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Damn !!!! sorry about that Cetera. I've never actually seen Hotter Than Hell. Meant to say DTK and i've seen them few times too. My wife even had pics taken with the band including an individual pic with your good self. Must be an age thing Cetera My sincere apologies. Now changed on my original post. More important when are you bringing your new project up here to Scotland. Sounds interesting. Dave

I did like the Streamliner and out of the lightweights around the time i bought it i would say it was one of the best sounding. Would like to gig my Warwick more but the weight gives me neck pains so its resigned to the house. Maybe some day tho. Its good to hear that someone is happy with the D800 rather than the D800+ and its something i was wondering as a few people have said it was "dark" and went for the additional EQ on the D800+. Makes me think the D800 alone would suit what i need.

Jacko is that you with the Alembic looking bass in Bannermans wee while back ? Bassboro - i find my Warwick a little too heavy to gig these days but its a gorgeous old 89 er with original EMG's. Hardly been out the house since early 90's. Gorgeous neck to play tho. I found the Berg AE112 cabs a little lacking in something. Could never really put my finger on it. Lack of depth, heft kinda thing. Find the Markbass cabs far better sound altho maybe not as well built. I have the very heavy Berg HT322 cab but its pretty heavy and a 2 man lift these days. Has castors for flat floors tho. Best cab i've ever owned so far. Seen a few 2nd hand D800's for sale now so that's maybe way to go. Not sure whether i would prefer the D800+ tho and want to compare them before i decide on anything. My post was originally curiosity as to why people buy MESA Gear over others and what makes it so good that people generally stay with Mesa Dave

I'm guessing it won't be an Ibanez

Cheers Graeme, Thanks for your very generous offer and i know Wilsontown fairly well as my cats get their annual hols up thru there at Crooklands Cattery at Tashieburn Rd. That Titan sounds impressive but its a bit of a beast is it not. What bands are you with at the moment. I could get a wee listen to the cabs in use within band set up. That all sounds like an expensive list of kit there. What finally made you go for the Mesa gear. Out of curiosity what makes the Titan more versatile rather than the others you had. Guitarist in one of my bands is from just along the road in Forth somewhere. Its a new band so don't know his exact location. Might take you up on that invite at some point Graeme. Very much appreciated altho i think i'd be more inclined to go lightweight Subway gear if i decide to change gear. Thanks again Graeme Dave

One of the things that impressed me was when he was describing his role in the band as the go between for the drummer and the band. He describes things that i've experienced where a good bassist can slowly bring back a speeding drummer and how he talks about his playing during someone's solo where he can play something that will change the feel of the solo. (Can't remember his exact quote in the vid but words to that effect) I just got the feeling that he could teach us all a helluva lot about playing bass and not just about the notes but where we fit in or integrate with a band. I was fair impressed with his whole attitude and how easy he is to listen to. Dave

I've never really listened to much of Marcus Miller as he explained in the clip all you ever see on Youtube is his slap solos but not the other 2 hrs where he's holding the band down. His explanations of how Steve Gadd sat and listened to the demo instead of playing along with it says so much. I don't think i've ever been to a rehearsal and listened to a song being played and someone hasn't jumped in and played along and you then don't hear the part you're trying to learn. Doesn't look his age either at 58/59. Obviously keeps himself fit. Thoroughly enjoyed that and think i'll look into his music a little more. Cheers for posting Dave

Its a shame they didn't even offer an apology for it being faulty. A little courtesy goes a long way and would have shown they were a genuine customer focused shop. Have to say i had good dealings with them where they went out of their way to help someone that wasn't even a customer or even buying for that matter. At least its resolved in a god way for you and that's what counts. So what ye buying now then

Are you allowed holidays Blue.

That's gotta be quite a thunderous sound with your basses and Ampeg rig. Curious to see how your new rig compares to that. They seem quite different set ups so this is gonna be good. Don't forget to keep me posted.

