Mesa/Boogie BASS STRATEGY Eight:88 Owner's Manual
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Mesa/Boogie BASS STRATEGY Eight:88 Owner's Manual

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Summary of Contents for Mesa/Boogie BASS STRATEGY Eight:88

  • Page 1 Owner’s Manual...
  • Page 2 Greetings from the Home of Tone ...You, smart player and intuitive human, have put your trust in us to be your amplifier company. This is something we do not take lightly. By choosing this instrument to be a part of your musical voice, you have become part of the Mesa family...WELCOME! Our goal is to never let you down.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS Precautions Overview _________________________________________________________________________________________ 1-3 Instant Gratification, Helpful Hints ____________________________________________________________________ 4-5 FRONT PANEL: INSTRUMENT INPUT _________________________________________________________________________________ 6 BRIGHT / NORMAL / ACTIVE SWITCH ___________________________________________________________________ 6 CONTROLS: GAIN, BASS ________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 MID _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7-8 TREBLE ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 VOICE ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 8-9 MASTER ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 EQ IN / EQ OFF / EQ FS SWITCH ____________________________________________________________________ 9-10 FULL / HALF / LOW PWR SWITCH _____________________________________________________________________ 10...

  • Page 4: Important Safety Instructions

    Important Safety Instructions Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
  • Page 5 Important Safety Instructions WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. The AC plug is the mains disconnect. The plug should remain accessible after installation. WARNING: EU: permission from the Supply Authority is needed before connection. WARNING: Always make sure proper load is connected before operating the amplifier.

  • Page 6: Precautions Overview

    Bass market, the discontinuation of the 400+ left a gaping hole in the world of tube Bass amp offerings. Tone Freaks Rejoice! The BASS STRATEGY Eight:88 is the next step in the MESA All-Tube Bass Amp Bloodline. Vastly improved Tone, features, dial-ability, portability, packaging and control over the entire spectrum make the STRATEGY—and its little brother the...

  • Page 7: Overview

    Overview The STRATEGY begins with BRIGHT, NORMAL and ACTIVE INPUT Select choices feeding an all-new tube preamp that borrows subsections from our CARBINE hybrid architecture. This preamp design allows increased control over a broad spectrum of frequencies and incorporates active BASS and TREBLE controls with increased shaping power—while retaining the sweet, musical blend of our traditional passive MID control.
  • Page 8 To handle virtually any speaker cabinet scenario the STRATEGY is fitted with 5 SPEAKER OUTPUTS capable of handling a variety of impedance loads. 2 x 4 OHM, 1 x 8 OHM and 2 x 2 OHM Outputs ensure that you can always find an impedance-correct match regardless of your cabinet choices.

  • Page 9: Instant Gratification, Helpful Hints

    INSTANT GRATIFICATION The STRATEGY is about the easiest amp on the planet to get a great sound from quickly—and with the VOICE Control and the Graphic EQ—unlimited great sounds. Just set most of the controls at noon…and enjoy! From those settings, may we recommend you sweep the VOICE Control from position 1 to 5 and experience what a difference the various mid voicings combined with bass and treble enhancements can provide.
  • Page 10 Though it goes without saying, FULL POWER on the POWER SELECT mini toggle delivers the maximum headroom, punch and perceived “speed” and control over the notes. The VOICE Control is the most powerful, single control on the STRATEGY and delivers many of the characteristics of several different manufacturer’s iconic amplifiers in one simple-to-use control.

  • Page 11: Instrument Input

    FRONT PANEL: (CONTROLS & FEATURES) INPUT: This jack is the instrument INPUT and it feeds the first tube stage in the tube preamp of the STRATEGY. Both passive as well as active instruments are provided for with a specific setting on the 3-position INPUT SELECT switch. NORMAL INPUT GAIN...

  • Page 12: Gain, Bass

    THE CONTROLS GAIN This control determines the overall character of the sound along with input gain and sensitivity. The lower regions of the control (below 12:00) offer the cleanest sounds and greater headroom with a scooped, brighter personality. The upper harmonics come through more prominently in this area of the control making the top end sound more transparent and crisp.

  • Page 13: Treble

    tube growl as it is increased and actually pushes things toward the threshold of clip at higher settings… especially in the #3 “Flat” VOICE Position. Use this to your advantage when searching for aggressive Rock sounds with an edge or R&B Tones that have just a hint of tube saturation.

