Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[Leo was right]

Let’s see...let’s do this in two parts. I play finger style with a little thumb style and palm muting mixed in. I don’t slap and I generally don’t use a plectrum.

I’ve been comparing 4 different heads, and the WA in 2 different configurations; one with the Rumble power section.

So MP vs Monique vs Bassman - this is a tough one.

The Bassman has that Fender tone; round, smooth and big; stays in its lane. Less expressive mids through the SL212, though plenty expressive through certain mid-forward cabs. Its a great classic bass tone, and I love it. Works great for all the 60’s and 70’s blues and blues rock kinda stuff that I play with my current band.

The Monique is flawless; warm, lightly compressed, hits very hard and deep, has amazing extra surge power with a 1200w capable power supply. It’s also slightly immune to harder, excited playing. Which I think is the thing I don’t like about it. It has no dangerous side. Hard to make sound bad. Hard to find an ‘edge’ to walk along with it, if you will. Like a drop dead gorgeous woman that keeps you perfectly in line. She’s the mother of your children. She makes you better than you really are. But since I don’t keep a mistress, I seek that slight bit of danger to be available in my bass tone.

The MP600 sounds tubey and warm with just a little bit of raw grindiness. It has a huge bottom end that’s surprisingly tight. Hits hard. Lots of edgy mids available to shape your tone too, and some of that is WA flavored, though it doesn’t have that harmonically complex bloom going on. The compressor is a nice addition. Just a little added in can help even things out some with mid-forward settings. It sounds more high power ‘tube amp’ than the other two. Probably because of the big MOSFET power section. I rolled off about 10db at 40hz center and 5db of 120hz Center with the EQ. It’s very bottom heavy, so there’s plenty available to dial out. I really like this amp. But the WA is a better version of this sound/sounds more evolved. More harmonically complex in the mids and a beautiful bloom with less sub low end.

I’ll compare the MP600 to the WA in both configurations I’m playing it tomorrow. Zzzzz.

We look forward for the rest of your review...

 

[Leo was right]

Let’s see...let’s do this in two parts. I play finger style with a little thumb style and palm muting mixed in. I don’t slap and I generally don’t use a plectrum.

I’ve been comparing 4 different heads, and the WA in 2 different configurations; one with the Rumble power section.

So MP vs Monique vs Bassman - this is a tough one.

The Bassman has that Fender tone; round, smooth and big; stays in its lane. Less expressive mids through the SL212, though plenty expressive through certain mid-forward cabs. Its a great classic bass tone, and I love it. Works great for all the 60’s and 70’s blues and blues rock kinda stuff that I play with my current band.

The Monique is flawless; warm, lightly compressed, hits very hard and deep, has amazing extra surge power with a 1200w capable power supply. It’s also slightly immune to harder, excited playing. Which I think is the thing I don’t like about it. It has no dangerous side. Hard to make sound bad. Hard to find an ‘edge’ to walk along with it, if you will. Like a drop dead gorgeous woman that keeps you perfectly in line. She’s the mother of your children. She makes you better than you really are. But since I don’t keep a mistress, I seek that slight bit of danger to be available in my bass tone.

The MP600 sounds tubey and warm with just a little bit of raw grindiness. It has a huge bottom end that’s surprisingly tight. Hits hard. Lots of edgy mids available to shape your tone too, and some of that is WA flavored, though it doesn’t have that harmonically complex bloom going on. The compressor is a nice addition. Just a little added in can help even things out some with mid-forward settings. It sounds more high power ‘tube amp’ than the other two. Probably because of the big MOSFET power section. I rolled off about 10db at 40hz center and 5db of 120hz Center with the EQ. It’s very bottom heavy, so there’s plenty available to dial out. I really like this amp. But the WA is a better version of this sound/sounds more evolved. More harmonically complex in the mids and a beautiful bloom with less sub low end.

