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New mesa subway amps and cabs!

#2,141
agedhorse said:
I'm sure here are others, we each have our unique challenges in satisfying different player tastes.
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Not sure where this belongs, and I completely understand that this falls under different strokes for different etc. I think you know I have nothing but respect for you or Mesa. What I had hoped for was a broader throatier less grainy sounding overdrive. Still using my Subway cabs, pretty close to ordering a 215. It bothers me not a bit to mix brands. I want great sounding gear.
 
#2,142
Running a 2 ohm load with the amp set to 2 ohms (correct configuration) doesn't change the headroom, but there's a little bit of voicing dynamics difference in keeping with the Walkabout philosophy.
 
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#2,143
keto said:
Not sure where this belongs, and I completely understand that this falls under different strokes for different etc. I think you know I have nothing but respect for you or Mesa. What I had hoped for was a broader throatier less grainy sounding overdrive. Still using my Subway cabs, pretty close to ordering a 215. It bothers me not a bit to mix brands. I want great sounding gear.
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This is exactly why I tend to design amps (in general) with fairly mild style overdrive, because different players often have very different preferences in overdrive and distortion flavors.

Because of this, I am very committed to making these amps pedal friendly so that each player can choose their very favorite o/d or distortion pedal(s).

Hope this explanation helps.
 
#2,144
keto said:
It bothers me not a bit to mix brands. I want great sounding gear.
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I noticed that you mentioned GK a few posts back and just wanted to say that I too do some mixing and matching specifically with GK and Mesa. For whatever reason, I find their heads and cabs tend to generally work quite well together. While there are some signature voicing differences, for me both brands seem well-voiced for rock and country...at least the kind I play. They also both have that element in their DNA where the designs seem more focused on sitting well in mix and pleasing an audience than sounding warm and fuzzy at home or in the music store.
 
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#2,146
agedhorse said:
What you guys are experiencing is that different amps suit different tastes. One is not better than the other and that was never intended, though I can understand some player's confusion.
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After playing the WD800 for awhile I looked at my D800 and thought to myself, “I’ll never use that again.”

Then I plugged it in and was was surprised by what I heard. The D800 was so big and deep and smooth compared to the WD800. It gave me a whole new respect for that amp.

IMO... it’s like a Fender Twin vs a JCM800. Neither is better... but they both serve a different purpose.
 
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#2,147
_Some Dude said:
After playing the WD800 for awhile I looked at my D800 and thought to myself, “I’ll never use that again.”

Then I plugged it in and was was surprised by what I heard. The D800 was so big and deep and smooth compared to the WD800. It gave me a whole new respect for that amp.

IMO... it’s like a Fender Twin vs a JCM800. Neither is better... but they both serve a different purpose.
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And THIS is why I still carry mine in my gig bag, even if as backup. Portable as could be for such a great package.
 
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#2,148
After weeks of lurking and reading through the questions and replies from AgedHorse, I finally joined the club. I've always wanted a Mesa amp ever since I demo'd a Prodigy at Russo's Music Center in NJ. I went with the WD800 and a 15" combo, Might add a 12" later or maybe even a 2x12". Russo's and Sweetwater didn't have the 2x12s in stock. Excellent build quality and tone out of this amp and cab. Mesa hit a home run here. BTW the Manual is fantastic as well, well done Chef and Al. Ignore the bass Whammy, I was having some fun playing through Disposition and other Justin Chancellor riffs.
Mesa Amp.jpg
 
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#2,150
_Some Dude said:
Neither is better... but they both serve a different purpose.
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I think this was the big surprise for people who were simply expecting a D-800/800+ with a tube pre in the WD-800. I am still very pleased with my D-800 and equally happy with the WD-800...it's nice to have different tools for varying requirements and just a little variety.
 
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#2,152
agedhorse said:
This is exactly why I tend to design amps (in general) with fairly mild style overdrive, because different players often have very different preferences in overdrive and distortion flavors.

Because of this, I am very committed to making these amps pedal friendly so that each player can choose their very favorite o/d or distortion pedal(s).

Hope this explanation helps.
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Do you see a problem (or limitation) using overdrive component in the effect loop instead of at the input , assuming the gain structure is well adjusted?

Thanks.
 
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#2,153
Leo was right said:
Do you see a problem (or limitation) using overdrive component in the effect loop instead of at the input , assuming the gain structure is well adjusted?

Thanks.
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As long as the device can handle line level, it shouldn't be a problem but instrument level
pedals might overdrive in unpredictable ways.

A clean boost might be another way to increase the amp's overdrive potential, combined with rolling up the HPF.
 
