Tube head through Mesa Subway 2x15

[BassAssHat]

Hey everyone! Been a longtime reader and wasn't able to find the answer to this specific question so I set up this account.

Recently picked up a Mesa D800 head and Mesa Subway 2x15 cabinet based on recommendations on this forum. I love how light the cabinet is, but I'm not really digging the tone overall compared to my previous rig of a Mesa Walkabout into 2x10 and 1x15 (yes, I know now that this is a bad combo but it sounded great, even though the speakers were poopy Avatars).

Not sure if I'm not digging the head/cab or both. Has anyone run a tube amp into one of these newer lighter cabinets? Will the horn mess up the tone? Turning it down helped. Just curious if I could successfully pair a Fender Super Bassman or SVT CL into this 2x15 or if anyone has done it. The cab has speakon ins and is made to pair with the class D heads so it seems like an unwise thing to do. It seems like people here seem to really dig the Subway cabinets so I am assuming my issue is with the head. I like having some grit in my tone. I am also considering moving to the new GK Legacy 800 to get some of that grind back, but not sure if it's going to be worth the upgrade if it's similar to the D800. Any advice/experience?

 

[BogeyBass]

Technically you can run any head into it.

But yes class D and neos is the last place to find grind. Lol and yes aren't speakons amazing.
Just means another 30 bucks to run a tube head

Not sure what drivers your talking but your older setup regardless of speaker size / mismatch. Might have been good old plain jain eminence ceramic drivers.

Yep sound better. Probably a 2x15 with drivers you like and real amp make yah happy.

Cb158, kappa pro, Delta Pro 2x15 and 300 real watts all yah need

If serious with SVT tube head. Use big boy matching SVT215E. Certain overtone that small high tuned neo cabinets won't get.

Over head is there with Neos don't get me wrong. But I've sold all of mine. And all my svts.

Orange and Traynor figured it out. 200 watt tube head that don't melt tubes. And kappa pro loaded cabs. There is your grind my friend. Heck even orange solid states figured it out. No switch turds, Blinky winky lights or effects loops. One cord in, one cord out.done

 

[Roland GR 88]

A tube head will pair nicely with that cab. Speakon to 1/4" cables are easily found if you need one. You may or may not like the tone but I'd put that judgment against the head and not the speakers. Neo or otherwise.
I too bought a combination Aguilar TH500 and Bergantino 2x12 neo based on reviews here and have since ditched the TH500 for a 40w Traynor tube head and haven't looked back.
Good luck and welcome to TB

 

[BassAssHat]

Technically you can run any head into it.

But yes class D and neos is the last place to find grind. Lol and yes aren't speakons amazing.
Just means another 30 bucks to run a tube head

Not sure what drivers your talking but your older setup regardless of speaker size / mismatch. Might have been good old plain jain eminence ceramic drivers.

Yep sound better. Probably a 2x15 with drivers you like and real amp make yah happy.

Cb158, kappa pro, Delta Pro 2x15 and 300 real watts all yah need

If serious with SVT tube head. Use big boy matching SVT215E. Certain overtone that small high tuned neo cabinets won't get.

Over head is there with Neos don't get me wrong. But I've sold all of mine. And all my svts.

Orange and Traynor figured it out. 200 watt tube head that don't melt tubes. And kappa pro loaded cabs. There is your grind my friend. Heck even orange solid states figured it out. No switch turds, Blinky winky lights or effects loops. One cord in, one cord out.done

So you suggest ditching my entire rig (head + cab)? What Orange and Traynor amps do you suggest I check out? I heard the Terror Bass doesn't come close to their all-tube offering. And at that price I'd look into the SBM or SVT CL. I assumed that the Subway cabs could do the overdrive thing since they introduced the WD800.

 

[BassAssHat]

A tube head will pair nicely with that cab. Speakon to 1/4" cables are easily found if you need one. You may or may not like the tone but I'd put that judgment against the head and not the speakers. Neo or otherwise.
I too bought a combination Aguilar TH500 and Bergantino 2x12 neo based on reviews here and have since ditched the TH500 for a 40w Traynor tube head and haven't looked back.
Good luck and welcome to TB

Great! So you're running a tube head into the neo cab using just a special cable?

 

[agedhorse]

Technically you can run any head into it.

But yes class D and neos is the last place to find grind. Lol and yes aren't speakons amazing.
Just means another 30 bucks to run a tube head

Not sure what drivers your talking but your older setup regardless of speaker size / mismatch. Might have been good old plain jain eminence ceramic drivers.