I’ll compare the MP600 to the WA in both configurations I’m playing it tomorrow. Zzzzz.

Hi, have you compare the WA with the WD-800 yet?

 

[treyandres]

Hi, have you compare the WA with the WD-800 yet?

I did, but I don’t remember where on here. It was a good amp on its own, but the WA through it’s power section was pretty great. That thread was where someone first gave me the idea to try running the pre into another power section.

 

[Leo was right]

I did, but I don’t remember where on here. It was a good amp on its own, but the WA through it’s power section was pretty great. That thread was where someone first gave me the idea to try running the pre into another power section.

I made an arrangement with LOMO to eventually meet him to try his WA but due to Covid19 we delay it a little bit again so everything about this amp thickle me. Your playing style is similar to mine so it give me a good idea.

Do you think the difference your mention between the MP and the WA is related to the power differences? Do you feel these differences will reveal at a low power gig, I try to understand where it is coming from, the pre or the power section, I can't get a clear picture up to now.

Something is clear yet , the 600 is my amp to go up to now, the knob are at the same position from almost 3 years and I hardly succes to find a good setting on the 750 at my taste, definitely a Heavy metal machine , one trick pony but interesting on the fretless. (If somebody is interested in a exchange in the Montreal area for WA, D-180,400 etc). We know that the WA was the reference in the conception of the WD-800, If somebody compare both please feel free to share, it is another option I considere, getting rid of all my unuse gear (BB750 + PA stuff) to L&M in exchange for a WD or A TT-800

If the house catch on fire, I grab my Jazz B. on one hand and the MP on other, for now.

Thanks for all

 

[Chef]

As things slowly start happening again around here, I recently used my Walkabout on top of my Subway 115 at a rehearsal for my really high intensity 3 piece blues band.
That works really well.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

As things slowly start happening again around here, I recently used my Walkabout on top of my Subway 115 at a rehearsal for my really high intensity 3 piece blues band.
That works really well.

Crawdaddies still rollin?

I need to go pull my DragAbout Scout 15 outta' the trailer and fire it up and blow the cobwebs out. We've got a gig coming up next month I may want to take that thing on.

 

[Rob Martini]

As things slowly start happening again around here, I recently used my Walkabout on top of my Subway 115 at a rehearsal for my really high intensity 3 piece blues band.
That works really well.

Better than than the Walkabout 12 combo? Thoughts on if/why the SW 15 is a better solution? I have the same kind of band and have been considering this exact pairing

 

[sunbeast]

Better than than the Walkabout 12 combo? Thoughts on if/why the SW 15 is a better solution? I have the same kind of band and have been considering this exact pairing

The WA12 combo on its own isn't enough cab for anything but the lightest of gigs (like acoustic coffee-house levels!) in my experience without straining both the amp and speaker. At 4 ohms, the amp is putting out enough power to destroy that speaker and at 8 ohms you're only getting 165 watts into a single small (and not very efficient) speaker- I tried small gigs with both and neither were ideal at all as a single-cab solution. The WA15 is a big improvement in output and power-handling over either version of the WA12 and can handle small to small-medium gigs alone depending on the circumstances. The Subway 15 (as per @agedhorse) is louder (more efficient), tighter and fuller than the WA15, and can handle everything the WA can throw at it- its just a better cab with newer, better tech and significantly lighter-weight to boot. If only they would make a head-mount version to replace the Scout series they'd be ticking all the boxes! I know agedhorse has mentioned before that the Subway amps can potentially overpower the single-speaker Subway cabs though, so he doesn't want to encourage people to use too little speaker for the job (and they aren't likely to make a head-mount option for a discontinued amp like the Walkabout- though it is close in dimensions to the WD800 and TT800).

 

[treyandres]

Ok, part 2.

