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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread part Four!
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
- Status
I LOOOVED my Walkabout through the EV B115M that I had for a couple months. I ended up giving up that project, as I was afraid I was going to blow one or both of the drivers and/or crossover at the volumes I generally play at- and as you remember there was very little support in finding new drivers that would match it well (at least without spending a whole lotta money). Great combo though- the low-shy EV really complements the fat Walkabout tone well to my ears.
I had two Mesa Diesel 115's. I reloaded them with Eminence 3015 neos.
That rig sounded *great,* but I was still moving two big, heavy-ish boxes.
That rig sounded *great,* but I was still moving two big, heavy-ish boxes.
I just bought a used Schroeder 1212BMF from TB member Bassist, and it sounds really sweet with the Walkabout. Its a 212 cab, 4 ohms and is rated at 800 watts and it weighs in at a whopping 38 pounds!!! Its a brighter more snarly aggressive cab then my Scout 12 but it compliments the warm fat tone of the amp.
The EV cab is bigger than the Mesas, and I would guess significantly heavier as well (especially with the original drivers- they used the same magnet in both the 8 and 15, and it's about a 16 lb magnet IIRC! Plus the cab itself is 3/4" wood and awkwardly shaped). I did some speaker modeling with the 3015 and it was not a very good match (although neither is the original EV on paper). I still would have kept it if it would have been an easier/cheaper speaker upgrade- it sounded and looked awesome! Unfortunately the only 4 ohm driver that seemed ideal would have cost around $200, not to mention the cost of a new 8" driver and a new crossover.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Do any of you have a Walkabout with custom cabinet covering or grill? The pics on the Mesa/boogie website are intriguing.
Not a great pic but enough to show how sweet their CS work is. This is my livin' room machine. I'll jump at an excuse to post it again
It sits on a carvin dolly. Blue Bronco with tan corners and handle and wicker grille.Attachments
Welcome to the club Jim. & congrats!
You should LOVE it as much as we all do.
I think it'd sound awesome thru the 2x15 w/ Altec 421's too!!!
You should LOVE it as much as we all do.
I think it'd sound awesome thru the 2x15 w/ Altec 421's too!!!
Not a great pic but enough to show how sweet their CS work is. This is my livin' room machine. I'll jump at an excuse to post it again
Very nice man!
Crabby, how deep does the 1212BMF go? I had a 1212L that I really dug, but it wouldn't go real deep. I sold it before I picked up my WA. It's a shame because I bet the WA would've matched up well with it.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Not a great pic but enough to show how sweet their CS work is. This is my livin' room machine. I'll jump at an excuse to post it again
Nice!
Just used my WA with a GS112 stack. It was tasty. Makes me realize how much bite the Scout cabinet has in the upper frequency spectrum. (For better and for worse.)
I think I preferred the GS, but don't really have the constitution to be swapping gear at this time. I might have been seduced by the appeal of novelty.
I think I preferred the GS, but don't really have the constitution to be swapping gear at this time. I might have been seduced by the appeal of novelty.
Received my, new to me, silver face Walkabout and have had 1 hour at home and 2 hours of rehearsal time; thought I'd give a 1st impressions report.
The Bad
* No way these 52 year old eyes can see the dot that acts as a pointer for the knobs without either a lot of light or glasses; anybody use a Sharpie to make them visible?
* It is a loud 300 watts and feels like it will take care of my current gig needs although it does seem dated to have 13 lbs of SS amp that will run out of clean head room / dynamic range if one wanted to either play stupid loud or use an ineffecient cabinet
The Good
* With an 83' SR and either a Berg HT322 or TL-606, I hardly use any EQ with an SVT or LMII; same with this amp; tone for days
* The EQ is very musical, you can dial up lots of boost or cut to create much different tonalities without the EQ sounding honkey like a fire alarm; didn't pay any attention to how wide the Q might be, but it's music to my ears; then again, it doesn't need much EQ for my tastes
* Love pulling a slight amount of 30 Hz. for low freq control with the Berg or the 2x15 cab with Altec 421's at rehearsal
* As previously stated, I want an amp that sounds like a clean SVT; warm, wide soundstage, full range, 3-D, minor nautural compression; I'm happy to say this amp is the cloeset non-tube amp yet; while the LMII is great, this is greater
* Specifically, it maintains a well balanced tonality on all 4 strings up and down the neck which can be troublesome with the weak G syndrome of the MM. With the highs boosted the treble is clear but not strident or thin sounding like many SS amps; mids & bass sound full and clear without mud (unless you dial it in); totaly agree with others that this amp is harmonically rich
* The tactile / touch sensitivity is really nice; actually inspiring to play; little nuances in technique are easily heard but unlike the surgical precission of say a Trace or SWR, they "sit" in the mix and allow for more easily controlled dynamics (i.e. maybe the compression keeps the note to note volume more even to help compensate for my abilities)
* Overall this could be the last amp for quite a while; I think I still slightly prefer the SVT / Berg combo at least in the living room as the soundstage seemed a little deeper; just more 3-D and bigger; not sure it would be heard on a gig though; could just be loyalty to my old friend; will report back after I get some more hours of play in
What do you guys use to carry these amps?
Was thinking about a lap top bag but haven't found the right size. Mesa has the slide in bag which looks OK from the photo but wonder if it's a pain on the gig. The head case looks heavy (but cool) and there is always 19" rackmount; assume that a 2 space / shallow light plastic case would fit and not cause over heating problems; thoughts and advice greatly appreciated!
