Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[Kael]

Add speakon outputs. Should be relatively easy to do as I think there is enough real estate in the back panel to accommodate it. Not a deal breaker but would be nice.

Improve stability to handle 2 ohm loads better. That would make more sense to me than just adding more power. Just use 2 4 ohm cabs if you need more oomph.

Make the fan more quiet. Usually not an issue, but low level gigs it can be a bit much. If making it more 2 ohm stable, additional cooling would probably be in the cards. I'd rather have that than a quieter fan, but both would be optimal.

Maybe a mute switch?

Other than that, just don't mess it up. I'd love more power, but the tone seems to be optimal when running it in the "sweet spot" on the master/input. I suspect that more powe would shift that sweet spot to a volume level over what I need.

Disclaimer, I gig 95% of the time with just a single ea wizzy mline. I don't really need a massive amount of more power. Then again, I also gig on upright mostly. If the option for more clean power was there, I'd probably wind up snagging it as long as the tone didn't suffer (read alter from current tone) when the slab comes out.

 

[Kael]

just curious, did you guys that want clean try running the master full on and controlling the vol with the gain? still not clean enough?

I gig with mine using a double bass so clean is pretty desirable. I find rolling the tube preamp eq controls back a notch or two improves the clean headroom dramatically. More so than lowering the input and raising the master. I can easily get too loud and into feedback land on the upright this way just using a 112. Any "anemic" frequencies from lowering the b/m/t tube eq I fix if needed with the semi para eq. Honestly, I rarely need to do that though.

 

[kringle77]

The old wa already exists for those who do not need the extra output so, if that's you, put your money back in your wallet, be thankful, and keep jamming. The rest is for those who don't want to haul a mountain of speakers to get the same output you would get from a 2x12 and 600 to 1000 watt amp. Most of us can gig just fine with a good 2x12 and an amp big enough to push it.

 

[the yeti]

The old wa already exists for those who do not need the extra output so, if that's you, put your money back in your wallet, be thankful, and keep jamming. The rest is for those who don't want to haul a mountain of speakers to get the same output you would get from a 2x12 and 600 to 1000 watt amp. Most of us can gig just fine with a good 2x12 and an amp big enough to push it.

what size rooms are you playing? i've been using a 115 and been plenty loud in 3-400 person sized rooms.

 

[Al Kraft]

The old wa already exists for those who do not need the extra output so, if that's you, put your money back in your wallet, be thankful, and keep jamming. The rest is for those who don't want to haul a mountain of speakers to get the same output you would get from a 2x12 and 600 to 1000 watt amp. Most of us can gig just fine with a good 2x12 and an amp big enough to push it.

Walkabout and a Berg CN212 do a great job for me and is about all I really need,...my wants, however, almost always dwarf my genuine needs...YMMV!

 

[kringle77]

Not huge places but, I don't use the pa, the drums do so, I need power.

 

[agedhorse]

I've been thinking about this a bit more, and I think part of the magic with the WA (tone in hand with the power) is very similar to the conflicts in designing a guitar amp that is voiced with a more vintage harmonic structure... usually what works at the low powers (<25 watts) doesn't scale well up the increased power platforms. Some of this comes from the unique interaction between the output impedance of the power amp and the load impedance of the speaker. In order to increase the power, by necessity the output impedance changes because of the scaling.

This is perhaps a helpful analogy in understanding why one platform may not scale to all needs.

 

[kringle77]

Also, I have talked at length about the advantages of headroom.

 

[agedhorse]

Also, I have talked at length about the advantages of headroom.

Right, I understand this but headroom and the harmonic structure are at opposites with this platform. By doubling the headroom, you essentially half the harmonic structure. There's of course more to it because we are working with multiple non-linearity curves simultaneously, but this is the opposing goals of two conflicting variables.

Perhaps adding the headroom, and modifying the harmonics (non-linear) transforms so that they compliment rather than duplicate what's happening in the WA might be a better approach towards more players tastes???

 

[kringle77]

I was responding to The Yeti but, yes, you may be on to something there horse.

