Operating Instructions
OVERVIEW:
Congratulations on your choice of the SUBWAY WD-800™ 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 amplifier will bring you many years of reliable service, rewarding inspiration and create
for you a newfound freedom to express your music.
You have chosen an amplifier 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 La-
gunitas 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, Stan-
ley 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 WD-800 is the next step in the MESA Bass Amp Bloodline. A tone dripping powerhouse that’s both
compact and lightweight, packaged to go the distance with features, packaging and control over the entire bass spectrum makes it
an iconic step forward in bass amplification. The SUBWAY WD-800 is made in Petaluma, California with the World’s Finest Materials.
PAGE 1
FRONT VIEW: SUBWAY® WD-800™
REAR VIEW: SUBWAY® WD-800™
SPEAKER OUTPUTS
POWER
MAX AVG PWR CONSUMPTION 400W
MAINS FUSE: INTERNAL T-6.3A/250V
MADE IN PETALUMA, CA, USA WITH THE WORLD’S FINEST MATERIALS
100V-240VAC
~50/60Hz
INPUT
POWER
USB DEVICE PWR
OFF ON
AMPLIFIER
44YV
FX LOOP
400 WATTS/8 OHM
800 WATTS/4 OR 2 OHM
RATED
POWER
SUBWAY
®
WD-800
™
BASS AMPLIFIER
IMPEDANCE
HEAD
PHONES
RETURN SEND
MUTE/PEQ BYP
(FOOTSWITCH)
AUX
INPUT
TUNER
OUTPUT
2 Ω 4/8 Ω
USB
POWER ON
TUBE TYPE: 12AT7
CATHODE BIASED CLASS A
SOURCE
POST-EQ
LEVEL
LINE
PIN 1
LIFT
PRE-EQ MIC GROUND
DIRECT OUTPUT
(PHANTOM POWER PROTECTED)
2 OHM MINIMUM LOAD
WARNING:
Replace fuse with same type/rating only.
Do not expose to rain or moisture.
CAUTION:
Risk of Electric Shock. Do Not Open.
No user serviceable parts inside.
BASS
500HZ 1.3KHZ
PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER
2-STAGE CLASS A TUBE PREAMPLIFIER
2.6KHZ
TREBLE MASTERINPUT
HIGHPASS
FILTER
POWER AMP
DAMPING
PASSIVE
MID
INPUT
25HZ 125HZ
80HZ 1KHZ
0 dB
-12 +12 LOW
MED
HIGH
0 dB
-12 +12
0 dB
-12 +12
150HZ 2.5KHZ 300HZ 5KHZ
PEQ
BYPASS
POWER
PROTECT
2 OHMS
LIMIT
O/D
PASSIVEPLAY
ACTIVEMUTE
SUBWAY
®
WD-800
™
SPEAKER OUTPUTS
POWER
MAX AVG PWR CONSUMPTION 400W
MAINS FUSE: INTERNAL T-6.3A/250V
MADE IN PETALUMA, CA, USA WITH THE WORLD’S FINEST MATERIALS
100V-240VAC
~50/60Hz
INPUT
POWER
USB DEVICE PWR
OFF ON
AMPLIFIER
44YV
FX LOOP
400 WATTS/8 OHM
800 WATTS/4 OR 2 OHM
RATED
POWER
SUBWAY
®
WD-800
™
BASS AMPLIFIER
IMPEDANCE
HEAD
PHONES
RETURN SEND
MUTE/PEQ BYP
(FOOTSWITCH)
AUX
INPUT
TUNER
OUTPUT
2 Ω 4/8 Ω
USB
POWER ON
TUBE TYPE: 12AT7
CATHODE BIASED CLASS A
SOURCE
POST-EQ
LEVEL
LINE
PIN 1
LIFT
PRE-EQ MIC GROUND
DIRECT OUTPUT
(PHANTOM POWER PROTECTED)
2 OHM MINIMUM LOAD
WARNING:
Replace fuse with same type/rating only.
Do not expose to rain or moisture.
CAUTION:
Risk of Electric Shock. Do Not Open.
No user serviceable parts inside.
BASS
500HZ 1.3KHZ
PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER
2-STAGE CLASS A TUBE PREAMPLIFIER
2.6KHZ
TREBLE MASTERINPUT
HIGHPASS
FILTER
POWER AMP
DAMPING
PASSIVE
MID
INPUT
25HZ 125HZ
80HZ 1KHZ
0 dB
-12 +12 LOW
MED
HIGH
0 dB
-12 +12
0 dB
-12 +12
150HZ 2.5KHZ 300HZ 5KHZ
PEQ
BYPASS
POWER
PROTECT
2 OHMS
LIMIT
O/D
PASSIVEPLAY
ACTIVEMUTE
SUBWAY
®
WD-800
™