Cabinets for Mesa Walkabout (Fearful?)

[Bassgeer]

Hello Amp Forum!

I am currently using a SWR Workingpro 12 combo (200 watts), and am just playing with a drummer friend on the weekends at the moment. We are hoping to find an interested guitarist, and eventually do a few small gigs.

I am wanting to upgrade my tone, as the SWR is decent but I am looking for something a bit more articulate. Mesa stuff has caught my eye. Also, for health reasons I am looking to modularize my rig a bit and lighten the load per trip for hauling my gear. The SWR combo is around 45 lbs. I would like to be carrying around 30 to 35 lbs at a time if I can find cabinets that light. Volume wise the SWR is fine.

The three amps I am looking at are the Mesa Prodigy, M6 Carbine and Walkabout head. Tonally I like them all, although the Walkabout is my favorite.

I was hoping to DIY some cabs (fearful 12/6/1s), and I am sure they would be fine for the M6 and Prodigy, but have heard that they might not make the most out of the walkabout? I would like to start with 1 cab, and add more as needed. What are my options for DIY if I went with the walkabout?

Alternatively, if DIY is not viable, the GK 112s caught my eye, and they are only 30 lbs. Would I need 2 with the walkabout to get similar volume to my current setup?

Cheers!

 

[lomo]

A Walkabout with a good 12 should be just as loud as your current combo, unless you need it very clean with the gain before noon. However, I'd roll with a pair of 12s.....the WA will sound excellent with a wide range of cabs IME.

 

[Bassgeer]

Thanks for the response lomo! I wouldn't need it to be super clean, a slight bit of breakup and character is where I prefer my amp to be, (I leave drive to my pedals). Good to know that the Walkabout should be as loud as my current combo with a decent 12. I would definitely be looking at getting another 12 at some point.

Hoping someone with fearful experience can chime in as well... I read a post somewhere that said they weren't efficient enough to play well with the Walkabout.

Thanks

 

[jnewmark]

The walkabout head is one I would like to try , at least once in my life. The biggest knock on it, according to the many TB'ers who have/had it, is that it isn't powerful enough. Nobody seems to have any complaints about the tone of the Walkabout, but wish it had more gas. Solutions to this seem to be more speakers, as opposed to just a single driver cab. If you build a fEARful 12/6/, you would have a load of 8 ohms, giving you less than 200 watts with the Walkabout. Maybe that's enough for you, but it wouldn't be for me. A 212, efficient cab would be the minimum for me with the Walkabout, 4 ohm load. Some Walkabout owners have even gone down to a 2 ohm load, looking for more volume, but I don't believe it is recommended by Mesa. You should probably start a conversation with TB'er Chef, as he has pretty much tried it all with the Walkabout, if you are definitely set on getting one.

 

[Dave W]

Of the 3 amps you list I'd put the Walkabout last for articulation. That doesn't mean it isn't or can't be, but the Prodigy and M6 just do it better IME. If you need a lot of volume the Walkabout can get a little overdriven if you push it hard. It sounds awesome doing it, just something to keep in mind.

 

[RickenBoogie]

I absolutely love the Walkabout, but a 212 is as small as I'd go, for the volume.

 

[EastCoastThump]

We are hoping to...do a few small gigs....Volume wise the SWR is fine...Tonally...the Walkabout is my favorite.

If you're okay with the SWR's volume and like the Walkabout's tone at your regular volumes, then the Walkabout through a good 12" should give you plenty. In that case, I wouldn't worry about theoretically ideal pairings. FWIW, the Walkabout gets quite a bit louder with enough speakers, and I've run Walkabouts on many gigs at 2 ohms—without any hiccups or any hint of overheating. If you're worried about squeezing more volume from that 300 watt head but prefer multiple load-in trips at lower weight, then you might go with a capable 112 @ 4 ohms and add a matching 112 for louder gigs.

I was hoping to DIY some cabs (fearful 12/6/1s)...What are my options for DIY if I went with the walkabout? Alternatively, if DIY is not viable, the GK 112s caught my eye, and they are only 30 lbs. Would I need 2 with the walkabout to get similar volume to my current setup?

Not sure what other DIY options you have in mind, but you aren't likely to find or devise any DIY plans that will outperform the fEARful for low-end extension or SPL. Although if you want a more mid-centered box you could certainly build or buy a lighter cab.

If you purchase, FWIW, I've been very happy with the Walkabout through a Bergantino AE212. (It's a very articulate and loud cab with a high-excursion drivers that pair well with the Walkabout.) That 212 cab is over your weight specs (as are others that I like for getting more stage volume with the Walkabout). But a pair of similar 112s should give you more than enough tone and volume.

Again though: if the Workingpro 12 combo gives you enough volume, I'd +1 lomo's suggestion to get a single 112. If you find you want more for some gigs, a second 112 will let you get louder (or run the WA with a cleaner tone at similar volumes).

 

[Deadsound]

A fEARful 12/6/1 will likely be around 45-50lbs

 

[Passinwind]

Hoping someone with fearful experience can chime in as well... I read a post somewhere that said they weren't efficient enough to play well with the Walkabout.

I have plenty of experience with fEARfuls, but my direct WA experience was with my Thunderchild 112 cab, maybe close enough. The WA's owner bought his own TC112 after trying that pairing, FWIW.

