Mesa WD-800 vs. TT-800 tone differences

[Jim C]

Sounds like when the day comes, I'll be taking a road trip to try amps. It's a lot of money to spend to not get the right one! Worst case, it's 7 hours to Sweet Water. Just have to make sure they've got it in stock!!

Joe

I highly recommend this but not being able to hear the amp in a band mix is less than perfect.
OTOH, you would have to rent or borrow the gear to try it in your rehearsal space with your band.

 

[joel406]

I don't own, nor have I had the chance to try the WD-800. I do own a TT-800 and D-800+. I chose the TT-800 over the WD for one reason alone.

No bright and no deep switch.

I am very happy with my D-800+ and TT-800.

When paired with subway cabs they really shine. I believe I got the last pair of Subway 410 cabs in the country. There are still some 112, 210 and 115 cabs floating around. Maybe a 212 here and there. Glad I got my 212s already. Most vendors are reporting wait times as far out as May/June 2022 for more stock.

 

[Wicked G]

I'm surprised to hear that some don't prefer the Carbine "hit my in the face" approach for metal though. I have played very little of this genre so a learning experience for me based on what has been said by @_Some Dude ,@spencejm , and @Wicked G .

I think when it comes to metal some people generalize it as a thousand notes a minute with the Cookie Monster vocals requiring an SS hit you in the face amp. In reality there are many different styles and tastes, so of course different types of amps and basses as well.

I remember back in the 70's Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and AC/DC were considered metal. In the 80's it was Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Now you have people saying none of those bands are considered metal. Anyway, a topic for another thread.

When I want a hard hitting SS sounding amp I reach for either the Orange 4 Stroke or GK 700rb II. When I want a thicker more tubey type amp, I reach for the Terror Bass or RH750. And when I want something different, IDK maybe spatial, I reach for the TT800 or Streamliner. No matter what I grab I can still find my tone with just a difference in feel and they are all good.

 

[Jim C]

I think when it comes to metal some people generalize it as a thousand notes a minute with the Cookie Monster vocals requiring an SS hit you in the face amp. In reality there are many different styles and tastes, so of course different types of amps and basses as well.

I remember back in the 70's Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and AC/DC were considered metal. In the 80's it was Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Now you have people saying none of those bands are considered metal. Anyway, a topic for another thread.

When I want a hard hitting SS sounding amp I reach for either the Orange 4 Stroke or GK 700rb II. When I want a thicker more tubey type amp, I reach for the Terror Bass or RH750. And when I want something different, IDK maybe spatial, I reach for the TT800 or Streamliner. No matter what I grab I can still find my tone with just a difference in feel and they are all good.

Thanks for this. I am way out of touch and what is considered metal these days. I have a better understanding of what I don't know!

 

[Wicked G]

Thanks for this. I am way out of touch and what is considered metal these days. I have a better understanding of what I don't know!

I didn't mean you though. I tend to find that the younger generations are the ones who are moving the line in the sand. I'm pretty sure in 20 years Slipknot is going to seem pretty tame.

 

[_Some Dude]

I didn't mean you though. I tend to find that the younger generations are the ones who are moving the line in the sand. I'm pretty sure in 20 years Slipknot is going to seem pretty tame.

When I was younger, while listening to Nile or Necrophagist, I was wondering what kind of music my kids could come up with that I would hate as much as my parents hated my music.

Gotta admit… I didn’t see Bieber coming.

 

[Old Fart]

I Just read through this thread, thinking it would be about
Mesa WD-800 vs. TT-800 tone differences

My bad.

..... I was wondering what kind of music my kids could come up with that I would hate as much as my parents hated my music......

They'll find it. They have been successful at this for generations. I thought that young'uns would need to adopt some pretty crappy music in order to irritate my generation, and they did.

 

[marchone]

I Just read through this thread, thinking it would be about
Mesa WD-800 vs. TT-800 tone differences

My bad.

The first few pages did that pretty well.

 

[CaptainWally]

The first few pages did that pretty well.

Yeah, the WD sounds like an old fart. TT is a little different.

 

[marchone]

Yeah, the WD sounds like an old fart. TT is a little different.

That is what I’m hoping.

 

[Old Fart]

Who are you calling "old fart?"

 

[JohnnyBottom]

I think the technically correct answer there is "sort of". The TT 's power amp will still be operating in that low to medium damping factor range. IMO this is a large part of the difference people say they notice in terms of "feel or give to the notes" between playing a tube amp and a solid state amp. IMO you might want to just try the SW channel on the TT and see if it can work for you.

