MESA Boogie Bass Prodigy Four:88

[brensabre79]

I got an email the other day directing me [url="http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Bass_Amps/prodigy/bassProdigy.html"]here[/url], after months of delay it seems they are finally shipping these. On paper it looks awesome, just what I have spent years searching for in fact. An all valve dedicated bass amp, that's as small as a lunchbox!

So does anyone know how much they will be this side of the pond ($1799 in the US), and who is getting them in over here?

[charic]

Pretty!!

[Kiwi]

This line has been expected for a while now. It seems like they've achieved the impossible...

I note in the user manual there is mention of the Strategy Eight:88 also.

[url="http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/bassProdigy_130920.pdf"]http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/bassProdigy_130920.pdf[/url]

[Salt on your Bass?]

Wow that looks nice!! I reckon they'll end up around the £2k mark here?? any advances?

[molan]

[quote name='Salt on your Bass?' timestamp='1380027944' post='2219717']
Wow that looks nice!! I reckon they'll end up around the £2k mark here?? any advances?
[/quote]

UK list price is £1,499 so expect 'street' to be lower than this.

Strategy list is £2,299.

These prices were set a few months ago so they may change.

[winterfire666]

i would love to try one

[Salt on your Bass?]

Thanks for that - that seems reasonable for mesa to me....assuming they're any good of course.

I'll have to have a read over what the strategy offers for the significant uplift....

Edited September 24, 2013 by Salt on your Bass?

[dan670844]

Mmm good concept but I see two flies, one is a question of personal taste the other is silly!
1. There are solid state IC s in the signal path, this is a personal taste thing for me and is a no. I don't like solid state and tube / valves to mix, but I am a purist !!! to me a valve amp has to have a valve signal path. If you are going to go to the trouble of all that lovely high voltage bandwidth only to push it through a 15 volt Solid state bit... you are missing the point. If you have good gear massive eq adjustment is not really necessary. Its all about dynamics and that means a simplistic signal path. As you will buy a valve amp to display the nuances in your playing, even if you are chugging out punk. Dynamics make it interesting...
Laney Nexus, Peavey VB3 anyone? i didnt think so Ampeg V4 b15 SVT ashdown Ctm30/100/300 now you are talking.

2. 200 watts 4x kt88 going to the speakers through jack plugs !!! yes you can, but speakons are better esp on a £1500 pound amps. A bad connection is quickly going to degrade the ot transformer. Silly

[brensabre79]

Dan I'm with you on the Jack sockets, as for the the other thing. I dunno, I want to try one out and see if it's got 'that' feel / sound - but if it hasn't there's a good guess as to why...

I reckon the Eight;88 will be twice the power, twice the tubes (and probably nearly twice the price!) If it's a well built and efficient amp I don't reckon I'll need more than the Four:88 personally.

Molan, are you guys getting these in then?

[bjelkeman]

What most people say who have tried them is that you really need to hear them rather than reading specs. And I agree. I want to put a Prodigy & a Strategy next to my Carbine M6 and try them out. I have tried the pre-release version of the Strategy, but since then I have changed preamp pedal (Darkglass B7L), bass (Ibanez RB850/960) and speakers (TKS W2126). So I want to try with what I have now, I am sure it will be lovely.

[molan]

I'm seeing the UK distributor on Thursday mornng - will be able to report back on details of pricing and availability after that

[Bolo]

InstaGAS >.<

[quote]the PRODIGY is THE tube Bass Amplifier for the new millenium.[/quote]
There's a new millenium already?
Sometimes the boys from Marketing need a kick in the junction for mindless wordgushing.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Bolo

[Kiwi]

I just hope they have left the preamp section sounding neutral like on previous amps. Nice, clean tone and jaw dropping levels of undistorted low frequency volume is what has made Mesa's bass amps so good in the past.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1380066182' post='2220503']
I'm seeing the UK distributor on Thursday mornng - will be able to report back on details of pricing and availability after that
[/quote]

When you do, can you give him a gentle(ish) slap and say 'That's from WoT in protest at your EU pricing policy', please?

[molan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1380097440' post='2220628']
When you do, can you give him a gentle(ish) slap and say 'That's from WoT in protest at your EU pricing policy', please?
[/quote]

That's part of the problem when there's an independent distributor involved in the supply chain.

Good (or at least better) for product availability but is going to add anywhere from 10% - 25% to prices to cover their margin

This is just about to happen to another major US bass brand in the next few weeks as well. . .


Edit - I don't think distributor margins are excessive given costs of storage and other overheads. Let's face it, you never meet a rich musical instruments distributor!

Edited September 25, 2013 by molan

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1380097678' post='2220632']
That's part of the problem when there's an independent distributor involved in the supply chain.

Good (or at least better) for product availability but is going to add anywhere from 10% - 25% to prices to cover their margin

This is just about to happen to another major US bass brand in the next few weeks as well. . .


Edit - I don't think distributor margins are excessive given costs of storage and other overheads. Let's face it, you never meet a rich musical instruments distributor!
[/quote]

Hmmmm.

Here's an example.

