You came from a Berg HDN212 correct? How do they compare?
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New mesa subway amps and cabs!
- Thread starter mexicant
- Start date
You came from a Berg HDN212 correct? How do they compare?
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
The HDN212 (to my ears) has good sensitivity and nice warm lows, but there is an upper midrange bump that I was usually seeking to attenuate (with my particular bass, your bass may sound really different) by cutting around 2khz . It was something that I just lived with quite happily as overall Jims cabinets are so very very good and I was using the B-Amp with the HDN212 tone profile engaged and it was damn near perfect.
But I decided to part ways with the B-Amp (for reasons that have probably been addressed with new Forte HP) and got onboard the Subway. The Subway vibe (to me) seems to be more fully realized when using those Mesa products in concert with one another. I was on my third Mesa bass head and not looking back and just figured the Mesa Subway 212 was going to be a winning combo.
It sure seems that way. The Subway 212 sounds (to my ears) actually smoother, a little darker in the upper mids, but with a nice balance. I have not AB'ed the Berg HDN212 side by side with the Subway 212 but the Subway seems to go lower, without a big bump. The Berg has a voicing down low which is very effective, but always sounded a little "woofy" to my ears.
I learned the Subway 212 utilizes a Kappalite variant and I have grown to really like those speakers, so this cabinet is really nice for me. Nothing to take away from Jims products, I've used them for decades very very happily. But just last night I was playing through the Subway and kept thanking Andy in the back of my mind for his contributions to the final result.
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Well, I got the job. Early days but looks promising- doesn’t it always?
Used a Mesa 6x10 that was there, and didn’t love it, but we were playing pretty low volume in a smallish space. Next time I’ll use my 115 for sure. Strangely to me, there didn’t seem to be much bottom in that cab (again tho, low volume)...I turned the bass knob fairly well up and took out some mids, which i would never normally do. I bet the 610 would sound good loud, but I know the 115 sounds fatter and richer at that volume level. So, didn’t learn much about the WA yet. Busy with new songs and new people, so I didn’t tweak anything beyond what I mentioned.
Used a Mesa 6x10 that was there, and didn’t love it, but we were playing pretty low volume in a smallish space. Next time I’ll use my 115 for sure. Strangely to me, there didn’t seem to be much bottom in that cab (again tho, low volume)...I turned the bass knob fairly well up and took out some mids, which i would never normally do. I bet the 610 would sound good loud, but I know the 115 sounds fatter and richer at that volume level. So, didn’t learn much about the WA yet. Busy with new songs and new people, so I didn’t tweak anything beyond what I mentioned.
Thanks!
Yes Sir!
It must be a good new one, no oil on the floor
This is my 3rd. Harley and none of them ever leaked oil... I am either very lucky or I got cheated
Unboxing pics....
Packed well...
Cover...
SN# 28...
With the D-800...
Ready to rock.... will test it out fully today after work....
Packed well...
Cover...
SN# 28...
With the D-800...
Ready to rock.... will test it out fully today after work....
It's pretty rad man! I think it may be one of the loudest rigs I have ever played with the D-800
I realize I am a grumpy old man for saying this, but the candy irks me to no end and is the only thing I don't like about Sweetwater.@Crusher47 Congrats!
No candy pics???
@Crusher47 Congrats!
No candy pics???
I ate it whilst taking pics. of Mesa goodness.... sorry
This is not helping me want the 215 any less.. I love my Greenboy F112, but the 215 calls to me in my sleep..
And this is really close to my settings on my D800 too
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This is not helping want the 215 any less.. I love my Greenboy F112, but the 215 calls to me in my sleep..
And this is really close to my settings on my D800 too
Glad to help?
Any Pelican pros here that can suggest a case model to fit the WD-800? The included bag is great, but all my amps get dropped or fall out of a vehicle at some point. My other class d heads have been fine, but I want to give this one some armor.
OK, had a chance to play my D-800 through the new 2x15 cabinet yesterday..... well.....settle in my friends (TL/DR at the very bottom for your convenience). Let me preface by saying I am not a professional by any means, merely a weekend warrior playing in a couple of cover bands and way near the bottom as far as skill and bass mastery go. I tell everyone I am not the best player in my neighborhood, heck not even the best player on my street but I manage. I am also not the greatest at trying to describe sounds and don't claim to have the best ears. So.....
My current rigs are an Ampeg V4B RI head with an Ampeg Classic (Made in USA) 8x10 "fridge" cabinet. As most of you are aware, this setup sounds absolutely incredible and is usually the benchmark for bass tone. I don't use this setup much, played a couple of outdoor gigs with it and use it maybe once a week for home practice. My other main rig is a Fender v3 Rumble 500 2x10 combo on top of a Rumble 2x10 extension cabinet for a vertical 4x10 stack. This setup sounds great to me, so good in fact that I was thinking of getting the 500 head and 2 separate Rumble 1x15 cabinets. I use this rig for 90% of my gigs since it's light and easy to move and sounds almost as good as the Ampeg. (Yes it does).
