The Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II is a Mesa Boogie preamp pedal, currently around $179.10. Close alternatives include the Hotone B Station and the Behringer BDI21. It pairs well with the Xotic RC Booster and the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver.
Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II
Mesa Boogie · pedal
The Mesa Boogie Subway+ Bass DI-Preamp II is a professional bass preamp and direct injection pedal from Mesa Boogie (Petaluma, California), delivering a comprehensive 3-band active EQ, switchable High Pass Filter, XLR balanced DI output, parallel effects loop, and headphone output for complete bass stage and studio preamp performance. Mesa Boogie is one of the most respected American amplification companies. The Subway DI-Preamp II delivers professional bass tone shaping at Mesa Boogie American amplification quality.
What stands out
“The Mesa Boogie Subway+ Bass DI-Preamp II is a professional bass preamp and direct injection pedal from Mesa Boogie (Petaluma, California), delivering a comprehensive 3-band active EQ, switchable High Pass Filter, XLR balanced DI output, pa…”
— from the listing
“The Mesa Boogie Subway DI-Preamp II delivers comprehensive professional bass preamp with 3-band EQ, HPF, and XLR DI at American Mesa Boogie quality for professional bass players who want complete preamp and DI performance from a premier Ame…”
— from the community notes
“Its standout strength is the comprehensive 3-band EQ, HPF, XLR DI, and effects loop at Mesa Boogie American professional quality”
— from the community notes
“mesa boogie is one of the most respected american amplification companies”
— from the listing
“and headphone output for complete bass stage and studio preamp performance”
— from the listing
- bass
- di
- xlr
- effects loop
- american
- headphone
- stage
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
- Silent Stage
- Studio
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II is commonly used in
- Acoustic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Folk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II
Xotic RC Booster
Xotic
8% matchXotic RC Booster's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Boss
8% matchWhat Boss BD-2 Blues Driver brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Somersault
Caroline Guitar Company
6% matchRun Caroline Guitar Company Somersault after Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II in the signal chain, clear of Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Ashdown Studio Compressor
Ashdown
6% matchAshdown Studio Compressor leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star V3
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
5% matchRun Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star V3 after Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II in the signal chain, clear of Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Source Audio Nemesis
Source Audio
5% matchRun Source Audio Nemesis after Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II in the signal chain, clear of Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost
Matthews Effects
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost in front of Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah belongs in front of Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II, since a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
MXR Thump Bass Preamp
MXR
66% similarityShared character: filter, bass, stage
Electro-Harmonix Battalion Bass Preamp/DI
Electro-Harmonix
58% similarityShared character: bass, studio, stage
Palmer Pocket AMP Bass
Palmer
52% similarityShared character: bass
Demon FX Microtube D7K "Bass" Preamp
Demon Fx
50% similarityShared character: filter, bass
Laney Digbeth DB-Pre
Laney
47% similarityShared character: bass, studio, stage
Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord
Electro-Harmonix
43% similarityShared character: bass, stage
Boutique & premium upgrades
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier's tone
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head (Multi-watt)
Mesa Boogie
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head (Multi-watt)'s tone
Walrus Audio Mantle Analog Bass Pre-Amp/DI
Walrus Audio
50% similarityShared character: filter, bass
Orange Bass Butler Bi-Amp Bass Preamp
Orange
48% similarityShared character: bass, studio
Origin Effects BassRig Fifteen
Origin Effects
44% similarityShared character: bass, studio, stage
Ashdown MAS GZR-Pod
Ashdown
41% similarityShared character: bass, studio, stage
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Hotone B Station
Hotone
56% similarityShared character: bass, studio, stage
Behringer BDI21
Behringer
46% similarityShared character: bass, stage
Tech 21 GED-2112 Bass
Tech 21
41% similarityShared character: bass
Markbass MB Instrument PRE
Markbass
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Palmer Pepampbass
Palmer
92% similaritysimilar tone character
Ampeg SCR-DI
Ampeg
92% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II?+
The closest matches in character are the Hotone B Station, the Behringer BDI21, the Tech 21 GED-2112 Bass. Budget picks: MXR Thump Bass Preamp, Electro-Harmonix Battalion Bass Preamp/DI, Palmer Pocket AMP Bass. Boutique upgrades: Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head (Multi-watt), Walrus Audio Mantle Analog Bass Pre-Amp/DI.
What pairs well with the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Xotic RC Booster, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Caroline Guitar Company Somersault — Xotic RC Booster's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying.
How much does the Mesa/Boogie Subway Bass DI Preamp II cost?+
Around $179.10 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).