Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[StayLow]

Something that is really nice on a gig when you need to turn around a make a quick change. I like simple heads that are gig friendly, but when I do have a head with lots of controls I prefer having things set up in an intuitive/consistent way.

With semi-parametric mids I usually dial in a frequency that helps me add or subtract what I need for a room during sound checks. After that I may do a little fine tuning with the gain/level, but rarely change the key/offending frequencies I worked so hard to find. Having all necessary gig adjustment controls along the bottom is a nice feature.

I agree totally with this, and I like consistency, yet for me it'd be much more convenient to have what I'd change most - the levels, not the frequencies - on the top row where it's easier to reach and adjust, not tucked under a row of lesser-used knobs, especially if the amp is down on today's smaller/lower cabinets.

What's done is done though, and not exactly a deal-breaker so just sayin'.

 

[StayLow]

What are the specs for the fan? We can get ready for discussing swapping for a quieter one.

Might be good to have a list of 12Ax7 and 5751 tubes handy for the rolling discussions too.

 

[Leo was right]

I’m a P bass player, they just sound right to me. Stingrays and Warwick’s also work

Every 5 years for me I go on a “i must have a jazz bass” phase , and got to own some lovely instruments that I’ve ended up selling down the years...

This time I traded a lovely but unloved Thumb bass for a Sadowsky Will Lee 4 - and it’s awesome!

So while it’s a keeper I think, it sits in the mix slightly differently ...
Any Walkabout Eq advice for me for different classic jazz tones? (Currently all knobs flat with the mid control turned up)

There are Pbass guys and there are Jbass guys and also some are MusicMan guys, me it depend of the day so there are Pbass days and the are J.....ect.

There are no easy one.....

 

[Aladinsane1969]

There are Pbass guys and there are Jbass guys and also some are MusicMan guys, me it depend of the day so there are Pbass days and the are J.....ect.

There are no easy one.....

And some of us are J bass guys who have our pickups wired in series. ;-)

 

[Leo was right]

One word about Dan V.R. who seem responsable for the design of the Mpulse serie (Simul-state) in the last decade, since this year I own a Mpulse 600 and a Big Block 750, and these are (with my all tube Fender Bassman)the best sounding (for my personal purpose) hi-power bass amp I never tried period. I owned or tried most of well knew brands, vintage Ampeg ect. these amps eat SVT for breakfast. I should mention that it is only my opinion based on my playing style and nobody have to agree, and also I didn't tried yet any of the 800 serie which seem outstanding specialy with the last batch release last week. The Pbass never get as lively as on the Big Block even on dirt or clean setting, and the 600 is a Jazz Bass heaven.

Thanks for all Dan, it is well appreciated.

 

[Leo was right]

And some of us are J bass guys who have our pickups wired in series. ;-)

There is no bad answer! I already tried that, it have a very meaty sound similar to a Pbass but not exactly, very interesting!

 

[Aladinsane1969]

There is no bad answer! I already tried that, it have a very meaty sound similar to a Pbass but not exactly, very interesting!

No, not exactly, but close enough for a guy with small hands in which standard P bass and Music Man necks feel like logs. ;-)

 

[Leo was right]

No, not exactly, but close enough for a guy with small hands in which standard P bass and Music Man necks feel like logs. ;-)

Make perfect sense! Just for your info, on the MusicMan side the Sterling have a Jbass style regarding the neck

 

[TheCouchBassist]

Still using my WAS. Flipped my extension cab 90 degrees for my drummer.

View attachment 3235559

Wow! Sweet setup.

 

[agedhorse]

What are the specs for the fan? We can get ready for discussing swapping for a quieter one.

It's the same fan as in the D-800/D-800+, it's already quiet, is specifically a long life ball bearing design and the air flow combined with static pressure is carefully calculated out. Changing the fan will certainly void the warranty since all agency approvals (safety and EMC) are based on this. The fan is a UL recognized part, required by the UL & CB listing of the amp. Don't say I didn't give fair warning here...

Might be good to have a list of 12Ax7 and 5751 tubes handy for the rolling discussions too.

The circuit is designed around the 12AT7/12AU7 platform due to the way the tube sections drive the following circuitry load as well as how they are driven. You can try 12AX7 type tubes, but it's not what I designed the circuit around and IMO the performance is not as good (as expected and as calculated). I don't recommend it.

