New Mesa Walkabout-style high powered amp WD-800....and new cabs...

[eude]

7 minutes ago, Musicman20 said:

we don't need 'distributors'.

I totally agree.
I can see where they are useful in some respects but if it means that appetite for a brand or product just dies off as a result of layers of margin, then manufacturers need to act to protect their own livelihood.

Selling big brands at a loss simply isn't viable any more, not that it ever really was, if the big boys won't play nice, then they won't get invited any more...

Eude

[thodrik]

In the current market, the price for a boutique made in the USA head is pretty good. My Walkabout 1x15 combo was about £1300 new back in 2008 (the head alone I think was £1100 or so back then). 

The price of the cabs are silly. Just ridiculous. You would think with the lighter weight they would be easier and cheaper to ship than the old Powerhouse cabinets (which are/were really expensive as well).

I see that Mesa have deleted links on their sites to the Powerhouse cabs and any non-Subway amps, such as their all valve Prodigy/Strategy heads. It looks like Mesa are really committing to lightweight gear, which is cool. Probably a wise move, despite being great, the Powerhouse cabs are really heavy and are only really 'easy to move' if you are used to moving those old Diesel or Roadready cabs about. 

I wonder if they will make a classic Powerhouse 1000 lightweight cab, fitting a 4x10 and 1x15 into a 'lightweight' box.  Keep the mix of old and new cabs. 

[No. 8 Wire]

10 minutes ago, thodrik said:

The price of the cabs are silly. Just ridiculous. You would think with the lighter weight they would be easier and cheaper to ship than the old Powerhouse cabinets (which are/were really expensive as well).

I think international shipping is more about volume than weight.  At least it has been when I've been moving larger items between countries (ie when iso containers are involved).

Agree on the prices though.  My walkabout was 10 years old before I could afford one! So I'll get one of these in 2028 when they'll only be around £500, that's if the class d units aren't worn out or obsolete by then!

[Al Krow]

On 06/12/2018 at 14:50, eude said:

By the current exchange rate, £1299 for the head, translates as roughly $1660.
But, in the US it retails at $999, which is roughly £780, and it will sell for less in the shops.

I'm not sure that can be blamed on the exchange rate, it's more like a good old fashioned bully ramming!

Still I'll be there's money to be made bring some back from the US and selling them here...

Eude

US $999 retail => Should be around £1,050 including transport and taxes (VAT, Customs duty, and £12 handling charge).

Save £250 by importing from a US retailer.

The retailers over here can buy wholesale from the US so someone, somewhere, is making a fast buck.

[chris_b]

It always used to be the case that if a retailer wanted to sell Mesa gear they had to adhere to Mesa's requirements, which like Bergantino, were quite stringent and didn't give the dealers much wiggle room.

Edited December 10, 2018 by chris_b

[spencer.b]

On 10/12/2018 at 00:09, Al Krow said:

US $999 retail => Should be around £1,050 including transport and taxes (VAT, Customs duty, and £12 handling charge).

Save £250 by importing from a US retailer.

The retailers over here can buy wholesale from the US so someone, somewhere, is making a fast buck.

How about the US voltage though? Would Mesa charge a different amount wholesale for the UK voltage ones?

[wateroftyne]

10 hours ago, spencer.b said:

How about the US voltage though? Would Mesa charge a different amount wholesale for the UK voltage ones?

I believe it's mentioned above that the they're switchable voltage.

[The59Sound]

Has anyone actually played one yet?

Good news about the voltage, may pick one up when I'm over in the States next year. 

[krispn]

Uriah Duffy’s had a go! 😀

[Sarlscharisma]

I'm seriously considering buying one from Mesa direct.  How would it stand with any warranty though.  Could I use the warranty in the UK?  I doubt this would be the case

[LukeFRC]

1 minute ago, Sarlscharisma said:

I'm seriously considering buying one from Mesa direct.  How would it stand with any warranty though.  Could I use the warranty in the UK?  I doubt this would be the case

I doubt they will sell to the UK

[Sarlscharisma]

Just now, LukeFRC said:

I doubt they will sell to the UK

I've just gone through checkout and they seem to as they give you international postage costs.  This is MesaHollywood

[chris_b]

Mesa won't sell directly to the public. They sell though a network of dealerships and retailers. Mesa Hollywood will be a retailer.

[wateroftyne]

I can’t imagine the repair bill if you buy a grey import and it goes pop...

[LukeFRC]

2 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I can’t imagine the repair bill if you buy a grey import and it goes pop...

At least 8 Bugera veyrons...

[No. 8 Wire]

6 hours ago, Sarlscharisma said:

I'm seriously considering buying one from Mesa direct.  How would it stand with any warranty though.  Could I use the warranty in the UK?  I doubt this would be the case

Their warranty says they only cover residents of USA/Canada.  Rest of World warranties are through their distributors.

[Chopthebass]

Tried one here in Canada and wasn't impressed. Whilst all those knobs do produce some nice sounds, its all too subtle IMO. Particularly the HPF and Power Amp Damping controls.

The build quality of Mesa gear is second to none though. I have a PH 4x10 cab and its great. $1350 CAD here, which I think isn't too bad. 

 

[Al Krow]

3 hours ago, Chopthebass said:

Tried one here in Canada and wasn't impressed. Whilst all those knobs do produce some nice sounds, its all too subtle IMO. Particularly the HPF and Power Amp Damping controls.

The build quality of Mesa gear is second to none though. I have a PH 4x10 cab and its great. $1350 CAD here, which I think isn't too bad. 

Well that's the post we've been waiting for! 

Sounds like my Mesa M6 is going to be safe as my #1 hybrid for a while yet then! 

[krispn]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Well that's the post we've been waiting for! 

Sounds like my Mesa M6 is going to be safe as my #1 hybrid for a while yet then! 

So if he’d have said it’s a killer amp? Always best to consider these things after some actual play time. I have no doubt Chopthebass knows what he’s talking about but I’d still be keen to hear one in the flesh and make the call based off that. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by krispn

[Beedster]

On 15/12/2018 at 11:31, wateroftyne said:

I can’t imagine the repair bill if you buy a grey import and it goes pop...

Yep, and different states have different regulations/laws re these things, so it can get quite messy. I'd never buy anything from the USA that, if there were a problem, I couldn't get sorted cheaply and satisfactorily in the UK. Sending back is simply not an option unless you have shedloads of cash, in which case you'd probably but via Mesa Europe in the first place. 

[Al Krow]

23 minutes ago, krispn said:

So if he’d have said it’s a killer amp? Always best to consider these things after some actual play time. I have no doubt Chopthebass knows what he’s talking about but I’d still be keen to hear one in the flesh and make the call based off that. 

A one eyed man is king in the land of the blind

[krispn]

Or more appropriately a one eared man is king in the land of the deaf! 😉

[Sarlscharisma]

Reason has returned and I’ve managed to kill the Gas for now.  There is way too much hyperbole out there so I’m going to hold off and see what emerges.  I once owned the D800+ but preferred the BB750 and the WA, so I don’t want to go crazy and buy without trying out.

[chris_b]

14 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Well that's the post we've been waiting for!

What does that mean?

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, chris_b said:

What does that mean?

Someone who's actually tried one "in the flesh"... ok I accept it's just one person's opinion, but at least it comes from having heard the thing!

Edited December 17, 2018 by Al Krow