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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

#561
I barely mentioned the inherent tonal differences between the two- as mentioned the Prodigy is much more clear inherently. Lots of treble and high-mid detail going on, though the EQ and Voicings make it capable of warmth and roundness as well.

The Walkabout is much more rounded-off in its voicing- super fat and with just enough midrange detail. My favorite sounds on the Walkabout much like on a low wattage tube amp are when it is being pushed just below sounding strained- adds a sweet compression and a little bloom to the notes when you dig in as well as adding a nice midrange growl. Not too far off from the Prodigy when you push it and round out some of the high mids as I mentioned above.

I have never been able to coax the EQ on the Walkabout to give it quite the clarity or edge of the Prodigy without it sounding unnatural to me, though I got in a similar tonal ballpark using external preamp pedals into the WA (minus the dynamic punch of the power amp in the Prodigy). I haven't tried to perfectly emulate the WA with the Prodigy yet, as the Prod already gives me that little something I sometimes miss with the WA.

I think the two heads can be different enough to be a bit polarizing, so I'd definitely recommend giving both a shot at volume before dropping the coin. I do agree with Monster that a used Walkabout is a killer deal for a tone powerhouse!
 
#562
I am a big fan of Scout cabs. So, I just acquired two new 15" Scouts for my rig. They sound great and Mesa had a sale on custom covers, really nice!

DSCN0093_zps188fadc0.jpg
 
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#564
Wow, those ARE amazing! Carlos Santana would dig that color scheme.

I just learned that the Walkabout Scout comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker. So, now I'm gonna hafta purchase an 8-ohm speaker in order to add an extension cab.
It seems weird that an amp that is not supposed to be run below 4 ohms of impedance comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker AND an extra speaker output. It's like selling hair dryers with flotation devices on them for the bathtub.

If anyone is looking to unload a Scout 12" extension cab (or knows of someone that is), feel free to PM me.
 
#565
Worldeeeter said:
Wow, those ARE amazing! Carlos Santana would dig that color scheme.

I just learned that the Walkabout Scout comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker. So, now I'm gonna hafta purchase an 8-ohm speaker in order to add an extension cab.
It seems weird that an amp that is not supposed to be run below 4 ohms of impedance comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker AND an extra speaker output. It's like selling hair dryers with flotation devices on them for the bathtub.

If anyone is looking to unload a Scout 12" extension cab (or knows of someone that is), feel free to PM me.
Click to expand...


Ya, just had a Scout 12" extension made to match my wine taurus combo... $828, then bought the 8 ohm speaker to swap in the combo. That cost $132 with shipping from Mesa's online store. Good thing it sounds/looks fantastic, as this adventure wasn't cheap. PS, I have an extra 4ohm scout speaker available for sale, haha.
 
#566
Worldeeeter said:
I just learned that the Walkabout Scout comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker. So, now I'm gonna hafta purchase an 8-ohm speaker in order to add an extension cab.
It seems weird that an amp that is not supposed to be run below 4 ohms of impedance comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker AND an extra speaker output.
Click to expand...

Lots of users do use the WA at 2.67ohms or even down to 2ohms. Mesa doesn't recommend it but many report that it works very well.

As for why it has an extra speaker output, it's mainly because the head can be removed from the combo and used with other cabs or even purchased separately. I don't believe I've ever gigged the combo myself. I've always used it with other cabs.
 
#567
Worldeeeter said:
Wow, those ARE amazing! Carlos Santana would dig that color scheme.

I just learned that the Walkabout Scout comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker. So, now I'm gonna hafta purchase an 8-ohm speaker in order to add an extension cab.
It seems weird that an amp that is not supposed to be run below 4 ohms of impedance comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker AND an extra speaker output. It's like selling hair dryers with flotation devices on them for the bathtub.

If anyone is looking to unload a Scout 12" extension cab (or knows of someone that is), feel free to PM me.
Click to expand...

I had a Scout Walkabout 12" before the Prodigy. I too swapped out the 4 ohm speaker for an 8 ohm so I could add a 15" Scout extension cab. They sounded great together but I sold it all to buy the Prodigy and Scout cabs.

The Scout amp is a great amp, I might pick one up again as a backup to the Prodigy. As for the Scout cabs, they sound so much meter to me than the Powerhouse cabs I started with.
 
#570
SturmUndDrang said:
I gig the 4ohm 15" scout combo. I play small bars and for the most part it's easy to just grab and go. Someday I might like to try a bigger speaker stack though. What cabs do you use?
Click to expand...

I gigged with a Scout Walkabout 12" combo and Scout 15" ext cab (both 8 ohm) for 5 years or so and it did fine. Wasn't the greatest outdoors, but it handled indoor and bar gigs with lots of power to spare.
 
#572
Worldeeeter said:
Wow, those ARE amazing! Carlos Santana would dig that color scheme.