Yep sound better. Probably a 2x15 with drivers you like and real amp make yah happy.

Cb158, kappa pro, Delta Pro 2x15 and 300 real watts all yah need

If serious with SVT tube head. Use big boy matching SVT215E. Certain overtone that small high tuned neo cabinets won't get.

Over head is there with Neos don't get me wrong. But I've sold all of mine. And all my svts.

Orange and Traynor figured it out. 200 watt tube head that don't melt tubes. And kappa pro loaded cabs. There is your grind my friend. Heck even orange solid states figured it out. No switch turds, Blinky winky lights or effects loops. One cord in, one cord out.done

Don't waste your time reading this unhelpful, inaccurate, post. He has an agenda that is not valuable to anybody who is looking for useful, accurate, factual information.

Lie #1: You need a $30 SpeakOn to 1/4" cable... BS, you can use the 1/4"-1/4" cable that you already own because the cabinet uses SpeakOn CombiCons that include both a SpeakOn and 1/4" jack in the same housing.

Lie #2: Use the matching SVT 215E cabinet... Use ANY 215 cabinet that works for you. There are PLENTY of great 215's that are being used with SVT's every day with no issues.

If you don't care for the amp and/or cabinet, if they don't suit your personal tastes or needs, or if you are not willing to explore more possibilities to learn how they might work better for you then by all means return them and move on. Nobody wants you to be unhappy with your purchase, especially us.

 

[BassAssHat]

Don't waste your time reading this unhelpful, inaccurate, post. He has an agenda that is not valuable to anybody who is looking for useful, accurate, factual information.

Lie #1: You need a $30 SpeakOn to 1/4" cable... BS, you can use the 1/4"-1/4" cable that you already own because the cabinet uses SpeakOn CombiCons that include both a SpeakOn and 1/4" jack in the same housing.

Lie #2: Use the matching SVT 215E cabinet... Use ANY 215 cabinet that works for you. There are PLENTY of great 215's that are being used with SVT's every day with no issues.

If you don't care for the amp and/or cabinet, if they don't suit your personal tastes or needs, or if you are not willing to explore more possibilities to learn how they might work better for you then by all means return them and move on. Nobody wants you to be unhappy with your purchase, especially us.

Thanks for the info. I guess I questioned if it would work because the 2x15 Subway seemed suited for HiFi sounds to me because of the horn and how light it was. The 8x10 in my practice space (A Randall cab that's copying the Ampeg fridge) doesn't have a horn, and I didn't know if those amps were better suited for that kind of cabinet build. I've seen it stated here that cabs like the Subway were made specifically to pair with these class D offerings. Didn't know if a tube head would sound super different through a modern cab since I know that both aspects make a difference.

 

[Roland GR 88]

Great! So you're running a tube head into the neo cab using just a special cable?

No, just a normal 1/4 - 1/4 as the Berg cab has combi-jacks that take both types. Not all cabs do, but @agedhorse has pointed out that yours will accept both.

 

[donahue]

Just turn your horn off. Now it's just a neo 215. I have a GB NeoX212, and I do not care for the horn. I turn it off and that neo cab sounds great with any and all amps. A monster. I suspect the Subway 215 will sound just as good if not better with any amp.

 

[BassAssHat]

Just turn your horn off. Now it's just a neo 215. I have a GB NeoX212, and I do not care for the horn. I turn it off and that neo cab sounds great with any and all amps. A monster. I suspect the Subway 215 will sound just as good if not better with any amp.

I don't think the cab can turn off the horn entirely. It just allows me to turn it down, which I did.

 

[donahue]

I don't think the cab can turn off the horn entirely. It just allows me to turn it down, which I did.

Hmm. Did not know that. Maybe you can take the back panel off and disconnect it? If I bought the Subway 215 and could not turn the horn off I would probably do that. I've been eyeing that cab, but never need a horn either.

 

[Valveman]

Has anyone run a tube amp into one of these newer lighter cabinets?

Yes and the cabs sound great. Picture from a gig 3 weeks ago. The WD-800 gets the call this week.

 

[pfschim]

So you suggest ditching my entire rig (head + cab)? What Orange and Traynor amps do you suggest I check out? I heard the Terror Bass doesn't come close to their all-tube offering. And at that price I'd look into the SBM or SVT CL. I assumed that the Subway cabs could do the overdrive thing since they introduced the WD800.

as agedhorse suggested .. Mr BBass has a pretty consistent anti Class D and Neo agenda ... a class D amp must have stolen his girlfriend in the past or kicked sand in his face at the beach, or something else equally traumatic.