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#2,154
Al Kraft said:
I think this was the big surprise for people who were simply expecting a D-800/800+ with a tube pre in the WD-800. I am still very pleased with my D-800 and equally happy with the WD-800...it's nice to have different tools for varying requirements and just a little variety.
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Having never played a WalkAbout and coming from the Strategy and Carbine with their relatively low levels of preamp drive, a D800 with a preamp tube is what I was expecting.

If there’s one thing I dislike about the D800 it’s the way it feels when the preamp overdrives. It feels like I’m running into a brick wall and I find it sucks the power out of my band.

I find it works better for me when I keep the gain low enough that the OD light never comes on. Harmonically, there seems to be something interesting going on even if the light isn’t flashing, but it retains the full dynamic range on the attack.

The Carbine, despite its reputation for being stiff, has a softer/smoother transition in/out of overdrive. I can hammer a string and not feel like I’m running into a hard limit that’s holding me back. I assume (correctly or incorrectly) that this has something to do with the tube preamp, although the answer is probably more complex than that.

With the WD800 I was more or less expecting the D800 sound with more of the Carbine’s feel on the front end. I wasn’t expecting the midrange or the amount of available breakup on the preamp, but I’m sure glad that I have it.

I started with all the knobs at noon except the HPF (which was zeroed), and the thing that immediately stood out was the detail and the texture of the attack. It felt like I could feel the edge of the pick getting duller through the speakers, and it really emphasized the sound and pitch of my fingers dragging across the strings... and it did so in a very musical way. There was no urge to dial back the attack to mellow it out. It just seemed well tuned to provide detail without harshness.

Then I dimed the gain.

I’ve dimed the gain on other Mesa bass amps and it’s usually not a pleasant experience. On the WD800 it sounded great. Even with the horn still on it wasn’t particularly harsh. It’s kind of like the pick attack above... well tuned and sitting in the right frequency range where I don’t have to do a whole lot to get it to sit right.

I’ve also noticed that the breakup seems primarily focused in the midrange while the low end seems more controlled.

In the end, I set the gain so that it’s relatively clean when I play normally and clips/compresses when I dig in (typically around 1:00-2:00). I bumped up the bass and mids while cutting the treble slightly. (B/M/T = 1:30/1:00/11:00 through PH410s, and bass gets bumped up to 2:30 through a SW210/115). I tried the Ampeg setting on the parametric EQ that someone posted above and it sounds great, but I prefer the parametric zeroed out since it’s more aggressive sounding that way.

Originally, my plan was to trade the D800 in on the WD800, but now I’m thinking I’ll keep both. For me, the WD800 is a great rock amp, meanwhile the D800 with its massive lows and smooth sound is perfect for playing some baby makin’ music.

IMO/YMMV

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#2,157
agedhorse said:
It's "complicated", but as the "engineer of record" for most of these products, I'm in the best position to handle this task.

I was involved from the beginning of Genz Benz amp development all the way through the KMC and Fender eras. All of the companies involved (Genz Benz, KMC, Fender and Mesa) have customer service as a priority and do care very much about those players who supported their respective product lines with their gear purchases so it's really a no brainer to continue doing so with full support of all concerned.

This is what attracted me to Jeff Genzler in the first place (and his current company Genzler continues with this same attention to customer service), which continued unchanged through KMC, Fender and now JAM Industries.

No surprise that when I looked for a new gig, Mesa was an obvious fit for exactly the same reasons, and because of this, they too are on board because supporting players as I do is very much in line with their own dedication to customer service.

Good companies can all step back and support "doing the right thing" by allowing (and encouraging) anything that improves the customer service experience. While it's one thing to talk the talk, I think this is a prime example of companies walking the walk.

Randall is involved in a casual way, and in fact I have studied the 50 year evolution of his designs and a bunch of concepts to incorporate where he might have gone if he wasn't so deeply involved with the guitar side of the business. R & D very much involves the melding of legacy ideas and concepts with newer approaches and technology. This is an area where Randall and I have the most collaboration.

Hope this helps.
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It's been said many times but I'll say it again.
Andy's Customer Service (whether it's for GB or Mesa) is absolutely second to none!
I purchased a used GB GBE 750 and when it went into Thermal Protect I reached out for his help and he quickly came through with flying colors! Not just identifying the root cause put offering to provide the broken part (fan) at an incredible price. (and I received it for the West coast to Ga all in a few days). Problem solved!

Extremely proud to have 2 of Andy's designs sitting side by side!:thumbsup:

Bass Rigs 2019.jpg

I hope that Mesa knows what a rare find he is (and I suspect that they do).;)

We now return to the normal Mesa (on topic) program .......... :D
 
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