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Mesa M6 Carbine Mega-Thread Pt Deux

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#522
So far, the only thing I'dchange on M6 would be to have a little more control over the massive low end this thing has.
I love the top end clarity, quick response...but it'd be nice to be able to dial out some 50-100hz at points.
 
#524
While that's certainly true, I wouldn't be able to turn it on without killing everyone for several blocks;)
I can barely turn on my M6 as it is.

Note: I'm not complaining about the M6's massive headroom...just sayin'.
 
#525
Chef said:
So far, the only thing I'dchange on M6 would be to have a little more control over the massive low end this thing has.
I love the top end clarity, quick response...but it'd be nice to be able to dial out some 50-100hz at points.
Click to expand...

Chef:

Do you still feel like you don't have control over the low end even when you use the AE410?

Tom.
 
#526
Chef said:
While that's certainly true, I wouldn't be able to turn it on without killing everyone for several blocks;)
I can barely turn on my M6 as it is.

Note: I'm not complaining about the M6's massive headroom...just sayin'.
Click to expand...

Maybe a bit of a whacked-out idea, but perhaps you could throw a THD Hot Plate Attenuator into the mix to tame the volume. I'd never thought of using this for a bass amp, but I don't see why it wouldn't work (though the write-up does say it was designed to be used with tube amps).

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The Hot Plate© is a power attenuator that lets you attain the incredible sound of your amp running at high output and full distortion but at recording, small club, and neighbor-friendly volumes. It also makes a perfect dummy load.

A power attenuator is simply a device placed between the speaker output and the speaker cabinet. It acts like a huge master volume control and permits the amp to be turned up most or all the way while absorbing most of the power generated by the amplifier and turning this power into heat. It passes a small part of the power to the speaker.

Designed for use strictly with vacuum tube guitar amplifiers, each version of the Hot Plate is optimized for a specific impedance. These inductive loads are frequency-compensated, which means you get the best possible sound for that impedance speaker and amplifier combination. Plus the Hot Plate is no simple power attenuator. It offers many capabilities that make it a great addition to any tone-hungry player's arsenal.

The THD Hot Plate will not damage your amplifier. When you play continuously at full output, you cause your tubes to age more quickly than they would at lower volumes. Using a Hot Plate will maintain the life of your tubes at exactly the same rate, no more or less, as when you play straight through the speaker.

Using a Hot Plate will also not hurt your transformer any more than playing through a speaker as long as the impedances are matched (i.e., 8-ohm setting on the amp, 8-ohm speakers, and an 8-ohm attenuator). The Hot Plate puts the same load on the transformer as a speaker (which is why it makes such a good dummy load).
Click to expand...
 
#527
Tom: mostly; more in a sec...

Hot plate: no thanks. Either it's gonna work for me, or not. I don't want more stuff in my signal chain.

Back to Tom:
Typically, I've run my pickups "as high as I can go wothout fouling string one them."
Dropping the bass side, substantially, helps, and doesn't seem to have been detrimental with non-M6 use, so far.
 
#528
The M6 does indeed have a massive low end, but in a good way. Wonder if this might work well with a stack of two Schroeder 15+L which don't seem to have much in the 50-100 Hz region and might benefit from the depth and headroom of this amp?
 
#530
Chef said:
So far, the only thing I'dchange on M6 would be to have a little more control over the massive low end this thing has.
I love the top end clarity, quick response...but it'd be nice to be able to dial out some 50-100hz at points.
Click to expand...
That's a pretty important feature IMO. Not knocking the M6, especially since I'm just armchair QB'ing here, but the ability to dial in the lowest end just right (especially by cutting/hi-passing) makes or breaks my interest in an amp.
 
#532
bongomania said:
That's a pretty important feature IMO. Not knocking the M6, especially since I'm just armchair QB'ing here, but the ability to dial in the lowest end just right (especially by cutting/hi-passing) makes or breaks my interest in an amp.
Click to expand...
There have been a couple posters that feel the low end isn't as controlled as they'd like, but man, I have just not at all had this problem... even when playing up over the neck pickup... and even when using my Epifani UL410.

I mean, yeah, it's a big sounding head, but I've never had a boom problem. Admittedly, my "home base" is closer to the bridge pickup, but I do move my right hand around a lot and I've just never had any problem controlling the low end even when going up to the neck. I pretty much never pull the deep switch (removing the HPF and letting the sub lows through as well as boosting highs), and I rarely use any of the scoop voicings... if that matters.

