Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10

[EdwardofHuncote]

Pipe cleaners not as easy to find as i thought.

I found some giant - sized pipe cleaners at an artist supply place. Don't know if they're nationwide or not, but it was at Michaels.

 

[MuthaFunk]

I found some giant - sized pipe cleaners at an artist supply place. Don't know if they're nationwide or not, but it was at Michaels.

We have Michaels all around up here in Ontario Canada so I'd bet there all throughout the US as well.

 

[coyoteboy]

Yeah, i figure they would have some, but target/walmert didnt seem to.

 

[MesaBoogie]

For cleaning jacks, I recommend spraying a bit of DeOxit on the tip of a 1/4" cable plug and running it in and out of the jack 4-5 times. Thanks!

 

[Willy B]

So I just acquired a Scout Radiator 12 8 ohm extension cabinet to go with my WA 12" 4 ohm combo. It is my understanding that the combo cab has the neodymium scout speaker, while the radiator has a powerhouse speaker (don't know if it's ceramic or neo). I haven't looked inside to confirm though. I'm thinking about swapping the 4 ohm scout speaker for an 8 ohm so that each cab has the same impedance. Is this advisable or would there not be a significant difference? Would it be better to have two matching speakers (i.e. scout/scout or ph/ph) rather than scout/ph?

 

[agedhorse]

Note that cleaning the jack versus cleaning the switch inside the jack are two entirely different operations. While the raw jack contacts can be cleaned by the above methods, the switch can not be accessed by mechanical means (pipe cleaner, plug, etc.). Enough spray must be used that it migrates around the contact arm onto the switch contacts itself. Not too much or there will be a dust attracting mess.

 

[coyoteboy]

In this case, i think its the speaker jacks.

 

[SamJ]

how do you get the short little speaker cable that's built into the cabinet to extend out more? Mine is so short, I can't get the amp head out of the cabinet and still plug in the speaker... is this a defect, or normal?

 

[agedhorse]

There are couplers available to extend cables with.

 

[MuthaFunk]

how do you get the short little speaker cable that's built into the cabinet to extend out more? Mine is so short, I can't get the amp head out of the cabinet and still plug in the speaker... is this a defect, or normal?

It's normal. I installed speakons in both my combo cab and WA head so it was more versatile.

Before I did the mods I bought an 1/4" Female to 1/4" Female adapter at monoprice.

 

[Jazz4]

I put a 1/4 inch jack in my Scout cab where the cable comes out. You can access it all by pulling out the x-over.

 

[vin*tone]

So I just acquired a Scout Radiator 12 8 ohm extension cabinet to go with my WA 12" 4 ohm combo. It is my understanding that the combo cab has the neodymium scout speaker, while the radiator has a powerhouse speaker (don't know if it's ceramic or neo). I haven't looked inside to confirm though. I'm thinking about swapping the 4 ohm scout speaker for an 8 ohm so that each cab has the same impedance. Is this advisable or would there not be a significant difference? Would it be better to have two matching speakers (i.e. scout/scout or ph/ph) rather than scout/ph?

Yeah I would think having matching speakers is preferable. You should get more volume before risking your 4ohm speaker.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Yeah I would think having matching speakers is preferable.

I had been thinking of doing this too, just ordering a pair of 8 ohm replacements from Mesa.

However, I'm *still* trying to resolve this midrange distortion issue with my Scout 12 x 2 set. Mesa went thru my Walkabout and after tweaking a clip limit setting and replacing input tubes, deemed it ready-to-rock. Since then, I have tried every scenario and combination I can think of, and simply cannot get clean tone out of these particular cabs.

I'm left to guess it must be something wrong with the cabs. X-overs? Speakers? Both? At this point, I'm hesitant to toss another couple hundred bucks into speakers, especially since it doesn't seem to matter what speakers are installed.

For now, I'm just gigging the Scout 15.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

P K
If you have the player's control switch try bypassing it. Or the crossover completely. I had one go bad on myself.

How do I do this^^^?

 

[coyoteboy]

It's normal. I installed speakons in both my combo cab and WA head so it was more versatile.

Before I did the mods I bought an 1/4" Female to 1/4" Female adapter at monoprice.

Did you do the WA speakon mod yourself? Did you disassemble the amp completely to do it? Thx.

 

[MuthaFunk]

Did you do the WA speakon mod yourself? Did you disassemble the amp completely to do it? Thx.

Yes I did it myself. I didn't completely disassemble the amp to do it but I did have to dismount the rear board to drill out the chassis and soldier the fly wires to the Speakon. If memory serves me correct I think I drilled it sitting the amp upright vertical position like when it's in the combo but hanging off a table so I could access the mounting hole with a drill. This made sure no metal shavings fell inside the amp.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Just finished the last load-out for 2014, at Chaos Mountain Brewery near Calloway, Virginia. Walkabout/Scout 12 (×2). It was stoopid loud in that place, but I still had headroom.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Chaos Mtn. Brewery...

 

[cfsporn]

I got this about two months ago, and so far I'm loving it!

Couple questions:

Have there been any safety recalls? Mine is a very early one (#000601) and I want to make sure it is as safe as possible. I know about the input jack bypass that can be addressed by Mesa. However, I don't think I need it as mine was checked out by a tech before I got it.

What types of tubes are people rolling in these now? I have seen Tom Bowlus' article, but that was quite a while ago, and some vintage tubes are now insanely overpriced and the new stuff has had some time to improve.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but right now, I want to get back to playing!

 

[bonz - darrell]

Hi, I have an early model also (#789) with 2x12 cab #33...
I've had no issues. Obviously, make sure your fan is running.
As far as tubes go, I just got a couple sets from www.thetubestore.com (no affiliation). He suggested I try a set of Svetlana's or his store brand 'preferred series'.
The Svetlana's sounded pretty much like the stock Mesa tubes. The Preferred Series sound totally great. I haven't had a band practice since I put them in, but I'm excited - - they seem to add something the stock tubes lacked... Maybe a bit less nasal and a bit more open sounding? It's hard to describe, but from the first few notes, I could tell I wanted to hear more...