Well the old Mesa's must have become junk...

[Wasnex]

One reason I can afford gear is my son got into the university I work for so tuition was free. Since I had been paying into a 529 from right after he was born, his room and board was covered as well. The day he got his acceptance letter, I told him that was a $200K+ letter. Has one semester left...

No more Beer beer for you then.

 

[nostatic]

No more Beer beer for you then.
View attachment 3253354

That's another piece of the puzzle - I don't drink or smoke.

I'm willing to bet if some here sat down and calculated their beverage budget, they might see some gear opportunities

 

[B-line]

BEER, you say??

 

[Jim C]

http://nostatic.com/audio/3amps.wav

Very nice.
With the EQ settings they sound similar (to me) but the WD800 does sound a little "bigger" with a wider sound stage.
The 800 and the Forte also sound great.
I would be happy with any of these at home or on stage.
Thanks for doing this.

And I don't smoke or drink either so I can't gain any more cash flow from deleting either of those past vices.
OTOH, within the next 8 months all the big expenses will be pretty much be paid for!

 

[lowplaces]

That's another piece of the puzzle - I don't drink or smoke.

I'm willing to bet if some here sat down and calculated their beverage budget, they might see some gear opportunities

I ordered two cabinets and quit smoking the day afterwards. 4 months later the money I saved from quitting paid for the cabinets.

 

[nostatic]

Very nice.
With the EQ settings they sound similar (to me) but the WD800 does sound a little "bigger" with a wider sound stage.
The 800 and the Forte also sound great.
I would be happy with any of these at home or on stage.
Thanks for doing this.

The WD800 has an edge to it that isn't there with the D800, Forte is somewhat in the middle. There also is a feel difference that doesn't really translate into recordings.

Here's a better one. Fresh strings on the YYD, played a loop (so the playing is the same, levels out of the amp slightly different), then went into the three different amps:

(Zoom H6 mics) WD800 - D800 - Forte - (DI) WD800 - D800 - Forte

One note - I would typically run the Forte that way (flat). The WD800 I've already found I like to get the passive mid at least at 3:00, a bit of bass boost and HPF around 50-60hz, then parametric mid depending on the bass.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

http://nostatic.com/audio/3amps-loop.wav

 

[andysick]

I've been happy with my M-Pulse 600 as my only amp for years ever since I picked it up used... shrug

Same. Amazing pedal platform!
Loving mine, years on.

 

[Wicked G]

The WD800 has an edge to it that isn't there with the D800, Forte is somewhat in the middle. There also is a feel difference that doesn't really translate into recordings.

Here's a better one. Fresh strings on the YYD, played a loop (so the playing is the same, levels out of the amp slightly different), then went into the three different amps:

(Zoom H6 mics) WD800 - D800 - Forte - (DI) WD800 - D800 - Forte

One note - I would typically run the Forte that way (flat). The WD800 I've already found I like to get the passive mid at least at 3:00, a bit of bass boost and HPF around 50-60hz, then parametric mid depending on the bass.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

http://nostatic.com/audio/3amps-loop.wav

Thank you very much for the recordings. I can totally tell that the WD800 would fit me perfectly. That Forte sounds pretty cool too.

 

[nostatic]

Thank you very much for the recordings. I can totally tell that the WD800 would fit me perfectly. That Forte sounds pretty cool too.

No bad pick between the three. The Forte works great set flat. I don't use the on-board compressor as I either don't want compression or I use a pedal. I think where the WD800 wins is flexibility along with a bit more attitude in the head. 3-band parametric, variable HPF, damping - there is a lot to mess around with if you're so inclined

 

[Wicked G]

No bad pick between the three. The Forte works great set flat. I don't use the on-board compressor as I either don't want compression or I use a pedal. I think where the WD800 wins is flexibility along with a bit more attitude in the head. 3-band parametric, variable HPF, damping - there is a lot to mess around with if you're so inclined

I was just hearing the samples again and I never pictured the Forte sounding like that. Don't ask me why, IDK. And maybe it was my speakers, but I could detect some compression in it as well which sounds pretty cool to me. But my money is still going on the WD800.

 

[Al Kraft]

I was just hearing the samples again and I never pictured the Forte sounding like that. Don't ask me why, IDK. And maybe it was my speakers, but I could detect some compression in it as well which sounds pretty cool to me. But my money is still going on the WD800.

