Mesa Boogie SUBWAY+DI Users Manual
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.
Table of Contents
PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW _____________________________________________________________________________________ 1
TOP PANEL (CONTROLS & FEATURES)
INPUT JACK ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2
TUNER OUTPUT JACK ___________________________________________________________________________ 2
MUTE FOOTSWITCH _____________________________________________________________________________ 2
DEEP SWITCH __________________________________________________________________________________ 2
BRIGHT SWITCH ________________________________________________________________________________ 2
INPUT (GAIN) CONTROL __________________________________________________________________________ 2
BOOST FOOTSWITCH ____________________________________________________________________________ 2
BOOST LEVEL CONTROL ________________________________________________________________________ 2
HI-PASS FILTER ________________________________________________________________________________ 2-3
VOICING CONTROL ______________________________________________________________________________ 3
BASS CONTROL ________________________________________________________________________________ 3
LOW MID GAIN CONTROL ________________________________________________________________________ 3
LOW MID FREQUENCY CONTROL _________________________________________________________________ 3
HIGH MID GAIN CONTROL ________________________________________________________________________ 3
HIGH MID FREQUENCY CONTROL _________________________________________________________________ 3
TREBLE CONTROL ______________________________________________________________________________ 3
MASTER VOLUME CONTROL _____________________________________________________________________ 4
POWER LED ____________________________________________________________________________________ 4
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
EFFECTS LOOP _________________________________________________________________________________ 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.
Operating Instructions
Overview
Congratulations on your choice of the SUBWAY® PLUS 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 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 product 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 product 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 6L6 power tubes 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. While MESA has since pioneered an entire line of tube-driven MOSFET amplifiers (including
the legendary Walkabout) that shored up our position in the bass market, changing times have encouraged us to take what we have
learned over this time and create a whole new approach to the bass amp, while remaining true to our heritage and tradition of tone.
Tone Freaks Rejoice! The SUBWAY PLUS BASS DI-PREAMP is the next logical step in the MESA Bass Amp Bloodline. Based on
the success of the original Subway DI-PREAMP, Subway D-800 and Subway D-800+, this new Subway series DI-preamp is a tone
dripping powerhouse that’s compact, lightweight, and packaged to go the distance with features, and control over the entire bass
spectrum that makes it an iconic step forward in bass preamplification. Like all Mesa products, the SUBWAY PLUS BASS DI-PREAMP
is made in Petaluma, California with the World’s Finest Materials.
MID FREQ
1800
300
HZ
HZ
MID GAIN
5000
HZ
INST
INPUT
ON
DEEP
INPUT
TUNER
OUTPUT
ON
SUBWAY ®
BASS DI-PREAMP
BRIGHT
150
30
HZ
HZ
BOOST
LEVELS
MUTE BOOST
FILTERS
BOOSTFLAT
VOICING
150
HZ
BASS TREBLE MASTERLOW HIGHHI-PASS
PAGE 1
TOP PANEL (CONTROLS & FEATURES)
INPUT JACK
This stage is inherently transparent, and directly feeds the DI out when the DI out is set to the “PRE-EQ” position. The input sensitivity
is adjustable via the INPUT LEVEL control, and provides enough inherent range to handle both low level passive and high level active
pickups. When a standard ¼” (6.3mm) Tip-Sleeve instrument cable plug is inserted into the jack, the power is automatically turned
on. Please note that it is important for the ¼” (6.3mm) plug to be of the TIP-SLEEVE type, as TIP-RING-SLEEVE type connectors
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 DI-PREAMP on or off so as to prevent any pops or unexpected signal into their system(s).
TUNER OUTPUT JACK
input jack. This signal is identical to (and not isolated from) the signal from the bass itself. This input remains active when the MUTE
FOOTSWITCH is engaged, allowing for silent tuning with no signal sent to the DI OUTPUT, FX SEND or either PREAMP OUTPUT jack.
MUTE FOOTSWITCH
ing as mentioned above. When the switch is engaged, the DI-preamp is placed into mute mode, the red LED will illuminate, and NO
audio will be present at the DI OUTPUT, FX SEND or PREAMP OUTPUT jacks. This switch can also be used to place the preamp
into “standby mode” before and between sets without adjusting any of the controls.
DEEP SWITCH
sion. Engaged, there is a mild boost in the very low frequency response while simultaneously lowering the effective high pass filter
frequency slightly. 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 the HPF set to below 45Hz and using large amounts of bass eq boost, be aware
of the possibility of damage due to overpowering your speakers at higher volumes. Some unique tones are available with the use of
the DEEP filter while at the same time rolling up the HIGHPASS CONTROL a bit.
This jack is the instrument INPUT that feeds the first stage monolithic J-FET input buffer amp of the DI-PREAMP.
This jack (located on the left side of the chassis) is the instrument THRU OUTPUT that is parallel to the
This switch mutes the audio signal being sent to all outputs except the TUNER OUT jack for silent tun-
This switch engages the DEEP filter, our take on classic low frequency response enhancement and exten-
BRIGHT SWITCH
the switches found on the most popular classic tube amps. Engaging this filter can bring some “brightness, presence and attack into
the tone.
INPUT LEVEL CONTROL
electronics stages operate at. Overdriving the input gain stage may be a desirable tonal characteristic of your playing style. When
using significant overdriven tones, you may find it helpful to back down on the TREBLE EQ a little bit to reduce harshness and also
to reduce the BASS EQ to increase the clarity and impact.
BOOST FOOTSWITCH
control on the top of the DI-PREAMP. There is a green LED indicator that illuminates when the DI-PREAMP is in BOOST mode.
BOOST LEVEL CONTROL
engaged. Fully counterclockwise there is almost no gain increase, and fully clockwise there is about 6dB of gain increase applied to
the original level.
HI-PASS FILTER
control over the extreme low end, especially under high drive conditions and/or when using a lot of low EQ boost. This precision four
pole filter is comprised of two cascaded two pole filters, one fixed with a turnover frequency that is set at approximately 22Hz and
a second variable filter that is variable such that the overall, combined low frequency roll-off can be adjusted from 30Hz to 125Hz.
While HPF’s have been standard fare within the pro audio industry for decades, with a few notable exceptions this feature has only
appeared in bass guitar amplifiers within the past few years. This filter also provides additional mechanical protection to the speakers being used with the amp 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
This switch engages the BRIGHT filter, which causes a rising response at higher frequencies much like
This control determines the input gain of the first gain stage and thus the level that the following
This footswitch engages the boost (or solo) function, the amount of boost is set by using the BOOST
This control sets the amount of boost (or solo) level applied when the BOOST FOOTSWITCH is
This control sets the low frequency roll-off point of the DI-PREAMP, and is an important feature in maintaining
PAGE 2
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