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Mesa Subway D-350!

#1,764
Moonskunk said:
So am I putting my life in danger by using the adapter? I have been using my P bass and D-350 with the adapter but if it's too risky I'll save the D-350 for my active Stingrays. I believe my P bass is wired correctly judging from the fact that another identical bass I used last week did the same thing. Fender QC is pretty bad these days but what are the chances of 2 of their current pro basses being wired wrong. Ok 5% :(
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In the specific case of the D-350 it is not unsafe because there is reinforced (used to be called double) insulation between the primary circuits and ground. That said, the safety approvals/certifications are for a grounded chassis since we didn’t seek approvals for ungrounded chassis.
 
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#1,766
xjbebop said:
Single coils... I have 3 basses I've been playing for the last couple of years that are all passive, but with 'buckers. Absolutely no noise through the D350....
Now I'm curious to try one of my passive single coil basses and see (hear) what happens...
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My Sadowskys are stacked humbuckers, and again, there is no hum with the D800, only the D350 in passive.
This is an interesting issue, there are many D350s out there, and very few reports of this hum. I look forward to checking a new D350 here in the UK now they are available.
 
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#1,769
BlueTalon said:
My D-350 is the quietest amp I own both acoustically and electronically, no matter what I've got plugged into it, for whatever that's worth here (just another data point).
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My experience as well in many different venues and with both passive and active basses. However, to be clear I have always been plugged into three prong wall sockets, but I have been in some very EMI active environments.
 
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#1,771
Moonskunk said:
No, I just plug it in the wall socket. It takes the hum away for my P bass but the odd thing is if I use my Stingray with D-350 and the adapter I get hum.
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This is why I think it has to do with the higher residual hum cancelling with that of the instrument.
 
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#1,772
Moonskunk said:
No, I just plug it in the wall socket. It takes the hum away for my P bass but the odd thing is if I use my Stingray with D-350 and the adapter I get hum.
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FWIW my MM Sterling (US made Sterling model 4H) tends to be fussier with hum in more venues than either of my Warwicks. One is a German made Corvette passive and the other is an early 1990's German made Fortress 1 which has been fully reworked (new preamp, control pots, and re-coated electrical cavity) by an exceptionally gifted tech. Oddly enough the active Warwick will occasionally have a little bit of hum more often than the passive one.

I know the problem (whenever it may occur) is my bass because I can move around with the bass and make the problem better or worse. If it was my amp I think it would be there all the time and/or with any instrument.
 
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#1,773
Al Kraft said:
FWIW my MM Sterling (US made Sterling model 4H) tends to be fussier with hum in more venues than either of my Warwicks. One is a German made Corvette passive and the other is an early 1990's German made Fortress 1 which has been fully reworked (new preamp, control pots, and re-coated electrical cavity) by an exceptionally gifted tech. Oddly enough the active Warwick will occasionally have a little bit of hum more often than the passive one.

I know the problem (whenever it may occur) is my bass because I can move around with bass and make the problem better or worse. If it was my amp I think it would be there all the time and/or with any instrument.
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I Agree. My NASH has a slight hum through all my amps. My other basses are quiet through the same amps. And the NASH is passive. So I assume any bass, active or passive, can be the culprit.
 
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#1,774
Al Kraft said:
FWIW my MM Sterling (US made Sterling model 4H) tends to be fussier with hum in more venues than either of my Warwicks. One is a German made Corvette passive and the other is an early 1990's German made Fortress 1 which has been fully reworked (new preamp, control pots, and re-coated electrical cavity) by an exceptionally gifted tech. Oddly enough the active Warwick will occasionally have a little bit of hum more often than the passive one.

I know the problem (whenever it may occur) is my bass because I can move around with the bass and make the problem better or worse. If it was my amp I think it would be there all the time and/or with any instrument.
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Yup
If I hear a hum through my Subway or any amps now, is to unplug the offending bass. If it stops, well…

:)
 
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#1,775
I own 5 and 6 string versions of Ibanez SR-655/656 which have P/J Nordstrand pickups. The J is a single coil and these active basses do hum but it is not loud enough to be heard in most venues. If I pan towards the P pickup the hum stops but I prefer the tone when the blend control is centered.

My D-350 causes less hum than my other Subway heads. I assume the magnetic field is less pronounced on the lower powered amp.
 
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#1,776
Chuck M said:
I own 5 and 6 string versions of Ibanez SR-655/656 which have P/J Nordstrand pickups. The J is a single coil and these active basses do hum but it is not loud enough to be heard in most venues. If I pan towards the P pickup the hum stops but I prefer the tone when the blend control is centered.

My D-350 causes less hum than my other Subway heads. I assume the magnetic field is less pronounced on the lower powered amp.
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There is a small hum field generated by the common mode input chokes. It's quite low compared with a conventional transformer (for comparison).

The noise may be from EMF unrelated to the amp itself, each pickup system will detect EMF differently and may also interact with each amp differently.

There's a good reason why hum bucking pickups were invented, it's even worse in the guitar world where the pickups get goofier and goofier as designers try with all their might to create something revolutionary.
 
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#1,777
agedhorse said:
There is a small hum field generated by the common mode input chokes. It's quite low compared with a conventional transformer (for comparison).

The noise may be from EMF unrelated to the amp itself, each pickup system will detect EMF differently and may also interact with each amp differently.

There's a good reason why hum bucking pickups were invented, it's even worse in the guitar world where the pickups get goofier and goofier as designers try with all their might to create something revolutionary.
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I won't even think about plugging a single coil guitar into my old Subway Rocket. That thing, especially with any amount of distortion, is hum city with single coils. There's almost no noise with humbuckers.

Back to bass: I've had my D-350 for a year now and just bought a Guild Starfire II. I was sure it was going to have a lot of hum because of the Bisonic pickups. I'm shocked at how quiet it is. I re-eq'd the amp with the contour off, the bright switch on, cutting bass and lower mid, and boosting high mid. Treble at noon. I also tweaked the settings on my BOSS BC-1x compressor and Source Audio Ultrawave. It sounds massive.

@agedhorse come see the D-350 in action at Torch Club on Wednesday at 8:30pm!
 
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#1,780
SJan3 said:
I hate leaf blowers and I hate noisy fans. The D-350 is dead quiet. Silence is golden.
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One neighbor's landscape team several houses away uses a pair of massive leaf blowers just slightly out of tune with each other, if you follow. The two together produce throbbing oscillations that resonate throughout my home.

I prefer my D-350 active switch engaged and feed it a boosted signal if using pedals. It somehow eliminates the top end hiss from a couple of digital pedals while retaining similar tone and volume.

It's also excellent just bass straight into the input.
 
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