 

[adam montminy]

just curious, did you guys that want clean try running the master full on and controlling the vol with the gain? still not clean enough?

It gives you an entirely different tone and feel - not bad but not what I think most people like about the WA. Personally, I like the fatness and compression I get from running the Gain fairly high (but not overdriven) and then turning up the master to taste. Honestly though, if making it more powerful means it will have a different feel, I'd be more inclined to suggest just making it 2ohm stable and sticking with the same power if that's possible. I rarely find myself needing more clean headroom as long as I have two cabs.

 

[husky123]

Right, I understand this but headroom and the harmonic structure are at opposites with this platform. By doubling the headroom, you essentially half the harmonic structure. There's of course more to it because we are working with multiple non-linearity curves simultaneously, but this is the opposing goals of two conflicting variables.

Perhaps adding the headroom, and modifying the harmonics (non-linear) transforms so that they compliment rather than duplicate what's happening in the WA might be a better approach towards more players tastes???

Could you add a "drive" channel that can be blended to the users taste to give both sides what their after (clean headroom side vs. harmonic content/OD side)?

 

[agedhorse]

Could you add a "drive" channel that can be blended to the users taste to give both sides what their after (clean headroom side vs. harmonic content/OD side)?

Not on the current WA platform, because of what's happening with the power amp interactions.

 

[the yeti]

It gives you an entirely different tone and feel - not bad but not what I think most people like about the WA. Personally, I like the fatness and compression I get from running the Gain fairly high (but not overdriven) and then turning up the master to taste. Honestly though, if making it more powerful means it will have a different feel, I'd be more inclined to suggest just making it 2ohm stable and sticking with the same power if that's possible. I rarely find myself needing more clean headroom as long as I have two cabs.

me too. only asked because of all the clean comments.

 

[kringle77]

On that drive channel point. I got the best od tone ever by cutting all the lows, maxing master volume and adjusting input gain to taste. Blend a channel set up like that with a low passed clean sound so that all the character come from the high channel, whether clean or dirty, and there is no competition. Run that in front of a big old honking lead sled.

 

[two fingers]

Add speakon outputs. Should be relatively easy to do as I think there is enough real estate in the back panel to accommodate it. Not a deal breaker but would be nice.

Improve stability to handle 2 ohm loads better. That would make more sense to me than just adding more power. Just use 2 4 ohm cabs if you need more oomph.

Make the fan more quiet. Usually not an issue, but low level gigs it can be a bit much. If making it more 2 ohm stable, additional cooling would probably be in the cards. I'd rather have that than a quieter fan, but both would be optimal.

Maybe a mute switch?

Other than that, just don't mess it up. I'd love more power, but the tone seems to be optimal when running it in the "sweet spot" on the master/input. I suspect that more powe would shift that sweet spot to a volume level over what I need.

Disclaimer, I gig 95% of the time with just a single ea wizzy mline. I don't really need a massive amount of more power. Then again, I also gig on upright mostly. If the option for more clean power was there, I'd probably wind up snagging it as long as the tone didn't suffer (read alter from current tone) when the slab comes out.

My stack (pictured a few posts back) is running at 2ohms all the time. The combo cab and matching cab are both 4 ohms. No issues whatsoever and I have done some really loud gigs with it.

 

[agedhorse]

Run that in front of a big old honking lead sled.

Except that folks don't want an amp any larger or heavier than the existing model...

 

[kringle77]

Well, then they can continue using the original. Right?

 

[agedhorse]

Well, then they can continue using the original. Right?

That may in fact be the most satisfying choice for those who don't want anything ton-wise to change. ANYTHING different is likely to have some tone changes, maybe for the better... or not.

 

[jnewmark]

Not on the current WA platform, because of what's happening with the power amp interactions.

It sounds like you are saying that the WA is such a unique combination of pre amp/power platform/other factor, that it cannot be duplicated if any of that changes, a textbook, " one off ". Or is it a case of , you can have one tonal palette ( clean headroom ), but not the other ( harmonic breakup/od tonal palette ), if power is increased ? BTW, is the engineer who designed the WA still at Mesa ?