Mesa Strategy PA's. 400 or 500 The One To Get?

[psychodave]

Do you use the mono input or use the 2 sides separately?

Mono input when using a preamp... but 99% of the time I use it with a wet/dry/wet setup, so I use each side to power its own 4x12. I typically run four 4x12's at the same time. Two center cabs are dry and two outside cabs have both wet and dry signal. This allows me to get a massive full headroom sound without having to turn my amps up loud. I can play at mouse fat volumes when everyone is sleeping upstairs, or a little louder than TV volume when everyone is awake and my sound isn't even noticed. Only when I start to really push the amp and make the house shake is when my wife starts closing basement doors, etc. She doesn't mind me playing... only when someone comes over and cant play well...that's when she gets cranky.

 

[mentoneman]

I’m sure you’ve seen me write about adding a depth pot/circuit to the S400. Stock it is great and gets the job done. With the depth circuit (1 meg pot and .0022uf caps or whatever your ear likes most) it sounds so massive and just fills out the room with sound.

you are single-handedly the main reason i am interested in the 400 and very jealous of your custom one with the matching rack graphics!

 

[psychodave]

you are single-handedly the main reason i am interested in the 400 and very jealous of your custom one with the matching rack graphics!

Mine is stock outside f the depth mod I did.

Here is the depth mod I did. My buddy gave me the “deep” sticker like Mesa uses ?. (note the little sticker for the power tubes installed 7/2015).

 

[JackBootedThug]

damn that looks awesome.

 

[GJgo]

FWIW if a guy does the deep mod, I would recommend making it switchable. Mike B. did mine and honestly it's way too much, I rarely use it. He also added presence to mine and in hindsight this was totally unnecessary. The M180 was perfect stock.

 

[JackBootedThug]

FWIW if a guy does the deep mod, I would recommend making it switchable. Mike B. did mine and honestly it's way too much, I rarely use it. He also added presence to mine and in hindsight this was totally unnecessary. The M180 was perfect stock.

You and Dave have all the cool mesa stuff…

 

[mentoneman]

Mine is stock outside f the depth mod I did.
View attachment 301485
Here is the depth mod I did. My buddy gave me the “deep” sticker like Mesa uses ?. (note the little sticker for the power tubes installed 7/2015).

View attachment 301488

by graphics i meant the custom stereo graphic eqs you have!
but i agree with @GJgo in that the standard deep voicing on the strategy and 290 can be a bit much so yoir variable mod is a winner!

 

[7704A]

Two center cabs are dry and two outside cabs have both wet and dry signal. This allows me to get a massive full headroom sound without having to turn my amps up loud.

That sounds awesome. I recently added a floor wedge cab to my rig that's pointed straight at my face, and it's crazy how full and loud things sound now while still being at a manageable volume. I imagine your rig sounds just as awesome if not more so. Have you tried putting the cabs at the corners of a square pointed in, then standing in the center of the square and holding on for dear life?

 

[psychodave]

That sounds awesome. I recently added a floor wedge cab to my rig that's pointed straight at my face, and it's crazy how full and loud things sound now while still being at a manageable volume. I imagine your rig sounds just as awesome if not more so. Have you tried putting the cabs at the corners of a square pointed in, then standing in the center of the square and holding on for dear life?

I’ve run a total of eight 4x12’s with two different amps. I had set up some crazy delays with two different wet/dry/wet rigs that would bounce sound from different cabinets around the room. It was really cool.

 

[psychodave]

by graphics i meant the custom stereo graphic eqs you have!
but i agree with @GJgo in that the standard deep voicing on the strategy and 290 can be a bit much so yoir variable mod is a winner!

I had sold the custom GEQ to Steve K. A few years before he passed. ?

 

[ultimatemetalguitartones]

Had an S400; not played a 500 but I'm sure it's great. The S400 through 4 cabs, slaving my C+ SRG shook the windows to the point of almost breaking them....insane. Very 3D sounding

Ditto. Had the same experience. One of the best tones I've ever had

 

[LightsOfSorrow86]

Had an S400; not played a 500 but I'm sure it's great. The S400 through 4 cabs, slaving my C+ SRG shook the windows to the point of almost breaking them....insane. Very 3D sounding and does add its own 6L6 color vs my HH V800.
Just an FYI; Metallica used the 400 live and could have switched to the 500, but didn't. Not that it means anything. The 500s are more rare though; from what I've seen over the years.

what about the thump? I have a 395 and I was looking at the 295, until Mesa told me that the 295 was more vintage sounding, saturates sooner, very 3D and more compressed than the 395 which, their words, has an incredible punch, tighter, bolder, endless reserve of headroom even at high volumes. So I ended up buying it but I've always wanted the 400 more. Do you think I would make a big mistake selling the 395 for the 400? I have a Quad pre, completely restored. Thanks

 

[Racerxrated]

what about the thump? I have a 395 and I was looking at the 295, until Mesa told me that the 295 was more vintage sounding, saturates sooner, very 3D and more compressed than the 395 which, their words, has an incredible punch, tighter, bolder, endless reserve of headroom even at high volumes. So I ended up buying it but I've always wanted the 400 more. Do you think I would make a big mistake selling the 395 for the 400? I have a Quad pre, completely restored. Thanks

That 400 I had thumped harder than anything. But, I haven't had a 395 to compare. I'd think the 400 is still king of the hill(with the 500). I do know that a depth mod is easy enough to do to the 400.

E

Thread 'Mesa Strategy 400 Depth Mod'

Apr 13, 2023

I was wondering if anyone had all the exact details on the depth trimpot mod for the Strategy 400 that psychodave has talked about? I recently acquired one with the intent of having the mod installed, assuming with more depth control it'd be a VHT 2150 killer. Thanks in advance.

• EP9
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Rig-Talk

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Correct, the S400/500 are on the short list of Mesa gear I haven't owned. I've been using a M180 with a Coli so there's my stereo Coli power sections.

ALL of these are absolutely brutal. That said, I have a working theory that since the 180/190 use a C+ Coli power section, and the 400/500 use a III Coli power section (making some assumptions here), and since the III Colis are notably "bigger" than the III Colis, that a pair of 180s would be even nastier than a 400.

The Strategy 500 runs a combo of 6L6 and 6550 tubes. I've never heard of a Mk III with anything like that.