Mesa D800+ Or M6 Carbine

[Ashbo]

I've had the Mesa D800+ on order for about a month now. My local store has told me the shipment has been delayed which means it won't arrive until mid to late January. They've suggested the M6 Carbine as an alternative. Whats everyone's thoughts? i have a few gigs lined up for late December and New Years eve. Should i roll with the M6 or hold off for the D800+ and find a head to tie me over. The cab is a Mesa Powerhouse 4 x 12.

Cheers

 

[sstillwell]

I have both...the M6 is a total beast, but is very hard to control volume on due to the taper of the master volume control. It goes from "I need a little more" to "HOLY SH*T WHAT HAVE I DONE" with surprisingly little turn of the knob, unless you're keeping the preamp gain way down. The D-800+ sounds nearly as great (like really REALLY close), has considerably more flexible EQ and is waaaaaaaaay easier to carry around at the end of the night. I have never played an amp that I liked more than the Carbine, but I take the D-800+ to the gig every single time since I got it.

Also bear in mind that the Subway is current product from Mesa and that the M6 is a discontinued product, although Mesa will stand behind a new sale it like they will all of their products.

I don't know that I'd get an M6 just because the D800s are slow to be delivered...but if it was a choice of the M6 against almost ANYTHING else, I'd take the M6.

 

[Ashbo]

I have both...the M6 is a total beast, but is very hard to control volume on due to the taper of the master volume control. It goes from "I need a little more" to "HOLY SH*T WHAT HAVE I DONE" with surprisingly little turn of the knob, unless you're keeping the preamp gain way down. The D-800+ sounds nearly as great (like really REALLY close), has considerably more flexible EQ and is waaaaaaaaay easier to carry around at the end of the night. I have never played an amp that I liked more than the Carbine, but I take the D-800+ to the gig every single time since I got it.

Also bear in mind that the Subway is current product from Mesa and that the M6 is a discontinued product, although Mesa will stand behind a new sale it like they will all of their products.

I don't know that I'd get an M6 just because the D800s are slow to be delivered...but if it was a choice of the M6 against almost ANYTHING else, I'd take the M6.

mmm interesting. I had my hopes up for the D800+ and was looking forward to hearing it with my brand new 4x12 cab... i don't really mind waiting but i do have some gigs coming up that i was hoping id get to use it for, especially the new years gig... The M6 they have in store is new aswell i believe.
I guess the ultimate factor is tone seeing as they both won't have issues providing volume.

cheers for your respones.

 

[shoot-r]

I've had the Mesa D800+ on order for about a month now. My local store has told me the shipment has been delayed which means it won't arrive until mid to late January. They've suggested the M6 Carbine as an alternative. Whats everyone's thoughts? i have a few gigs lined up for late December and New Years eve. Should i roll with the M6 or hold off for the D800+ and find a head to tie me over. The cab is a Mesa Powerhouse 4 x 12.

Cheers

I like the M-6's so much I have two of them, (and I'm seriously considering a third one unless "AgedHourse" comes up with a D-800 version of the Carbine.)

If your wanting a feeling of fast and clarity to the extreme with also the feeling of endless head room and clean, clean, clean full range tone then a M-6 Carbine is for you.

I'm not too sure there's another head currently availabe on the market that will cop what a M-6 Carbine does.

 

[BadExample]

Check Mesa Hollywood for availability?

 

[Double E]

You can get a deal on a D-800+ here right now due to the purge happening in advance of the new WD-800 head that is due out after the first of the year. There are at least two D800+'s for sale on the classifieds here right now.

I had an M6 for years, a great head... and as reported, incomparable to just about anything. The only drawback (besides weight and size) was that it was a bit hard to tame for the small to mid sized venues that I play because the volume knob was overly sensitive, especially at lower volumes and the mute function was combined as a push-pull of that master volume knob, meaning any time I muted the amp I risked screwing up my setting due to the sensitive nature of the adjustment. Just a little movement would change the volume rather dramatically.

I am very happy with my D-800 though, it does the job just fine. I will not miss lugging around the larger heavier head. The D-800 was my backup and is now the #1.

 

[Al Kraft]

I know this will sound like heresy, but if you want something close to the Carbine (I own all three models), I think the GK MB800 is your best bet. I actually bought the MB500 and MB800 heads as the lightweight back-up's for my Carbines.

They're not exactly the same as the Carbines, but in a mix you may find them really close and GK gear might be more available to you - maybe you could even rent or borrow a head. The Subway amps have a lot of Carbine DNA in them, but are a bit darker and smoother sounding to my ear. The D-800+ can get you closer to the Carbine tone than the D-800 (which I own) IMO.

 

[Ashbo]

cheers guys.
I'm actually in New Zealand, not the US so anything for sale on this website or in the States isn't an option for me.
i appreciate everyones opinion. keep them coming.

chur

 

[Chef]

While the M6 is a great head, the D800+ is a lot lighter, easier to move and carry, and can sound very close to the M6.
The M6 has some deficits though, in that it's massive low end can be a bit hard to manage sometimes.
The M9 addressed this with it's compressor and graphic eq.
The D800+ is much more controllable via the adjustable high pass filter and better eq; has a similar voicing control...
Having owned both, I'd not go back to the M6 based on size, weight, and features.

Lastly, the GK MBF800 is also a fine head, in that same tone family.

 

[BadExample]

cheers guys.
I'm actually in New Zealand, not the US so anything for sale on this website or in the States isn't an option for me.
i appreciate everyones opinion. keep them coming.

chur

oops

 

[ELG60]

I have both the mb800 fusion and the D800+. You can't really go wrong with either one of them. In fact, I'm hooked up to the Mesa right now.

Your tonal goals may differ from mine, and your ears may be more sensitive than my old wingnuts, but I have no problem finding that warm, round, yet tight bottom end which I desire, with either unit.

I would echo @Chef regarding the control ability with the HPF and eq of the Mesa and it seems a bit more robust than the GK although I've had no real issues either way, one of the GK knobs is a bit wonky which I understand to be an issue with some units.

Good luck in your decision.
ELG