I only demoed the M6 in the store and loved it. Would have spent the $ if I was gigging at the time.
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Questions for Current and Former Carbine owners.
- Thread starter agedhorse
- Start date
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,952
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
I still have my M6 (actually, a "Fathom," and still labelled on the front panel as such), which is the very unit we reviewed in BGM issue #1. That bad boy tested very well, and mine has been bulletproof. I was able to demo an M9 for a while, but as previously noted, it didn't bring anymore firepower to the table, and the M6 is already hella loud. I might use the graphic if I had it, but I've been able to dial in the M6 fairly easily, so I don't really miss the graphic; I tend not to use compression, so the M6 was ideal for me.
As for the rotary Voice switch, I leave mine in the "flat" setting most of the time, although I do also like Voice 2 quite a bit (but I roll off some Treble when I use this setting). A variable control might be nice, but to be honest, I could live without the ability to vary from the "flat" (which is actually scooped) setting. Maybe I have not found the "sweet spot," but on my various Subway heads, I don't find that any of the Voice settings get me into "Carbine territory." I would love this ability, though, if you can work it out! I really love the "aggressively articulate" tone of the Carbines.
I did not use the footswitch much.
Some niggles regarding the layout of the Carbines (which I am sure Andy would not repeat in any modern iteration) regard the "Pull-Deep" and "Pull-Mute" functions. I would much rather see these features on a separate switch/toggle, as it was too easy to tweak the Bass or Master volume knobs (respectively). The DI Level also had a Pull-Pre function, though this was less problematic, as it was not something I would adjust on the fly.
Alan (Chef) and I talked about the Carbines (and other Boogie gear) a good bit, and I lined him up to do the M3 (and PH112) review in BGM issue #5 (the "Boogie issue"), which he, of course, nailed!
Mesa/Boogie has, over a span of decades, put out some of my absolute favorite-sounding bass heads - like the D-180, Bass 400, WalkAbout, M6, Titan V-12 - which all have their own voice and personality. I definitely love that you (Andy) and co. are finding ways to bring back what people love about these iconic heads, and combine these tones/features with the benefits of more modern design and components. Keep up the good work!
I still have my M6 (actually, a "Fathom," and still labelled on the front panel as such), which is the very unit we reviewed in BGM issue #1. That bad boy tested very well, and mine has been bulletproof. I was able to demo an M9 for a while, but as previously noted, it didn't bring anymore firepower to the table, and the M6 is already hella loud. I might use the graphic if I had it, but I've been able to dial in the M6 fairly easily, so I don't really miss the graphic; I tend not to use compression, so the M6 was ideal for me.
As for the rotary Voice switch, I leave mine in the "flat" setting most of the time, although I do also like Voice 2 quite a bit (but I roll off some Treble when I use this setting). A variable control might be nice, but to be honest, I could live without the ability to vary from the "flat" (which is actually scooped) setting. Maybe I have not found the "sweet spot," but on my various Subway heads, I don't find that any of the Voice settings get me into "Carbine territory." I would love this ability, though, if you can work it out! I really love the "aggressively articulate" tone of the Carbines.
I did not use the footswitch much.
Some niggles regarding the layout of the Carbines (which I am sure Andy would not repeat in any modern iteration) regard the "Pull-Deep" and "Pull-Mute" functions. I would much rather see these features on a separate switch/toggle, as it was too easy to tweak the Bass or Master volume knobs (respectively). The DI Level also had a Pull-Pre function, though this was less problematic, as it was not something I would adjust on the fly.
Alan (Chef) and I talked about the Carbines (and other Boogie gear) a good bit, and I lined him up to do the M3 (and PH112) review in BGM issue #5 (the "Boogie issue"), which he, of course, nailed!
Mesa/Boogie has, over a span of decades, put out some of my absolute favorite-sounding bass heads - like the D-180, Bass 400, WalkAbout, M6, Titan V-12 - which all have their own voice and personality. I definitely love that you (Andy) and co. are finding ways to bring back what people love about these iconic heads, and combine these tones/features with the benefits of more modern design and components. Keep up the good work!
Absolutely spot on!!!!!
I use the rotary switch. It lives on setting #2, but I use #4 on occasion. I stayed away from the odds; #’s 1, 3, and 5. 1 and 5 gave a little too pronounced low end and mids. (respectively).
