Mesa Boggie 400+

[Tajue17]

thinking about trying something different and I'm wondering about "Tubes" and will I get a decent enough sound from them.

anyone here have any experience with the 400+ Boogie matched up with a stingray?

the Ampeg B4R I have now is nice but I'm wondering about changing the sound a bit and trying tubes + I have a boogie powerhouse 1000 cab and thats making me wonder about the 400 also.



thanks for any opinions. T

 

[skabassist13]

It will be heavy, very heavy.

 

[Tajue17]

I heard its half the weight of an SVT Classic at around 50lbs?

 

[Gunk]

Tubes make a difference yes.

 

[skabassist13]

I know for a fact that the svt doesnt weigh 100 lbs. It weighs 80. I would imagine the 400+ weighs more than 50 lbs. Maybe 60, 65? Either way, thats not very light for just a head.

Regardless, it will sound pretty good becuase IMO tube sound better than solid state. It might get a bit fuzzy if you push it hard, but its controllable. I used an SVT a few times and absolutely loved it.

 

[Vanni]

It will be heavy, very heavy.

Not so heavy... 44 lbs...


my SR sounds great with a Mesa 400+!!!!

 

[skabassist13]

Not so heavy... 44 lbs...


my SR sounds great with a Mesa 400+!!!!

Really? Thats messed up then. Im curious to know how an amp with 12 power tubes weighs almost half as much as an amp with 6. I know the wood case of the SVT cant add that much weight. Thats weird man.

 

[Vanni]

Really? Thats messed up then. Im curious to know how an amp with 12 power tubes weighs almost half as much as an amp with 6. I know the wood case of the SVT cant add that much weight. Thats weird man.

Yes... but all the weight in a tube amp are the transformers, a tube doesn't weight so much...

The weird thing are my 400+ (300W, 12 tubes) weight less than my previous Mesa Buster (180W, 6 tubes)!!! more or less 4 kg!!!

 

[skabassist13]

Very odd. I guess mesa figured out a way to have lighter transformers.

 

[higher1]

the mesa 400+ weighs in @ 70 lbs. 5 lbs less than the SVT CL. I am not a fan of mesa amplification for bass.
I owned one of these and was not happy with the bottom end reponse I was (more like, was'nt) getting from it. Seemed real sterile with no heart.
I ended up trading the POS straight across for an SVT CL. I truly dispised that amplifier because not only was it lacking in tone, but, it was a bitchy, un-reliable beast the always seemed to have problems.
I got my SVT and am as happy as a clam in a nutshell.

my opinion. get the SVT dude.

but we all know what opinions are like, don't we??

 

[Tajue17]

good stuff you guys thanks. I'm calling my dealer now and he's having a rep bring one by the store so I can try it.

I know I hear they are 44lbs and you guys and alot of reviews have confirmed that but the dealer who I might be buying it off says its a " heavy mutha" and he doesn't care what the book says. but he said he knows my style and I will defenitely like it better than solid state stuff.

 

[maddog]

Very odd. I guess mesa figured out a way to have lighter transformers.

Might be using Toroids.

 

[corrosiontrav]

good stuff you guys thanks. I'm calling my dealer now and he's having a rep bring one by the store so I can try it.

I know I hear they are 44lbs and you guys and alot of reviews have confirmed that but the dealer who I might be buying it off says its a " heavy mutha" and he doesn't care what the book says. but he said he knows my style and I will defenitely like it better than solid state stuff.

I love mine, I went from an Eden WT-800 to the Mesa 400+. I switched because it still re-tained that 'hi-fi' feel but I was able to get that tube grit, and that was what I was striving for. For me it was a bit more 'dynamic' then I expected and also VERY VERY versatile. Probably the most versatile head I've had, with my Ampeg 412HE cab I get an aggressive tone that I love.

From my experience, the Mesa loves Ampeg cabs, I've had soem 4x10 ampeg cabs underneath that it sounded good with too.

 

[Vanni]

the mesa 400+ weighs in @ 70 lbs.

My (italian ) balance says 20Kg. More or less 20Kg are 44lbs... obviously without a rack case.

Vanni

 

[higher1]

My (italian ) balance says 20Kg. More or less 20Kg are 44lbs... obviously without a rack case.

Vanni

I weighed mine when I owned it. the mesa factory, which is 40 miles from my house , weighed with the same results for shipping purposes. I am just going on my own experience.
44lbs is awfully light and I think an impossibility for a 12 tube all steel cage behemoth!

 

[tadawson]

My 400+ shipped to me in an SKB rolling rack, including packaging with a total weight of either 53 or 55 pounds. They definitely do NOT weigh 70 . . . unless you have it in a concrete rack. And no, the transformers are not toroids, I just think that Mesa did a cleaner chassis than the SVT, and perhaps the transformers are not as bulky (perhaps not as overrated, although I have not heard of much in the way of failures in either . . . ) Keep in mind that the SVT has a separate filament transformer, and some heavy inductors in the tone circuits as well, whereas the 400+ uses a single power and a single output transformer . . . .

- Tim

 

[Tajue17]

I luv it!

well I now own the 400+ and so far I luv it more than anything I've owned in the past (nothing boutique) its light for a tube head and with the SKB case it weighs exactly 60.0# on our digital bathroom scale (please don't tell me it weighs more cause that will mean I do too)

anyway I do like the head and I'm glad i did buy it,, I won't really compare it to a lot of stuff I had before but i do know it blows away the Ampeg B4R in sound and power. the only thing I'm worried about now is how tough this thing is,, do I have to handle it like a baby?


And for the guy in a previous reply who calls this a POS I'd say if opinions are welcome then I think Everything Ampeg makes is a POS but alot of you already know that..

 

[corrosiontrav]

well I now own the 400+ and so far I luv it more than anything I've owned in the past (nothing boutique) its light for a tube head and with the SKB case it weighs exactly 60.0# on our digital bathroom scale (please don't tell me it weighs more cause that will mean I do too)

anyway I do like the head and I'm glad i did buy it,, I won't really compare it to a lot of stuff I had before but i do know it blows away the Ampeg B4R in sound and power. the only thing I'm worried about now is how tough this thing is,, do I have to handle it like a baby?


And for the guy above who calls this a POS I'd say if opinions are welcome then I think Everything Ampeg makes is a POS but alot of you already know that..

Every Mesa product I've had has been built tough. I take my 400+ everywhere, and I gig about 4-8 times a month, and I have no problems with it. That said treat it like its an amp with fragile glass inside it.

 

[Tajue17]

will do..

yeah good to hear and for awhile I will be the only one handling it just in case,, you know I was thinking about getting the Mesa shock mount case but its 500.00 more and I'm pretty sure it would make this thing feel like a hundred pounds
so I held off for a few months to be sure I'm keeping it.

as always thanks for the replys.. T

 

[CodeMonkey]

I'm not saying they are the best, but after a couple months using the 400+, my bassist bought 2 more. The original amp was used, and the tubes were trashed. It became unplayable at one point and he had to go back to the SVTs we own. I depised every show we played with those. I'm not bashing Ampeg, I use one for my guitar amp, and I'm sure there are people who can make Ampegs wail. I didn't like how flat my bassist's tone was with the Ampeg. Once we got the 400+ fixed, we got the 2 extras, just in case.