Mesa Mpulse 600 & PH212 cab

[dmccombe7]

I changed over from Ampeg SVT4 Pro and Bergantino HT322 as my main rig to the Mesa set up mainly because the Ampeg kept breaking down and i wanted more reliability. I also had a Markbass rig but just couldn't take to it for some reason that i couldn't quite put my finger on.

Originally i started looking at the new lightweight Subway range but at Circa £3k for a full rig it was out of my current budget. The heavier Mesa gear was however dropping in price and as people changed from the Powerhouse to Subway range there seemed to be quite a few Mesa items for sale on the market.

Read lots of reviews on the various Mesa range and decided on the Mpulse amp as it was a more tube sounding head than some of the others. I waited until i had used the rig at rehearsals and gigs before writing this review.The amp itself is run almost flat with just a touch of bass to maybe 1 o clock setting at most and the Mid set between the 12 o clock and 1 o clock settings. Treble is flat. The para EQ i generally leave off but switchable to bring in a little 30-40Hz cut if stage is boomy. Comparing this rig to the Aguilar AG500 or EBS HD360 thru Ampeg 810 in the studios i found that the Mesa rig had more depth and you could feel the bass as well as hear it nice and clear. The full band commented on the Mesa rig as soon as we played the first song on how much more depth the band had. I found the tone surrounding me as well as hearing it. I've not experienced that in an amp since my old Marshall stack days or my other full valve amps.

At the gigs the stage sound was more full and everyone could hear and feel the bass. I did have to boost the mids to the 1 o clock position and might need a little more to cut thru the mix a little bit more for my liking.

The band is a 70's Glam Rock covers band and i wanted that old tube sound without the weight of full valve heads. The Mesa gives me that in droves. Its a warm and full sounding rig. The amp is racked with my tuner and a mute switch added to the front panel of the rack rather than a footswitch which is just far easier for me. Its heavy but i can lift on my own without too much trouble.

The PH212 cab is the 8ohm version that i got from Guitar Guitar in their half price sale and its in mint condition. Its 600w but the amp is only running at 300w because of the 8 ohms cab. Master volume sits around the 12 o'clock position with the Gain at 1-2 o clock position depending on how much valve overdrive i feel like having. I just like to hear it overdriving a little to give more of an edge.

At rehearsals i've tried making various adjustments to EQ settings and the bass is mega booming when increased if thats what you are looking for while on the other hand the mid and treble will give you more than enough edge or bite to cut thru any mix. Its taking me a little trial and error at gigs to get the tone just spot on for what i need at the moment. Changing bass from Jazz to Sandberg VM4 also thru a curve ball as their tones are quite different and i had to re-adjust my settings a little bit.

The PH212 cab is reasonably heavy altho i can lift it on my own its more the dimensions that make it difficult to carry up and down stairs but i always have bandmates to help with any gear.So far i'm more than happy with the Mesa gear and i'm now a total convert to the Mesa brand. The build quality is 2nd to none for me.

I've tried the Mesa head thru my Berg HT322 cab and it also sounds amazing although it has a sharper feel with the 10" speakers just giving it that little bit more bite.

I'm now thinking of going down the lightweight route after all with the WD800 head to start but still contemplating at the moment as no-one seems to stock them as yet.

Would have to say if you've never tried a Mesa rig then do it now as the heavier gear is relatively cheap at the moment on the 2nd hand market and the overall tone you get is just unbelievable warmth and much tubiness sounding. It fills out the bands sound more than i ever expected or imagined

Dave

 

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by dmccombe7

[peteb]

I have had a mpulse for many years and until recently, also had a Subway D800 as a lightweight option. 

I thought that the D800 was the nicest sounding Class D amp I had ever heard, but unfortunately I have had to move it on. Whilst it sounded great with a R&B band I was depping with last year and worked fine with a one guitar hard rock band, it just couldn't cope with a rock band with loads of keys on larger stages. Of course YMMV, but it seemed to lack power for an amp rated @ 800w. It does sound nice at lower volumes though.

It has been replaced by a Handbox hybrid 400w amp, which has the power and cuts through a mix better even if I am still trying to come to terms with it's EQ options. The Handbox is obviously heavier, but still an easy one hand lift whereas the D800 was so light that it used to keep bouncing off the top of the cab until I got one of those car dashboard non-slip maps! 

[peteb]

4 minutes ago, peteb said:

I have had a mpulse for many years and until recently, also had a Subway D800 as a lightweight option. 

