Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[pfschim]

The two-Walkabout solution is directly from the Walkabout manual. Walkabout head 1 provides preamp signal for both setups. Fx send of Walkabout 1 is the output of its preamp. Fx return of Walkabout 2 is input to its power amp. Walkabout 2 is a power amp slave to Walkabout 1 preamp. So, there is one Walkabout preamp signal driving two Walkabout power amps and their speakers. The entire signal path is pure Walkabout with resulting Walkabout tone. If I am misstating the application of this idea maybe agedhorse could advise/clarify.

ok, not questioning whether this is the official Mesa suggestion. I suppose, using 2 WA's (which gets a little gear heavy for the typical user) in this way, you are just driving a line level signal into the second WA - so it operates just like the first one - and would deliver the WA tone as normal.
I guess it's do-able, but seems like a bit of a hassle and expense. OTOH, used WA's are fairly affordable these days.

 

[pfschim]

It's hefty... I like to joke that the Scout 15 should be named the DragAbout.

I bought a collapsible 2-wheel dolly to move mine from car to gig. I'm pretty sure Mesa has an add-on handle and wheels that could be retro-fit to a WalkAbout/Scout combo. I know it was available on the Carbine 212 combo anyway...

yeah, I had the Mesa "tone luggage" attachable handle/wheels for my WA 12 (it's still on my WA cab). It was pretty lightweight design that worked pretty well for very smooth surfaces, but it also has a design flaw that sets the top of the un-covered wheels rubbing on the bottom of the cab, which wears the tolex off the bottom of the cab.

I also had a Scout 15 at one point, used it in a 1x12 +1x15 stack set up. I always thought the 1x15 handled the WA power more fully than the 1x12 - which is not surprising. OTOH, the Scout 15 is a bit large/bulky and does sort of compromise the small combo footprint of the WA. Ultimately I think the WA/Scout cabs are just a bit inefficient for the amp, and like many, I solved that by moving to more efficient, light weight, multi-driver cabs (in my case the wonderful Berg CN212).

 

[adam montminy]

yeah, I had the Mesa "tone luggage" attachable handle/wheels for my WA 12 (it's still on my WA cab). It was pretty lightweight design that worked pretty well for very smooth surfaces, but it also has a design flaw that sets the top of the un-covered wheels rubbing on the bottom of the cab, which wears the tolex off the bottom of the cab.

I also had a Scout 15 at one point, used it in a 1x12 +1x15 stack set up. I always thought the 1x15 handled the WA power more fully than the 1x12 - which is not surprising. OTOH, the Scout 15 is a bit large/bulky and does sort of compromise the small combo footprint of the WA. Ultimately I think the WA/Scout cabs are just a bit inefficient for the amp, and like many, I solved that by moving to more efficient, light weight, multi-driver cabs (in my case the wonderful Berg CN212).

I'd like to pick up a Berg cab for my WA sometime but I'm not sure whether to go with the neo or the ceramic. I lean towards the neo for the weight but their description says the midrange is more upfront and I would be worried it might be too much of a good thing with all of the high mids coming from the WA. Do you find yourself having to dial some of that out when you use your CN cab? Can you compare it to an HD/Reference cab?

 

[pfschim]

I'd like to pick up a Berg cab for my WA sometime but I'm not sure whether to go with the neo or the ceramic. I lean towards the neo for the weight but their description says the midrange is more upfront and I would be worried it might be too much of a good thing with all of the high mids coming from the WA. Do you find yourself having to dial some of that out when you use your CN cab? Can you compare it to an HD/Reference cab?

no experience with the recent Berg reference design cabs, so can't help you there.
I have absolutely no problem with mids being too forward, or present, with the Berg neo's in my CN212 - none at all. it's a very well balanced cab IMO/IME.
Used it with my WA for several years, then moved to a Demeter VTBP-M-800D last year. The Demeter is a very mid present, "lively" sounding amp, and it also has no issues with too much mids thru the CN212.
My experience says that, unless you have a very unusual tone profile as your goal, you can hardly go wrong with the WA+Berg combination - I'm sure others here will agree.

good luck

 

[husky123]

My experience says that, unless you have a very unusual tone profile as your goal, you can hardly go wrong with the WA+Berg combination - I'm sure others here will agree.

