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Mesa Subway D-800+

#661
Eric_Allard said:
Hi, I'm hoping you fellas (and gals) can offer some insight:

I play a GK 700RB-II and always feel like i'm fighting it to get the tone I want. I'm trying to get a solid low-mid "punch", but usually wind up with a high-mid "growl" instead. I've been playing this amp for a long time and I don't feel it's cutting it anymore for the sound I want. I've tried tons of cabs with it over the years and always have the same experience.

I'm now looking at other amps and am interested in the Mesa D800+, but can't try before buying as no stores in my area have one. Can you guys tell me if it's a good choice to get a more "Ampeg-y" type low-mid punch? I think most Ampegs are closer to the sound I'm looking for, but don't want to buy an Ampeg for reasons I won't discuss here.
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Definitely. I gigged..and loved..my GK 700RBII for a few years and it was the first 'real' amp I had owned since the Carvin setup I bought in the 90's. Eventually I kinda realized I was always fighting the amp and trying to get rid of that upper mid grind. I decided to try something different and bought an Ampeg PF-800 which I also loved and took care of the issue. I wanted the Mesa, but just couldn't afford it as nobody offered financing on them and the 36 months zero interest from SamAsh sealed that deal. Then not two months after I got my Ampeg stack, I found someone looking to trade their Subway D800 for a 700RBII so I jumped at that. When I found that the Mesa had the low end punch and clarity of the GK without the gank, and the low mid grunt of the Ampeg with more clarity, the rest is history.

Sorry for my life story there! TL;DR version...yes the Mesa delivers what you're looking for. Punch and clarity throughout the entire spectrum with no gank. Every note comes out with clarity, which was an issue with the GK.
 
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#663
Doug Parent said:
The bright switch boosts in 3khz-6khz range (I think its in the documentation) anyway, try the bright switch and then turn the treble almost off completely and then slowly turn it back up. It gives you a different EQ curve compared to Bright switch-OFF and boosting just the treble. I found this out by experimentation and found it useful for more clarity up in that region without it being too edgy.
Click to expand...

Gonna give that a shot this week, thanks...already digging the deep on with HPF rolled up a fair amount.
 
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#666
mmbongo said:
Definitely. I gigged..and loved..my GK 700RBII for a few years and it was the first 'real' amp I had owned since the Carvin setup I bought in the 90's. Eventually I kinda realized I was always fighting the amp and trying to get rid of that upper mid grind. I decided to try something different and bought an Ampeg PF-800 which I also loved and took care of the issue. I wanted the Mesa, but just couldn't afford it as nobody offered financing on them and the 36 months zero interest from SamAsh sealed that deal. Then not two months after I got my Ampeg stack, I found someone looking to trade their Subway D800 for a 700RBII so I jumped at that. When I found that the Mesa had the low end punch and clarity of the GK without the gank, and the low mid grunt of the Ampeg with more clarity, the rest is history.

Sorry for my life story there! TL;DR version...yes the Mesa delivers what you're looking for. Punch and clarity throughout the entire spectrum with no gank. Every note comes out with clarity, which was an issue with the GK.
Click to expand...
I played at a festival with a supplied back line this weekend and realized all I was ever trying to do with the GK is dial out the high mid growl. With this unfamiliar amp, I could easily dial in all the high mid clarity and low mid punch I wanted without it barking at me. It was a revelation that I really need to replace the GK.
I'm ordering the Mesa today!
 
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#670
I've played the D800 a few times and wasn't wowed. I ended up buying a MM1000.
I finally got in to try the 800+ at my local store, (shout out to Ed and Ben at 5 Star gtrs) and I was very pleasantly surprised to be able to dial in some great tones quickly. Everything (EQ lacking ) I didn't like about the first one is addressed in the +. The addition of The HPF is gravy. I've never used one on a rig, and would love to have that tool onboard. I'm still Diggin my MM but this is definitely on my radar.
 
#671
Kirk Bryant said:
I've played the D800 a few times and wasn't wowed. I ended up buying a MM1000.
I finally got in to try the 800+ at my local store, (shout out to Ed and Ben at 5 Star gtrs) and I was very pleasantly surprised to be able to dial in some great tones quickly. Everything (EQ lacking ) I didn't like about the first one is addressed in the +. The addition of The HPF is gravy. I've never used one on a rig, and would love to have that tool onboard. I'm still Diggin my MM but this is definitely on my radar.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, both Subway amps have the HPF built in. It's fixed at 30Hz on the 800, and variable on the Plus.
 
