Mesa Strategy and Prodigy discontinued. Also PH cabs.

[Leo was right]

A custom shop is all well and good but after all costs are factored it's probably a loss leader or at best a break even proposition. I can't imagine a company that's built a strong rep on all tube heads bowing out of production tube bass amps for good. I'd be surprised if the Boogie brain trust hasn't had a serious look at how to build all tube bass amps in California that could compete with the offshore stuff from Ampeg, Fender and Traynor....(um, Canada is kinda the the third world isn't it?)
They don't have to be exotic they just have to be good.

If I'm right I hope a 100 watt head comes along at some point. And please size match modern cabs and make the damned things 18" wide.

Traynor (Yorkville corp.) is a proud canadian company (similar to the late Carvin)that give work to canadian workers in Toronto suburb, we cannot say the same from many american or european company... Sorry, we are not in China here.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Traynor (Yorkville corp.) is a proud canadian company (similar to the late Carvin)that give work to canadian workers in Toronto suburb, we cannot say the same from many american or european company... Sorry, we are not in China here.

Um...didja notice where I'm from?

 

[Leo was right]

Um...didja notice where I'm from?

Sorry Jeff my english is not my first language and I think I badly understand the meaning of your text. I understood that you said that Traynor was outsourcing his production, which at my knowledge is not the case, as Ampeg and Fender do. Sure Traynor is not a custom shop and their products are built for the road use (and abuse), for the working musician but they are made in Canada and in US if I am not wrong. I am very picky on this subject, When GK start doing stuff in Asia I sold my 800RB and write to Robert Gallien to say him that I will not use their amp anymore, same thing with Eden.

Now in my musical path I have Vintage Fender, Mesa, Tech21, MXR, Traynor, Musicmann stuff.
I wish one day to have F-bass and Godin in my setup but....

Again Jeff I apologise and have a happy playing

 

[agedhorse]

There are some custom Strategy/Prodigy amps out there. I don't have any pictures but there is a gallery of custom shop products on our website and Facebook page.

 

[faivy]

Very nice!

Hey man what a nice rig!View attachment 3130448

ce!

 

[Leo was right]

Very nice!

ce!

What a coincidence! Two black babies and a Boogie.

 

[Leo was right]

One of the coolest amp I saw....

 

[NeonVomit]

Very interesting. I've always been a bit reluctant to use class D amps as I've heard many issues with this topology from users, sellers.... But that explanation makes me want to own one. I have to admit among all the class D amps I've tried, the D800 is by far the most impressive. There is only one thing missing about it: please make it rackable!!!

Mesa were smart enough to wait and see how the technology developed. They then entered the market when they were sure they had a product that would beat everything else and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't appreciate the Subway series as truly top-level products. Maybe not to everyone's tastes, but the quality and functionality cannot be denied.

I owned one class D head before I got my D-800... a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, which was awesome and I loved it. Sold it off when I was in a spot of financial difficulty, regretted it later on, but then I got my Mesa and all is right again.

@agedhorse : My suggestions are as follows:

1. Maybe a tube-pre D-800? That would be sweet. Leading from that, the solo funciton on the M-Pulse and Prodigy was useful, maybe something along those lines would be a nice addition. Or maybe a separate drive knob/boost to get the best out of that tube-pre? Footswitchable would be cool but not vital.
2. The voice-knob with the Carbine-style mid-boost as well as mid-scoop would be nice. I usually have my EQ relatively flat, and adjust according to the room/stage, but on some stages I find I definitely need a boost rather than a scoop.
3. An 8ohm 4x10 cab with the same footprint as the existing Subway cabs would be awesome. I know, I know, I could get 2 2x10s and stack them, but surely the weight saving would make up for it.

