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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#1,981
agedhorse said:
We are always listening, but also being aware of paying attention to the legacy of the Mesa bass amp history. We are not rushing to the market with something new without considering all of the options, including where player's tastes have evolved to.

For example, and maybe you guys can help me with this, some folks love the WA preamp, but others find frustration with the "always tube sounding" and the word hair and fur come up often in your discussions about not enough "clean" tone. Are you guys looking for more ability for clean tube preamp tones or is the distortion "always" desired?
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As far as I go, I do not like any hair or fur in my tone, but I loved the WA tone at lower volumes. Once I started cranking it up, hair and fur reared it's ugly head. So, a WA head that has more clean headroom before those other qualities appear. :)
 
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#1,982
jnewmark said:
As far as I go, I do not like any hair or fur in my tone, but I loved the WA tone at lower volumes. Once I started cranking it up, hair and fur reared it's ugly head. So, a WA head that has more clean headroom before those other qualities appear. :)
Click to expand...

This is an interesting point that make the gears turn in my head. Darkglass recently released an amp (900W Class D) that has two of their fuzz effects pedal circuits built in with toggle buttons to bypass both. So, you can either run the straight clean circuit, or add in the B3K and/or Vintage Microtubes effects as needed. It would be uber-cool if an amp like the Subway D-800 had the Walkabout tube pre installed with a bypass option. That would honestly be the only amp I'd ever need.
Of course, what I don't know about electronics could fill a warehouse, so I probably sound like a 5-year-old that wants a flying car. :)
 
#1,983
Worldeeeter said:
This is an interesting point that make the gears turn in my head. Darkglass recently released an amp (900W Class D) that has two of their fuzz effects pedal circuits built in with toggle buttons to bypass both. So, you can either run the straight clean circuit, or add in the B3K and/or Vintage Microtubes effects as needed. It would be uber-cool if an amp like the Subway D-800 had the Walkabout tube pre installed with a bypass option. That would honestly be the only amp I'd ever need.
Of course, what I don't know about electronics could fill a warehouse, so I probably sound like a 5-year-old that wants a flying car. :)
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I think Genz Benz did this with their GBE series.
 
#1,989
Well... guess I'm going to be the obstinate one today. :smug:

After running my WalkAbout through first, it's home base Scout 12 radiator cab, on the advice of a few here, I got a second Scout 12 and began using both. It was *insanely* loud, far beyond what was really usable for me, and never really 'hit the spot' tone-wise. In spite of the same-same cab config, I always felt they were fighting each other. And fan? What fan? I couldn't hear a 747 over that thing. :roflmao:

The best sound I ever got from it that way, was bypassing the preamp section altogether. I took the full-range output from an Alembic F-1X to the effects return. That was pretty sweet.

Then, I bought a Scout 15 combo-cab from a fellow TB'r... and -by golly- THAT was Home-Sweet-Home. Immediately sold both my Scout 12's, and the elusive WalkAbout head-case. I still gig that same old silverface WalkAbout, every weekend docked in that Scout 15... and frankly wouldn't change a thing about it.
 

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#1,992
New Mesa Convert Alert:
I just bought a Mesa Walkabout Scout 15 recently.
I think I found the amp I want to keep for a life time.
I've been on a quest for the ultimate bass tone (if such a thing exist) for awhile.
A friend of mine recommended this amp.
He tells me it's the only amp he plays now, and he has bought and sold just about every amp and cab on the market.

What I like about the Mesa:The thick warm tone.
 
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#1,994
Frankie Fender said:
I think Genz Benz did this with their GBE series.
Click to expand...

The GBE series amps aren't Class D, and they weigh slightly more than a Volkswagen.
The Genzler amp that gives the Mesa D-800 a run for its money is the Magellan. I've read several folks' reviews that say the tone options are broader with the Genzler, but otherwise, both amps are very similar. Neither will produce the tube distortion like a WA, tho.
 
#1,995
I have a Walkabout and an M-Pulse 600. I was always under the assumption that the pre-amp stage was more or less the same. Maybe that's incorrect. They both sound more alike than when compared to the BB750 or a Carbine M6. I haven't hooked either head up to my Subway cabinets yet, but it might be time to unplug the D800 and see how the Walkabout sounds thru the Subway cabs.
 
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#1,996
Worldeeeter said:
The GBE series amps aren't Class D, and they weigh slightly more than a Volkswagen.
The Genzler amp that gives the Mesa D-800 a run for its money is the Magellan. I've read several folks' reviews that say the tone options are broader with the Genzler, but otherwise, both amps are very similar. Neither will produce the tube distortion like a WA, tho.
Click to expand...

Yes I realize the GBE amps are not class D, I owned one. My point was that a tube front-end and clean SS channel were a hallmark of that amp and could possibly be combined with a class D power section. It was not "flying cars" thinking.
 
#1,997
TuneMan said:
I have a Walkabout and an M-Pulse 600. I was always under the assumption that the pre-amp stage was more or less the same. Maybe that's incorrect. They both sound more alike than when compared to the BB750 or a Carbine M6. I haven't hooked either head up to my Subway cabinets yet, but it might be time to unplug the D800 and see how the Walkabout sounds thru the Subway cabs.
Click to expand...

Yes, let us know about the WA w/ Subway cabs.
 
#1,998
TuneMan said:
I have a Walkabout and an M-Pulse 600. I was always under the assumption that the pre-amp stage was more or less the same. Maybe that's incorrect. They both sound more alike than when compared to the BB750 or a Carbine M6. I haven't hooked either head up to my Subway cabinets yet, but it might be time to unplug the D800 and see how the Walkabout sounds thru the Subway cabs.
Click to expand...
They are similar, but not identical. Some of the notable differences are the compressor and eq.
 
#1,999
I just joined a blues band so I thought maybe I would bust out the Walkabout and run it into my PH112. I like my brain for thinking this way. wow, what a sound.....but now my brain is thinking up ways to go out and get another PH112 or Subway ....and that is why I like my brain even more.
 

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