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Mesa Subway Plus preamp

#121
scottm said:
Thanks for your input on this, those are things I will take into note today when I play through it some more. I think agedhorse might have hit the nail on the head by saying that the controls "operate smoothly over the entire range" instead of being more dramatic than my other equipment over the years.

I will say that the tone I get makes any of my cabs have that amazing Mesa sound I was hoping for.

I am new to running a preamp pedal like this, so I got to ask... how do I turn off the pedal? Dumb question, but after playing for almost 30 years I am just now getting into the pedal scene. I have been running mine through using both the send and return and then also just using the return only. I also have gone direct through the main front input of the head as well. I was just wondering if there was a way to turn off the sound coming in from the preamp so I can hear my head sound only without unplugging it. Like there seems to be no normal bypass switch like a normal pedal.

Thank you for everyone's help.

-ScottM
Click to expand...

Not real a way to turn it off. It’s a dedicated preamp (like a rack pre in pedal form), not a “pedal” that you can switch on and off.
It’s designed to be like an amp without any power, not a pedal to change your tone. Just a different function than a pedal really.

You might be able to rig something up to switch between your Mesa pre and amp pre, but that could get complicated and would depend on the amp. Like an A/B box set up with the Mesa pre on one channel going into an aux in or FX return of your amp, and the other channel going into the front end of the amp.
 
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#122
There is no bypass switch because it's s full preamp that outputs line level to drive a power amp as well as the active driven balanced output. Bypassing the preamp would resort in the levels dropping by a factor of 5, making it unusable for the intended application.
 
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#123
I think if you plug in the FX return of a mark bass, you still get the front end of the amp.
I think on the Aguilar the FX return would bypass the front end of the amp.

So if you want pure Mesa tone, the Aguilar FX return might be better. Or at least set your amp as clean and as flat as you can if you go in the front end.
 
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#124
scottm said:
Thanks for your input on this, those are things I will take into note today when I play through it some more. I think agedhorse might have hit the nail on the head by saying that the controls "operate smoothly over the entire range" instead of being more dramatic than my other equipment over the years.

I will say that the tone I get makes any of my cabs have that amazing Mesa sound I was hoping for.

I am new to running a preamp pedal like this, so I got to ask... how do I turn off the pedal? Dumb question, but after playing for almost 30 years I am just now getting into the pedal scene. I have been running mine through using both the send and return and then also just using the return only. I also have gone direct through the main front input of the head as well. I was just wondering if there was a way to turn off the sound coming in from the preamp so I can hear my head sound only without unplugging it. Like there seems to be no normal bypass switch like a normal pedal.

Thank you for everyone's help.

-ScottM
Click to expand...

It isn't really designed to work that way - the assumption is that it is your "preamp" (amp front end), so it will be always on.

You can set it up to bypass the eq section as the DI can be "dry", and you could run that into an A/B switch. Might have to fiddle with the ground switch, and you'd want pre-eq from the DI. Even then not sure it would do exactly what you want.

I prefer to run the pedal either direct into a mixer or a powered PA cab like a QSC K10.2, or into the aux in or effects return on an amp head. If you run it into the front end of your amp you're getting double preamp, and double noise.
 
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#125
hennessybass said:
I think if you plug in the FX return of a mark bass, you still get the front end of the amp.
I think on the Aguilar the FX return would bypass the front end of the amp.

So if you want pure Mesa tone, the Aguilar FX return might be better. Or at least set your amp as clean and as flat as you can if you go in the front end.
Click to expand...
This is exactly how it had seemed to me, so I have been using my Aguilar FX.

Wow, I should have came on here and asked these questions before I had gotten started playing with it.

Schooled by the pros - Thank you all for your help!

-ScottM
 
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#126
scottm said:
This is exactly how it had seemed to me, so I have been using my Aguilar FX.

Wow, I should have came on here and asked these questions before I had gotten started playing with it.

Schooled by the pros - Thank you all for your help!

-ScottM
Click to expand...

A lot of this information is also contained in the manual, plus there's an on line manual with even more info and in a larger format.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#128
adje said:
The manual mentions a passive/active switch, which is not present on the actual device.
Click to expand...
Thanks, you are talking about in the table of contents where it should be the bright switch, right?

Looks like the feature change made it into the text of the manual but missed in the TOC link. Will get that changed.
 
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#129
The bit in the troubleshooting section where there is talk of 18V onboard preamps. Anyone any experience with Alembic Series electronics going into this preamp?

Didn't look close enough at the TOC (my proofreading days are but a dim memory).
 
#130
There's plenty of headroom for high output active electronics, but that said there are some that are unreasonable (especially in the DIY world where more is ALWAYS better)... The input on the plus Pre-DI will take +4dBu inputs ok but you will be playing pretty low on the input gain control. +4dBu is full line level.
 
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#132
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#134
adje said:
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but there's another mention at page 6, under "DISTORTED AUDIO OUTPUT", 3rd point.
Click to expand...
I see, this is part of our "general troubleshooting" guide. Active mode on this particular preamp is when the input gain is turned down as it has an extended range feature built into this control, it may be different on models within the different lines. I will address this on the next revision, thanks.
 
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#135
scottm said:
Has anyone bought one since this thread has been started?

I ask, because I got one and wasn't impressed. My casing came bent so it doesn't sit flat. Also the controls don't seem to show much adjustment of tone until they're at least above the 50% mark, but maybe that's just my hearing.
I can however get a nice Mesa tone out of it though, but it just seems limited on tonal range.

I play on Markbass and Aquilar stuff and really wanted to give a nice Mesa stack a try... but after this I think I am going to sadly pass.

With that said, I have not contacted Mesa about the bent casing or any other issues. Just giving my first impressions after about two weeks.

-ScottM
Click to expand...
I love mine!! I’ve been through too many preamps to count. The Subway+ is my fav to date.

I usually start with most of the EQ at noon. I like a scooped sound so I can get there by using the voicing alone or in combo with the para mid EQ.

E03A8B92-1CA7-43B6-9B7B-F3AD9E2EE3BD.jpeg
 
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#137
Amazing! Thanks for this wonderful piece of gear Mesa and Agedhorse.

@agedhorse: did you ever thing about making a power amp in a pedal format for bassists? Like the 44 caliber, but with a flat response. With the usual Mesa sturdy built, I would buy it in a minute. It would just need to have enough wattage to be usable in clubs.

Cheers
 
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#139
BBear said:
Amazing! Thanks for this wonderful piece of gear Mesa and Agedhorse.

@agedhorse: did you ever thing about making a power amp in a pedal format for bassists? Like the 44 caliber, but with a flat response. With the usual Mesa sturdy built, I would buy it in a minute. It would just need to have enough wattage to be usable in clubs.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm always working on new concepts
 
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