NCD - Mesa rig

[dmccombe7]

My Mesa Subway 210 & 115 cabs just arrived today within an hour of each other from 2 different shops. 210 from Andertons and the 115 from Guitar Guitar.

Using my Mesa Mpulse 600 amp.

Played them individually first to see how they sounded on their own. The 210 is deep, warm and crystal clear mids and Hi's. The 115 again is deep but a bit more Lo & Hi sounding whereas the 210 has that mid punch. Put the 2 together and this is one heck of a bass rig. It has the same warm depth of tone that my PH212 cab has. I'd say the 115 cab sounds a lot like my PH212. 

Both a one hand lift altho you can feel the extra weight in the 210 cab. The 115 is unbelievably light. I was very surprised.

So far i think i've made the right choice of cabs for what i'm looking for. I think the 215 cab might have lacked a bit of that mid punch for me.

Only playing in the house at moment but its a detached house in countryside so its reasonable volume without things falling off the walls.

Just the TT800 amp to arrive in June and i'm back to fully lightweight again.

Have to say that these cabs are tonally night and day compared to the Bergantino AE112 lightweight cabs i had few yrs ago and same with Markbass rig. These cabs dont appear to have anything "lacking" in them. Compared to my PH212 i would never have guessed they were lightweight based on the sound alone.

Anyway i'm so excited and looking forward to rehearsing in May hopefully.

Dave   

Edited May 9, 2021 by dmccombe7

[Crawford13]

Monster rig! I am jealous, however I am trying to accept that I only play in an originals band, and will not have regular gigs for probably the next year possibly 2,so I have no need to have top class amps just now. It hasn't stopped the Gas though... 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Crawford13

[BoomTing]

Nice! 👍

[Beedster]

There is something of a Mesa renaissance on BC at present. May it long continue

[dmccombe7]

2 minutes ago, Crawford13 said:

Monster rig! I am jealous, however I am trying to accept that I only play in an originals band, and will not have regular gigs for probably the next year possibly 2,so I have no need to have top class amps just now. It hasn't stopped the Gas though... 

I've been looking at the Subway cabs for a good few yrs now but they were always too expensive and couldn't really justify to myself that i needed them. Having recently sold my old Porsche i took advantage of the available cash and just went for it. Had to make sure my wife gets something for the house too but i'll leave that up to her to decide. I'm also selling off some other bass gear to help offset the cost. 😂

We are starting to see bookings come in now for Sept / Oct and rehearsals expected to resume in May. 

You are only here once so make the most of it.

Dave

[Crawford13]

5 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Had to make sure my wife gets something for the house too but i'll leave that up to her to decide.

Haha that's how my bonus works. I buy my wife something nice so that she can't moan about me bringing a new bass home... This year I have a tasty fretless Alpher coming. 

Glad to hear you are getting some gigs in the books, hopefully Scotlands music scene will be back sooner than I think. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Crawford13

[dmccombe7]

I'm hoping it picks up for Xmas. Being a 70's Glam Rock covers band its our best time of year. Certainly our singer who does a solo act of same said he's getting quite a few clubs contacting him already. We have Ivory Blacks booked ourselves on 23rd Oct but if it falls thru its not the end of the world. Since arranging that we've had several people contact us from across Central belt and even up to Dundee but that's not been confirmed.

Hopefully the originals scene picks up soon for you as well.

Dave

[Steve Browning]

Glad to hear you're pleased. The TT will reduce the weight but not the tone. 

[dmccombe7]

9 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Glad to hear you're pleased. The TT will reduce the weight but not the tone. 

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop Steve. I'm totally stunned by the tone from these cabs. My experience with lightweight cabs always left me wanting for something that was never quite there.

These Subway cabs sound as full as the Powerhouse cab. Totally gobsmacked and i can lift one-handed. The 210 gives me that little bit more mid punch.

I reckon i could gig with either one of these cabs on their own.

Looks like your advice paid off for me again. Cheers mate and i owe you another beer.

Dave

Edited April 6, 2021 by dmccombe7

[Reggaebass]

Really nice Dave, a 115 and a 2x10 seem to go together so well, great choice 👍

[dmccombe7]

9 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Really nice Dave, a 115 and a 2x10 seem to go together so well, great choice 👍

I'm really looking forward to hearing it within the band but i guess that needs to wait another month. 

