What happened to Mesa Boogie cabinets?

[/\/\3phist0]

Gentlemen, my apologies for the pause in the thread, please do carry on.

Sheesh I missed the train wreck, it was getting bizarre, then I looked away just as apparently it went all pear shaped.

 

[Thir13teen]

I wonder how I got this far in my career without as much knowledge as you?

It's like arguing with the engineers at Audi & telling them "Nope. You're wrong there. That's NOT how the fuel injection works on an Audi R8, blah blah." Ummm yeah....no. You realize you're arguing with the head engineer of Audi's Racing Development, right?

Same difference. Nothing like being a bass player since breakfast & telling not only the guy who designs bass cabinets, but the guy that actually designed an entire rig it for J.C.

 

[Thir13teen]

The thing that made me want to get a Mesa 400+ w/ a 2x15 RR Mesa Cab was seeing Kurt Danielson from TAD play at The Offramp in Seattle in the mid-late 90's. I know nothing about operating a sound board in a venue but I was good friends with the sound guy there (Big Pete - RIP). I couldn't really hear him but I think he was trying to show me how he could (just for a quick second) cut the bass out of the PA & you couldn't really tell. At the time I was using two Eden WT-300's (at the same time) into a 8x8 and 2x12 (stacked). The Mesa setup Kurt had just looked simpler & cleaner especially being in the road case.

But thank you (to everyone who chimed in) & enlightened me why the RR series is gone and that the Subway cabs are lighter & sound better, cheers! BTW - I feel bad that the guy from Mesa Boogie had to state his case & kind of argue with CCarson because of this thread I started, my apologies.

 

[sunbeast]

The thing that made me want to get a Mesa 400+ w/ a 2x15 RR Mesa Cab was seeing Kurt Danielson from TAD play at The Offramp in Seattle in the mid-late 90's. I know nothing about operating a sound board in a venue but I was good friends with the sound guy there (Big Pete - RIP). I couldn't really hear him but I think he was trying to show me how he could (just for a quick second) cut the bass out of the PA & you couldn't really tell. At the time I was using two Eden WT-300's (at the same time) into a 8x8 and 2x12 (stacked). The Mesa setup Kurt had just looked simpler & cleaner especially being in the road case.

But thank you (to everyone who chimed in) & enlightened me why the RR series is gone and that the Subway cabs are lighter & sound better, cheers! BTW - I feel bad that the guy from Mesa Boogie had to state his case & kind of argue with CCarson because of this thread I started, my apologies.

Those old Roady Ready 215 cabs were classics and sounded totally awesome with a powerful and characteristic midrange grunt- "sound better" is a subjective thing and the Subways aren't going to sound the same as a Road-Ready without lots of tweaking. The Subways will be capable of a wider and more even frequency response in a much lighter package, and give you a more neutral package to dial in the mids to taste (not to mention a much larger power handling capability)

 

[Riff Ranger]

I love big, stupid, old cabs … and if the stars ever align, I will score a Subway 2x15 or two and never look back.

 

[BeauZooka]

The thing that made me want to get a Mesa 400+ w/ a 2x15 RR Mesa Cab was seeing Kurt Danielson from TAD play at The Offramp in Seattle in the mid-late 90's. I know nothing about operating a sound board in a venue but I was good friends with the sound guy there (Big Pete - RIP). I couldn't really hear him but I think he was trying to show me how he could (just for a quick second) cut the bass out of the PA & you couldn't really tell. At the time I was using two Eden WT-300's (at the same time) into a 8x8 and 2x12 (stacked). The Mesa setup Kurt had just looked simpler & cleaner especially being in the road case.

But thank you (to everyone who chimed in) & enlightened me why the RR series is gone and that the Subway cabs are lighter & sound better, cheers! BTW - I feel bad that the guy from Mesa Boogie had to state his case & kind of argue with CCarson because of this thread I started, my apologies.

TAD was an incredible band!

 

[Thir13teen]

TAD was an incredible band!

I agree. If you watch the documentary regarding them, the guys at Sub Pop thought that the first band to break that would huge was going to be TAD. I thought the entire doc was interesting

 

[frankie5string]

I love big, stupid, old cabs … and if the stars ever align, I will score a Subway 2x15 or two and never look back.

Haha... you'd be surprised how "small" the Subway 2x15 is. The cabinet edges aren't that far from the edges of the driver. They are almost as deep as they are wide. I'm not very strong and have back/hip/leg issues, but the 2x15 moved easily, and the handles are in the right places.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Haha... you'd be surprised how "small" the Subway 2x15 is. The cabinet edges aren't that far from the edges of the driver. They are almost as deep as they are wide. I'm not very strong and have back/hip/leg issues, but the 2x15 moved easily, and the handles are in the right places.

