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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#2,001
For some reasons, there is a sort of consensus that the m pulse 600 and the WA do sound different but obviously more similar than different.
Myself, I played both but did not compare them side by side. The 600 gave the impression of greater wooly, warmth and sweetness,and the WA of being capable of a more aggressive tone and slightly more in your face but they obviously are in the same ballpark. Anyway, i could be wrong as I never compared them s/s
 
#2,002
Similar but not identical. The different power amp capabilities changes the character as a whole as well because there are some specific drive interactions between the pre and power sections.
 
#2,005
I found the 600 would get gritty if the gain was pushed /if it was dialed in to. ... but it wasn't quite as warm as the WA. THE WA's magic imo is in that area where is JUST b4 it's real break up. Master up around 10 - 11 o'clock. ..gain around 11- 12 once the gain starts getting past 1 o'clock it starts getting flubby - to me.
If there was a way of retaining the WA's warmth and still allow break up at same areas in the dials (abouts) but there being a heap more clean volume BEFORE it gets to say 12 o'clock. ... THAT'S what ppl are after. I think.
The fact that BY 11 o'clock on the WA dial it's only so loud... means there's only thus much more useable "room" with it.
What I'd be keen on would be - having same warmth/tone but a heap more volume BEFORE it gets to that sweet spot. . Where EXACTLY in the dial it is depends on how hot the bass yr using at the time.
Hope that helps some

And yes. ..taking more speakers does get nice n loud and a WA with a Berg NV cab is great, but I know that my - 300w Super Bassman into JUST one 115 will get me where I need. ...the WA I'd need probably the NV215 or 412
 
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#2,006
IMG_0228.jpg
 
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#2,007
rodl2005 said:
I found the 600 would get gritty if the gain was pushed /if it was dialed in to. ... but it wasn't quite as warm as the WA. THE WA's magic imo is in that area where is JUST b4 it's real break up. Master up around 10 - 11 o'clock. ..gain around 11- 12 once the gain starts getting past 1 o'clock it starts getting flubby - to me.
If there was a way of retaining the WA's warmth and still allow break up at same areas in the dials (abouts) but there being a heap more clean volume BEFORE it gets to say 12 o'clock. ... THAT'S what ppl are after. I think.
The fact that BY 11 o'clock on the WA dial it's only so loud... means there's only thus much more useable "room" with it.
What I'd be keen on would be - having same warmth/tone but a heap more volume BEFORE it gets to that sweet spot. . Where EXACTLY in the dial it is depends on how hot the bass yr using at the time.
Hope that helps some

And yes. ..taking more speakers does get nice n loud and a WA with a Berg NV cab is great, but I know that my - 300w Super Bassman into JUST one 115 will get me where I need. ...the WA I'd need probably the NV215 or 412
Click to expand...

I think that says it all.
 
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#2,008
agedhorse said:
Sorry, I missed this question...

Walkabouts are still being made, but like any 10 year old product by any company, at some point it's bound to be retired.

By chance do you have some specific suggestions for its replacement, or are you asking the question just because?
Click to expand...

Yes, we have been asking for a new WalkAbout with exactly the same front end, and possibly the same driver section (if possible), but a more robust output section. I don't care what class is used for the output section, personally. There is something special in that front end, though.
 
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#2,010
I had a Walkabout for a few years. There was much that I liked about it and a few things I'd change.

Since the scale-ability of the power section -- being able to play a gig cleanly and with largely uncompressed dynamics through, say, a modern and not-super-efficient 2x12 or equivalent cab, on the one hand, vs. getting into the Walkabout's "sweet spot" of bounce or its organ-like-when-pushed overdrive, on the other -- has been brought up repeatedly, would it be possible to have a switchable 150 Watt/300 Watt/600 Watt (or whatever) power section, with some of the power MOSFETS switched in and out the same way some tube amps (Strategy 8:88, I think, included) can run on 2, 4, or 8 power tubes? Potentially, this could satisfy both the "sweet spot" and "more headroom" camps. I don't know whether this would be in the "flying car," "amphibious vehicle," or "go kart" realm of difficulty, but, yes, I do expect a small royalty check if Mesa implements the idea (and full deniability if it proves to be unpopular). ;)

Beyond that, Speakon outputs and a quieter cooling scheme (something that would allow for mic-ed recording without worrying about fan noise) would be nice. An adjustable HPF would be useful, as well (I usually used the lowest semi-parametric band to try to approximate that).

Not a huge deal, but a feature I appreciate, is having the EQ set up so it's switchable in and out of the circuit. This could be done for the whole EQ, just the semi-parametric portion, or the B/M/T stack and semi-parametric sections separately.
 