Truth.

 

[Al Kraft]

My experience says that, unless you have a very unusual tone profile as your goal, you can hardly go wrong with the WA+Berg combination - I'm sure others here will agree.

Truth +1! In fact the only real criticism I hear about the CN212 is that it is a tad light/shy in the extreme lower end. Given that the WA can tend to bloom a bit down low, I find the CN212 and WA balance each other out nicely without any need to for special attention to EQ even at louder volumes.

 

[Al Kraft]

Can you compare it to an HD/Reference cab?

When I listened to the HD cabs (admittedly with a TH500) they were definitely stronger in the low end, like a donkey kick, not muddy. I think the HDN carries this tradition forward. In the very worst case I can imagine (and it would be a stretch to imagine it) you might want to use a HPF and/or dial back some low/low mid EQ - easily doable!!

The CN212 gives me an "articulate low end" and the HD gave me more of a "massive punch" low end - two different flavors of good. Both cabs took EQ well and if you're willing to turn some knobs, the difference is not anywhere near night and day in terms of capability...but you can hear the difference.

 

[kringle77]

Just got the titan. The od channel is ok, but I like my pedals better. The titan clean sound is definitely in the same vein as the walkabout. It has just a little less middle mids and a Little more treble with the eq set flat but, it can be dialed in to match the walkabout. The type and variation of od is better on he walkabout but, the bottom end is fuller and hits so much harder on the titan. When you turn up the titans gain, it can get some really nice od but, it makes the bottom end compress and dip where the walkabout is more gradual.

 

[agedhorse]

Just got the titan. The od channel is ok, but I like my pedals better. The titan clean sound is definitely in the same vein as the walkabout. It has just a little less middle mids and a Little more treble with the eq set flat but, it can be dialed in to match the walkabout. The type and variation of od is better on he walkabout but, the bottom end is fuller and hits so much harder on the titan. When you turn up the titans gain, it can get some really nice od but, it makes the bottom end compress and dip where the walkabout is more gradual.

Which do you like better?

 

[kringle77]

Tough call. I like them both differently. If the wa had the extra watts, the bottom end would firm up so, it comes back to a more powerful WA. It always does. I personally don't need the second channel or the od.

 

[agedhorse]

Tough call. I like them both differently. If the wa had the extra watts, the bottom end would firm up so, it comes back to a more powerful WA. It always does. I personally don't need the second channel or the od.

So, let me clarify another incorrect assumption here... you assume that the bottom end will firm up with a more powerful WA, but this is not true because of some very specifics of the WA architecture that I have discussed before. In fact, it will become LESS firm, which is why I keep bringing up that the power does not scale like you assume. Otherwise, this would be a trivial design process. The WA is designed around these very specific attributes, and the specific power levels that these attributes occur. It could be tuned around a specific point, but this change will result in an amp that is better for some and worse for others.

I am trying to figure out if there is maybe a BETTER way to achieve a BETTER result for the MAJORITY of players. Maybe there is, and maybe there isn't, I just don't know at this point.

 

[kringle77]

Yeah, me neither. I'm not an engineer, just a player. I love the walkabout tone and eq. I like it overdrive but, I like the clean sound as well and, that is more important. If that sound can be made louder, do it. If it is impossible, well, I've got two mesa amps that sound great now so, it's not the end of the world.

 

[kringle77]

Hey, it pissed my wife off but, I just ran the fx of the wa to the return of the titan. It sounds incredible. Do that and be done. Really. Set it up exactly like the wa with gain, as and master that feed the power section, but have a master in front of the power amp so that the tube driver stage can be manipulated by for extra od. Or, if you can't do that, leave things as is with a huge get power amp and nobody will be able to get it loud enough for od without destroying cabs. I just spent a pile of money to prove it can be done, and it does. I still prefer an adjustable hp filter run before the amp. I have no more to say and will probably stop falling this thread. Hopefully people get to see a new amp.