 

[StayLow]

It's the same fan as in the D-800/D-800+, it's already quiet, is specifically a long life ball bearing design and the air flow combined with static pressure is carefully calculated out. Changing the fan will certainly void the warranty since all agency approvals (safety and EMC) are based on this. The fan is a UL recognized part, required by the UL & CB listing of the amp. Don't say I didn't give fair warning here...



The circuit is designed around the 12AT7/12AU7 platform due to the way the tube sections drive the following circuitry load as well as how they are driven. You can try 12AX7 type tubes, but it's not what I designed the circuit around and IMO the performance is not as good (as expected and as calculated). I don't recommend it.

I meant to type 12AT7 ... but the whole post was actually meant to be a wink & nod to WalkAbout history, so really just a failure all-'round on my part.

Apologies, and thanks for the good info. Respectfully suggest bookmarking the post, as it'll probably come up repeatedly.

 

[agedhorse]

I meant to type 12AT7 ... but the whole post was actually meant to be a wink & nod to WalkAbout history, so really just a failure all-'round on my part.

Apologies, and thanks for the good info. Respectfully suggest bookmarking the post, as it'll probably come up repeatedly.

Gotcha, we did very much take int account the fan noise present in the Walkabout.

You might be surprised at the number of folks who want to make their Subway amps "more rad", reading things on DIY sites that are so bizarre that I can't even imagine of why somebody would think it was a good idea.

Things like rolling op-amps because they are POSITIVE that I have no idea what I am doing when designing an amp, and then proposing a "superior" part that simply won't work because they have no idea what an op-amp's parameters even mean or why it won't work. Just because it has 8 pins means nothing more than it has 8 pins. Then when something gets damaged, they are sure it had nothing to do with their modification. It's pretty wild the things that some people will do to a $1000 watt piece of equipment

 

[Coughdrops]

So I picked up the most recent all black walkabout in the classifieds... Only to see the WD news come out like the day after mine arrived.

I haven't had one in a few years because of the power concerns but had to have one again. Used it at a rehearsal tonight was instantly reminded of why I like those heads so much. At appropriate volumes its inherent voicing is right up my alley and then the EQ flexibility really let's me dial in exactly how I want for a given situation.

So I'll definitely be giving the WD a go once I get funds together. I tried the D800/+ twice because I loved the features but they just aren't my thing. They were too much to the Carbine sound and too tight and stiff for my liking. If the WD can keep the general feel and width of the walkabout but scale up in volume I'll be pleased as punch. Plus, the additional features of the HPF, damping, and DI being pre master manages to make it more appealing.

 

[Al Kraft]

So I picked up the most recent all black walkabout in the classifieds... Only to see the WD news come out like the day after mine arrived.

I haven't had one in a few years because of the power concerns but had to have one again. Used it at a rehearsal tonight was instantly reminded of why I like those heads so much. At appropriate volumes its inherent voicing is right up my alley and then the EQ flexibility really let's me dial in exactly how I want for a given situation.

So I'll definitely be giving the WD a go once I get funds together. I tried the D800/+ twice because I loved the features but they just aren't my thing. They were too much to the Carbine sound and too tight and stiff for my liking. If the WD can keep the general feel and width of the walkabout but scale up in volume I'll be pleased as punch. Plus, the additional features of the HPF, damping, and DI being pre master manages to make it more appealing.

If that's your wish list, I think you will be very pleased when you audition one. The features really make it very versatile for tone shaping, especially when approached as a total package that includes highly complementary EQ design, variable HPF, and the damping control.

The tonal center and feel is much closer to a WA than the Carbines or D-800/800+, but still well-focused and able to deliver the voicing you dial in as the volume goes up. Whether it gives you everything you need to the degree you want is obviously a personal preference kind of thing, but I'm sure you will at least walk-away (no pun intended) impressed with the head even if you decide it's not for you.

 

[Leo was right]

So I picked up the most recent all black walkabout in the classifieds... Only to see the WD news come out like the day after mine arrived.

I haven't had one in a few years because of the power concerns but had to have one again. Used it at a rehearsal tonight was instantly reminded of why I like those heads so much. At appropriate volumes its inherent voicing is right up my alley and then the EQ flexibility really let's me dial in exactly how I want for a given situation.

