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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Mega-thread Pt. Tres

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#581
+1, great as those B15's are, and they are, it's not really a fair comparison to a modern wonder like the WA. So much more power and headroom, and almost as much "tubey tone". Also +1 to Lomo's question to naturalkinds re: the WA head into a bigger cab. Holy moly, that's what sealed the deal for me. WA head into even a 2x12 sounds absolutely massive, and the tone is to die for.
 
#583
The radiator is just a port-use the cab like any other IME. 2 of them kill :-) :-) For me it's just that any larger cab or stack allows the head to bloom. 2 scout cabs are great. IMO they go lower and fatter than any single 12 I have heard (although I have not heard the fEarful type).
 
#584
I've never had the pleasure of running 2 Scout cabs together, and actually sold my Scout cab earlier this year. They are big and deep, maybe a bit too deep for my tastes. I'm using a Genz Benz Uber 212 now, and loving every minute of it. I do not miss my Scout cab, except for the times I wish I had a 300 watt 1x12 combo. (hardy har har)
 
#585
I haven't met a cab the Walkabout didn't like.
For a while I was using one 12" Scout with a Diesel 115.
You can see my profile for what cabs I use now.

I really like it driving my 2 LDS 2x8's, or, the Hnery 8x8, but, it just works with everything.
 
#590
Hiya. Still enjoying the heck out of my new-to-me WA silverface (note: it doesn't have the mods - ie. the hi/lo switch on the input, or the switch on the FX loop).

But

I'm getting a pretty consistent noise problem. Happens about one hour into a gig, when the WA is nice and warmed up. I get a 60-cycle hum, with a little crackle on the side - loud enough that I need to turn down the volume between songs. The amp is certainly picking up the noise from my bass - if I turn down the guitar volume, the noise goes away. And if I take my hands off the bass, the annoying hum becomes a REALLY annoying buzz. But all of that noise seems to get filtered out by my amp early-on in a gig, then as time goes by, it appears. The only thing that's really changed in between is that the amp has warmed up a lot. If I turn the amp off between sets, that lessens the problem.

Any thoughts? It's a pretty steady noise so I don't think it's the input or FX jacks shorting out. Could this be one of the tubes starting to go bad? The tone isn't affected - sounds consistently great - it's just the added noise.
 
#593
*Edit*- wrong!

Lots of wall outlets are not properly connected to an earth ground, even if they are 3-prong outlets, which can cause noise problems with some amps and not others (different amps have different ways of eliminating noise). Seems like the most likely problem to me- if you know of an outlet somewhere that you are certain has a proper ground (you can buy a ground tester at Radio Shack), then try it through that outlet and see if you still have the noise.
 
#594
Thanks, Sunbeast. It certainly does SOUND like a ground problem - although I think it works the other way around - ie. if it's quieter with your hands on the strings, then your ground is working - your body acts like a giant antenna for EMF interference, which gets fed through your pickups unless you short yourself out by touching the strings on a well-grounded guitar.

But, either way, that's not the issue - I tested my ground with a multimeter and it's continuous from bridge to the ground plug of the amp - at least it is when the amp is cold. You've given me an idea though - I'm going to let the amp warm up for an hour then try the ground connectin again (unplugged of course!).

As to the problem being a bad ground at the gig - I do have one of those ground testers (ground tester and a multimeter - yes I'm a geek) and while I haven't tested every place we've played, I've tested enough that I don't think that could be the only problem.

Thanks for the ideas - I'll report back once the amp is warmed up . . .
 
#595
Having some trouble getting some punch with the settings I've been using on my Scout 12 combo. I read the manual, and even have tried playing around with the cabinet crossover settings, but seem to be unable to get anything much that cuts. User error, I'm sure, but was hoping some of you experienced combo users could chime in.

Gain is set to taste, around 1 o'clock. Bass/treble straight noon. Mid knob around 9 or 10 o'clock. Parametric... well... that's the problem. Usually keep it straight noon, but I've been experimenting with cut and boost to no real avail. Either I get a low-mid boom at louder volumes, or some clanky rock treble in there.

Again, like I said, I'm sure it's me. But was hoping I could solicit some of your favourite settings. It sounds killer solo, but I'm just trying to cobble together a more friendly on-the-gig vibe.
 
#596
BarStarzBass said:
Thanks, Sunbeast. It certainly does SOUND like a ground problem - although I think it works the other way around - ie. if it's quieter with your hands on the strings, then your ground is working - your body acts like a giant antenna for EMF interference, which gets fed through your pickups unless you short yourself out by touching the strings on a well-grounded guitar.

But, either way, that's not the issue - I tested my ground with a multimeter and it's continuous from bridge to the ground plug of the amp - at least it is when the amp is cold. You've given me an idea though - I'm going to let the amp warm up for an hour then try the ground connectin again (unplugged of course!).