Now we come to the D-800. I normally play this through a Carvin BR115 cabinet that I leave at one of the bands rehearsal spaces. I also play it through a Mesa PH-6x10 cabinet at home. While it sounded good through either of these cabinets, to me the Rumble sounded better which I thought was strange because the D-800 gets so many great reviews. Maybe I don't like the Mesa standard tone, perhaps I couldn't find the settings I liked, I don't know. I don't want to say it sounded sterile, but it was just a plain vanilla type of tone without much character. I have always been a Mesa fan going back to my guitar playing days when I owned a Rectifier stack, so before throwing in the towel and selling it, I decided to try it with the matching 2x15 cabinet. (I use my DI pedal at my other bands rehearsal space through the mixer going into 2x15 PA speakers and it sounds great there).
What a difference!! I will NEVER doubt anyone when they say the cabinets don't make a difference and it's all in the amp. The D-800 through the 2x15's sounds incredible! The notes had clarity and definition and most of all, character. I played through several basses and was very impressed. My Precisions thumped and my Jazzes growled like never before. I was grinning from ear to ear like a fool and loving every minute of it. This sucker is LOUD too, putting the Master at 12 o'clock shook the pictures on the wall and still sounded great with no signs of being tapped out and no O/D warning light either. I found my new #1
I was very hesitant to spend that much on a cabinet and I know the old adage of "buy once, cry once" but yeah, this cabinet is worth every penny.
TL/DR: This cabinet is amazing! Tone for days and the power...oh the power! Mesa hit it out of the park with this one! 10/10, would buy again!
My current rigs are an Ampeg V4B RI head with an Ampeg Classic (Made in USA) 8x10 "fridge" cabinet. As most of you are aware, this setup sounds absolutely incredible and is usually the benchmark for bass tone. I don't use this setup much, played a couple of outdoor gigs with it and use it maybe once a week for home practice. My other main rig is a Fender v3 Rumble 500 2x10 combo on top of a Rumble 2x10 extension cabinet for a vertical 4x10 stack. This setup sounds great to me, so good in fact that I was thinking of getting the 500 head and 2 separate Rumble 1x15 cabinets. I use this rig for 90% of my gigs since it's light and easy to move and sounds almost as good as the Ampeg. (Yes it does).
Now we come to the D-800. I normally play this through a Carvin BR115 cabinet that I leave at one of the bands rehearsal spaces. I also play it through a Mesa PH-6x10 cabinet at home. While it sounded good through either of these cabinets, to me the Rumble sounded better which I thought was strange because the D-800 gets so many great reviews. Maybe I don't like the Mesa standard tone, perhaps I couldn't find the settings I liked, I don't know. I don't want to say it sounded sterile, but it was just a plain vanilla type of tone without much character. I have always been a Mesa fan going back to my guitar playing days when I owned a Rectifier stack, so before throwing in the towel and selling it, I decided to try it with the matching 2x15 cabinet. (I use my DI pedal at my other bands rehearsal space through the mixer going into 2x15 PA speakers and it sounds great there).
What a difference!! I will NEVER doubt anyone when they say the cabinets don't make a difference and it's all in the amp. The D-800 through the 2x15's sounds incredible! The notes had clarity and definition and most of all, character. I played through several basses and was very impressed. My Precisions thumped and my Jazzes growled like never before. I was grinning from ear to ear like a fool and loving every minute of it. This sucker is LOUD too, putting the Master at 12 o'clock shook the pictures on the wall and still sounded great with no signs of being tapped out and no O/D warning light either. I found my new #1
I was very hesitant to spend that much on a cabinet and I know the old adage of "buy once, cry once" but yeah, this cabinet is worth every penny.
TL/DR: This cabinet is amazing! Tone for days and the power...oh the power! Mesa hit it out of the park with this one! 10/10, would buy again!
I can second most of this. I finally got my to use my D-800 and 215 at practice. It may have been my favorite tone I have ever had at practice. I took quite a while to dial in with my dirt pedals with the main eq and the horn. Also the cab is nowhere near as tall but I no longer need to have my guitarist to come to my house to help me load the 810 up. Whilst this cab is priced quite high, I can see why.OK, had a chance to play my D-800 through the new 2x15 cabinet yesterday..... well.....settle in my friends (TL/DR at the very bottom for your convenience). Let me preface by saying I am not a professional by any means, merely a weekend warrior playing in a couple of cover bands and way near the bottom as far as skill and bass mastery go. I tell everyone I am not the best player in my neighborhood, heck not even the best player on my street but I manage. I am also not the greatest at trying to describe sounds and don't claim to have the best ears. So.....
My current rigs are an Ampeg V4B RI head with an Ampeg Classic (Made in USA) 8x10 "fridge" cabinet. As most of you are aware, this setup sounds absolutely incredible and is usually the benchmark for bass tone. I don't use this setup much, played a couple of outdoor gigs with it and use it maybe once a week for home practice. My other main rig is a Fender v3 Rumble 500 2x10 combo on top of a Rumble 2x10 extension cabinet for a vertical 4x10 stack. This setup sounds great to me, so good in fact that I was thinking of getting the 500 head and 2 separate Rumble 1x15 cabinets. I use this rig for 90% of my gigs since it's light and easy to move and sounds almost as good as the Ampeg. (Yes it does).
