new mesa all tube amp ?????

[KwinS]

The D180 did not originally come with a graphic EQ. That was a later addition to the amp.

I personally would prefer an amp that has a good sounding preamp with simple eq. Along with a few global tonal modiers (bright, deep, mid shift etc). Graphic EQ on mesa bass amps has had this thing of sprouting another band every decade or so. Either way it is a regrettable "feature".
As far as a compressor/limiter/dynamics. This belies a design philosophy of avoiding distortion/gainy sounds. I will withold judgement until I play through one, but I am highly skeptical that this amp will have the goods for bas players that like grind in their tone.
In which case I wonder, what is the point of playng with tube amps if you don't want some distortion?
I also have to admit, not a fan of the steam punk aesthetic on these and the transatlantic.

Maybe it gives you the option of dialing out some distortion, when you don't want it?

 

[KwinS]

Maybe it gives you the option of dialing out some distortion, when you don't want it?

I know that's a simple question to most folks around here, but the way it's worded is a little awkward, maybe. I'm not a tech-savvy kinda guy.
What I meant was this:
If you have the natural grindy tube overdrive, is it possible to somehow dial that tone down a bit, to make it a cleaner tone at the same volume? Could that be the purpose of the limiter?

 

[KwinS]

I'm beginning to think that my question was so silly, that everyone is too busy laughing at it to take a stab at it.

Oh well, back to the lovely search feature.

 

[sunbeast]

Like I said before, looks like Verellen or Reeves for me, if not an Electric.

I was going to point that out- there are PLENTY of all tube heads around that seem to fit your basic needs re: simplicity, lack of "extraneous" circuitry, gain, etc. Orange, older Sunn, and of course the vintage and newer Ampeg offerings could also be added to the list, as well as a handful of other smaller boutique builders. I personally am intrigued with a design that does something different than what is already available, whereas you seem to want something that already exists in a handful of different flavors. I'm happy that both options are readily available (though some are unfortunately outside of my comfortable price range at the moment).

I will be interested to see what this "Limiter" really is. There are plenty of stories of employees (customer service reps on the phone at that) at Mesa having little or no technical knowledge about their existing products, so I would not be even a little surprised to find out that a Mesa employee is misrepresenting products that don't even exist yet!

 

[Jazzbass2010]

maybe its for the power section when they cut the power to 150/60 watts . Does anybody know how much the strategy would weight ?

 

[KwinS]

I'm pretty sure I saw the product in question sitting right in front of me on Saturday. I guess it could have been a toaster. I did not have the opportunity to play with it.

 

[KwinS]

maybe its for the power section when they cut the power to 150/60 watts . Does anybody know how much the strategy would weight ?

It felt about 40 pounds, but I have a bad back, so I just barely lifted it up.

 

[sunbeast]

I'm pretty sure I saw the product in question sitting right in front of me on Saturday. I guess it could have been a toaster. I did not have the opportunity to play with it.

Unless I'm mistaken, you said that the Limiter is something that wasn't on the prototype you saw?

 

[Jazzbass2010]

It felt about 40 pounds, but I have a bad back, so I just barely lifted it up.

Did the Mesa rep say when these amps be ready for sale to the public

 

[KwinS]

Unless I'm mistaken, you said that the Limiter is something that wasn't on the prototype you saw?

I believe it was on the back, on that particular one. The thought was that they were going to swap the DI level on the front, for the limiter on the back. Kind of like trading spots. I could be mistaken.

 

[KwinS]

Did the Mesa rep say when these amps be ready for sale to the public

About 8 weeks.

 

[KwinS]

Unless I'm mistaken, you said that the Limiter is something that wasn't on the prototype you saw?

I never said that.

 

[Jazzbass2010]

About 8 weeks.

Thanks . I am so looking forward to trying one . Its a good time to be a bass player with Mesa Boogie Fender @ Traynor to name a few with new tube bass amp offerings .

 

[KwinS]

Thanks . I am so looking forward to trying one . Its a good time to be a bass player with Mesa Boogie Fender @ Traynor to name a few with new tube bass amp offerings .

I think you are right! I'm probably just about as much of a Mesa fanboy as one can be, but the Fender stuff is really interesting to me, too. I haven't found any of it close to home, but I really want to try it out.

 

[sunbeast]

I never said that.

That was how I read it, but it doesn't really change anything- the gist of what I was saying is that though you may have seen an incarnation of the amp, the details weren't/aren't exactly clear based on what you have posted here (reinforcing the idea that none of us really yet knows what the final amp will be). I can't imagine they would put a control for a Limiter on the rear of the amp unless it was just an "on/off" switch, though I am still in doubt of the Limiter even being a part of the design (I am not arguing that your friend told you that there was a Limiter on the final amp- just postulating that it seems likely to be a mistake/misunderstanding somewhere).

