Mesa Subway D-350!

[Ethereal Thorn]

Hopefully I can find someone to buy my gk fusion 500 so I can nab one of these quick

 

[TomB]

Hopefully I can find someone to buy my gk fusion 500 so I can nab one of these quick

I find the MB-500 the perfect little backup amp that hangs off the back seat of the truck - and I’ve used it. I’m guessing no problem selling yours - if priced right.

 

[bucephylus]

To be honest, and no disrespect meant here, I just don't understand this logic. And you're not the first one I've seen post something like this. But given the size and weight of the current selection of 700/800 watt Class D amps, and the fact that they generally offer a deeper feature set then their 350 watt counterparts, AND they obviously come with a volume control, why would you "downsize", especially given you already own their 700 watt, more feature rich counterpart. I can totally understand if you're just starting out and own neither, but given you already own the D800+, I respectfully don't understand. Just asking as I'm very intrigued by this thinking, and I'm wondering as a designer and manufacturer myself if I'm missing something here. Also, no disrespect meant to Andy or the Mesa products either.

Hi Jim.

I get why you would be interested in the appeal of this kind of product. I can only volunteer the backwards way that I ended up here.

For me, this got started when I was looking for a preamp / DI for an ampless gig; which would provide some measure of the preamp character I had in my stage rigs, but be small enough to go on the floor by my mic stand. Demeter was offering the Bass 400, which had the preamp of interest and a tiny footprint. This is how I first gigged it:

The amp is so tiny that, along with pedal board and cords, it fits in my stage duffel:

But, what I also found was that the 400W power module is way more than enough to drive two 8 ohm cabs to useful stage volumes.

Thus, from a practical perspective doing club dates, this smaller amp is a true Swiss Army knife; so to speak.

Now, is the B|Amp or D800 a whole lot bigger? I would say both yes and no. As small as those amps are, the lower power head still fits better into a gig bag.

Possibly, better pedalboard preamp / DI’s would have broader, though similar appeal; especially if small matching power modules were available.

In the meantime, My Bass 400 is getting most of my current gig time.

Don’t know if any of that helps; but, just my $0.019 FWIW.

 

[mikeswals]

Sure... plenty of reasons to get a D-350... but not many good ones if you already have a D-800 and limited means, thinking it is somehow better suited for smaller gigs. But if money's no object, then buy ALL of the amps!!!

Clearly this amp and topic is not for you/and other 800 owners.

I own and gig three Mesa full tube amps: Bass 400, Strategy, and a Prodigy. All are deafening.
For *me* the D350 is:
1) Mesa, as I am a fan boi.
2) small and perfectly useable wattage for places and jams I don't need to bring my other amps to. I get hired freelance for lots of situatuons.

So yes, I cannot see the point of someone with a D800 series buying this, but there are many upon many of us other bassists that don't have a D800 type amp that view this as a very good thing.

I'm actually glad this just came along, as the past couple of weeks I was shopping around for an Ampeg Micro VR head, but I don't want Ampeg when my above #1 reason is Mesa.

 

[agedhorse]

Absolutely! I am shopping for an amp RIGHT NOW, CASH IN HAND. I am looking for:
Upright friendly. It has to have a piezo-friendly input. Why don't amp designers not make the input 10megs?
Hi-Pass filter
At least 200 watts into 8 ohms...

I just sold an Eich 900...OUTSTANDING electric bass amp, not great for upright. I sold my Mesa D-800. Made my DB sound like a P Bass...it had a baked in tone I couldn't dial out.
I LOVE the BAM...eq points are not flat, not enough headroom, PERFECT size footprint, no real mid control.

Can you make THAT amp??? One that is both DB AND EB friendly? Also, with the demise of EA, the Doubler is an amp that someone needs to design/emulate a replacement for. Is Mesa game to openly hop into and embrace the DB market in a super small rig format? I'd pay full retail for THAT! IMO, YMMV, etc

Actually, the D-800/800+ have been fairly popular with the upright crowd (TT also with the Subway channel). I would expect the same from this theoretical amp as well.

Generally, the point of diminishing returns for input impedance is right around 1M. There are a few pickups that benefit from a little higher values but some benefit slightly from a little lower values.

