New MESA BOOGIE release - MESA/Boogie Bass 800D - 800W Bass Amp Head

[Collin Bass]

The devils workshop.

Sold D800+. Waiting for next delivery of 800D’s to Sweetwater but …..

I know this may be blasphemy here but I am really worried that the class A/B head (example Ashdown ABM 600) may give me a more vintage, tube type result.

In all honesty can a Class D head with a pre amp tube really give the warmth and vintage tone that a class A/B can?

I really like the super lightweight of the D Class but the 30 lb class A/B might be worth it for a warmer vintage experience.

What say you?

I have the 800D on order and the Ashdown is also out of stock.

Any Ashdown A/B lovers?

Or get back on the Mesa train?

This out of stock situation leaves me time to keep questioning my decisions.

There is a set of audio clips on here, I can't remember who posted them, but they used high and low gain, deep and bright switches, and I can attest that with the high gain and a little bit of cut in the mids that it has the ability to sound very vintagey. Not quite as gritty as say the Tonehammer, but you could always put a tube preamp ahead of it if you needed to. Which really you don't. It's a very versatile amp. Good for modern and vintage. The 800D has a very good preamp that adds all of the harmonic richness you would expect from a tube amp.

 

[Collin Bass]

The more I read those lines, the more I get to the conclusion I will need a D-800+ AND a 800D !

Come ça!

 

[BrianVengeance]

The more I read those lines, the more I get to the conclusion I will need a D-800+ AND a 800D !

Next up: Subway D-800D+ and we’ll all be in the poor house!

 

[Clark W]

The more I read those lines, the more I get to the conclusion I will need a D-800+ AND a 800D !

Yes, this is the correct answer!

 

[sunbeast]

No actually I’m trying to get closer to the SVT sound in a lightweight (this is critical) rig.

The Eden struck me as warmer but that was coming from previously owning a Hartke 5000 and then a GK400RB (not positive the model.)

The D800+ did not remind me of the Eden but then again my ears were younger.

An SVT uses a relatively flat tonestack (when set neutral), so the “SVT sound” is mostly tubes and whatever cabinet you play it through. The 400+ (and presumably the 800D) uses a very “colored” tonestack derived from early Fender designs. Having owned both an SVT and 400+ at the same time I can confidently say they are very different sounding amps with different voice and different character when driven. That said, if you aren’t exactly sure what you want then I’d say give the 800D some time before you decide. The 400+ totally changed my life as a bassist, by adjusting the way I heard bass tone and what I wanted to hear in the future.

 

[Clark W]

An SVT uses a relatively flat tonestack (when set neutral), so the “SVT sound” is mostly tubes and whatever cabinet you play it through. The 400+ (and presumably the 800D) uses a very “colored” tonestack derived from early Fender designs. Having owned both an SVT and 400+ at the same time I can confidentially say they are very different sounding amps with different voice and different character when driven. That said, if you aren’t exactly sure what you want then I’d say give the 800D some time before you decide. The 400+ totally changed my life as a bassist, by adjusting the way I heard bass tone and what I wanted to hear in the future.

The 800D definitely sounds and feels very Fenderish to me. But in a very good way. I've actually been floored by it's tone, it's vintage warmth, and it's ability to punch through the mix. And pushing it through two Markbass Traveler 151P (115) cabs vs a GK Neo IV 212, gets you even more vintage tone, IMO. Even my D-800+ sounds more vintage through my Markbass cabs vs my GK Neo IV. So what cabs and speaker sizes one uses makes a difference too.

 

[Nebadon2000]

There is a set of audio clips on here, I can't remember who posted them, but they used high and low gain, deep and bright switches,

@gustobassman also posted live clips in either 800D or Mesa Thread

Here are a couple others one low gain and one high gain

 

[agedhorse]

The 800D definitely sounds and feels very Fenderish to me. But in a very good way. I've actually been floored by it's tone, it's vintage warmth, and it's ability to punch through the mix. And pushing it through two Markbass Traveler 151P (115) cabs vs a GK Neo IV 212, gets you even more vintage tone, IMO. Even my D-800+ sounds more vintage through my Markbass cabs vs my GK Neo IV. So what cabs and speaker sizes one uses makes a difference too.

The Bass 400+ eq was inspired by the classic Fender tone stack, with some modifications.

Part of the charm of the original Fender tone stack, especially for guitar, is that it compensated somewhat for the inherent under-damped low mid peak that was present in open back cabinets with the drivers that Fender was using for guitar at the time.

The Bass 400+ modifications made the eq a little more friendly for bass cabinets from 30+ years ago, specifically closed back (both sealed and ported) since open back cabinets had become "obsolete".

The Bass 800D updates to the eq was designed to be more in line with cabinets that were manufactured in the last 20 years, the voicing is not as radical and is more appealing to more players overall compared with the earlier versions. The added HPF also goes a long way to "tame the beast", as a more player friendly approach.

 

[ErnieD]

Just pondering here.
For those that already own a 800, 800+, WD800 Mesa amp. Would running the new B800D amp, say thru the effects loops of either of those other amps offer some of those tonal features or vice versa to the other amp connected in this manner?
Does that make sense? Is there any reason to even attempt such a connection to utilize the different features?
Again, just pondering these possibilities. Peace yal, e.

AND, dang, SW now shows expected Jan 2026.