I liked the idea of the Prodigy/Strategy amps but the reality is that they're just not practical enough for me now that such light/compact alternatives exist. I don't have a road crew to load in/load out a big heavy cabinet and a big heavy head (by today's standards, 30lb is heavy...) I love my GK setup but I'm seriously thinking of selling it, for that exact reason. My Mesa rig gets almost all the gig time and use, especially for overseas gigs. Even with local gigs, I can fit my entire Subway setup into the back of my Astra without even taking the trunk cover out. It used to be that having a class D rig was a compromise - you're sacrificing something for that light weight and compactness, but that's not the case anymore with what Mesa have produced.

 

[baxter_x]

@agedhorse : My suggestions are as follows:

1. Maybe a tube-pre D-800? That would be sweet. Leading from that, the solo funciton on the M-Pulse and Prodigy was useful, maybe something along those lines would be a nice addition. Or maybe a separate drive knob/boost to get the best out of that tube-pre? Footswitchable would be cool but not vital.
2. The voice-knob with the Carbine-style mid-boost as well as mid-scoop would be nice. I usually have my EQ relatively flat, and adjust according to the room/stage, but on some stages I find I definitely need a boost rather than a scoop.
3. A 4x10 cab with the same footprint as the existing Subway cabs would be awesome. I know, I know, I could get 2 2x10s and stack them, but surely the weight saving would make up for it.

I love your suggestions as it's close to what I'd like to see
But I would add just one thing: please, make it rackable!!
The only flaw with the Mesa D800/800+ is that it's NOT rackable!

 

[NeonVomit]

I guess making it rack-mountable with an optional kit isn't that big of a deal - a few extra screws and that's it really.

 

[Leo was right]

Mesa were smart enough to wait and see how the technology developed. They then entered the market when they were sure they had a product that would beat everything else and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't appreciate the Subway series as truly top-level products. Maybe not to everyone's tastes, but the quality and functionality cannot be denied.

I owned one class D head before I got my D-800... a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, which was awesome and I loved it. Sold it off when I was in a spot of financial difficulty, regretted it later on, but then I got my Mesa and all is right again.

@agedhorse : My suggestions are as follows:

1. Maybe a tube-pre D-800? That would be sweet. Leading from that, the solo funciton on the M-Pulse and Prodigy was useful, maybe something along those lines would be a nice addition. Or maybe a separate drive knob/boost to get the best out of that tube-pre? Footswitchable would be cool but not vital.
2. The voice-knob with the Carbine-style mid-boost as well as mid-scoop would be nice. I usually have my EQ relatively flat, and adjust according to the room/stage, but on some stages I find I definitely need a boost rather than a scoop.
3. A 4x10 cab with the same footprint as the existing Subway cabs would be awesome. I know, I know, I could get 2 2x10s and stack them, but surely the weight saving would make up for it.

I liked the idea of the Prodigy/Strategy amps but the reality is that they're just not practical enough for me now that such light/compact alternatives exist. I don't have a road crew to load in/load out a big heavy cabinet and a big heavy head (by today's standards, 30lb is heavy...) I love my GK setup but I'm seriously thinking of selling it, for that exact reason. My Mesa rig gets almost all the gig time and use, especially for overseas gigs. Even with local gigs, I can fit my entire Subway setup into the back of my Astra without even taking the trunk cover out. It used to be that having a class D rig was a compromise - you're sacrificing something for that light weight and compactness, but that's not the case anymore with what Mesa have produced.

A tube pre 800+ or a small tube something that could go into the fx loop to give some tube warmness/compression/overdrive/ect.

Something small enough you can carry or not with your 800 in your gigbag depending of the gig, ideally foot controlled.

Regarding my last experimentations with the mpulse600, I need some tube somewhere in the chain. I think about finding on Ebay a Bottle Rocket V1 for that purpose.

I wish I could be a fly in their RD dept.

 

[NeonVomit]

Just thinking out loud... if they make the hypothetical D800+ Tube and therefore necessarily extend it... wouldn't it become rack-sized anyhow? It would be as big as a normal head almost, but at a fraction of the weight. Therefore rackmountable...