When a pickup does require a higher impedance, it’s generally beneficial to buffer the pickup at the instrument close to the oickup which reduces the tendency for triboelectric effects of the cable and the potential for added EMC/noise floor.

 

[Lowendtech]

I would expect the same from this theoretical amp as well.

I’m a bit confused by this. A USA retailer has them and is actively selling them but there’s no mention of the 350 on the Mesa site.
Did someone jump the gun here?

 

[DJ Bebop]

Sure... plenty of reasons to get a D-350... but not many good ones if you already have a D-800 and limited means, thinking it is somehow better suited for smaller gigs. But if money's no object, then buy ALL of the amps!!!

Cabinet wattage is another reason.

If I have all three Mesa amps. I probably have a bunch of high wattage cabinets to go with.

If not, this might be my first "real" amp that I'm going to drive some cabinets I already have that might not be ready for 600-800 watts into an 8 or 4 ohm load. So 175 watts into 8 and 350 into 4 is a nice space for someone's old school cabinets.

 

[Nuage420]

I’m a bit confused by this. A USA retailer has them and is actively selling them but there’s no mention of the 350 on the Mesa site.
Did someone jump the gun here?

No one in know would be able to answer that question. But I think you know the answer to that haha

 

[soitainly]

I’m a bit confused by this. A USA retailer has them and is actively selling them but there’s no mention of the 350 on the Mesa site.
Did someone jump the gun here?

I was fixing to post this same comment. Did Zzounds jump the gun and start selling something not even ready to ship yet? Seems kind of fishy.
I have been amp shopping for like a year, almost pulling he trigger a few times only to see what I wanted out of stock. I would be very interested in a D-350, as even though my cab says it's rated at 400 watts (a Carvin MB210 extension cab), I doubt it would handle a D-800. At this point, I can't see needing 800 watts, so the better price point and smaller size seems appealing.

 

[Yogi Bear]

I received my FedEx tracking number from Zzounds this evening… scheduled for a Thursday delivery.

 

[agedhorse]

Perhaps by now it's obvious?

 

[Inara]

I have my tracking info as well. Mine gets here Wednesday, it turns out.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Perhaps by now it's obvious?

Maybe not so much…

is there a 350….

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I feel punked

 

[mikeswals]

I received my FedEx tracking number from Zzounds this evening… scheduled for a Thursday delivery.

I got my tracking now too. Says Thursday, ahead of schedule.

 

[ColdEye]

Came back from vacation and this greets me. Got this on zzounds too when I posted about it. A tad bit smaller than the Magellan 350 I have.

 

[12bass]

Interesting that the D-350 has a Bright switch instead of a Deep switch like the D-800. Does this added brightness put the D-350 more into D-800+ territory?

 

[staccatogrowl]

. . given the size and weight of the current selection of 700/800 watt Class D amps, and the fact that they generally offer a deeper feature set then their 350 watt counterparts, AND they obviously come with a volume control, why would you "downsize", especially given you already own their 700 watt, more feature rich counterpart? I'm wondering as a designer and manufacturer myself if I'm missing something here.

Possibilities?

1) It's the new thing, sometimes coveted fad of the moment. More likely?

2) Larger, more feature rich counterpart is more complicated to use (for some) and they just can't find "their tone," and don't appreciate or use the feature set

3) Bedroom, basement, studio, and garage players don't need the power

4) Size matters, and smaller is better

These points are not detractions against against the D-350. It's likely another home run product in the Mesa D-line.

I was just sort of hoping for a WD1600 or D1600+. Otherwise, I am not on the lookout for the Bergantino "Forte LP (350)," but might be interested in a certain new standalone preamp/DI, hint, hint.

 

[12bass]

Settle for nothing less than a D-9000+/WD-9000! Anything less would be underpowering...

 

[marchone]

3) Bedroom, basement, studio, and garage players don't need the power

This the is reason I would buy one if I didn't already have that need covered. A Mesa D-350 with a single Subway cabinet of your choice is all many players need, or may want.

2) Larger, more feature rich counterpart is more complicated to use (for some) and they just can't find "their tone," and don't appreciate or use the feature set

This can't be overlooked. That and the fact that the 800 series amps can be used in arena settings given their power and flexibility is overkill for home/studio use and can be daunting.