Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[rodl2005]

Yeah, but nah, but, yeah but.. .. ..the Walkabout was pretty unique in that it sounded damn good into pretty much any cab you ran it into. .. I ain't dissin the WD800 in any way, as I've not tried it. Just sayin.
I sincerely do hope, the new WA is special in its own right!

 

[mikeGJ]

WD800 Looks super-clean inside:
Amp Guts Photos - Official Thread - Lets see those pics

 

[Al Kraft]

WD800 Looks super-clean inside:
Amp Guts Photos - Official Thread - Lets see those pics

I would have expected no less in a modern design, especially from Mesa and most importantly from the designer we all know and respect!

 

[shoot-r]

(BIG M-6 Carbine fan here.)

I've read through every thread and comment on the new WD-800 I can find here at T.B. and I've gotten the impression this is a head I "REALLY" want to audition/hear.
In it's cleanest and fastest settings it might be the head that could sway me from my M-6's!

(NOTE: I said might....)




Now if I can just locate a Subway anything to play through!

 

[Al Kraft]

(BIG M-6 Carbine fan here.)

I've read through every thread and comment on the new WD-800 I can find here at T.B. and I've gotten the impression this is a head I "REALLY" want to audition/hear.
In it's cleanest and fastest settings it might be the head that could sway me from my M-6's!

(NOTE: I said might....)




Now if I can just locate a Subway anything to play through!

You and I hear things pretty much the same shoot-r and if you're looking for a mini-M6 this will be a lot closer than the original WA, but do a perfect Carbine imitation. I like the head and it can get you a lot of top end, good punch, and is very articulate for how harmonically rich it is. To my ear it is more polite sounding then the Carbines, not quite as quick and sharply defined sounding in the notes, and a lot less SS-like in it's character.

Interestingly enough there is some Carbine note precision and feel of power in there, but it pays much greater greater homage to the WA than the Carbine to my ear. Now that's not all bad since this machine has serious power on tap and can stay focused at high volumes, is a lot more versatile in tone shaping from the basement to the roof in terms of frequency emphasis, and allows for some other voicing change-ups that IME no other amp has quite equaled.

You may find the D-800+ closer to the Carbine in many ways, but I would recommend you not pass up the opportunity to at least audition the WD-800...you might find a new favorite Mesa head. OBTW, I suspect the variable damping will work great with your Berg NV610. Good luck in your search!!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Changes MUST be labeled or it's a hack job. Looks like somebody may have hacked in an effects loop bypass mod, but the switch should be centered over the jack AND LABELED.

Here’s a guy who had the mod done by Mesa that didn’t include any labeling. Hmmmm....
For Sale - Mesa Walkabout Head

 

[Guitarodeo]

Here’s a guy who had the mod done by Mesa that didn’t include any labeling. Hmmmm....
For Sale - Mesa Walkabout Head

I'm the seller referenced.
If any buyer has doubt about the authenticity of the updates, I'll be happy to send them the invoice PDF sent to me by Debbie Hourigan at Mesa Boogie.

 

[two fingers]

I'm the seller referenced.
If any buyer has doubt about the authenticity of the updates, I'll be happy to send them the invoice PDF sent to me by Debbie Hourigan at Mesa Boogie.

I sent money back to Mesa. Mine isn't labeled either.

They did, however, treat me well and sent back my amp clean as a whistle and performing flawlessly for less than $200 and in less than two weeks. Can't beat that for a factory once over including any updates made since the manufacture of the unit.

I gotta say, the company is as good as the amp.

Good luck with your sale. Whomever buys it should he thrilled.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I'm the seller referenced.
If any buyer has doubt about the authenticity of the updates, I'll be happy to send them the invoice PDF sent to me by Debbie Hourigan at Mesa Boogie.

I don’t doubt yours is a factory mod.

Mine isn’t labeled either. I suspect that very few or none of them may be labeled.

 

[agedhorse]

I don’t doubt yours is a factory mod.

Mine isn’t labeled either. I suspect that very few or none of them may be labeled.

View attachment 3275353

Most were labeled with a small sticker, white lettering on black background. It's of course possible that some were missed but I looked at the one I have here and it has the label.

If anybody is missing one and needs the factory label, I have plenty and will send on to you if you PM me your mailing address. Depending on the version, it may be set up for the label to above or below the switch. I think the oldest ones were above and the newer ones below.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Got some info on my 12" Scout drivers from Eminence and Mesa. They are both engineered for Mesa by Eminence, and are both 8 ohms nominal.

Eminence stated that this first one is similar to a stock Eminence 2512 Deltalite II, a true woofer.

Eminence stated this bottom one is an early version of a Deltalite Neo motor. (With it being 2.5 lbs heavier than the other, I wrongly assumed it was ceramic) Whether it's similar to their original 2512 DeltaliteI was not indicated. All Eminence stated was that it was more brighter, more full range driver with less excursion and different than the one above.

Whether or not they play well together is up to me I guess. I'll have to do some tests with the just the new one alone, then plugging in the bottom one to see if it gets louder without sacrificing anything. Having that bottom one be less 'bassy' may be a good thing knowing how bassy the Walkabout Scout can get.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

The new model [wd800] is a little bit brighter, closer to the earlier versions. Since this model had a close to 15 year lifecycle, there are some minor differences as the design evolved.

@agedhorse - The above is a quote from you over on the UK Basschat forum... seeing that it was a thread about your new amp rather than the old Walkabout I figured this would be a better place to ask you a question... did the walkabout amp tonally change much over it's 15 year cycle? Wondering as I've got a uber low serial one. I bought it secondhand off a fella who had two that I got to try out, and they both did sound quite different.

Also, when the WD800 takes off and becomes a roaring success... have you plans for a low power version of it for folk who just need a practice amp... say 1/20th of the power? Or would asking for WD40 be a slippery slope?

