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new mesa all tube amp ?????

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#281
This is from another forum. I didn't write it.

Stil working on the details of these new tube bass beasts. Stay tuned and we’ll be releasing full details, demos and all the info soon. In the meantime, here’s the specs so far:

Prodigy Bass

Finally, a compact, portable tube bass amp that packs the massive tone and addictive feel only possible from tubes, into a midsized “lunchbox” package • Tube Power Amp & Preamp featuring 4x6L6 Power Tubes & 3x12AX7 Preamp Tubes / *NOTE: Tube Amps sound as loud as Solid State Amps rated at several times their power rating. Plug in and compare! • Class A/B, Multi-WattTM Power Amp (Patent 7,602,927) provides 2 power options via a Full/Half Power Switch – Choose from: 4 power tubes, producing 120 Tube-Watts* (“Sounds like 300!”) or 2 tubes, producing 60 Tube-Watts* • Fixed Bias for consistent, maintenance free performance • Normal & Vintage Inputs for stylistic voice/feel • Tube Preamp featuring: Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume • Footswitchable Solo Level Control (Patent 6,724,897) • 2 Tuner Outputs (back panel & footswitch) w/Footswitchable Amp Mute & Manual Play/Mute Switch (front panel) • Fully Buffered, Footswitchable FX Loop • Balanced XLR Line Out (back panel) w/ Ground Lift, Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control (front panel) • 3x 1/4” Speaker Output Jacks (1×8 & 2×4 Ohm) • Slave Out • Fan Cooled • External Switching Jack for: Mid Voice, Solo, FX Loop & Tuner Mute • 4 Button Footswitch (Mid Voice, Solo, FX Loop & Mute) w/ Alternate 1?4” Tuner-Out Jack • Slip Cover

Strategy Bass

Bold new design with stunning looks, amazing tone, innovative ergonomics & surprising portability • Tube Power Amp & Preamp featuring 12x6L6 Power Tubes & 3x12AX7 Preamp Tubes / *NOTE: Tube Amps sound as loud as Solid State Amps rated at several times their power rating. Plug in and compare! • Class A/B, Multi-WattTM Power Amp (Patent 7,602,927) provides 3 power options via a Full/Half/Low Power Switch – Choose from: 12 power tubes, producing 300 Tube-Watts* (“Sounds like 600!”) – 6 tubes, producing 150 Tube-Watts* or 2 tubes, producing 60 Tube-Watts* • Fixed Bias for consistent, maintenance free performance • Normal & Vintage Inputs for stylistic voice/feel • Tube Preamp featur- ing: Gain, Active Bass, Passive Mids, Active Treble, 5-Position Active Mid-Voicing Switch and Master Volume • Footswitchable, Assignable or Bypassable 9-Band Graphic EQ • Footswitchable Solo Level Control (Patent 6,724,897) • 2 Tuner Outputs (back panel & footswitch) w/Footswitchable Amp Mute & Manual Play/Mute Switch (front panel) • Fully Buffered, Footswitchable FX Loop • Balanced XLR Line Out w/Ground Lift (back panel), Pre/Post Switch & D.I. Level Control (front panel) • 5 Combination Speakon -1/4” Speaker Output Jacks (1×8, 2×4 & 2×2 Ohm) • Slave Out w/Level Control • Fan Cooled • External Switching Jack for: Mid Voice, EQ, Solo, Tuner Mute & FX Loop • New 2×3 – 5 Button Footswitch (Bottom Row: Mid Voice, EQ, Solo – Top Row: Mute & FX Loop) w/Alternate 1?4” Tuner-Out Jack

More shortly!

Boogie
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#288
OK....so I've been playing on my Mesa Bass 400+ for a week or so, now, and I just ******* love it. It's sick. The sound is just amazing. I think the Reeves GAS is out of my system.

I'm really digging the feature on this Strategy that allows it to be dropped down to two tubes at 60W. That's actually a REALLY nice feature to me. But do you guys think this new Mesa Strategy will sound similar to the 400+? And even if it does....(assuming I could sell the 400+ for $800)....would it be $1700 better than the Bass 400+.

I guess I have quite a few months to figure this out.
 
#289
MSUsousaphone said:
OK....so I've been playing on my Mesa Bass 400+ for a week or so, now, and I just ******* love it. It's sick. The sound is just amazing. I think the Reeves GAS is out of my system.

I'm really digging the feature on this Strategy that allows it to be dropped down to two tubes at 60W. That's actually a REALLY nice feature to me. But do you guys think this new Mesa Strategy will sound similar to the 400+? And even if it does....(assuming I could sell the 400+ for $800)....would it be $1700 better than the Bass 400+.

I guess I have quite a few months to figure this out.
Click to expand...