As far as which piece limits which, just depends on how you want to look at it. The WA runs out of headroom well before a 12/6 will run out of gas. An 810 or 215 of the right flavor will certainly play louder, and a more mid-centric 112 will at least seem louder to many ears. And subjectively, you will tend to like whatever it is that you tend to like, which will be the bottom line...no? Link Removed

 

[Bassgeer]

Wow, thanks for the advice everyone! If I went the fearful route I know I'd have to be pretty selective to get the weight down; I have seen some people post 12/6/1s that weigh 35 lbs, every once and awhile.

I'll have to try out the Walkabout with a few 12s and see how it does, I have only tried it in the scout combo so far.

Maybe Mesa will put out a 600 watt walkabout

Cheers!

 

[wcriley]

Hoping someone with fearful experience can chime in as well... I read a post somewhere that said they weren't efficient enough to play well with the Walkabout.

Too many variables ...especially when it comes to how "sensitivity" is measured... to give a definitive answer.
A fEARful 12/6 is probably as sensitive as most commercially available 112s ...and much more sensitive in the low end.

Without using exotic (read: expensive) plywood, it will difficult to hit your 30-35 lb. goal.
My 12/6s are in the 38/39 lb. range...no tweeters...paint instead of Duratex...bugeye grills...
I could have shaved off ~2 lbs./cabinet if I'd spent the extra money on AlphaLite mid drivers.

 

[wcriley]

A fEARful 12/6/1 will likely be around 45-50lbs

Is yours lined with lead?
First I've heard of a 12/6/1 coming in anywhere near that heavy. (And I spend a lot of time in the fEARful forum.)

 

[Dave W]

Maybe Mesa will put out a 600 watt walkabout

We've asked. A lot. To make a long story short...don't hold your breath.

When I gigged a Walkabout I always had enough volume for my needs with a loud rock band going into a pair of Bag End S15D's (efficient and loud cabs), but I wasn't going for a pristine clean type of sound. It wasn't super dirty though.

I do think the Prodigy is a very good alternative that does have more clean headroom...and the Strategy has even more. With the Input Switch on my Prodigy I can get very close to the tonal realm of the Walkabout when it's in Normal mode, then it's just a matter of picking a voice and EQing. I haven't played a Strategy but I'd figure it would be very much the same and has the added benefit of the graphic EQ.

 

[Deadsound]

Is yours lined with lead?
First I've heard of a 12/6/1 coming in anywhere near that heavy. (And I spend a lot of time in the fEARful forum.)

I have a 12/6 cube that is 46 lbs, which yes has about every weight-adding option you could put in... I assumed a tweeter would add a bit of weight. 40-45 is probably more like it

 

[wcriley]

46 pounds?!? You sure DID add some weighty options.
My "slim" 12/6s are each under 40...and I was more concerned with saving money than weight when I built them.
Maybe the cube version uses more plywood? (I need to check into that before mouthing off again.)

 

[cableguy]

I believe my 12/6 was around 38-39lbs. It sounded incredible with my friends M6 and really damn good with a GK MB Fusion 500. I would think a 12/6 with the alpha 6 mid would be a good starting point. Not enough volume for certain gigs, just build another mirror image and you would be surprised at what 2 can do volume wise. Mine aren't pretty but sound good.

 

[pickles]

IMHO a fearful is not a good choice with the walkabout. Fearfuls need tons of power to get loud and sound quite wide. The walkabout is also quite wide sounding so you end up with a lot of rumble and not much punch/volume. I would go with a mesa boogie powerhouse 112.

 

[wcriley]

Fearfuls need tons of power to get loud...

I don't know where this idea came from, but I wish people would stop repeating it.
As I wrote above: a fEARful 12/6 should be just as loud/sensitive/efficient...whatever you want to call it...as most commercial market single 12 cabinets.

As for being "too wide" in conjunction with a Walkabout: A little EQ knowledge and/or a HPF goes a long way.

 

[lomo]

The fEarful 12/6's main advantage over a conventional 12, IMHO, is it's higher volume output, which can only be achieved with a lot more power than a Walkabout can provide. A single 12 or vertical 212 stack will not have any worrisome dispersion issues to be avoided by a fEarful, so I cannot see a fEarful 12/6 being a worthwhile option in this specific scenario.
However, if you'd rather have one 12/6 than a pair of conventional 112s, I'd consider adding a power amp to use after the Walkabout's DI.

 

[wcriley]

The fEarful 12/6's main advantage over a conventional 12, IMHO, is it's higher volume output, which can only be achieved with a lot more power than a Walkabout can provide. A single 12 or vertical 212 stack will not have any worrisome dispersion issues to be avoided by a fEarful, so I cannot see a fEarful 12/6 being a worthwhile option in this specific scenario.
However, if you'd rather have one 12/6 than a pair of conventional 112s, I'd consider adding a power amp to use after the Walkabout's DI.

OK......
I'll ask just one question before resuming my self-imposed banishment from this site.
How many cabinets can anyone name that are more efficient across the full frequency spectrum that is of interest to BASS players than a fEARful? (I don't care how efficient a speaker is at 1K. I do care how efficient it is below 80.)