedals.

I play mostly clean with my pbass into the Boogie channel and a jbass into the Subway. You can get some nice light drive off the TT, especially the Boogie channel, but if you want heavy OD, you will probably want a pedal. My band is six-piece: drums, keys, two guitars (e & a), bass, and sax. We play a lot of classic rock, some Motown & funk, a little rockabilly, along with an occasional country tune. This amp handles it all with no problem.

Good general advice IMO, try things first to see how it works before assuming that you need additional gear. I often see players struggling because the additional gear (preamps, pedals, effects, etc.) end up detracting from the tone they are trying to achieve. Sometimes, more is less.

 

[Al Kraft]

For live performance I prefer the simplest set of controls that get the job done. I choose products that offer me enough tonal and voicing versatility for my use cases that can accomplish that with a minimal number of intuitively arranged controls. Obviously that wouldn't be the right answer for everyone, and for those folks who want a lot of adjustability there would be better options than what I look for.

 

[brianrost]

Personally , I'd start with one cab and see if it meets your volume needs.

People often like to overestimate how much gear they need for gigging, in some part because gear aquisition is fun. In smaller venues though, having the stage volume up too loud actually interferes wtih the audience experience by over powering the venue's speakers.

Agreed...

I own two 1-12 Bergantino cabs but seldom use both. When playing outdoors gigs in the summer with a small PA that’s vocals only, the second cab is useful. Inside a bar, club or theater? One is plenty.

 

[crocawombawoof]

Have been ear to ear grinning everytime I plug into this rig (WD800 & Subway 215). Can't imagine anything more perfect (for me). Definately overkill for my "needs" but sometimes too much is just enough.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

As a TT-800 owner for about two years and many gigs of different genres...

- RTFM. Read the "fine" manual. There are starting settings and great descriptions of every feature and control in the best manual I've ever received with an amp.
- PLAY WITH IT. Start with the sample settings and try every control 0-10
- Ignore what other settings on other amps may be. Some amps don't have linear controls, have different voices, no headroom, etc... USE YOUR EARS.
- Don't confuse bedroom tone with usable stage tone. Learn how to use the HPF and how your chosen speakers project.

All in all, a fantastic professional tool that can accomplish almost any tone you're looking for, IF you take the time to understand it. Don't want to learn it? Buy a three knob Bassman or Ampeg and play with whatever you get from it.

 

[agedhorse]

As a TT-800 owner for about two years and many gigs of different genres...

- RTFM. Read the "fine" manual. There are starting settings and great descriptions of every feature and control in the best manual I've ever received with an amp.
- PLAY WITH IT. Start with the sample settings and try every control 0-10
- Ignore what other settings on other amps may be. Some amps don't have linear controls, have different voices, no headroom, etc... USE YOUR EARS.
- Don't confuse bedroom tone with usable stage tone. Learn how to use the HPF and how your chosen speakers project.

All in all, a fantastic professional tool that can accomplish almost any tone you're looking for, IF you take the time to understand it. Don't want to learn it? Buy a three knob Bassman or Ampeg and play with whatever you get from it.

Al and I put a LOT of effort into the owner's manual, it's very "information dense", yet we tried very hard to explain things and put them into a player's perspective.

 

[75Ric]

As a TT-800 owner for about two years and many gigs of different genres...

- RTFM. Read the "fine" manual. There are starting settings and great descriptions of every feature and control in the best manual I've ever received with an amp.
- PLAY WITH IT. Start with the sample settings and try every control 0-10
- Ignore what other settings on other amps may be. Some amps don't have linear controls, have different voices, no headroom, etc... USE YOUR EARS.
- Don't confuse bedroom tone with usable stage tone. Learn how to use the HPF and how your chosen speakers project.

All in all, a fantastic professional tool that can accomplish almost any tone you're looking for, IF you take the time to understand it. Don't want to learn it? Buy a three knob Bassman or Ampeg and play with whatever you get from it.

Definitely a a top shelf manual. It's excellent.

