Mesa D-800 vs Genzler Magellan 800

[svtb15]

I love basstrings online.. Not only do i get strings form them at times but some other odds and ends too. Great prices and if i have a question. He seems to have an answer Just ordered a HipShot D Tuner for my new Musicman caprice.. Only person that had it in stock

 

[Ryan L.]

Thanks for the heads up! I'll probably try used first. But you never know.....

Check with Greg at Rocket Music, too. He gave me a great deal on my Genzler setup.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

Gots me a Magellan on the way! I should be able to A/B/C the Magellan, Subway D800 and AI Clarus 4plus this week. Woo-hoo! I just loves me new bass gear!

Sounds silly, but I often use amps as just "power amps" by pluggin in preamps into the Aux In or FX Return. The Mesa sounds great this way. I've read the Magellan is louder than the Mesa when using it as just a power amp? Is this true?

 

[murphy]

I have only used my Magellan as a power amp. not my Mesa

But will try....one day

 

[Bassman8416]

Gots me a Magellan on the way! I should be able to A/B/C the Magellan, Subway D800 and AI Clarus 4plus this week. Woo-hoo! I just loves me new bass gear!

Sounds silly, but I often use amps as just "power amps" by pluggin in preamps into the Aux In or FX Return. The Mesa sounds great this way. I've read the Magellan is louder than the Mesa when using it as just a power amp? Is this true?

Please report back on the comparisons. I have the Subway D800 and was looking into the AI Clarus 4plus.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

I can say they are two different tools. The AI is sooo small and light that's it's perfect as a hit-it-and-quit-it head. Pretty darn loud and transparent as heck. And the input impedance is suitable for piezo's.

I should take the little AI out of the comparison. It's not going anywhere. For me it'll be between the Genzler and Mesa.

 

[Bassworship1]

After months of owning a Mesa 800 and the Mesa 112 lightweight cabs and the Genzler 800 and Bass Arrays I have come to the conclusion that the Genzler is so much more adaptable to different basses and venue's. The big difference for me is the Bass Arrays over the Mesa cabs for me. This is where it isn't even close with the Genzlers being the best I've ever played through. I'm not downing the Mesa gear at all and they are the 2nd best bass rig I've owned but the Genzler stuff is simply amazing. Best tone I've ever had and my basses set perfectly int he mix now.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

I've only had the Magellan and Mesa together for a couple of days. And man, both these heads are, in a word, totally awesome. OK. That was two words. But they are. Totally awesome, that is. It really is a case of apples-n-oranges.

I brought both to a small rehearsal/jam with a drummer that is extremely mature, controlled and conscious of volume (but never loses any intensity) and a guitarist/blue-eyed-soul singer. Good time! Played my modded 3 pickup Scheff (Hanson Vintage J's and Vintage P and a Hanson/Lakland preamp) that is muddy and a Barefaced One10. The trick to the Scheff is cutting bass. Cut some healthy amounts of bass with a good HPF or Bass control and its tone heaven.

I was surprised that the Scheff sounded great and clean with just a hint of muddiness with the Magellan's controls set flat. I used Contour B set a 9:00 to clear up any mud and that was it. I could toggle between the Clean and Dirty channels at will and was very pleased with the tone of both. Really solid, punchy, clear tone. VERY easy to dial in two great useable and different tones. Overall, maybe a little sterile or lacking "character", for lack of a better word. But that's purely subjective. Or is it objective?? I can never remember.

The D800 was also easy to dial in. I set Gain to noon and set the controls flat and the Scheff was too muddy, like I would assume it would be. Set the Bass to 9:00 (see my comments above on my Scheff) and dialed the Treble back just a hair and that was it. That fine line between thick and punchy and pillow and grit. The D800 really cut through without being clanky. Nice! I would NOT call the D800 sterile. Lotsa "character".

