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Mesa Subway D-350!
- Thread starter mmbongo
- Start date
I would prefer a WD model with hpf.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,963
- 5
- 220,651
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
That's not how the world works, the distributors set the price they sell to dealers and the dealers set the price they sell to the customer. The manufacturer has no say in this.
Thanks for indulging us @agedhorse One thing that really sets Mesa (and a few others) apart is that they really consider the input and practical needs of all players, weekend warriors to pro and everything in between. I appreciate the chance to *maybe* influence the production of a small, powerful head that will suite the needs of many players who simply don’t need massive power to drive massive rigs. Personally, I am a long term WA Scout player, but I have been looking for something smaller and lighter to tote to rehearsals and gigs that do not require massive volume. I have been reluctant to pull the trigger on a micro head because I very much want to stick with a brand that I know and trust. I will continue to wait patiently 
A D350 could be a real winner for those who just don't need 800w, but do want the D800 tone and the same sturdy build quality. Tone sculpting features are equally useful for large and small gigs, so it would be nice to include most of them in the 350.
Cold hard fact:
As good as Mesa's products are, if they weren't made in the US I would not be buying them. Yes high quality things can be built anywhere, so I'll buy the ones made in my home country. Mesa quality is 2nd to none. Just look inside (or anywhere else) and frankly a lot of other amps look like toys inside. The subway cabs construction reminds me more of PA cabs than bass cabs.
Also, as someone who works in computer networking, we see more failure rates with Chinese produced gear than those made anywhere else, including other parts of Asia. One new model we deployed at a 40% failure rate right out of the box. I see code quality issues with the Indian-developed code as well. More buggy than usual.
To be fair though I've also seen plenty of good gear/code from that part of the world too.
I guess we are lucky here in the States. I considered my d800+ plus to be a steal at whatever I paid for it new. A well-built, 800 watt, great-sounding, extremely versatile, feature-laden amp that is stable down to 2 ohms for less than $1000. That's a good deal.
Not to put a price point on it but, are folks willing to spend $775 to $800 or more for it?
Does Mesa not continue to maintain ''the price'' charged by dealers in the USA?
Hmm... I'm not gigging and not in the market for an amp right now, though I would eventually (for some long timespan of "eventually") like to replace my practice amp with something that's reasonably compact but doesn't sound like a practice amp, if that makes sense. I'm less interested in extensive tone sculpting in the amp because I've got a box full of pedals for that; a high-pass filter and minimal EQ would be the most I actually need. For that matter, even 350 watts is severe overkill but at least it seems like it would be more difficult to damage any arbitrary speaker with that than with 800 watts when somebody screws around with the controls.
Economical is always good but I don't buy things I can't afford and don't dwell on the costs of the things I'm happy with. It would be nice if something half the power of a D-800 also costs half the price, but I know the economics would probably not work that way, especially if it ends up having a relatively feature-full preamp section, DI, effects loops and et cetera.
Here's a free idea (and worth every penny): Offer a low-ish power amp stripped of almost all features, which can be used on its own with minimal controls or paired with Mesa's existing Subway+ box to have what amounts to a two-piece low-powered D-800+.
There's a reason I directed the question your way. The big man can't get into a lot of specific commercial nitty gritty.
My amp needs are odd. Most of my gigs are ampless. The few gigs I do play where I use an amp, I'm sure 50 watts would be more than enough. But, nobody makes anything like the because the market has moved to 400 watts being a beginner amp. Back when I played in a loud rock band (it was plenty loud enough to get tinitus), 100 watts was somehow enough.
Anyway, decently low weight (it doesn't have to shave the last ounce - anything less than 10 pounds is fine), small size, and good quality are what I'm after. Without fan noise would be ideal, as I'm playing quiet gigs. This thing might just be the ticket for me.
Anyway, decently low weight (it doesn't have to shave the last ounce - anything less than 10 pounds is fine), small size, and good quality are what I'm after. Without fan noise would be ideal, as I'm playing quiet gigs. This thing might just be the ticket for me.
With the original D-800 coming in at $800 I think that a half-power version with fewer features would need to be more in the $500-600 range.
My thoughts.
I think what folks are asking for is essentially here. The D and D+ are a bit over the price point folks want but that's what we have. I am using my WD right now and have been, with my smallest wattage cabinet, a David Eden CX 110 that weighs in at 200 watts. I run the amp in the 2-ohm setting which delivers 300 watts into an 8-ohm load. I keep my foot out of it and used the HPF so, no harm no foul
All of the D series I believe will operate that way, plus when I get done with my low watt cab, I can turn around and power my bigger stuff I am not saying the D 350 thing is not a good idea. I just think the price point that something like that would come in at, would be too close to or at what Mesa has to offer now. IMHO that market that would be willing to support that at that price point could be very small.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,963
- 5
- 220,651
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
No, dealers set the selling price.
Dealers are also expected to provide a level of customer service that's admittedly more comprehensive than many brands, this adds to the dealer's cost and thus their pricing model. It's just something that has been part of the company's philosophy for as long as I am aware of.
