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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#421
svtb15 said:
A B15 cab is a real UNIQUE sounding cab.... Fliptops.net sells New but empty or loaded B15 double baffle cabs,,
The Mesa PH115 would be nice but wont be like a B15,, But It will be way more potent .. I use Genz Uber115s and a pair of them with the WA head is fairly stout.
I seriously want to get a Mesa sealed 410 cab
Click to expand...

A 4x10 is too big for me at this point but I love the WA with a svt210av although it doesn't have the same lows. Maybe a sealed 2x12 ala Kringle? I can get in the ballpark with my 3015 homebrew cab with a lot of EQ: bass at 1:00, mid at 10:00, big para eq boosts in the 100-250hz range, and the HPF-3 at about 80hz. The lows are pretty good but the highs aren't right. I have the original squareback driver in there and it has a lot of miles on it so it breaks up at pretty low volume. I tried a K140 long ago but it wasn't even close.
 
#423
svtb15 said:
YOu know who might know? JimmyM.. He is the resident Ampeg guru..
If it were me, I would go to Fliptop.net buy a B15 double baffle cab and figure out out what 15 to put in it....
Click to expand...
perhaps, but due to his open worship of all things Ampeg and B15, JimmyM is most likely to say "just get a B15" :cool:

To the OP: I agree that the WA can absolutely deliver a B15 vibe. Is there any reason you don't want to try the WA cab ? The adjustable crossover (Player Control Network) design makes them very tonally flexible. I feel like my WA/Scout 12's got me into that B15N zone easily with the WA lows rolled off and mids pushed like the B15's.

There are those who also have done a speaker update to their Scout or WA cabs (not sure what driver is being used most often, but it may be the 3015). I would think that just about any single driver, no tweet, cab that was not scaled for deep lows would get you in the ballpark with the appropriate WA eq tweaking.

good luck
 
#426
A recent score, red crocodile embossed leather, damn sexy!
Fotos don't do it justice, WAF is quite high for this one.
Stacking this on a traditional black tolex might be a fashion faux pas :help:


SHAZAM!
IMG_0693_zpsf02bbce7.jpg

IMG_0694_zps4d0771ce.jpg


In some dubious company

IMG_0696_zpsee615657.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: h2otorched and Gabbs
#427
atrapp said:
A recent score, red crocodile embossed leather, damn sexy!
Fotos don't do it justice, WAF is quite high for this one.
Stacking this on a traditional black tolex might be a fashion faux pas :help:


SHAZAM!
IMG_0693_zpsf02bbce7.jpg

IMG_0694_zps4d0771ce.jpg


In some dubious company

IMG_0696_zpsee615657.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't usually go for the bling in amps, but man o man, that is a work of art. Way cool.

enjoy!
 
#428
morebass! said:
What cab paired with the walkabout will get me tonally closest to the B-15N? I have a '64 B-15N (double baffle) that I love and would like a louder more portable version of. Or am I barking up the wrong tree with the walkabout?
Click to expand...

hey, I thought of another approach. How about looking at a VT or VT Deluxe pedal into your WA. It really does a great job getting pretty much any amp to cop that B15 sound. Also does SVT pretty well too. I use one (VTD) with my WA and really like what it does.

good luck
enjoy!
 
#429
pfschim - the WA cabs are on my short list. Tried the 15 and liked it. Thought about picking up a 12" here on TB but it was over $400 - kinda pricey for a used 1x12....but that's just me. You'd think that the 3015 could do it since it can do many things really well but I've tweaked a lot and it seems to not want to go there. I don't use pedals but will check out sound clips of the VT. Could be an easy solution.
 
#430
MuthaFunk said:
You read 12V because there was no current draw. Once the fan was running there was a V drop across the resister hence the remaining 9V on the fan when its running.

Take that resister out and connect the fan right to the board.
Click to expand...

Thank you MuthaFunk for exorcising the demons of stupidity. I opened the case back up and guess what - there's a resistor in line with the hot lead. It was siliconed to a capacitor and plain as day. I was so focused on the fan swap and spacers etc, I completely missed the thing despite what my meter was trying to tell me. It's gone now and the fan is much more robust.
 
#432
corsa said:
Thank you MuthaFunk for exorcising the demons of stupidity. I opened the case back up and guess what - there's a resistor in line with the hot lead. It was siliconed to a capacitor and plain as day. I was so focused on the fan swap and spacers etc, I completely missed the thing despite what my meter was trying to tell me. It's gone now and the fan is much more robust.
Click to expand...

