Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[sunbeast]

You won't need a HPF with the svt210av cabs because they don't go low and can't handle much power. Like most other sealed cabs the AVs tend to roll off low-lows nicely. I have a WA and two svt210av cabs and they sound great as-is for a low to medium volume situation. But for most of my gigs I need more volume because my rig has to carry the house (no bass in the PA). So I use a 15 with one or two AVs. That's when my Fdeck HPF comes in handy.

A couple svt210av cabs with the WA is a great combination but it doesn't get big. And I've tried. I tried 3, and then 4 of the little 'pegs with my WA and it got loud but was very mid-focused and was kind of "too much of a good thing". They excel at getting "that tone" but they don't have much booty. For most other cabs, particularly ported cabs, a HPF helps the WA stay solid at higher volumes.

The HPF isn’t a tone thing- regardless of whether the cab reproduces those frequencies (which very few cabs do with any efficiency), the amplifier burns up a lot of power reproducing them. If you cut these subs from ever hitting the amp you will gain headroom and your amp will sound less strained/compressed as you push it.

 

[morebass!]

The HPF isn’t a tone thing- regardless of whether the cab reproduces those frequencies (which very few cabs do with any efficiency), the amplifier burns up a lot of power reproducing them. If you cut these subs from ever hitting the amp you will gain headroom and your amp will sound less strained/compressed as you push it.

Maybe that's true for most cabs but a couple svt210 av cabs don't need more power than the WA can provide and don't seem to be as affected by the low-lows ( due to the sealed design perhaps) . When I crank the WA with a couple ampegs, the cabs complain before the WA runs out of steam. And they don't seem to complain less with the HPF. The low para-EQ on the WA seems to be adequate (as noted above). As much as I love my Fdeck, I don't think its really necessary with the WA and 2 svt210av cabs.

 

[agedhorse]

I took my Walkabout out of semi-retirement today (it's a rainy Sunday and I had time on my hands). The WA has never failed to impress me when I have set it aside for some time (in this case about 2 months and about 12 gigs and many rehearsals) and focused on using another amp (the wonderful WD800).

I have also been working with a Noble DI preamp for the past few weeks. With the WD800, I preferred the sound of the Noble into the input of the amp. I tried the Noble with the Walkabout today too. Sounded great into the input (so, stacked EQ's), but the Noble also sounded massive thru the FX Return of the WA where all I was getting from the WA was the power amp. I wonder if the FX Return hits any part of the WA preamp ... hmmm ... calling @agedhorse. I'm guessing not as neither the Gain or the Master had any impact on the sound with the Noble going into the FX Return.

what an exceptional amp ... just can't say enough good things about it. I have come to bond with the WD800 with it's Walkabout flavored preamp/tone and greater available clean power, but once again, I am reminded why I will NEVER sell my Walkabout.

The power amp and driver stages in the WA are fairly heavily flavored, I think that's what you were experiencing.

 

[sunbeast]

Maybe that's true for most cabs but a couple svt210 av cabs don't need more power than the WA can provide and don't seem to be as affected by the low-lows ( due to the sealed design perhaps) . When I crank the WA with a couple ampegs, the cabs complain before the WA runs out of steam. And they don't seem to complain less with the HPF. The low para-EQ on the WA seems to be adequate (as noted above). As much as I love my Fdeck, I don't think its really necessary with the WA and 2 svt210av cabs.

My main home rig these days is a Walkabout through a single 210AV- I agree that they are fairly limited in the low-end (the closest tiny cab approximation I’ve found to my big-rig NV610 cab), but most of the complaining you hear when you push them is going to be from that low-end that you aren’t hearing anyway. Pushing lows into cabs that aren’t designed to handle them is of course how speakers get destroyed (I blew out enough speakers in my past Ampeg 810s to learn that lesson, even with a measly 300 watt amp!). I recorded with my single 210AV as a very high-passed/power-soaked miced tone with my Mesa Prodigy and could get TONS of midrange volume out of that little cab without it breaking a sweat. My normal gig-rig with the Prodigy through Berg NV610 usually has the fDeck set to high-pass around 80-100hz and that range seems to fit the sealed 10” cabs well with plenty of low-mid punch in a live context.
If the low-band EQ on the amp works well enough for you then problem solved! I like the fDeck better because I have more control over the cutoff and it seems to not affect sound as broadly above the cutoff as when I’ve tried the same with the WA low-band (and I prefer to use that band for a slight low-mid notch when I use that amp).

 

[morebass!]