I thought that the D800 was the nicest sounding Class D amp I had ever heard, but unfortunately I have had to move it on. Whilst it sounded great with a R&B band I was depping with last year and worked fine with a one guitar hard rock band, it just couldn't cope with a rock band with loads of keys on larger stages. Of course YMMV, but it seemed to lack power for an amp rated @ 800w. It does sound nice at lower volumes though.

It has been replaced by a Handbox hybrid 400w amp, which has the power and cuts through a mix better even if I am still trying to come to terms with it's EQ options. The Handbox is obviously heavier, but still an easy one hand lift whereas the D800 was so light that it used to keep bouncing off the top of the cab until I got one of those car dashboard non-slip maps! 

I should also add that the mpulse is my favourite amp of any I've ever owned and is going no where! I probably need to re-think how it is racked up and take it out more often... 

 

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, peteb said:

I have had a mpulse for many years and until recently, also had a Subway D800 as a lightweight option. 

I thought that the D800 was the nicest sounding Class D amp I had ever heard, but unfortunately I have had to move it on. Whilst it sounded great with a R&B band I was depping with last year and worked fine with a one guitar hard rock band, it just couldn't cope with a rock band with loads of keys on larger stages. Of course YMMV, but it seemed to lack power for an amp rated @ 800w. It does sound nice at lower volumes though.

It has been replaced by a Handbox hybrid 400w amp, which has the power and cuts through a mix better even if I am still trying to come to terms with it's EQ options. The Handbox is obviously heavier, but still an easy one hand lift whereas the D800 was so light that it used to keep bouncing off the top of the cab until I got one of those car dashboard non-slip maps! 

Cheers Pete that's my big worry about going lightweight again.

The Handbox amps lok good. Think it was Wateroftyne that did a review on them a few yrs back. Might have a lok at them again.

To be honest the Mesa rig i have is giving me the tone i like and i'm not 100% sure i want to risk losing that tone if i change to something else.

Every lightweight amp i've tried seemed to lack something when playing in a band. I currently have the EBS Reidmar 750 as a back up amp and its been ok but doesn't have that warm tube sound but will do as a back up.

Dave

[peteb]

The Handbox has a great core sound and is very responsive. The only issue is the EQ is quite rudimentary if you are used to the semi-parametric on the mpulse. Of course the disadvantage of the Mesa is that if you don't know how to use the EQ then you can find some really horrible sounds in there if you try hard enough!

The mids control on the HB is a hi-mid cut. In theory this should work for me but I have yet to really consistently find the sweet spot. If you leave it flat it is very mids focused, which of course is what players like MoT want. It's a bit of a work in progress for me, especially as I am not gigging as much at the moment. 

I'm not knocking the HB at all and would have no hesitation in recommending one to anyone wanting a new amp. It cost me about £650 in total (£590 for the amp, £30 postage and £30 in bank charges). I think that's good value for a great, handmade amp. Of course the price may go up significantly for some reason after 31 October, so if you fancy giving one a go it might be an idea to put an order in pretty soon...!

Edited August 22, 2019 by peteb

[dmccombe7]

With the Mpulse i generally don't use the para EQ and if at all its just to get a cut at low end frequencies to reduce any boominess. The passive EQ has so far been enough for me altho i 'm still experimenting with it a little at rehearsals and gigs.

Think i'll hold off with a new amp and just stick with the Mesa rig. Its the first rig i've had in years that i can actually feel the bass surround me without being too loud or heavy on the low end. Its a hard thing to describe.

Maybe once we get a trade deal with US the Mesa WD800 might drop in price. I won't hold my breath on that one tho.

Dave

[Muzz]

Keep the MPulse, change the cab. I have a Walkabout and a couple of BF cabs (I only ever really use the ST): it's an ideal combination when I need Big Backline but don't want a slipped disc...you can use a BF ST and drop 40lbs from the weight of your rig, without (IMHO) compromising your sound.

I only use the para EQ to cut the very bottom end, too: it works very very well...

[peteb]

11 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

With the Mpulse i generally don't use the para EQ and if at all its just to get a cut at low end frequencies to reduce any boominess. The passive EQ has so far been enough for me altho i 'm still experimenting with it a little at rehearsals and gigs.

Think i'll hold off with a new amp and just stick with the Mesa rig. Its the first rig i've had in years that i can actually feel the bass surround me without being too loud or heavy on the low end. Its a hard thing to describe.

Maybe once we get a trade deal with US the Mesa WD800 might drop in price. I won't hold my breath on that one tho.