Dave

[Lozz196]

22 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Really nice Dave, a 115 and a 2x10 seem to go together so well, great choice 👍

Agree, the science and theory says they shouldn’t but I’ve had a good few 210/115 rigs and they’ve all been great, with both cabs together always sounding better than each cab on its own.

[nilebodgers]

36 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree, the science and theory says they shouldn’t but I’ve had a good few 210/115 rigs and they’ve all been great, with both cabs together always sounding better than each cab on its own.

I seem to recall the Mesa chap that posts on Talkbass saying that their cabs are specifically designed to work together re. tuning / response etc.

@agedhorse is who I meant.

Edited April 6, 2021 by nilebodgers
Added Mesa chap!

[Beedster]

I think we sometimes forget that music isn’t a science, it’s an art. It’s not about whether the science says they should work together, it’s about using our skill - and some nice cabs of course - to make them work together

[agedhorse]

11 hours ago, nilebodgers said:

I seem to recall the Mesa chap that posts on Talkbass saying that their cabs are specifically designed to work together re. tuning / response etc.

@agedhorse is who I meant.

Yes, this is correct.

[dmccombe7]

A lot of advice was provided from guys on the TB site who have their own Subway forum. @agedhorse is very involved in the forum and provides an outstanding level of support and advice.

It has taken me a long time to finally commit to another set of lightweight cabs after the failures i've had over the years however i have found that between BC & TB the overall consensus is that tonally they are as good as the heavier range. My big problem in UK was i could never get to test the "rigs" that i thought might work for me. UK shops simply dont stock the range and i suspect the cost means they dont sell too many of them. 

Many many reviews and youtube clips listened to of the various combinations available. 

Historically i always preferred the 15 with 210 cabs and altho i've tried so many other combinations i found that falling back to this combination looked like the ideal set up for me. 

Having tried the cabs individually i believe i could get a great sound from any combination of the cabs. The 410 cab i reckon must be a monstrous sounding cab. The 210 cab has so much depth i was honestly taken aback.

A special thanks to our very own @Steve Browning who has been a huge help on my Mesa journey over past few years and given me lots of advice on how to get the best from Mesa amps along with sharing his own conversion from the heavy Powerhouse range to the lightweight Subway range.

Dave

 

[Steve Browning]

I am very glad to have been a help to you and delighted you are (seemingly) as happy as I am with my Mesa gear.

Good luck with the search for a trolley. As you say, not heavy but more bulky than anything. I carry one in each hand but negotiating doors can require choreography!!

[binky_bass]

Mesa do make some of the very best bass gear out there... I've had maybe 6 or 7 rigs over the last 5 years from a good slice of 'top end' brands and my current Mesa rig smashes all of them to the ground. 

Never underestimate the Mesa!!

[bassbora]

That rig sounds epic. Out of curiosity what did you find lacking with the Bergs and do you know if the newer models have fixed that? Sorry for being a bit off topic but you have all the experience. 

[dmccombe7]

14 hours ago, bassbora said:

That rig sounds epic. Out of curiosity what did you find lacking with the Bergs and do you know if the newer models have fixed that? Sorry for being a bit off topic but you have all the experience. 

I had the lightweight Berg AE112 cabs and altho they were clear and the Deep Purple tribute band really liked them i found they lacked depth or low end. (commonly described as "heft")  Circa 2011/12. It might have been down to the cabs being very hi-fi and every note was crystal clear and not coloured as much as other more traditional cabs.

Was an issue with a lot of Neo cabs back then. No idea if Berg have changed. ?

In comparison with the Mesa cabs its night and day for me. The Subway cabs have lots of depth exactly same sounding as my more tradiotional Powerhouse 212 cab.

I also have a Berg HT322 with traditional drivers and it has depth but still retains its clarity. I also found that my Markbass Combo and ext cab were the same as the Bergs yet they slotted in really well in a full 5 piece band from an audience perspective but not on stage. I did try a new version of the MB cabs that were similar in dimensions to my Mesa cabs circa 20" cubed and they sounded a lot better than the MB combo i had.