Oh, I know. I saw them getting painted when I visited!

To clarify, I will not let my deep, genuine fondness for big, stupid, old cabs stand in the way of getting something like the Subway 2x15 that just clearly outperforms them in every way. I don’t think the Subway series is unreasonably priced, either; I’m just operating on a 40-year-old-Peavey-gear-I-already-have budget unless something changes.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Oh, I know. I saw them getting painted when I visited!

View attachment 5381301

To clarify, I will not let my deep, genuine fondness for big, stupid, old cabs stand in the way of getting something like the Subway 2x15 that just clearly outperforms them in every way. I don’t think the Subway series is unreasonably priced, either; I’m just operating on a 40-year-old-Peavey-gear-I-already-have budget unless something changes.

I get it.

You are never going to get the SVT sound without the 810 and even then, there's some argument over what model of 810. Same with other vintage gear. I don't except my Scion XB to ride or sound the same as my 64 Impala. But sometimes you just need to get from point A to B efficiently and the XB does the job. Still, I also drove the Impala for fun, not for efficiency.

Peavey? I still have a Peavey 1820 in the house.

 

[frankie5string]

I get it.

You are never going to get the SVT sound without the 810 and even then, there's some argument over what model of 810. Same with other vintage gear. I done except my Scion XB to ride or sound the same as my 64 Impala. But sometimes you just need to get from point A to B efficiently and the XB does the job. Still, I also drove the Impala for fun, not for efficiency.

Peavey? I still have a Peavey 1820 in the house.

Some of us would be thrilled to never have to deal with an SVT, 1820, or a 64 Impala ever again! lol!

 

[MattZilla]

It's like arguing with the engineers at Audi & telling them "Nope. You're wrong there. That's NOT how the fuel injection works on an Audi R8, blah blah." Ummm yeah....no. You realize you're arguing with the head engineer of Audi's Racing Development, right?

Same difference. Nothing like being a bass player since breakfast & telling not only the guy who designs bass cabinets, but the guy that actually designed an entire rig it for J.C.

I have been prepared for over a decade to tell Toyota & Subaru designers that they screwed up massively with the BRZ/FRS/86 in making it not have the simple feature of liftback glass hatch to make the adequate cargo space that they did give it be actually accessible (Nissan Z has it, it can be done), screwed it up less massively but still big in giving it miniature ricey Ferrari California looks that makes a fast sloping roof a styling essential which made the rear seat useless, making the whole vehicle have only slightly more Monday to Friday utility than a Bakfiets Bicycle instead of letting it ape the boxy 80s Corolla liftback Trueno/Levin that they constantly referenced in their advertising and in the model name “86”.

“Retro wouldn’t have sold well” I’d bet a few of those CALTY higher-ups would’ve said. Tell that to anyone who ever saw the Giugiaro reboot of the Mustang (everyone everywhere).

I recently read that, to make it less slow -motorcycle-with-4-wheels-and-a-cabin into more of a slow lightweight car, allegedly they’re working on a four door version. Jayzuss. So close to the scent. Like they didn’t learn anything from Mazda’s RX-8. $10 says the next one still will technically have the cargo area to fit a 215 perfectly fine with the seats down, but no liftback glass and just a tiny miata trunk lid that barely allows more than a loaded Jansport backpack into & out of the trunk, and it’ll have super desirable four door coupe sloped roof styling that make the rear seat still useless. I hope I’m wrong.

I know I’m not that nearly educated enough to be in the same room as them, but I still think somebody screwed up the research groups results and guided the project into only being a hardtop miata. Sure, the Toyobaru Twins did outsell the MX-5 most years, but I am confident that they could’ve also stolen a lot of Golf, Mazda 3, and other daily driver car sales.

 

[Auer]

I have been prepared for over a decade to tell Toyota & Subaru designers that they screwed up massively with the BRZ/FRS/86 in making it not have the simple feature of liftback glass hatch to make the adequate cargo space that they did give it be actually accessible (Nissan Z has it, it can be done), screwed it up less massively but still big in giving it miniature ricey Ferrari California looks that makes a fast sloping roof a styling essential which made the rear seat useless, making the whole vehicle have only slightly more Monday to Friday utility than a Bakfiets Bicycle instead of letting it ape the boxy 80s Corolla liftback Trueno/Levin that they constantly referenced in their advertising and in the model name “86”.

