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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#2,721
Chef said:
Several folks have said something like
"Discontinue the Walkabout?"

Man.
That would be tragic.
I mean, probably everyone in this thread would agree.
I've owned 4, and while I don't have one currently as it doesn't suit what I'm currently doing, that amp is just absolutely the best at what it does.
Click to expand...
Yessir. Check out Mesa's webpage. No Walkabout. They're selling the stock they have and no more after that. agedhorse confirmed last month. :(
 
#2,723
Chef said:
Och.

Well.
NAMM, etc
Click to expand...

Good to see you pop in here Chef... it's been a minute. ;)

My old silver-face model is still gigging every weekend, but I finally sold the pair of Scout 12's and your old headcase, and docked it in a Scout 15 combo-cab. (instantly transforming it from a WalkAbout to a DragAbout... but fewer trips to the car!)

H&F_Chain-Links.jpg
 
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#2,725
EdwardofHuncote said:
Good to see you pop in here Chef... it's been a minute. ;)

My old silver-face model is still gigging every weekend, but I finally sold the pair of Scout 12's and your old headcase, and docked it in a Scout 15 combo-cab. (instantly transforming it from a WalkAbout to a DragAbout... but fewer trips to the car!)

View attachment 1169336
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That 15" combo is worth dragging around in my view. Want to blow your own socks off? Stack it on top of another Scout 15" cab. It brings the thunder for sure. :D

I bring both even when I could get away with one. ;)
 
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#2,726
646072737774lg.jpg
bumble yeti said:
:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: But it's true. The one engineering faux pas with those cabs.
Too bad they won't make the Eagle Scout 212 with the thing in the back that acts like a dolly. I was really hoping for that one. :blackeye:
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two fingers said:
That 15" combo is worth dragging around in my view. Want to blow your own socks off? Stack it on top of another Scout 15" cab. It brings the thunder for sure. :D

I bring both even when I could get away with one. ;)
Click to expand...

Honestly fellas, the single Scout 15 is a bit of overkill for me. I used to gig a pair of Scout 12's and I was never quite happy with the sound... something in the mids just bugged me... it never sounded clean no matter what. The Scout 15 suits me much better. But my how those matched 12's looked nice! :D


That 15 is a hefty thing, but I bought one of these collapsible dollys to pull it from the car to stage. Problem; solved. ;)
646072737774lg.jpg
 
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#2,728
MarkA said:
Hmm. Short of running two amps, I'm not sure what will give you the sound of "a clean and dirty WA going at the same time." You mention that you've tried a bunch of pedals (again, not my forte), but I wonder if you'd like the Amptweaker stuff. The pedals take a different approach from (but not entirely unrelated to) yours -- the distorted/overdriven signal is run pretty much full range (though you can affect how the bottom end is handled with the "Tight" control) and you can mix in an unaffected "Dry Low" (low-passed) signal to taste. There are full size and "jr." size versions of several of the pedals (full size have an effects loop in the pedal). I don't think that they'll give you the sound of a clean WA and a dirty WA run simultaneously, but one might give you a sound you like with a simpler setup than you're running currently. In my case (I have the Bass Tight Fuzz - Tight Drive might be closer to what you're looking for) I prefer the sound with the dry low to that of two full range signals mixed together. YMMV, but worth looking into.
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Interesting because I was JUST looking at Amptweaker over the weekend. Let's see if we can coax agedhorse to bring back the V-1 Bottle Rocket. Crabby says it may just be the ticket. And I betcha it sounds KILLER with the Subway too. ;)
My fellow TBers… Shout it! Shout it! Shout it out loud!!!! :D
Hey, it's Independence Day. Who doesn't want a Bottle Rocket?! :hyper:
 
#2,729
bumble yeti said:
Interesting because I was JUST looking at Amptweaker over the weekend. Let's see if we can coax agedhorse to bring back the V-1 Bottle Rocket. Crabby says it may just be the ticket. And I betcha it sounds KILLER with the Subway too. ;)
My fellow TBers… Shout it! Shout it! Shout it out loud!!!! :D
Hey, it's Independence Day. Who doesn't want a Bottle Rocket?! :hyper:
Click to expand...

I'm familiar with the concept, where it might evolve to is not known at this time.
 
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#2,732
bumble yeti said:
Interesting because I was JUST looking at Amptweaker over the weekend. Let's see if we can coax agedhorse to bring back the V-1 Bottle Rocket. Crabby says it may just be the ticket. And I betcha it sounds KILLER with the Subway too. ;)
My fellow TBers… Shout it! Shout it! Shout it out loud!!!! :D

Hey, it's Independence Day. Who doesn't want a Bottle Rocket?!
Click to expand...