You also make a good point about the tone controls on the Boogie channel. I wasn't familiar with this type of interactive tone control. It did take me a while to learn it -- to be clear, I got useable tones right from the get go, but really understanding what the amp does and what I can get out of it took a little time. My experience has been exactly as you say, you can accomplish almost any tone desired, but you do need to learn how to use the tool.

 

[Dom Amato]

Good general advice IMO, try things first to see how it works before assuming that you need additional gear. I often see players struggling because the additional gear (preamps, pedals, effects, etc.) end up detracting from the tone they are trying to achieve. Sometimes, more is less.

Ive been playing with just a cable from bass to amp since......well ever! The fanciest thing I ever got into was the cheap line 6 wireless I bought off a guy I know lol. From what ive heard, I can pretty much do the same with this amp. Ive seen people recommend starting with the 1x15 cabinet. I got 2 questions about that.

1. ) Why should I start with a 1x15 as opposed to a 2x10?

2. ) What cabinet would you reccomend pairing with the 1x15?

Thank you for all your time BTW. I think I found a pretty damn knowlegable source!

 

[Dom Amato]

Definitely a a top shelf manual. It's excellent.

You also make a good point about the tone controls on the Boogie channel. I wasn't familiar with this type of interactive tone control. It did take me a while to learn it -- to be clear, I got useable tones right from the get go, but really understanding what the amp does and what I can get out of it took a little time. My experience has been exactly as you say, you can accomplish almost any tone desired, but you do need to learn how to use the tool.

What would you say was the biggest pain in the neck you had to figure out so far? Im not the best at EQing lmao

 

[abarson]

Ive been playing with just a cable from bass to amp since......well ever! The fanciest thing I ever got into was the cheap line 6 wireless I bought off a guy I know lol. From what ive heard, I can pretty much do the same with this amp. Ive seen people recommend starting with the 1x15 cabinet. I got 2 questions about that.

1. ) Why should I start with a 1x15 as opposed to a 2x10?

2. ) What cabinet would you reccomend pairing with the 1x15?

Thank you for all your time BTW. I think I found a pretty damn knowlegable source!

The Subway 115 is simply one of the best sounding standalone bass cabinets. It is loud enough for lots of situations and it plays well with other Subway cabinets when the time for adding more speaker area is called for. I found that a Subway 112 paired with it very well. I haven't had the chance to try the 210 in person.

 

[Geri O]

I would recommend starting with the 115, you may find that’s all you need.

I would heartily second this.

I was gonna say, a pair of Subway 115s as opposed to a single 215s. That way, you won’t be sitting on a single 115 that is plenty for a while, but you find you suddenly need another 115 cab for a new gig and hoping and praying that the second one makes it in time for your gig. (It did).



The pair of Subway 115s has been the most well-rounded bass tones I’ve ever had. Plenty bright (without exaggerated use of the tweeters), plenty punchy, responds well to the high-pass settings on my WD800, and has plenty of lows for large outdoor stages.

 

[Rev_Slinky]

I feel like whether you prefer a 115 or a 210 comes down to basic preference, like whether you like your coffee black or with cream (in my mind, the 115 is coffee blacker than sin on a moonless night). I've got nothing against a 210, but I have a soft spot for the 115. And the 112 is a great compliment. I'd like to try the 210 sometime, though! Or, I guess I could add it; the amp can handle it!

As for the controls on the TT-800 and dialing-in your tone, I've had a great time playing around with settings, and you really can let your ears guide you. The manual is also amazing, and explains everything clearly. You know what a knob is doing enough to know what to listen for when you're fine tuning. Plus, you get two channels to play with! That's double the fun!

 

[agedhorse]

Ive been playing with just a cable from bass to amp since......well ever! The fanciest thing I ever got into was the cheap line 6 wireless I bought off a guy I know lol. From what ive heard, I can pretty much do the same with this amp. Ive seen people recommend starting with the 1x15 cabinet. I got 2 questions about that.

1. ) Why should I start with a 1x15 as opposed to a 2x10?

2. ) What cabinet would you reccomend pairing with the 1x15?

Thank you for all your time BTW. I think I found a pretty damn knowlegable source!

1 and 2. It’s the most universal, neutral cabinet. It’s not necessary the “best”, that’s a personal opinion, but it pairs well with another 115 or a 210 or a 112.

