Mesa Carbine users... M6 vs. M9? Subway amps?

[Al Kraft]

I could agree but that master was way too much. And to mute the amp, you had to pull that very master!
When pushing it back you knew two things: you would end with no sound or demeaning sound ....
It ruined such a great amp.
And I don't even mention the effect loop after the master.

....and this was the achilles heel IMO. It took a while working with tweezers and micrometer to get the volume set and then anytime you needed to mute or unmute you inadvertently made a quantum change in the volume.

To be fair though, the amp did very well in large, loud venues, especially outdoors. As @Wasnex pointed out though it was a bit problematic for quieter use in smaller indoor environments. It reminds me of an old joke in the weapons world...you can use a laser to do the most delicate eye surgery or fry the guidance system on a cruise missile, the key is to be sure you have it on the right setting before tackling your particular task.

 

[baxter_x]

It took a while working with tweezers and micrometer to get the volume set

Ok... You have owned this great amp then

 

[Wicked G]

I have no inside knowledge but always imagined that the design discussion went something like:

...maybe we could just do a three way switch with "Volume Off", "Ton of Volume", and "Unbelievable Volume" settings...at which point someone suggested that people will expect a volume knob on the amp but that the knob could easily work the same way...

It could have also been a deliberate feature to intimidate guitar players who wanted to get into a volume war with the bass player...quickly pointing at the control knob position when the Carbine was already screaming would be enough to make most guitar players to simply give up thinking you still had 3/4 of the volume knob rotation left in reserve.

On a positive note, those of us who love and play/played the Carbines obviously found enough reasons to overlook that design quirk.

I wonder if anyone who designed the Carbines was involved on the Orange 4 Stroke as well. It's the same situation where you go from "Volume Off", "Ton of Volume", and "Unbelievable Volume", but with a twist. Someone decided to add notches on the volume knob so that you don't have to worry about breathing on it.

 

[agedhorse]

I could agree but that master was way too much. And to mute the amp, you had to pull that very master!
When pushing it back you knew two things: you would end up with a weak sound or deafaning sound ....
It ruined such a great amp.
And I don't even mention the effect loop after the master.

The pull switching was another thing many TB members wanted changed.

You'll blow up a Subway cab with an M9 Carbine. Or so I've been told.

Nope, the Subway cabinets have much greater mechanical power handling than the equivalent PowerHouse cabinets.

 

[Parzival]

You'll blow up a Subway cab with an M9 Carbine. Or so I've been told.

The pull switching was another thing many TB members wanted changed.

Nope, the Subway cabinets have much greater mechanical power handling than the equivalent PowerHouse cabinets.

I know. It's a joke because of what a local bass player told me a while back.

 

[Wasnex]

The pull switching was another thing many TB members wanted changed.

Yes the mute switch is totally useless IMHO. If I gigged the M9 I would use a tuner to mute my bass.

@smeet had Mesa install a less aggressive MV. A microswitch was added to handle the mute function. The bat for the mute switch protruded through a vent slot on the front panel. Ref: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/mesa-m9-carbine-power-reduced.1030201/page-12#post-15846638