Light version of the Mesa Walkabout without breaking the bank

[Nebadon2000]

if for mainly a backup and want to keep it in Family most likely minimal use; a D350 would be excellent sound for that purpose maybe not Walkabout tone but no Amp is going to give you that except as mentioned a used Walkabout

D350 not only being small and light[easy to transport] also gives you Headphone and aux in for practice/learning tunes

Aguilar and other good amps should also be fine for backup but their not going to be 'Walkabout like' any more than Mesa D Series just different

 

[Groove Doctor]

I have a Genz Shuttle 6.0 as my backup. Tube pre that can get beefy & gritty. 4 band EQ. Super light and dirt cheap these days.

Sold my WalkAbout to fund a Jule Monique. Also owned a Thunderfunk.
The Shuttle can get you in the beefy-but-clear ballpark as WA Thunderfunk & Monique.

 

[gillento]

I had that Genz when it came out. It has some serious HPF filtering going on.

 

[agedhorse]

I had that Genz when it came out. It has some serious HPF filtering going on.

Actually, it doesn't. The HPF is set for ~40Hz with the LF Boost (originally LF Extend) switch off and between 25-30Hz w/ the LF Boost switch on.

It's an articulate amp in the midrange without the traditional mid scoop, which was different than the voicing of many amps of the day... but today more amps are now voiced more open and articulate.

 

[Al Kraft]

There will be legitimate disagreements with this suggestion, but you mentioned Aguilar in your OP so I assume it would be an available and affordable option. First, I own the original WA and the WD. The WD is obviously the top answer and it is exceptional...in many ways it's arguably better than the original.

However, and this depends on what characteristics of the WA you like most, the Aguilar TH500 or 700 might not be a bad option to give a listen to. I own a TH500 and while it is no WA, there are some aspects of that head that are more like a WA than like a typical SS amp (even the D-350 or 800 which I also own).

For a back-up, the D-350 is "primary head capable" despite its light weight and small size. You might find that the voicing control can help you find a suitable WA substitute tone. Playing feel and depth/dimensionality of the notes are different (not bad, just different).

I hope that helps.

 

[gillento]

Well I made an unexpected discovery.
I got an early rare MarkBass TSA500 amp (TSA 500 – Markbass)
- blendable solid state and tube preamp (12AX7)
- 4 band eq w. semi parametric mids
- 2 DIs
- headphone out .....

The low eq band is at a pleasing 60hz, which makes it far more useful than most of the MB heads (40hz).
When using only the tube preamp, its core sound flavour is VERY similar to the Mesa WA.

I had lots of different MB heads (LM2, SA450, F1, TA501, TA503, TT500 and Ninja) but this one sounds very different!