I also tried both heads as just "amps" with my Grace Felix and my Full Circle equipped upright. To my ears both had the same volume. The Magellan was clearer and dead quiet. The D800 had some noise to it and had a little more bottom. But man, these differences were pretty subtle. I would give a slight edge to the Magellan for use as a power amp.

The D800 wins in the ohms department. The Magellan is the winner in the clean department, for sure. Also wins in the two-tone department. But I would give a slight edge to the D800 in the character department. The D800 had more...Hmmm...What do I call it? Not grit. Not punch. Well, it had more "character". More soul. I felt like the D800 had something to prove. Like it was part of a tradition. Sounds silly, I know. But that's how I see it.

I came into this assuming I'd like the Magellan more. But I don't. I like them equally. It really is apples-n-oranges. Both are roughly the same size and weight, roughly the same price, roughly the same volume, and both will run below 4 ohms. Both seem very well built, are good looking and easy to use.

@Jeff Genzler and @agedhorse should be proud that they've set a new standard.






And I've heard that Mini Mega ain't too shabby, neither!

 

[John D Harris]

I've only had the Magellan and Mesa together for a couple of days. And man, both these heads are, in a word, totally awesome. OK. That was two words. But they are. Totally awesome, that is. It really is a case of apples-n-oranges.

I brought both to a small rehearsal/jam with a drummer that is extremely mature, controlled and conscious of volume (but never loses any intensity) and a guitarist/blue-eyed-soul singer. Good time! Played my modded 3 pickup Scheff (Hanson Vintage J's and Vintage P and a Hanson/Lakland preamp) that is muddy and a Barefaced One10. The trick to the Scheff is cutting bass. Cut some healthy amounts of bass with a good HPF or Bass control and its tone heaven.

I was surprised that the Scheff sounded great and clean with just a hint of muddiness with the Magellan's controls set flat. I used Contour B set a 9:00 to clear up any mud and that was it. I could toggle between the Clean and Dirty channels at will and was very pleased with the tone of both. Really solid, punchy, clear tone. VERY easy to dial in two great useable and different tones. Overall, maybe a little sterile or lacking "character", for lack of a better word. But that's purely subjective. Or is it objective?? I can never remember.

The D800 was also easy to dial in. I set Gain to noon and set the controls flat and the Scheff was too muddy, like I would assume it would be. Set the Bass to 9:00 (see my comments above on my Scheff) and dialed the Treble back just a hair and that was it. That fine line between thick and punchy and pillow and grit. The D800 really cut through without being clanky. Nice! I would NOT call the D800 sterile. Lotsa "character".

I also tried both heads as just "amps" with my Grace Felix and my Full Circle equipped upright. To my ears both had the same volume. The Magellan was clearer and dead quiet. The D800 had some noise to it and had a little more bottom. But man, these differences were pretty subtle. I would give a slight edge to the Magellan for use as a power amp.

The D800 wins in the ohms department. The Magellan is the winner in the clean department, for sure. Also wins in the two-tone department. But I would give a slight edge to the D800 in the character department. The D800 had more...Hmmm...What do I call it? Not grit. Not punch. Well, it had more "character". More soul. I felt like the D800 had something to prove. Like it was part of a tradition. Sounds silly, I know. But that's how I see it.

I came into this assuming I'd like the Magellan more. But I don't. I like them equally. It really is apples-n-oranges. Both are roughly the same size and weight, roughly the same price, roughly the same volume, and both will run below 4 ohms. Both seem very well built, are good looking and easy to use.

@Jeff Genzler and @agedhorse should be proud that they've set a new standard.






And I've heard that Mini Mega ain't too shabby, neither!

Thanks for that great review!

 

[Turn Em Loose]

Thanks for that great review!

Oh please! It's pure fun being able to play through both these great amps!!

 

[husky123]

I've only had the Magellan and Mesa together for a couple of days. And man, both these heads are, in a word, totally awesome. OK. That was two words. But they are. Totally awesome, that is. It really is a case of apples-n-oranges.