  • Page 14: Master

    Keep in mind these positions use a medium Q width to avoid a notchy sound and retain an organic quality. There will be some cut or boost on the adjacent frequencies. Once you have selected a VOICE mode to use, consider fine-tuning the sound with the standard tone controls.

  • Page 15: Full / Half / Low Pwr Switch

    will be illuminated on the front panel, on the optional STRATEGY footswitch and our optional single button switch with LED indicating your EQ is on. NOTE: The setting of the EQ mini-toggle overrides the buttons on the STRATEGY Footswitch. If the switch is set to “EQ IN”, you cannot take it out of the signal path with the Footswitch.

  • Page 16: Mute / Play / Sil Rec Switch

    MUTE/PLAY/SILENT RECORD This mini toggle provides a MUTE Mode for silent tuning, cable swapping or any time you need to mute the sound without powering down. The SILENT RECORD Mode allows for silent (no live speaker) recording when using the D.I. OUTPUT interfaced to a console. This function mutes the signal at the input of the Driver stage and also MUTE (for protection of the transformer and power tubes) at the SPEAKER OUTPUT jacks.

  • Page 17: Solo Control

    SOLO CONTROL™ Your STRATEGY is equipped with our patented SOLO™ Feature that provides you with a pre-settable, footswitchable boost for when it’s time to step out and showcase important parts during a performance. You can use the (optional) STRATEGY Footswitch to engage this feature or you can trigger the SOLO LEVEL via a tip-to-ground latch- PLAY ing switch connected to the Rear Panel jack labeled SOLO in the EXT.

  • Page 18: Standby Switch

    STANDBY This switch controls the high voltage on the tubes. When set to OFF, this switch puts the STRATEGY in an “idle” mode that is essential at “cold power up” and very handy—even frugal—during breaks in performance. Be sure to follow the cold- start procedure outlined in the previous section on POWER to get the best tube life and reliability from your STRATEGY.

  • Page 19: Rear Panel

    SOLO HALF Eight:88 GAIN BASS TREBLE VOICE MASTER LOW PWR 33Hz POST REAR VIEW: BASS STRATEGY EIGHT:88 ™ MAINS SLAVE OUTPUT SPEAKER FUSE TUBE GUIDE MUTE ON UNLESS SPKR IN LEVEL 3 x 12AX 7 8 x KT-88 120 V~...

  • Page 20: Ext Switching

    NOTE: The STRATEGY draws a substantial amount of AC current due to its high power and robust power transformer. Having multiple amplifiers connected to the same AC source (power strip or even the same 15 amp Circuit), using long extension cords or playing at extreme volumes can increase the likelihood of a circuit breaker tripping.

  • Page 21: Speaker Outputs

    ™ EQ FS SIL. REC. POWER STANDBY FULL PWR D.I. PRE D.I. LEVEL SOLO HALF SPEAKER OUTPUT (WITH AUTO-MUTE PROTECTION) Eight:88 TREBLE VOICE MASTER These five jacks are the ¼” SPEAKER OUTPUTS for the LOW PWR 33Hz POST ™ STRATEGY and they are responsible for delivering it’s massive Tone and Power to your cabinets of choice. Two 4 OHM, one 8 Ohm and two 2 Ohm jacks allow interfacing of almost any speaker set up and ensures SLAVE proper loading of the Output Transformer and Tubes.

  • Page 22: Speaker Output Auto-Mute Function

    Each of the MULTI-WATT Power Choices can be shaped, colored and even placed “strategically” in the time domain by matching the Speaker Cabinet with the proper SPEAKER OUTPUT. While there really isn’t a “wrong” combination, there are some Load combina- tions that sound better to most players (tighter, more focused and bolder)—than others.

  • Page 23: Lift / Ground Switch

    D.I. LIFT / GROUND This 2-position mini toggle offers the ability to lift the Circuit Ground from the Chassis Ground, effectively isolating the path to Ground for the STRATEGY circuit. This can be very helpful in live sound front of house or Monitor applications as well as in Recording environments.

  • Page 24: Slave, Slave Level

    for a nominal fee and you can call us Direct and order one. You may also order one through your local MESA Dealer. NOTE: Use an unshielded cable for the LOOP EXT. SWITCH function. ™ POWER STANDBY D.I. LEVEL SOLO SLAVE This jack is the output for the SLAVE circuit.
  • Page 25 NOTES PAGE 20...

