Mesa walkabout 112 vs M6 212 price?

[wengr]

hello, common street price on the walkabout 12 seems to be $1299. Also I'm seeing M6 carbine 212 combos advertised at $1399. So just a hundred more buy double wattage, and additional 12, and the required bigger cab? Plusses to the walkabout I see are para eq and the passive radiator, but still it seems that the difference would be greater. Is there something I'm missing?

[Jazzdogg]

Listen to both rigs before buying - they sound remarkably different from one another.

[Matt Dean]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

Listen to both rigs before buying - they sound remarkably different from one another.

Big plus one... what kind of music you play and your tone goals are drivers here.

[wengr]

Originally Posted by Matt Dean

Big plus one... what kind of music you play and your tone goals are drivers here.

wedding/private with alot of 70's, disco, pop/funk, etc. A couple recent peices that feature a modern tone, but not many. also portability matters. I lean towards the walkabout, but wish it was cheaper, especially in light of the m6 price.

[CapnSev]

Big fat muscular tone, as tube-like as possible without going to tubes = Walkabout.

Fast, aggressive bright solid-state tone = M6.


The M6 is going to have way more power, but the WA is very portable, and can really hold its own at 300w with a 112. The M6 212 is going to weigh a ton, I would hardly call it portable.

[Dan55]

Although the M6 combo is a tilt and roll w/ a handle and wheels. Lifting it into or out of a vehicle is a different matter.
Having said that, the WA Scout 12 covers 90% of the gigs I get. Indispensable IMHO.

Dan

[wengr]

ok. I guess the only remaining question for me is 4 ohm and hope it covers every room, or 8 ohm in anticipation of a second cab.

[PBFACTOR]

i'll bet the sound and volume of the m6 combo are amazing. but sweetwater says it weighs 114lbs. that's not ultra portable. lol.

[lomo]

Originally Posted by PBFACTOR

i'll bet the sound and volume of the m6 combo are amazing. but sweetwater says it weighs 114lbs. that's not ultra portable. lol.

Those combos are boat anchors........loud, toneful and sonically satisfying, but boat anchors. I'll pay more for a modular rig with separate pieces any day. I'd rather carry 50 lbs four times than 125 lbs once, and so would my discs. YMMV.

[wengr]

I agree about the weight. I'm moving an eden 410xlt @ 98lbs now and it's getting old. And I'm getting old. I pretty much know if it's going to be mesa, i'll be a walkabout. which one I'm not sure. I would be interested to hear opinions on the relative pricing. Do you feels the WA is overpriced? Or is the M6 undervalued?

[naturalkinds]

Originally Posted by wengr

I agree about the weight. I'm moving an eden 410xlt @ 98lbs now and it's getting old. And I'm getting old. I pretty much know if it's going to be mesa, i'll be a walkabout. which one I'm not sure. I would be interested to hear opinions on the relative pricing. Do you feels the WA is overpriced? Or is the M6 undervalued?

Interesting question. We would need more data on resale values of the respective amps, since the M6 simply hasn't been around long enough -- nor are there nearly as many M6 combos around -- to compare the kind of value consumers are willing to pay for them second-hand.

The new price of a Walkabout combo seems kind of high to me at $1299, even if the resale used value hovers around $850. A used Walkabout for 8 years old selling for $550 seems very high to me personally, but people pay that, even though the new amp costs -- I think -- $1099.

The M6 SEEMS like a better deal in comparison, but who knows. It ain't much of a 'good deal' unless people actually like using them as much as they like the WA.

No real point here. Just throwing some numbers in.

[lomo]

IMO all Mesa gear is justifiably pricey. Handmade in the US, overbuilt, oozes quality and satisfies my ear. If you want super light, there's more bang for the buck elsewhere, and that stuff is fine, but I prefer both the tone and substantial feel of Mesa gear. I do not feel it's overpriced. I find it to be good value when all is said and done. If weight is of paramount consideration, IMO Mesa is not the answer. There are lighter options, but they don't please me nearly as much.

[RickenBoogie]

+1 to Lomo's post. Worth every penny. As to these 2 combo's, if you want an "all-in-one" set up, the M6 212 will cover you, where the WA Scout 12 may not. BUT, if you really care about your tone, the WA drips the old school ,fat round tube tone- but I need more than the Scout 12 can provide. What I'd do, is get a WA head, and pair it with a good 2x12. Best of both worlds.

[newbold]

Stop looking at numbers and comparing totally different pieces of gear.

The walkabout will do the trick for most gigs with PA support and many without.

When you need more power, get the extension cab or a second enormous cab, cause the head comes out of the scout.

and to be fair, the Walkabout has a tube pre and tube-driven MOSFET power section.

Creamy, rich, amazing.

[naturalkinds]

Originally Posted by newbold

Stop looking at numbers and comparing totally different pieces of gear.

The fact is that most consumers don't have an infinity of dollars to spend, so a difference of a few hundred dollars is often more substantial than not.

And are they TOTALLY different? Not really. They have different tonal profiles, but, truth be told, either would work on nearly every gig the other would.

[Crabby]

I have a Walkabout and and M9 with a powerhouse 412 cab. To be honest, the Walkabout with the occasional need for an extention cab would likely cover me for almost anything. I love my big rig but hate transporting it!

[CapnSev]

Originally Posted by wengr

ok. I guess the only remaining question for me is 4 ohm and hope it covers every room, or 8 ohm in anticipation of a second cab.

Go for the 4 ohm, the WA is known to take on a 2 ohm load without issues (I wouldn't try it at a 95 degree outdoor gig or anything though).

[lomo]

Originally Posted by CapnSev

Go for the 4 ohm, the WA is known to take on a 2 ohm load without issues (I wouldn't try it at a 95 degree outdoor gig or anything though).

With the 12 cab the 4 Ohm will NOT be louder than the 8-the driver will be limited by its' excursion around 200 watts, even if it can take 300 without melting the coil. I've had both, ... sold the original 4 Ohm driver and kept the 8. With the 15 cab it's a different story. With the 4 it will be noticeably louder.