Hello. Several years ago I wondered if I could use a V-1 Bottle Rocket as a bass guitar preamp:

How to use the Mesa Boogie V-1 Bottle Rocket as a clean preamp for bass (long post)

Snaxster said:
Conclusion

The Mesa Boogie V-1 Bottle Rocket is a "secret weapon" audio processor for bass guitar. Used stock, it is an excellent overdrive and a very good preamp, if with a narrow sonic focus. But with the addition of the 500pf cap, it becomes a credible tube preamp for clean preamplification of bass guitar.

The result is not like Demeter, Universal Audio, Millennia Media, etc. It cannot compete with their capacity for slight coloration or high headroom. Instead, it is much more like the preamp in a vintage guitar tube amp. It is a bit wooly, quite sweet, noticeably compressed, and tough but relaxed-sounding.

I am using my V-1 Bottle Rocket as if it were the flavorful preamp for my bass amp (an Acoustic Image Focus 1 Series III that by itself sounds sweet enough and very clean, but is rather devoid of personality.) An Aguilar TLC compressor (set at maybe 3:1 or 4:1, with the threshold in the middle of its range) is just before it, and all other effects feed the compressor (I don't subscribe to the "clean amp for effects" approach; I like an amp with saturation and a real voice, into which I feed whatever I have, including spatial effects). In addition to its general duties, the compressor spares the V-1 needing more headroom: I still get plenty of amplitude dynamics into and out of the V-1, which is itself very responsive within its limited dynamic range.

Though by no means scooped-sounding, the modified V-1 Bottle Rocket does have very articulate, almost delicate highs, massive low end, and somewhat diminished upper midrange. Also, the treble pot can now be used for actual tone shaping: for real presence, it needs to be cranked; but rolling it off makes velvety tones that remind me more of the passive tone pot on a vintage bass than of the treble pot in a preamp of a bass or guitar tube amp.
Click to expand...


In the end, even with the treble mod, the V-1 Bottle Rocket was not for me as a primary bass guitar preamp. But I liked it; and I still recommend that anyone interested in it for bass guitar give it a try.

That said, I cannot imagine the V-1 Bottle Rocket circuit as the basis for the preamp in a versatile, mainstream integrated bass guitar amplifier these days.
 
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#2,734
Snaxster said:
That said, I cannot imagine the V-1 Bottle Rocket circuit as the basis for the preamp in a versatile, mainstream integrated bass guitar amplifier these days.
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Thanks Snaxster. That was a cool read. But we're not looking for a preamp. We've got a GREAT one in the WA. What we're after is an OD pedal with WA dirt so we can switch in some of that sexy, dirty magic. Currently, I'm using a splitter with a couple OD pedals but that doesn't mean the V-2 Bass Rocket(!) couldn't have a clean blend or, better still, some sort of filtering so it doesn't sound like two signals–which drives some people crazy.
HUGE THANKS to Caca de Kick for the lead!!! :bassist::bassist::bassist:
 
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#2,737
bumble yeti said:
Thanks Snaxster. That was a cool read. But we're not looking for a preamp. We've got a GREAT one in the WA. What we're after is an OD pedal with WA dirt so we can switch in some of that sexy, dirty magic. Currently, I'm using a splitter with a couple OD pedals but that doesn't mean the V-2 Bass Rocket(!) couldn't have a clean blend or, better still, some sort of filtering so it doesn't sound like two signals–which drives some people crazy.
HUGE THANKS to Caca de Kick for the lead!!! :bassist::bassist::bassist:
Click to expand...

Ah... sorry I misunderstood, Phyzzbin. :bag: Thanks for your kind words, though. :D And good luck getting that pedal created!
 
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#2,738
kringle77 said:
A myco or swell pedal of some sort will get the closest, some even overdrive better than the walkabout but, they are near impossible to find. I've been after a bepa for a long time. If anyone has one, I'll buy it.
Click to expand...

I really liked the Bepa when I reviewed it, but IME/IMHO, it is a rather different thing than the WalkAbout (or a WalkAbout-like pedal).
 
#2,739
A wa pedal, with the wa pre would be a wonderful solution for a lot of folks, and very handy too. I can imagine coupling it with a powerful power amp for big venues or in front of another amp for tone colouring and character. And many other uses. Mesa should evaluate this suggestion. Without the complex and costly full featured amp the project could vmbe very interesting for customers and manufacturer
 
#2,740
Nope. Nope. Nope. Dirt pedal. Overdrive. From WA-ish clean thru WA-ish OD. drool
No preamp. No compressor. No DI. No…whatever. Let's stay focused. :bookworm:
We'll start with the V-1: Tubes. Gain. Bass. Treble. Output.
Changes?
  • EQ: Bass centered. Baxandall? Center mids? Floating mids?
    Personally, it'd be cool if the mids would float somewhat, if possible.
  • Blend Control or Crossover/Filter to blend with clean signal. Crossover range/slope? Filter as a Q sweep?
    Blend works for me most of the time but I think it's weird when the clean signal pokes around a heavily distorted one.
    Filter could be cool for more tone-shaping opportunities like switching between different basses or getting different sounds.
 

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