Mesa gear query

[dmccombe7]

 

Not sure if this is in the correct FORUM area. ?

Recently i've seen a few BC'ers mention their Mesa gear with quite a passion. Its got me curious and very interested, but can't see any BC reviews on it.

Its obviously very expensive so i'm guessing people don't make the choice lightly.

I've got a few questions that hopefully you guys can advise on if you don't mind. Q1 & Q2 are pretty similar questions so i've put in brackets what i was thinking

1. What makes owners of Mesa gear like it so much. (general question about Mesa gear ie build quality, support and availability)

2. What is it that made you pick that particular amp over others. (in respect to other Mesa amps or cabs and maybe in respect to other manufacturers gear)

3. Is there a favoured set up that majority of owners prefer or would prefer.

4. Can you describe briefly your preferred tone (ie, warm, mellow, mid-punch, heavy bottom end, high top end are just some things i can think off)

5. what bass do you generally use with it. (just to give me an idea of whether your bass is passive, active or has a deciding influence on how your tone might sound)

6. Finally what Mesa gear would you recommend for a Mesa Virgin like myself playing mostly classic rock with a Jazz bass but occassionally depping for other music genres doing pup / club material.

Maybe a lot to ask but even a few pointers would help. I don't think there are any Mesa suppliers lcal to me altho Guitar Guitar have very limited stock.

Thanks 

Dave

[wateroftyne]

There's loads of info here and on T*lkbass...

[dmccombe7]

I've found occasional one liners on here when i've put the search in but no proper reviews about the various amps and how they compare.

I've come across a few on the Subway D800 on youtube but was curious about the standard gear rather than lightweight.

Dave

[wateroftyne]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I've come across a few on the Subway D800 on youtube but was curious about the standard gear rather than lightweight.

Right.. that helps to narrow it down:

Mpulse

Walkabout

...and there's an absolute shedload on TB. Fill your boots!

[Al Krow]

Some great Qs. To get the ball rolling for you...

I'm a fan of their older no longer in production amps - in particular the M series. Class A/B mosfet power amp with a 12Ax7 valve preamp. Somewhat similar architecture, in that sense, to the Aguilar DB751 (another awesome amp). Delivers a warm, creamy, gorgeous tone through a Mesa 2x12 cab with a Jazz bass. I tend to play all my basses in passive mode and my goto basses are a Sandberg TM4 (Delano pups) and Ibanez SR1800 (Nordstrand pups).

I'm personally less enamoured with the Subway D800 series, although I hear that the D800+ with it's semi parametric EQ is a step up from its baby bro - they just seemed to lack the warmth and lovely colour of the M6 Carbine I play through.

I've not had the pleasure of trying out one of their valve amps so I'll leave others to comment on those.

If you can get hold of a second hand Mesa Walkabout Scout that would be a great place to start in terms of delivering on the Mesa sound but in a package that is relatively easily to take to gigs. 

[wateroftyne]

IME the Walkabout was, for years, the greatest amp to roam the earth - until the Handbox R400 came along and managed to knock it off its perch.

Had that not appeared, I'd probably still have a Walkabout 'till the day I croak.

[dmccombe7]

For me i think their all valve amps would be way too expensive and not justifiable for my uses.

[wateroftyne]

Mesa stuff has always been a premium in the UK. I bought a band new MPulse 600 back in the day for... christ knows how much... and lost an insane amount when the time came to sell it. Never again.

[dmccombe7]

Read your review on the Handbox WoT and its quite impressive sounding too but i'm not so sure about the support if it fails for any reason.

Dave

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, dmccombe7 said:

Read your review on the Handbox WoT and its quite impressive sounding too but i'm not so sure about the support if it fails for any reason.

Dave

Lezsek's a good guy, but I understand what you're saying. However, like the Walkabout, and lots of other Class AB heads, it's just a well made, simple technology - so if anything goes wrong, it can be fixed by your friendly local techy person. When Class D's go pop, it can sometimes mean you just have to throw 'em in the bin :-)

[dmccombe7]

Loads in your links WoT. Thanks for that and i'll work my way thru them.

Pity no-one thought to put a Mesa amp review on our BC reviews page tho.

According to Mesa site they no longer make the Mpulse or Walkabout series. Just the D800 and all valve series. Seems a bit strange

Dave

[wateroftyne]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Loads in your links WoT. Thanks for that and i'll work my way thru them.

Pity no-one thought to put a Mesa amp review on our BC reviews page tho.

According to Mesa site they no longer make the Mpulse or Walkabout series. Just the D800 and all valve series. Seems a bit strange

Dave

Y'know, although I've had loads of gear over the years, I don't think I've ever posted anything in the review section..!

That's a shame about the Class AB stuff. Maybe they've decided that the Subway is finally 'there' in terms of equivalent performance?

