New mesa subway amps and cabs!

[Al Kraft]

Can someone tell me if the WD has the warmth of the 800+?
I played an 800+ today and i was floored at how good it sounded.
My first time trying anything in the new Subway series. I had an M6, but the 800+ was that and then some.

Any input would be appreciated.

My data point is a D-800 vs WD-800, but I would say it has at least equal or more warmth (specifically harmonic richness) and more user control over your tone and voicing - all without sacrificing clarity/note articulation. You may find the WD-800 a touch inherently brighter than the 800+ with everything set at noon, but you have a lot of control that can easily give you more or less of that upper end.

 

[agedhorse]

We are too busy designing new products and building amps/cabs to suffer the (considerable) distraction of NAMM.

I personally miss meeting players and hanging out though.

 

[detracti]

We are too busy designing new products...

That right there.

 

[Doug Parent]

Can someone tell me if the WD has the warmth of the 800+? I played an 800+ today and i was floored at how good it sounded.
My first time trying anything in the new Subway series. I had an M6, but the 800+ was that and then some.
Any input would be appreciated.

If you love the D800+ chances are you will still love it next year for the same reasons. I sold my D800+ and it's the first amp I did not need to sell at all. I just "wanted" the sparkle of a tube and opted for the WD800 instead.
They are somewhat different amplifiers. Only way to know is to try.

 

[JJR58]

My data point is a D-800 vs WD-800, but I would say it has at least equal or more warmth (specifically harmonic richness) and more user control over your tone and voicing - all without sacrificing clarity/note articulation. You may find the WD-800 a touch inherently brighter than the 800+ with everything set at noon, but you have a lot of control that can easily give you more or less of that upper end.

If you love the D800+ chances are you will still love it next year for the same reasons. I sold my D800+ and it's the first amp I did not need to sell at all. I just "wanted" the sparkle of a tube and opted for the WD800 instead.
They are somewhat different amplifiers. Only way to know is to try.

Thanks Al/Doug. I wish there was a WD locally so i could A/B them.

 

[Lfsbera]

We are too busy designing new products and building amps/cabs to suffer the (considerable) distraction of NAMM.

I personally miss meeting players and hanging out though.

The way that you relate to your customers here on TB tells me that not attending NAMM is the right choice!

 

[hennessybass]

Question for the WD800 owners / users...
How are you guys transporting your amp?

Cases? Bags? Nothing, but just being careful? Waiting on rack mount hardware?

Curious.

 

[_Some Dude]

How’s the WD800 compare to amps like the Carbine and Prodigy/Strategy?

I’ve never played a Walkabout, so I don’t have a good frame of reference.

The D800 sounds great in a darker/smoother/thicker sort of way while the Carbine and Strategy have a more aggressive midrange I really dig. Wondering where the WD800 fix into this mix?

 

[mmbass21]

Can someone tell me if the WD has the warmth of the 800+?
I played an 800+ today and i was floored at how good it sounded.
My first time trying anything in the new Subway series. I had an M6, but the 800+ was that and then some.

Any input would be appreciated.

I have the D800+ and WD. I've A/B'd them a few times now. If you were to pull both right out of the box, set everything flat and put damping on high on the WD you'll find that the WD is brighter and a little warmer in the high mids. You can easily dial in either sound with either amp for the most part if you want.
Put damping on low and you get a different feel to the heft of your tone. For me the WD can be more in your face with a growl that I love but not overdriven unless you want that. I wouldn't say either is cleaner or more articulate than the other. It all depends on your playing style and EQ settings. Your cab makes a big difference too. You definitely need to try both to compare.

Question for the WD800 owners / users...
How are you guys transporting your amp?

It comes with a nice padded carry bag with a handle and shoulder strap. Perfect for my needs.

 

[JJR58]

I have the D800+ and WD. I've A/B'd them a few times now. If you were to pull both right out of the box, set everything flat and put damping on high on the WD you'll find that the WD is brighter and a little warmer in the high mids. You can easily dial in either sound with either amp for the most part if you want.
Put damping on low and you get a different feel to the heft of your tone. For me the WD can be more in your face with a growl that I love but not overdriven unless you want that. I wouldn't say either is cleaner or more articulate than the other. It all depends on your playing style and EQ settings. Your cab makes a big difference too. You definitely need to try both to compare.