I brought both to a small rehearsal/jam with a drummer that is extremely mature, controlled and conscious of volume (but never loses any intensity) and a guitarist/blue-eyed-soul singer. Good time! Played my modded 3 pickup Scheff (Hanson Vintage J's and Vintage P and a Hanson/Lakland preamp) that is muddy and a Barefaced One10. The trick to the Scheff is cutting bass. Cut some healthy amounts of bass with a good HPF or Bass control and its tone heaven.

I was surprised that the Scheff sounded great and clean with just a hint of muddiness with the Magellan's controls set flat. I used Contour B set a 9:00 to clear up any mud and that was it. I could toggle between the Clean and Dirty channels at will and was very pleased with the tone of both. Really solid, punchy, clear tone. VERY easy to dial in two great useable and different tones. Overall, maybe a little sterile or lacking "character", for lack of a better word. But that's purely subjective. Or is it objective?? I can never remember.

The D800 was also easy to dial in. I set Gain to noon and set the controls flat and the Scheff was too muddy, like I would assume it would be. Set the Bass to 9:00 (see my comments above on my Scheff) and dialed the Treble back just a hair and that was it. That fine line between thick and punchy and pillow and grit. The D800 really cut through without being clanky. Nice! I would NOT call the D800 sterile. Lotsa "character".

I also tried both heads as just "amps" with my Grace Felix and my Full Circle equipped upright. To my ears both had the same volume. The Magellan was clearer and dead quiet. The D800 had some noise to it and had a little more bottom. But man, these differences were pretty subtle. I would give a slight edge to the Magellan for use as a power amp.

The D800 wins in the ohms department. The Magellan is the winner in the clean department, for sure. Also wins in the two-tone department. But I would give a slight edge to the D800 in the character department. The D800 had more...Hmmm...What do I call it? Not grit. Not punch. Well, it had more "character". More soul. I felt like the D800 had something to prove. Like it was part of a tradition. Sounds silly, I know. But that's how I see it.

I came into this assuming I'd like the Magellan more. But I don't. I like them equally. It really is apples-n-oranges. Both are roughly the same size and weight, roughly the same price, roughly the same volume, and both will run below 4 ohms. Both seem very well built, are good looking and easy to use.

@Jeff Genzler and @agedhorse should be proud that they've set a new standard.






And I've heard that Mini Mega ain't too shabby, neither!

Very nice review. I've owned all three (Magellan, mM, D800) at the same time. They are all stellar in their own way. If push came to shove and I could only have one, I guess it'd be the Magellan for it's extreme versatility and that awesome dirt channel for when I'm in a bad mood.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

awesome dirt channel for when I'm in a bad mood.

That reminds me: I'm a light OD kind of guy. Not distortion but just that slight hair and compression that tubes seem to have. With that being said I had the dirt channel on the Magellan at about 9:00 with the dirt volume maxed. I felt I could have used a little more pure volume out of the dirt channel. But that's nitpicking, really.

A ver nice, warm round tubey tone, though out of the Magellan. I was pleasantly surprised!

 

[Testing123]

That reminds me: I'm a light OD kind of guy. Not distortion but just that slight hair and compression that tubes seem to have. With that being said I had the dirt channel on the Magellan at about 9:00 with the dirt volume maxed. I felt I could have used a little more pure volume out of the dirt channel. But that's nitpicking, really.

A ver nice, warm round tubey tone, though out of the Magellan. I was pleasantly surprised!

Wouldn't a pedal do pretty much the same thing for you?

 

[Turn Em Loose]

Wouldn't a pedal do pretty much the same thing for you?

Yes. I've got a Tone Hammer and Broughton P15. I could see the Magellan taking the place of those, especially how I use them.

 

[PaperbackRyder]

So between the two channels, two contours, would it be a safe assumption the the Magellan would work well for doubling tween electric and upright? Maybe need an impedance buffer for the upright peizo?

