agedhorse

1. Turn the gain and volume up more 2. Turn the eq up more, it’s based on the Fender tone stack which functions like volume controls (especially the mid band) 3. Use the high gain switch position. Knob position means nothing, the gain structures (and gain stage architecture) are entirely different between the two amps.

Depends entirely on the particular pedal, some can and some can't. If all pedal manufacturers included the necessary information in their specifications, specifically the maximum output level, it would be a LOT easier to determine this.

We stuck with USB-A for a reason... there are a variety of USB-A to 9V, 12V, 15V and 18V converter cords available for use with pedals, but also the USB-A to USB-C and USB-A to lightning cables are readily available and very inexpensive so you get the best of both worlds. https://lovemyswitches.com/usb-to-9vdc-power-cable/?srsltid=AfmBOopZVrbjs29mAccByIl4AMwGF66xRajKnUtln5fc-rE7Rd5RIkAR Yes, I write all the basic outline and structure of the manuals, and then I have a couple of our outside test players who help with the editing process. One is a very experienced aerospace mechanical engineer who writes operations manuals for NATO compliant equipment (the big stuff) and the other has outstanding communication skills combined with really good intuition. Both are also excellent bass players (I'm a somewhat-mediocre keyboard player), so the goal is a technically complete manual written and edited from the perspective of bass players, to be accurate, clear, concise, useful and free from the vomitous marketing babble that makes manuals virtually unreadable. Thank you for appreciating our efforts. ❤️ We figure that if you are going to pay for a premium product, you also deserve a premium manual.

Good question, I really don't know. We have tossed this idea around before but it's never gained enough traction.

Good question... Of course we looked at our legacy models, the first one was the Walkabout and the weight was one of the biggest complaints (and it wasn't a very heavy amp compared with say the Carbines). Moving up to the heavier amps, size and weight very much factored into the decision because our players placed this very high on the "wanted list". Back in the day, I did design a number of substantially sized, heavy amps like the GBE-750 and 1200, but these found their way mostly to those who were either touring with big rigs or didn't need to worry about transportation. The older models sales had fallen to almost nothing even before we released the first Subway model, was better for what our evolving player base wanted and had asked for. Listening to a large number of players provided a huge level of clarity here.

There are now some player produced videos and audio clips of the amp, some really good ones actually. They are on TalkBass (amps & cabs, new boogie release thread, pages 17-19-ish), I can't link them here unfortunately. I would like to hear what you can do here once they start getting into your hands, please post your videos and clips.

I have actually designed some Subway multi-driver cabinets but there wasn't much interest even though a couple of the designs were really quite good (articulate while retaining some flavor). Oh well, the customers drive this ship, not enough customer interest equals "pull the plug". It's unlikely to see the old Boogie badge on the bass cabinets, The Mesa Engineering was selected starting about 25 years ago. We do have some Boogie badges on our factory store website so that you could customize your own cabinets however.

The same ICEPower module used in all of the other Subway 800 watt models, but they all use different control algorithms for managing overdrive, therefore they all feel differently.

D is the original solid state preamp, compact chassis. 350W or 800W WD is Walkabout, class D, 800W BD is Bass 400, class D, 800W TT is Tri-Tube Topology, class D, 800W (I wanted to name it TD, but that name is already trademarked by Lab Gruupen, used in class TD) 😥

I have known Stan for years, he’s one of the best service engineers in the UK and maybe all of Europe IME.

Yes, it's based on a modification of the Fender tonestack but it also has make-up gain within the circuit so it behaves a little more predictably, with less interaction.

Another good question, nothing is off the table and personally it's something that I would like to do... in part to honor my dad's memory since he started his engineering career during the (all) tube era designing servo amplifiers (which are similar to audio amplifiers). He then went on to handle spacecraft attitude control on the Mariner Mars project which allowed him to step away from strictly hardware design and into the control systems side of servo theory. My dad passed away 2 years ago at the age of 90, this model was the last amp that he provided his insight on (he remained interested in engineering and math until his death). It's also why I followed in his engineering footsteps at university. I wouldn't rule this out either, but there's nothing immediate on the table either. I'm always open to hearing what YOU PLAYERS would like to see, sometimes that's what provides the impetus for new projects.

