Mesa M6 Carbine Mega Thread part 3:

[Tim2112]

Chef- thanks for clearing that up for me, feel much better knowing it's safe to add an extension cab.

I was thinking off adding the 15" vintage mesa cab below the combo. Has anyone had any experience using an extension cab with the combo version of the M6?

 

[KsPiNeSh]

those of you that have another head besides the carbine, what do you have and what does it do that the carbine wont?

GBE 1200. It has mixable SS and tube preamps and I like to dial in the tube grit while keeping clarity with the SS. It's also a little brighter, little rougher through the mids, and a little bit tighter down low. To my ear, they're more similar than different - different flavors of the same tonal goal.

 

[Ron Plichta]

I made the mistake of trying out an M6/PH410 rig at GC yesterday. I've developed serious GAS for it! It has a really nice punch without sounding really thin. Now to clear out some other gear to make room.

 

[Ron Plichta]

Well I pulled the trigger on a used M6 head tonight. I have to sell a few pieces of gear and then I'll look into a matching cabinet. i'm thinking about the PH610.

 

[Jerry J]

Well I pulled the trigger on a used M6 head tonight. I have to sell a few pieces of gear and then I'll look into a matching cabinet. i'm thinking about the PH610.

Congrats! The M6 sounds absolutely killer with the Bergantino AE410 which is significantly lighter than the Mesa cabinets.

 

[Ron Plichta]

Congrats! The M6 sounds absolutely killer with the Bergantino AE410 which is significantly lighter than the Mesa cabinets.

Please elaborate. I've always thought of the AE series cabs as being more "hi-fi". I'd like to get something a little warmer.

 

[Bjazzman]

i've heard pairing the carbine with the scout cabs brings out more of the "warmth" will find out soon if that's true.

personally i use a fearful/fearb +headcase 15/6/1 and it's a great combination of quick, clean, slightly aggressive(in a good way), and clear lows with a define treble. it's scary how "true" your bass tone is through this thing

 

[FatStrings]

i've heard pairing the carbine with the scout cabs brings out more of the "warmth" will find out soon if that's true.

personally i use a fearful/fearb +headcase 15/6/1 and it's a great combination of quick, clean, slightly aggressive(in a good way), and clear lows with a define treble. it's scary how "true" your bass tone is through this thing

I have my Fathom running through two Scout 12" cabs. Sounds awesome to me. I have nothing to compare it too yet though. I will play it through my Mesa Diesel cabs soon and see which I like better.

 

[Jerry J]

Please elaborate. I've always thought of the AE series cabs as being more "hi-fi". I'd like to get something a little warmer.

I don't find the AE410 "hifi" at all. It is a bit aggressive in the mids but I am using a Sadowsky ash/maple JJ with single coil pickups which tends to be aggressive anyway. The Jazz bass growl is there. And my preEBMM Stingray get a nice snarl to it which works well for my needs. But if I need warm I just roll the Sadowsky slightly to the neck pickup and I get a real nice warm tone. The AE Bergs have been the most thrilling tone I've found in a long time. I guess you can tell that I'm a Bergantino fan boy.

Speaking of...if you are looking for a 610 cabinet you might want to think about the Berg NV610. I haven't played my M6 through one but I'm betting that it would sound super. Plus being 20-25 pounds lighter sure makes the load out at the end of the night easier.

I'm not anti-Mesa cabinets and have read great things about them from others. But the weight seems to be crazy on them. And I think that they cost about as much as the Bergantino cabinets.

 

[Ron Plichta]

The NV610 is on my short list of cabs to try, but I will look into the AE410.

 

[bassjam]

The NV610 is on my short list of cabs to try, but I will look into the AE410.

I use a Berg HS410 with the M9 and it sounds fantastic.

 

[lomo]

i've heard pairing the carbine with the scout cabs brings out more of the "warmth" will find out soon if that's true.

This has been my experience. It's a glorious pairing IMO. Take the time to play around with the xover control if the cabs have the player control network thingy-between that and the head's eq there's a huge array of tones on tap.

 

[tombowlus]

The NV610 is on my short list of cabs to try, but I will look into the AE410.

I do love my AE410 with my M6, but I will say that the HS410 is going to be closer in tone to the PH410 (which is a great sounding cab, no doubt!). The AE410 is more aggressive in the upper mids, and has a tight, yet deep, low end. The HS410 has more low-mid punch and a little more bloom down low (though still very tight).

 

[Ron Plichta]

Doing a little searching, I see that the PH210 has gotten some favorable comments. I would consider matching one of those with a PH212 or PH115 cab. It's a more expensive and space-filling option regarding hauling, but I can handle the weight of those cabs vs. the 96 lbs. of the PH410. It also gives me a degree of scalability; I can bring one cab or the other if I'm playing a smaller gig.

 

[tombowlus]

Doing a little searching, I see that the PH210 has gotten some favorable comments. I would consider matching one of those with a PH212 or PH115 cab. It's a more expensive and space-filling option regarding hauling, but I can handle the weight of those cabs vs. the 96 lbs. of the PH410. It also gives me a degree of scalability; I can bring one cab or the other if I'm playing a smaller gig.

The PH210/PH212 stack is excellent. Very balanced, very full, good attack and dynamics, great clarity without getting harsh. This combo is one of my favorite cab pairings, for sure.

 

[Karma Police]

I just got my Ampeg 410HLF. It sounds phenomenal with the Carbine - absolutely fantastic combination, and normally I'm not a huge fan of 10s (I just get them because that's what everyone has!)

 

[Ron Plichta]

Sorry to report that I returned the M6 tonight. I was playing around with it and my Mark Bass CMD102P combo when I discovered that a little tweaking that I never considered on the MB got me a little closer to what I wanted. So I trotted over to GC and A/B'd the M6 with the PH410 and then the PH212 against the MB combo with a 15" extension cabinet. I liked the MB rig better so I got that.

 

[Chef]

not all things are for all people!

 

[Ron Plichta]

Call me fickle. I played the Markbass set up and the initial impressions faded on me. And just by coincidence, the M6 I returned was being sold at $150 lower than the first time I bought it (it was used in the first place). I went back to GC last night and made the swap. So I'm back in the M6 camp.

For now, I'm using my AER cabs, which sound decent but a bit too hifi for my tastes. If I can ever get rid of the AER rig, I'll look into some Bergs.

 

[Jerry J]

Call me fickle. I played the Markbass set up and the initial impressions faded on me. And just by coincidence, the M6 I returned was being sold at $150 lower than the first time I bought it (it was used in the first place). I went back to GC last night and made the swap. So I'm back in the M6 camp.

For now, I'm using my AER cabs, which sound decent but a bit too hifi for my tastes. If I can ever get rid of the AER rig, I'll look into some Bergs.

So that's the plan? Buy an amp->return the amp->rebuy the amp at a lower price. Nice!

Welcome back to the fold.