As to the problem being a bad ground at the gig - I do have one of those ground testers (ground tester and a multimeter - yes I'm a geek) and while I haven't tested every place we've played, I've tested enough that I don't think that could be the only problem.

Thanks for the ideas - I'll report back once the amp is warmed up . . .
Click to expand...

You know- you're right! I've been saying that for years, but apparently I was off. I hate when I catch myself spouting hearsay!

One thing I'm sure of though is that I've had similar problems to what you are describing and have almost always been able to trace it to some sort of ground problem in the house or practice space. In my last apartment, all my amps except my Mesa 400+ (Walkabout included) sounded like radio stations if I was facing the wrong direction regardless of humbucking pickups (not sure what made the 400+ so silent, but it was always the quietest rig between notes!)- in my new house everything runs completely silent. I eventually found that only one room in the entire apartment had a properly grounded 3-prong outlet!
 
#597
naturalkinds said:
Having some trouble getting some punch with the settings I've been using on my Scout 12 combo. I read the manual, and even have tried playing around with the cabinet crossover settings, but seem to be unable to get anything much that cuts. User error, I'm sure, but was hoping some of you experienced combo users could chime in.

Gain is set to taste, around 1 o'clock. Bass/treble straight noon. Mid knob around 9 or 10 o'clock. Parametric... well... that's the problem. Usually keep it straight noon, but I've been experimenting with cut and boost to no real avail. Either I get a low-mid boom at louder volumes, or some clanky rock treble in there.

Again, like I said, I'm sure it's me. But was hoping I could solicit some of your favourite settings. It sounds killer solo, but I'm just trying to cobble together a more friendly on-the-gig vibe.
Click to expand...

I've had the best luck cranking the mids knob to 2 or 3 o'clock using the Scout combo in a band setting (sometimes even higher). It can sound pretty nasal or clouded while playing by yourself, but seems to really drive a band mix in a way that such a small amp shouldn't rightfully be able to. The mids knob has really been the most powerful tool for me on all the Mesa amps I've owned! I tend to push the gain a slightly higher in a band mix, which also adds more mids and cut. I also tend to cut the bass knob back to 10 o'clock or so (sometimes the treble as well), which puts more emphasis on the mids. I find the Scout cab naturally puts enough emphasis on the low end that you can afford to cut some and gain some headroom and clarity in the process.

Good luck!
 
#598
naturalkinds said:
Having some trouble getting some punch with the settings I've been using on my Scout 12 combo. I read the manual, and even have tried playing around with the cabinet crossover settings, but seem to be unable to get anything much that cuts. User error, I'm sure, but was hoping some of you experienced combo users could chime in.

Gain is set to taste, around 1 o'clock. Bass/treble straight noon. Mid knob around 9 or 10 o'clock. Parametric... well... that's the problem. Usually keep it straight noon, but I've been experimenting with cut and boost to no real avail. Either I get a low-mid boom at louder volumes, or some clanky rock treble in there.

Again, like I said, I'm sure it's me. But was hoping I could solicit some of your favourite settings. It sounds killer solo, but I'm just trying to cobble together a more friendly on-the-gig vibe.
Click to expand...

Try cutting the bass back to 10 or 11 o'clock. I run my mid around noon and I cut treble to about 10 o'clock.

Para settings: Set the bass para to 50hz and then slightly cut to taste. This will allow you to adjust useable bass without the boom.

Set the Treble to 2K. Cutting the Treble knob gets rid of that 1K gank and then boosting the para allows you to dial in some sheen to taste.

I've also bumped up 400K on the mid para, but usually don't need to.
 
#599
Naturalkinds - +1 on Sunbeast's and CElton's comments - that's been my experience too. If you cut bass a little, you can boost the mids to noon or higher and get punchy without getting boomy, if that makes any sense.

Sunbeast - no worries, and thanks for the advice. I agree it's gotta be some sort of ground problem, but I still think it's in the amp - ie. somehow the ground gets interrupted when it warms up. Unfortunately I've had no luck trying to reproduce the problem at home - I'm in a pretty new house with super-clean wiring and power - plus, if I want to stay married, I can't exactly play at gig volumes for an hour to warm things up . . .

Guess I'll have to wait to the next gig to test my theory - but for sure I'll check the ground condition at the venue before anything else. Thanks again.
 
#600
+1 to goosing mids and cutting bass. I'd also advise raising it with a stand to near ear level (this will NOT in any way be a problem for the radiator port)-that ought to cure it. The eq is very versatile. When I run it into my Wizzies I boost bass and cut upper mids due to the cabs' voicing, but through my 15/6 I leave it flat, and when in the Scout combo I cut bass a tad. It plays superbly with all 3 :-)
 
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