 

[mesaplayer83]

Mesa were smart enough to wait and see how the technology developed. They then entered the market when they were sure they had a product that would beat everything else and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't appreciate the Subway series as truly top-level products. Maybe not to everyone's tastes, but the quality and functionality cannot be denied.

I owned one class D head before I got my D-800... a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, which was awesome and I loved it. Sold it off when I was in a spot of financial difficulty, regretted it later on, but then I got my Mesa and all is right again.

It's no coincidence that the Subway line came along when Andy joined Mesa from Genz-Benz...

 

[NeonVomit]

And hardly a coincidence that Andy's involvement in Mesa played a part in me deciding upon the Subway over the Aguilar TH I figured if I liked the Shuttle so much, the Subway would be something special as well.

 

[mesaplayer83]

And hardly a coincidence that Andy's involvement in Mesa played a part in me deciding upon the Subway over the Aguilar TH I figured if I liked the Shuttle so much, the Subway would be something special as well.

I had already been playing both Mesa and Genz-Benz for over a decade without complaint, so I was very happy when I heard that he joined the Mesa team... I did try out my first SW115 before buying, and was instantly won over - bought a 2nd SW115 soon afterwards, then bought a D800 without ever playing one - no regrets whatsoever, though...

 

[Leo was right]

I love your suggestions as it's close to what I'd like to see
But I would add just one thing: please, make it rackable!!
The only flaw with the Mesa D800/800+ is that it's NOT rackable!

Just a trick : This amp is so light that you could strap it easily on a rackmount shelf.

 

[NeonVomit]

I had already been playing both Mesa and Genz-Benz for over a decade without complaint, so I was very happy when I heard that he joined the Mesa team... I did try out my first SW115 before buying, and was instantly won over - bought a 2nd SW115 soon afterwards, then bought a D800 without ever playing one - no regrets whatsoever, though...

Yeah I took the plunge on a D800 without having tried one - couldn't find anywhere to try one! I saw countless youtube review videos, read up and did my research, and at the end of the day figured that the Mesa badge on the front guaranteed something of quality. I'm very happy with it.

 

[NeonVomit]

Just a trick : This amp is so light that you could strap it easily on a rackmount shelf.

Velcro, dude. Remove the feet, adhesive velcro strips, and you're set. Although I personally don't get why people take tiny, light heads and put them in a big bulky rack, but hey to each his/her own.

 

[Rev. Cornelius]

An all tube Subway-esque would be excellent. Specially with all the bells and whistles from the D800+ like Speakon, DI, send/return, 2 ohms (so can handle several small subway cabs)... and maybe rack-mountable...
Something like this for less money than the Strategy, competing with the SVT-CL, and maybe an smaller version in the PF-50T/PF-20T range.

When I close my eyes and dream I envision a 100 watt/6l6GC all tube version of the 800+. Add a post power tube transformer DI, pre-amp DI out, and the ability to run without a speaker load. So, you get:
1. 100 watts into a 2-4-8 ohm load
2. Silent recording/IEM/headphone use.
3. Slave the post power tube via the Trans DI to a power amp (QSC, Crown, etc.) for higher volume situations.

So kind of a cross between the D800+ and a PF-50T.

Well I can dream, can't I?

 

[Lance Bunyon]

When I close my eyes and dream I envision a 100 watt/6l6GC all tube version of the 800+. Add a post power tube transformer DI, pre-amp DI out, and the ability to run without a speaker load. So, you get:
1. 100 watts into a 2-4-8 ohm load
2. Silent recording/IEM/headphone use.
3. Slave the post power tube via the Trans DI to a power amp (QSC, Crown, etc.) for higher volume situations.

So kind of a cross between the D800+ and a PF-50T.

Well I can dream, can't I?

I like this idea. Would have enough volume for the clubs I play.
I'd throw in a 2 channel option, 1 clean 1 dirty.
I get uncomfortable with a tube amp which breaks up too early.