The Subway cabs will do grind no problem, and the WD800 will also do the same in grand style. Its not an SVT thru a flatback 810, but it was never meant to be.

enjoy!

 

[BassAssHat]

as agedhorse suggested .. Mr BBass has a pretty consistent anti Class D and Neo agenda ... a class D amp must have stolen his girlfriend in the past or kicked sand in his face at the beach, or something else equally traumatic.

The Subway cabs will do grind no problem, and the WD800 will also do the same in grand style. Its not an SVT thru a flatback 810, but it was never meant to be.

enjoy!

What head would get me closest to an SVT thru a flatback 810? The SVT I assume?

 

[pfschim]

What head would get me closest to an SVT thru a flatback 810? The SVT I assume?

ha, well sure, if what you want to hear is the classic sound of an SVT thru a flatback fridge, then that's exactly what you should get.

your OP asked if you could run a big tube amp like an SVT or a Fender Super Bassman into a Subway 2x15, and of course you have gotten the answer to that question .. which is yes.

Are you now asking how to get the SVT/fridge sound ? ... if so, as I said, the best way is to use ... (wait for it) an SVT and a fridge.

Are there other ways to approximate that sound ... you bet.

One example would be the Tech21 products (VT, VT DI, VT Deluxe and others) which are meant to cop the classic SVT and B15 tones thru any amp.

The Mesa Strategy has a "voice" control, one setting of which is specifically meant to sound like an SVT into an 810.

the list goes on and on .. try searching TB for SVT alternatives or something like that.

good luck

 

[Wasnex]

What head would get me closest to an SVT thru a flatback 810? The SVT I assume?

IMHO, The SVT is relatively flat but does have some unique sonic characteristics. The 810 has a very strong baked in tone and has a big influence on the overall sound. I think it's one of the least transparent cabs you can buy, and it tends to make amps sound more alike, rather than revealing subtle nuances that different amps manifest in their tone. I would not expect a Subway 215 to sound like a flatback 810, regardless of the amp you are using.

If you go to a Mesa store, I suggest trying out the WD-800. It has a very powerful EQ section that should allow you to dial pretty much any tone profile you want. What it may not do is provide the feel and OD characteristics you are looking for with an SVT and 810.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi BassAssHat

Just curious if I could successfully pair a Fender Super Bassman or SVT CL into this 2x15 or if anyone has done it.

A heavy amp on a lightweight cab? It' s blaspheme!

But it works perfectly fine, especially on a stormy day!

I don't think the cab can turn off the horn entirely. It just allows me to turn it down, which I did.

I am pretty sure that you can turn it off. (to 0)

The 15 inch speaker gets the full frequency range (no crossover) and the tweety is protected with a HPF.

When you turn off the horn you will still have high freqs coming from the speaker!


But I am sure that Andy agedhorse

will show up and explain better than I can!


Check all possible combinations! And rock what you like!


may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[BassAssHat]

Hi BassAssHat



A heavy amp on a lightweight cab? It' s blaspheme!

But it works perfectly fine, especially on a stormy day!



I am pretty sure that you can turn it off. (to 0)

The 15 inch speaker gets the full frequency range (no crossover) and the tweety is protected with a HPF.

When you turn off the horn you will still have high freqs coming from the speaker!


But I am sure that Andy agedhorse

will show up and explain better than I can!


Check all possible combinations! And rock what you like!


may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

I am excited to try putting an old all tube amp through the cab now. Thanks!!!

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Valveman

Picture from a gig 3 weeks ago

I bet Geddy would love that part of your rig!

couldn 't resist!

Wise(b)ass

 

[GreyBeard]

Don't waste your time reading this unhelpful, inaccurate, post. He has an agenda that is not valuable to anybody who is looking for useful, accurate, factual information.

Lie #1: You need a $30 SpeakOn to 1/4" cable... BS, you can use the 1/4"-1/4" cable that you already own because the cabinet uses SpeakOn CombiCons that include both a SpeakOn and 1/4" jack in the same housing.

Lie #2: Use the matching SVT 215E cabinet... Use ANY 215 cabinet that works for you. There are PLENTY of great 215's that are being used with SVT's every day with no issues.

If you don't care for the amp and/or cabinet, if they don't suit your personal tastes or needs, or if you are not willing to explore more possibilities to learn how they might work better for you then by all means return them and move on. Nobody wants you to be unhappy with your purchase, especially us.

WHAT HE WROTE ^^^^^!