#2,011
MarkA said:
would it be possible to have a switchable 150 Watt/300 Watt/600 Watt (or whatever) power section, with some of the power MOSFETS switched in and out the same way some tube amps (Strategy 8:88, I think, included) can run on 2, 4, or 8 power tubes? Potentially, this could satisfy both the "sweet spot" and "more headroom" camps. I don't know whether this would be in the "flying car," "amphibious vehicle," or "go kart" realm of difficulty, but, yes, I do expect a small royalty check if Mesa implements the idea (and full deniability if it proves to be unpopular). ;).
Click to expand...

Solid state doesn't work the same way, the lack of an output transformer (and its associated size/weight) means there's no way to match a changing number of output transistors to the speaker load as devices are removed. All that would happen is less SOA (safe operating area) than is required for a given load... resulting in magic smoke.

There are 2 seperate transfer functions (with distortion components) happening simultaneously, what you are hearing is the interaction of the two, which would be necessity be different if the power amp got larger because the two scales would be different by 50%. This means that either you pick the same end points and approximate what's happening in between or you pick the 0 and mid point and let the end point settle out where it ends up. Even though the M-Pulse 600 and WA are very similar, the transfer functions scale differently since the end points are closer than the mid point.

Exactly the same thing happens with some of the very popular (favorite) tube amps on the market, they work at that power level but don't scale well up or down. The SVT is a pretty good example of this IMO. A 150 watt or 100 watt SVT just doesn't sound or feel the same, even with the identical preamp.

With the WA, I hear folks say it's perfect, now change it by making it higher powered which will probably make some folks really happy and some unhappy. I'm trying to figure out if the benefit of higher power, which will certainly take care of the headroom issue, exceeds the likely difference that are a side effect of the benefit of increased headroom. Kind of like being asked to play louder by 1/2 the audience while the other half complains that it's too loud ;)
 
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#2,013
@agedhorse

Why don't you open a poll thread asking to choose between some variants of the original design? And specifying this is a game only, because this move can't suffice for a manufacturer. Feasibility, costs...etc.

it could be easier for you to measure TB preferencies, at least....and, quite honestly, TB matters.
 
#2,014
kringle77 said:
So, if you crank an impulse 600 up, will it sound like a big walkabout? Most have said no.
Click to expand...

Not so sure about this personally, as I never had the opportunity to fully open up the 600 and get it hot and sweaty. IME the 600 gets very close. The WA gets there quickly and easily enough . It's like the GK fans explaining that the 400 and 700RB can hit their sweet spots more readily in real world situations than the 1001/2001.
 
#2,016
kringle77 said:
Yeah. A lot of guys are using modern 112 and 212 cabs that don't necessarily have high efficiency so, a WA isn't enough for a lot of guys. So, if the 600 is very close, it could be pushed. ?????
Click to expand...

For my volume needs, the 600 into a nice 212 couldn't be near fully pushed, but it was in "my" Walkabout tone zone. Another part of the problem is that the sound I get from a Walkabout may or may not be what another layer gets out of it.....so many variables before the input jack.......
 
#2,017
kringle77 said:
Yeah. A lot of guys are using modern 112 and 212 cabs that don't necessarily have high efficiency so, a WA isn't enough for a lot of guys. So, if the 600 is very close, it could be pushed. ?????
Click to expand...

I think the BB750 can get you closer. I have a Titan V-12, and with some twiddling, it can get as close to the tone of my WalkAbout (but in a more powerful package) as I have come. The BB750 is basically a one-channel Titan.
 
#2,019
20160612_112708.jpg
Honestly, with efficient cabs, I simply can't imagine the WA not being enough. I run mine in a 15" combo with matching extension cab. When I get the gain to the sweet spot (just before breakup) I can barely turn the volume above 1. Of course, I run it at the controversial 2ohms. Several years and zero issues. Stupid loud. Great tone.

It's about to go back to Mesa for some TLC. Just a good once over and cleaning. Whatever they find....
 
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#2,020
sratas said:
@agedhorse

Why don't you open a poll thread asking to choose between some variants of the original design? And specifying this is a game only, because this move can't suffice for a manufacturer. Feasibility, costs...etc.

it could be easier for you to measure TB preferencies, at least....and, quite honestly, TB matters.
Click to expand...
I'm actually more interested in trying to get descriptive information of preferences and tradeoffs rather than just poll numbers. I think there's info you guys are saying between the lines.

I also see that needs between players are different enough that the opinions are based more on specific needs or taste than just a bigger amp.
 

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