Mesa/Boogie Bass Prodigy Owner'S Manual Download Page 4

READ AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF PROPER USAGE

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.

Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug.  A polarized plug has two blades with one 
wider than the other.  A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong.  The wide blade or the third 
prong are provided for your safety.  If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replace-
ment of the obsolete outlet.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point 
where they exit from the apparatus.

Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

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 power-supply cord or plug is damaged, 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.

To insure proper ventilation always make sure there is at minimum four inches (101.6mm) of space behind the rear of 
the apparatus.  The ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items, such as newspa-
pers, tablecloths, curtains, etc.  Do not impede ventilation by placing objects on top of the apparatus which extend past 
the rear edge of its cabinet.  

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 vases, shall be 
placed on the apparatus.

Important Safety Instructions

Summary of Contents for Bass Prodigy

Page 1: ...Owner s Manual THE HOME OF TONE...

Page 2: ...wn Your reward is that you are the new owner of an amp bred of fine all tube heritage benefiting from the many pioneering and patented Mesa circuits that led to the refinement of your new model We fee...

Page 3: ..._________________________________________________________ 11 STANDBY SWITCH__________________________________________________________________________________ 11 REAR PANEL AC MAINS FUSE FUSE RATING AN...

Page 4: ...y exit from the apparatus Only use attachments accessories specified by the manufacturer Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time Refer all servicing to qu...

Page 5: ...nnections 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 Always connect to an AC power supply that meets...

Page 6: ...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 iconi...

Page 7: ...ed by the same Front Panel LED triggered by the mini toggle MUTE PLAY SILENT RE CORD switch Red LED ON MUTE The SILENT RECORD setting allows you to safely mute the signal at the Power Amp and use the...

Page 8: ...START PROCEDURE When powering up your PRODIGY from cold ALWAYS follow this Start Up Procedure We have found the currently available KT88s require substantially more time than 6L6s or EL34s to warm up...

Page 9: ...and delivers many of the characteristics of several different manufacturer s iconic amplifiers in one simple to use control Use the VOICE Control to take a broad aim at the sound playing style you are...

Page 10: ...t setting The NORMAL input is also a great choice if your bass or cabinet or both leans toward being a little on the bright side or if you find the Prodigy to sound bright with other elements of your...

Page 11: ...ASS control is actually a gain and frequency control all rolled into one with the Q center at 55Hz As mentioned above though it is centered here frequencies harmonics in both low and high direc tions...

Page 12: ...ity associated with a traditional passive TREBLE control The active TREBLE control completes the rotary tone control string to create a powerful and extremely accurate network to use as your fundament...

Page 13: ...ry sensitive The MASTER allows you to set the preamp s GAIN control across a wide range of input headroom possibilities from completely clean to tube overdrive and compensate for these extremes giving...

Page 14: ...your applications that don t require maximum output and headroom you can lengthen the interval between re tubing if you employ power tube rotation swapping the ones used in HALF Power with the ones t...

Page 15: ...ce whenever interfacing with Consoles whether Recording or Live Sound to ALWAYS begin your set up regimen by zeroing out the D I LEVEL control BEFORE flipping the POWER switch to the ON position This...

Page 16: ...ool your amp down and put it in an idle state during set breaks This is actually easier on the tubes than turning the POWER completely off only to fire it back up again 15 minutes later The shock of i...

Page 17: ...PAGE 12 REST AREA...

Page 18: ...f the speaker jacks For this system to be totally ef fective you must insure that the plug is FULLY inserted into the amplifier and that the other end of the speaker cable is also connected to your ca...

Page 19: ...RETURN EFFECTS LOOP NOTE To avoid any loud and potentially dangerous pops and noises set the amp to Standby before connecting or disconnecting any effects to the Send or Return jacks This will prevent...

Page 20: ...ks with an external master switching device or a single tip to ground on off latching footswitch NOTE Use shielded audio cable for connecting the TUNER Output to an external tuner SLAVE This jack is t...

Page 21: ...ures proper loading of the Output Transformer and Tubes For more ideas and instruction on connecting your cabinets properly see the diagrams in the Rear of this Manual on SPEAKER CONNECTION But first...