I never used a footswitch with the magnificent M9.
I don’t think a continuous rotary voicing control would be better than the five-positions distinctly offered. With the preset voices, the graphic EQ is my preference for dialing in the final details on my sound.
The level difference in the five presets did not apply to me, as I never switched presets during a gig.
I have no response comparing the current voice controls on the Subway E-350/800/800+, since I have never played them. I do have a TT800. Andy the AgedHorse advised me, via email, that the TT800 was the closest sounding Mesa Boogie amp compared to the elusive and no longer serviceable M9 Carbine. I have had no success getting into the same ballpark, soundwise, with the TT800. I do believe the Boogie Channel gets me closer to M9 sound than the Subway Channel. Although I haven’t used it, the voice control options on the 800+ had me leaning toward that option before AgedHorse suggested I go with the TT800. I like the idea of identifying a more specific frequency(ies) and being able to boost or cut what I want instead of a control giving influence over a more broad range of frequencies.
Glad to share my experience, Andy. I appreciate your wisdom and continued efforts to give the players what we want.
I never used a footswitch with the magnificent M9.
I don’t think a continuous rotary voicing control would be better than the five-positions distinctly offered. With the preset voices, the graphic EQ is my preference for dialing in the final details on my sound.
The level difference in the five presets did not apply to me, as I never switched presets during a gig.
I have no response comparing the current voice controls on the Subway E-350/800/800+, since I have never played them. I do have a TT800. Andy the AgedHorse advised me, via email, that the TT800 was the closest sounding Mesa Boogie amp compared to the elusive and no longer serviceable M9 Carbine. I have had no success getting into the same ballpark, soundwise, with the TT800. I do believe the Boogie Channel gets me closer to M9 sound than the Subway Channel. Although I haven’t used it, the voice control options on the 800+ had me leaning toward that option before AgedHorse suggested I go with the TT800. I like the idea of identifying a more specific frequency(ies) and being able to boost or cut what I want instead of a control giving influence over a more broad range of frequencies.
Glad to share my experience, Andy. I appreciate your wisdom and continued efforts to give the players what we want.
My M6 has just been through service. It's still authoritative and powerful and I really like it through my Subway 112 and 115 cabs.
I do not have the footswitch and I have never felt the need for one.
I use position #3 (flat) the most. I occasionally use #4. I never use the other positions that I find too extreme (especially 1 and 5).
I have never owned / tested a Subway head so I cannot compare.
I do not have the footswitch and I have never felt the need for one.
I use position #3 (flat) the most. I occasionally use #4. I never use the other positions that I find too extreme (especially 1 and 5).
I have never owned / tested a Subway head so I cannot compare.
Yes.
I found the more moderate of the two scooped settings (setting 2?) the most useful, however I felt all the settings could be useful in the right context and I appreciated that I had them as options.
I didn't even know that was an option.
If it can achieve similar audio results I see no drawbacks to a continuous control.
I never changed presets. I would think this would earn me a stern talking to from the soundman.
I liked the D800. I generally dialled it in somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00.
I like Mesa's voicing controls. Both yours and legacy designs. Ultimately I don't have a preference one way or the other, all I care about is that the end result sounds good.
I do like to use a voice control to set the overall sound/response of the amp, which frees up the EQ to dial in for the room.
I like how a voice control lets me dial in multiple sounds/eras/responses without needing a degree in audio engineering.
How many of you use/used the rotary voicing switch?
I use the rotary switch when I require a different sounding bass.
What position(s) did you use and what positions did you not use (or avoid)?
I use position 2 mostly with my eqs mostly at or near 12:00
position 1 when I am playing around and want a huge bottom
positions 3 and 4 when I need to dial in more mids quickly either for the venue and/ or the song
I don't really use position 5.
Did you use the 5 button footswitch?
Other than a tuner, I avoid footswitches and pedals of all types.
Our former member the late Chef was a huge Carbine fan, he had mentioned several times making the control continuous rather than switched. Any thoughts on this?
I miss Chef.
I disagree with him on the continuous. It is too easy to be a little off and not get the sound you are looking for without going back one or two times. With it switched, you always know what to expect. I hate fiddling with an amp. I want to set it and forget it. If I need to change, I want it to to be fast and easy.
