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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 5!!!
- Thread starter Chef
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While we are on the topic below is a link to the songs my band is working on for our first album. None of them are finalized yet but give a listen if you care. All the bass parts were recorded using my Lakland Skyline DJ4Sonic into my old Walkabout and through the Walkabout's DI to the board. The Walkabout's DI tone is the best.
ReverbNation
ReverbNation
I'm really digging the WA/NeoX pairing! Really lets the WA do it's thing.
Haven't had a chance to pair the M6 with the NeoX yet, but that's for another thread.
Haven't had a chance to pair the M6 with the NeoX yet, but that's for another thread.
In my continuing effort to keep myself (and possibly you) miserable, I decided that I had been too hasty in banning my SVP-CL / lead sled rig to the basement, and that just maybe, I could get close enough to a more powerful WA (or 1,000 watt SVT). The end game being tha ability to drive a 15/6 cabinet with plenty of head room.
Used an Ampeg speaker selector, 72 Pbass, and Berg HT-322.
The SVP sounded really good but not nearly as deep a soundstage or the complex mid definition that is just so inspiring. No matter what the EQ setting, the WA just sounded bigger and more detailed.
I'll try the SL some day but continue to be hopeful that Mesa will eventually make the WA-1kW
Used an Ampeg speaker selector, 72 Pbass, and Berg HT-322.
The SVP sounded really good but not nearly as deep a soundstage or the complex mid definition that is just so inspiring. No matter what the EQ setting, the WA just sounded bigger and more detailed.
I'll try the SL some day but continue to be hopeful that Mesa will eventually make the WA-1kW
Nice! Great warm tone... I like Habaneras a lot, and you get some good space to shine! Really cool classic rock kinda vibe all through those tracks, thanks for sharing!
I just spent all this past weekend in the studio... man, I'm exhausted! We only had our drummer for about 8 hours on Saturday, and we actually managed to get through all 7 songs. Our engineer wanted to try something different on the bass... we actually just used the WA Scout combo at pretty low volume into some crazy vintage tube mic. I was nervous we wouldn't have enough lows or highs available if we needed them during mixing, but we'll see how it turns out. Since time was our main concern, I kept my setup really straightforward, played every song with my P bass and a pick. I'll have a few more recordings to share in a a few weeks, hopefully.
The great news-my Walkabout/ TB153 pair IS loud enough! At practice last night I was stylin', loud, penetrating bass spewing from the rig ....(eq was pretty tame: passive Fender 5er with maxed vol/tone, bass controls at noon, mids (250Hz) boosted to 1:30 o'clock, 2.5Mhz boosted to 2 minutes past noon and that's it. Gain was at 2 o'clock and master at 11 o'clock).....when, the bad news: I blew the woofer
, with my 300 Watt Walkabout
Considering the tame eq, I don't get it
Looks like the LDS will see Saturday's gig. This also made me realize the head had probably been progressively losing volume for a while before I noticed it. Since Mesa's repair, this head is way louder than I remember. At tomorrow's practice I'll try it (again) on the LDS. Crappy quarter for gear in my world, but I guess if that's my biggest problem I'll keep smilin'.
, with my 300 Watt WalkaboutConsidering the tame eq, I don't get it
Looks like the LDS will see Saturday's gig. This also made me realize the head had probably been progressively losing volume for a while before I noticed it. Since Mesa's repair, this head is way louder than I remember. At tomorrow's practice I'll try it (again) on the LDS. Crappy quarter for gear in my world, but I guess if that's my biggest problem I'll keep smilin'.
I assume they'll replace the driver and am awaiting a response to my email this am. It must be a dud. I could also be mistaken in my diagnosis, but in mid-jam the loudest, lowest notes were suddenly polluted by a loud, unpleasant midrange honk. Perhaps it's the crossover? I'm not too technically adept, but the pit of my stomach says "blown driver".
The paradox is that I am actually happy overall, 'cause the rig was PLENTY loud and I was well within it's sweet spot, not pushing it anywhere close to its' limit. I'll try it again with the 8 Ohm LDS 15/6.......if Bill Fitz-M is to be believed, it ain't about the watts
. Anyway-eventually I'll get this cab back in action and will have my giggable Walkabout rig no matter what
Sorry to hear about the cabinet but thrilled to hear that the WA can drive a 15/6 style box to decent volume! Be great to hear that the failure was just a defective component that was under warranty.
Have been meaning to ask, can you describe the differences between the TB153 and the LDS 15/6?
Have been meaning to ask, can you describe the differences between the TB153 and the LDS 15/6?
IME there is no significant difference in tone (keep in mind I keep my tweeter dialed to nuthin' on the 153). The LDS is much lighter (under 50 lbs vs. 65 lbs) which is a huge + for me. Both midrange drivers go plenty high for me and both are crossed at 800Hz. The pairing of either with the WA is beauty to the ears, but the 4 Ohm TB153 goes considerably louder with the WA. I couldn't comfortably play my little bar gigs with the LDS, since I usually choose not to go through our PA. The TB153 goes loud enough for me to easily fill a small bar packed with 150 people, keep over a loud drummer with 2 distorted guitars and have decent headroom Keep in mind I bump low mids. If you eq in a way that sucks audible volume (smiley) then YMMV.
Winner -
My TL606 cabinet is about 60 lbs and the Bergie is over 100; If I just do a more sit ups and dumbell work I should be OK; is there much weight savings with tweeter removal; I think 2-way would work well for me.
No problem with EQ; with a P bass passive tone settings are bass at 1:00; mid and treble at 11:00 - 12:00; para pull some 50 Hz, sometiems a mid bump, and then add 4K when necessary.
Now if Don just had access to a 4 ohm 3015LF driver....
IIRC the tweet adds a couple of lbs. My cab weighs 48 lbs and I spec'd it with the recessed side handles. I spec'd the squat shape so any head will sit nicely on top, but the taller, narrower version of the same cab (same int. vol) would be even easier to carry. I can one-hand mine through doorways and staircases. I bought a collapsible, sturdy, 20 lb stand from MuFr and elevate the cab so the head comes to shoulder level behind me. It's perfect, except for the impedance.
BTW, I should really post clearly here that although I have previously reported running my WA below 4 Ohms safely, it did fail in the end, and I'm not sure exactly when it failed, (or why) since it wasn't a sudden, dramatic event but rather a significant loss of volume. Therefore I have changed my song and can no longer recommend running it below 4 Ohms. YMMV.
Absolutely NOT. I have no clue what caused it, but simply acknowledge that I had a failure and used it below 4 Ohms. The failure WAS with the power MOSFETS, however, so there's a possibility it was more than coincidence. I will no longer run it under 4 Ohms. YMMV.
I've gone all in on using my WA head. I run my Precision through a Boss LS-2 that I use to blend clean and BB Bass Preamp-affected signals, through a VT Bass and into the WA, which powers a pair of Bag End D15-S cabs. AWESOME, and very close to how I've always wanted to sound. VERY pleased.
One weird (to me) observation: doing some 'live' recording with the band using the WA DI. When came time for a few punch overdubs, realized that the WA DI is actually post MASTER volume! Now, the DI sounded great, but having the amp master volume in the DI path seemed odd.
One weird (to me) observation: doing some 'live' recording with the band using the WA DI. When came time for a few punch overdubs, realized that the WA DI is actually post MASTER volume! Now, the DI sounded great, but having the amp master volume in the DI path seemed odd.
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