They also have Bass and Treble controls.
The passive mid knob on the Walkabout is a great example of the "counterclockwise" portion I'm proposing. A great way to pull the bass forward in the live mix without turning up the volume.
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Mesa Strategy and Prodigy discontinued. Also PH cabs.
- Thread starter mikeswals
- Start date
The passive mid knob on the Walkabout is a great example of the "counterclockwise" portion I'm proposing. A great way to pull the bass forward in the live mix without turning up the volume.
Maybe. Personally I don't want anything in my sound over 5khz. I liked the way the Strategy sounded, too. I felt the Prodigy was a bit too bright.
I hate tweeters in bass cabs. I use overdrive, and that just does not sound good through a tweeter.
This really makes me sad, though. Fewer tube bass amps to choose from.
I play with a tube head every gig, pretty much. And I move my own gear. Not everyone is geriatric. Most of the other gigging bassists I know use tube amps. But that might be skewed due to my scene being a bit younger than the average TB member and into vintage sounding and very loud things.
I personally use two of the Bass 400+ heads (One main and the other purely for backup in case of the unthinkable) Never had to call upon the backup as the main 400+ is constant and steady, never have to think about it which is why I use it. Thee very best sounding head I ever owned/heard to my ears was the Mesa Titan v12 God I loved that amp...I used to stop at the end of a song and just look at it as I could not believe how good it sounded. However running it at 2 ohms was like running a car in third gear on the freeway....and I would end up blowing them up. I just could not have it happen on stage so I tearfully sold it off and went to the 2nd best sounding head I've ever owned the above mentioned 400+'s These heads are unbelievably reliable. Plus they output full power at 2, 4, and 8 ohm loads that is a really cool feature. I always thought I'd buy a couple of the strategy's. From what I've read they sounded to me (design wise) like a cross between the all tube 400+ power section and the preamp tonestack of the Titan. anyone know if there's any truth to that?
I own two Titans and played a Strategy in a store. So not on stage, which is the real test. But I remember feeling I was playing my M9 Carbine more than the Titan.
However, could you tell me a bit more about the strange behave with the 2 ohms switch engaged? I've also notices so weird things sometimes with this very switch in 2 ohms.
Last edited:
Chef
In Memoriam
[QUOTE="agedhorse, post: 21514670, member: 68399"
The Subway series was never intended to go after the same tone market as the Strategy/Prodigy, it's just a way different tone. There are plenty of players who do not care for the Stratigy/Prodigy, and who prefer the Subway, or the Walkabout, but the Strategy/Prodigy was never intended for that player to begin with. It's more like the Carbines, in your face, brash, knock you over your head with little politeness hard rock and metal amp.
Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]
Wait up now;
Are you saying strategy and prodigy are more like the Carbine than the 800+ is?
Cause it really liked the big clean punch of the Carbine. I just found a much smaller way to get that in the mbf800...
The Subway series was never intended to go after the same tone market as the Strategy/Prodigy, it's just a way different tone. There are plenty of players who do not care for the Stratigy/Prodigy, and who prefer the Subway, or the Walkabout, but the Strategy/Prodigy was never intended for that player to begin with. It's more like the Carbines, in your face, brash, knock you over your head with little politeness hard rock and metal amp.
Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]
Wait up now;
Are you saying strategy and prodigy are more like the Carbine than the 800+ is?
Cause it really liked the big clean punch of the Carbine. I just found a much smaller way to get that in the mbf800...
Depends on the gig. My upright gigs I’ve got a small class D and a neo cab, enough of a pain moving the bass and all I want from that setup is a clean and loud version of my acoustic sound.
Electric gigs yes, tube amps. I have about 10 of which 2 or 3 I rotate through for regular gigging.
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
I had the pleasure once again of playing a Fender American Pro Jazz through a single Subway 210 cab today with a Markbass little mark head set flat. As a regular user of a Mesa Powerhouse 210, I can tell you that to my ears, the Subway is capturing the essence of the Powerhouse 210, with the thick, ever present lows and the abundantly musical "in your face" tone, but is doing it in a slightly more refined way, through a smaller, lighter package. The 2 things that again, stood out to me most clearly about the Subway 210 are the beefy, natural lows that are right there at your finger tips without any coaxing, and the full range, very musical tones that easily produce the complete sound of your instrument without any excessive trebley clack or gank. Even one of my buddies who works at the store who was standing about 30 feet away on the other side of the room told me that he could feel the bass and hear it perfectly clearly. What more does a person want right? 
I dunno Chef,
My Strategy is most similar to my Bass 400, just with a lot more lowend (I have both).
I had a D800 while also owning said amps in the first sentence, and it was most similar to the Carbines. yes it's had big gobs of power punch. I think you would like the 800/800+
- Feb 12, 2006
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- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
The Strategy & Prodigy are in many ways in a similar tone family with the Carbine.