I still had my 400+ (and my D-180) when I bought my Mesa M6 Carbine, and I did just about every combo as far as running one preamp into the other power amp. My favorite combo by far was running the M6 preamp into the 400+ power amp- it sounded massive, punchy, aggressive, gritty as heck if you wanted it, and capable of much more clarity than the 400+ by itself. I was pretty psyched when I was told that Mesa had an amp like that in the works after I posted about this experiment a couple years back. Add in the power reduction switch and the graphic EQ, and it is even more promising. However, for me it will probably not be worth the new asking price- I hope to snag one years in the future when they are on the used market (unless I fall into copious amounts of money in the meantime). Until then, I will be happy to enjoy it in the confines of my local Mesa dealer. Or I might just convince myself to buy one of the lower powered Strategies soon after they are released like I did with the Carbine (I wasn't even in the market for an amp when those were released!) :ninja:
 
#291
It's aggravating that they still do the fixed bias crap. Even if you buy their rebranded tubes, they will drift like any other tube and then you're stuck with an amp operating at less than optimum, not to mention biased too cold to begin with (wow, look how long their tubes lasted!) Maintenance free my ass. Low maintenance tube amps have bias pots and tip meter jacks. For a company that loves tubes and generally builds great stuff, it's really sad they keep doing this.
 
#293
JGR said:
It's aggravating that they still do the fixed bias crap. Even if you buy their rebranded tubes, they will drift like any other tube and then you're stuck with an amp operating at less than optimum, not to mention biased too cold to begin with (wow, look how long their tubes lasted!) Maintenance free my ass. Low maintenance tube amps have bias pots and tip meter jacks. For a company that loves tubes and generally builds great stuff, it's really sad they keep doing this.
Click to expand...

Yup. It's a pain! I finally found a guy in town I trust to add a bias pot & test points to my Buster amps. Just need to schedule it!
 
#294
Mr. Foxen said:
*Non-adjustable fixed bias.

Fixed bias is a way of running a valve. In a fixed bias amp the bias remains 'fixed' wherever you put it, even if its adjustable, as opposed to cathode bias where it sorts its own equilibrium.
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Yup. I was being lazy and quoting their terminology for simplicity, but that's a worthwhile clarification.
 
#295
I love Mesa but their "Non-adjustable fixed bias" kool aid is getting old. I swear they would reap as many more amp sales to make up for whatever losses they incurr in tube sales if they ditched it. I also have to wonder if the 12 6L6 output section isn't likewise motivated by greed. There are plenty of worthy KT type tubes as well as 6550 tubes that would give just as many watts from 6 (or 4!) power tubes as you get from 12 6L6.
That and I never really liked that 6L6 sound.
 
#297
Caca de Kick said:
I see nothing wrong...they are posting the correct rating: 120w. Unlike TC who only posted the 'feels like' rating.

With my Bass 400, I've always said I had to buy a ss 500w or 600w amp to keep up with it. So....
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I'm inclined to agree...

While, yes, a watt is a watt - TB forum discussion & actual on-stage practical usage conditions tend to vary. Sure, a watt = a watt... but in the real world, a 100 watt tube amp gets the job done while a 100 watt ss amp generally doesn't. We can discuss "why" or "yeah, but..." til we're blue in the face, but I've managed to do a full, 6- piece band with a 30 watt B-15 on stage. Meanwhile,... my 150 watt Line6 practice combo never would have had a chance! (Well, it would have probably gotten the job done, but its 5 times the power!)
 
#299
Calaverasgrande said:
I love Mesa but their "Non-adjustable fixed bias" kool aid is getting old. I swear they would reap as many more amp sales to make up for whatever losses they incurr in tube sales if they ditched it. I also have to wonder if the 12 6L6 output section isn't likewise motivated by greed. There are plenty of worthy KT type tubes as well as 6550 tubes that would give just as many watts from 6 (or 4!) power tubes as you get from 12 6L6.
That and I never really liked that 6L6 sound.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but then again, might be just that they have lots of 6l6 power sections to use as templates, and that works for them, whereas they haven't made a power amp that used 6550 tubes in over 20 years.

So, laziness. I would have liked to see an 8xKT88 amp from them.
 
#300
Calaverasgrande said:
I love Mesa but their "Non-adjustable fixed bias" kool aid is getting old. I swear they would reap as many more amp sales to make up for whatever losses they incurr in tube sales if they ditched it. I also have to wonder if the 12 6L6 output section isn't likewise motivated by greed. There are plenty of worthy KT type tubes as well as 6550 tubes that would give just as many watts from 6 (or 4!) power tubes as you get from 12 6L6.
That and I never really liked that 6L6 sound.
Click to expand...

I don't know what the marginal costs versus marginal profits would be for Mesa regarding those tube choices, but retubing an amp with 12 6L6s versus 6 KT-88s or 6 6550s would probably cost the end user about the same amount of money.

But yeah, I'd totally dig a Mesa bass amp loaded with KT-88s. But I think I said that already in this thread. :D
 
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