The amount that were moved on on BC not long after launch makes me think... maybe not?

[TheGreek]

I played a Mesa at a guitar fair way back in the 80s and was mightily impressed. Obviously back then ( a mere strapling in my 20s) I didn't have the money to buy one so it remained on my "I want one of those" list for many years. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I manage to trade for a Mesa Walkabout head in a wooden Mesa case - Woooo, impressed, huh?

I take it home, plug it in to my Vanderkley MNT112 (which I'm very happy with) and spend the next few weeks kidding myself that it sounded "great" - it didn't!! Weak and woolly, lacking any sense of oooomph - one of the biggest disappointments of my life (slightly ahead of buying a Wal, couldn't get on with the neck profile). Only one thing for it - sell it on!!

OK, I have been wrong before (once I think) so I recently acquired a Mesa M9 Carbine hoping that I was wrong and that maybe, just maybe, they'd got their act together and made something I might get a sound I like from. My initial impression was not good - you know what? It was my only impression - cased it back up and sold it on.

IMO they're another company trading on their history (it's alright, I'm waiting for the attack about Trace Elliot) - the gear they produced years ago may have been world class - not any more though - the world has caught up and surpassed them in leaps and bounds.

Overpriced and over-rated in my opinion.

[LukeFRC]

47 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

 

Not sure if this is in the correct FORUM area. ?

Recently i've seen a few BC'ers mention their Mesa gear with quite a passion. Its got me curious and very interested, but can't see any BC reviews on it.

Its obviously very expensive so i'm guessing people don't make the choice lightly.

I've got a few questions that hopefully you guys can advise on if you don't mind. Q1 & Q2 are pretty similar questions so i've put in brackets what i was thinking

1. What makes owners of Mesa gear like it so much. (general question about Mesa gear ie build quality, support and availability)

2. What is it that made you pick that particular amp over others. (in respect to other Mesa amps or cabs and maybe in respect to other manufacturers gear)

3. Is there a favoured set up that majority of owners prefer or would prefer.

4. Can you describe briefly your preferred tone (ie, warm, mellow, mid-punch, heavy bottom end, high top end are just some things i can think off)

5. what bass do you generally use with it. (just to give me an idea of whether your bass is passive, active or has a deciding influence on how your tone might sound)

6. Finally what Mesa gear would you recommend for a Mesa Virgin like myself playing mostly classic rock with a Jazz bass but occassionally depping for other music genres doing pup / club material.

Maybe a lot to ask but even a few pointers would help. I don't think there are any Mesa suppliers lcal to me altho Guitar Guitar have very limited stock.

Thanks 

Dave

1. I tried lots of amps, and had a sound in my head. When I tried out the Walkabout I ended up buying, it was just a really nice sound. It's good quality, there is support (not cheap) and availability is in my case not important as I only need one of them!

2. I tried a Mpulse 600 and the walkabout at the same time before I asked the fella if he wanted to sell me his amp (I was supposed to be selling him one!), the Mpulse was more spiky and 'rock' to the warmer and more rounded walkabout tone. The 3 band parametric also had wider Q which I found more musical than the 5 band on the Mpulse.... It has a big punchy sound with a lot of warmth to it. It's a bit like a cross between a B15 and a bigger valve amp. A lot of the amps I had had before were more hi-fi and clean and sound less musical. Good DI tone

3. erm no idea! I have the walkabout with the scout combo, @wateroftyne had a nice setup with a pair of 1x12 from TKS

4. big warm sounding amp that softens the fact I hit the strings hard... 

5. G&L L1000, Warwick thumb and Warwick SS1 with ACG preamp. I especially like it with the warwicks. 

6. Walkabout combo. The cabs that WoT will recommend if you need bigger? You're welcome to come try mine if you're in the vicinity. 
Oh and it looks nice enough that shethatmustbeobeyed doesn't mind it in the front room it fits easily in half the the boot of a Mk7 golf without removing the parcel shelf. Some things like that matter! 
 

24 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Read your review on the Handbox WoT and its quite impressive sounding too but i'm not so sure about the support if it fails for any reason.

Dave

Having just paid for a new transformer on a Mesa walkabout.... parts aren't cheap on them either.

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I manage to trade for a Mesa Walkabout head in a wooden Mesa case - Woooo, impressed, huh?

I take it home, plug it in to my Vanderkley MNT112 (which I'm very happy with) and spend the next few weeks kidding myself that it sounded "great" - it didn't!! Weak and woolly, lacking any sense of oooomph - one of the biggest disappointments of my life (slightly ahead of buying a Wal, couldn't get on with the neck profile). Only one thing for it - sell it on!!

The EQ on the Walkabout is a bizarre thing - doing what's normal on any other amp will give bizarre results. I'm surprised you found it weak, mind... I had problems taming the low end most of the time.