The 800/800+ are more between the Carbine/Walkabout, with the + able to get closer to the Carbine by using the bright switch along with a little voicing. Of course it depends which voice of the Carbine too.
The 800/800+ are more between the Carbine/Walkabout, with the + able to get closer to the Carbine by using the bright switch along with a little voicing. Of course it depends which voice of the Carbine too.
And, IMVHO, cabs have a lot to do with the "total experience" of any amp-tone sound.
As at least one other said above, modern cabs with enabled tweeters might not sound that great.
But with a couple of NV115's ( 2x midrange, NFT ), and all of the tonal possibilities of the Strategy,
I usually have to clean myself up after playing - for GOOD reasons
As at least one other said above, modern cabs with enabled tweeters might not sound that great.
But with a couple of NV115's ( 2x midrange, NFT ), and all of the tonal possibilities of the Strategy,
I usually have to clean myself up after playing - for GOOD reasons
Yeah, I really prefer tweeterless cabs.And, IMVHO, cabs have a lot to do with the "total experience" of any amp-tone sound.
As at least one other said above, modern cabs with enabled tweeters might not sound that great.
But with a couple of NV115's ( 2x midrange, NFT ), and all of the tonal possibilities of the Strategy,
I usually have to clean myself up after playing - for GOOD reasons
The Strategy I tried sounded beastly. A lot of people don't like how the Prodigy sounds with the gain cranked, but I cranked the gain of the Strategy when I tried it, and it was a fantastic growl.
Totally agree! That's exactly what I felt when I tried that prodigy in that store. I felt I was playing the M9 carbine.
...doing away with the 488 AND the 888??! Sheesh man. I use an Aguilar DB751, which is great, but seeking a more "modern" tone and versatility etc. Just started looking, and listening to reviews and vids on BOTH the Prodigy and the Strategy. I also use a D800+, which is totally cool, but wow...discontinuing the 488 AND the 888... is it okay to cry here, or is there no crying in bass amping?
I hear God makes a thing called a "dolly," or "hand truck," and some old thing called a "wheel"... Seeking to dump most of the pedals, you know the whole less is more thing, and get it ALL in one package, with of course a cab and instrument, but c'mon now... I know they say the final stage is acceptance, to hell with that man!
Digitization can only emulate a tube tone so far... Yeah, MP3's are great, but NOTHING beats an old cassette and/or vinyl for the character, tone, and encapsulation of music the way it was meant to be. Sterility sucks. End of inquisitive rant.
I hear God makes a thing called a "dolly," or "hand truck," and some old thing called a "wheel"... Seeking to dump most of the pedals, you know the whole less is more thing, and get it ALL in one package, with of course a cab and instrument, but c'mon now... I know they say the final stage is acceptance, to hell with that man!
Digitization can only emulate a tube tone so far... Yeah, MP3's are great, but NOTHING beats an old cassette and/or vinyl for the character, tone, and encapsulation of music the way it was meant to be. Sterility sucks. End of inquisitive rant.
He said nothing of a transportation/cartage crisis. Only tubes which actually work in the aggressive circuits they're known for.
I guess I was blending the quality shortage with the "way trend is going" in the bassment. I presume it could be linked to a multitude of issues; third rate manufacturers given a wink and a nod to help ensure "fair trade" politically, cost-benefit ratios, demand or lack thereof, lowest bid(s), or even a combination. I mean, is the cast iron pan Grandma made cornbread with the same cast iron skillet made today? No. Just sayin'...
Light weight is all the rage these days, and even though the Strategy and Prodigy have the best power to weight ratio of any tube amp that I am aware of, I am sure weight is still a factor that limits their desirability to certain segments of the market.
Weight was specifically identified as a factor for discontinuing the PH series cabs.
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
You know, it's interesting... I have gigged steadily with a 4 ohm Powerhouse 210 for years now, and at 69 lb handling weight, it is neither excessively heavy nor enjoyable to carry at any time. But for a mere 27 more pounds I could have myself a Powerhouse 410 with 600 watts power handling at 4 Ohms...... So let's be honest, y'all know that that cabinet can slay dragons, but loading a near hundred pound cabinet in my Chevy Cruze at 2:30 in the morning is not a desirable thing to have to do....#Subway410
@agedhorse.......
You know, it's interesting... I have gigged steadily with a 4 ohm Powerhouse 210 for years now, and at 69 lb handling weight, it is neither excessively heavy nor enjoyable to carry at any time. But for a mere 27 more pounds I could have myself a Powerhouse 410 with 600 watts power handling at 4 Ohms...... So let's be honest, y'all know that that cabinet can slay dragons, but loading a near hundred pound cabinet in my Chevy Cruze at 2:30 in the morning is not a desirable thing to have to do....#Subway410
@agedhorse.......
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