You might check each tube one by one, as most likely only one of them was causing the noise! I think for me it was usually the V1 tube, but it’s been awhile
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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
Good point.
Too, sometimes a tube that's noisy in one amp (or in one slot in one amp) won't exhibit the noise in another -- some circuits (or positions within circuits) are just more sensitive to tube anomalies than others.
True- I think the Walkabout is particularly sensitive to tubes, and I think I actually tried a funky v1 from one of them in an Aguilar DB750 and there was no noise in the Aguilar
I have decided to replace the fan in my WA. Lots of guys have used the SilenX EFX-08-15. Andy says he posted information on the approved replacement fan, here in this thread. Andy is generous but also very hard working and busy. I hope to learn more about the approved replacement fan without asking him to do my homework for me.
If anyone knows about this approved replacement fan, please do tell. Otherwise, perhaps someone can teach me about the Search function. I know how to search a forum, and wish I knew how to search a thread for 1) words and phrases and 2). posts by an individual.
If anyone knows about this approved replacement fan, please do tell. Otherwise, perhaps someone can teach me about the Search function. I know how to search a forum, and wish I knew how to search a thread for 1) words and phrases and 2). posts by an individual.
Well, I swapped the stock tubes for a set of Tung Sol tubes and that did the trick!
Even put my cell phone on the amp and it’s still quiet. Thanks guys.
I recently rolled a bunch of tubes in mine. A Tung Sol in V1 and a JAN Phillips in V2 is simply
. It transformed what was already a great tone into an old school vibe tone machine!
I was running mine at 2.67ohms for a while, so I put in a slightly louder fan that ran more cfm. This is what’s in it now that I’m back to 4ohms, with a blue LED and jewel in the power light too:
Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, re. the last point, but if you click on "Thread Tools" at the top of the page and then "Who replied?" it'll pull up a list, broken down by post count, from most to fewest. If you click on the number next to a name, it'll give you short previews of all of that person's posts. Still leaves you skimming over, potentially, a few hundred posts, but they're all by the same person and arranged from most to least recent, which should help make the skimming less tedious (particularly if you have a rough idea of when the post was made).
After moving my Walkabout into a small room where I often play fairly quietly, I decided it was time for me to finally try a new fan on mine (i never found the stock one loud enough when playing with other people to bother). I bought this one after some time comparing specs and reviews between modern 8” fans: Noctua NF-A8 FLX, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin (80mm, Brown) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NEMG9K6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zNN6EbJRFZVG4 , and bypassed the resistor where the power cable mounts to the board so it runs at full power. I think some people that have replaced fans didn’t bypass this resistor, but the drop in CFM between most of the suggested fans and the stock fan were significant enough that it made sense to me to get the most out of whatever new fan I put in. The new fan isn’t silent with the resistor bypassed (it WAS with the resistor in the circuit, but the drop in power was very obvious), but cools nicely and there is definitely a significant drop in noise vs the stock fan. I think much of the noise is just related to the venting in the case as some others ha e mentioned. FWIW, I don’t recall seeing Andy mention an “authorized” replacement at any point but could have missed it.
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I really enjoyed putting a Broughton HPF in front of my Walkabout....because more clean headroom........but recently, finally put my D800+ preamp pedal in front of it.....now benefitting not only from the HPF but also the more varied and muscular tone controls........for sure more eq layers than necessary, but nevertheless a new and refreshing take on a classic that is aging particularly well IMHO.
Interesting. Can you elaborate on "more muscular"? And is it the action of the tone controls themselves, the voicing of the pre or, perhaps, a combination of both that you're hearing?
Aside from an HPF (which I also found useful with that amp, particularly when playing louder), tone controls were something I thought the Walkabout had in good supply.
I fully agree that the Walkabout's front end lacks for nothing.....I am just messin' around with "too much of everything's just enough"......with the 800+ pre's HPF at noon, deep and high filters engaged and the WA pre on the edge of clean/unclean, with a tad of low mid boost.....it just sounds like more betterer....=wider, deeper sound stage, if you know wha I mean....hard to describe, but seems like a place the WA alone doesn't go.......and that I like.
+1I recently rolled a bunch of tubes in mine. A Tung Sol in V1 and a JAN Phillips in V2 is simply
Howdy lomo!
Have you run that D800+ preamp direct into fx return?
I have successfully used my Walkabout for every rehearsal now, since I bought it.
Honestly, its heavy enough that it's maybe a more PITA carry than a microhead in a bag and an uber light cab; but it does sound fantastic. So.
Have you run that D800+ preamp direct into fx return?
I have successfully used my Walkabout for every rehearsal now, since I bought it.
Honestly, its heavy enough that it's maybe a more PITA carry than a microhead in a bag and an uber light cab; but it does sound fantastic. So.
Nice. I tried this and it worked -- better (more targeted) results than my suggestion, several posts up, of using "Thread Tools," etc.
I was actually surprised that it worked -- I've tried to do similar within my "conversations" (PMs) without success. There, if I check "search within conversations" for a specific term, it turns up results from all over TB. Here, though, results were limited to the thread.
To address @Old Fart's other question, though, in the eight posts that turned up, I didn't see anything about a specific, "approved" fan -- only considerations to take into account when replacing a fan.
Perhaps Mesa could put together an officially-approved mod for those WA owners wanting quieter fan operation -- done at the factory or (less likely, I imagine) in kit form -- but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Never know unless you ask, though!
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Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,769
- 40,444
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
...see why I've kept WA's all these years?
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,769
- 40,444
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
...neither am I...this is simply a rare case where being afraid of change or too lazy to make one actually worked to my advantage.
Of course my official public story is one of a visionary who knew the WA tone would come back in vogue and capture a whole new generation of bass players. Admittedly, luck plays a huge part in this story!
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Interestingly, I haven't done that yet.....I ran it in front of the WA and I ran my Walkabout DI (with the volume dimed and the gain at "edge of not clean any longer") through the input of my 800+ head.....and I really liked both...the latter having the obvious advantage of the 800 watt power section......so much so that rather than oogling the TT.....I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on a relatively recent , 2nd Walkabout in great shape.....used Subway heads are dropping a tad but I haven't seen a suitable Walkabout specimen at a price to make me bite yet......there are 2 Walkabout combos semi-local to me, but I'd rather not pay for the box part, since a 2nd Walkabout would be as necessary as a 3rd scoop ...... next week I'll run the 800+ pre within the WA FX loop....because science!
