Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 6

[Chef]

Well, the Fusion is limited to 8 or 4 ohm.

I'd say if you're gonna run the Walkabout hard at 2 ohms, against the Fusion at 4 ohms, it's fairly much a tie.

Walkabout vs Fusion, both at 4 ohms, thru the same cabs; the Fusion has more headroom.

Don't expect it to sound even remotely Walkabout.
Although it has tubes it it, it's very much GK. It's like "MB500, with some round added."

 

[rodl2005]

Only thing I can suggest to Fingerbun, is to TRY & find one to try out. Hard here in Aus, but as I said ozbassforum has a few WA users.......
Fwiw, they DO come up 2nd hand occasionally. I bought both my WA's 2nd hand- combo 1st for about $1k iirc, & a newer model head alone 2nd(for living in it's head case for about the same price.
Goodluck!
Re comparing it with the other amps your considering, only you can decide of course. But, the 3 pro, I don't think is under powered, you've just gotta use the gain & even the graphic eq gain properly. But, myself, I'd go for a 7 pro, or pf500 over a 3 pro.
Imo, the WA eats all the others on your list tonally. YMMV of course.

 

[fingerbun]

Well, the Fusion is limited to 8 or 4 ohm.

I'd say if you're gonna run the Walkabout hard at 2 ohms, against the Fusion at 4 ohms, it's fairly much a tie.

Walkabout vs Fusion, both at 4 ohms, thru the same cabs; the Fusion has more headroom.

Don't expect it to sound even remotely Walkabout.
Although it has tubes it it, it's very much GK. It's like "MB500, with some round added."

Makes sense. And running Walkabout hard @ 2ohms works, but is against spec and therefore presumably voids warranty?

A while back you also commented that the GK didn't work for you with upright. Is that still the case?

 

[fingerbun]

Only thing I can suggest to Fingerbun, is to TRY & find one to try out. Hard here in Aus, but as I said ozbassforum has a few WA users.......
Fwiw, they DO come up 2nd hand occasionally. I bought both my WA's 2nd hand- combo 1st for about $1k iirc, & a newer model head alone 2nd(for living in it's head case for about the same price.
Goodluck!
Re comparing it with the other amps your considering, only you can decide of course. But, the 3 pro, I don't think is under powered, you've just gotta use the gain & even the graphic eq gain properly. But, myself, I'd go for a 7 pro, or pf500 over a 3 pro.
Imo, the WA eats all the others on your list tonally. YMMV of course.

The distributor has replied to my email. We'll see what happens.

 

[Chef]

The manual says 2 ohms is, and I'm paraphrasing here, "ok but not recommended."
I haven't had problems doing that, YMMV.

While I still prefer the Walkabout for DB, I liked the MB-Fusion ok, thru the AudioKinesis TC112AF; but, that's an exceptional cab for double bass.

 

[hulchihulch]

My last line of defense:
Never liked DB thru a 15.

haha! I'm in the same boat as a doubler... the 12's are perfect but the 15's... we can say they don't sound good but they DO!

 

[Chef]

I'll wager my AudioKinesis TC115AF works great for DB, when it gets here.

 

[fingerbun]

Well, the Fusion is limited to 8 or 4 ohm.

I'd say if you're gonna run the Walkabout hard at 2 ohms, against the Fusion at 4 ohms, it's fairly much a tie.

Walkabout vs Fusion, both at 4 ohms, thru the same cabs; the Fusion has more headroom.

Don't expect it to sound even remotely Walkabout.
Although it has tubes it it, it's very much GK. It's like "MB500, with some round added."

OK so I made some progress in my quest for a Walkabout. Not yet at the price point I want but a lot closer and we may get there....so back to headroom which seems to be the Walkabout's main limitation.

Are people mostly using it with modern small speakers? How does the headroom stack up if I just throw speakers at it for the occasional big gig (with due respect to impedance of course)?

I can't help thinking that the classic Ampegs got by just fine with 300W.

 

[lomo]

OK so I made some progress in my quest for a Walkabout. Not yet at the price point I want but a lot closer and we may get there....so back to headroom which seems to be the Walkabout's main limitation.

Are people mostly using it with modern small speakers? How does the headroom stack up if I just throw speakers at it for the occasional big gig (with due respect to impedance of course)?

I can't help thinking that the classic Ampegs got by just fine with 300W.

With enough cone area it is a beast-an honest and loud 300 watts. With a conventional 212 (eg GB Neox 212) it can cover a medium sized bar without PA in a loudish rock (but maybe not screamo metal) context, as long as you are willing to overdrive it a bit. When I added another GB 112 on top (2.7 Ohms) I even had plenty of headroom and could run it clean with no problem (loud drummer, 2 guitarists playing 100 watt 412s at sane but loud volume). IMHO, it sounds sweetest when pushed, even if you are running it on the clean side, as one of the 2 tubes runs the power MOSFETS and there seems to be some magic there.

 

[Chef]

I think that theory, in practice, works relatively well.

If you're comparing an old SVT 300 watt'r to the Mesa Walkabout's 300; I'd have to say the SVT is gonna crush it. Been a while since I had one, but, that's my recollection.

 

[fingerbun]

I think that theory, in practice, works relatively well.

If you're comparing an old SVT 300 watt'r to the Mesa Walkabout's 300; I'd have to say the SVT is gonna crush it. Been a while since I had one, but, that's my recollection.

