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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#5,101
Al Kraft said:
I think the SW212 would be in the same tonal ballpark as the Berg CN212. IME over the years (and I started my WA journey with a 112 WA Scout combo so I'm a little biased) I've found the WA to typically be a best match with mainly the 12" loaded cabs. Before I get lectured that speaker diameter predicts nothing, let me just say that the 12" loaded cabs I've used/own tend to be voiced in a balanced way and/or with a less exaggerated emphasis on deep lows.

The WA without a HPF in the signal chain and especially when pushed volume-wise produces an abundance of lows that can quickly become unruly for me when using cabs that tend to emphasize deep lows. For whatever reason, I find 410 cabs voiced in a way that usually has some serious low end emphasis and many 15" loaded cabs do as well...although the GK Neo 115 was always a notable exception in that regard. It just seems like most cab builders seem to go for a more balanced sound/voicing in their 12" loaded cabs with some (e.g., Duke's AK Hathor and Changeling lines) even focusing the low end response more around the first harmonic and not the lower bass note fundamental frequencies (i.e., the 31-40 Hz range).

Given my experience with the SW112 I would say it can give you some deep lows if you dial that in, but it tends to be more inherently on the balanced/upper low to mid low focused side. For me this kind of cab or two of them (or a SW212) would offer a full low end with a good punch when used with the WA. Adding a HPF to that mix makes it even more capable IME.
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Thanks again! What HPF do you use? I might try that to squeeze a little more clean headroom out of the WA. To be honest, I like the tone a little more than the WD800 so I still try to use it in as many situations as possible.

I appreciate you taking a little time to share your experience Al. If you ever get a chance to try a WA with a SW 212 I would be curious to hear what you think.
 
#5,102
Rob Martini said:
Thanks again! What HPF do you use? I might try that to squeeze a little more clean headroom out of the WA. To be honest, I like the tone a little more than the WD800 so I still try to use it in as many situations as possible.

I appreciate you taking a little time to share your experience Al. If you ever get a chance to try a WA with a SW 212 I would be curious to hear what you think.
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@Al Kraft disregard the question… You mentioned it on your earlier post. Sorry about that and thanks again!
 
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#5,105
Rob Martini said:
Thanks again! What HPF do you use? I might try that to squeeze a little more clean headroom out of the WA. To be honest, I like the tone a little more than the WD800 so I still try to use it in as many situations as possible.

I appreciate you taking a little time to share your experience Al. If you ever get a chance to try a WA with a SW 212 I would be curious to hear what you think.
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The Broughton Always On is a very simple solution and works beautifully in front of a Walkabout.
 
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#5,111
Hey guys, I’m sure this has been covered here at some point. Can the walkabout head be used without a cab plugged in? I absolutely love the Sound I get from its DI - I’m thinking of using just the WA head in the studio. Thanks
 
#5,116
Ahort said:
Hey guys,

I'm thinking about replacing the 12ax7 in the preamp of my walkabout with a 12ay7, which I normally like in preamps. Now, do I replace both tubes in the V1 and V2 positions or just V1?

Thanks!
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Paging @two fingers and @agedhorse...you have a call waiting in the Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread...
 
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#5,118
Ahort said:
Hey guys,

I'm thinking about replacing the 12ax7 in the preamp of my walkabout with a 12ay7, which I normally like in preamps. Now, do I replace both tubes in the V1 and V2 positions or just V1?

Thanks!
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Maybe, either position is a viable candidate but note that differences in gain should be taken with a grain of salt because the "gain" of individual (when used in circuits where this matters) can vary by +/-25%.

Unless there are real problems with the tubes in the amp, I recommend leaving them alone.
 
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#5,119
Al Kraft said:
Paging @two fingers and @agedhorse...you have a call waiting in the Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread...
Click to expand...

I rolled a bunch of tubes in mine. V2 made a HUGE difference from tube to tube. V1 barely made any at all, even with extremely different tubes. I know nothing about the circuitry. I only know what I heard.

@Ahort try different tubes in V2. Do it with the gain fairly hot..... not into distortion, but maybe a tad hotter than you would otherwise run it. The differences will be stark when you do that so you'll understand the flavor you will be getting.

Turn the amp off during tube swaps!
 
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