Mesa Walkabout and Berg NV412?

Jared Lash · #1 08-23-2010, 10:53 AM

Very curious to hear if anyone has tried this combination.

I have sold off a LOT of gear to help pay for my upcoming wedding and now it looks like we have a chunk of money left over and my fiancee is encouraging me to buy a new rig.

What I really want is something warm and vintage sounding. Mostly it will be used for funk, jazz and reggae but likely a bit of classic rock style stuff as well. I do use overdrive and fuzz pedals so I want a setup that doesn't have tweeters and will sound good when kicking them on.

I have a couple bigger amps if I need the extra volume but I would be interested to hear if anyone thought the Mesa would have enough juice to gig with the Berg.

Any insight would be appreciated.

D.A.R.K. · #2 08-23-2010, 11:04 AM

my old rig came close to the setup you describe,
walkabout head and nv215.
for me, it was plenty of power for gigging, more than enough.
the band is a loud psychedelic trio w/ tons of fx.
i switched to a carbine, and although it was stupid loud,
i felt the walkabout sounded better so i switched back.

Jared Lash · #3 08-23-2010, 11:21 AM

Nice.

Thanks for that, it definitely helps.

As I said, I do have higher wattage heads if I absolutely need the volume, but I love the Walkabout tone and I'd love to be able to gig with this setup.

Jared Lash · #4 08-23-2010, 04:41 PM

One other note, if anyone thinks there's a better compliment to the Walkabout than the NV412 for my purposes I'd love to hear that too.

Gigability (that's a word, right?) is a concern, but as I said, I can gig with a bigger head if need be. I'm really looking for a good tonal matchup first and foremost.

Thanks!

babebambi · #5 08-23-2010, 06:00 PM

Nobody can really say, except for yourself if the Mesa is enough. But one thing for sure, the NV412 can make use of a hell lot more than the Walkabout can provide.

But if you like the tone of the Walkabout and the Berg, the NV610 is a wee bit more efficient than the NV412, and can get the little head a little further in the volume department.

Alexander · #6 08-24-2010, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babebambi

Nobody can really say, except for yourself if the Mesa is enough. But one thing for sure, the NV412 can make use of a hell lot more than the Walkabout can provide.

+1 I regularly throw the full weight of my SVT into the NV412 - it just smiles and asks for seconds. That rig just sounds absolutely fantastic, perfect in my mind for classic rock. Definitely carries the vintage vibe, but with a clarity I haven't heard from other cabinets. I was actually able to hear another bassist with more of a modern hard rock\punk vibe playing with a pick and it was awesome.

As for volume, it is hard to say - I usually have to push the SVT a bit to get the volume I need (though we're fairly loud). Not sure if it is just that the cabinet needs a lot of juice behind it or if the SVT isn't as loud as I thought it would be (I moved to it from a high powered SS head which seemed to get louder faster...)

I'd be interested in how you make out though, the Walkabout sounds like my kind of head and would be a nice backup to the SVT (which I've had reliability issues with...)

And as for other heads you might want to consider - from what I've heard, the all-tube amps are the way to go with the NV series (though the SVT is the only one I've tried) Right now, I'm in love with the sound of power tubes pushed hard...

brocco · #7 08-24-2010, 02:15 AM

Walkabout scout 15......I can finally sell everything else

rodl2005 · #8 08-24-2010, 02:39 AM

I recently tried my MESA WA head into my NV610 & it was lovely!!! Heaps of volume & lovely 'vintagey' tone. Sounds as 'tube-like' to me as any all tube amp I've used.
Tried it thru the NV215 too- again -lovely. Not QUITE as much volume, as the 610 cab is a li'l louder, but still-lots.
I reckon the NV412 would be great.

smo · #9 08-24-2010, 05:27 AM

Warm and Vintage is what the 412 does great, and it's bottom not only competes, but OWNS my pair of 1x15's...... it's a beautiful thing.

Jared Lash · #10 08-24-2010, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander

I'd be interested in how you make out though, the Walkabout sounds like my kind of head and would be a nice backup to the SVT (which I've had reliability issues with...)

And as for other heads you might want to consider - from what I've heard, the all-tube amps are the way to go with the NV series (though the SVT is the only one I've tried) Right now, I'm in love with the sound of power tubes pushed hard...

If things work out, I'll definitely post my thoughts on the pairing.

My plan at the moment is to get the Walkabout and NV412 and then eventually pick up a smaller cab to pair with the Mesa for quieter gigs/practice and a bigger head (either something like the Aggie DB751 or an all tube head) for when I need more volume. That feels like the most flexible setup to me for the vintage vibe I'm after.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodl2005

I recently tried my MESA WA head into my NV610 & it was lovely!!! Heaps of volume & lovely 'vintagey' tone. Sounds as 'tube-like' to me as any all tube amp I've used.
Tried it thru the NV215 too- again -lovely. Not QUITE as much volume, as the 610 cab is a li'l louder, but still-lots.
I reckon the NV412 would be great.

Right on. Thanks for the input. I'm liking what I'm hearing. And again, if the Walkabout doesn't put out enough juice for loud gigs I have other heads, but as long as it can handle lower volume affairs and the pairing sounds good I'm game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smo

Warm and Vintage is what the 412 does great, and it's bottom not only competes, but OWNS my pair of 1x15's...... it's a beautiful thing.

Nice. I'm hoping this works out as I'm excited to try this cab.