 

[Jeff Genzler]

So between the two channels, two contours, would it be a safe assumption the the Magellan would work well for doubling tween electric and upright? Maybe need an impedance buffer for the upright peizo?

There are several players doubling with the MG 800. Ed Friedland and Mike Frost being a couple.
The input impedance is 1 Meg so while it may be suitable for some pick-ups a buffer may be needed depending upon your setup.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

There are several players doubling with the MG 800. Ed Friedland and Mike Frost being a couple.
The input impedance is 1 Meg so while it may be suitable for some pick-ups a buffer may be needed depending upon your setup.

I like a higher impedance. 10 - 20 Meg. 1 Meg is a little honky for me. BUT, even thogh I pretty much kinda suck on URB and don't know a lot about them, I DO know that each one, even with the same setup (strings, pickup, etc) will sounds very different. (Plus I find the smoother tone of a higher impedance more forgiving!) I'm sure Ed and Mike sound quite good using the front end of the MG 800.

 

[agedhorse]

I like a higher impedance. 10 - 20 Meg. 1 Meg is a little honky for me. BUT, even thogh I pretty much kinda suck on URB and don't know a lot about them, I DO know that each one, even with the same setup (strings, pickup, etc) will sounds very different. (Plus I find the smoother tone of a higher impedance more forgiving!) I'm sure Ed and Mike sound quite good using the front end of the MG 800.

As a general comment about input impedances for uprights (and also ASSUMING that you mean piezo crystal based pickups), all but the smallest crystals do very well at 1M, but some of the small crystals just don't have the drive capability (including the ability to drive the longer cable stably, another benefit of an on board buffer) and do need a higher input impedance. In this case, I strongly encourage the use of an on-board buffer so that the high impedance feed is as short as possible. When you get into the 5Meg and higher input impedances, a whole host of additional problems can become really significant. Things like the tribo-electric of the mechanics of the cable (the cable will make noises and crackles when touching and bending it), oscillations and odd fuzzy noises, and of course the big Kahuna is the greater susceptibility to radio frequency interference. By placing the buffer close to the crystal, the length of cable is greatly reduced and is much easier to isolate.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

As a general comment about input impedances for uprights (and also ASSUMING that you mean piezo crystal based pickups), all but the smallest crystals do very well at 1M, but some of the small crystals just don't have the drive capability (including the ability to drive the longer cable stably, another benefit of an on board buffer) and do need a higher input impedance. In this case, I strongly encourage the use of an on-board buffer so that the high impedance feed is as short as possible. When you get into the 5Meg and higher input impedances, a whole host of additional problems can become really significant. Things like the tribo-electric of the mechanics of the cable (the cable will make noises and crackles when touching and bending it), oscillations and odd fuzzy noises, and of course the big Kahuna is the greater susceptibility to radio frequency interference. By placing the buffer close to the crystal, the length of cable is greatly reduced and is much easier to isolate.

Thanks! Althugh my walnut sized brain has noooooo freakin' idea of what you said, I agree! And yes, my pickup is a Full Circle piezo. I like it quite a bit. It's been very good for me.

I am covered with URB. Gots me a Grace Felix. It's incredible. Even makes me sound decent. I use the 20 Meg input on it.

Now that I'm here I'm leaning towards the D800. I've got my "clean" covered with the Grace Felix. And I can double with the D800 by putting my 'lectric through the front end of the D800 and at the same time put my URB through the Aux In via the Felix. OR, if I want just clean 'lectric, run it through the Felix into the Aux In.

Plus, I really like the vibe of the D800. It's got just a stellar slightly warm, tubey grind to it that is quite addictive. I guess, what I'm saying is, I'm having more fun with the D800. IMO, YMMV, etc etc etc. Like I've said before, these two amps are just different flavors of freakin' incredible.

In five minutes I will have changed my mind. About three times.

 

[agedhorse]

Have you tried your Full Circle directly into the D-800?