 

[DeepHz]

I would recommend starting with the 115, you may find that’s all you need.

This is my experience! The TT 800 and the 115 checks all my boxes. I was hesitant to go with a 15 as my experience was with the old floppy 15's that felt sluggish. This 15 is far from the old floppy sounding cabs. I like to call it a tight 15. I was new to Mesa when I purchased this and now I'm a huge fan.

 

[Harpo61]

Al and I put a LOT of effort into the owner's manual, it's very "information dense", yet we tried very hard to explain things and put them into a player's perspective.

I have had my TT-800 for 4 years and I am still discovering things !
The biggest mistake was I was using my Sadowsky Pre Amp and Diamond compressor through the Boogie Channel for a long time and never letting it shine on its own !
And recently I have been going straight into Boogie Channel and enjoying the results more also I have been using the Subway Channel more

 

[75Ric]

What would you say was the biggest pain in the neck you had to figure out so far? Im not the best at EQing lmao

For me, it was learning how the Boogie channel EQ works. It wasn't daunting, and not a pain in any way. After I got over the initial reaction of "Hey, I don't understand this!?" it was actually fun exploring what this amp can do. As mentioned above, the manual is an outstanding document. That's exactly where I'd start. I've spent time reading and sometimes re-reading sections of the manual in front of the amp and trying different things -- very worthwhile. One simple example is how the Boogie EQ can work together with the HPF to get great depth and bottom without boom (it's detailed in the manual). And, don't forget, the Subway channel is nicely straightforward. You've already got great tones you can start with as you learn the Boogie's controls. The Subway channel isn't an afterthought. I play the jbass through it all the time and love the more modern, tighter feel. It's a great contrast to the Boogie channel.

 

[agedhorse]

Don’t be afraid to boost levels in the Boogie channel eq, there are some additional tonal elements and textures available. You might need to turn the input gain down a bit too.

 

[Al Kraft]

Al and I put a LOT of effort into the owner's manual, it's very "information dense", yet we tried very hard to explain things and put them into a player's perspective.

This was more of a challenge at times than I expected it to be. Andy and I are both engineers so we like technical details (big surprise). The trick was to select and present the most relevant details in a useful way that helped musicians discover and understand the utility and versatility designed into the product.

Andy set our our goal as being satisfyingly informative for all readers while providing insights that would inspire experimentation and creativity by explaining more than just, turning something to right makes it louder, and to the left makes it quieter.

IMO Andy's designs are themselves art underpinned by innovation and science (much like a finely crafted instrument) . When he discusses design ideas and leads the manual development his focus is on offering and illuminating features and capabilities that will complement a musician's tone goals and style. This also helps explain why the SW series has so many different options...not all musicians are trying to achieve the same sound or need the same features.

I will add that although Alan (Chef) is no longer with us, his words and guidance from the earlier manual efforts are continually present for both of us. Besides being an exceptional musician he brought a professional background that was rooted in being sure you kept the entire/broader audience you were addressing in mind. I genuinely miss working with him, but his influence is there every time we talk over ideas or write.

 

[Dom Amato]

This is my experience! The TT 800 and the 115 checks all my boxes. I was hesitant to go with a 15 as my experience was with the old floppy 15's that felt sluggish. This 15 is far from the old floppy sounding cabs. I like to call it a tight 15. I was new to Mesa when I purchased this and now I'm a huge fan.

You don't find the 15 to be too muddy or anything?

 

[Al Kraft]

You don't find the 15 to be too muddy or anything?

Absolutely not! I often jokingly describe the SW 115 as a the loudest, deepest voiced 112 cab I ever played or heard. To me it has an pleasingly neutral, balanced voice that speaks evenly and clearly from deep lows through the mids to the upper register. Of all the cabs I have played over the last 50 years it is one of the most remarkable in that aspect.

Obviously we all hear things differently, but I suspect many other players would say the same thing. I would also note that I have yet to see anyone post a negative review or comment about the SW115. It may not be the sound you are looking for, but I am certain it will impress you if you get a chance to play one.