MESA/Boogie Bass-800D Combines Bass 400+ Tube Tone With Subway Class D Power
MESA/Boogie has blended two approaches to bass amplification with a new amp called the Bass-800D. The 800-watt amp marries the tube preamp architecture of their Bass 400+ with the Class D power section of their Subway Series.
“While the power block is the same as these other icons in our stable, the tuning of it, along with the tube preamp design and voicing, is not, and these differences add up to the Bass-800D possessing a character and personality all its own—one aimed at both fat, old school classic tone and big-venue rock bass tone with some overdrive for the modern era,” the company writes. “This is an amplifier that’s as at-home pumping out round, thick R&B grooves as it is mixing it up for a moshpit at a modern thrash, punk, or metal show.”
While the tube preamp retains the character of the Bass 400+, the control layout has changed. The Bass-800D has a preamp gain switch (Low/High), a Deep Switch, and a Bright switch for general tone shaping. Instead of the old-school graphic EQ, it has a four-band EQ with High Pass, Bass, Mid, and Treble knobs. The High Pass filter “allows tailoring of non-musical sub-lows that can muddy a mix or reduce the cohesiveness in the overdrive, as well as the time, accurately, with a friendly, musical approach,” MESA/Boogie states.
The rear panel of the amp has plenty of connectivity, starting with dual Speakon speaker outputs. An impedance switch lets you toggle between 8 ohm, 4 ohm, and 2 ohm operation to match your speaker cabinet configuration. Other features include a USB device power outlet, a headphone output, a Mute footswitch, an aux input, a tuner outpu, an effects loop, and an XLR direct output with source, level, and ground switches.
The MESA/Boogie Bass-800D is available now for $999.
MESA/Boogie Bass-800D Bass Amp Photo Gallery:
MESA/Boogie Bass-800D Bass Amp Features:
| Amp Type: | Hybrid |
| Preamp Tubes: | 1x 12AT7 |
| Power: | 800 Watts @ 4 or 2 Ohms / 400 Watts @ 8 Ohms |
| Channel Controls: | Gain, Highpass, Bass, mid, Treble, Master |
| Contour: | 2 Deep and Bright Switches |
| Cabinet Simulation Direct Live Recording Output: | Balanced XLR out With pre/Post, Line/mic, & Ground Lift Switches |
| Chassis Material: | Aluminum |
| Convection or Fan Cooling: | Low Noise Fan Cooled |
| Effects Loop Bypass Options: | Fully Buffered Series FX Loop |
| Extra Features: | Input Mute, USB Power Port, Universal Global Auto-configuring Power Supply, Power amp Output, Tube Emulation Circuitry |
| Headphone Output: | Headphone Output and Auxiliary Input |
| Number of Footswitchable Channels or Modes: | Footswitchable Mute |
| Number of Style Modes: | 2 (low and High Gain) |
| Slave Output: | Effects Send Acts as a Preamp out. Effects Return Acts as a Power amp In. |
| Speaker Outputs: | two Speakon Output Jacks (no 1/4 Speaker Jacks) - 8, 4, or 2 Ohms |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
owned 400, gigged in the 80’s, own the 400+, will this one really get there? Is this “the one”? …why does it use 12AT7 instead of ax7? what if you put a axY in?!?