My expectation as well....just trying to figure out if that was the tube power section, the massive speaker cab, or something else.

 

[Chef]

I can say this from direct experience:
The Walkabout and 2xGK212 cabs gets plety loud for me.
But, I still don't think it's gonna be the equal of an SVT, with the same amount of cone area.

 

[hulchihulch]

My expectation as well....just trying to figure out if that was the tube power section, the massive speaker cab, or something else.

As an owner of an SVT-II (non-pro) I've actually tested this one out with my other amps to find out. Because the numbers just never stacked up to me.

I plugged an Aguilar 500sc (500w @4ohms), Acoustic Image Focus (rated 800w @ 4ohms), and an Ampeg SVT-II (300w) into every 4ohm cab/configuration I've got and the Ampeg just flat out killed everything else... even the Acoustic Image and it's rated at 800 watts @ 4 ohms!

It's the tube Power amp. I'm 100% positive that those watts are just different. The Ampeg allows the preamp to have more gain also... no clipping issues so that allows the power amp to have the baton passed to it at a much higher volume as well.

hope my non-scientific response helps?

 

[fingerbun]

As an owner of an SVT-II (non-pro) I've actually tested this one out with my other amps to find out. Because the numbers just never stacked up to me.

I plugged an Aguilar 500sc (500w @4ohms), Acoustic Image Focus (rated 800w @ 4ohms), and an Ampeg SVT-II (300w) into every 4ohm cab/configuration I've got and the Ampeg just flat out killed everything else... even the Acoustic Image and it's rated at 800 watts @ 4 ohms!

It's the tube Power amp. I'm 100% positive that those watts are just different. The Ampeg allows the preamp to have more gain also... no clipping issues so that allows the power amp to have the baton passed to it at a much higher volume as well.

hope my non-scientific response helps?

Thanks, yes it does help...as do the other responses. Chef in particular, if you ever visit Australia I owe you a beer.

I'm a small-time guy. Most gigs I am currently covering with 200w , only twice in the last year have I wanted more. I'm basically banking on walls of speakers to provide the extra sound level.

Don't want to play too loud...I'm 50 and need to preserve what hearing I have left!

 

[rodl2005]

Then I think the WA will do you fine.
I use my WA 12" -8 ohm-combo by itself in a 4 piece jazz/blues band.
Use it with another 1x12" with our 8 piece funk band & really, this 2x12" rig will do most things I need.
Pair the WA head with 2 212"s & it'd be LOUD!
I've used mine @ 2 ohms into 2 212"s & I could hardly push it at all. Hugely loud. This was in an old deco style room, with about 400ppl, & no PA support. I had heaps of headroom!
I often just use it with one 4 ohm 410 & that too is as loud as I'll ever need.
It also sounds great quiet too. U can still get a nice tubey sound, with or without overdrive, at low volumes.
Last night I was-sort of- A/B ing it with a new (to me) Ashdown LB-30- All tube 30w- & the WA was so close to a lovely all tube amp sound, it really is amazing.

 

[fingerbun]

Then I think the WA will do you fine.
I use my WA 12" -8 ohm-combo by itself in a 4 piece jazz/blues band.
Use it with another 1x12" with our 8 piece funk band & really, this 2x12" rig will do most things I need.
Pair the WA head with 2 212"s & it'd be LOUD!
I've used mine @ 2 ohms into 2 212"s & I could hardly push it at all. Hugely loud. This was in an old deco style room, with about 400ppl, & no PA support. I had heaps of headroom!
I often just use it with one 4 ohm 410 & that too is as loud as I'll ever need.
It also sounds great quiet too. U can still get a nice tubey sound, with or without overdrive, at low volumes.
Last night I was-sort of- A/B ing it with a new (to me) Ashdown LB-30- All tube 30w- & the WA was so close to a lovely all tube amp sound, it really is amazing.

Sounds similar to the sort of stuff I do. Basically my rule is if the drums need more than a kick mic I want PA support too, otherwise stage volume is too loud.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Are people mostly using it with modern small speakers? How does the headroom stack up if I just throw speakers at it for the occasional big gig (with due respect to impedance of course)?

My opinion is that the WA is going to sound good through any thing you plug it into. Being 69 years old (and substantially older on occasion) I use mine with a pair of Genz-Benz 10T boxes that weigh about 7.5kg each, and it sounds great. Of course, I'm not filling arenas, but I get that characteristic Walkabout tone that is present at non-deafening levels. To me, that is the key to the WA: it has so much personality that you don't have to turn it up to "Vaporize."

I think that theory, in practice, works relatively well.

Or, as we say, the difference between theory and practice is that, in theory, there is no difference.

 

[hulchihulch]

Sounds similar to the sort of stuff I do. Basically my rule is if the drums need more than a kick mic I want PA support too, otherwise stage volume is too loud.

You know what? That's pretty good thinking!

 

[rodl2005]

Re, Fingerbun's last post:-

Yeah, pretty much how we operate too.
I was at the 12" Scout combo's limits last night. But, our drummer hits hard, we had 5 vocals, percussion, keys, guitar (30w tube & 2x12") & 3 horns. So, it's a big sound.

I almost plugged in the other 1x12" cab, but we (sensibly) decided to keep a lid on the volume

 

[fingerbun]

Just reached agreement on a price that would still be enough to reduce an American to tears, but appears to be reasonable value for the Australian market. Gotta fill in the paperwork and then I can join the Walkabout club.

Don't tell my wife!!!