New mesa subway amps and cabs!

[agedhorse]

Regarding gigging, this was one of the challenges with the Walkabout.

At gig volumes for a significant number of players, it simply wasn't enough no matter how good the lower volume tone was.

As part of listening to and responding to the majority of requests, extending as much of the native tone into the higher volume applications was a priority. By the necessity of the basic WA architecture, this was the tradeoff. IMO, the WD is going to be a better gigging amp for those who need the higher volume.

If volume isn't a concern, and you don't want the additional features, there are plenty of used WAs available to continue to fill that need for quite some time.

 

[Al Kraft]

in my findings, the wd800 isn't a bedroom amp.
I gig a lot ( 3-4 a week) and taking this head out of my house and on to the gig was a game changer for me.
nice work!
some rooms I play weekly and I hate a lot of knobs and or tweaking. that being said this maybe the "multi knob' machine that I fall in love with.
other guys had somewhat bad experiences with the out of the box tone and I experienced the same but on the gig it performed!
on another note I should ad that all of my gigs are different.
I don't play the same songs or vibe every night

yes,
I just admitted to being a gig slut

My favorite amps are the ones I typically least like when playing them alone at home. I need gear that is going to work on a gig, in a mix. Mesa and GK are two brands that seem to be designed with audiences and stage mixes in mind more than how they'll sound in a music store or at home.

 

[Chef]

"sounded different on a gig than at home"

Well of course ;--)
I can't tell you how many thousands of pounds of gear I've liked at home that were an immediate fail at work.

 

[mesaplayer83]

"sounded different on a gig than at home"

Well of course ;--)
I can't tell you how many thousands of pounds of gear I've liked at home that were an immediate fail at work.

+1...

 

[redstrand]

I don’t gig right now, but I demo’d a quilter and this at the local place at excessive volume and both were superlative. Low
Volume at home is always a weird thing but I know to play at volume to hear the “real” sound.

 

[AMJBASS]

Still hard to tell even at high volume solo until you can “feel it” and hear it against other instruments. Generally you can have an idea. My Fender AO P-bass is one of the absolute best basses I have ever owned and sounds just fantastic in a mix. At home it’s rather unremarkable except for having excellent sustain and an even but somewhat aggressive tone. I am super interested in the WD after hearing all of these comments.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Two of the things I really like about this amp are that I can get a really nice range of tones at practice volumes, from clean to overdrive. And the sound through the headphones jack is great. It's perfect for me as a a practice amp. Best ever given the combination of features and tonal range. Especially the ability to get some tubey breakup at lower volumes.

But it's amazing at gig levels! I wondered about how much the tone would change when I cranked it some, and I was pleased that I didn't need to decrease the gain or change anything else, just a little nudge to the mids to sit better in the mix.

I never had a chance to play the Walkabout in a band mix, but I can't imagine the WD being insufficient in any band situation I'd ever come across. (Haven't tried the direct out yet, but I have zero worries given the attention to detail of the other components.)

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Another plug for the WD800. Tuner -> light Studio Bass compression -> WD800. Over the past few years I played many shows at a great venue with the same soundman, using a couple of the other 800 amps and/or Omnicabsim and/or VTbass etc. Soundman was impressed just loving the sound, and saying its the best bass sound yet coming from my rig. Stage sounded amazing with a Hathor 1203 and 1203T.
Great amp, happy with my decision. What else to GAS on now? oh, an ampless setup

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Two of the things I really like about this amp are that I can get a really nice range of tones at practice volumes, from clean to overdrive. And the sound through the headphones jack is great. It's perfect for me as a a practice amp. Best ever given the combination of features and tonal range. Especially the ability to get some tubey breakup at lower volumes.

But it's amazing at gig levels! I wondered about how much the tone would change when I cranked it some, and I was pleased that I didn't need to decrease the gain or change anything else, just a little nudge to the mids to sit better in the mix.

I never had a chance to play the Walkabout in a band mix, but I can't imagine the WD being insufficient in any band situation I'd ever come across. (Haven't tried the direct out yet, but I have zero worries given the attention to detail of the other components.)

The DI is great.

 

[Acoustic356]

I am a fan of my Mesa's depending on what I'm doing, I will either take the WD-800 or the D800+. I have; however, never gotten them to be as articulate or punchy as my Warwick LWA 1000. Even at high volume, the fundamental is on when I play it, and off when it's done.