The Bad
* No way these 52 year old eyes can see the dot that acts as a pointer for the knobs without either a lot of light or glasses; anybody use a Sharpie to make them visible?
* It is a loud 300 watts and feels like it will take care of my current gig needs although it does seem dated to have 13 lbs of SS amp that will run out of clean head room / dynamic range if one wanted to either play stupid loud or use an ineffecient cabinet
The Good
* With an 83' SR and either a Berg HT322 or TL-606, I hardly use any EQ with an SVT or LMII; same with this amp; tone for days
* The EQ is very musical, you can dial up lots of boost or cut to create much different tonalities without the EQ sounding honkey like a fire alarm; didn't pay any attention to how wide the Q might be, but it's music to my ears; then again, it doesn't need much EQ for my tastes
* Love pulling a slight amount of 30 Hz. for low freq control with the Berg or the 2x15 cab with Altec 421's at rehearsal
* As previously stated, I want an amp that sounds like a clean SVT; warm, wide soundstage, full range, 3-D, minor nautural compression; I'm happy to say this amp is the cloeset non-tube amp yet; while the LMII is great, this is greater
* Specifically, it maintains a well balanced tonality on all 4 strings up and down the neck which can be troublesome with the weak G syndrome of the MM. With the highs boosted the treble is clear but not strident or thin sounding like many SS amps; mids & bass sound full and clear without mud (unless you dial it in); totaly agree with others that this amp is harmonically rich
* The tactile / touch sensitivity is really nice; actually inspiring to play; little nuances in technique are easily heard but unlike the surgical precission of say a Trace or SWR, they "sit" in the mix and allow for more easily controlled dynamics (i.e. maybe the compression keeps the note to note volume more even to help compensate for my abilities)
* Overall this could be the last amp for quite a while; I think I still slightly prefer the SVT / Berg combo at least in the living room as the soundstage seemed a little deeper; just more 3-D and bigger; not sure it would be heard on a gig though; could just be loyalty to my old friend; will report back after I get some more hours of play in
What do you guys use to carry these amps?
Was thinking about a lap top bag but haven't found the right size. Mesa has the slide in bag which looks OK from the photo but wonder if it's a pain on the gig. The head case looks heavy (but cool) and there is always 19" rackmount; assume that a 2 space / shallow light plastic case would fit and not cause over heating problems; thoughts and advice greatly appreciated!
Jim,
-dunno what tubes you have in there, but, this head does respond to tube rolling, unlike my experience with swr, eden, and even the M6 and M9 Mesa's.
-you could try white out to fill the dots on the knobs.
-yeah, i get the headroom thing. i really do. this is why i really like this head with multiple cabs. it's easy to add enough cones to make it plenty loud. and, it really does seem to fill a mix well with less watts, somehow. i particularly love the sweet top end with my more aggressive active basses, like the Sadowskys.
-the headcase isn't that heavy, and i like it. it's not a 2.5lb microhead, and it's sure lighter than lots of things. even in the headcase, it's an easy one handed carry, and much nicer than my old WT800B+tuner in a 3 space rack, and really seems to outperform that head. the mesa bag is nice, but a snug fit, and the head has to come out. so, while i do have the mesa bag, i use it for charts and cables and my tuner, and use the headcase for the amp.
-dunno what tubes you have in there, but, this head does respond to tube rolling, unlike my experience with swr, eden, and even the M6 and M9 Mesa's.
-you could try white out to fill the dots on the knobs.
-yeah, i get the headroom thing. i really do. this is why i really like this head with multiple cabs. it's easy to add enough cones to make it plenty loud. and, it really does seem to fill a mix well with less watts, somehow. i particularly love the sweet top end with my more aggressive active basses, like the Sadowskys.
-the headcase isn't that heavy, and i like it. it's not a 2.5lb microhead, and it's sure lighter than lots of things. even in the headcase, it's an easy one handed carry, and much nicer than my old WT800B+tuner in a 3 space rack, and really seems to outperform that head. the mesa bag is nice, but a snug fit, and the head has to come out. so, while i do have the mesa bag, i use it for charts and cables and my tuner, and use the headcase for the amp.
Hey Alan,
Thanks for the tube rolling tip; had remembered that some Mesa's don't respond well and have had the same experience with SWR.
Time to find those old Mullards!
Thanks for the tube rolling tip; had remembered that some Mesa's don't respond well and have had the same experience with SWR.
Time to find those old Mullards!
Jim,
Chef's absolutely correct, and IMHO, it's mostly about the drive tube and not quite as much about the preamp tube (or whatever they're officially called). There are two AX7s in there. One is to drive the MOSFET power amp, and give it more of a tube power amp type sound, and the other is the preamp tube, which I think is basically doing the same thing as the M6/9's tube.
I tube rolled my WA a long time ago and it made a very noticeable diff. Definitely worth doing, and worth digging into the different flavors and brands of tubes for their characteristics for your desired results.
P.S. Inside scoop, that power amp drive tube is the reason the master control affects the DI. Mesa wanted that tubey tone to be carried through the DI, so they put it after that tube, but that tube is controlled by the master, so, there you go.
Swapping out the tubes. Most typically to try a different kind, but it can also just be to replace bad ones.
While on the subject of tube rolling, do any of you have particular favorites for either tube position?
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