Is this an OK practice?

[Jon R]

While doing some preliminary recording at my friends studio (it's VERY tiny) we ran my Mesa WalkAbout with no speaker to save space.

Now that I'm done I remember reading someplace that running your amp with no speaker load is a real no-no. Did I screw up?

 

[jobu3]

While doing some preliminary recording at my friends studio (it's VERY tiny) we ran my Mesa WalkAbout with no speaker to save space.

Now that I'm done I remember reading someplace that running your amp with no speaker load is a real no-no. Did I screw up?

Generally speaking, the only amps that require a speaker load are ones with an all-tube power-section. Solid state poweramps are usually OK without a speaker, unless otherwise specified. I don't know of any that require a load off-hand, which doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't out there. If you had the 400, I think it would be an issue. The walkabout should not be however.