So I'll definitely be giving the WD a go once I get funds together. I tried the D800/+ twice because I loved the features but they just aren't my thing. They were too much to the Carbine sound and too tight and stiff for my liking. If the WD can keep the general feel and width of the walkabout but scale up in volume I'll be pleased as punch. Plus, the additional features of the HPF, damping, and DI being pre master manages to make it more appealing.

Just a remark, the Walkabout is rated at the same power than the original SVT that rule the stages in the '70, '80 ect. in rock, punk, reggae, hard rock ect. Could it be possible that the number of sq. in. Of speaker play a role into this. Is anybody have tried a WA in a 8x10 or equivalent and can comment about the sound pressure he experienced?

 

[sunbeast]

Just a remark, the Walkabout is rated at the same power than the original SVT that rule the stages in the '70, '80 ect. in rock, punk, reggae, hard rock ect. Could it be possible that the number of sq. in. Of speaker play a role into this. Is anybody have tried a WA in a 8x10 or equivalent and can comment about the sound pressure he experienced?

I’ve had my Walkabout and an SVT side by side in my rehearsal space sent through a 6x10 speaker cabinet, and there is little comparison in perceived volume- an SVT can blow the Walkabout away in what sounds like clean headroom. I think the difference is in how they react when pushed- the SVT will be well into a pleasant-sounding harmonic distortion range as it starts to get pushed (where it doesn’t really sound dirty, yet fills in the midrange in that characteristic way as you play louder), where the Walkabout acts similar in its sweet spot, then seems to just compress more and then hit a sort of wall where it loses control noticeably earlier than the SVT. I use a Mesa Prodigy now, and even at 250 rated watts I feel like I can get more controlled (not necessarily “clean”) headroom from it than the Walkabout- again I think this has a lot to do with perceived volume as a by-product of additional harmonic distortion (ie midrange content).

 

[metron]

Just a remark, the Walkabout is rated at the same power than the original SVT that rule the stages in the '70, '80 ect. in rock, punk, reggae, hard rock ect. Could it be possible that the number of sq. in. Of speaker play a role into this. Is anybody have tried a WA in a 8x10 or equivalent and can comment about the sound pressure he experienced?

I have frequently used my WA with a Bergantino NV610 which has a pretty similar vibe to the 810. It does not provide the same SPLs as an SVT, but it's worth noting that I haven't run into a situation where the WA with that cab isn't enough for what I needed. That can happen with my Berg 212 though.

There are a variety of reasons for the difference between the response of the SVT and the WA, and I will forgo even mentioning them for the sake of this thread and the people who read it but I will say that anyone who truly loves the WA should run one into a cab of that style at least once. It's pretty awesome!

 

[metron]

What sunbeast said!

 

[StayLow]

Just a remark, the Walkabout is rated at the same power than the original SVT that rule the stages in the '70, '80 ect. in rock, punk, reggae, hard rock ect. Could it be possible that the number of sq. in. Of speaker play a role into this. Is anybody have tried a WA in a 8x10 or equivalent and can comment about the sound pressure he experienced?

An 8x10 cab is an awesome thing to play through, and the WalkAbout through it is tremendous.

In my case even then it didn't have quite enough clean power. An SVT would've fared better, due to its different characteristics.

We're talking loud band here though. Real loud, not that "I can hang with two 100w half-stacks using a 2x10 while people in the cafe are chatting over drinks" so-called 'loud'.

Gear's a combination of things. A WalkAbout into a large cab like an old-school sealed 2x15, 6x10 or 8x10 is fun worth having.

 

[StayLow]

Gotcha, we did very much take int account the fan noise present in the Walkabout.

You might be surprised at the number of folks who want to make their Subway amps "more rad", reading things on DIY sites that are so bizarre that I can't even imagine of why somebody would think it was a good idea.

Things like rolling op-amps because they are POSITIVE that I have no idea what I am doing when designing an amp, and then proposing a "superior" part that simply won't work because they have no idea what an op-amp's parameters even mean or why it won't work. Just because it has 8 pins means nothing more than it has 8 pins. Then when something gets damaged, they are sure it had nothing to do with their modification. It's pretty wild the things that some people will do to a $1000 watt piece of equipment

Op-amp rolling? Damn that sounds fun!!

With *your* amp though. Does Mesa have a "take a TB'er to work" day?

Seriously though, as frustrating as it must be for you it's also a form of compliment. People put time, money, discussion and mods into things they love.