Page 22: ...et into one 4 OHM SPEAKER OUTPUT 4 Ohm Cabinet into the 4 OHM SPEAKER OUTPUT SPEAKER OUTPUT AUTO MUTE FUNCTION Your PRODIGY has built in Output Transformer protection against a No Load scenario in the...

Page 23: ...he D I POST Position However the final output level that appears at the D I OUTPUT jack is set by the D I OUTPUT control on the Front Panel The overall range of signal available is optimized for Conso...

Page 24: ...GROUND FULL HALF PWR D I PRE POST B R I G H T A C T I V E 3 2 4 5 1 Four 88 MUTE SIL REC P L A Y SAMPLE 4 Rock Growl NORMAL INPUT POWER ON ON STANDBY D I LEVEL SOLO GAIN BASS MID TREBLE VOICE MASTER...

Page 25: ...TREBLE VOICE MASTER PLAY MUTE D I LIFT GROUND FULL HALF PWR D I PRE POST N O R M A L A C T I V E 3 2 4 5 1 Four 88 VINTAGE INPUT POWER ON ON STANDBY D I LEVEL SOLO GAIN BASS MID TREBLE VOICE MASTER P...

Page 26: ...de our designer s sweet spot are unnecessary and usually undesirable unless you like paying a tech to re set your amp s bias voltage But KT 88s are different and sampling them from various suppliers r...

Page 27: ...is also printed on the chassis top Tube Deck and consists of the following steps SET BIAS For Non Technicians 1 Set the BIAS SWITCH located on the upper Rear Tube Deck to OPERATE Make sure the amp is...

Page 28: ...higher resistance for example 8 ohm output into 16 ohm cabinet a slightly different feel and response will be eminent A slight mismatch can provide a darker smoother tone with a little less output an...

Page 29: ...ve side of Speaker A to the Negative side of Speaker B COMBINATION OF SERIES PARALLEL This is really just two sets of Series wired speakers connected in Parallel This is how you maintain a consistent...

Page 30: ...CHEMES Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets 4 OHM 8 OHM 16 OHM Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm Cabinet 4 OHM 8 OHM 16 OHM Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM P...

Page 31: ...ack view of amplifier SAFE MISMATCH 8 OHM Partial back view of amplifier SERIES BOX 8 Ohm 4 Ohm 4 Ohm 4 Ohm Cabinet 4 Ohm Cabinet 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM Partial back view of amplifier PARALLEL BOX 8 Ohm 16...

Page 32: ...hm 8 Ohm Cabinet 10 SAFE MISMATCH 12 4 OHM 4 OHM Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet 11 8 OHM 8 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM Partial back view o...

Page 33: ...et 8 Ohm Cabinet SERIES BOX 16 Ohm 8 Ohm 8 Ohm 16 Ohm Cabinet 13 SAFE MISMATCH WIRING SCHEMES Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabin...

Page 34: ...You ll probably be successful with much less effort than is required to disconnect everything and haul the unit to a technician who will basically perform the same simple tests If the tubes are still...

Page 35: ...possibly damaged Pre amp tubes don t normally wear out as a rule Therefore it is not a good idea to change them just for the sake of changing them If there isn t a problem don t fix it If there is no...

Page 36: ...PAGE 31 NOTES...

Page 37: ...INFO MESABOOGIE COM BEFORE CHANGING TUBES FLIP POWER STANDBY SWITCH TO OFF INPUT JACK 12AX7 V3 12AX7 V2 12AX7 V1 KT 88 V7 KT 88 V6 KT 88 V5 KT 88 V4 SET BIAS LED TRIM OPERATE FRONT OF CHASSIS TUBE REP...

Page 38: ...VOICE 4 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM SEND RETURN POWER ON ON STANDBY D I LEVEL SOLO GAIN BASS MID TREBLE VOICE MASTER D I LIFT GROUND FULL HALF PWR D I PRE POST CAUTION WARNING h 5 A SLO BLO 120 V 60 Hz 6 A CAUTI...

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