Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 5!!!

[rodl2005]

Yep I think so.

FWIW When I use the Scout 12" combo OR have the WA head running into another cab, It's USUALLY similar to:-
gain- 11-1 oclock
Bass - 12
MID - 1 oclock
PARA EQ usually leave it unless the room acoustics call for something extra or less
Treble - 11 -1 oclock.
Vol. - to level needed

 

[Jim C]

Does this mean you boost the lows 6 db @ 50hz?

No sir;
I like to reduce 50 hz any where from about 3 to 6 dB.
I find that the low end is still extremely full sounding with this cut, but reduces any mud or boom and keeps speaker excursion to reasonable limits at higher volume

 

[CElton]

Can you guys do me a favor and post your eq settings for the Walkabout combo playing a J type bass for a blues/rock gig? When I had my old Walkabout through my NeoX212T I left everything pretty much flat but boosted lows a tad and cut highs. Right now with the Scout combo and Scout extension it's feeling a little boomy and middy so I cut the bass a little bit but then it seems thin, cut the mids a bit and we're back to boom town. Any suggestions?

They really should stop wasting so much metal on these amps and only allow for this much adjustment:

I use this with a 1x15, 2x15, or HT322

Quasi Para - be able to pull 50Hz up to 6 dB (thanks Chef)
Bass = 10:00 to 1:00
Mid = from 9:00 to 12:00
Treble = to taste
Input from 9:00 to 12:00
Master - fit the gig
Dont really need all the other adjustments and knobs

+1 to this. The key is using the Para Q to pull out the boom at 50hz. Just dial a little out at a time until you get where you want. I like setting my Bass control around noon. Cutting the Bass instead of using the Para will start to suck the life out of the WA, IMO.

I also turn my treble(centered around 1K) down to around 11 o'clock to take out some gank, but then I boost with the Para around 2K to add some nice top end shimmer.

 

[kaiser_sosea]

thanks for these suggestions guys, i think the cut @ 50hz is a great place to start, will try next time I can get to the practice space and let you know how it turns out.

 

[Chef]

Yup. Like CElton said.

trimming 30-60hz can really tighten up and clean up a boomy or muddy low end.

The Walkabout eq is amazingly powerful and fun to play with.
A little can go a looong way, depending what frequency you have selected, but, don't be afraid to use a lot either, if it's not seeming effective....some frequencies seem to make a much bigger diff than others.

 

[Jim C]

As a tag along to the above, the rotary controls are more powerful than most amps; a very small amount of change to the mid control really makes a difference IMO
As also mentioned, adding tons of EQ does not get goofy; I assume the Q of the filter changes during severe boost and cut extremes so that it doesn't sound ringy or honky; truly a musical EQ section

 

[ishouldbeking]

My tone settings are probably more specific as I'm a Rick with a pick kinda guy, but surprisingly I don't do a whole lot different than the other guys here. Except I like me some grit, and the Walkabout does dirty better than most amps I've tried. My settings:

Gain 12:30-1:30
Bass 12:00
Mid 11:00-12:00
Treble 12:00

cut a few db at 50hz
cut a few db at 1.5k

Essentially what I did was set everything flat, and give my strings a good whack with the pick and see what sounds gross. For me, that usually means there's a bit of boom and a little bit of nasty high-mid stuff going on.

For midrange fixes, I do the traditional semi-parametric surgery by going one knob at a time, boosting it all the way while strumming an open note, and slowly scanning through the frequencies until i find the one that's raping my eardrum. Then, I cut that frequency a few db. With my P-bass I've occasionally cut a little bit around 600hz too.

 

[CElton]

Thanks Chef, I'm debating between a 310 and a 410. I would think the 310 would be just slightly louder than a single scout cab which works for me.

Quoting myself...

Anyway, I just found a great deal locally on a Genz Benz Neox 212T. I've always wanted one and I hope it's a great single cab match for both my WA and M6.

 

[kaiser_sosea]

Quoting
Anyway, I just found a great deal locally on a Genz Benz Neox 212T. I've always wanted one and I hope it's a great single cab match for both my WA and M6.

It is IMO, this is the cab I ran exclusively with my first Walkabout and it is the best tone I've ever achieved. The Genz cab is fairly neutral as I understand with perhaps a bit more mid push than most cabs. I dialed back the mids on the WA and left everything else flat and it was great. Easy schlep and wonderful tone.

 

[CElton]

It is IMO, this is the cab I ran exclusively with my first Walkabout and it is the best tone I've ever achieved. The Genz cab is fairly neutral as I understand with perhaps a bit more mid push than most cabs. I dialed back the mids on the WA and left everything else flat and it was great. Easy schlep and wonderful tone.

Nice! I'm looking forward to getting it out on a gig.

 

[kaiser_sosea]

Just got back from lunch and played around with the settings and came up with something I really like so far, they'll probably change a bit with the full band and volume up but as for right now:

Gain: noon
Bass: 1-2 oclock
Mids: 10 oclock
Para-
Cut 30hz to 10ish oclock
Boost 200hz to 1 oclock (for more punch)
leave high mids flat
Highs: 10oclock
Master: to taste

this seemed to really cut the boom and take away that middy ganky sound and replace it with full but tight lows with real warm mids and a muted top. Bass is a Lakland Skyline DJSonic with bridge and neck full on and tone rolled back to about 24%. I also called and talked to Mesa CS regarding the hiss and output issue I am working with, they seem to think swapping out tubes would be a good first step @ diagnosing the hiss problem and reduced output could be attributed to a tube going bad so i may try that here soon. Thanks again guys!