 

[Al Kraft]

Just pondering here.
For those that already own a 800, 800+, WD800 Mesa amp. Would running the new B800D amp, say thru the effects loops of either of those other amps offer some of those tonal features or vice versa to the other amp connected in this manner?
Does that make sense? Is there any reason to even attempt such a connection to utilize the different features?
Again, just pondering these possibilities. Peace yal, e.

Interesting question. While I've never done it, the 800 and 800+ power amp sections have a high damping factor. This would "tighten up" the voicing from the Bass 800D and make it sound a little "stiffer/less tube amp-like" than the 800D's own power amp which has a much lower damping factor. There would also be some loss of other design characteristics in the 800D's power section such as OD symmetry.

While the 800D's preamp is a big part of the voicing it's not all of the electronic magic that makes the 800D sound and feel the way it does.

Now the WD would be a slightly different story in that you could select a low or medium damping factor to more closely replicate the 800D damping factor, but the OD symmetry circuitry behavior would be different.

Based on my knowledge, the design of each of the heads reflects a fine, thoughtful balance between pre and power sections to achieve a "system voice" goal. While there could be new sounds that would be appealing by other combinations, my guess is that you'd be more satisfied buying the amp that has been optimized for the basic voicing/feel you like and utilizing its full range of capabilities.

The WD (for a more tube-like tone/feel) and the 800+ (for a more SS tone/feel) are heads with a ton of voicing versatility already. What is especially nice is that their inherent balance remains consistent throughout their full voicing range and operating envelope as you dial in your desired sound. To me this is what you'd be losing by combining various pre and power amps that were optimized to work with other components.

Andy may have a different take on it and he is the expert whose advice I would take any day of the week over my own in this area.

 

[WRM]

Just pondering here.
For those that already own a 800, 800+, WD800 Mesa amp. Would running the new B800D amp, say thru the effects loops of either of those other amps offer some of those tonal features or vice versa to the other amp connected in this manner?
Does that make sense? Is there any reason to even attempt such a connection to utilize the different features?
Again, just pondering these possibilities. Peace yal, e.

AND, dang, SW now shows expected Jan 2026.

Opinions vary on multiple pre-amp stages but stop pondering and don't do "that" (linking through effects loops to "in"?). If you want to use any of the Subways as a "Power Amp", use "Aux In" or "Effects Return" at an appropriate level?...

 

[BrianVengeance]

Emailed SW rep, says they’re starting to see some tracking numbers come in but no dates yet. May be Dec for them to receive and turn around. Le sigh…

 

[ErnieD]

Emailed SW rep, says they’re starting to see some tracking numbers come in but no dates yet. May be Dec for them to receive and turn around. Le sigh…

I just opened the SW site. They'd been showing Nov 2025. I just now saw Jan 2026.

Wondered if some units came in, those are spoken for and they ran out before they got to others on pre-order waiting list. And if they'd notify those who will not be getting theirs this round. Not really sure how they'd handle that?

 

[WRM]

I just opened the SW site. They'd been showing Nov 2025. I just now saw Jan 2026.

Wondered if some units came in, those are spoken for and they ran out before they got to others on pre-order waiting list. And if they'd notify those who will not be getting theirs this round. Not really sure how they'd handle that?

I'm guessing only half of the world's Bass players even heard of it, so we ain't seen nothin', yet?... Get to work, Gibson!

 

[BrianVengeance]

I just opened the SW site. They'd been showing Nov 2025. I just now saw Jan 2026.

Wondered if some units came in, those are spoken for and they ran out before they got to others on pre-order waiting list. And if they'd notify those who will not be getting theirs this round. Not really sure how they'd handle that?

2025... the Year of Gear Unobtanium. Just checked Chicago Music Exchange and they're already saying July 2026.

 

[squish]

The more I read those lines, the more I get to the conclusion I will need a D-800+ AND a 800D !

Or do the same thing with the 800D and a Subway + Preamp DI. Although I haven't tried it yet.

 

[squish]

I finally gigged the 800D on Friday. I used the club's 810 and just like I expected it was huge. Maybe too huge. Shook that stage more than my SVT ever had. During sound check I cranked it up just to hear that cab get flexed and my eyes were vibrating. It was nuts. I tamed it with more HPF and less volume and it played very nicely. But with every note jumping off my fingers. I loved it.
The next morning I jumped on a plane and took my Subway + Preamp DI to PGH. Mesa goes everywhere with me!

 

[Plastalmonus]

Well I finally ordered one. Site still says ETA November but I'm pretty sure nobody in Australia has received one yet so fingers crossed I am still in the first allocation.

 

[Al Kraft]

I finally gigged the 800D on Friday. I used the club's 810 and just like I expected it was huge. Maybe too huge. Shook that stage more than my SVT ever had. During sound check I cranked it up just to hear that cab get flexed and my eyes were vibrating. It was nuts. I tamed it with more HPF and less volume and it played very nicely. But with every note jumping off my fingers. I loved it.
The next morning I jumped on a plane and took my Subway + Preamp DI to PGH. Mesa goes everywhere with me!
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Experiences like this sort of makes you wonder if those folks who say that a class D lightweight head can't hold a candle to "a real bass amp" ever actually played a head like the Bass 800D. Over the last year I have consistently found the Bass 800D to be more than I ever needed for any venue and almost too much for many of them...it's a "problem" that I continue to be thrilled to have.

 

[WG Plum]

Sweetwater is showing ‘estimated January 2026.’