Hope that helps a bit but please remember that this kind of thing is all subjective and only my own experience. I'm sure others will disagree.

Dave

[Lozz196]

Similar reasons as to why I switched from Barefaced to Ashdown cabs. In my past bands the Barefaced had been exceptional but in the 3 piece punk band I needed that depth and Ashdown/Ampeg were the ones I liked best, Ashdown winning out on many other factors.

[dmccombe7]

First rehearsal in 8mths and used my Mpulse and new Subway cabs.

Unbelieveable is the only wat to describe it. All the depth of the PH212 but the mids to high end a lot more focused.

I did bring the mids up after Agedhorse mentioned the Mpulse is naturally mid-scooped but i believe the 210 cab was doing the work. The 115 produced a lot more low end and i had to back the bass control on the bass back to centre position. All other amp settings same as had for the PH212. 

The interesting thing about this rig is that no matter where i stood i could feel and hear the bass clearly. Maybe helped with the rig being slightly taller but any other lightweight cabs i've had the low end drops off completely when you stand in front of the rig but not with this.

I was worried the warmth and depth of the PH212 might not be there with the lightweight cabs but it was the opposite. 

To round up the tone was deep, rounded and warm with nice clarity in the mid registers. Doing 70's Glam Rock covers so everything from Sweet to T.Rex, Bowie, ABBA and Roxy Music the rig coped without issue. I was using my Roland Mfx to switch between clean and Ric tones i have set up and the Ric tone i use mainly to capture a more live sound for certain songs.

Superb day. Cant wait for my TT800 to arrive and no more heavy amp racks to carry about and load into car.

Dave 

[dmccombe7]

On 08/04/2021 at 15:09, Lozz196 said:

Similar reasons as to why I switched from Barefaced to Ashdown cabs. In my past bands the Barefaced had been exceptional but in the 3 piece punk band I needed that depth and Ashdown/Ampeg were the ones I liked best, Ashdown winning out on many other factors.

What Ashdown cabs are you using now @Lozz196 ?

I had an Asdown set up 115 and 210 Deep cabs and they were ok but a little muddy for me. Did try a 610 tho and that sounded pretty nice.

Dave

[Lozz196]

2 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

What Ashdown cabs are you using now @Lozz196 ?

I had an Asdown set up 115 and 210 Deep cabs and they were ok but a little muddy for me. Did try a 610 tho and that sounded pretty nice.

Dave

I’ve now got two of the ABM PRO NEO 210s, Dave. The ABM EVO-IV 410 & 210 cabs I had before were great, sharper sounding than the previous ranges, but just too big/heavy. I really liked them, although they were quite low-end biased when flat this made for a great presence on big stages and they took my sound really well. So when the PRO NEOs came out I snapped up a couple. Am yet to use them in a band setting but I can tell at home volumes the sound is still classic ABM.

[agedhorse]

4 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

First rehearsal in 8mths and used my Mpulse and new Subway cabs.

Unbelieveable is the only wat to describe it. All the depth of the PH212 but the mids to high end a lot more focused.

I did bring the mids up after Agedhorse mentioned the Mpulse is naturally mid-scooped but i believe the 210 cab was doing the work. The 115 produced a lot more low end and i had to back the bass control on the bass back to centre position. All other amp settings same as had for the PH212. 

The interesting thing about this rig is that no matter where i stood i could feel and hear the bass clearly. Maybe helped with the rig being slightly taller but any other lightweight cabs i've had the low end drops off completely when you stand in front of the rig but not with this.

I was worried the warmth and depth of the PH212 might not be there with the lightweight cabs but it was the opposite. 

To round up the tone was deep, rounded and warm with nice clarity in the mid registers. Doing 70's Glam Rock covers so everything from Sweet to T.Rex, Bowie, ABBA and Roxy Music the rig coped without issue. I was using my Roland Mfx to switch between clean and Ric tones i have set up and the Ric tone i use mainly to capture a more live sound for certain songs.

Superb day. Cant wait for my TT800 to arrive and no more heavy amp racks to carry about and load into car.

Dave 

Yes Davs, they are not your "grandpa's" cabinets.

Now you know exactly why the Subway line was developed, and why light weight and small was not an obstacle to performance.