Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[agedhorse]

The limitation of driver choices is based on the passive radiator tuning. I don’t know what a suitable replacement might be, but the voicing will be secondary to low frequency parameters.

 

[sunbeast]

I just picked up a nice 12” scout combo so, hopefully I like it as is. If not, I’ll experiment with speakers. Can anyone tell me what the voicing of the stock 12” is, or compare it to some common drivers? I find that what works at an amp only gig may be different once you put a mic on it. I usually like brighter speakers but once you put a mic on it, sometimes a flatter driver works well. Either way, I’m glad to have a walkabout back in my collection.

Is it the 4ohm or 8ohm version? I had both, and mine at least were entirely different speakers- the 4 ohm looked like the original Deltalite while 8 ohm looked like a Deltalite II. The 8 ohm one sounded significantly better to me- tighter but also capable of more clean output and bass oddly enough. Both speakers were a bit “flabby” to me compared to my preferred sealed cabs. My 4ohm Scout 15 is actually tighter and clearer to my ears, and capable of far more of everything (but is also quite bulky and heavy!). I never miced any of them so can’t really comment on that (I’ve always loved the straight DI tone of the Walkabout). I’m not sure how the passive radiator works in conjunction with the woofer, but maybe the miced 12 would be tighter than the room sound?

 

[kringle77]

I’m always thankful for your knowledge Horse! Hopefully I just like the way it sounds as is, mic’d up. I have recently taken on the challenge of trying an sm58 on everything, just for fun and getting good results. The EV re20 is probably the best but, it’s so damn large.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I seem to remember trying a Faital 12 of some stripe in one of my Scout 12 radiator cabs once. It was a good while ago.

 

[kringle77]

Is it the 4ohm or 8ohm version? I had both, and mine at least were entirely different speakers- the 4 ohm looked like the original Deltalite while 8 ohm looked like a Deltalite II. The 8 ohm one sounded significantly better to me- tighter but also capable of more clean output and bass oddly enough. Both speakers were a bit “flabby” to me compared to my preferred sealed cabs. My 4ohm Scout 15 is actually tighter and clearer to my ears, and capable of far more of everything (but is also quite bulky and heavy!). I never miced any of them so can’t really comment on that (I’ve always loved the straight DI tone of the Walkabout). I’m not sure how the passive radiator works in conjunction with the woofer, but maybe the miced 12 would be tighter than the room sound?

Interesting to get your take on the 8 vs 4 ohm. Do you remember anything about the mids and treble of any of them?

 

[agedhorse]

I’m always thankful for your knowledge Horse! Hopefully I just like the way it sounds as is, mic’d up. I have recently taken on the challenge of trying an sm58 on everything, just for fun and getting good results. The EV re20 is probably the best but, it’s so damn large.

Try an Audio Technica ATM-25 (now I think it's called an ATM-250) , one of the most neutral bass cabinet mics I have ever used, and it's relatively compact too.

Interesting to get your take on the 8 vs 4 ohm. Do you remember anything about the mids and treble of any of them?

The newer 8 ohm driver is about 3dB more sensitive than the older 4 ohm driver and is cleaner with more extended high end. The difference is not as great with the newer 4 ohm driver but those were phased out fairly quickly in favor of the 8 ohm version which was overall a better choice. Remember that the production life of these cabinets was quite long.

 

[sunbeast]

Interesting to get your take on the 8 vs 4 ohm. Do you remember anything about the mids and treble of any of them?

I don’t- it’s been several years since I had them! It sounds like they finally updated the 4 ohm one to a more modern driver so hopefully you have one of those ones! Not that the original sounded bad, but it was easy to fart out in my experience

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I updated both my Walkabout Scout and extension cab to the last 12” 8 ohm version Mesa stocked. Excellent tone!

 

[kringle77]

Did they sound the same as the 4 ohm version? I’m hoping to leave the stock driver installed but, would consider the delta lite II 2512 replacement too.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Hard to tell. Either way, I need to sell my WA 12" Scout and 12" Extension cab anyway.

