Mesa Boogie Cabs

[Phil-osopher10]

I often hear talk about epifani, bergatino, barfaced et al. But I rarely see anyone speak of mesa cabs on here. Are they as good as competitors? Are they worth the same money? Do they 'have' a sound?

[chris_b]

Mesa Boogie is one of the top 3 bass gear manufacturers! I used Boogie cabs for 10 years and only gave them up because they were a tad heavy and I got to the stage where I couldn't happily lift them any more. I've heard a Powerhouse 410 which sounded great but mine, with the EV speakers, were my favourites. Just my opinion, but I prefer Boogie cabs with Ampeg amps.

[Blademan_98]

They are good but you can pay less for something as good (IMHO).

They probably don't get mentioned much as they are not as popular with the people on here......

[thodrik]

I only have the Walkabout combo, but it is probably the best sounding single cab I have heard.

The Powerhouse range are really good, but also really expensive and far from lightweight. So from that it is pretty understandable that they are not that popular over here. Great cabs, but I feel that it falls between two stools: too expensive to be a solid, workhouse cab; too heavy to compete with the modern lightweight boutique amps.

[JTUK]

My fave Boogie cab was the 1516..but I wouldn't want to move it around.
Not that keen on the look of them...they look what they are..big and sturdy, IMV

I think the 400 and 1516 rig is a good rental option and I would prefer it to the Ampeg type equivalent.but I wouldn't own one

Edited March 10, 2011 by JTUK

[cetera]

The classic 80's/90's Diesel cabs (2x104x10/1x15/2x15/1516 and Powerhouse) cabs loaded with EV's were MONSTERS and are some of the best sounding bass cabs EVER made IMHO.

The more recent ones, though good, are IMHO not a patch on the earlier EV loaded ones...

[Guest oZZma]

Anyone has tried the Mesa Powerhouse cabs in both 2x12 and 1x15 version? How do they differ in sound? I play in drop D, will they have the same response on lows, punch, etc?

[jacko]

On 03/11/2019 at 10:54, oZZma said:

Anyone has tried the Mesa Powerhouse cabs in both 2x12 and 1x15 version? How do they differ in sound? I play in drop D, will they have the same response on lows, punch, etc?

When I was buying my powerhouse cabs around 2012, I tried a few combinations. 212 + 210, 115+210 and 410+210,  Ended up going for the 212+210 combination as having the best sound for my needs.Quite punchy and fantastic lows. I found the 115 didn't give as much oomph/heft/je ne sais quoi as the 212  . However, I've since swapped out the 212 for a 410 as it is a better standalone cabinet at smaller venues. I play 5 strings with low B and the 212 and 410 both held up better than the 115. The 410 seems to handle effects a bit more convincingly than the 212. 

[Guest oZZma]

18 minutes ago, jacko said:

When I was buying my powerhouse cabs around 2012, I tried a few combinations. 212 + 210, 115+210 and 410+210,  Ended up going for the 212+210 combination as having the best sound for my needs.Quite punchy and fantastic lows. I found the 115 didn't give as much oomph/heft/je ne sais quoi as the 212  . However, I've since swapped out the 212 for a 410 as it is a better standalone cabinet at smaller venues. I play 5 strings with low B and the 212 and 410 both held up better than the 115. The 410 seems to handle effects a bit more convincingly than the 212. 

Thanks a lot but it's too late 😅

I found a used 4x10 diesel for a small price and bought it. But I'm not liking it much, Maybe I'll resell it and go back to Ampegs 

Edited November 6, 2019 by oZZma

[E sharp]

It's such a shame that they discontinued the 6x10 Powerhouse .

Always lusted after one of those - not the 'Traditional' one that's sealed , but the 'Standard' one - brute of a cab

[Dan Dare]

On 09/03/2011 at 21:22, Blademan_98 said:

They are good but you can pay less for something as good (IMHO).

This.

[thodrik]

5 hours ago, E sharp said:

It's such a shame that they discontinued the 6x10 Powerhouse .

Always lusted after one of those - not the 'Traditional' one that's sealed , but the 'Standard' one - brute of a cab

I have one. The best cab that I have ever played. Also perhaps the most awkward to move cab I have ever played. 

Even saying that, it is definitely not a ‘flat response’ cabinet compared to a Bergantino or equivalent. It really is a heavy duty rock cabinet in my opinion. 

If you see one second hand you might be able to get it for a steal. With modern cab developments, most people really don’t want or need a cab of that size and weight. I didn’t either but couldn’t resist the chance to buy one at 1/4 of the ‘as new’ retail price. 

I wouldn’t buy one of the new lightweight cabs at retail price as I think that they far too expensive compared the accompanying amps, or cabinets made by competitors of a similar quality.

[djaxup]

On 03/11/2019 at 11:54, oZZma said:

Anyone has tried the Mesa Powerhouse cabs in both 2x12 and 1x15 version? How do they differ in sound? I play in drop D, will they have the same response on lows, punch, etc?

Yes, I've had both and still have the 1x15 Powerhouse. Imo, the 1x15 Powerhouse and their older cousins, the 1x15 Diesel (with horn) are the finest bass cabs ever. They are not light or easily moved though. What I love about the 1x15: it sounds very nice when played on lowest volumes, it still sound very full and musical. When stuff gets louder, the 1x15 delivers more mids, while the 2x12 has a tighter response in the bass register and low mids. I loved the 2x12 and wish I had not sold it. It is massively loud, enough for basically everything.

I've also had a nice pair of Powerhouses that sounded great together: 1x15 and 2x10. I've tried many combinations, in most cases one of the cabs "won" and simply overpowered the other cab's characteristics. 1x15 and 2x10 worked together very nicely, broad and musical and still punchy.