Walter Woods Amp Question: Which One?

[funkyfretless]

hey guys,
looking on getting a walter woods.
want it mainly for upright, but would like to switch
between ub and eb on some gigs.

i play thru 2 epifani ul 122's...and one for upright gigs
mainly....2 for electric.

my question is that i am lookin at the green light and the
blue light. would the green light be enough power to power a
112 for small gigs and powerful enough to use for 2 122's on a funk
gig.

or...should i get the blue? that would be enough power for sure.. but is it made for electric frequencies more that upright ones..? cause i know i dont need much power for an upright or it will feed back.

i guess my question is, what watler's do you guys use? and what is enough power for upright gigs with 1 122 and some electric gigs with 2 122's.

thanks,
evan

[Mike Carr]

For upright, any of the WW Amps are great. Even my 25 year old M100-8 is plenty loud enough for any upright gig, through just about any kind of speaker. That's just a 150 watts into 4 ohm amp! But it's not so good for an electric funk gig, it will clip pretty easy if you spank it. But I suppose any of the more powerful models he makes these day would be fine for just about anything.

[natbers78]

Have you considered the Super High Power (amber light)? It's the one in between the two you are looking at. I have one of those on order and will probably be using it for some electric stuff as well. Good luck!

[Reefer]

You might want to PM KJung and ask him how the WW matches up with your cabs. WW amps can be picky about which cabs sound good. I know they match up very well with the Berg 12's, better than any other cab I've tried. As far as power get as much as you can afford, but I would at least get the Super. The Hi Power will not punch through on your funk gigs. If you're looking at the Ultra you might want to consider looking for an older one. The newer ones sound good, but not as good as the ones prior to 10/03.

[robgrow]

I use a green light Walter Woods Electracoustic with an EA Wizzy M-Line cab, and that combination does everything I need it to including covering occasional bass guitar gigs with an R&B band. The Wizzy's good sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance really help make this work so well. So the answer really is it depends on the cab(s) you are using.

[Reefer]

Originally Posted by robgrow

I use a green light Walter Woods Electracoustic with an EA Wizzy M-Line cab, and that combination does everything I need it to including covering occasional bass guitar gigs with an R&B band. The Wizzy's good sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance really help make this work so well. So the answer really is it depends on the cab(s) you are using.

I must admit there is something magic about the Hi Power (aka "Greenie") and EA cabs. Beautiful tone I can not duplicate with the Super or Ultra with the same cabs. Only problem using the Wizzy is you are limited to using only one cab. The CXL112 is a better choice and also sounds better than the Wizzy with the WW Greenie. Still the Super or Ultra with the Berg 12's is the ultimate IMO.

[brianrost]

Originally Posted by funkyfretless

would the green light be enough power to power a
112 for small gigs and powerful enough to use for 2 122's on a funk
gig.

or...should i get the blue?

I own two green lights (one from the 80s, one recent) and while I sometimes lust after a blue light I have never run out of volume with the green light. I use them with either a single 12" or two 12" for larger gigs (Epifanis for a few years, now Bergantinos).

Keep in mind that on paper anyway the diff between 450 watts and 1200 watts into the same speakers is only about 4 db, louder but not by a huge amount.

Keep in mind if you're looking to buy new from Walter, it seems to be easier to get a blue light (though it's way more money). I waited three years for a green light before Walter himself suggested I look for a used one (I found mine a month later). The wait for a blue light is only a few months.

[Reefer]

Originally Posted by brianrost

I own two green lights (one from the 80s, one recent) and while I sometimes lust after a blue light I have never run out of volume with the green light. I use them with either a single 12" or two 12" for larger gigs (Epifanis for a few years, now Bergantinos).

Keep in mind that on paper anyway the diff between 450 watts and 1200 watts into the same speakers is only about 4 db, louder but not by a huge amount.

Keep in mind if you're looking to buy new from Walter, it seems to be easier to get a blue light (though it's way more money). I waited three years for a green light before Walter himself suggested I look for a used one (I found mine a month later). The wait for a blue light is only a few months.

One of those greenies you got from me. I used the greenie with my Bergs and altough is was adequate( actually on the edge of inadequate IMO), the difference in tonal clarity and punch is substantial with the higher power models. Just my $.02

[Uncletoad]

There have been differences documented here on TB in tone between various versions of blue light ultras. I have one of the less desirable ones from 2005 and it sounds great. I A/B ed it with a 2002 or 2003 and if there are differences they would be slight. Not enough to keep someone from buying one or the other given the chance.

I'd choose an Ultra blue light if I was buying another. The extra power doesn't hurt the tone even though some aficionados may say so. The extra power comes in very handy when doubling with slab. It's my doubling amp of choice. Paired up with two EA VL208s, a Fender Bass and my Double Bass it's a devastating combo.

If I was buying a cab to go with that you could buy off the rack I'd match it up with a pair of Wizzy M line 8 ohm boxes, or a single 4 ohm Wizzy M line, or one 4 ohm EA NL210.

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by funkyfretless

hey guys,
looking on getting a walter woods.
want it mainly for upright, but would like to switch
between ub and eb on some gigs.

i play thru 2 epifani ul 122's...and one for upright gigs
mainly....2 for electric.