Really interested to hear how you get on. What were you using before and what bass are you using ? Dave

I'm only just finding my way around the TB site and i've noticed its more "clubs" for Mesa, club for Ampeg etc so will need to check out BF club to see what they think. I prefer the BC site as its far easier to find my way around it. My earlier comment was based on first views across the TB site and not in any in-depth look. Was just a little fun remark i'm afraid.

Thanks Steve. Berg is my fav cab and at £3k for a full Mesa D800+ and 2off 15" cabs would mean buying in stages might be the way to go. Dave

Quite a few guys from TB site have said they use the D800's with their Berg cabs and they work very well together so buying in stages is an option if i decide to go that route. Few comments that they prefered their Berg cabs to the Mesa ones. Its quite funny in a way that in UK every other post is someone who loves their BF cabs while in US not really a mention so far. Alex needs to get himself into that market more To be fair tho i have been focusing on the Mesa forum on TB so obviously its more Mesa with Berg and SWR being mentioned a bit. At some point the US will catch on and BF cabs will be the Global standard by looks of it.

I've had Ibanez Musician had one point and it was good but no character. In my head i generally regard Ibanez as the Ford of bass playing. Reasonable to good build and they do what they say they will, lots of them about but they just don't have that individual character. One Ibanez model will feel the same as the next in any given range they make unlike Fender. That's probably down to better quality control

Prefer the tone from the Stingray in the 2nd clip. That's a tone i like using but doesn't suit my Classic Rock band where i need to adda little top end edge to cut thru guitars and keyboards. Really liking that 2nd clip. Band sound really good and a lot of fun. I could see that being a great gig. Also registered with Talkbass and found the Mesa D800 thread at 585 pages long. Read first 5 ages from 2015 and then jumped to last 5 pages. Makes for some interesting reading altho there are a lot of Mesa fanatics on that page Will read more when time permits

I'll have a look at the Talkbass thread McNach. Thanks for that. With the style of music you're playing i would expect you to be using a nice low end but still want to hear the mids cutting thru otherwise it can become a bass muddle for want of a better description. Are there any clips of you laying with your bands. Some of the Radge clips are only 6 secs long and running at a very fast speed The Sea Bass Kid clips i don't see any of the band playing. There are a couple but camera is a bit bouncy and a little too far away from the stage to see gear you are using. I tried a MM Stingray years ago when they first apeared but neck was too wide for me. I love the sound of them tho. Some of the Sandberg basses sound similar with certain pick up configs. Dave

And here's me listening to the FB VIDS to see how your bass actually sounded and what you were aiming for. Your way into Mesa is good as i've had the Streamliner 600 that i found a little limited in EQ altho it had a nice general tone and with the valve pre-amp had a decent warm feel to it but always felt it lacked depth if that's the right word. I was also using Berg AE112 cabs and i've never been sure if it was maybe the cabs that were the problem. Sold the amp first so will never know. I have the Markbass 121P combo and ext cab that i generally just use when i don't fancy humphing heavier cabs up stairs. I've never had a bad sound from it to be fair but i'm finding the Mesa D800 range has that warm mellow rounded sound that i quite like. I've tried various 10" cabs of varying combinations ie 1x10, 2x10, 4x10, 6x10 and even the Ampeg and Hartke 8x10's but i've always found them a bit too much mid and not enough low warmth with the exception being when i used an old Orange OC120 bass head with the Hartke 8x10. The all valve head seemed to provide that warmth sounding tone but the whole thing was just way too heavy for me. Don't fancy the all valve route either after trying a few i find they lack some clarity and again not sure that's the best way to describe what i mean. By the sound of it you'd think i had made my mind up to go Mesa with 12" cabs Big decision is whether i would go Subway D800 series or Walkabout or M6 / M9 heads. My preferred heads are valve pre-amp with SS power stage. The lightweight heads for me lack something but listening to the D800 might be the change i've been waiting for where they've managed to retain their respeccted Mesa tone using D class power stage.

I had that with Lakland basses. Tried one and altho it did feel ok and nothing obviously wrong with it i just couldn't take to it. Tried another one since then and it was same. Also had the same with a Spector (can't remember the model but it was over £1k in a shop) and to be honest the neck felt like a plank and not what i was expecting from Spector at that price. I've tried £300 basses where the neck felt better to play. Not tried a Sadowsky.