Now we come to the D-800. I normally play this through a Carvin BR115 cabinet that I leave at one of the bands rehearsal spaces. I also play it through a Mesa PH-6x10 cabinet at home. While it sounded good through either of these cabinets, to me the Rumble sounded better which I thought was strange because the D-800 gets so many great reviews. Maybe I don't like the Mesa standard tone, perhaps I couldn't find the settings I liked, I don't know. I don't want to say it sounded sterile, but it was just a plain vanilla type of tone without much character. I have always been a Mesa fan going back to my guitar playing days when I owned a Rectifier stack, so before throwing in the towel and selling it, I decided to try it with the matching 2x15 cabinet. (I use my DI pedal at my other bands rehearsal space through the mixer going into 2x15 PA speakers and it sounds great there).
What a difference!! I will NEVER doubt anyone when they say the cabinets don't make a difference and it's all in the amp. The D-800 through the 2x15's sounds incredible! The notes had clarity and definition and most of all, character. I played through several basses and was very impressed. My Precisions thumped and my Jazzes growled like never before. I was grinning from ear to ear like a fool and loving every minute of it. This sucker is LOUD too, putting the Master at 12 o'clock shook the pictures on the wall and still sounded great with no signs of being tapped out and no O/D warning light either. I found my new #1
I was very hesitant to spend that much on a cabinet and I know the old adage of "buy once, cry once" but yeah, this cabinet is worth every penny.
TL/DR: This cabinet is amazing! Tone for days and the power...oh the power! Mesa hit it out of the park with this one! 10/10, would buy again!
Ill assume folks are just as happy with their 2x12s as they are with the 2x15s.
About to pull the trigger going back to a single cab solution, matched with the wd800, instead of 2 hathors. I think it makes sense, could be my disease.
About to pull the trigger going back to a single cab solution, matched with the wd800, instead of 2 hathors. I think it makes sense, could be my disease.
OK, had a chance to play my D-800 through the new 2x15 cabinet yesterday..... well.....settle in my friends (TL/DR at the very bottom for your convenience). Let me preface by saying I am not a professional by any means, merely a weekend warrior playing in a couple of cover bands and way near the bottom as far as skill and bass mastery go. I tell everyone I am not the best player in my neighborhood, heck not even the best player on my street but I manage. I am also not the greatest at trying to describe sounds and don't claim to have the best ears. So.....
My current rigs are an Ampeg V4B RI head with an Ampeg Classic (Made in USA) 8x10 "fridge" cabinet. As most of you are aware, this setup sounds absolutely incredible and is usually the benchmark for bass tone. I don't use this setup much, played a couple of outdoor gigs with it and use it maybe once a week for home practice. My other main rig is a Fender v3 Rumble 500 2x10 combo on top of a Rumble 2x10 extension cabinet for a vertical 4x10 stack. This setup sounds great to me, so good in fact that I was thinking of getting the 500 head and 2 separate Rumble 1x15 cabinets. I use this rig for 90% of my gigs since it's light and easy to move and sounds almost as good as the Ampeg. (Yes it does).
Now we come to the D-800. I normally play this through a Carvin BR115 cabinet that I leave at one of the bands rehearsal spaces. I also play it through a Mesa PH-6x10 cabinet at home. While it sounded good through either of these cabinets, to me the Rumble sounded better which I thought was strange because the D-800 gets so many great reviews. Maybe I don't like the Mesa standard tone, perhaps I couldn't find the settings I liked, I don't know. I don't want to say it sounded sterile, but it was just a plain vanilla type of tone without much character. I have always been a Mesa fan going back to my guitar playing days when I owned a Rectifier stack, so before throwing in the towel and selling it, I decided to try it with the matching 2x15 cabinet. (I use my DI pedal at my other bands rehearsal space through the mixer going into 2x15 PA speakers and it sounds great there).
What a difference!! I will NEVER doubt anyone when they say the cabinets don't make a difference and it's all in the amp. The D-800 through the 2x15's sounds incredible! The notes had clarity and definition and most of all, character. I played through several basses and was very impressed. My Precisions thumped and my Jazzes growled like never before. I was grinning from ear to ear like a fool and loving every minute of it. This sucker is LOUD too, putting the Master at 12 o'clock shook the pictures on the wall and still sounded great with no signs of being tapped out and no O/D warning light either. I found my new #1
I was very hesitant to spend that much on a cabinet and I know the old adage of "buy once, cry once" but yeah, this cabinet is worth every penny.
TL/DR: This cabinet is amazing! Tone for days and the power...oh the power! Mesa hit it out of the park with this one! 10/10, would buy again!
How does the SW215 compare to the PH610? From what I hear, that cabinet is no slouch either. I'm actually lately interested in a PH610. I run mostly 15s a the moment.
This is my 3rd. Harley and none of them ever leaked oil... I am either very lucky or I got cheated
My bikes have always been pretty oil tight:
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,047
- 5
- 221,002
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
That's one rusty Ford
Yeah, Syracuse, NY is pretty rough on vehicles - the F150 has long since been replaced, but I still haven't worn that Harley out yet...
