Looking at Ampeg Venture, but I bought MESA Subway

shadven

shadven

Twang-tastic Bass Player and Song Writer
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Dec 30, 2009
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#1
I need a lightweight rig for gigging. I love my heavy tube amps, but the schlep is kicking my a**. I’ve been playing an Ampeg V4B with an Ampeg 410 HE or my 1967 Ampeg B-18. Both rigs that I know well and I love. But, I’m gigging a lot and the effort it takes to get all my gear to and fro is just too much work. Especially if I’m contending with stairs. Just lifting the B-18 into my car is getting tough.
I like and need old school tones. I play old P-basses and my two working bands require that Ampeg thump - Band 1.Outlaw Country / Americana band and Band 2. is Zydeco / Texas Swing / Classic Country / surf (those styles actually work really well together, packs the dance floor… I tell people that when the accordion comes out, the sh*t is about to go down:).
A couple years ago I bought a brand new MESA Subway WD-800 w/Subway 2x15 cab. But, I just didn’t bond with it, it was too modern sounding and I couldn’t really get a tone I liked. However, I did like the onboard HP filter. Even though it was a lightweight rig I eventually sold both at a loss and went back to my Ampegs. Fast forward… I’m now gigging a lot and I NEED a lightweight rig (my body is taking a beating). But, after trying out a bunch of different new SS heads, and listening to all the Ampeg Venture YouTube clips, I now believe I didn’t give the MESA WD-800 a fair shake. I also think it is just a better / beefier build than any of the other new amps I’ve tried.
I bit the bullet, reversed my decision, ate some crow and I just ordered a Subway WD-800 and a Subway 1x15 cab… with the intention to buy a 2nd 1x15 cab for my festival and outdoor gigs. I do now think that I can get the old school B-15ish and SVTish sound I need. Plenty of other people do.
It’s super light and fits in my little SUV without putting down the back seats. Fingers crossed that the second time is a charm.
 
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#2
Good luck on your second go-around with the Mesa Subway gear (although I do enjoy seeing an SVT 810 rig when one is supplied as part of the backline!).

When I bought my WD-800, I bought a pair of the Subway 115s, thinking I'd probably use only one for small-ish gigs. However, I really enjoy the sound of the pair of cabinets, so I rarely ever travel without both cabs.

And for really smallish gigs, I have a 210 combo kickback amp that serves that need really well.
 
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#3
As someone who uses an SVT and WD800...

I've spent many hours over many days A/Bing the two, trying to dial in the WD800/115/210 to sound similar to the SVT/810 and I could never find it.

IMO, the WD800/115 excels at sounding like the WD800/115, and IMO you should buy it because that's the sound you're looking for. Buying the WD800/115 hoping to get it to sound like something else is an uphill battle.

If you're after the Ampeg sound, try plugging the WD800 into an Ampeg cab.

I also think this is an area where the D800 was stronger (big bottom, darker, little more relaxed in the mids). I just wish I still owned one so I could speak more authoritatively on it... I sold it when I got the WD800 so now it's sound is a distant memory.
 
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#7
agedhorse said:
The D-800 or D-800+ into an Ampeg cabinet will sound closer to the Ampeg tone than a WD into a Subway cabinet.
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I was considering the 800+. But, I thought the tube preamp would add some warmth. Also as important as the head (size/weight) is the weight of the cab(s), cabs that can get fairly loud. I usually turn off the horn on all cabinets that have them. I don’t really have to have the “Ampeg” tone. But, an old school warm, thumpy, sometimes grindy slightly distorted tone I associate with 1960’s /1970’s tube amps (Fender / Ampeg/ Sunn/ Traynor). Boom chicka boom (Johnny Cash), to Jamerson to Tom Petty records.
I do have a Ampeg 410HE. I sold my Ampeg 810 over the weekend. But, I’ll be mostly gigging with the MESA rig (amp/cabs).
 