That Forte is a very nice sounding head, but not as versatile in voicing options as the WD-800 IMO. However, it is every bit as sweet as you would expect a Bergantino product to be.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I was pretty excited to hear about the WD-800 and was just about ready to pull the trigger on a WD-800 after reading through these threads. But then something surprising happened.

I'm not currently gigging, but I'm playing in two different regular (i.e. weekly) jam sessions plus I just started with a third that expects to play about twice a month. I made a point to use my D-800 in each, which let me hear it in different types of rooms playing different types of music on different basses with different players at different volume levels through different cabinets. After doing that a few times, I concluded the D-800 sounds D**N good and I actually talked myself out of buying the WD-800. I love the idea of having even more flexibility and tweakability but, as of now, I'm *extremely* happy with what I have and will stick with it. It just works that well.

And I think the fact that the "entry" model is so good that it convinces me not to upgrade speaks volumes about the design of this series of heads!

I too was in an internal debate. The D800 is a stellar amp. *edit Going to a new home tomorrow* Sniff.
Ol #202 was a thrill ride while I had her.
#new #39 WD-800 purring in my ear for last half hour....
(sold enough goods that the WD is paid 100% as of tomorrow)
Nice! my rush sale price of the D800, cost me @ 150.00 for 3 years of Joy
That's value retention!
- /\/\3

 

[Doug Parent]

That Forte is a very nice sounding head, but not as versatile in voicing options as the WD-800 IMO. However, it is every bit as sweet as you would expect a Bergantino product to be.

Agreed. I had and LOVED the Berg B-Amp. So pristine and clean and present sounding. I could have made that head work in any scenario but the baked in bass friendly voicing of the Mesa is just undeniable. And the analog controls are far easier to deal with "on the fly" that the menus on the B Amp.

When I got the first D-800 I instantly knew the Berg was going to stay at home no matter how beautiful and clear it sounds. And no I was never enticed by the Forte, the adjustability of the B-Amp has way too many advantages to ignore. That head is a monster. Too bad I can't justify having two at the same time at this stage.

 

[Crusher47]

I hope the old Mesa's are still around....been looking for a Buster for over a year now, I will find one...oh yes, I will find one. And my D-800 is NOT going anywhere

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'm holding on to my D800+. It suits my needs perfectly so there is nothing that could cause me to replace it.

Just quoting this for posterity.

 

[agedhorse]

I hope the old Mesa's are still around....been looking for a Buster for over a year now, I will find one...oh yes, I will find one. And my D-800 is NOT going anywhere

There a Buster in the TB classifieds.

 

[Crusher47]

There a Buster in the TB classifieds.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Al Kraft]

Agreed. I had and LOVED the Berg B-Amp. So pristine and clean and present sounding. I could have made that head work in any scenario but the baked in bass friendly voicing of the Mesa is just undeniable. And the analog controls are far easier to deal with "on the fly" that the menus on the B Amp.

When I got the first D-800 I instantly knew the Berg was going to stay at home no matter how beautiful and clear it sounds. And no I was never enticed by the Forte, the adjustability of the B-Amp has way too many advantages to ignore. That head is a monster. Too bad I can't justify having two at the same time at this stage.

It was that additional complexity that came with the B/Amp that concerned me for live use. Jim easily designed one of the most versatile and best sounding heads ever built with that machine though. For the folks like me who consider simplicity in a head to be a good feature, he then made excellent choices with his Forte offering. It's not as versatile as the B/Amp by a mile, but it is set up perfectly for me and really worked well in every respect when I played it.

 

[pfschim]

thanks very much for the sound clips of the WD, 800 and Forte @nostatic
I'm a big Berg fan and wondered what the Forte (and B|amp) sounded like.
The clips sound very similar. All sound very good, but there are a few discernible differences ... I'm definitely going to have to give the WD800 a personal listening test. Guess its time for a trip to Gelb or Haight Ashbury Music. I need to get a bass in to Gary Brawer for some work, so I might as well make a day of it.

 

[Kentco]

New player here... many years guitar. Just got my Christmas present a few days early. This is the first bass head I have ever owned and I have a Barefaced Four10 ordered.. I can't wait to get them together!