 

[agedhorse]

@agedhorse - The above is a quote from you over on the UK Basschat forum... seeing that it was a thread about your new amp rather than the old Walkabout I figured this would be a better place to ask you a question... did the walkabout amp tonally change much over it's 15 year cycle? Wondering as I've got a uber low serial one. I bought it secondhand off a fella who had two that I got to try out, and they both did sound quite different.

Also, when the WD800 takes off and becomes a roaring success... have you plans for a low power version of it for folk who just need a practice amp... say 1/20th of the power? Or would asking for WD40 be a slippery slope?

Good questions...

The amps evolved somewhat over their 15 year life, in some ways in response to the speakers they were likely to mated up to (ie. the combos, and whatever were the current stand alone cabinets of the time period) and in some ways due to the input from players of the time. There were 2 separate updates that affected brightness. The WD-800 allows the amp to be as bright as the original version of the WA. I preferred the brighter version better myself.

I don't know if a lower powered version would be a viable option as it wouldn't be much less expensive I wouldn't think. I'm not sure I would want a slippery amp, and we (strongly) discourage using WD-40 for cleaning pots even though internet lore suggests is great stuff.

Disclaimer - WD-40 is a horrible alternative for anything electronic.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

(the lower powered option was just setup for the WD40 joke. While no good for electronics it is however good for dissolving bike chain grease on the carpet before the wife/landlord sees it. They may wonder why it's oily underfoot, but they won't see the black stain!)

 

[agedhorse]

Gotcha.

Next time you end up in that situation, try Citrusolve, or GooGone. It works pretty well, and smells better so it might not be a quickly noticed by the significant other

 

[treyandres]

So after buying a WD-800 just before Christmas, and getting a killer deal on a Monique 700 Tardis just after, I took them both to rehearsal last Friday. The band unanimously choose the Monique. I covered my observations in a post earlier on the new Subway equipment thread, so I won’t repeat it here...

Tonight, I took the new-to-me silver face 6 MOSFET Walkabout I picked up on Reverb to leave at the rehearsal space the week before I saw the WD-800 released and pit it up against the Monique. We played each song twice - once with Monique, once with the Walkabout. It’s a blues rock band, so Badge, Tore Down, Born Under a Bad Sign, Funk 49, Rolling Stoned, Day of the Eagle, etc, etc, etc.

It is an absolute testament to the trusty old Walkabout that half the band likes the Monique, and the other half likes the Walkabout. Ran them both with my ‘big’ rig, which is (3) GS112s running at 2.67 ohms, the top cab swapped with a Deltalite speaker and with a tweeter/horn (non-NT), bottom 2 cabs stock GS112 NTs. I have to run the WA at 2.67 ohms ~400w, or it won’t keep up with the guitar players 50w Marshall and 40w Blackface Bassman. The guitar player preferred the rough around the edges warm Walkabout tone on everything; the drummer preferred the clean warm Monique, probabaly because it hits harder, so it hooks up with his kick really well. The Walkabout is ~$500-600 used. The Monique 700 is ~$1700-2000. The original Walkabout is STILL an amazing amplifier and probably the best value out there.

 

[Al Kraft]

I have to run the WA at 2.67 ohms

Just be aware that the original WA is not really in its safe zone below 4 Ohms. Lots of folks have had run it below 4 Ohms with no obvious issues at all, but if you are planning to do a gig below 4 Ohms, I'd have a back-up head with me.

FWIW I'm a long time WA user and own two of them, so my comments are not a knock on the head...I still love mine!

 

[Luke the Fluke]

@treyandres - did you manage to record and playback or something? Just thinking dependent on the band members you might have been getting feedback on tone of the bass with not enough objective space to hear what sounds best out in the audience ... which is where I would expect the twarkability of the wd800 to come into its own

 

[kevmoga]

Good questions...

The amps evolved somewhat over their 15 year life, in some ways in response to the speakers they were likely to mated up to (ie. the combos, and whatever were the current stand alone cabinets of the time period) and in some ways due to the input from players of the time. There were 2 separate updates that affected brightness. The WD-800 allows the amp to be as bright as the original version of the WA. I preferred the brighter version better myself.



Curious what's involved in reverse engineering these mods or if that is even possible? My only critique of my beloved blackface WA ca. 2011 is that I would sometimes like to have a little more brightness or top end available. I'm imagining that would be easier to tone it down when you don't want it than to find it when it's not there to begin with.

 

[treyandres]

@treyandres - did you manage to record and playback or something? Just thinking dependent on the band members you might have been getting feedback on tone of the bass with not enough objective space to hear what sounds best out in the audience ... which is where I would expect the twarkability of the wd800 to come into its own

Had an audience of 1 the night I took the WD-800, and she preferred the Monique. Had an audience of 2 last night, and they were split. The same listener who preferred the Monique to the WD preferred the WA to the Monique. The drummers son preferred the Monique because of the punch, same as his dad. But he wasn’t influenced by his dad, because he said it first. Monique + Hypex 700 has a super punch. No one complained about the tone of the WD. It still sounds awesome. But for what we play, the Monique and the WA seem to be the better tools, and I felt the same way playing through them. I still need to run the WA pre into the Hypex power amp at a rehearsal, because that sounds amazing at home. But last night turned into an A/B shootout between the 2 amps instead. It was nice of everyone to humor me. They actually seemed to get a kick out of it. No one has complained about my D-800 over the last 4 months either, and before it’s all said and done, I’m gonna bring that back into the mix and see what everyone thinks again, though they did prefer the warmth of the WA over it previously. All 4 of these heads are badass. Pretty sure the D-800 will remain my backup/quick travel head for the foreseeable future. It’s just a wonderful little piece of kit.