  • Page 26: Factory Sample Settings

    FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS SAMPLE #1: Warm R&B EQ IN MUTE ™ EQ FS SIL. REC. NORMAL POWER INPUT STANDBY FULL PWR D.I. PRE D.I. LEVEL SOLO HALF Eight:88 GAIN BASS TREBLE VOICE MASTER LOW PWR 33Hz POST ™ SAMPLE #2: Motown Round EQ Optional EQ IN MUTE...

  • Page 27: Personal Settings

    PERSONAL SETTINGS SHEET EQ IN PLAY ™ EQ FS MUTE VINTAGE POWER INPUT STANDBY FULL PWR D.I. PRE D.I. LEVEL SOLO HALF Eight:88 GAIN BASS TREBLE VOICE MASTER LOW PWR 33Hz POST ™ EQ IN PLAY ™ EQ FS MUTE VINTAGE POWER INPUT...

  • Page 28: Biasing The Kt-88 Power Tubes

    BIASING THE KT-88 POWER TUBES – by Designer Randall Smith First and foremost: Bias adjustment is only required when replacing power tubes. Checking bias as routine maintenance or if a tube problem is suspected is quick and easy but shouldn’t often be necessary. And since those big KT-88s in your amplifier are only running about half their maximum rated dissipation, they should last for years.
  • Page 29 Owners - it is not necessary to remove the Bottom Cover on your PRODIGY to set the BIAS when replacing Power Tubes. Located on top of the chassis are two 2-position mini-toggle switches, one for each quartet of KT-88s, along side two precision Trim Pots and two LEDs.

  • Page 30: Speaker Impedance Matching, Cabinet Hookup Guide

    SPEAKER IMPEDANCE MATCHING & HOOK-UP GUIDE: IMPEDANCE: Wiring up speakers to provide the most effective load and making sure that all of them are in phase will help in creating the best sound possible. This is not too difficult, as long as you understand a few things about loading and how to connect your speakers to provide an optimal resistive load.
  • Page 31 PARALLEL: When wiring in parallel, the resistance of the speakers decreases. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in (hooked-up) Parallel results in a 4 ohm load. It’s easy to calculate the effect of a resistive load when all the speakers are all the same resistance. It is really not suggested to wire different resistive load values in Parallel (8 and 4, 16 and 8 etc.) The formula for figuring the total impedance in Parallel is the multiplication of the two loads divided by the sum of the two loads - i.e.
  • Page 32 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 Ohm Cabinet Partial back view of some Mesa amp 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 4 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet...
  • Page 33 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH CORRECT MATCH Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier...
  • Page 34 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM SERIES BOX 8 Ohm 8 Ohm 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH Partial back view of amp Partial back view of amplifier CORRECT MATCH 8 OHM...
  • Page 35 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM SERIES BOX 8 Ohm 8 Ohm 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH Partial back view of amplifier 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM...

  • Page 36: Diagnosing Pre-Amp Tube Problems

    TUBE NOISE & MICROPHONICS: You may occasionally experience some form of tube noise or microphonics. Certainly no cause for alarm, this quirky behavior comes with the territory and the Tone. Much like changing a light bulb, you don’t need a technician to cure these types of minor user serviceable annoyances and in fact, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to cure tube problems...by simply swapping out a pre-amp or power tube! First may we suggest that you set the amplifier up on something so that you can get to the tubes comfortably without having to bend...
  • Page 37 Sometimes making the diagnosis is more trouble than it’s worth and it’s faster and easier to merely replace the small pre-amp tubes ONE AT A TIME with a replacement known to be good. But MAKE SURE you keep returning the tubes to their original socket until you hit the one that cures the problem.

  • Page 38: Tube Task Chart

    PAGE 33...
  • Page 39 STRATEGY Lid Removal Instructions Please read these instructions all the way through before proceeding. It is not necessary to remove the trim bars in order to remove the lid. 1. Remove 4 screws from each side of the lid: 2. Remove two screws from the back panel: MAINS SLAVE OUTPUT...

  • Page 40: Parts Sheet

    MUTE SOLO MUTE SOLO VOICE VOICE RETURN RETURN SEND SEND TUNER SLAVE TUNER SLAVE PAGE 35...
  • Page 41 ® ™ ®...
  • Page 42 ™ ® 13/12/10...

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