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#672
I've had mine for a couple of days now, and getting some nice tones. I'm using a Greenboy Bassic 15 with tweet, ( 4 ohm ), but I've had to have the Master up around 1 o'clock to get loud enough, which I consider moderately loud for my gigs. Gain in the 1 -2 o'clock region, passive bass. In comparison, my 600 watt, Shuttle 6.2 rarely goes beyond the 11 o'clock region with the same cab. Do you guys normally have the Master in this region ? seems like I should not have to peg the Master this much with an 800 watt amp, but maybe is just a volume taper control thing ?
 
#673
jnewmark said:
I've had mine for a couple of days now, and getting some nice tones. I'm using a Greenboy Bassic 15 with tweet, ( 4 ohm ), but I've had to have the Master up around 1 o'clock to get loud enough, which I consider moderately loud for my gigs. Gain in the 1 -2 o'clock region, passive bass. In comparison, my 600 watt, Shuttle 6.2 rarely goes beyond the 11 o'clock region with the same cab. Do you guys normally have the Master in this region ? seems like I should not have to peg the Master this much with an 800 watt amp, but maybe is just a volume taper control thing ?
Click to expand...
That's typical, gain structure is different than the Shuttle.

Be careful with your cabinet.
 
#674
jnewmark said:
I've had mine for a couple of days now, and getting some nice tones. I'm using a Greenboy Bassic 15 with tweet, ( 4 ohm ), but I've had to have the Master up around 1 o'clock to get loud enough, which I consider moderately loud for my gigs. Gain in the 1 -2 o'clock region, passive bass. In comparison, my 600 watt, Shuttle 6.2 rarely goes beyond the 11 o'clock region. Do you guys normally have the Master in this region ? seems like I should not have to peg the Master this much with an 800 watt amp, but maybe is just a volume taper control thing ?
Click to expand...

I gig an active bass. My settings are in the ballpark of what you described; a little lower on the gain since I'll usually run a bit of bass boost on the instrument.

Ya gotta keep in mind that one of the great features of this amp (IMHO) is that all the controls have equal effect all the way around their rotation. Not intending to dump on the Shuttle or any other amp, but it's far more common that the master gets you most of the way toward full up in the first half or so of its rotation.

The great benefit (again, IMHO) is that looking at the knobs gives you a more accurate picture of where you are operating in the amp's range. I've not found that to be the case with most other amps I've used.
 
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#675
jnewmark said:
seems like I should not have to peg the Master this much with an 800 watt amp, but maybe is just a volume taper control thing ?
Click to expand...

Yep, that's been mentioned quite a few times. I greatly prefer that to an amp maxing out before the master hits noon, but YMMV.
 
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#676
agedhorse said:
That's typical, gain structure is different than the Shuttle.

Be careful with your cabinet.
Click to expand...
Well, I don't play what I consider to be " loud " on my gigs, and the Bassic 15 has not shown any signs of fatigue, even with the Bass boost on. Hopefully, I won't need to get any louder on the gig, but, what are your concerns ?
 
#677
jnewmark said:
Well, I don't play what I consider to be " loud " on my gigs, and the Bassic 15 has not shown any signs of fatigue, even with the Bass boost on. Hopefully, I won't need to get any louder on the gig, but, what are your concerns ?
Click to expand...
At 4 ohms with 800 watts RMS, that's a lot of power for ANY single driver. You should be aware of power limitations at the lower frequencies. Rolling up the HPF might be helpful.
 
#678
agedhorse said:
At 4 ohms with 800 watts RMS, that's a lot of power for ANY single driver. You should be aware of power limitations at the lower frequencies. Rolling up the HPF might be helpful.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have the HPF at around 8-9 o'clock, with the Bass boost engaged. I love the way this boost works: it doesn't add flab and boom, just more girth to the notes.
 
#679
agedhorse said:
At 4 ohms with 800 watts RMS, that's a lot of power for ANY single driver. You should be aware of power limitations at the lower frequencies. Rolling up the HPF might be helpful.
Click to expand...
Is this a situation where selecting the 2 Ohm setting on the back might also be a good idea to at least limit the maximum power output...sort of like a governor? I'm assuming it won't affect the voicing, just limit the total power output, even with the 4 Ohm load.
 
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#680
Al Kraft said:
Is this a situation where selecting the 2 Ohm setting on the back might also be a good idea to at least limit the maximum power output...sort of like a governor? I'm assuming it won't affect the voicing, just limit the total power output, even with the 4 Ohm load.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is another good option, will reduce the power to about 600 watts at 4 ohms.
 
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