The MPulse was a different beast IMO - it was just huge and hollow. Didn't like it - I'm still feeling the burn in my pocket now.

 

[LukeFRC]

2 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I played a Mesa at a guitar fair way back in the 80s and was mightily impressed. Obviously back then ( a mere strapling in my 20s) I didn't have the money to buy one so it remained on my "I want one of those" list for many years. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I manage to trade for a Mesa Walkabout head in a wooden Mesa case - Woooo, impressed, huh?

I take it home, plug it in to my Vanderkley MNT112 (which I'm very happy with) and spend the next few weeks kidding myself that it sounded "great" - it didn't!! Weak and woolly, lacking any sense of oooomph - one of the biggest disappointments of my life (slightly ahead of buying a Wal, couldn't get on with the neck profile). Only one thing for it - sell it on!!

OK, I have been wrong before (once I think) so I recently acquired a Mesa M9 Carbine hoping that I was wrong and that maybe, just maybe, they'd got their act together and made something I might get a sound I like from. My initial impression was not good - you know what? It was my only impression - cased it back up and sold it on.

IMO they're another company trading on their history (it's alright, I'm waiting for the attack about Trace Elliot) - the gear they produced years ago may have been world class - not any more though - the world has caught up and surpassed them in leaps and bounds.

Overpriced and over-rated in my opinion.

Interestingly you currently use old vintage trace elliot stuff. Which is great gear but almost the opposite to Mesa! I do the same with Trace, spend ages trying to convince myself I like the tone...

Mind you as much as I love it, I'm not tied to this amp for life and could see myself having to explain to the wife why the pretty green loud box had turned into a ugly black hairy one!

[LukeFRC]

2 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

The EQ on the Walkabout is a bizarre thing - doing what's normal on any other amp will give bizarre results. I'm surprised you found it weak, mind... I had problems taming the low end most of the time.

The MPulse was a different beast IMO - it was just huge and hollow. Didn't like it - I'm still feeling the burn in my pocket now.

 

it's the cut only mids that catch folk out I think

[TheGreek]

To further try to convince myself, I bought (a B'day present actually) a Mesa Powerhouse 1x15 cab - haven't really had the chance to give it a good blast - open to offers. (I have paid the sale fee, so hopefully no problem).

[fretmeister]

I had the Prodigy 4:88.

it was well made and sounded superb. But it also had the Loudest cooling fan I’ve ever known. It was effectively impossible to use it in the house or to play with acoustic instruments, particularly woodwinds.

 

why they went for a cheap noisy fan when nearly noiseless options aren’t much more expensive is beyond me. Also when an amp is £1899 it is taking the fosters to charge another £150 for the footswitch.

 

would I have another one? Yes. It sounded excellent. But I’d buy used and immediately take it to a tech to have a silent fan put in.

 

And don’t get me started on Westside Distribution’s UK pricing structure. Used values will give you a hint where the real value is.

A Dual Rectifier RRP is Now £2991.00  You can get a used one for under a grand if you are patient.

 

 

[Shaggy]

My tuppenceworth

Having rather aimlessly been through various rigs over the years, I got into Mesa via their EV-powered Diesel cabs - the weight didn't much bother me (at the time) and I was hugely impressed by the power, transparent tone, and indestructible build quality.   For ages I happily gigged an old Eden VT.40 head through a Mesa Diesel 1516.    Also acquired Road-Ready Diesel 1x15  and 2x10 cabs for more flexibility / portability (they're actually pretty compact too) - still got all 3 cabs.

Being a bit of a completist I then tried and bought a Mesa head - a silverface Walkabout, and now that's pretty much all I use.   I'm sure there are better amps out there, but it sounds great for the stuff I do (blues / soul / rock) and never misses a beat.   It's also quite amazingly powerful for a 300W head - I bought a Mesa Titan V12 head for big / outdoor gigs, and have never needed it (the Titan sounds more like my old Ampeg SVT-2 than the Walkabout, and has some nifty dual-channel and foot-switching options).  Also have an early '80's Mesa Boogie D-180 all-valve head which I'm going to try gigging with (it's a fraction of the weight and size of the SVT), and an early '80's Mesa Boogie mk3 all-valve head / 1x12 Thielle cab for guit*r    So a bit of a Mesa nut I guess!

A bit ironically , I now use the Walkabout head with Ashdown 4x8 and 1x15 mini-cabs (all drivers replaced with greatly up-graded units) which I'd have to say is the best and certainly the most portable rig I've owned.

I haven't tried the modern ones - seems to me that rather like Harley-Davidson, Fender, Gibson etc, Mesa are a "US icon" brand trapped in the retro market - but being an amp manufacturer also have to keep up with technology; as far as I can tell they seem to have done so pretty well.

