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New mesa subway amps and cabs!

#1,545
s_wood said:
View attachment 3275391 First gig with the WD800 this past Saturday. It’s sitting on top of a fEarful 15/6/1.

For reference, I currently own several other Mesa amps: a D800+, a Strategy, an mPulse 600 and a 400+. (I also frequently gig with an Alembic
F-1X / Crest ProLite 2.0 and a Reeves 225). I’ve gigged all of those amps with the fEarful 15/6/1 cab in this venue over the past few years, so I am am pretty familiar with both the cab (I love it) and the venue’s acoustics (they are horrible).

Short version: I absolutely love the WD800! It has the tonal versatility of the D800+ coupled with the warmth of the mPulse. I’m amazed at the difference in character that exists between 10 o’clock and 1 o’clock on the gain knob! At 10-11 o’clock the WD800 has a clean tube-like warmth and clarity that I just love. Inherently brighter than the mPulse (but nothing that backing off on the treble control a bit can’t cure) and close to my beloved F-1X in warmth. Push the gain to noon and there is a bit of tube saturation or “fur,” especially when I dig in with the Alembic (a high output bass). The EQ is powerful and musical, and the HPF was crucial to getting a decent tone at this venue, where my cabinet is within a couple of feet of the corner of the room, surrounded by glass :(. The acoustics made it hard to hear a big difference with the damping control, but I was able to tighten the bottom end a bit by using it in the middle position. Nice!

This amp won’t be for everybody - the D800+ is fine if your preference is always for a clean and quick tone. I can imagine that many players will like both the D800/800+ and the WD800, but I also suspect that most will prefer one over the other. They are in the same general tone ballpark, but the differences between them are real and usable. The WD800 does the light saturation thing better, and with the 800/800+ it’s easier to get a quick, modern tone. But each can get close to the other.

Andy, you are on a roll! Thanks to you and Mesa Boogie for these amps!
Click to expand...
Bloody beautiful summary.
I guess I should divulge. I love Funk, Country, Rock, Blues and everything in between so as you can see I’m trying to cover a lot of tonal basses(no pun intended). I have a good ear so all I want to know is if I got the WD800 and 2 1x15’s, could I dial in accommodating tones for all of that? I am convinced I could going off what you have said! The reason I need the versatility is that I write in many different styles. The amp will mainly but not exclusively be a studio tool where all of these genres will be excersised in some form or another! Thank you so much.
 
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#1,548
Lowendtech said:
I’ve been playing around with my two day old WD-800 and all my cabs (3 Barefaced, 3 Audiokinesis). Yummy is the short version.
Right now my favourites are 2x12’s. A Hathor 1203/C112T stack and a BF SuperTwin. The tone is just amazing.

<snip>

Now I just gotta figure out what to sell to get the 215. :smug:
Click to expand...

If your BF Super Twin is the most recent version, you could sell it to me. :-D
 
#1,549
Calvin Maine said:
What does anyone here think about a individual 12 mixed with a 15? Could that offer a nice tonal option or should I just go with my original plan of 2x15 singles??
Click to expand...

This works for wonderfully. I only need the WD-800 to finish this rig.

2019-01-03 Gig Rig small.jpg
 
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#1,550
s_wood said:
View attachment 3275391 First gig with the WD800 this past Saturday. It’s sitting on top of a fEarful 15/6/1.

For reference, I currently own several other Mesa amps: a D800+, a Strategy, an mPulse 600 and a 400+. (I also frequently gig with an Alembic
F-1X / Crest ProLite 2.0 and a Reeves 225). I’ve gigged all of those amps with the fEarful 15/6/1 cab in this venue over the past few years, so I am am pretty familiar with both the cab (I love it) and the venue’s acoustics (they are horrible).

Short version: I absolutely love the WD800! It has the tonal versatility of the D800+ coupled with the warmth of the mPulse. I’m amazed at the difference in character that exists between 10 o’clock and 1 o’clock on the gain knob! At 10-11 o’clock the WD800 has a clean tube-like warmth and clarity that I just love. Inherently brighter than the mPulse (but nothing that backing off on the treble control a bit can’t cure) and close to my beloved F-1X in warmth. Push the gain to noon and there is a bit of tube saturation or “fur,” especially when I dig in with the Alembic (a high output bass). The EQ is powerful and musical, and the HPF was crucial to getting a decent tone at this venue, where my cabinet is within a couple of feet of the corner of the room, surrounded by glass :(. The acoustics made it hard to hear a big difference with the damping control, but I was able to tighten the bottom end a bit by using it in the middle position. Nice!

This amp won’t be for everybody - the D800+ is fine if your preference is always for a clean and quick tone. I can imagine that many players will like both the D800/800+ and the WD800, but I also suspect that most will prefer one over the other. They are in the same general tone ballpark, but the differences between them are real and usable. The WD800 does the light saturation thing better, and with the 800/800+ it’s easier to get a quick, modern tone. But each can get close to the other.

Andy, you are on a roll! Thanks to you and Mesa Boogie for these amps!
Click to expand...

This makes me wish that I hadn't sold my 12/6, but I'm sure the WD800 would play nicely with my F112 :thumbsup:
 
#1,551
GuitarJay said:
If your BF Super Twin is the most recent version, you could sell it to me. :-D
Click to expand...
But then what would I put this amp on to keep it off the floor.
63BD4BF3-E6F5-4CA5-B485-16D9B264FA46.jpeg


Plus it sounds so good with the WD-800. I’d almost rather sell one of my single driver cabs like the BBII or the C1533.
 
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#1,552
Lowendtech said:
But then what would I put this amp on to keep it off the floor.
View attachment 3275982

Plus it sounds so good with the WD-800. I’d almost rather sell one of my single driver cabs like the BBII or the C1533.
Click to expand...

Well keep me in mind if you change your mind; I think I’m reasonably local!

I don’t use tweeters, but maybe the BBII if you decide to unload that .... so few Barefaced for sale in Canada!
 
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