I used my WA with my Bassic 115 last Saturday for a small bar gig. The 115 is an 8 ohm cab and very efficient. As the night went on and the volume creeped up I barely had enough headroom but what I had was one of the sweetest tones I've ever had on a gig. For more volume the only thing I could do was dig in....reminded me of the old days and playing through vintage gear. Through my 215 at 4 ohms I would have had plenty but I may just take this 115 to a few more shows just to wring the nuts out of this amp. Super impressed with the pushed tone. One of the best I've ever heard for rock.
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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Part 10
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
I wonder whether the tube in V2 that drives the MOSFETS starts coloring the tone more when the head approaches max output. I love the tone when a Walkabout is at its' limit but if I have to dig in to get a little more volume I my playing gets even more sloppy than it normally is
It definitely seems like it to me- I love my Walkabout as a low-volume practice rig, but when I get to unleash it full volume it really shines in my experience. As long as you are OK with the compression and some grit it just sounds so sweet when pushed!I wonder whether the tube in V2 that drives the MOSFETS starts coloring the tone more when the head approaches max output. I love the tone when a Walkabout is at its' limit but if I have to dig in to get a little more volume I my playing gets even more sloppy than it normally is
Sorry if this (most likely) has been covered already, but I just picked up a used Walkabout Scout 12 with a 4 ohm speaker. What a great amp, best sounding I've ever owned. Are there any downsides to running an 8 ohm speaker in the cabinet? When used by itself would I lose any volume or change the tone? Seems to me the limiting factor for sound level in the combo is the speaker, not the amp.
Reason I'm asking is I'd like to use a 2 x 10, 8 ohm Eden cabinet I have along with the combo speaker and run it at 4 ohms, but I don't want to lose any volume by going to the 8 ohm speaker or change the characteristics of the amp when I use the Walkabout combo by itself.
Reason I'm asking is I'd like to use a 2 x 10, 8 ohm Eden cabinet I have along with the combo speaker and run it at 4 ohms, but I don't want to lose any volume by going to the 8 ohm speaker or change the characteristics of the amp when I use the Walkabout combo by itself.
others will correct me if I am mistaken, but with an 8 + 4 ohm cab arrangement, I believe you will be running the WA at 2.67ohms (which will be just fine for the amp). There may be a bit of mismatch in terms of how much "power/wattage" each cab will get from the amp, but it should not be a volume loss overall.
I have done this with a 4ohm Mesa WA 12 combo with an 8ohm Accugroove Tri115. It worked fine and sounded great. Whether or not the Eden 2x10 will sonically play nice with the WA 12 is anybody's guess.
good luck and enjoy!
I have done this with a 4ohm Mesa WA 12 combo with an 8ohm Accugroove Tri115. It worked fine and sounded great. Whether or not the Eden 2x10 will sonically play nice with the WA 12 is anybody's guess.
good luck and enjoy!
Thanks for the reply. I'd like to avoid the "power/wattage" mismatch, that's why I'm thinking of switching the Walkabout speaker. I guess the simplest question is, will the Walkabout (used by itself) lose volume if I switch the current 4 ohm speaker to an 8 ohm speaker?
I believe the 8ohm WA 12 by itself will get about 165w from the WA amp vs the full 300 @ 4ohms. OTOH, the Mesa 12" driver can't fully handle 300w anyway, so my guess is that you will not lose audible volume by going with an 8ohm driver in the Scout 12.
I'm sure there are a few here who have already done this change. Hopefully they will be along to give you some reassurance.
I'm sure there are a few here who have already done this change. Hopefully they will be along to give you some reassurance.
There will definitely be no meaningful loss of volume in changing from 4 to 8 Ohm 12" driver in the WA combo.....it makes much more sense to have the 8 Ohm driver in there IME, as neither the 4 or 8 Ohm version can handle the amp's full output anyway.....better to work the head less when adding an ext speaker.
I switched out the speaker in my old Scout combo cab from 4 to 8 and didn't notice any significant difference in useable volume. I could make the 4 ohm speaker fart out in the low end though much easier than the 8 ohm speaker. They did sound a bit different, as I think Mesa didn't use equivalent speakers for the different impedances (one was a Deltalite and one was a Deltalite II)...
I run my 4 ohm Walkabout Scout combo with a 4ohm matching extension speaker cab (which means a 2 ohm load).
Officially speaking the amp is rated at 4obms. BS. I run mine at 2 ohms all the time.
And it gets. Stupid. Loud.
When I put the gain where I like it (around 60-70% just below breakup) I am rarely able to turn the volume to 2. Yes, I said 2. I have literally called band mates over to my right to show them where my volume is set and they can't believe it.
And .... oh my...... the tone with my P bass.
Thing is, I've already got the 8 ohm Eden 2 x 10 cab and it sounds nice with the Walkabout head, so I'm trying to match things up and just replacing the combo speaker is the cheapest route. Yes, the I'm blown away by the tone on this thing. My last amp I struggled to find a usable tone and this one doesn't seem to have a bad one.
As added reassurance, I agree, no noticeable loss of volume running the 8 ohm 12. My guess is, when you make the switch, and add the 210, you'll have enough volume for almost any situation, and the tone is already undeniable.
Looking forward to my 1st gig with my new Walkabout and Berg CN212 this weekend. The Berg really makes this amp come alive.
- Feb 3, 2005
- 7,331
- 10,197
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Bergantino Audio Systems and GHS Strings
That trio of Sadowsky/Walkabout/Berg is about as good as it gets! I can't imagine you won't love the tone you get on your first gig with that setup!
So jealous. Lugged my PH 212 to a practice last night. In and out of the back of my lifted 4x4 pickup. I like the sound and all, but what a back breaker. I so want a berg cn212...
The weight of CN212 was a factor in my decision, at 48 lbs I'm able to lug it around without help and very happy with the tone with the walkabout. It's a few more $$ but still cheaper than a trip to the ER.
For me, I opted to get 2 of the original Baer ML112's and it takes some getting used to but the weight is manageable for a smaller person! I can carry one in each hand - I surprised the band one night. ( no longer in the band now) But I did have to make 2 trips since I could not carry the bass and walkabout amp with the weight of 2 Baers in my hands!! Lol!
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- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Didn't Mesa make more than one version of this? How heavy is your cab? Or maybe I should ask how high your truck is. Having to overhead press the cab might affect recommendations.
