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

[Al Kraft]

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!View attachment 3254412

Well you certainly started your bass paying career with top drawer equipment!

 

[Jeff Scott]

This is the first bass head I have ever owned...

Not too shabby for your first amp. My first bass amp (bought new, a LONG time ago) was a Traynor YBA-3 into a pair of custom built TL style cabinets with EV 15" drivers in them. The amps (and weight) sure have changed since those days!

 

[GuitarJay]

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.

Ha ha fair enough! I had my Ampeg B2R / SWR Goliath Jr rig for about 15 years. I seem to be reasonably loyal to my equipment... so I'm comfortable making that statement.

 

[Downunderwonder]

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!

You got it all wrong. Newer = moar gooder. You need a new amp.

 

[Al Kraft]

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


Ha ha fair enough! I had my Ampeg B2R / SWR Goliath Jr rig for about 15 years. I seem to be reasonably loyal to my equipment... so I'm comfortable making that statement.

I played that very same set-up on occasion - it worked well for smaller and acoustic gigs. That Ampeg head will probably never go down in history as one of their most popular, but with the right cab and reasonable expectations I always thought it delivered a good tone.

 

[Lammchop93]

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

At my local music go round .
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Munjibunga]

Newer and shinier is better.

 

[chris_b]

Hard to believe that there are 4 Subway heads and 1 pre pedal in the TB classifieds all on page 1...

Only 4? Not really a big number when you consider how many have been sold.

 

[oldrocker]

The new WD800 will not make me sell my walkabout combo but it may make me sell my Aguilar Tone Hammer 500.

I picked up the TH5 as a lightweight amp choice with a little more power than the WA. I've never gotten comfortable with the drive/gain interaction on the TH and I'm pretty sure I can dial in my tone on the WD8 based on my experience with the original WA.

 

[Al Kraft]

The new WD800 will not make me sell my walkabout combo but it may make me sell my Aguilar Tone Hammer 500.

I picked up the TH5 as a lightweight amp choice with a little more power than the WA. I've never gotten comfortable with the drive/gain interaction on the TH and I'm pretty sure I can dial in my tone on the WD8 based on my experience with the original WA.

The WD-800 is definitely more intuitive than the TH500 and it can achieve a broader range in voicing.

 

[bobcruz]

The WD-800 is kicking more amps to the curb than just other Mesa amps--someone just sold their Genzler Magellan (at a fantastic price) in the TB classifieds after getting a WD-800. It's a good thing I haven't seen anyone sell their Streamliners on account of this amp. I put my Streamliner 900 in a death match against the Quilter BB800 and an original Walkabout (serial no. 13!) last summer and the Streamliner won, so I bought a second one. I don't want to stage another death match!

 

[Type-55]

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

I agree with the above conclusions.
I would love to hear an original Walkabout compared to the new version.
I really wonder if the tubes, mosfet outs and toroidal transformer would sound thicker and warmer?
From D800 sounds a little darker and warmer than the new WA.

Great info as usual.

 

[Kukulkan61]

What does the WD stand for in the WD800??

 

[staccatogrowl]

Wondrous Delight (Walkabout class D)

 

[Kukulkan61]

Wondrous Delight (Walkabout class D)

Thank you Sir!