 

[kringle77]

Oh, I also ran the wa preamp out to the power section of my eden wt800 and some class D amps. Class d isn't that impressive tonewise so please, don't ruin it by going class D. Its just not there yet. The edens amp sounded pretty darn good. The titans power section was awesome.

 

[husky123]

Hey, it pissed my wife off but, I just ran the fx of the wa to the return of the titan. It sounds incredible. Do that and be done. Really. Set it up exactly like the wa with gain, as and master that feed the power section, but have a master in front of the power amp so that the tube driver stage can be manipulated by for extra od. Or, if you can't do that, leave things as is with a huge get power amp and nobody will be able to get it loud enough for od without destroying cabs. I just spent a pile of money to prove it can be done, and it does. I still prefer an adjustable hp filter run before the amp. I have no more to say and will probably stop falling this thread. Hopefully people get to see a new amp.

I've done this as well and, yes, pretty bad ass. In the end though, for the tone I needed...I could get from just the Titan.

 

[agedhorse]

Yeah, me neither. I'm not an engineer, just a player. I love the walkabout tone and eq. I like it overdrive but, I like the clean sound as well and, that is more important. If that sound can be made louder, do it. If it is impossible, well, I've got two mesa amps that sound great now so, it's not the end of the world.

Did you prefer the tighter bottom end with the Titan, or was that a negative? Part of the WA is the looser, more tube amp like mojo but some folks prefer tighter.

 

[bumble yeti]

Did you prefer the tighter bottom end with the Titan, or was that a negative? Part of the WA is the looser, more tube amp like mojo but some folks prefer tighter.

Tube amp mojo! Tube amp mojo!

 

[rodl2005]

Yeah but nah but yeah but nah but. .... my tube amp is solid as Feck down low.
This is an interesting point as some think tube amps aren't as punchy or something. .. I DON'T know. .. really. ..
All I know is that the tube amps that I have used have more solid lows than the s.s amps I've used. .. and the highs too, for that matter.
There ain't any amp I know that feels as solid as my Super Bassman down low & when I play up high it's the only one that I've felt lets the upper notes feel as solid as the low ones.
Of course each to their own. . Love the WA and only feel IT loses its punch low is when it's getting up near its limits.

 

[pfschim]

Of course each to their own. . Love the WA and only feel IT loses its punch low is when it's getting up near its limits.

yeah, that's where my head is at re the WA.
I always use it pretty clean - with gain never run above 11:00, even less sometimes. I also don't over EQ it .. little bump, hair over 12:00 on the Bass control, Mids set at about 10:30-11, Treble with just a small bump past 12:00. Only ever use the Para EQ controls to do room adjustment - or sometimes I will use it as a low end cut (not quite a HPF .. but kind of) by setting the low para control at 30hz and cutting it about -5 t0 10db or so.

So, where I run into trouble is when I need to push the Volume/Master over 12:00 .. it's right there where the magic starts to disappear for me .. all that great tone starts to get kind of sloppy, squishy, indistinct, maybe over compressed (?) - almost feels slow to respond at that Master level, like it's playing behind me. This is at 4ohms .. when running 2.67 or all the way down to 2, I have found the loss of definition to start earlier on the Vol/Master. At this point in a gig I am also pushing the Pre level up too, just to get a scoshe more overall V .. which is a bad decision, because now I am adding OD that I don't really want (Mr. Warm & Clean) - and this just adds to my frustration.

I'll never sell my WA, too much goodness in the amp. But, I also know not to use it where it will not work well. There are other solutions for that.

 

[kringle77]

I'd say to leave the bottom end that the wa has to keep more people happy but, add that adjustable hp filter to tighten things up if wanted. That is my preference to handle tough rooms and because it makes any od smoother. The hp goes at the very front of the chain. Mine doesn't effect the sound when turned all the way down. I put the titan on an analyzer and noticed a slightly tighter bottom, a little less mid, and a Iittle more treble that is voiced a bit higher. I'll be gigging the titan with a hp filter and flat eq but, I do prefer the wa.