MP vs WA vs WA DI>Rumble 500 Return

So let’s start with the MP. When I plug into it with both the Jazz and the SCP, it’s sounds fantastic. It has great mids, and when you get the Sub bass rolled off, it’s not so bottom heavy. Describing it as ‘smooth’ is not far off if you don’t fix it with the para eq. But it’s not saying enough either, because it does have lots of mid definition when you get the extreme sub bass out of the way. In fact, it’s more mid-heavy than the WA with the passive mid knob in the same place. I find myself rolling the bass guitar tone knob back about an eight turn with it. It’s like wow every time I turn it on...as long as I play it first. As soon as I play the WA, all bets are off.

Ahh, the WA...perfect bottom, punchy when you’re within the volume sweet spot. Expressive, bloomy mids with lots of harmonics. It sounds clear and open, much more so than the mids on the MP. More definition with more harmonic structure. Bouncy, rubbery, full, beautiful. I just love this head! It’s marvelous!

Now the RumbleAbout. Or WalkaRumble. Or whatever. So, it’s at least 90% WA. The only thing it’s short on to my ears is a bit of the rubbery bounce, but it still has some of that too. It’s still full, with expressive mids, and bloomy - it still has that edge you can tiptoe around and let the amp make it’s own unique sounds depending on how you fret and pluck the notes. It sounds alive. If you push it too far and make a mistake, people will hear it. If you flub a note, it’s not compressed enough to hide it. The clear, open mids will call you out. It’s all the things I love about the WA. But when you turn it up, it keeps hitting hard. It’s what I want in a louder WalkAbout. More power with extended punch and volume. For me, it’s where past 12 o’clock on the WA Master should go. To me, this is what a higher powered clean WA should sound like. This is the sound the DI puts into a recording interface, only amplified via power and extended response speakers. And I absolutely love it.

As with anything, your mileage may vary. That’s just the way I hear it.

 

[treyandres]

Does the 600 feel like it has much more clean headroom?

And yes, absolutely. It’s got a beastly amount of MOSFET power. I have not tried the WA into the MP yet. That could be interesting. But very heavy, lol!

 

[agedhorse]

I know agedhorse has mentioned before that the Subway amps can potentially overpower the single-speaker Subway cabs though, so he doesn't want to encourage people to use too little speaker for the job (and they aren't likely to make a head-mount option for a discontinued amp like the Walkabout- though it is close in dimensions to the WD800 and TT800).

To clarify, there is no issue using the Subway amps with the Subway speakers, the potential issue is overpowering with the Walkabout/Scout speakers.

 

[Rob Martini]

The WA12 combo on its own isn't enough cab for anything but the lightest of gigs (like acoustic coffee-house levels!) in my experience without straining both the amp and speaker. At 4 ohms, the amp is putting out enough power to destroy that speaker and at 8 ohms you're only getting 165 watts into a single small (and not very efficient) speaker- I tried small gigs with both and neither were ideal at all as a single-cab solution. The WA15 is a big improvement in output and power-handling over either version of the WA12 and can handle small to small-medium gigs alone depending on the circumstances. The Subway 15 (as per @agedhorse) is louder (more efficient), tighter and fuller than the WA15, and can handle everything the WA can throw at it- its just a better cab with newer, better tech and significantly lighter-weight to boot. If only they would make a head-mount version to replace the Scout series they'd be ticking all the boxes! I know agedhorse has mentioned before that the Subway amps can potentially overpower the single-speaker Subway cabs though, so he doesn't want to encourage people to use too little speaker for the job (and they aren't likely to make a head-mount option for a discontinued amp like the Walkabout- though it is close in dimensions to the WD800 and TT800).

My extended experience with the WA 12 is that it puts out plenty. I don’t have an issue with sound or volume for most things. That said I own a WD800 and an SW 2x12 for bigger gigs.

Interestingly enough, it is mostly the weight of the combo that has me wondering if I should switch. It is 13 lbs heavier than the SW 15 AND I could stack The SW 15 onto the 2x12 When the bigger, outdoor gigs come back (very cool).