Actually you can't go wrong either way. Personally, I'd get the higher power, but they are more expensive. I've owned three different Walter Woods amplifiers. I still have two of them. When I bought my MI-400-8 he built a MI-600-8. At the time the price difference between the two was only $300.00. There are times when I wished I'd gotten the 600. Ken Jung has the skinny on what cabinets to use with the Woods.

Ric

[Mike Carr]

Does anyone out there know what Walter is charging for a new blue-light these days?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Mike Carr

Does anyone out there know what Walter is charging for a new blue-light these days?

I believe around $2,400, from a previous post on the main Walter thread over of the DB side.

Regarding the newer Walters (i.e., from the mid 90's on), I would highly recommend getting all the power that you can. The 1200 watts of Walter Woods power is not at all the same thing as a more traditional high power amp, or even the newer, improved (IMO) switching amps. While the Ultra gets loud enough for literally any application, the lower power Walters will not do the 'hit you in the chest' type low end ooomph that many EB applications demand.

Per the above, I also find the Walter's quite fussy regarding matching with various cabs. I've never been a fan of the Walter with any of the EpiUL cabs for EB.... DB might be different. The best match I've found for the Walter is with various Bergantino cabs.

The Walter also sounds very nice with the EA NL-210, but would not recommend that cab due to some design/reliabilty issues.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by KJung

Per the above, I also find the Walter's quite fussy regarding matching with various cabs. I've never been a fan of the Walter with any of the EpiUL cabs for EB.... DB might be different. The best match I've found for the Walter is with various Bergantino cabs.

The Walter also sounds very nice with the EA NL-210, but would not recommend that cab due to some design/reliabilty issues.

Bergantino cabs have sounded good with the WWU and the Double Bass. Even better with the Electric Bass Guitar. Most high end small cabinets have sounded good with the WWU and DB including the OP Epi 12's. However my limited trials with EA Berg, Glock, Epi, Aguilar, and other high end cabinet makers never left me wanting to go buy anything else in deference to the VL208 until the Wizzy M line.

My preference, in something you can buy on the market today, is the EA M line wizzy cabs for DB/EB doubling with the Woods amp. I'd suggest auditioning many things with it to decide for yourself.

To further stir the waters my WWU sits at home until my slab gigs in deference to the Focus 2RIII which even though I like the tone less gets the nod for the majority of my gigs given it's superior flexibility and no need for external DI's, preamps, high pass filters, phase switches and the whole bag of stuff I have to bring to the gig that Walter left out for some silly reason or another.

Also, is there a pattern of unreliability with the NL210? I've not heard of that. Not having one it's never underwent the Deadly Toadly Torture Test.

Few survive.

[LarryR]

Originally Posted by KJung

I believe around $2,400, from a previous post on the main Walter thread over of the DB side.

Ken,
Nope. I spoke to Walter last week about Amber pricing. He's charging around $ 2400+. I didn't ask what the Blue light's going for.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by LarryR

Ken,
Nope. I spoke to Walter last week about Amber pricing. He's charging around $ 2400+. I didn't ask what the Blue light's going for.

I thought that was the case also, and believed the Ultra's were selling for around $2,700. However, I was taken to task by a TBer who also said they spoke to Walter and he quoted around $2,400 for the Ultra.

Who knows! I guess once you get in that $2,000+ range, it's kind of like the old joke 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'.

[peterpalmieri]

Originally Posted by KJung

The Walter also sounds very nice with the EA NL-210, but would not recommend that cab due to some design/reliabilty issues.

What issues are they having with that cab?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by peterpalmieri

What issues are they having with that cab?

The one I sold, and also a number of additional TBers NL-210's had driver failures. They are thankfully taking care of the buyer. The buyer was told that they are going through yet another redesign of the drivers.

I had written a glowing review of this cab over on the EB side (it does sound great), and unfortunately, a number of TBers purchased this cab at least partially based on my review. I recieved several PM's indicating driver failures. I felt bad about this.

So, I'm trying to undo my damage. I would in no way purchase one of these cabs, nor the iAmp500 until they fix the noise problems (Gary told me they were 'working on a fix'). Sheesh.

The 300... well.... buyer beware there also.

[peterpalmieri]

Thankfully I have had no issues with my NL210 I have some decent hours on it so far.....

Pete

[KJung]

Originally Posted by peterpalmieri

Thankfully I have had no issues with my NL210 I have some decent hours on it so far.....

Pete

It's a GREAT sounding cab, and EA service is awesome. I'm pretty down on their quality, design, etc. but I will say that they stand by their product. So, they will never let you hanging out to dry.

[peterpalmieri]

Originally Posted by KJung

It's a GREAT sounding cab, and EA service is awesome. I'm pretty down on their quality, design, etc. but I will say that they stand by their product. So, they will never let you hanging out to dry.

After reading all the Micro problems, I think I'd stay away from those especially. The best service is the one you never need to use! The noise issue with my IAMP350 was always a concern to me also.

I am really particular about reliable gear, hopefully it won't be an issue if it is I'll abandone it immediately.

I did go back and find the other threads that brought out this discussion. thanks....