Appreciate that Chris and i'm reasonably happy with my Berg HT322 cab apart from its weight. I'm using it with a GK1001Rbii head and i'm quite happy with it too. Its just that when i read about people with Mesa gear and their love for it and the fact they tend to stay with Mesa once they've made that initial leap, i start listening to review clips on Youtube and i hear a nice warm rounded tone with mellow lows and nice clear mids that's different to my own gear. Just makes me wonder if i'm missing something there. I guess its down to trying them out for myself and if i'm missing something then time for a change of gear. Gonna start selling off some of my gear to make some space in the bass cave. I seem to have acquired a fair bit over the past year that's no longer being used. That might provide some cash towards a new lightweight rig. If the Mesa Subway lightweight gear sounds as good as its described and the vid clips sound i may replace my Markbass with Mesa. I def like that warm mellow lows but clear mids tones. It would be nice to have one amp head that sounds great with lightweight cabs and my Berg HT322 Dave

Ampeg SVT4 heads. Too heavy and too unreliable. Rotosound roundwound steel strings I probably won't buy any more 5 or 6 string basses. Been there done that kinda thing and just prefer my 4 strings. 8x10 cabs

Thanks McNach for such a generous offer to let me try out some seriously good gear (currently listening to Urang Matang on FB at the moment ) I might take you up on that at some point. I started the thread to find out a little more about why people prefer or like their Mesa gear and at some point i was looking to try some out for myself just to see what the attraction is. Why did people go for Mesa rather than something cheaper like many of the excellent suggestions offered on the thread. ? We seem to be drifting into suggestions for other cabs and altho i appreciate how people prefer their own individual cabs its more my curiosity about the Mesa gear that's driving my interest. I have some reasonable Berg, Orange, Markbass and Trace cabs at the moment and tried a few others like Ampeg, Aguilar, Ashdown, EBS, Vandekley and probably some others i've forgotten in studios or various shops over past few years. There are still some cabs i've not tried but at the moment i'm really more curious about the Mesa gear. I'm not sure its GAS for Mesa but more just curiosity. Hope i haven't offended anyone in any way by saying that especially when everyone has been exceptionally helpful. Dave

Is that just your backline i'm hearing on this clip WoT. Sounds nice and clear and it suits the music you're playing but for me i prefer a little more low end for classic rock. That's maybe just down to how you have the amp set up for your own personal sound. I'm sure i've heard you on other clips with various bands and your sound was a bit deeper too. Did you not play at a Lindisfarne gig recently cause i'm sure that's what it was. Also have to say i like your playing. Very smooth, confident and make it look easy. Very nice. Did see the Mesa 15" for sale but until i get a chance to try the Mesa gear i'm gonna hold off buying. I was steering more towards the 12" speaker as they tend to suit what i do more than a 15" or 10's. Also like the idea of trying their lightweight cabs as i already have some sturdy cabs including Orange 115 and 210 but my Berg HT322 seems to cover everything i do apart from the weight of it of course. I've tried the Vanderkleys and they were good but not good enough for me to want one i'm afraid. Dave

I've had 2 of the AE112 cabs and didn't realy like the sound from them. Never could really put my finger on it what was wrong with them. Lack of depth ? just wasn't for me. I did get my Berg HT322 cab from Karlfer on here few yrs back and with old fashioned speakers its just so different and can handle anything i put thru it. With the horn off it gives me a deep but mid clear tone. Its just a very heavy bugger to humph around especially if upstairs at all. Def a 2 man lift altho i have lifted on my own but its a back breaker.

I think Guitar Guitar in Glasgow has the Subway D800 amps and new lightweight Subway cabs so i can at least try them. The BF cabs get a lot of praise on BC i must admit and that many people can't be wrong. Are all BF cabs lightweight ? The BF cabs are quite expensive too so whichever way i go i will want to try before buying especially as both Mesa and BF are gonna cost a few quid. Dave