That’s EXACTLY the challenge, showing what the amp is capable of for the average real world player. The videos are very real world, Gus is a great player in multiple genres and has extensive experience with the new amp. He snuck it out on one of his tours, stealthy like, and there were no issues or problems over numerous shows. I worked with Doug Johns, a great slap player (and a lot more than that) while at Genz Benz. Well worth checking out, imo.

Actually, I agree with you here! If you check out the thread on TalkBass, I’m hoping to have some real player generated videos rather than the frustratingly slap-fest oriented stuff that seems to dominate the marketing world. While somewhat useful, it’s also pretty limited for a real world player.

we have tried hard to make the bass product owner’s manuals solid, accurate and educational documents. In the bass team’s opinion, players buying premium amps with a premium price tag also deserve a premium manual. It’s just part of a premium experience. Correct, one of our test players (also an engineer) has been helping write and edit the manuals since the WD-800, and the other came onboard starting with this model. They are really solid players with good communication skills, so the manuals contain a strong player perspective. They both have extensive playing (and gigging) experience with the new amp too.

If you don’t get a follow-up from her, message me and I will look into it. They may be a little overwhelmed due to the interest in this new amp.

Correct, this is my work. Good question and I agree (in general) somewhat, but we now have 3 different hybrid models, and all 3 are very different from each other in tone, texture and feel. The WD-800 is modeled after the Walkabout, with the updates that many players asked for, this amp is modeled after the Bass 400+ with significant player driven updates as well. I spend most of my time over at TalkBass, there were over 300 players over there that provided input on what they would like to see if we were to do an amp like this, and a LOT of the suggestions made it into the final version. Here's a link to the thread, there are informative comments and a couple of our test players have contributed to the thread, including some gig videos. For a (refreshing to me) change, we deemphesized the obligatory bass slap w**ker videos because that's not representative of real life, and instead are focusing on gig and studio demos. I would expect there to be more of these in the next week or two, once players receive their amps. I also begged for better EU access to these amps (we all share your frustration), and it looks like making a fool of myself groveling may have produced results! Thomann says they will have them available within the week on their website. Here's a link to the thread: (sorry, link won't embed) Here's a link to the owner's manual: https://www.gibson.com/cdn/shop/files/MESA_Boogie_Bass-800D_Product_Manual.pdf?v=14438764719515208578

How the fan is used, the mechanical design, has in general more impact on the real world noise floor than the fan itself (assuming decent quality fans, and the same air flow + static pressure).

Marketing plays a huge part in the cost of designer fans. Generally it’s more than the fan that’s responsible for the noise generated.

A lot of effort (and some expense) goes into making an efficient and quiet cooling system. Cooling is a system, not just a bunch of parts thrown at the problem.

Correct, there's a lot more to a quiet cooling system than just the fan, and a lot of ways to inadvertently turn a modified amp into a perpetual paperweight...

This is what starts the urban mythology that caps are "always" the culprit, they always go bad, without digging a little deeper to discover that there are products that last decades without any cap failures. You kind of get what you pay for usually 😉

This is what happens when you buy grossly substandard parts from unauthorized (or non-genuine) supply chains. This is not a capacitor issue, it's a fraud issue.

Yes, 24/7/365 operation is a little different. I have an amp in my shop undergoing aging testing that’s been in operation like this approaching 150,000 hours (that’s about 17 years). The caps still meet the original design specs. By comparison, for an audio amp used 4 hours a day, 5 days a week (high usage for a bass amp), that would be about 150 years… so even if the caps lasted half that long we are still talking about 75 year lifespan. This is quite simplified, but serves to reinforce why replacing caps in amps just because they are a “few” years old borders on the absurd. Or, the design and selection of components is really awful.

Leave the caps alone, age does not mean that there are problems, or that there will be problems. The whole notion of “must recap” is an absurd extrapolation from a little bit of truth.