When I plug into my Berg AE cabs, it's even more controlled and rather tight sounding to me. Not narrow/nasal/boxy... still big and rich, but definitely not overly pillowy at least.

Seems odd to me. FWIW, anyway.
 
#534
Chef said:
So far, the only thing I'dchange on M6 would be to have a little more control over the massive low end this thing has.

I love the top end clarity, quick response...but it'd be nice to be able to dial out some 50-100hz at points.
Click to expand...

I thought the bass Q was centered at 55Hz? Cutting should help you out, no?


Vic said:
I mean, yeah, it's a big sounding head, but I've never had a boom problem. Admittedly, my "home base" is closer to the bridge pickup, but I do move my right hand around a lot and I've just never had any problem controlling the low end even when going up to the neck. I pretty much never pull the deep switch (removing the HPF and letting the sub lows through as well as boosting highs), and I rarely use any of the scoop voicings... if that matters.
Click to expand...

+1...always run voice control #3, gain between 11-noon, usually bass at about 11 o'clock mids at noon, treble at about 11 o'clock and the preamp on the bass pretty much flat with the exception of a little cut on the treble.

I will say that voice control #4 is like a HERE ME NOW kind of thing. :eek::D
 
#535
CElton said:
...always run voice control #3, gain between 11-noon, usually bass at about 11 o'clock mids at noon, treble at about 11 o'clock and the preamp on the bass pretty much flat with the exception of a little cut on the treble.

I will say that voice control #4 is like a HERE ME NOW kind of thing. :eek::D
Click to expand...
+1 :)

That said, i've experimented with #4, but I've never used it at a gig. I just move a little towards the bridge pickup, or maybe do some blending to the same effect and I'm done. :)
 
#536
Vic said:
+1 :)

That said, i've experimented with #4, but I've never used it at a gig. I just move a little towards the bridge pickup, or maybe do some blending to the same effect and I'm done. :)
Click to expand...

Oh, the people directly infront of my rig at the last show paid the price. Setting 4 on the M6 +212&115PH cabs with a Corvette $$ in the serries bridge with LoRiders and a stomp on the MXR Blow Torch. :bassist:

My poor guitarist, with only his combo amp. :bawl:

I tried to be sensitive with the volume knob, but at 4ohms, it's tough to get anything even close to "reasonable" volume (as indicated by Chef).
 
#537
I haven't found the low end uncontrollable at all with my Carbine. For only having 3 knobs and the presets to dial things in, I have been surprisingly able to get just about any tone I could want. I do find that I generally cut the bass knob (one of my fave settings is with the knob at about 25%, sometimes with the Deep pulled as suggested by Chef), but thats all it really takes.

One thing that I have noticed is that the sound can get kind of "murky sounding" with one of my basses if I set the Gain too high- Changing the Gain on this amp definitely changes the tonal characteristics more drastically than I'm used to (even as compared to my old 400+, with the exception of the tube grit on the highest settings of the 400s Gain). The Gain setting also changes how sensitive the Master Volume is- when I first got my Carbine, I liked to set the Gain at 3 o'clock or so with the first boosted-mid Preset selected (I think it was a matter of coming to this amp from the 400+, and being used to that grittiness). With the Gain that high and the boost from the Preset, most of the headroom from the Master Volume would occur in the first 25% of the knob rotation (when using a bass with a fairly hot signal). I now have found settings I like with the gain at 11 or 12 o'clock and no Preset selected (lower gain with a Preset selected), and now find that I have the Master at around 10 to noon and there is much more useable range of the volume control (and none of that murk I would find sometimes with the higher gain settings). The Presets all seem to add a large amount of gain, which can be compensated for by lowering the Gain knob (obviously)- though this makes the footswitchable Presets kinda pointless to me...

Still loving the amp though!

Karl
 
#539
monsterthompson said:
Setting 4 on the M6 +212&115PH cabs with a Corvette $$ in the serries bridge with LoRiders and a stomp on the MXR Blow Torch. :bassist:
Click to expand...
HOLY CRAP! :eek:

My poor guitarist, with only his combo amp. :bawl:

I tried to be sensitive with the volume knob, but at 4ohms, it's tough to get anything even close to "reasonable" volume (as indicated by Chef).
Click to expand...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! :D

Bass: 1
Guitar: 0

We win. :)
 
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