Mesa D800+ Disappointment

[Phil508]

All I can say is if you don't have enough volume, get some new cabs. I had my master shy of 10 o'clock and my gain at 1 o'clock and had previously turned down, it was thunderous. FOH was amazed at the tone I was getting. here with two 12Ls.

 

[4Mal]

FOH was amazed at the tone I was getting. here with two 12Ls.

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Being at FOH for a show where the bass player was using a D-800 on an Epifani 2x12 - and using his direct out- is exactly why I have a D-800 after 6 years with an MB-Fusion, which is no slouch amp by any measure.

I heard his D-800 up close and personal while tweaking monitor mixes via tablet. I was like yeah, I gotta get me some of that... as for volume. That band has pretty high stage volume. One guitar has a Marshall half stack, the other has an AC-50 and they use them. Keys were just in my wedges along with a lot of kick and snare. It was a lot louder I would be comfortable with but a great band.

 

[bottomzone]

I've read quite a few bass amp manuals that were more like pamphlets. The D-800+ manual is one of the most well-written, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand that I've ever seen!!!

 

[Coot]

Tried the D800+ with my Fender Bassman Neo Pro 6x10 4 Ohm cab at practice today. All I can say is wow! Sounded great with lots of volume and punch. The limit LED never blinked. The Markbass Little Mark III Tube 800 is a great amp but will now become my backup Here's my current EQ on the D800+, I did turn the Treble knob up just a titch after taking this pic:

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Lesson learned is the cab can make huge difference. I can't wait for my two Revsound 2x10 cabs to arrive soon! Thanks everyone for your responses, your responses helped me understand the characteristics of the D800+ compared to experiences I have had with other bass amps.

I have found that the High pass filter will cut some of the deep low bass tones that draw power and often can tend to muddy the tone. have you tried it around 9:00 to noon? For me it cleaned it up and gave more mid punch ( which is what cuts through). Glad your happy.

 

[USAJO]

After reading this thread I’m wondering how the bass players are using the amp and cab on stage. What are you trying to accomplish?

Having played in a seven piece band as a lead vocalist/guitarist we use the FOH to provide the sound to the audience. If any band member was using their amp to reach the crowd we’d think they were nuts. We want enough stage volume so the music rocks and feels strong but not crazy loud.

Back the in 70’s before most bands had quality sound systems the stage volumes were insane. I hate that now.

I just bought a D800+ and a Subway single 15. I’m hoping this will provide me with a bass sound I like along with being loud enough to feel like a rock band to the guys on stage. The sound companies haul in massive rigs for the audience.

I may have to get a second 15 but I really hope not. I want a lightweight easy load in when backline isn’t provided.

At band rehearsal we are even quieter.

Many bands stopped using stage amps completely. I don’t want to go that route.
Reasonable volume on stage for me.

 

[Geri O]

After reading this thread I’m wondering how the bass players are using the amp and cab on stage. What are you trying to accomplish?

Many bands stopped using stage amps completely. I don’t want to go that route.
Reasonable volume on stage for me.

The first 2 sentences are kinda confusing. My answer was gonna be "so me and the friggin' band can hear the bass".

But when I read further, I get that you were meaning a stage bass amp to project the bass into the audience, no? That makes more sense.

I'm completely in-ear monitors, have been for around 12 years, and more now so since my hearing has significantly degraded this year. I'm not hearing well and when things are loud, it's actually a terrible and painful mess of noise. I have good IEMs that seal well and according to the sound guys I work with I'm not running very high levels in the IEMs. And I hear everything great. I do bring an amp (Mesa WD800/a pair of Subway 115s) because I don't play any gigs that are 100% ampless. The amp is for everyone else's benefit. I could completely do without it if the situation allowed.

So I rely on PA almost all of the time. I get a good bass sound and mix in my ears, then I forget about the house sound. I have a few different ways of going about getting a mix to my ears.

I guess that's one response to your comment.

 

[mcnach]

I have both heads, and if the D-800+ is not as loud or louder than the LMII, then it's either a matter of gain-staging and EQ, or else something is wrong with the D-800+. All of the current 800w Mesa heads have excellent output, IME/IMHO.

Though I will give a definite nod to the LMII as being an amp which tends to outperforms its specs. Still, the D-800+ should more than keep up.

old thread but why not...

Years ago I had the chance to spend a week with a D800 that I borrowed, and two other amps of mine: GB Streamliner 900 and MarkBass LMIII. Volumewise, there wasn't that much between them, to be honest. It was hard to make a direct comparison (no meters, just ears and a big rehearsal room with 2x 212 and a loud band), but my main conclusion from that was that I would not pick any of those based on any perceived volume differences, as they all could do more than what seemed necessary.

I had owned a Markbass LMT800 as well, which I bought at a time when I felt the LMIII was falling a bit short sometimes, and going from 500 to 800W looked like just the ticket. It wasn't. It turned out the limiting factor was the speaker. I was using a single 1x12", very efficient, very loud, very expensive... but I guess there's only so much a speaker can do. The difference between them was small.

I suspect this is what happened with the OP. Single 15" speaker, no matter how good, can only give you so much. That, plus not realising the LMTIII probably reaches its max power with teh master at around 2 o'clock, while the D800 uses the full range pretty much.

I've beeen using a D800+ since 2017 as my main amp and if anything, it's always compared favourably, volumewise, to any other similarly rated amps. Although I can't imagine using volume as a significant factor when buying any of these amps, as they all seem to have plenty to offer.