Mesa/Boogie Subway Owner’s Manual
SUBWAY
®
BASS DI-PREAMP
Owner’s Manual
Greetings from the Home of Tone®
…You, smart player and intuitive human, have put your trust in us to be your amplier
company. is is something that we do not take lightly. By choosing this instrument to be
part of your musical voice, you have become part of the MESA® family… WELCOME!
Our goal is to never let you down. Your reward is that you are the new owner of an amp,
bred of ne heritage, benetting from the many pioneering and patented MESA circuits
as well as fresh cutting edge research and development eorts, leading to this new and
exciting model. We feel confident that this amp will inspire many hours of musical
satisfaction and lasting enjoyment. It was built with you in mind, by players who know
the value of a ne musical instrument and the commitment it takes to make great music.
e same commitment to quality, value and support we make to you… our new friend.
SUBWAY
®
BASS DI-PREAMP
Table of Contents
PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW _____________________________________________________________________________________ 1
TOP PANEL (CONTROLS & FEATURES)
INPUT JACK ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2
THRU OUTPUT JACK ____________________________________________________________________________ 2
DEEP SWITCH __________________________________________________________________________________ 2
ACTIVE/PASSIVE SWITCH ________________________________________________________________________ 2
HIGH PASS FILTER ______________________________________________________________________________ 2
INPUT (GAIN) CONTROL __________________________________________________________________________ 3
VOICING CONTROL ______________________________________________________________________________ 3
BASS CONTROL ________________________________________________________________________________ 3
LOW MID CONTROL _____________________________________________________________________________ 3
HIGH MID CONTROL _____________________________________________________________________________ 3
TREBLE CONTROL ______________________________________________________________________________ 3
MASTER VOLUME CONTROL ______________________________________________________________________ 3
POWER LED ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3
REAR PANEL (CONTROLS & FEATURES)
POWER JACK ___________________________________________________________________________________ 4
OPERATING POWER REQUIREMENTS ______________________________________________________________ 4
PREAMP OUT XLR JACK _________________________________________________________________________ 4
PREAMP OUT GROUND LIFT SWITCH _____________________________________________________________ 4-5
PREAMP OUT ¼” (6.3mm) JACK) ___________________________________________________________________ 5
DIRECT OUT XLR JACK __________________________________________________________________________ 5
DIRECT OUT GROUND LIFT SWITCH _______________________________________________________________ 5
DI OUT SOURCE SWITCH _________________________________________________________________________ 5
TROUBLESHOOTING ___________________________________________________________________________ 6-7
FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS _____________________________________________________________________ 8
USER SETTINGS ________________________________________________________________________________ 9
SPECIFICATIONS _______________________________________________________________________________ 10
BLOCK DIAGRAM ______________________________________________________________________________ 11
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Read, keep and follow these instructions.
• Heed all warnings.
• Do not use this apparatus near water.
• Clean only with dry cloth.
• Use only with approved AC (mains) power adapters.
• Protect any power cords from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, receptacles, and the point where
they exit from the apparatus.
• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any
way, such as liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to
rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
• No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
• The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such as drinks or
vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
• WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
• To avoid damaging your speakers and other playback equipment, turn off the power of all related equipment before
making the connections.
• Do not use excessive force when handling buttons, switches and controls. Do not use solvents such as benzene or
paint thinner to clean the unit.
• Only connect to an AC power supply adapter that meets the power supply specifications listed on the rear of the unit.
Make certain grounding/earthing conforms with local standards.
Your MESA/Boogie® SUBWAY® BASS DI-PREAMP is a professional instrument.
Please treat it with respect and operate it properly.
SUBWAY
®
BASS DI-PREAMP
Operating Instructions
Overview
Congratulations on your choice of the SUBWAY® BASS DI-PREAMP and welcome to the MESA/Boogie® family! First, we would
like to thank you for choosing us as your amplifier company and trusting us to help create your musical voice. This is something we
never take for granted, and you’ll find that we are here and ready to assist you should you ever need help. Our goal is to help you
sound your best at all times! We feel confident that your new Bass DI-PREAMP will bring you many years of reliable service, rewarding inspiration and create for you a newfound freedom to express your music.
You have chosen a Bass DI-PREAMP bred of a fine heritage, and this model is our testament to our legacy of tone. Its forefathers
can be traced back to the very first MESA amplifier ever built, the MESA 450 Bass Head. In fact, the first 5 MESA amplifiers built in
the Lagunitas mountain shack were Bass amps…a piece of trivia little known and overshadowed by our overwhelming notoriety for
guitar amplification. But we’ve always loved the Bass, and have—since day one—been committed to elevating its stature through our
art form. The bloodline for MESA bass continued with the first rack-mount chassis bass amplifier in 1980, the D-180. The mid-eighties
saw the introduction of the BASS 400 and later in 1988, the BASS 400+ with its stunning Pitch, Punch and Power delivered by an
additional 6 x 6L6s to bring the total to twelve 6L6s in the mighty power section.
