What happened to Mesa Boogie cabinets?

[dbsfgyd1]

I seem to remember a plethora of options available from MB but when I just went to their site it shows a total of 5 cabs called "Subway Series". What happened to the 8x10 & 6x10 cabs? Their best feature IMO was the "Road Ready" versions, I can't believe they stopped making the RR series and the bigger sizes, I wonder what happened?

One word. Obsolescence. With the market shifting to lighter gear and increased usage of FOH support has reduced the market share for these uber size cabs to a percentage where it’s not profitable to manufacture them.

 

[logdrum]

I have one of them old Mesa Cabinets. The old 115 is heavier than the new 215 and sounds like a weaker 112 next to the new 115. Why to I keep them (115 and 210) They are good for the rehearsal shed. which is just a Ttuff shed type no foundation construction. In case of high winds, the weight of these things will keep the shed on the ground. I bring them to the the occasional blues gig along with the equally heavy Mesa 400.

 

[musicmansf]

It is pretty funny that the average car/CUV/guzzler is as massive as it's ever been and all the gear that can fit inside those cavernous interiors is shrinking

 

[Thir13teen]

I have one of them old Mesa Cabinets. The old 115 is heavier than the new 215 and sounds like a weaker 112 next to the new 115. Why to I keep them (115 and 210) They are good for the rehearsal shed. which is just a Ttuff shed type no foundation construction. In case of high winds, the weight of these things will keep the shed on the ground. I bring them to the the occasional blues gig along with the equally heavy Mesa 400.

The Mesa 400 or the 400+?

 

[Thir13teen]

That's too bad because those road ready cabinets were awesome. They should have left that line available or an option to order. They could have the Subway Series for those who want to carry a cabinet on a subway and & not have to worry about dust getting on it for the older folk & then have the RR series for younger guys that want to load in/out quick and just shove the cab in the back of a pickup truck without worrying about it getting scratched (and who perhaps are used to moving around 8x10's).

 

[logdrum]

The Mesa 400 or the 400+?

400 with 6550 tubes

 

[Topkat13]

Can’t sell em…not gonna make em.

 

[logdrum]

The Mesa 400 or the 400+?

That's too bad because those road ready cabinets were awesome. They should have left that line available or an option to order. They could have the Subway Series for those who want to carry a cabinet on a subway and & not have to worry about dust getting on it for the older folk & then have the RR series for younger guys that want to load in/out quick and just shove the cab in the back of a pickup truck without worrying about it getting scratched (and who perhaps are used to moving around 8x10's).

I think most Subway cabs are not being hauled on the subway -- Most young people I know are not into lifting things unless it's to pump some muscles in the gym. They are born into light things, light cars, light bikes, light backpacks, light hiking boots and if they read, they can can put 400 novels in a kindle. I am sure there are less textbooks too. Even a 6 lb. laptop is considered heavy by these young people, and I live in a flyover state and even here we have progressed as well. Did you just wakeup from a multi year or multi decade sleep?

Anyway you can order those big Mesa Cabinets as the post of agedhorse has shown, I do not know if you have to be famous but I am sure they will cost. They probably won't be using those heavy EV drivers which are like what 30 lbs?

 

[tombowlus]

Here is my current list of Mesa/Boogie cabs that I own:

Mesa/Boogie Diesel 4x10 (Deep version)
Mesa/Boogie Diesel Powerhouse Jr. (1x12, 4x8)
Mesa/Boogie Diesel 2x15 EV
Mesa/Boogie Powerhouse PH210
Mesa/Boogie Powerhouse PH212
Mesa/Boogie Powerhouse PH610
Mesa/Boogie Scout 1x12 (three)
Mesa/Boogie Subway 112 (three)
Mesa/Boogie Subway 115
Mesa/Boogie Subway 210
Mesa/Boogie Subway 215
Mesa/Boogie Traditional Powerhouse PH410
Mesa/Boogie Traditional Powerhouse PH810

If you told me I could only keep one of them, it would be the Subway 215. I have lots of love for all of them, though. The Diesel 410 was THE cab that made me realize A.) just how much difference there was between brand A's 4x10, brand B's 4x10, and brand C's 4x10; B.) just how much more I preferred Mesa/Boogie to most other brands on the market at the time, and C.) that I could be enticed to move a ludicrously heavy cab if it sounded this good. The Diesel 215 (which I discovered/tried at the same time as the Diesel 410) had largely the same impact on me, but I couldn't fit it in my car, so I bought the 410, instead. I will also say that I just flat-out love all three of my Powerhouse cabs - that PH610 is right up there with the best-sounding, single-cab rigs I have tried - but across the board, the Subway cabs are as good-sounding as anything Mesa/Boogie has made, and they are so much easier to schlep.

Again, that SW215 is just an amazing cab! This is really a wonderful time to be a bass player!

 

[blowinblue]

The OP made my back hurt. I just downed another Naproxen.

M. M.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I seem to remember a plethora of options available from MB but when I just went to their site it shows a total of 5 cabs called "Subway Series". What happened to the 8x10 & 6x10 cabs? Their best feature IMO was the "Road Ready" versions, I can't believe they stopped making the RR series and the bigger sizes, I wonder what happened?

There's a 410 in the classifieds right now

 

[Addison]

This is either the best or the dumbest idea ever …

Bring back the Powerhouse 1000 in a lightweight Subway package with a variable crossover for the drivers and a separate attenuator for the tweeter!!!

I just always thought that was the coolest amp design ever, even if it was polarizing.