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#9
J Wilson said:
Zydeco, Texas Swing, Classic Country, Surf . . . . man would I LOVE to dub that gig one night!
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It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a band musically. I’m kinda a rock guy, and it’s all rock n roll to me, but I’ve never played so much… man, the zydeco is so busy on bass!
 
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#10
agedhorse said:
The D-800 or D-800+ into an Ampeg cabinet will sound closer to the Ampeg tone than a WD into a Subway cabinet.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Watching a lot of SpectreMediaGroup videos on youtube (it's a guitar/production centric channel) it became pretty clear that the ultimate filter that will determine how you sound it's the speaker/cab.

So if you want an ampeg sounding rig, you should look into ampeg sounding cabs/speakers.
 
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#11
shadven said:
I do now think that I can get the old school B-15ish and SVTish sound I need. Plenty of other people do.
Click to expand...
You definitely can. I use 115s and a D800+. Turn off the tweeter. Peg the input knob for some overdrive and you'll start to get a B-15 vibe. Tone controls to dial it in.

A cool thing about the Subway cabs is that there is no actual crossover in them - the speaker runs free at the top end of the frequency, and the tweeter control is exactly that - just a tweeter control. The 15" speaker is the best in the business.

Check out the Subway users forum.
 
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#13
shadven said:
I was considering the 800+. But, I thought the tube preamp would add some warmth. Also as important as the head (size/weight) is the weight of the cab(s), cabs that can get fairly loud. I usually turn off the horn on all cabinets that have them. I don’t really have to have the “Ampeg” tone. But, an old school warm, thumpy, sometimes grindy slightly distorted tone I associate with 1960’s /1970’s tube amps (Fender / Ampeg/ Sunn/ Traynor). Boom chicka boom (Johnny Cash), to Jamerson to Tom Petty records.
I do have a Ampeg 410HE. I sold my Ampeg 810 over the weekend. But, I’ll be mostly gigging with the MESA rig (amp/cabs).
Click to expand...
I would definitely go for the D-800+ if I were you. Why do you want a two-channel amp?
 
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#15
@shadven Have you ever tried a Jule Monique M700? Not exactly Ampeg, but has some similiarities IMHO. Similar tone profile and it's a bit darker than most amps. Also with the right control settings it gets a similar grind in the mids. I think the Monique is a bit more refined, clear, and focused, but it's still pretty darn tubey sounding. (YMMV of course)
 
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#16
Ampeg sound can be reached in many ways but you need to have similar sounding cab to make it easy. I'm not familiar of Mesa cabs but have understood that 15" is not the best for this. Maybe someone could help here, 210 or 112 maybe? Most amps are fine if they are not too heavily voiced for certain sound because cab makes the heavy lifting.
 
#17
Try using the damping feature set to low on the WD . It opens up the lows. HPF around 9:00 and passive mid control on 0. That's the beginning of an old school sound for that head IMO. The para can then blend in the high mids and highs. I agree that if you're really wanting Ampeg go Ampeg, but the WD can get you in the ball park if you take the time to experiment . good luck! If you're using the subway 15's , the attenuation on the horns can also help shape the tone quite a bit.
 
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#19
Coot said:
Try using the damping feature set to low on the WD . It opens up the lows. HPF around 9:00 and passive mid control on 0. That's the beginning of an old school sound for that head IMO. The para can then blend in the high mids and highs. I agree that if you're really wanting Ampeg go Ampeg, but the WD can get you in the ball park if you take the time to experiment . good luck! If you're using the subway 15's , the attenuation on the horns can also help shape the tone quite a bit.
Click to expand...
With the passive mid control at zero, I would expect it to sound almost nothing like an old school sound except for a very scooped tone that might be appropriate as an effect.
 
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#20
Coot said:
PS Although I have the subway 15's , I can imagine a WD into an Ampeg fridge sounding pretty friggin good.
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Yes. It does!

I can attest, it does!

I was curious how much of the SVT tone comes from the 810 sealed cabinets.

To my ears, it's a lot of that tone.

As good at that sound is, I'm most happy with my pair of Subway 115s. For several reasons.
 
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