BUT to be very honest I prefer the sound of the Walkabout 12 combo to anything else I have had including the WD800 paired with the SW 2x12. I still gig with it a lot.

I do wonder if the Walkabout with the SW 15 would sound even better to me than the combo though! I don’t have any experience with this set up, hence my question to Chef. Your points about it just being a better cabinet are compelling and well taken.

I am not one to hold on to more gear than I need, so I doubt I would buy the SW 15 and keep the Scout cabinet also. I tend to rehearse with one rig that mostly stays in the studio and then practice at home and gig with the other.

 

[sunbeast]

To clarify, there is no issue using the Subway amps with the Subway speakers, the potential issue is overpowering with the Walkabout/Scout speakers.

Ah I thought I had seen you mention the potential for the Subway amps to overpower the single speaker Subway cabs as well? At least they aren’t 4 ohms like some Scout cabs!

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I tried connecting my D-800 to the Scout 15 radiator combo-cab one time. I might have fiddled with the parametric equalizer and gotten something workable, but in my opinion they just didn't play nice together...

Admittedly, I'm so in love with how that thing works with a good ol' Gen 2 silverface WalkAbout MPulse amp docked in there, I had very little motivation to experiment further. The D-800 is a rompin'-stompin' little Class D amp that sounds exactly like I want it to perched on top of a stack of Bag End S15-D's. I might have to make three trips to build it, but well, if that's the gig, that's the job. The WalkAbout Scout 15 is one very heavy trip, and one switch to flip. I've replaced that poor leather handle 3 times now. But IMO the bigger Scout will handle the WalkAbout's power output much better than the Scout 12's I had ever did. Even with a matched pair, it just never sounded right to me, but that 15... that's thing's the ticket. Heavy as dad-gummit, but it hangs right in there.

 

[Chef]

Crawdaddies still rollin?

I need to go pull my DragAbout Scout 15 outta' the trailer and fire it up and blow the cobwebs out. We've got a gig coming up next month I may want to take that thing on.

Yessir, to the extent we can.
We did a one set streaming thing a couple weeks ago, and I think that's still on fb if you care to look for it.

 

[Chef]

Better than than the Walkabout 12 combo? Thoughts on if/why the SW 15 is a better solution? I have the same kind of band and have been considering this exact pairing

In addition to the walkabout 12, not instead of.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I suppose one could redesign and fabricate a new Subway cab with a slot to hold the WA. Cost you the baltic birch plywood and some tolex.

 

[agedhorse]

Ah I thought I had seen you mention the potential for the Subway amps to overpower the single speaker Subway cabs as well? At least they aren’t 4 ohms like some Scout cabs!

The mechanical power handling of the Subway speaker line is very robust compared with the Scout, but the Scout cabinet was mated up to a much smaller amp too.

 

[MarkA]

Thank you for sharing your most excellently articulated impressions. They remind me of the pickup reviews of one @Snaxster, who I think might enjoy reading yours.

The "danger" thing you mention strikes a chord with me -- I don't know if I've expressed it exactly in those terms, but, for me, things are most "right," sonically, when I have the potential to do a little wrong -- a little too rough, low end a little too deep, dynamics a bit too... err, dynamic -- and have to rein it in. If all the rough spots are smoothed completely over in advance, I'm frustrated (at least eventually).

If you ever play the WalkRumbleAbout with two cabs, try it with the Walkabout powering the smaller cab (if they're different sizes) and the Rumble powering the larger -- you'll have to match volumes carefully, but I'd be curious to see if that gives you a bit more of the WA "bounce" (through the rig and through the DI).

Let’s see...let’s do this in two parts. I play finger style with a little thumb style and palm muting mixed in. I don’t slap and I generally don’t use a plectrum.

I’ve been comparing 4 different heads, and the WA in 2 different configurations; one with the Rumble power section.

So MP vs Monique vs Bassman - this is a tough one.