I'm glad it worked out for you! Enjoy your new quieter Walkabout. It's my quietest amp an does full time duty in my studio thanks to the variable Silenx I put in. At low volume it's completely silent and low air flow. If I have a drummer over and I'm pushing it, the fan ramps up to a quiet shhhh of air. It works perfect for me.
 
#434
Quick note:

Just received the carry bag, though i worried about reports of it being "really tight". Perhaps like a few others, i first tried to slide it in using the side handle, it was tight. Lost a rubber foot.

Tried it the other way, much better. Nice bag. The End.
 
#436
corsa said:
I was so focused on the fan swap and spacers.... the fan is much more robust.
Click to expand...

I didn't use the spacers when replacing my fan. Seemed it would be better to have it flush with the chassis and only suck in fresh air. And it didn't impact any chassis vibration noise. Though the fan is a little further from the heat sink now.

Comments?
 
#438
Maj. Lee FUBAR said:
...what extension cabs might sound better with the combo than the Mesa extension cab?
Click to expand...
If you really dig the Scout combo now, seems like a good choice would be more of what you already like (an appropriate/identical match to that cab). Nothing will look nicer than that combo on top of a matching extension. Sound, well...

Depending on what is your version of "better", seems like you have a lot of (possibly lighter) options.
One guy has posted often about liking his WA Scout 12 with the AE112.
If you were going for that vibe and wanted new, people usually point to the ML112 for the same tuning (big low+high mid) ballpark as the AE. And I have read much more about the WA+ML being a great match.

My version of better is a bit lighter, and tighter/punchier while still retaining what we all seem to refer to as the "old school" vibe. (Not sure I truly know old school, my oldest amp was mid-80s Peavey).

The Genz NX2 12 cabs, to me, are better. Compared to this and other cabs I had around the same (Berg. HS210, Schroe. 15+L, EA Wizzy), the
Scout cab just seemed a bit sluggish, slow-responding. Staccato fingerstlye, fast runs, fast picking, etc. was tougher to execute with the Scout cab.
That's what I think about when everyone else here uses the term "punchy". The Genz neo line voicing is a bit more "old school" I think versus clear/modern designs (like Berg. HT?), and definitely "punchy".
The NEOX models are pretty easy to find used. But, if appearance is a concern, you'll be pairing carpet with tolex (forget about finding the NX2 in a hurry).

Assuming your combo cab is the standard 4ohm, despite what anyone says about it being okay I still would not pair an 8ohm 12 with a 4ohm 12.
And I have better results using a single med/large cab over pairing two smaller to make a med/large. I would say buy a 212 you like and get used to moving that head in-and-out of the combo cab.
There is a used ML212 here in the classifieds. According to read reports, with the Walkabout head this would be a monster. Wish I had a healthy spine and hefty wallet hammer.
 
#439
Maj. Lee FUBAR said:
Now that I've received my WA 12 combo and had a chance to play around with it (sounds fantastic), what are some suggestions for an extension cab, or put another way, what extension cabs might sound better with the combo than the Mesa extension cab?
Click to expand...

In the past 6 or so years I have used the following ext cabs with my WA 12:

Hartke 410XL: kind of bleah with the WA to my ears. did not use it much.

Aguilar GS112NT: not a bad cab, but kind of eh to my ears. Did not hurt or help the tone of the WA, but did add an unobtrusive extra driver for more volume from the WA.

Accugroove tri112: very nice, clean, clear extension for the WA's somewhat whoolly character. Good match IMO/IME

Scout 12: this cab is one proof point that matching cabs is a good idea. If you like the WA 12 combo, then adding a Scout 12 is 2x good. I ended up not liking how the Mesa cabs responded to the upper power range of the WA. Great at lower/med vol levels, but ultimately too soft/squishy when pushed, and why else would you need an ext cab ?

Scout 15: If you like the WA sound, but feel like the 12's don't quite handle the full power - this cab is the answer. Same passive radiator design, but bigger driver, bigger cab and bigger radiator seem to handle the full power better. Also offers some interesting oppty's to use the adjustable crossovers between the WA and the Scout.

Bergantino CN212: Not an ext cab situation exactly, but a replacement for the WA cabs. I abandoned the WA combo and ext cabs last year and now exclusively use the WA+Berg combination. Great combination as others have attested to already. Just seems to get better sounding each time I play it.

good luck with your search and enjoy that great amp!
 
#440
I gave up Scout cabs some time ago. Great cabs if you like what they do; but they're not my flavor with electric. With double bass, for me, they're excellent though.

When I use my Walkabout now; I use LDS 12/6/1=12sub, or, most often, 2xBaerML112.

I still wish the Walkabout had twice the power. I'd use it way more.
 

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