Mark Morton's relationship with Mesa began with a search for new tubes, but not just any tube would do. Mark could hear the difference, knew what he wanted, and called us.
Check out the full interview with the link in bio.
We’re happy to see that father and son bassists, Stephen & Miles Jay, now have their Subway+ Bass DI Preamp II’s in hand! See them live on their upcoming Weird Al Yankovic tour “Bigger & Weirder 2026”.
Find your tix here: /tour/
If you feel like your tone is muddy, that's the easy part. Removing that mud can be the hard part. We set out to change that when we were creating the Subway Bass DI-Preamp II.
Sweepable mids on the Subway Bass DI-Preamp II give you a way to find it by ear. Boost the Low-Mid band a few dB, then slowly sweep the frequency knob across its range. When the problem gets louder, you found it. Flip from boost to cut, and it's gone.
Same trick works in reverse. Want more growl or note definition? Boost and sweep until clarity jumps out. Leave it there.
Here, @dougdopplermusic shows you what it sounds like to get rid of the mud and cut through the mix.
The Custom Configured 90s Dual Rectifier just received one of the most distinctive looks we've ever offered. Black Snakeskin vinyl wrapped around a Racing Red chassis, in a limited run.
Snakeskin is one of those vinyls that hits different. Pair it with the red chassis and the whole thing reads like it was built for a player who knows subtlety isn't the goal.
The amp itself is the 90s Dual Rectifier you remember. 100 watts, two channels, Class A/B. The original circuit that refined the 90s and early 2000s.
These don't run on a regular production schedule. Get it before its gone.
The Mark VII's three Power Select positions unlock one bigger move: per-Channel assignment.
Each of the three preamp Channels gets its own 90W / 45W / 25W setting. Three footswitchable sounds, each with its own power section personality baked in.
One example build:
Clean at 90W for headroom and full tonal range
Crunch at 45W for a brighter, more elastic response
Lead at 25W for a sweeter, faster breakup
Three rigs in one chassis.
Heads up: if you hear a small pop when switching into 25W, that's normal. Voltage shifting on the power tubes. Physics, not demons.
If you're looking to dial in your rock tones, try these in Channel 2.
- MK IIC+: drop the 750Hz slider, boost 80 and 240. This is Boogie Crunch territory.
- MK IV: keep the Bass knob low (around 10:00) at high gain, and ease up on the 750Hz scoop. Lay off the extreme EQ here. The low end is already filled in.
- XTREME: Treble around 12:30, BASS at 10:00, and pull your bottom end from the 80Hz and 240Hz sliders. The Presence knob does less here (less negative feedback in the power section), so reach for the top sliders if you want more bite.
One rule across all three: as gain goes up, bass comes down.
The Badlander has "Rectifier" on it for a reason.
MESA spent three decades building the Rectifier series into the standard for heavy guitar tone. The Badlander takes that foundation and reworks it with tighter low end, more aggressive midrange, and three gain modes per channel.
The 50 sits in the middle of the Badlander line. Enough headroom to hold its own on a real stage, compact enough to go anywhere. Both channels are identical, which means you configure the amp around how you actually play instead of working around a fixed clean/dirty split.
If your bass rig needs a facelift, an expansion, or maybe even a complete overhaul, check out our new Subway+ Bass DI-Preamp II. Feature-rich, player-centered, and priced affordably.
@dougdopplermusic gives a quick overview of just how feature-rich the new Subway+ Bass DI-Preamp II really is.
Whenever Mark Morton shows up, you put a mic on him, and ask him everything you can. In Mark's most recent visit, he talked us through his Mesa history, the tones you get from a watermelon, and how he still plays real amps.
Watch the full interview with the man himself with the link in our bio!
25W Class A Triode on the Mark VII reconfigures the inner pair of 6L6s from Pentode to Triode. That's where you get the sweetest transition to clip the amp offers. Pushing the power section gets easier and compression shows up sooner. There's also a roundness in the top end you don't hear at 45W or 90W.
Fair warning though: 25W is still loud. The transformers and internal voltages are built for a 90W amp, so it punches above its class. 25W just moves power section character lower in the volume range. That's the actual point of the setting.
This is Part 3. Part 4 ties it all together.
Lets build your dream Mesa from scratch!
@Sweetwater rolled out the new "Build your Boogie" custom configurator! You pick your amp, your cab, and all the details come to life right in front of you!
Endless combinations. What are you making? Build yours with the link in our profile!
Doug Doppler stopped by to show us what the new Subway+ Bass DI-Preamp II can do.
If you haven’t seen this one yet: it’s the second-gen pedal version of our Subway DI-PRE, built around the same tone shaping you’d find on the D-350, D-800, and D-800+ heads, packed into 1.1 lbs that runs on 9 to 18VDC.
You get an active 4-band EQ with two semi-parametric mid bands, a continuously variable VOICING filter, HI-PASS for tightening up the low end, plus DEEP and BRIGHT toggles. The balanced XLR DI is switchable pre or post-EQ with a ground lift, and there’s a headphone out for direct monitoring.
Doug always finds the corners of a tone we didn’t know were there.