My main home rig these days is a Walkabout through a single 210AV- I agree that they are fairly limited in the low-end (the closest tiny cab approximation I’ve found to my big-rig NV610 cab), but most of the complaining you hear when you push them is going to be from that low-end that you aren’t hearing anyway. Pushing lows into cabs that aren’t designed to handle them is of course how speakers get destroyed (I blew out enough speakers in my past Ampeg 810s to learn that lesson, even with a measly 300 watt amp!). I recorded with my single 210AV as a very high-passed/power-soaked miced tone with my Mesa Prodigy and could get TONS of midrange volume out of that little cab without it breaking a sweat. My normal gig-rig with the Prodigy through Berg NV610 usually has the fDeck set to high-pass around 80-100hz and that range seems to fit the sealed 10” cabs well with plenty of low-mid punch in a live context.
If the low-band EQ on the amp works well enough for you then problem solved! I like the fDeck better because I have more control over the cutoff and it seems to not affect sound as broadly above the cutoff as when I’ve tried the same with the WA low-band (and I prefer to use that band for a slight low-mid notch when I use that amp).

I'd agree that the Fdeck is the tool of choice. It also frees up the low EQ on the WA for other things. But with the little ampegs I like to get as much low end as possible and the natural tone of the 'pegs is so right I don't mess with it. Like with my B-15N, I want that tone, only louder! I'd love to try the NV610 with the WA but haven't had the opportunity.

 

[pfschim]

The power amp and driver stages in the WA are fairly heavily flavored, I think that's what you were experiencing.

yes, my long time experience with the WA syncs with this.

Interestingly thought, while I like the WD800 just fine, the Noble sounded much better to me going right into the input of the WD, and I did not care for it thru the AUX In or FX Return ... hard to pin point it, but it just did not sound that great.
OTOH, the Noble into the Walkabout power section via the FX Return sounds great.

can you tell me where the insert point is for the FX Return on the Walkabout ? It's mostly curiosity on my part, but it would still be good/interesting to know.

 

[agedhorse]

yes, my long time experience with the WA syncs with this.

Interestingly thought, while I like the WD800 just fine, the Noble sounded much better to me going right into the input of the WD, and I did not care for it thru the AUX In or FX Return ... hard to pin point it, but it just did not sound that great.
OTOH, the Noble into the Walkabout power section via the FX Return sounds great.

can you tell me where the insert point is for the FX Return on the Walkabout ? It's mostly curiosity on my part, but it would still be good/interesting to know.

It's before the tube driver and power amp.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

Wow there’s more in tube selection than I appreciated once you get to the engineering level. I found some misslabled eBay auction and paid about $2 for a 50s or 60s Philips ECC83 and telefunken ECC82
I don’t think the ECC82 is any good for the Walkabout but the Philips did nice things to the sound so I left it in there. Clearer but more harmonically rich

 

[Timmah]

A couple svt210av cabs with the WA is a great combination but it doesn't get big. And I've tried. I tried 3, and then 4 of the little 'pegs with my WA and it got loud but was very mid-focused and was kind of "too much of a good thing". They excel at getting "that tone" but they don't have much booty. For most other cabs, particularly ported cabs, a HPF helps the WA stay solid at higher volumes.

This is my experience for sure- those little Ampeg cabs are among my favorite pieces of gear ever, and they sound awesome for recording, vintage tones, and small rooms, but lots of low end at volume is not their strong suit at all, and that’s been the case with every amp I’ve paired them with.

With that in mind, what cabs do you like with your WA when you need lots of volume and a more full low end? I feel like the SPL I get from my 2/210AV stack is enough for most things, but the low end isn’t there with a 5er in a loud band, and it disappears even more outdoors.

 

[pfschim]

This is my experience for sure- those little Ampeg cabs are among my favorite pieces of gear ever, and they sound awesome for recording, vintage tones, and small rooms, but lots of low end at volume is not their strong suit at all, and that’s been the case with every amp I’ve paired them with.

With that in mind, what cabs do you like with your WA when you need lots of volume and a more full low end? I feel like the SPL I get from my 2/210AV stack is enough for most things, but the low end isn’t there with a 5er in a loud band, and it disappears even more outdoors.

I have run my Walkabout with a Berg NV610 ... huge tone, big low end for a sealed cab.

 

[sunbeast]

This is my experience for sure- those little Ampeg cabs are among my favorite pieces of gear ever, and they sound awesome for recording, vintage tones, and small rooms, but lots of low end at volume is not their strong suit at all, and that’s been the case with every amp I’ve paired them with.

With that in mind, what cabs do you like with your WA when you need lots of volume and a more full low end? I feel like the SPL I get from my 2/210AV stack is enough for most things, but the low end isn’t there with a 5er in a loud band, and it disappears even more outdoors.

