Mesa Walkabout Scout Driver

[Rumblefisher]

Hey everyone, good morning

I lost my mind yesterday and sold probably the best sounding amp I'll ever own. However, student loans don't pay for themselves, so something had to give.

I've decided to set aside a little bit of money to get another Walkabout when the right one comes up here on TB. If anyone has a mint blackface up for sale, feel free to PM me by the way

I currently own a Low Down Sound 15/6.5, which is a wonderful cabinet. The 15 is an Eminence 3015LF and the 6.5 is an 18sound. I'm thinking about ordering a 12/6.5 nEarful cab from LDS as well, since living in NY is all about space saving plus I've already promised the 15/6.5 to a friend.

GET TO THE POINT!
Does anyone know ANY of the specs of the Walkabout Scout 12? I've done extensive searches here on TB and google TB, and nada. The question comes up now and again, but no answers. Mesa doesn't publish their specs, I know, and I'll try giving them a call when they start answering phones. But in the meantime, anyone have any info?

Basically this is a nEarful vs Scout speaker thread I guess. Chef has kindly given me his opinion that the Walkabout, although a sweet amp, won't have enough power to really open up the Eminence LFs. If that's true, then I guess the scout is the way to go? Not sure, please chime in, sages of the TB Amps Forum! I bow before thee and offer a sacrificial lamb as tribute! (To be cooked at a BBBQ next weekend in Westchester, you are invited to attend. They extra B stands for BYOBB).

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

[lomo]

The WA head has more power than the Scout 12 can handle if it's a 4 Ohm. If volume is an issue, a larger 4 Ohm cab (or pair of 8s) is better. IME the Ausiokinesis TC12 is a superb match for the WA, but I wanted even more volume and ordered a TC15. There are many other options, depending on the tone you like and volume you seek.

[Rumblefisher]

Originally Posted by lomo

The WA head has more power than the Scout 12 can handle if it's a 4 Ohm. If volume is an issue, a larger 4 Ohm cab (or pair of 8s) is better. IME the Ausiokinesis TC12 is a superb match for the WA, but I wanted even more volume and ordered a TC15. There are many other options, depending on the tone you like and volume you seek.

Hey Lomo. The gentleman who sold me my second WA
Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking of getting 2 8 ohm 12s or 2 LDS 12/6.5s. Just curious if anyone has A/Bed the differences.

[lomo]

Originally Posted by Rumblefisher

Hey Lomo. The gentleman who sold me my second WA
Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking of getting 2 8 ohm 12s or 2 LDS 12/6.5s. Just curious if anyone has A/Bed the differences.

How loud do you want to be able to get? A pair of 8 Ohm Scout 12s is plenty loud for most and they sound great, but for me that setup leaves no headroom (loud drummer and guitarist). The Avatar 4 Ohm TB153 was killer and loud enough, but 65 lbs is more than I enjoy doing stairs with. The TC15 will be under 50 lbs, 4 Ohms and habndle all 300 watts-I think that'll be it. Another option is a trio of 12s (like the GK Neox2-that box was recommended to me by Tom Bowlus and just may be, IMHO, the best deal in a single 12 out there now.

If you are willing to haul 65 lbs, my pref is the Avatar TB153. If not, the pair of 12-6s, but be aware the 300 watt WA wil not milk the fEarfuls for what they are worth, so the Scout 12 stack may be just as loud with that head.

[Rumblefisher]

Originally Posted by lomo

How loud do you want to be able to get? A pair of 8 Ohm Scout 12s is plenty loud for most and they sound great, but for me that setup leaves no headroom (loud drummer and guitarist). The Avatar 4 Ohm TB153 was killer and loud enough, but 65 lbs is more than I enjoy doing stairs with. The TC15 will be under 50 lbs, 4 Ohms and habndle all 300 watts-I think that'll be it. Another option is a trio of 12s (like the GK Neox2-that box was recommended to me by Tom Bowlus and just may be, IMHO, the best deal in a single 12 out there now.

If you are willing to haul 65 lbs, my pref is the Avatar TB153. If not, the pair of 12-6s, but be aware the 300 watt WA wil not milk the fEarfuls for what they are worth, so the Scout 12 stack may be just as loud with that head.

Right. It's your last point that I want to talk about. There's no point in owning a Stock Car if I'm not going to race it around the track every Sunday (Sunday SUNDAY!). If a WA isn't going to utilize the capabilities of an Eminence 3012LF or 3015LF, what's the point in having it? So then, best bet is a pair of scout 12s eh? I can carry 50 pounds in one hand and 37 lbs in the other easily, so that may be the way to go.

[babebambi]

Another way to look at this is to increase the efficiency of the system by having larger radiating area.

Maybe two Scout15 if you like that sound.
Also the ext cab has more internal volume than the combo version
(for both 12 and 15)
which means more efficiency as well, as far as low end is concern

[ToneFreak11]

The Scout uses a special device that produces the low-end and tone of a much bigger cabinet. But although with a big cabinet you can get a great balance between bright and warm and you can even get a full really bright tone, with the Scout however, with the EQ flat, you may have the brightest bass in the world but it will still have a lot of low-end coming through that cabinet. You have to tweak a lot of the knobs of the parametric EQ to get a bright tone, but even that way it might not be enough compared to other MESA amps. This combo is either perfect or terrible: if you love lows, this is the amp for you; if you're a bright bassist, you'll probably hate it. Me personally, although MESA is my favourite amp brand, when I started playing an American Jazz Bass through it, it sounded terrible (this coming from a bassist who's a member of the bright bassist club). However, a few minutes later and without messing with the EQ, I really started to like it. Although I love highs, I also love good low sounds a lot. 10 minutes later, it sounded great. The lows were very deep and strong, but the highs were still there; they were just coming out in a subtle way, they were "disguised" in the lows. And I have to admit, it is perfect for a lot of music genres. But you'll surely hate it if you hate low-end.

[Vanceman]

Since we're talking about the Scout 12, does anybody know if the Scout speakers are the same as the Powerhouse speakers? I only ask since I don't see a Scout 210 being offered. Or is the trademark Scout related to having a passive radiator and neo speakers?

[rodl2005]

I dunno much tech info here, but the Scout driver's are neo, so no doubt different to the PH & the passive one below is / must be part of that cabs magic.
See, told ya -no tech!

[RickenBoogie]

I believe they are different drivers altogether, and to the poster who said the WA is a dark amp, (paraphrasing), it's only the Scout cab that can get boomy, certainly NOT the amp itself.

[rodl2005]

& I don't find the scout cab TOO boomy at all. The WA amp is VERY good at it's EQ capabilities. Still plenty of definition there

[Crabby]

The Scout cab is very warm with muted highs but the Player Control network can be very fun to mess with and the fat warmth of this cab is addicting!

[Rumblefisher]

I'm going to A/B a Scout 12 and my LDS 15.
I'd love a Scout 15, but apparently they are "awkward" in size. Something else to check out too.

[babebambi]

Originally Posted by rodl2005

& I don't find the scout cab TOO boomy at all. The WA amp is VERY good at it's EQ capabilities. Still plenty of definition there

yeah, the WA has enough EQ to control/balance the so called "boom" of the Scout