“Retro wouldn’t have sold well” I’d bet a few of those CALTY higher-ups would’ve said. Tell that to anyone who ever saw the Giugiaro reboot of the Mustang (everyone everywhere).

I recently read that, to make it less slow -motorcycle-with-4-wheels-and-a-cabin into more of a slow lightweight car, allegedly they’re working on a four door version. Jayzuss. So close to the scent. Like they didn’t learn anything from Mazda’s RX-8. $10 says the next one still will technically have the cargo area to fit a 215 perfectly fine with the seats down, but no liftback glass and just a tiny miata trunk lid that barely allows more than a loaded Jansport backpack into & out of the trunk, and it’ll have super desirable four door coupe sloped roof styling that make the rear seat still useless. I hope I’m wrong.

I know I’m not that nearly educated enough to be in the same room as them, but I still think somebody screwed up the research groups results and guided the project into only being a hardtop miata.

Refreshing thoughts. Thanks.

Plenty of crap out there, all designed by someone.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Refreshing thoughts. Thanks.

Plenty of crap out there, all designed by someone.

That's is one of our species best trait.

 

[g-dude]

I get it.

You are never going to get the SVT sound without the 810 and even then, there's some argument over what model of 810. Same with other vintage gear. I don't except my Scion XB to ride or sound the same as my 64 Impala. But sometimes you just need to get from point A to B efficiently and the XB does the job. Still, I also drove the Impala for fun, not for efficiency.

Peavey? I still have a Peavey 1820 in the house.

A Scion XB doesn't sound like a 64 Impala, but a 79 Camaro might sound close enough.

In other words, sometimes there's "close enough" in life. Only one person's opinion matters...

 

[DJ Bebop]

A Scion XB doesn't sound like a 64 Impala, but a 79 Camaro might sound close enough.

In other words, sometimes there's "close enough" in life. Only one person's opinion matters...

Or dis guy...

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Or dis guy...

View attachment 5382573

Saw that car many times running at Irwindale raceway, I got to sit in it at the pits!
I think it’s at the Petersen museum in L.A.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Saw that car many times running at Irwindale raceway, I got to sit in it at the pits!
I think it’s at the Petersen museum in L.A.

I lived across the alley from a Plymouth dealership in San Diego. One Saturday they had it there. Thrilling for a kid.

 

[tombowlus]

I have been prepared for over a decade to tell Toyota & Subaru designers that they screwed up massively with the BRZ/FRS/86 in making it not have the simple feature of liftback glass hatch to make the adequate cargo space that they did give it be actually accessible (Nissan Z has it, it can be done), screwed it up less massively but still big in giving it miniature ricey Ferrari California looks that makes a fast sloping roof a styling essential which made the rear seat useless, making the whole vehicle have only slightly more Monday to Friday utility than a Bakfiets Bicycle instead of letting it ape the boxy 80s Corolla liftback Trueno/Levin that they constantly referenced in their advertising and in the model name “86”.

“Retro wouldn’t have sold well” I’d bet a few of those CALTY higher-ups would’ve said. Tell that to anyone who ever saw the Giugiaro reboot of the Mustang (everyone everywhere).

I recently read that, to make it less slow -motorcycle-with-4-wheels-and-a-cabin into more of a slow lightweight car, allegedly they’re working on a four door version. Jayzuss. So close to the scent. Like they didn’t learn anything from Mazda’s RX-8. $10 says the next one still will technically have the cargo area to fit a 215 perfectly fine with the seats down, but no liftback glass and just a tiny miata trunk lid that barely allows more than a loaded Jansport backpack into & out of the trunk, and it’ll have super desirable four door coupe sloped roof styling that make the rear seat still useless. I hope I’m wrong.

I know I’m not that nearly educated enough to be in the same room as them, but I still think somebody screwed up the research groups results and guided the project into only being a hardtop miata. Sure, the Toyobaru Twins did outsell the MX-5 most years, but I am confident that they could’ve also stolen a lot of Golf, Mazda 3, and other daily driver car sales.

I am with you in wishing that the BRZ/FRS had a hatchback. That's why I bought my Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo back in the day. With the hatchback, I could fit an upright bass, two electric basses, a bass combo, and an overnight bag, with ease. Loved that car... That's also why I've kept my 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo for so long. That thing is a Tardis, and has so much more room on the inside. A few tweaks to air intake, exhaust, chipping, suspension, and now a turbo upgrade, BOV, boost controller, upgraded clutch, and few other items, and it's pretty darned fun to drive, too!

 

[agedhorse]

That's why I have a Scion xB. Plenty of room and fabulous access to that space too.