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MXR M81 vs Mesa Boogie Subway DI

glassmoon

glassmoon

Apr 15, 2004
576
575
56
Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK
#1
EDITED

Hey low hangers

I'm looking at an external preamp pedal and I've narrowed it down to two:
1. MXR M81
2. Mesa Boogie Subway DI
Now one thing to remember - the most important of all where DG gear is concerned, this is NOT going to be used to generate any drive/dirt/fuzz - this is going to 100% clean. I have drive taken care of...

With that said, my tonal leanings are definitely not modern. Despite being a sixer, I love old school meets jazz tones. Think Matt Garrison, Janek Gwizdala, Gary Willis - those sorta tones. Suffice to say, I am not a fan of sizzling, squeaking tops - at all!!!

So - I've owned and regrettably sold the MXR, and I loved it.... And I've played the Mesa Boogie 800 head, which was superb.... Yep!.... the Mesa Boogie is just about perfect. Huge, tight bottom end and warm mids. That's the benchmark.... However it's 25% more expensive which unfortunately is an issue. Do I spend more for what I want, or less for something that will work sufficiently ???

That's why I am here ;)

Before anyone says Noble or something else - please take into account I live in South Afrcia, where the myriad options the rest of the world enjoys are not available here, at least not at a price I can consider.

In advance - HUGE thanks!!!!
 
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#3
Dimbass777 said:
Look at Aguilar Tone Hammer
Click to expand...
I have owned one before - and while I think it's an incredible tool, the AGS is a waste of time - a complete waste of time.
The 18v was a pill and there was a degree of noise in certain conditions that I didn't find with the MXR M81 (still thinking about that too BTW)... in all, a GREAT sounding pedal that was not making me 100% happy.

I am leaning more and more towards the MBSWDI... but we'll see after I get to demo the B7K.
 
#5
Mesa Boogie recently released a new preamp, I think it is called Subway +.
If I were to get MB it would definitely be a new one, it has some tasty features.

As for Darkglass - I owned a B7K. Didn't care for clean tones out of it (just my opinion), always used it with a slight gain and no matter what other may say, I think that DG shines with at least a bit of overdrive and as a clean preamp its nothing special. As well as you said yourself, paying extra for something you probably will never use...

However if you want to try out Darkglass - Would recommend checking DG Vintage pedal instead of B7K. It is possible to achieve old school tones with B7K for sure, but it is voice towards more modern tones and Vintage has EQ points more suitable for old school stuff.

Best of luck!
 
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#6
K-2 said:
Mesa Boogie recently released a new preamp, I think it is called Subway +.
If I were to get MB it would definitely be a new one, it has some tasty features.
Click to expand...

Sadly I can only get the regular Subway, and not the "+" here in South Africa at the moment - and I am getting it at a good price I think.... $317

As for Darkglass - I owned a B7K. Didn't care for clean tones out of it (just my opinion), always used it with a slight gain and no matter what other may say, I think that DG shines with at least a bit of overdrive and as a clean preamp its nothing special. As well as you said yourself, paying extra for something you probably will never use...

However if you want to try out Darkglass - Would recommend checking DG Vintage pedal instead of B7K. It is possible to achieve old school tones with B7K for sure, but it is voice towards more modern tones and Vintage has EQ points more suitable for old school stuff.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

You make a very good point here - see, I don't know nearly enough about the DG gear - South Africa really is the arse end of the world!!!
Many, many thanks man - that's champion advice!
 
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#7
I have all three of the ones you mentioned...as well as the Tone Hammer.

The Darkglass wins if you want dirt.
The M81 wins if you want tiny.
The Mesa is by far the overall winner soundwise. Sounds beautiful, has all the features you need, is the best DI of the bunch, and runs off normal 9v or a battery.

Unless the size is an issue, the Mesa is the winner.
 
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#9
I've owned the Subway DI twice now and also have the MXR M81. I can get the M81 very close to the Subway DI, close enough that I don't own the Subway anymore. Yes, you get a little more flexibility in the mids, but live I could never really tell the difference. I also have a filter on my Markbass so don't really need the one on the Subway anyway, so that may be part of the reason.
 
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#10
I have both the B7k and M81. For just clean DI, the M81 wins hands down. The B7k is cool, but I think it works best as a distortion pedal or as something to impart a modern amp sound on a clean amp. Best of both worlds is to have both, use the M81 as the DI signal to the board.
 
#12
I've used to own the M81 - a wonderful little thing, although it does something weird to the lows. They've always seemed kind of compressed to me after engaging the preamp. To some, it might be a good thing, but I've ultimately ended up selling it.
 
#14
glassmoon said:
Sadly not available in SA and to ship it here, well, the shipping alone would be prohibitive sadly
Click to expand...
you should shoot them an email, because it says it's free.
They are very nice guys and very reponsive

upload_2019-1-23_11-47-57.png
 
#16
raphaeld said:
here its TB thread Shift Line - Olympic MkIII Tube Bass Preamp
Oh I forgot there was a 10% discount for TB Members, you should check with them if it's still valid
Click to expand...
@raphaeld you are a gent! Thank man, I will check them out. Although I think for that money - once converted, I could buy nearly 2 M81s.... our currency here is in the tank @ R13.88 to ONE US DOLLAAAAAH!!!!!!
 
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#17
FLV said:
I've used to own the M81 - a wonderful little thing, although it does something weird to the lows. They've always seemed kind of compressed to me after engaging the preamp. To some, it might be a good thing, but I've ultimately ended up selling it.
Click to expand...
That's odd, I never found that at all... I ran mine up front though, perhaps that was why - straight after the compressor - which is working quite hard.... I like a tight compressed sound
 

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