 

 

[Wolverinebass]

When I was younger, I had a dream of owning a Mesa 4x12. I promised myself that I'd get one if I could lift it. Shortly afterwards I ruptured my cruciate and tore up the cartilage something rotten. I bought light cabs, but never truly gave up. Only after getting my knee reconstructed a 2nd time 3 years ago has put the kibosh on the whole idea. Bummer.

I've played the 4:88 and it was monstrous. The low end above 10 o'clock was just insane. Grit for years, but obviously will weigh a ton. It's a pity the cabs weigh so much.

Also a pity that Westside Distribution are price gougers. I'm sure I read that they were going to refuse repairs on non UK sold Mesa gear or something like that. Bonkers.

[fretmeister]

They refuse repairs on all grey imports all the time.

Mr and Mrs Silly Billy. (That’s what twaaaat gets auto corrected to  )

Edited January 2, 2018 by fretmeister

[Paul S]

10 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I had the Prodigy 4:88.

it was well made and sounded superb. But it also had the Loudest cooling fan I’ve ever known. It was effectively impossible to use it in the house or to play with acoustic instruments, particularly woodwinds.

 

why they went for a cheap noisy fan when nearly noiseless options aren’t much more expensive is beyond me. Also when an amp is £1899 it is taking the fosters to charge another £150 for the footswitch.

 

would I have another one? Yes. It sounded excellent. But I’d buy used and immediately take it to a tech to have a silent fan put in.

 

And don’t get me started on Westside Distribution’s UK pricing structure. Used values will give you a hint where the real value is.

A Dual Rectifier RRP is Now £2991.00  You can get a used one for under a grand if you are patient.

 

 

Interesting.  I have one and the cooling fan isn't  remotely noisy so maybe either you were unlucky or I am lucky?  I wanted to have an all valve head but also wanted the very lightest one possible so bought the Prodigy Four:88 which comes in at 14kgs.  I was pleased to be offered one secondhand in very good nick and paid a decent price accordingly.  I like it very much, as you would expect there is a certain something about the tone that I don't get from any of my non-valve heads, even those with valve preamps.  The controls are simple and easy to use.  Oh, yes, it is loud and - you want heft?  Here is heft!

Downsides - 14kg naked equates to 17kgs in the flightcase (OK,hefty toolbox) I bought to keep it in which is pushing it for me.  First time I gigged with it one of the valves blew on soundcheck and shorted across a fairly decent bit of the pcb.  Repair bill was iro £250.  Ouch!

How much do I prefer it over my 'now back up but previously go-to' Trace Elliot head?  Difficult question to answer but, if I am honest, probably not enough to justify keeping it.  But having paid top dollar plus with the cost of repair it owes me too much to move on just yet so here it stays.  Just need to wait fro my current lower back episode to improve and my hernia to be fixed before I use it again...  

[wateroftyne]

Lots of people on TB have a bee in their bonnet about the Walkabout's fan noise, too. I've owned two of them, and neither have been a problem for me. It's a puzzler.

[Steve Browning]

1. What makes owners of Mesa gear like it so much. (general question about Mesa gear ie build quality, support and availability) - for me it is extremely well designed and built. I have called upon customer service twice (not related to problems) and they have been very good.

2. What is it that made you pick that particular amp over others. (in respect to other Mesa amps or cabs and maybe in respect to other manufacturers gear) - my first amp (Bass 400 in 1988) was bought solely on a review that called it the Rolls Royce of bass amplification. I have used Mesa stuff entirely since then (save for a short period with an Ampeg PF500 and 1x15 cab). I have had a 400+ and also have a Walkabout and an M-Pulse 600. In side by side comparisons with other Mesa amps I have noticed some commonality in eq and sound.

3. Is there a favoured set up that majority of owners prefer or would prefer. - I'm a 15's kind of guy and started off with a pair of Diesel 2x15' but now use two Subway 1x15s.

4. Can you describe briefly your preferred tone (ie, warm, mellow, mid-punch, heavy bottom end, high top end are just some things i can think off) - think Bohemian Rhapsody.

5. what bass do you generally use with it. (just to give me an idea of whether your bass is passive, active or has a deciding influence on how your tone might sound) - Precision with flats although I started with rounds.

6. Finally what Mesa gear would you recommend for a Mesa Virgin like myself playing mostly classic rock with a Jazz bass but occassionally depping for other music genres doing pup / club material. Depends on what you want but I would be looking at a D-800 and the Subway cabs (whichever suits you best).

The thing to remember with Mesa stuff is the eq is not straightforward. It took me 6 months to figure out how it all worked together (on the Bass 400 when I first got it). The eq is very sensitive and little tweaks can make a big difference.

I have not had a single problem in the 30 years I have been using their gear and still have my original Bass 400. Wonderful kit and worth every penny. Toured with me all over.