Thanks MM. I have a Bergantino HT322. I play with a fairly medium to light touch. I definitely don't do the mid scoop thing, but it's the warmth in the upper mids that really matter. I pretty much like clean headroom, and i use a DarkGlass B7K-ultra for any slight grind.

 

[mmbass21]

Thanks MM. I have a Bergantino HT322. I play with a fairly medium to light touch. I definitely don't do the mid scoop thing, but it's the warmth in the upper mids that really matter. I pretty much like clean headroom, and i use a DarkGlass B7K-ultra for any slight grind.

The WD sounds fantastic with Berg HDN112/210. I haven't quite dialed it in with the BF BB2 but it's a perfect match with BF 10s.

 

[Pbassmanca]

I was playing a Fender Performer series jazz bass ( one of the sweetest, playable, nicest sounding Jazz basses I've ever heard) through a Walkabout Scout 12in combo yesterday, and I'm amazed at how wonderful the Walkabout sounds. If the WD 800 sounds anything like that I really want to get me one!

 

[JJR58]

The WD sounds fantastic with Berg HDN112/210. I haven't quite dialed it in with the BF BB2 but it's a perfect match with BF 10s.

Ah, this is good to hear.

 

[Cardiff Giant]

Question for the WD800 owners / users...
How are you guys transporting your amp?

Cases? Bags? Nothing, but just being careful? Waiting on rack mount hardware?

Curious.

Pelican 1550 case. Enough room for the amp and to create a slot for the power and speaker cables.

 

[mmbass21]

I was playing a Fender Performer series jazz bass ( one of the sweetest, playable, nicest sounding Jazz basses I've ever heard) through a Walkabout Scout 12in combo yesterday, and I'm amazed at how wonderful the Walkabout sounds. If the WD 800 sounds anything like that I really want to get me one!

The performer series with the new Yosemite pickups are no joke. I was in GC just to look at used stuff and saw the P bass just chillin on a stand. In short it went home with me. It's incredible, I haven't touched one of my Kiesel's since. Plus got a good black Friday deal on it. It sings with the WD.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Question for the WD800 owners / users...
How are you guys transporting your amp?

Cases? Bags? Nothing, but just being careful? Waiting on rack mount hardware?

Curious.

I like my gigskinz medium mixer bag.
Main compartment holds amp, power cable, korg pitch black, tuner and 3 prong extension cord.
big outter pocker holds, 2 speaker cables, 15 ft and 10 ft guitar cord. smaller pockets hold batterys, tool bag etc.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Frankie Fender]

Question for the WD800 owners / users...
How are you guys transporting your amp?

Cases? Bags? Nothing, but just being careful? Waiting on rack mount hardware?

Curious.

You do know they already come with a padded Mesa amp bag included, right?

 

[Doner Designs]

I am the happy owner of a D800+. Love the parametric EQ and really everything about the amp though I don't use the voicing knob. My excuse for buying an amp when I didn't need one was that my GK Fusion 800 was in the shop for repair (ended up being replaced). I haven't been able to bring myself to sell either.

Now that the WD800 is out, I'm very tempted to sell the GK amp as well as my Empress parametric EQ pedal. Probably could sell the Broughton HPF/LPF box as well. Trying not to do anything rash because it is nice having two flavors but the WD 800 is about the coolest amp I have ever gassed over. Besides Class A tube preamp the 5 band EQ with 3 parametric bands is just off the charts awesome in my book. Not sure how long I can hold out.

The one thing the WD is "missing" for me is the deep switch. Curious why that D800+ feature isn't on the WD. I'm playing through sealed cabs and sometimes the extra ultra-low boost is desirable.

I'll probably be haunting this thread for the foreseeable future reading comments about the WD with great interest.

Wonder how long until Mesa comes out with a 1200 watt amp and which version of the D/WD series will get the power upgrade first.

 

[mmbass21]

@Doner Designs the bass knob is fairly similar to the the deep switch on the D800+. I don't know what the curve bump is but in my testing it provided nearly the same effect by turning it up and turning the HPF down a little since I've been running the HPF between 9 and 10 o'clock.

 

[npbassman]

I got my Wd-800 last week and the sound of my pbass with my bergie cn212 is downright godly! However, I have a question. On the master vol knob, I hear a click (almost like static) at about the 9 to 10 o’clock position. When I turn the knob clockwise, the sound increases slowly before I hit 9 o’ clock but once I hear the click, it gets really loud really fast. Is this normal?