Unfortunately with cabinets, apparent volume usually comes with strong midrange response (the reason the Ampeg sealed 10s always sound so loud is strong midrange), and often real low end response comes at the expense of power efficiency and some midrange response. Loud and bass-heavy at the same time really require more power, which is where the limitations of the Walkabout become clear.

That said, more speaker surface area is the best way to increase volume and apparent low end with low power amps, so the Berg NV610 as suggested is a great choice as is an Ampeg 810 (you keep the mids of the 210, but with a fuller low end because of the additional speakers). I have used both with my Walkabout

 

[Timmah]

I was afraid you’d say that! I just got rid of my old 810E because it was too big to justify carrying around to gigs (and it tended to spook the sound guys). I’m a young enough guy with a strong enough back to not mind a weighty cabinet, but the stage footprint and cargo space taken up by the 810E were ultimately too much for me.
Ideally I’d have a compact 215 or 410 or 412 (312?) that’s tall and narrow, for the sake of dispersion and ease of loading. I dunno if that exists- maybe it’s time for some DIY research.

 

[4stringmf]

I was afraid you’d say that! I just got rid of my old 810E because it was too big to justify carrying around to gigs (and it tended to spook the sound guys). I’m a young enough guy with a strong enough back to not mind a weighty cabinet, but the stage footprint and cargo space taken up by the 810E were ultimately too much for me.
Ideally I’d have a compact 215 or 410 or 412 (312?) that’s tall and narrow, for the sake of dispersion and ease of loading. I dunno if that exists- maybe it’s time for some DIY research.

I have a 4x12 that I run my WB through, and it is darn loud. Its not as tall as an 810 but is tall enough to where it pivots just right on my tailgate to load solo. Berg makes a 412, as well as GK. Mine is a Powerhouse

 

[Al Kraft]

I have a 4x12 that I run my WB through, and it is darn loud. Its not as tall as an 810 but is tall enough to where it pivots just right on my tailgate to load solo. Berg makes a 412, as well as GK. Mine is a Powerhouse

I occasionally run two PH212's and it provides some serious sound no matter what head I pair with them. I find the two cabs really easy to manage and have the option to pair one with my PH410 for an even bigger low end. It's rare I use My PH cabs these days (the SW's are usually more than enough) unless I'm outside with no serious FOH support.

 

[morebass!]

This is my experience for sure- those little Ampeg cabs are among my favorite pieces of gear ever, and they sound awesome for recording, vintage tones, and small rooms, but lots of low end at volume is not their strong suit at all, and that’s been the case with every amp I’ve paired them with.

With that in mind, what cabs do you like with your WA when you need lots of volume and a more full low end? I feel like the SPL I get from my 2/210AV stack is enough for most things, but the low end isn’t there with a 5er in a loud band, and it disappears even more outdoors.

I have a sealed 1x15 that I pair with one or two 210av cabs depending on volume requirements. I like the tone best with 2. The 15 is loaded with an Eminence BP1525 driver that is pretty dark. The combination works well and gets loud with the WA. It's a 2.7 ohm load for the WA which is kind of a no-no. At some point I'll build a Chris Cole 15/6 to use with my 1x15 for louder stuff and run at 4 ohms.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

my dream (ie out of my appility to afford) would pair the Walkabout with a pile of Barefaced Two10s

 

[mikeswals]

I have three Boogie cab setups: Diesel 2x15, two PH212's, and two PH210's, but I primarily use the WA with the two 210's. The WA will get sufficiently loud at nearly any venue I'm gigging these days with my current cover band. My old original band detuned (which also is a power robber) and was really loud, so I used my bigger heads for that.

 

[mikeswals]

I have a 4x12 that I run my WB through, and it is darn loud. Its not as tall as an 810 but is tall enough to where it pivots just right on my tailgate to load solo. Berg makes a 412, as well as GK. Mine is a Powerhouse

The PH412 is the same cab as the PH810. The main reason I sold my PH810 was because if I drove my extended cab 4wd Dodge Ram there wasn't a pivot point when loading all by myself, the top of the cab was flush with the tailgate down.
I have another Dodge truck, but its a 2wd and only a single cab, the PH810 was no problem tip and loading into it, but less cargo room I really didn't prefer taking that truck to gigs.

 

[Mastermold]

Just posting a pic of my trusty WA (and Kay)

 

[sunbeast]

Just posting a pic of my trusty WA (and Kay)View attachment 3423476

Cool bass wow! (And amp of course)