I just learned that the Walkabout Scout comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker. So, now I'm gonna hafta purchase an 8-ohm speaker in order to add an extension cab.
It seems weird that an amp that is not supposed to be run below 4 ohms of impedance comes standard with a 4-ohm speaker AND an extra speaker output. It's like selling hair dryers with flotation devices on them for the bathtub.

If anyone is looking to unload a Scout 12" extension cab (or knows of someone that is), feel free to PM me.
Click to expand...

It comes standard at 4ohms for those who want to use the combo on its own, at full power. Its available in an 8ohm version for those who plan to run it with an extension cab. Thanks!
 
#573
MesaBoogie said:
It comes standard at 4ohms for those who want to use the combo on its own, at full power. Its available in an 8ohm version for those who plan to run it with an extension cab. Thanks!
Click to expand...

is the combo available in 8ohm? (so you can buy the combo and one extension cab, instead of buying a head and two extension cabs). or, is there no real pricing difference?
 
#574
monsterthompson said:
is the combo available in 8ohm? (so you can buy the combo and one extension cab, instead of buying a head and two extension cabs). or, is there no real pricing difference?
Click to expand...

The combo can be ordered in either a 4 or 8 ohm version. There is no price difference. Thanks!
 
#576
drbassman said:
I had a Scout Walkabout 12" before the Prodigy. I too swapped out the 4 ohm speaker for an 8 ohm so I could add a 15" Scout extension cab. They sounded great together but I sold it all to buy the Prodigy and Scout cabs.

The Scout amp is a great amp, I might pick one up again as a backup to the Prodigy. As for the Scout cabs, they sound so much meter to me than the Powerhouse cabs I started with.
Click to expand...
I swapped a Powerhouse 4x10 and M6 Carbine for my Scout combo. It's way easier to move and the Walkabout sounds great with my vintage Gibsons while still being versatile enough to handle what I like about the M6.

bassgod0dmw said:
I've used Aguilar GS112's, Bag End S15D's, a Berg AE212, and a Berg CN212. The Bergs are all I have left. The CN212 does everything I need it to and more.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I bet that CN212 is one of the easier cabs of it's type to move around.
 
#577
SturmUndDrang said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I bet that CN212 is one of the easier cabs of it's type to move around.
Click to expand...

Honestly, they're all pretty easy.
The Bag Ends are very compact for a 15 and I have nothing but great things to say about them.
The AE212 is just a little heavier than the CN212 and it's handles are mounted a little higher up which makes the cab hang a little lower when walking.
The CN212 is just a piece of cake no matter which way you slice it. It's pricey but it lives up to the hype.
I really prefer the single cab solution, it's so much easier to move around than two cabs. That's a big reason why I got rid of the Bag Ends. The CN/AE212s are big enough to cover any gig I have thrown at them yet small enough to be a easy carry for band practice and such.
 
#579
Kreken said:
And my experience is also, on a very general basis, that preamp-overdrive tends to sound best in pedals or amps specifically designed to get that sound(solid state or tube), but that a tube power section and power tube breakup is another and glorious thing.
Click to expand...

That's what I was saying, it's like the difference between front wheel and rear wheel drive.

On another note, there is a lot of love for the WA cabs. I would like to offer an alternative opinion. I had 12" 4 ohm and was unsatisfied with sound. I thought there was something wrong with the speaker and called Mesa. Customer service was awesome and the sent me a replacement. When they received my speaker, they confirmed it was defective.

I was still not satisfied with the sound and sold the 4ohm speaker and bought an OEM 8ohm speaker. Still, I was not satisfied with the sound of the cab. The cab/speaker broke up at too low a volume. I was puzzled by this as I played a WA at GC and didn't notice this issue.

When I used the WA head with my 8 ohm Berg AE112, I could crank the amp as loud as I want and the speaker took it with room to spare.

I sold the WA cab and bought a second AE112. I guess in the end I am a Berg cab guy.
 
#580
77PBass said:
That's what I was saying, it's like the difference between front wheel and rear wheel drive.

On another note, there is a lot of love for the WA cabs. I would like to offer an alternative opinion. I had 12" 4 ohm and was unsatisfied with sound. I thought there was something wrong with the speaker and called Mesa. Customer service was awesome and the sent me a replacement. When they received my speaker, they confirmed it was defective.

I was still not satisfied with the sound and sold the 4ohm speaker and bought an OEM 8ohm speaker. Still, I was not satisfied with the sound of the cab. The cab/speaker broke up at too low a volume. I was puzzled by this as I played a WA at GC and didn't notice this issue.

When I used the WA head with my 8 ohm Berg AE112, I could crank the amp as loud as I want and the speaker took it with room to spare.

I sold the WA cab and bought a second AE112. I guess in the end I am a Berg cab guy.
Click to expand...

I've been using my WA head with a couple of Berg HT112's as my primary rig for several months now....love the way the WA sounds with the Bergs!
 

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