A 400+ and a Titan/M9 inspired channel switching amp would be insane. You can take my money for that combo now.
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Pondering Some New Ideas, Need Some Input
- Thread starter agedhorse
- Start date
I do like the variable damping, thought it was an excellent feature right away.
I’m not hounding @agedhorse for a Titan reissue again, last time we got the WD and the TT.
Titan feature set?
please?
No input here. But props to agedhorse for (again) coming to our little community to ask questions instead of locking himself in a room to develop what he hopes would be widely accepted. Communication with prospective purchasers is great.
The fact that you’ve been to upper Darby tickled me!
Built-in load box would be cool so I could saturate my amp at bedroom levels.
Also, a basic tuner and compressor (with sidechain HPF) would be welcome additions in my book so I could just plug-n-play in my bedroom without having to wonder if I've tuned this particular bass since the last weather system and where the crap did my tuner go this time?
I've never owned a head where this was done well, but if we're just kicking around ideas, might as well toss it out. I would love a nicely done distortion/growl control just to add a little oomph sometimes. The biggest problem I have with most built-in distortion is it's just way too 'fizzy' and is often very unbalanced between strings/notes. To that end, I've owned several popular distortion pedals (multiple Darkglass, multiple Sansamp, multi-fx units, heads with built-in distortion, etc) and the only one I've kept thus far is a Darkglass Microtubes X7. I'm very curious about the Orange Bass Butler or the Ashdown Triple Shot though. Seems I prefer multi-band blendable distortion, so I imagine something like splitting the signal, putting a HPF at like 150Hz (or user adjustable), and then being able to blend that back in might get a lot closer than anything else I've tried that's been built in to an amp thus far.
Also, a basic tuner and compressor (with sidechain HPF) would be welcome additions in my book so I could just plug-n-play in my bedroom without having to wonder if I've tuned this particular bass since the last weather system and where the crap did my tuner go this time?
I've never owned a head where this was done well, but if we're just kicking around ideas, might as well toss it out. I would love a nicely done distortion/growl control just to add a little oomph sometimes. The biggest problem I have with most built-in distortion is it's just way too 'fizzy' and is often very unbalanced between strings/notes. To that end, I've owned several popular distortion pedals (multiple Darkglass, multiple Sansamp, multi-fx units, heads with built-in distortion, etc) and the only one I've kept thus far is a Darkglass Microtubes X7. I'm very curious about the Orange Bass Butler or the Ashdown Triple Shot though. Seems I prefer multi-band blendable distortion, so I imagine something like splitting the signal, putting a HPF at like 150Hz (or user adjustable), and then being able to blend that back in might get a lot closer than anything else I've tried that's been built in to an amp thus far.
I have absolutely no need for an amplifier at this point. But I would like to see an "on the floor" version of amplifiers become more common - no power amp, since you're not driving speakers, put in a DI, and have a sweepable lowpass filter (2 pole) as a "speaker emulator". I very much don't want to emulate the highpass filter characteristics of a speaker - I just need to defizz things a bit for dirty sounds.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,953
- 5
- 220,603
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
This was a carryover from the early legacy designs and was dropped on mesa designs starting about 30 years ago.
The ShuttleMax with an AB switch was a user friendly doubler/electric solution, though in hindsight an onboard AB switch w/ 2 inputs would have been a better option had we had enough space.
Cough … (titan 2 inputs foot switchable variable overdrive, active semi para, and passive mids with a built-in adjustable foot switchable solo boost, and variable output for each channel, channel foot switchable, channel paralleling...) Cough…
Perhaps my aim is a bit off…
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I'd just like to say that it's great to see a manufacturer ask for some input from the users. Many Thanks to Aged Horse and Mesa.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
A Mesa class D power amp with selectable damping and sockets to plug in multiple pre-amp inputs and switching to select the pre-amp being heard might be nice.
Especially one as knowledgeable, helpful, and approachable as he has been. I wish I could add to the discussion, but I've only tried a 400+ on the amp modeler on my Line 6 Pod Go
(I haven't tried a 400+ but I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night).Peace.
I am still intrigued by SMPS driven tube output stage. Although I guess one might say the market has spoken, given the failure of Peavey and others with this concept.
Still a 20 lb head with 4 x KT88 on the output section seems like something a lot of people might want to buy, provided it comes in around max $1200.
It may be unobtainable?
Still a 20 lb head with 4 x KT88 on the output section seems like something a lot of people might want to buy, provided it comes in around max $1200.
It may be unobtainable?
400+ is my favorite amp of all time.
That being said, it's too heavy to gig with every week.
The massive power is not necessary for club work. A 100 watt version with compression (and I loved that built in load box idea, the wife would too she just doesn't know it).
That being said, it's too heavy to gig with every week.
The massive power is not necessary for club work. A 100 watt version with compression (and I loved that built in load box idea, the wife would too she just doesn't know it).
You guys are talking like carpenters now.
Awww
No love for the D350 2x8 combo idea?
Shucks.
I'll show myself out...sorry
No love for the D350 2x8 combo idea?
Shucks.
I'll show myself out...sorry
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,953
- 5
- 220,603
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Yes, I think it's simply not possible anywhere near that price range.
Why? Because there is nowhere near enough players who would be needed to actually buy a product like this to get the cost down to anywhere near even $1500. The cost of developing (AND CERTIFYING) an SMPS like this is very high and it must be spread out among a large number of units to be economical. You still have the costs (and size/weight) of the tubes and output transformer. To do this would cost more than using a conventional power transformer, and would still weigh over 30 lbs even with an SMPS.
The Titan would be way better for doublers than a 400. The Titan is a channel switcher so only one channel is active at a time. But it has two inputs that are switchable and two full sets of channel controls.
The 400 has two front ends and two gain controls, but the signals are mixed down to one channel before the tone stack and graphic. I suppose you could get a basic sound with the rotary tone controls and then use the graphic to get your second sound. I have used this sort of setup with a SWR RedHead, an ABY switch, and a 31-band graphic in the effects loop.
I think the switching input idea would work better added to an amp like the TT800. However, you get pretty much the same functionality placing an ABY in front of the amp.
The 400 has two front ends and two gain controls, but the signals are mixed down to one channel before the tone stack and graphic. I suppose you could get a basic sound with the rotary tone controls and then use the graphic to get your second sound. I have used this sort of setup with a SWR RedHead, an ABY switch, and a 31-band graphic in the effects loop.
I think the switching input idea would work better added to an amp like the TT800. However, you get pretty much the same functionality placing an ABY in front of the amp.