How did you deal with the level differences between the 5 presets?
That's one of the reasons that I love my M6. Fairly flat gives me what I want and the voice switch adds or subtracts what I need quickly when I am looking for a different sound without needing to make multiple adjustments.
How does the current voice control on the Subway D-350/800/800+ amps compare with the voicing switch implementation on the Carbines (ignoring the amp’s different native voicing of course)?
I was unable to use the voicing switch on the 800 and 800+ with the ease that my M6's voicing switch had.
I must admit, part of that was from me trying to match the different native voicings unsuccessfully.
I recently picked up a TT-800 and have another 800+ on the way.
I need to figure out a "good enough" replacement for my M6 because, like me, my M6 seems to get heavier as I get older.
I use the rotary switch when I require a different sounding bass.
What position(s) did you use and what positions did you not use (or avoid)?
I use position 2 mostly with my eqs mostly at or near 12:00
position 1 when I am playing around and want a huge bottom
positions 3 and 4 when I need to dial in more mids quickly either for the venue and/ or the song
I don't really use position 5.
Did you use the 5 button footswitch?
Other than a tuner, I avoid footswitches and pedals of all types.
Our former member the late Chef was a huge Carbine fan, he had mentioned several times making the control continuous rather than switched. Any thoughts on this?
I miss Chef.
I disagree with him on the continuous. It is too easy to be a little off and not get the sound you are looking for without going back one or two times. With it switched, you always know what to expect. I hate fiddling with an amp. I want to set it and forget it. If I need to change, I want it to to be fast and easy.
How did you deal with the level differences between the 5 presets?
That's one of the reasons that I love my M6. Fairly flat gives me what I want and the voice switch adds or subtracts what I need quickly when I am looking for a different sound without needing to make multiple adjustments.
How does the current voice control on the Subway D-350/800/800+ amps compare with the voicing switch implementation on the Carbines (ignoring the amp’s different native voicing of course)?
I was unable to use the voicing switch on the 800 and 800+ with the ease that my M6's voicing switch had.
I must admit, part of that was from me trying to match the different native voicings unsuccessfully.
I recently picked up a TT-800 and have another 800+ on the way.
I need to figure out a "good enough" replacement for my M6 because, like me, my M6 seems to get heavier as I get older.
My experience was with a Fathom at a local guitar shop. Interestingly enough, it was plugged into a PH 2x12 which turned me on to using 12" speaker to this day. That amp was certainly special and I thought that the rotary voicing knob was exceptional. As much as that wonderful amp tugged at me , It just couldn't make me part with my M-Pulse. With that being said, and if a D class carbine inspired Carbine is being considered...... DEFINITELY include the compressor like the M9 and MP. With that being said, semi-parametric knobs like on the WD would be genius.
Now that this is in discussion, it just dawned on me, that a rotary voicing knob on a 350W version would be very special and very useful for those aging bass players who are downsizing and playing in cover bands. I think the voicing knob would make ituch more marketable to more players.
Now that this is in discussion, it just dawned on me, that a rotary voicing knob on a 350W version would be very special and very useful for those aging bass players who are downsizing and playing in cover bands. I think the voicing knob would make ituch more marketable to more players.
My good friend has an M9, which gets used regularly live in a hard rock/metal cover band, with a Rumble 210 & Avatar 126.
Voicing is always on 3, graphic has a wide mid bump, pull-deep is off, B/M/T dials I'm not 100% sure about, but likely between 11:00 & 1:00, if not at noon.
The irony is the M9 has so much tonal variety available, yet it's being treated as a set it & forget it in this case.
Would a smooth (vs notched) tilt EQ knob be useful? Maybe for quick one-knob adjustments.
Conservatively voiced, as to not give extreme boomy or bitey results.
Voicing is always on 3, graphic has a wide mid bump, pull-deep is off, B/M/T dials I'm not 100% sure about, but likely between 11:00 & 1:00, if not at noon.
The irony is the M9 has so much tonal variety available, yet it's being treated as a set it & forget it in this case.
Would a smooth (vs notched) tilt EQ knob be useful? Maybe for quick one-knob adjustments.
Conservatively voiced, as to not give extreme boomy or bitey results.