Dave

You should definitely have a look at the EQ section on the mpulse to get the best out of it. It is one of the main things that distinguishes it from other really good amps. Probably best to start by trying out the factory sample settings in the manual, which you can download off the Mesa site if you haven't already got one (link: https://www.mesaboogie.com/support/user-manuals.html?page=2 / https://mesa-boogie.imgix.net/media/User Manuals/M-Pulse.pdf) 

I pretty much use the 'Driving Rock' setting with a few minor tweaks, mainly changing the frequency centre on the low mids to suit the room to ensure that there is no 'boominess'. 

Whatever you do, keep the mpulse...! 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by peteb

[dmccombe7]

Yep think the Mpulse is the amp i've been waiting on for many years. I downloaded the manual when i bought the amp on BC and i started off with the pre-sets as you said but i was really happy with just the passive EQ but i'll try little changes on each gig or rehearsal to see what effect it produces. I've been using it for about last 3 months at rehearsals and the few gigs i've done so far with the new band. 

Its just such a full warm tone that i can't get enough off so it would really be a bit stupid to change a rig that's working for me.

Dave

[Steve Browning]

Great review Dave and reflects exactly my experience. I went from Bass 400 in 1988, through 400+ to M-Pulse and didn't really notice any change in the sound at all (through the same Mesa 2x15 Diesel cab).

The Subway 15's, again, sound no different to my (snare drum battered) ears.

[dmccombe7]

2 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Great review Dave and reflects exactly my experience. I went from Bass 400 in 1988, through 400+ to M-Pulse and didn't really notice any change in the sound at all (through the same Mesa 2x15 Diesel cab).

The Subway 15's, again, sound no different to my (snare drum battered) ears.

Think the lightweight cabs might be worthwhile buying but its the amps i've never had great success with on the lightweight route. Tried Genz, Markbass and EBS and they seem to lack something altho on hindsight my Genz Streamliner was pretty close to what i like and the designer from Genz is the same guy who designed the Subway amps so maybe i need to try one first.

I'm liking my Mpulse and 212 cab so much that even the attraction of lightweight isn't quite strong enough yet to make me change but as i get older who knows. 

Dave

[Muzz]

Hey Dave,

If you liked the Streamliner then I can recommend the Genzler Magellan - I've had both (concurrent with my Walkabout), and again, there's a lineage of design. The Magellan might not have the glass valves of the Streamliner, but you wouldn't know without looking, and it's got a later gen power unit, which I found to have much more about it than the earlier Genz, Markbass, Tonehammers, etc...

I only moved the Magellan on because I went properly Helix/In-Ears, so there was no need for a 'middle ground' rig: If I need backline, it's for a gig I want to take the Mesa to; if I don't, then my backline's in my rucksack... 🙂

[dmccombe7]

11 hours ago, Muzz said:

Hey Dave,

If you liked the Streamliner then I can recommend the Genzler Magellan - I've had both (concurrent with my Walkabout), and again, there's a lineage of design. The Magellan might not have the glass valves of the Streamliner, but you wouldn't know without looking, and it's got a later gen power unit, which I found to have much more about it than the earlier Genz, Markbass, Tonehammers, etc...

I only moved the Magellan on because I went properly Helix/In-Ears, so there was no need for a 'middle ground' rig: If I need backline, it's for a gig I want to take the Mesa to; if I don't, then my backline's in my rucksack... 🙂

Oddly enough our singer and drummer have gone in-ears for monitoring mainly the vocals to be fair. I'm not informed enough to know how all the in-ears stuff works within a band context. I get how the singer is using it tho but no idea how your in-ears work with the bass and how it conects the rest of the band. Do you feed the full band into your in-ears or can you adjust the bass itself kind of thing.

Wonder if there's a thread on this. To be honest i like having my rig behind me plus i use the smooth hound wireless and i know there's a strong debate on BC that wireless bass plus wireless in ears causing a significant latency issue.

Dave

[Muzz]

Yeah, there's a huuuge IEMs thread, with chaps who know tons more about it than me (our singist is the driving force behind it), but I have a mixer on my phone (or iPad) with which I can adjust my in-ears mix independently of the others and the FOH. And yes to the latency, tho that's much more apparent if I'm using two lots - with the in-ears feed, it's really not noticeable. It depends on kit, but we have Sennheiser in-ear kit, which is very low latency...oh, and an ambient mic stuck on the stage helps massively with the isolating effect of in-ears: we've only recently started using that, and it's a revelation...

But I digress... 🙂