Mesa WD800 The Ultimate Loud Portable Practice Amp!

I am ultra impressed!!

Super light, 40lbs with cables, 19" tall, 15″ wide, deep, punchy tone for days, 400 watts as it sits, 800 with more cabs (the ability to add 3 more cabs), the head happily pulls double duty for large gigs on top of my Mesa PH412’s, and it’s made in America!

I started out wanting the best sounding practice amp, in a very small light package.

• All-tube sound.
• Solid State for low maint/ high reliability.
• A head that could also be used for large gigs.

I can’t believe how good it sounds and how loud it is. As a player who normally runs all tubes (V4B, Heritage SVT, Strategy 88) through two Mesa PH412’s, my expectations for a practice/ coffee house amp were very low.

This has got to be as close as an Earthling could possibly get to the tone that I’m used to, while staying well within my parameters for weight and size.

This rig easily sounds better than a few full stacks that I've owned, and compared to a 30 watt combo of the same size... It's like comparing a Lamborghini to a Pontiac Fiero.

At 8 ohms, the Subway 112 is rated for 400 watts, which is what the WD800 puts out at 8ohms as well... It uses those 400 watts efficiently and extremely far beyond what I perceived to be possible.

It's loud! And to say that, I mean that it sounds good loud. Very good. I pushed it hard, and it remained tight and lush the entire time. I play punk and metal, and using a G&L LB100 (pbass type) I couldn't' turn the gain over 45% or the master over 70% without passing stage volume.

Yes... It costs 3 times what a Peavey combo costs, but when you consider that you could ditch all your other rigs, and that this will carry Mesa quality and resale, the value is a no brainer.

Nice job Mesa!

 

Cripes bro, I texted pictures of it to you from the store!

 

Whats up bro! Yes at 400 watts, it's what I would use when my GF was napping! Man it's a loud and clear 400 too. I really couldnt get near it before it became uncomfortably loud, but still pristine tone! With shorts on, I could feel it on my legs 8 feet away. lol

 

Hmmm. PM me your contact info. I sent several!

 

Because that's the role that I purchased it to fill.

A good portion of my amazement with it, is it's flexibility, especially when combined with Mesa's Subway cab lineup, it makes it highly capable of performing as a practice amp, as well as a full on stadium head.

However, I did use the term "practice" generically, not literally.

I use a 100 watt, all tube, 212 for practice, which is my smallest, lightest, quietest rig... But it's a lousy rig to bring on vacation, or to my sisters house so that I can give my nephew lessons.

Historically, it's easy to make great sounding bass amps when they're all tube, weigh 100lbs, and are the size of a washing machine, but it's never been easy to sound great when you want small, light, and portable.

To me, that's where this amp shines, and why I found it remarkable. The fact that it's also perfect for festival, is an added bonus for me.

This head is suited for big loud stuff, but in my configuration, it's simply a single 12. Personally, the only other amps that I've ever owned with a single 12, were combo practice amps.