 

[BioDriver]

The demand for the older Road Ready and Powerhouse cabinets fell like a rock as soon as the market said no and hell no. There's almost no demand for 100+ pound cabinets these days, and with the higher quality lighter weight drivers that are available recently, there's really no reason for the average pro player. The Subway cabinets outperform the Powerhouse cabinets model for model. For those who want the old cabinets, they are available on the used market for less than it would cost us to build them.

There are 6 Subway models: 210, 410, 112, 212, 115 and 215.



Yeah, you are not remembering this right. The Subway cabinet replaced the Powerhouse cabinets in 2014-2015, a full 7 years before we were acquired by Gibson. In fact, the Gibson ownership of today wasn't even around ~5 years ago.



The number of 810's being sold throughout the industry is pretty small. I did design (the electo-acoustic part) a custom 810 for Rex Brown (Pantera) last year, it was a custom shop tour support model and I also designed a 412 for Justin Chancellor (Tool) in approximately the same sized package (but much closer to the Subway family design), also a custom shop tour support model. It's not that we can't produce them, but the demand is really small and from the arena touring market. Clearly size/weight aren't important but the specific look was.

Rex's current tour rig:

Justin's current tour rig, the 810 is a customized Road Ready, the 412 is close to 2x Subway 212's (not exactly, but the differences were for his specific application in the O/D signal path):

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[agedhorse]

One word. Obsolescence. With the market shifting to lighter gear and increased usage of FOH support has reduced the market share for these uber size cabs to a percentage where it’s not profitable to manufacture them.

Correct, and used large, heavy cabinets like that are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

That's too bad because those road ready cabinets were awesome. They should have left that line available or an option to order. They could have the Subway Series for those who want to carry a cabinet on a subway and & not have to worry about dust getting on it for the older folk & then have the RR series for younger guys that want to load in/out quick and just shove the cab in the back of a pickup truck without worrying about it getting scratched (and who perhaps are used to moving around 8x10's).

Just not practical, the numbers would be minuscule and to do them through the custom shop would roughly double the cost.

I think most Subway cabs are not being hauled on the subway -- Most young people I know are not into lifting things unless it's to pump some muscles in the gym. They are born into light things, light cars, light bikes, light backpacks, light hiking boots and if they read, they can can put 400 novels in a kindle. I am sure there are less textbooks too. Even a 6 lb. laptop is considered heavy by these young people, and I live in a flyover state and even here we have progressed as well. Did you just wakeup from a multi year or multi decade sleep?

Anyway you can order those big Mesa Cabinets as the post of agedhorse has shown, I do not know if you have to be famous but I am sure they will cost. They probably won't be using those heavy EV drivers which are like what 30 lbs?

for custom cabinets, it would be handled through the touring support program, only available for verified A list touring partners and artists. These products are not available outside that program.

 

[Geri O]

It is pretty funny that the average car/CUV/guzzler is as massive as it's ever been and all the gear that can fit inside those cavernous interiors is shrinking

Indeed!

Later this year, I’m looking to trade my 2014?Armada for a 2022 or 22 model. At first, this new version appeared a little smaller, but a salesman showed me where they had tightened up the exterior, but increased the interior by 1.5 cubic feet.

Yay, I can fit that extra bass now….

The damn thing still gets only 16mpg. But it makes a great girlfriend/grandkids/and their fiancé and besties hauler…..

Oh, almost forgot….pulls a 6x10 trailer like it’s not back there, too. At least I hope the new one does….

 

[hooky_marr]

@agedhorse I’m kind of surprised by the lack of semipro, lightweight but rugged Class AB combos, or even powered cabinets for pedalboard preamp users; they used to be more common a couple of decades ago IIRC.

I would love something like a hybrid of the Boss Katana 210 and those discontinued Phil Jones 6-speaker powered cabs; no need for onboard effects, just basic tone shaping, and with the ability to daisy-chain the signal to multiple units, with a roadworthy grille and corners.

 

[agedhorse]

@agedhorse I’m kind of surprised by the lack of semipro, lightweight but rugged Class AB combos, or even powered cabinets for pedalboard preamp users; they used to be more common a couple of decades ago IIRC.

I would love something like a hybrid of the Boss Katana 210 and those discontinued Phil Jones 6-speaker powered cabs; no need for onboard effects, just basic tone shaping, and with the ability to daisy-chain the signal to multiple units, with a roadworthy grille and corners.

As a long time designer of class AB amps, the days of that technology is pretty much done. Class D (done right) is at least as reliable as class AB at this point, lighter and less expensive. Powered cabinets in the bass world were never popular, very few were made by any manufacturer that I am aware of. With such low demand, it just doesn't make any sense. That could change in the future, but that's not a prediction I'm willing to (at this time) hang my hat on.

 

[BlackCrow]

Yup, I always wanted an Ampeg Heritage SVT 8X10....until I actually tried to pick one up by myself...

 

[Dr. Love]

Every stage i've been on in the last 15 years that was large enough to warrant having an 8x10 also had a PA that made an 8x10 unnecessary.

 

[Major Seven]

I think most Subway cabs are not being hauled on the subway -- Most young people I know are not into lifting things unless it's to pump some muscles in the gym. They are born into light things, light cars, light bikes, light backpacks, light hiking boots and if they read, they can can put 400 novels in a kindle. I am sure there are less textbooks too. Even a 6 lb. laptop is considered heavy by these young people, and I live in a flyover state and even here we have progressed as well. Did you just wakeup from a multi year or multi decade sleep?

Anyway you can order those big Mesa Cabinets as the post of agedhorse has shown, I do not know if you have to be famous but I am sure they will cost. They probably won't be using those heavy EV drivers which are like what 30 lbs?

I went to visit my college and specifically the bookstore because it had a great selection of texts and
other technical books not found elsewhere that you could actually see and touch.
.....GONE. No more bookstore.