 

[martyman5000]

Can someone do a good video review of this Combo? I would like to see one please...

 

[MuthaFunk]

How do you Scout owners set your player control network? I got to mess with this today and coming from a die hard Eden D410XLT fan I ended up with the Sheen 3K setting and the horn trim pot around 2:00.

 

[lomo]

'Scuse the crappo pic. Got my WA back from Mesa in as new shape after complete replacement of the MOSFETS. I was hoping they'd install a new gloriously vented top cover (like the one posted in the thread discussing 2 Ohm use) but no dice. No charge from Mesa (other than 1 way shipping) : 2 weeks repair time with a few days in transit each way. Have not rolled any tubes yet.

1st-it IS pleasingly loud into the TB153 and the BMF 215 (both 4 Ohms) and will certainly be enough for most of my gigs. I much prefer the TB153 sound. I have become addicted to the nEarful sound. The BMF is less mid-forward and has more bottom than my old style 1212L, but to my ear sounds like a pair of 15+L. Very loud cab with tiny footprint and an easy haul due to the side handles, narrow box and weight of
<50lbs. Under the Streamliner the 215 is obscenely loud for its' weight, true to it's genes. It'll be flipped.

On the subject of Streamliner vs Walkabout, I must say that although I was very skeptical, I have to admit that IMO the GB head does what the WA does as well (versatile tube tone from clean to nasty), with so much more headroom that it makes me giddy. Further, the flexibility of the 3 controls (gain, pre volume and master volume), in conjunction with all that power makes for a ton of flexibility. The drawback is the limited eq of the SL900, which cannot match the finesse of the Walkabout IMO. The WA front end is real magic to me.

That is all for now.

 

[Bjazzman]

nice lomo! do you think you'll keep both the wa and the sl900? im also curious how the sl900/nEarful setup compares to the wa scout(even thought you might not have the scout cab)

 

[lomo]

nice lomo! do you think you'll keep both the wa and the sl900? im also curious how the sl900/nEarful setup compares to the wa scout(even thought you might not have the scout cab)

Gonna crash now, but ATM I plan on keeping both heads. The Scout 12 is a very deeply tuned 12, but it's still a 12. Either of my nEarfuls buries it for low end extension and clarity, but only the 4 Ohm TB153 is produces gigworthy volume with the Walkabout. The SL900 on either nEarful is ridiculous. Either nEarful (if properly powered) easily outperforms a pair of Scout 12s on all fronts (volume, low end extension and clarity). It's not close....at all. The Scout 12 is my favorite stock 12, but it cannot compare to a properly powered nEarful IMHO.

 

[ishouldbeking]

Gonna crash now, but ATM I plan on keeping both heads. The Scout 12 is a very deeply tuned 12, but it's still a 12. Either of my nEarfuls buries it for low end extension and clarity, but only the 4 Ohm TB153 is produces gigworthy volume with the Walkabout. The SL900 on either nEarful is ridiculous. Either nEarful (if properly powered) easily outperforms a pair of Scout 12s on all fronts (volume, low end extension and clarity). It's not close....at all. The Scout 12 is my favorite stock 12, but it cannot compare to a properly powered nEarful IMHO.

I wish another non-custom builder would make a nEarful type of design but bring it in at a lower weight. I'd love to have something like the Avatar to pair with my Walkabout, but don't feel like schlepping quite that much. Sadly dealing with the quirks of the custom build process does not agree with me, and that includes LDS, who are great, but not immune to the headaches either.

 

[Chef]

It's being done. Look for the nidacore thread.
15/6 should weigh in at around 33lbs.

 

[lomo]

I wish another non-custom builder would make a nEarful type of design but bring it in at a lower weight. I'd love to have something like the Avatar to pair with my Walkabout, but don't feel like schlepping quite that much. Sadly dealing with the quirks of the custom build process does not agree with me, and that includes LDS, who are great, but not immune to the headaches either.

Nothing is perfect, but my LDS nEarful is pretty close IMO. About 700 shipped, 48lbs, loud enough for anything a good 410 will handle, but requires 500 watts at 8 Ohms to get to it's full volume potential. Come to think of it, even though the Avatar TB153 is 65lbs, the price tag and 4 Ohm impedance make it a sweetie as well. The nidacore nEarful 15-6 at 33 lbs.......haven't heard it but if it sounds like the 2 I have....sonic sex on wheels I guess the fEarful sound isn't for everyone, it is for me. I think after the GB rendition (the 1288 thing) we'll see more 12-6 versions in the future. The design concept simply makes sonic sense.

 

[Aladinsane1969]

Well, I'm joining the WAS club (metaphorically speaking). When this beautiful rig popped up in the Classified folder on Tuesday, it was love at first site. It's currently on a transcontinental journey, due to arrive on Tuesday. I've spent the last two days reading through Part IV of the Megathread (I don't think I have the fortitude to venture any further back, lol!), and I've learned a hell of a lot, thanks to you guys. Hopefully I'll be able to get a sweet, vintage tone dialed in fairly quickly and live happily ever after