Mesa Subway d800 +

[Smiles]

Hi guys has anyone tried the Mesa Subway d800 + would really like to know your thoughts it sounds great on paper 

Good sound options ?

does the stated 800watt seem accurate ?

I would be running it through a 4ohm rig 

thank you for any thoughts 

[Smiles]

22 minutes ago, Smiles said:

Hi guys has anyone tried the Mesa Subway d800 + would really like to know your thoughts it sounds great on paper 

Good sound options ?

does the stated 800watt seem accurate ?

I would be running it through a 4ohm rig 

thank you for any thoughts 

Actually would be running it through a 2ohm rig as thinking of getting 2 x 4ohm cabinets , that was one of the features that attracted me having the ohm selector switch 

[deepbass5]

I have had one for about three years now, having had the D800 prior to the D800 plus.

 

The reason was the extra features to be able to control the mids, I didn't feel the standard D800 was any better than my old Markbass as i feel the MB are voiced well and do the buisiness well with little tweeking.

 

I also have two 4 ohm cabs 2 x 12 " so was looking for a 2 ohm capability, and had bought an SWR SM-500 sereo amp on here to get me over the two cab issue on larger gigs.

 

I do like it a lot it seems to suit my basses and my cabs, The real plusses for me are :- two para mid controls, the deep and bright boost switches, the high pass filter is very good, and of course the two ohm setting, and mute switch.

 

disapointments :- why 800 watts would have preferred 350 <500 watts but with the features, voicing control not as good as the markbass VPF (imo) there is no direct out gain control. I miss that.

 

I only got to use this in our covers band with two cabs for about 9 months prior to lockdown, and now only play bigband jazz, so is now overkill, and i worry about having it plugged into one 350 watt 4 ohm cab. I have just bought a Markbass Black line 250 as back up and for rehearsals, which is all i need if honest and liking the sound of that and suprised that the MB set flat is as deep as the Mesa with the bass boost on. ?  so A/B ing amps is important.

 

Hope this helps any other questions fire away, If you are anywhere near me you are welcome to try or maybe find other members would do the same if not.

 

all the best 

 

Just to add, ref 800 watts as my cabs are not good for 800W I have not pushed this anywhere near to be able to comment, but suprised that with one cab the gain is at 2 oclock and master at 2 oclock for a jazz rehearsal and the 250 watt Markbass is at 12 oclock gain and 9 oclock master. But this means nothing of course without knowing the design, 

Edited April 18, 2022 by deepbass5

[Downunderwonder]

You will be lucky to find one, what with Mesa abandoning Europe until component supply chain issues resolve. I watch the classifieds here for entertainment and don't recall any 800+ for sale. You could try your luck with a Wanted advert.

 

If set on the general tone you could get the Subway pedal and a Vong HPF/LPF to go into a Quilter bass block or any other neutral power stage micro amp that works from the fx return.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Downunderwonder

[Smiles]

19 hours ago, deepbass5 said:

I have had one for about three years now, having had the D800 prior to the D800 plus.

 

The reason was the extra features to be able to control the mids, I didn't feel the standard D800 was any better than my old Markbass as i feel the MB are voiced well and do the buisiness well with little tweeking.

 

I also have two 4 ohm cabs 2 x 12 " so was looking for a 2 ohm capability, and had bought an SWR SM-500 sereo amp on here to get me over the two cab issue on larger gigs.

 

I do like it a lot it seems to suit my basses and my cabs, The real plusses for me are :- two para mid controls, the deep and bright boost switches, the high pass filter is very good, and of course the two ohm setting, and mute switch.

 

disapointments :- why 800 watts would have preferred 350 <500 watts but with the features, voicing control not as good as the markbass VPF (imo) there is no direct out gain control. I miss that.

 

I only got to use this in our covers band with two cabs for about 9 months prior to lockdown, and now only play bigband jazz, so is now overkill, and i worry about having it plugged into one 350 watt 4 ohm cab. I have just bought a Markbass Black line 250 as back up and for rehearsals, which is all i need if honest and liking the sound of that and suprised that the MB set flat is as deep as the Mesa with the bass boost on. ?  so A/B ing amps is important.

 

Hope this helps any other questions fire away, If you are anywhere near me you are welcome to try or maybe find other members would do the same if not.

 

all the best 

 

Just to add, ref 800 watts as my cabs are not good for 800W I have not pushed this anywhere near to be able to comment, but suprised that with one cab the gain is at 2 oclock and master at 2 oclock for a jazz rehearsal and the 250 watt Markbass is at 12 oclock gain and 9 oclock master. But this means nothing of course without knowing the design, 

Thank you Deepbass that is a very helpful reply I really appreciate that 

best regards 

Stuart 

[Smiles]

17 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

You will be lucky to find one, what with Mesa abandoning Europe until component supply chain issues resolve. I watch the classifieds here for entertainment and don't recall any 800+ for sale. You could try your luck with a Wanted advert.

 

If set on the general tone you could get the Subway pedal and a Vong HPF/LPF to go into a Quilter bass block or any other neutral power stage micro amp that works from the fx return.

Thanks appreciate the reply 

Stu 

[mcnach]

22 hours ago, Smiles said:

Actually would be running it through a 2ohm rig as thinking of getting 2 x 4ohm cabinets , that was one of the features that attracted me having the ohm selector switch 

 

That's how I use mine with 2x Barefaced Two10 4ohm, total 2 ohm.

 

I borrowed a D800 once and I tried it at a rehearsal session side by side with a Markbass LMIII and a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. I liked the D800 best, but I found its character a bit 'dark'. Still good, but the D800+ just sounded a bit more the way I wanted before I start playing with the EQ, and the adjustable HPF is a great thing to have.

It's pretty versatile. Between the voicing control and the interplay between bass control and HPF you can get a very wide range of sounds... and then there's the EQ with dual semiparametric mids.

 

Is it truly 800W? I expect so. Mesa tend to be pretty honest about their specs. But you know that 800W won't be twice as loud as 400W, right? It's definitely loud, or it can be, with the appropriate speakers.

 

I'm very happy with mine, nearly 5 years on.

[Smiles]

Thanks Mcnach really appreciate your reply very useful info 

the reason for asking about the 800watt is I read a post from someone a while back saying it wasn’t loud enough even cranked right up which concerned me as I play in a 9 piece band with brass etc and there is always a lot of sound and often volume on stage so I need amp that can have great volume abilities if and when needed 

thanks again 

Stuart 

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, Smiles said:

Thanks Mcnach really appreciate your reply very useful info 

the reason for asking about the 800watt is I read a post from someone a while back saying it wasn’t loud enough even cranked right up which concerned me as I play in a 9 piece band with brass etc and there is always a lot of sound and often volume on stage so I need amp that can have great volume abilities if and when needed 

thanks again 

Stuart 

 

 

I've been using it with several bands, but mostly with a 6-9 piece (it varied over time), with horns, keys, percussion... Ska/reggae mostly. 

The amplifier has plenty of power, how loud it gets it'll depend largely on what speakers you use. I find the 2x 210 cabs I use (stacked vertically) give me all the volume I want and some. If one day I felt it wasn't enough, I'd be looking at adding bigger cabinets rather than a different amplifier, to be honest. The D800+ power rating is not shy.

[Smiles]

I also play in a Ska / Reggae band thats great info thank you really appreciate that 

Stuart 

[chris_b]

I briefly owned a D800. It was a good amp but I slightly preferred my Aguilar AG700.

 

The D800+ seems to be a few steps on. I'd like to try one of those.