Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[derekale]

There were only a small number of faceplates (several models) that suffered from screen print ink that weakly cross linked when cured. This affected long term adhesion.

You can contact customer service to see if a replacement faceplate may be available for your amp.

I wrote to the importer who told me to contact the retailer first:
“It will be enough to provide the serial to the shop where you bought it who can then contact us to initiate the request”

Hope for the best…

 

[agedhorse]

I wrote to the importer who told me to contact the retailer first:
“It will be enough to provide the serial to the shop where you bought it who can then contact us to initiate the request”

Hope for the best…

Good, you have to follow the process through, it's how we avoid (to the greatest extent possible) service/parts screw-ups.

 

[gillento]

regarding the "higher powered" WA: before getting my WA, I have been playing the Ashdown ABM500 (all 3 EVO stages).

Just recently I got the newer EVO IV ABM600. It REALLY sounds very close to the Mesa WA.
So that might be a solution to those looking for the WA sound with a little more headroom.

 

[svtb15]

The Ashdown EVO was one of the best amps that i have ever gigged. I've used them in europe and i also owned an abm500 evoii .. Every note is thick with clarity,with a smooth pillow under each note.. . The EQ is very musical..... I am looking at getting one of the new ABM600s soon. I just want to demo it.. .. My friend who is out with country pop star right now just received the abm 600 rack version .. .I'm going to try it when they get home next week...

regarding the "higher powered" WA: before getting my WA, I have been playing the Ashdown ABM500 (all 3 EVO stages).

Just recently I got the newer EVO IV ABM600. It REALLY sounds very close to the Mesa WA.
So that might be a solution to those looking for the WA sound with a little more headroom.

 

[sratas]

Interesting. I was thinking about the ash too, but
I was prepared to a big stretch. I heard some demos, only on YouTube and it seems qute a bit more modern sounding compared to the WA. But, if real world testimony and usage tells the contrary I'm happy, soon or later I will need a higher power WA style tone. Plus, Marc got me with his personality and passion. He really loves his creatures

 

[gillento]

Yes, all the demos I saw are rather bright. I suppose do they this to show the difference vs. the earlier EVO stages. But it still is an ABM!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I am awaiting delivery on a used Walkabout head (the silver face-plate one), and a used Walkabout 12" extension cab. Gonna make my own 'Walkabout Combo'.

I noticed that on some of the pics I saw on Google, some Walkabout heads have a black face-plate, and some have cutouts on the rear panel of the cab for amp airflow. The cab I just bought doesn't have those cutouts. Will I need to cut them?

 

[agedhorse]

The combo type cabinets are somewhat different on the back than the extension cabinets.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I've seen pics of the back of silver faced combos and they are with no ventilation openings. It's just the black amp combos that had the two large ventilarion openings that I could tell.

 

[sunbeast]

I am awaiting delivery on a used Walkabout head (the silver face-plate one), and a used Walkabout 12" extension cab. Gonna make my own 'Walkabout Combo'.

I noticed that on some of the pics I saw on Google, some Walkabout heads have a black face-plate, and some have cutouts on the rear panel of the cab for amp airflow. The cab I just bought doesn't have those cutouts. Will I need to cut them?

There were a few heat-related design changes on the last version of the Walkabout heads and Scout combo cabs where they added ventilation to the top of the amp plate and corresponding ventilation to the back panel of the Scout combo that went over it.

 

[sunbeast]

If your amp doesn't have the ventilation holes on top then the combo cab with the holes on the back won't matter either!
(only the latest black-chassis Walkabouts had these changes)

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Super! Thanks! Hard to find literature on these. Isn't the silver one something like 160 watts onto 8, 325 watts into 4 or something like that?

 

[sunbeast]

Super! Thanks! Hard to find literature on these. Isn't the silver one something like 160 watts onto 8, 325 watts into 4 or something like that?

I've heard some different info on the measured output on here over the years, but officially I think 300 watts at 4 ohms and 165 at 8 ohms. Many folks have run it at 2 ohms as well for around 500 watts (the original manual even mentioned 2 ohms as an option IIRC), but it can definitely cause a thermal shutdown if pushed too hard at 2 ohms.
FWIW I've used my old silver-faced Walkabout in all sort of different situations and cab pairings down to 2 ohms (very rarely), but often pushed at 4 ohms and its never given me any hiccups outside of a few bad 12ax7s over the years! If yours is a model with dual Input jacks you may need to clean them with Deoxit occasionally (ditto the FX Loop)- all those extra jacks are attached to the signal path and can cause break-up or signal loss if they get dirty/oxidized. Also if your 12" Scout is a 4 ohm version- the 12" Scout cab's speaker is not really able to take the full 300 watts of the Walkabout cleanly and can fart out if pushed too hard. The 15" combo can get quite loud without excess speaker excursion though!

 

[sunbeast]

Great amp! Its been my at-home amp for several years now, though in some situations it sounds superior to whatever my main amp happens to be at any given time.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

It's the 8ohm cab.

 

[sunbeast]

It's the 8ohm cab.

Cool- I think the 8 ohm cab makes more sense with the WA and gets nearly as loud as the 4 ohm cab (I've owned both, but have now had a 4 ohm 15" Scout for a few years). The speakers used were actually different in the 4 ohm vs 8 ohm 12" Scouts, although I can't recall which was which (one was Eminence Deltalite and one Deltalite II- one only came in 8 ohms and one only came in 4 ohms). I'm fairly certain they weren't even OEM versions of the Eminence speakers, just the standard spec.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Just found about these. I'm a bit behind the times. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for another 8ohm extension cab.

 

[rodl2005]

Certainly the best hybrid amp I've ever used. Unparalleled tone and with enough cab...plenty of volume for any gig.

 

[joebar]

I learned the other day that sometimes the WA can be too much of a good thing.
I noticed my new fender professional P5 sounds better through my M3 carbine for some reason; through the WA, it has mids galore and too much gank.
I'm glad I have both because my fretless P sounds so good through the WA that it slays the carbine for sparkle and mwah.

 

[bumble yeti]

I learned the other day that sometimes the WA can be too much of a good thing.
I noticed my new fender professional P5 sounds better through my M3 carbine for some reason; through the WA, it has mids galore and too much gank.
I'm glad I have both because my fretless P sounds so good through the WA that it slays the carbine for sparkle and mwah.

Wait! Fender is making a American Professional Precision V? Gotta check it out…
Damn! Still making them with the 1 7/8" nut width. Wish they'd make 'em with 1 3/4." They did it with the Dimension.
Slightly smaller body and a Dimension neck. Passive, ash body, maple neck and fingerboard. I'd be all over that! drool
WA is a middy amp for sure. Did you try to dial it out with the semi-parametric? I've had good luck with it.