Despite playing through the lower damping factor power section as well, the SW channel preamp does have a decent punch and clean focus to the notes IMO. I think there are likely some metal players that appreciate the extra harmonic depth/dimensionality of amps like the TT (both channels) and are able to achieve their tone goals and the punch they need. Technique can help some as well and the TT has a lot of tone shaping ability that can also get tighter sounding edges on the notes. FWIW, cab choice is also a factor IME.

"Despite playing through the lower damping factor power section as well, the SW channel preamp"

Hi Al, So does this statement indicate the SW channel is using a lower damping factor than Boogie channel???
May that explain my observation that my speakers seem to move a lot more with the subway channel, even with HPF set higher, or am I in left field and could be another reason. - Thanks

 

[agedhorse]

"Despite playing through the lower damping factor power section as well, the SW channel preamp"

Hi Al, So does this statement indicate the SW channel is using a lower damping factor than Boogie channel???
May that explain my observation that my speakers seem to move a lot more with the subway channel, even with HPF set higher, or am I in left field and could be another reason. - Thanks

No, the Subway channel on the TT has a lower damping factor than either the D-800 or D-800+ (which is where the Subway channel comes from). It gives the Subway tone on the TT a little more bloom and tube power amp flavor compared with the D-800/D-800+.

 

[Al Kraft]

"Despite playing through the lower damping factor power section as well, the SW channel preamp"

Hi Al, So does this statement indicate the SW channel is using a lower damping factor than Boogie channel???
May that explain my observation that my speakers seem to move a lot more with the subway channel, even with HPF set higher, or am I in left field and could be another reason. - Thanks

Andy's answer is the one to go with...always! To get a better sense for why both the Boogie and SW channels on the TT have that same lower damping factor (than the SW D-800/D-800+) just take a look at the top of page 22 (Block Diagram) in the TT-800 owner's manual. The power amp damping factor comes long after either preamp channel is through shaping the tone. I would say the damping factor on the TT is between the medium and low setting of the WD, so that it closely replicates what you would have experienced with the original Mesa Boogie Bass 400/400+.

 

[shwashwa]

Can damping on wd set to high get you info d800 or d800+ territory?

 

[Al Kraft]

Can damping on wd set to high get you info d800 or d800+ territory?

Agedhorse could tell you specifically, but I think it is likely close if not the same. I would say that the WD high damping factor setting is producing the same audible result as the damping factor on the D-800/800+. IME once you get to a higher damping factor that is a typical characteristic of most SS amps (e.g. 500 or 1000), how high it is isn't as noticeable as when you go from a high to a low DF (that is more tube amp characteristic).

Also remember that we are talking about a ratio of impedances here and since impedance varies with frequency, both the amp and speaker's behavior over their operating frequency ranges make this more complex than a simple single data point.

 

[agedhorse]

Agedhorse could tell you specifically, but I think it is likely close if not the same. I would say that the WD high damping factor setting is producing the same audible result as the damping factor on the D-800/800+. IME once you get to a higher damping factor that is a typical characteristic of most SS amps (e.g. 500 or 1000), how high it is isn't as noticeable as when you go from a high to a low DF (that is more tube amp characteristic).

Also remember that we are talking about a ratio of impedances here and since impedance varies with frequency, both the amp and speaker's behavior over their operating frequency ranges make this more complex than a simple single data point.

This is correct for the WD.

 

[pmad_bass]

The first few pages did that pretty well.

Maybe a quick take way (inverse) question: What would the Mesa WD-800 give ya that the TT-800 would not? I did see that the WD-800 has a separate/"passive mid" knob. Tried it out and don't think I'd miss it. Leaning TT-800.

 

[s_wood]

Maybe a quick take way (inverse) question: What would the Mesa WD-800 give ya that the TT-800 would not? I did see that the WD-800 has a separate/"passive mid" knob. Tried it out and don't think I'd miss it. Leaning TT-800.

The feature sets of the WD-800 and the TT-800 can be easily compared. What’s harder to compare - and more important - are the tone differences between the two amps. The WD-800 will give you a tone that the TT-800 will not. And vice versa. It’s not my place to speak for Agedhorse, but it’s obvious that these two amps exist to serve different tone goals. Both amps are amazing, but I suspect that most of us would prefer one to the other because they sound different. Which is why I own both of them

 

[12bass]

Maybe a quick take way (inverse) question: What would the Mesa WD-800 give ya that the TT-800 would not? I did see that the WD-800 has a separate/"passive mid" knob. Tried it out and don't think I'd miss it. Leaning TT-800.

The WD-800 has more tone sculpting ability with its EQ and perhaps less of a baked-in sound than the Boogie channel on the TT-800 (which many love), plus the TT-800 also has a second, more neutrally voiced, channel. Probably best to try both and see which one you prefer.