Mesa Walkabout Scout 12:

US: $1600
UK: $2800 (i.e.£1750 from Thomann)

That's £1000 mark-up. Even when you take into account shipping it across the Atlantic, taxes, etc.. something's wrong there.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1380099377' post='2220657']
Hmmmm.

Here's an example.

Mesa Walkabout Scout 12:

US: $1600
UK: $2800 (i.e.£1750 from Thomann)

That's £1000 mark-up. Even when you take into account shipping it across the Atlantic, taxes, etc.. something's wrong there.
[/quote]

Yep, almost cheaper to fly over and get one yourself! If that's the kind of markup these will have I might consider a holiday to Petaluma California

However, they are around £1,200 in the US, so the estimated £1,500 UK seems pretty reasonable to me. Fingers crossed.

Edited September 25, 2013 by brensabre79

[molan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1380099377' post='2220657']
Hmmmm.

Here's an example.

Mesa Walkabout Scout 12:

US: $1600
UK: $2800 (i.e.£1750 from Thomann)

That's £1000 mark-up. Even when you take into account shipping it across the Atlantic, taxes, etc.. something's wrong there.
[/quote]

That's above RRP in the UK, although not much. RRP is £1,599 so it should be able to get one for less from a UK dealer. I'd estimate a UK dealer could sell for £1,500 if he wanted to.

I will get some price updates though because these prices are maybe 6 months old now.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1380106381' post='2220793']
That's above RRP in the UK, although not much. RRP is £1,599 so it should be able to get one for less from a UK dealer. I'd estimate a UK dealer could sell for £1,500 if he wanted to.

I will get some price updates though because these prices are maybe 6 months old now.
[/quote]

Ah, OK. I thought Mesa ruled their pricing with an iron fist...?

[Musicman20]

I agree. Mesa's pricing over here is ridiculous.

It makes you realise what mark up each person in the chain is making when you see prices from a company such as TKS or Carvin when they sell direct.

[dan670844]

Its all about the middle men these days. Case in point my brother has a manufacturing business it was cheaper for him to buy a 250kw diesel generator (the diesel engine is a 37litre V12 diesel) and run it, than get some k nob company to dig a hole in the road/ ground and lay 10 metres of 3 phase cable..... one day everyone will sell direct to everyone and cut out the phat. its better all round, we get better products because the manufacturer makes more money. The other important factor is import tax, it can be as high as 20% on some items!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='dan670844' timestamp='1380207987' post='2222344']
Its all about the middle men these days. Case in point my brother has a manufacturing business it was cheaper for him to buy a 250kw diesel generator (the diesel engine is a 37litre V12 diesel) and run it, than get some k nob company to dig a hole in the road/ ground and lay 10 metres of 3 phase cable..... one day everyone will sell direct to everyone and cut out the phat. its better all round, we get better products because the manufacturer makes more money. The other important factor is import tax, it can be as high as 20% on some items!
[/quote]

Agreed. Just sell direct.

[Dingus]

If I might weigh into the whole pricing debate, (this thorny topic seems to crop up quite regulaly on Basschat) regarding U.S -made products in the U.K , trust me when I tell you that overall you are getting a fair deal on these goods in this country, especially if you consider that VAT is 20% , and that is hurting the retailers just as much as the consumer.

It's very tempting to look at the dollar price of certain items and convert them into Sterling and feel a bit miffed, but that is [u][i]way [/i][/u]too simple an equation to accurately assess the relative cost of these goods in the U.K compared to the U.S.A. If you want to get really specific, in the U.S.A these products are actually even cheaper than they appear because wages are higher in real terms , and retailers offer substantial discounts off retail prices as a matter of course. What you are talking about here is called Purchasing Power Pairity, but that pairity( or lack thereof) has to be assessed with the wider social context.

Significantly, if you lived in America you would almost cetainly have to deduct all kinds money from your income to pay for things that we in Britain can( for the moment at least) take for granted as being free or already taken care of to some extent in one way or another. Consumer goods and also other things such as utilities tend to be substantially cheaper in America, but only because they are a low- taxation culture that places an emphasis on self-reliance and self-provision. The money you will save on your Mesa Boogie amp in America could very likely be swallowed very quickly by medical bills, dental fees , tuition fees (oh hang on a minute , we've got them here now, what a great idea...), paying for medicine for yourself or your family, particulaly if you have elderly parents who aren't well off, and whatever is left you would be well -advised to save for a rainy day, because if you lose your job or are too sick to work then there is scant provision from the state to help you. America is the land of milk and honey ( and Mesa Boogie amps) providing things are going well for you, but things can quickly take on a very different complexion if you suffer any reversal of fortune. Ordinary people whose circumstances mean they would be in reciept of unemployment benefit, housing benefit , free prescriptions and cared for by the NHS here in the U.K would soon end up homeless, destitute and without medical insuranceif they found themselves in those circumstances in the U.S.A . That is the ultimate price of your Mesa amp in America , so , in light of that, does it still seem so cheap?

Edited September 26, 2013 by Dingus

[discreet]

No.

[discreet]

Nice paragraph work, by the way.