The Bassman has that Fender tone; round, smooth and big; stays in its lane. Less expressive mids through the SL212, though plenty expressive through certain mid-forward cabs. Its a great classic bass tone, and I love it. Works great for all the 60’s and 70’s blues and blues rock kinda stuff that I play with my current band.

The Monique is flawless; warm, lightly compressed, hits very hard and deep, has amazing extra surge power with a 1200w capable power supply. It’s also slightly immune to harder, excited playing. Which I think is the thing I don’t like about it. It has no dangerous side. Hard to make sound bad. Hard to find an ‘edge’ to walk along with it, if you will. Like a drop dead gorgeous woman that keeps you perfectly in line. She’s the mother of your children. She makes you better than you really are. But since I don’t keep a mistress, I seek that slight bit of danger to be available in my bass tone.

The MP600 sounds tubey and warm with just a little bit of raw grindiness. It has a huge bottom end that’s surprisingly tight. Hits hard. Lots of edgy mids available to shape your tone too, and some of that is WA flavored, though it doesn’t have that harmonically complex bloom going on. The compressor is a nice addition. Just a little added in can help even things out some with mid-forward settings. It sounds more high power ‘tube amp’ than the other two. Probably because of the big MOSFET power section. I rolled off about 10db at 40hz center and 5db of 120hz Center with the EQ. It’s very bottom heavy, so there’s plenty available to dial out. I really like this amp. But the WA is a better version of this sound/sounds more evolved. More harmonically complex in the mids and a beautiful bloom with less sub low end.

I’ll compare the MP600 to the WA in both configurations I’m playing it tomorrow. Zzzzz.

Ok, part 2.

MP vs WA vs WA DI>Rumble 500 Return

So let’s start with the MP. When I plug into it with both the Jazz and the SCP, it’s sounds fantastic. It has great mids, and when you get the Sub bass rolled off, it’s not so bottom heavy. Describing it as ‘smooth’ is not far off if you don’t fix it with the para eq. But it’s not saying enough either, because it does have lots of mid definition when you get the extreme sub bass out of the way. In fact, it’s more mid-heavy than the WA with the passive mid knob in the same place. I find myself rolling the bass guitar tone knob back about an eight turn with it. It’s like wow every time I turn it on...as long as I play it first. As soon as I play the WA, all bets are off.

Ahh, the WA...perfect bottom, punchy when you’re within the volume sweet spot. Expressive, bloomy mids with lots of harmonics. It sounds clear and open, much more so than the mids on the MP. More definition with more harmonic structure. Bouncy, rubbery, full, beautiful. I just love this head! It’s marvelous!

Now the RumbleAbout. Or WalkaRumble. Or whatever. So, it’s at least 90% WA. The only thing it’s short on to my ears is a bit of the rubbery bounce, but it still has some of that too. It’s still full, with expressive mids, and bloomy - it still has that edge you can tiptoe around and let the amp make it’s own unique sounds depending on how you fret and pluck the notes. It sounds alive. If you push it too far and make a mistake, people will hear it. If you flub a note, it’s not compressed enough to hide it. The clear, open mids will call you out. It’s all the things I love about the WA. But when you turn it up, it keeps hitting hard. It’s what I want in a louder WalkAbout. More power with extended punch and volume. For me, it’s where past 12 o’clock on the WA Master should go. To me, this is what a higher powered clean WA should sound like. This is the sound the DI puts into a recording interface, only amplified via power and extended response speakers. And I absolutely love it.

As with anything, your mileage may vary. That’s just the way I hear it.

 

[treyandres]

I’m actually working on trying to pick up a matching grey SL112 here locally. Was thinking I’d do just that for bigger stuff - power the SL212 with the Rumble and the SL112 with the WA. Best of both worlds. Get some of the bounce back AND get the definition to go along with it. With the DI volume knob and the master, I’d probably find one heck of a great blend for every occasion.