 

[KwinS]

That was how I read it, but it doesn't really change anything- the gist of what I was saying is that though you may have seen an incarnation of the amp, the details weren't/aren't exactly clear based on what you have posted here (reinforcing the idea that none of us really yet knows what the final amp will be). I can't imagine they would put a control for a Limiter on the rear of the amp unless it was just an "on/off" switch, though I am still in doubt of the Limiter even being a part of the design (I am not arguing that your friend told you that there was a Limiter on the final amp- just postulating that it seems likely to be a mistake/misunderstanding somewhere). Are you sure he wasn't talking about the Full/Half/1/3rd Power switch?

Absolutely certain. That power switch is clear as day.
You know what? He's the Mesa rep for the Southeast Region. The amp was sitting right there. It had just been played for a set by Andy Timmons' bass player.
I have already stated that I'm not a tech kind of guy, but I assure you there was no mistake about my (or his) understanding of the head. The tweaking is ongoing until they get it exactly the way they want it before they release it.

All I have tried to do in this thread, is report it like I see it. I know there is some interest in the product.

I see now that I'm not near qualified enough to keep the interested folks informed, at least to your standard.
Find your own information on the subject. I'll just keep enjoying what I know to be the truth about an ongoing revision of the product. I have even chosen to say that I don't know all the reasoning behind the limiter, and asked questions in this very thread.

Enjoy speculating about said "limiter" in your room. Do your own digging.

 

[sunbeast]

You don't need to get your feelings hurt about this. My last post did come off a little colder than I intended. This is the internet, and a thread like this is about speculation. Mesa Reps unfortunately don't have the best reputation when it comes to knowing the bass product line (as I mentioned, Mesa's reps have some history of bad representation of their product- both to myself and quite a few others if you do some searching on Talkbass), and if this is still a prototype as you say then he is simply speculating himself on the final product. My reasoning for questioning the Limiter is that it does seem like a very odd choice, as seen by the reaction of myself and others when you mentioned it. All I said was that it seemed unlikely to me, and that I won't believe it until I see it. You are also welcome to continue to enjoy the truth as you see it, but please don't be offended when others question it- discussion is why many of us are here.

I do appreciate your contribution to the thread, but it doesn't change the fact that unless (or even if) you are one of the engineers of the amp then it is still just a matter of speculation until the amp is released. If there is a Limiter on the final amp, then I will be all the more intrigued to see what it is all about...

I will bow out now until the final product comes.

 

[Korladis]

The costs as much as this bass head would go for That was a later addition to the amp.

I personally would prefer an amp that has a good sounding preamp with simple eq. Along with a few global tonal modiers (bright, deep, mid shift etc). Graphic EQ on mesa bass amps has had this thing of sprouting another band every decade or so. Either way it is a regrettable "feature".
As far as a compressor/limiter/dynamics. This belies a design philosophy of avoiding distortion/gainy sounds. I will withold judgement until I play through one, but I am highly skeptical that this amp will have the goods for bas players that like grind in their tone.
In which case I wonder, what is the point of playng with tube amps if you don't want some distortion?
I also have to admit, not a fan of the steam punk aesthetic on these and the transatlantic.

I don't think the amp needs a limiter becuase the preamp is "too hot" due to inclusion of non-tube elements. That would be an easy gain tweak.
But that is my argument for excluding graphic EQ and dynamics from the amp. If I pay well north of a grand for an all tube amp, I want an ALL TUBE AMP, not a tube amp with some transistors for the hard parts like graphic eq and dynamics control. I am sure you can make a tube based graphic and I know you can make a tube based limiter, I own one or two. But I doubt Mesa would give us tube limiting when it costs so much to implement in outboard that a tube limiter/compressor D180 did not originally come with a graphic EQ..

Like I said before, looks like Verellen or Reeves for me, if not an Electric.

I know that early D-180's came without a graphic EQ. I wouldn't buy one of those. Fender tone stack by itself? No thanks.

The limiter is the only thing really confusing me on these new heads. I mean, what for? It's a tube amp.

 

[Korladis]

I was going to point that out- there are PLENTY of all tube heads around that seem to fit your basic needs re: simplicity, lack of "extraneous" circuitry, gain, etc. Orange, older Sunn, and of course the vintage and newer Ampeg offerings could also be added to the list, as well as a handful of other smaller boutique builders. I personally am intrigued with a design that does something different than what is already available, whereas you seem to want something that already exists in a handful of different flavors. I'm happy that both options are readily available (though some are unfortunately outside of my comfortable price range at the moment).

I will be interested to see what this "Limiter" really is. There are plenty of stories of employees (customer service reps on the phone at that) at Mesa having little or no technical knowledge about their existing products, so I would not be even a little surprised to find out that a Mesa employee is misrepresenting products that don't even exist yet!

Indeed. I'm still interested and will at least try these out if I ever see them in a store.

Also, looks like Calaveras and I have much different taste in looks. I like the vaguely steampunk aesthetic.

 

[sunbeast]

I like the vaguely steampunk aesthetic.

Me too- I think it is very modern classy. I've felt the same about most of the Mesa bass heads especially when compared to many of their competitors.