Any ideas on how to make the Mesa's even more articulate?

 

[nostatic]

I am a fan of my Mesa's depending on what I'm doing, I will either take the WD-800 or the D800+. I have; however, never gotten them to be as articulate or punchy as my Warwick LWA 1000. Even at high volume, the fundamental is on when I play it, and off when it's done.

Any ideas on how to make the Mesa's even more articulate?

I have no articulation issues with the WD-800, didn't have them with the 800+. Not sure I understand your sonic description and what you're trying to achieve.

Sometime a good compressor can help with "punch", but it also can tame the initial note envelope which can take away from "articulation."

 

[Doug Parent]

I am a fan of my Mesa's depending on what I'm doing, I will either take the WD-800 or the D800+. I have; however, never gotten them to be as articulate or punchy as my Warwick LWA 1000. Even at high volume, the fundamental is on when I play it, and off when it's done.

Any ideas on how to make the Mesa's even more articulate?

I hear you. The Mesa vibe for me is more about thickness and authority and focus in the region that probably defines the bass guitar as well as anything else I have heard. But I've had other amps that had more high end detail and extension too. Maybe a cabinet that was a three-way, or used small midrange drivers like the 3" in the Hathor? To date I have never met a bass amp that gave me everything my heart desired plus the kitchen sink. I sold the B/Amp because the Mesa had better lows but a compromise in the high end.

 

[nostatic]

ahh - if "articulation" is judged by treble edge, then the D800/+ doesn't have as much going on up there as say a GK head. For guys that tend toward the Marcus tone, I could see that a Mesa might not be the first choice. I never associate punch with high end sheen though - for me that is mids, and the Mesa heads will do that all day long, particularly the WD-800. Also I find the WD-800 is a bit brighter and edgier out of the box than the D800/+/

 

[oldrocker]

Regarding gigging, this was one of the challenges with the Walkabout.

At gig volumes for a significant number of players, it simply wasn't enough no matter how good the lower volume tone was.

...

If volume isn't a concern, and you don't want the additional features, there are plenty of used WAs available to continue to fill that need for quite some time.

For me I've found the 300 WA watts into 2 12s is plenty for all of the indoor shows I have. For larger shows or outdoor shows I will usually have FOH support and WA is more than enough for stage volume.

I maybe should pick up another WA for a backup amp.

 

[agedhorse]

I am a fan of my Mesa's depending on what I'm doing, I will either take the WD-800 or the D800+. I have; however, never gotten them to be as articulate or punchy as my Warwick LWA 1000. Even at high volume, the fundamental is on when I play it, and off when it's done.

Any ideas on how to make the Mesa's even more articulate?

What cabinets are you using?

ahh - if "articulation" is judged by treble edge, then the D800/+ doesn't have as much going on up there as say a GK head. For guys that tend toward the Marcus tone, I could see that a Mesa might not be the first choice. I never associate punch with high end sheen though - for me that is mids, and the Mesa heads will do that all day long, particularly the WD-800. Also I find the WD-800 is a bit brighter and edgier out of the box than the D800/+/

Correct, the native voice of the WD-800 is along the lines of the earlier build WA's and slightly brighter then the D-800+ with the bright switch off. This was in direct response to player input, especially from some TB players.

 

[LeonD]

other guys had somewhat bad experiences with the out of the box tone and I experienced the same but on the gig it performed!

Sounds like the WD-800 could be the P bass of amps.

 

[socialleper]

Sounds like the WD-800 could be the P bass of amps.

I hope not. I'd hope the WD-800 is more flexible.

 

[AMJBASS]

The WD-800 has a super flexible EQ section. I think if one were to call it "the P-Bass of amps", it would likely be because its sound works great in a mix, while maybe not being prettiest bedroom sound. Actually, from what you guys have said about it, I think it may be a great amp for the P-Bass! I need to get my hands on one of these soon.

 

[Stevorebob]

Sounds like the WD-800 could be the P bass of amps.

I thought that was the SVT.

 

[LeonD]

I think if one were to call it "the P-Bass of amps", it would likely be because its sound works great in a mix, while maybe not being prettiest bedroom sound.

That's the point I was referencing.