New mesa subway amps and cabs!

[Burwabit]

WD-800 and 2x12 is an appealing pair

 

[aproud1]

And the folks, including some that play with me had the D800 then the + came out in no time and that was devalued, now the WD800 and the + is devalued. Not to be snarky but, short sighted engineering, brilliant marketing strategy, or greed driven? I am sorry but I just don't get it. The D800 was and is great but the addition of the high pass filter (which should be on every amp on the market imho and use to be on many; ie 80Hz switch on my GK800RB that's 20+ years old) was added to the + then the WD800 with a tube in it's pre and a designated 2 ohm switch and parametric. That said, I have always loved Mesa eq and general build quality of their amps but the sequential release of products in such a short time frame with minor additional features does not make me applaud.

Seems like different flavors for different people. I received a D800+ in a trade and even though I loved the HPF it was bigger than I wanted and didn't love the additional controls. I ended up buying a D800 brand new after selling my + and found it a little easier to use. If I loved the walkabout (which i do) I'd definitely go for the WD over the other two. If I was more into the Carbine I'd go for the 800 or +

Seems to me that Mesa is keeping their different lightweight product in similar boxes. Vs. other brand that basically repackage the same things with different names(looking in your direction Markbass).

Very cool stuff. Obviously paying attention to the customer and the fanatics over here in Talkbass land.

 

[Saluki]

Nice! I love the WA. I also own and dig the D800. I will own the WD as well and I am thankful the master volume doesn't control the DI level. As a FOH guy, did that design feature on the WA concern you at all Andy?

 

[nostatic]

No good deed goes unpunished...

First - music gear is rarely an investment. It depreciates as soon as you buy it. Expecting otherwise is silly.

Second - the three amps hit different price points and have different strengths/features. I had both the D800 and the plus and ended up keeping the D800 as I wasn’t using the extra features on gigs. If the plus made my 800 obsolete I wouldn’t have done that.

Third - people here clamor for new stuff, new features, updates of older models, then when a company delivers (in spades I might note), somebody invariably finds something to complain about. Can’t win for losing...

The WD didn’t make my D800 any less gig worthy. I probably won’t go for the WD (I wasn’t a Walkabout devotee) but already have preordered the new preamp DI as it has some features that I’d like compared to my current Subway DI. Sure, the resale value of my DI may have dropped a few bucks, but that is the way the market works. (See point one).

Great job Andy and Mesa. Unexpected holiday gift of more interesting options for the bass playing community.

 

[jamro217]

Does the WD-800 make coffee, too?

 

[lpbfender]

Congratulations to Agedhorse and the folks at Mesa. As a guitarist and bassist, I have found Mesa to make the best quality mass market gear.

Wish I had these new Mesa cabinets before I bought my Barefaced Big Twin 2 last year - but pricing wasn't that far off before BF's price increase, recognizing BF's prices include 1-2 shipping from England.

 

[NKBassman]

Not that I can afford either one, but the Mesa 2x12 is now competing with the Berg NV212 in the part of my subconscious dedicated to GAS.

 

[Janforth]

I own the D-800+, that's not going anywhere, and I'm hoping to one day pair it up with a couple of the new untralight 2x15 cabs, GAS...

 

[dawind99]

I would wager a guess at D) None of the above.

R&D takes time. Especially consider that each update has incorporated testing and feedback from real-world players on each iteration.

Similar to getting a new phone, by the time the latest and greatest model comes to market, you know the next one is already in the works.

I disagree with the analogy of a new phone although that was probably part of what sparked this response My last I phone suddenly became a dinosaur. It was more the short time line between model changes that had me thinking. Again, as I stated they make a solid amp that I like very much. Yes, R&D takes time but forethought does not.

 

[BassIsBoss]

First time I've read a thread from beginning to end in a while. Enjoyed my gigs with the Walkabout heads back in the day, and now looking forward to the new offerings. Gear talk is great.....gear talk on TalkBass is the best.

 

[Grahams Groove]

I know I could search and probably find a 20 pg thread on this, but this seems like a pertinent place to ask again with the new release. Can someone give some insight on the Walkabaout? i.e. A description of the amp's strengths to give an idea of how the WD might compare to the 800/800+? I understand the WD is not a replica and moves the ball forward, but they apparently land in a similar realm.

I've also heard people say they hear aspects of the Carbine in the 800(+), but I've never played a carbine. So I can't say how accurate that is...

 

[SactoBass]

Hats off to Mesa for staying true to their philosophy and putting the hard work in by constant innovation and consistency. Proof that if what you make is worth it and you truly believe in your products, people will pay. What a great company.

 

[57pbass]

And the folks, including some that play with me had the D800 then the + came out in no time and that was devalued, now the WD800 and the + is devalued. Not to be snarky but, short sighted engineering, brilliant marketing strategy, or greed driven? I am sorry but I just don't get it. The D800 was and is great but the addition of the high pass filter (which should be on every amp on the market imho and use to be on many; ie 80Hz switch on my GK800RB that's 20+ years old) was added to the + then the WD800 with a tube in it's pre and a designated 2 ohm switch and parametric. That said, I have always loved Mesa eq and general build quality of their amps but the sequential release of products in such a short time frame with minor additional features does not make me applaud.

The Mesa gear I see listed still sells close to original price.. there’s always that hit you take when buying new gear.

My take on what happened here with these MESA amps is it’s just world class R&D. More companies should take notes.

And this might sound silly but .. Walkabout Head is my main head for a long time. I actually traded a D800 for a Walkabout.
I’ve had many chats with agedhorse here on TB both public and private.. After all these chats I feel like this head was custom made for me.
I bet many feel the same.

 

[Pbassmanca]

Oh my. $1199 for the Subway 2x12. That's about $350 less than a Barefaced BigTwin II and pretty much the same weight.

Oh man, that 212 definitely ticks all the boxes for me! I have no doubt that it would outperform my 4 ohm powerhouse 210 and the portability and weight definitely are a plus!

 

[Raw N Low]

Thank you @agedhorse !!!

This is what I wanted to see out of Class D offerings. Lightbulbs in the EQ section. This will definitely be on my buy list in the near future. I hope this motivate others in the industry to keep the hybrids alive.

 

[Lowbrow]

Has anyone else noticed : NO CONTOUR KNOB !!!!!!!!!!!

I'd say the parametric EQ makes that superfluous.

 

[hasbeen]

If Andy (agedhorse) is behind this, you know it will be bullet proof. I like the looks of the "damping" feature.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Yes this new stuff is exactly what alot of people wanted obviously... Myself included

Very cool features on wd800

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Any plans for making an 8 ohm version of the Vertical 2-12"? I would prefer running a pair of them.

 

[mmbongo]

Any plans for making an 8 ohm version of the Vertical 2-12"? I would prefer running a pair of them.

Any of the Subway amps will drive a pair of 4 ohm cabinets.