The 400+ went on to become a classic used by the world’s most talented bassists for two decades. Paul McCartney, Mark King,
Stanley Clark, Jack Blades, Michael Anthony, Blasko and Bootsy Collins, are but a few of the international stars that put the 400+
center stage to anchor the band during its 20 year build cycle. Those iconic amps still bring top dollar when you can find one changing hands on the pre-owned market.
Tone Freaks seeking a versatile & compact preamp solution for multiple pro applications - Rejoice! The SUBWAY Bass DI-PREAMP
is the next step in the MESA Bass Bloodline. The Subway preamp circuit has established itself as a perfect balance of tone and
functionality for all players and styles. That exact preamp circuit is now packaged in a portable, studio quality D.I. format with an innovative and complete feature set to cover practically any gigging, rigging and studio application you can dream of. The thoughtful
I/O and layout makes the Subway D.I. Pre a swiss-army knife for world-class bass tone in any application. The SUBWAY® BASS
DI-PREAMP is built in Petaluma, CA with the World’s Finest Materials.
INPUT BASS TREBLE MASTER
THRU
OUTPUT
ACTIVE
PASSIVE
ON
DEEP
VOICING
LOW MID
HIGH MID
INSTRUMENT
INPUT
POWER
SUBWAY®
BASS DI-PREAMP
PAGE 1
TOP PANEL (CONTROLS & FEATURES)
INPUT BASS TREBLE MASTER
THRU
OUTPUT
ACTIVE
ON
VOICING
PASSIVE
DEEP
LOW MID
SUBWAY®
BASS DI-PREAMP
HIGH MID
INSTRUMENT
INPUT
POWER
INPUT JACK
This jack (located on the right side of the chassis) is the instrument INPUT that feeds the first stage monolithic
J-FET buffer amp of the SUBWAY BASS DI-PREAMP. The input sensitivity of this input buffer amp is adjustable with the ACTIVE/
PASSIVE switch, the active position being about 10dB less sensitive (lower gain) than the passive position. When a ¼” (6.3mm) plug
is inserted into the jack, the power is automatically turned on, but please note that it is important for the ¼” (6.3mm) plug to be of the
TIP-SLEEVE type as TIP-RING-SLEEVE types may not engage the turn-on circuit properly. It is always good practice (and customary)
to inform the FOH/monitor engineer that you will be turning your PRE-DI on or off so as to prevent any pops or unexpected signal
into their system(s).
THRU OUTPUT JACK
This jack (located on the left side of the chassis) is the instrument THRU OUTPUT that is parallel to
the input jack. This signal is identical to (and not isolated from) the signal from the bass itself. It is not a buffered output, and would
typically be used to feed the instrument input of a stage amp.
DEEP SWITCH
This switch engages the DEEP filter, our take on classic low frequency response enhancement and extension.
Engaged, there is a mild boost in the very low frequency response while also lowering the effective high pass filter frequency. This
combination brings a more round, thicker, fatter response to the bottom end. When using this preamp with small (compact style) cabinets,
and especially with large amounts of bass eq boost, be aware of the possibility of damage due to overpowering at higher volumes.
ACTIVE/PASSIVE SWITCH
This switch sets the sensitivity of the J-FET input buffer. Often (though not always), an active bass
may have a signal level up to 10dB greater than a typical passive bass. If you find that you are operating the gain control near the
low end of the control’s rotation, switching this switch up (into the ACTIVE position) will reduce the input sensitivity (gain) by ~10dB,
allowing greater control range and freedom from overload with high output active basses.
HIGH PASS FILTER
While not a visible switch or control, it is an important internal feature in maintaining control over the extreme low end, especially under high drive conditions. This precision 4 pole filter has a turnover frequency that is set at approximately
30Hz with minimal ripple response. While HPF’s have been standard fare within the pro audio industry for decades, this feature has
only appeared in bass guitar amplifiers within the past few years (with a few notable exceptions). This filter also provides additional
mechanical protection to the speakers by limiting the power to the speaker below the frequency range that the speaker cabinet cannot
provide adequate acoustic loading to the drivers. This is one of the primary (and preventable) causes of premature speaker failure,
especially with compact speaker cabinet products.
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