 

[BassPilot]

I had a 4 ohm 12” Walkabout and upgraded it to the newest 8 ohm a couple of years ago.
The 4 ohm seemed to produce more bass, I’d say around 200 Hz and seemed to “grunt” a bit more. The newer 8 ohm was a built more polite and was more consistent at higher volume levels. I liked the sound of the 4 ohm at lower volumes but the 8 held its composure better as I cranked the power up.

 

[kringle77]

I had a 4 ohm 12” Walkabout and upgraded it to the newest 8 ohm a couple of years ago.
The 4 ohm seemed to produce more bass, I’d say around 200 Hz and seemed to “grunt” a bit more. The newer 8 ohm was a built more polite and was more consistent at higher volume levels. I liked the sound of the 4 ohm at lower volumes but the 8 held its composure better as I cranked the power up.

Hey, that is very useful feedback, thanks for that! I do like grunt so....

 

[Christophe C]

Ok. I tried the ground lift and it was Already on the good setting. Then yes I have to play with di level and master and gain but there is always a little noise.
i will continue to test

Some news for my DI "problem".
I have used a good new cable between the DI out and my Focusrite and it's ok now.
My next question was : I would like to record "silent" but the DI signal is zero if the master volume knob is zeroed... I found the solution elsewhere on talkbass => unplug the speaker...

 

[kringle77]

I opened up my wa combo today. It was supposed to be a 4 ohm speaker but, turned out to be an 8ohm. It also had a small piece of some kind of material stuck to the center of the cone, probably for added mass. I know the driver isn’t a stock delta light because I’ve used them and they have much more midrange output than this driver. I’m assuming it’s a Mesa own. I experimented with covering the passive radiator and plugging the port. The radiator seems to add a lower low end to the cab, the port creates a regular bass cab low end. Letting the radiator do its thing while plugging the port sounded pretty good, I think a sealed cab with some passive radiators could be a cool design, if it didn’t destroy the radiator cones. I may replace the stock driver with a delta light and experiment with blocking the radiator.

 

[mikeswals]

I opened up my wa combo today. It was supposed to be a 4 ohm speaker but, turned out to be an 8ohm. It also had a small piece of some kind of material stuck to the center of the cone, probably for added mass. I know the driver isn’t a stock delta light because I’ve used them and they have much more midrange output than this driver. I’m assuming it’s a Mesa own.

My PH212 cab speakers have those same little vents on the center of the cones.

 

[kringle77]

It’s not a vent like the other Mesa drivers. It’s actually a piece of material stuck on there, no hole.

 

[Darbitrator]

Question... is it against TB policy to mention in this club thread an item for sale on another website? Asking for a friend.

 

[StayLow]

Question... is it against TB policy to mention in this club thread an item for sale on another website? Asking for a friend.

There are entire long threads dedicated to general sales on other sites, or specific items for sale elsewhere.

 

[StayLow]

@agedhorse - I thought to ask this yesterday while plugging in some old amps, and with today's Gibson Buying boogie news it seems all the more timely...

For all of us who adore the WalkAbout amps, especially when in the awesome Scout combos which were built to last, what should we do with respect to service someday; does Boogie potentially run out of key parts as is the case with OEM speakers? Should some specific parts be hoarded, maybe the FET's, or could a good amp tech always make do?

Is there an age, or more so a number of operating hours, at which point these amps should be serviced? I've gone with the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" adage. Didn't bother with the effects loop etc. updates on the older ones, but some are getting on in years if not actual operating hours.

Should such an amp be worked every so often or is there no harm in sitting for a year or five? Do ambient temperatures matter? It's winter and some storage or rearsal spaces get down to 40 F, or lower.

Thanks, and here's hoping you and all at Boogie unaffected, or benefitted, by the Gibson takevoer!

 

[agedhorse]

Generally I recommend leaving well enough alone.

Sometimes, parts become unavailable but which parts are generally unknown. Generally workarounds can be figured out, but sometimes manufacturers are simply surprised. This is the nature of the industry.

Thank you for the positive wishes.