Mr. Foxen
Commercial User
But a watt RMS without a THD and frequency band isn't so much. Very likely a valve amp will have much higher THD and much narrower frequency band than a SS one. Which is why they sound louder.
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new mesa all tube amp ?????
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But a watt RMS without a THD and frequency band isn't so much. Very likely a valve amp will have much higher THD and much narrower frequency band than a SS one. Which is why they sound louder.
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.
+1. Cost-wise and power-wise it is pretty close between 12 6L6s and 6 6550s. The KT88s would probably be pricier, though capable of more power if they bulked up the juice/transformer as well. I don't know why they have stuck with the 6L6s, but it doesn't really bother me- I don't buy the whole "6550s are better than 6L6s" thing because the circuit that supports it is optimized for the 6L6s. They are just different flavors, but I much preferred my 400+ to the different SVTs iterations I owned previously. I do agree that the "fixed bias" thing is ridiculous, but I got several years out of my 400+ before the power tubes sounded "off" to me with relatively cheap tubes (I always tubed mine via the recommended matched tube sets from Fat Willie/ NBS Electronics).
Sometimes you guys get way too much into the technical stuff and forget about....if it sounds good it probably is good. I love you guys and reading on it, though.
Haha. But seriously, I much prefer the sound of the 400+ to any other amp I've come across....so if it works and other overhyped name brands are sludging along on 6550's.....why switch to what the inferior competition is doing?
Haha. But seriously, I much prefer the sound of the 400+ to any other amp I've come across....so if it works and other overhyped name brands are sludging along on 6550's.....why switch to what the inferior competition is doing?
If I were a Mesa fan, I wouldn't be calling other brands "overhyped," lest I put myself in a position of getting goofed on. Howard Stern uses less hyperbole to describe himself than Mesa does describing their amps. Now they are good amps, but still...glass houses.
I'm sorry I don't like those muddy tones, man. I'm glad others do. Makes me sound better in comparison. 
scotch
It's not rocket science!
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MSUsousaphone said:I'm sorry I don't like those muddy tones, man. I'm glad others do. Makes me sound better in comparison.
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Whatever. You're king of the itnerwebz.I'm sorry I don't like those muddy tones, man. I'm glad others do. Makes me sound better in comparison.
So do you mean muddy tones like this:
???
It's never the amp...it's the player. So you'll have to excuse me while I laugh at your ridiculous proposition that it's the amp.
???
It's never the amp...it's the player. So you'll have to excuse me while I laugh at your ridiculous proposition that it's the amp.
- Apr 3, 2003
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Just to be clear, are you trying to imply that Ampegs are muddy sounding? That really is not the case at all, and I'm a Mesa (and Ampeg) fan, FWIW.
If you've heard recordings where an Ampeg did sound muddy - and I'm not a fan of mud, myself - I'm with Jimmy in that it wasn't the amp's fault.
Just sayin'...
If you've heard recordings where an Ampeg did sound muddy - and I'm not a fan of mud, myself - I'm with Jimmy in that it wasn't the amp's fault.
Just sayin'...
Well you know the Talkbass prayer, Tom:
"God, please grant me the ability to convince the bass world to go along with what I like to use, and the strength to put down everyone else who doesn't think exactly as I do."
I, for one, have had it with that stupid mentality, and I'm going to do my best to end it by goofing on anyone who says stupid agenda-driven stuff.
"God, please grant me the ability to convince the bass world to go along with what I like to use, and the strength to put down everyone else who doesn't think exactly as I do."
I, for one, have had it with that stupid mentality, and I'm going to do my best to end it by goofing on anyone who says stupid agenda-driven stuff.
This is pretty effing hilarious, coming from you, to say the very least.
Why are you trolling Mesa threads anyway? Please peddle your pathetic wares elsewhere and save us the headache. One would think they'd be safe in a thread where you have no relevant input at all to the topic. I guess not. If you're that insecure about your custom user title, maybe you should back away from the keyboard?
Slowly, yes, but at least try it. 
I guess the next stop is the M9 megathreads, eh? So sad.
Any further personal comments in this thread by any TBer WILL earn a temporary ban.
Quit. Now.
You have been warned.
Quit. Now.
You have been warned.
Disagreement about what we all prefer to use is fine, of course. But personal attacks are not (I'm talking generally here and not singling anyone out at this point).
Everybody, quit with the bickering RIGHT NOW or you will lose your posting privileges.
Everybody, quit with the bickering RIGHT NOW or you will lose your posting privileges.
Ampeg has a tone. It's great for some players. Great for certain genres. Other times not so much. I don't think anyone would question that Ampeg has a certain color to it...even Ampeg lovers refer to that SVT tone. So......THERE IS A TONE!!! They don't say..."man, that Ampeg amp leaves my tone so clean and unaltered". They get it because they love that tone. Cool. Awesome. That's great for a lot of people. Not me. It gets in my way. Makes my playing bogged down and heavy, IMO. My 400+ is like a nice compromise of tube and clean sound blended together. The sound that I've heard that I likes the best and translates to my playing the best. Ampeg is my anti-sound, IMO.
You shouldn't have to defend your own personal tastes on a public internet board where the point is getting knowledge out there about different gear, but it's sad that you have to on occasion.
The 400+ is great and I wish I could have kept it. I even got a custom shock-rack 4U thing made for it!!
If the DI on this new amp is more akin to the hybrid stuff, that'd be a huge plus. I did not like the DI on the 400+ at all.
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There certainly is an "Ampeg tone," but IME/IMHO, it is not "muddy." And again, I'm a huge Mesa/Boogie fan, but in all honesty, I don't find Ampeg to be muddy. If the Ampeg tone doesn't work for you, then kudos for recognizing that and rolling with something that does fit your preferences/style. YMMV is what it's all about, and finding what works (and doesn't work) for you is all part of the game.
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