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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 6

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#702
fingerbun said:
Having got to know my Walkabout head I am now about to buy some new cabinets to go with it.

My shortlist at this point is a pair of TC Electronics RS212s or a pair of Ampeg PF115HEs. Both easy to transport while still moving a reasonable amount of air, reasonable pricepoint and in theory will do a nice "old school" sound.

Anyone using either of those cabs with Walkabout care to comment on your experiences.

P.S. Happy Birthday Chef.
Click to expand...

I have had the TC RS212 teamed up with the WA. Very nice combo. One RS212 is enough to bring out the best in the WA.
I used also a RS210. As a stand-alone it was less deep and warm than the RS212; As an addition to the RS212 it made a very punchy, deep sounding rig.

Cons:
  1. The cab's finish is very vulnerable. It scratches and even chips on the edges much to easy.
  2. When used vertically (as a standalone) the WA is wider than the cabs.
  3. The cabs have no feet, making the sound very dependent on what floor they stand on.
  4. The TC cabs are back ported, due to which the sound is affected by where they stand regardig walls, curtains and such.

I now use Gallien Krueger Neo 12" cabs with my WA. To my humble opinion they make the best combination.
The sound is awesome - deep, punchy and lots of (upper) mids. And because of the WA's eq you can dial in every sound you need.
The GK cabs are very good sounding, reasonably priced, sturdy built, light weight and front ported (which I prefer).
The Neo 112 when used vertically is wide enough to support the WA. Two 112's stacked vertically make a nice 3 ft 'tower' which needs ample floorspace.
Thus it is very handy in case of small stages/venues. And due to the height it enables you to hear yourself better, even when standing quite close to it.

With other words: I reckon you should also include the GK Neo cabs in your surch for finding a good team with your WA.
• • •
 
#703
GK 112's: yessir those work well.

I can also add: two GK 2121's make a great 412 stack with the walkabout.
And: with the Walkabout's 2 ohm capability, you could power 2x112 + 2x212.......!!!!!!!!!!
(or, 4x112, or 4x212)
I've not tried this.
 
#704
Last night, my friend brought his Ampeg 112 by. We were really trying out diff cabs with my Ashdown Little Bastard, but were able to do sone testing as follow:

Mesa Walkabout Scout 12 (4ohm)
Mesa WA into GK NEO 112 (8ohm)
Mesa WA into Ampeg 112 (8ohm).

Basses were Sadowsky NYC V4PJ, Sadowsky Metro Will Lee, Lakland Skyline 44-64 w flats, Spector NS4.

The Scout combo cab and Ampeg are similar in a rather warm, vintage vibe cabs. The Ampeg had a little more down low/low mid. The Mesa had a little more focused mids and a little more sheen than the Ampeg. Plugging into the GK sounded very flat and uncolored in comparison. It didn't have lows of the Ampeg but was def louder and more transparent. Didn't really compare volume w Scout as it was 4 ohms.

Now, one of the beauties of the WA in my opinion is how it can really add some warmth to a more "modern" sounding cab.

Of course, this is all just opinion and preference, but hope it helps.
 
#705
rodl2005 said:
I've played the pf115 cab, but only in store with a pf500 amp not with a Walkabout.
FWIW, I liked the pf115 cab. Sounded nice & rich. I was considering grabbing a couple before a Berg NV412 reared its head.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Re the Bergs, if they made a 212 and it was competitively priced I would look at a pair of them. I only did maybe 80 shows last year and 2 of them would have needed the 412....so I have to consider my lug, and how much I spend on what is essentially a hobby. I am blessed with an understanding wife and I can't abuse that :)
 
#706
Hnz said:
I have had the TC RS212 teamed up with the WA. Very nice combo. One RS212 is enough to bring out the best in the WA.
I used also a RS210. As a stand-alone it was less deep and warm than the RS212; As an addition to the RS212 it made a very punchy, deep sounding rig.

Cons:
  1. The cab's finish is very vulnerable. It scratches and even chips on the edges much to easy.
  2. When used vertically (as a standalone) the WA is wider than the cabs.
  3. The cabs have no feet, making the sound very dependent on what floor they stand on.
  4. The TC cabs are back ported, due to which the sound is affected by where they stand regardig walls, curtains and such.

I now use Gallien Krueger Neo 12" cabs with my WA. To my humble opinion they make the best combination.
The sound is awesome - deep, punchy and lots of (upper) mids. And because of the WA's eq you can dial in every sound you need.
The GK cabs are very good sounding, reasonably priced, sturdy built, light weight and front ported (which I prefer).
The Neo 112 when used vertically is wide enough to support the WA. Two 112's stacked vertically make a nice 3 ft 'tower' which needs ample floorspace.
Thus it is very handy in case of small stages/venues. And due to the height it enables you to hear yourself better, even when standing quite close to it.

With other words: I reckon you should also include the GK Neo cabs in your surch for finding a good team with your WA.
• • •
Click to expand...

Chef said:
GK 112's: yessir those work well.

I can also add: two GK 2121's make a great 412 stack with the walkabout.
And: with the Walkabout's 2 ohm capability, you could power 2x112 + 2x212.......!!!!!!!!!!
(or, 4x112, or 4x212)
I've not tried this.
Click to expand...

GK is good gear and I'll certainly be trying it. I expect to find it is less vintage than either the TC or Ampeg cabs, and I really want an old school kind of sound. But then, when I went the Walkabout it was the GK fusion heads, not the TC, that gave it a run for its money.

Any comments on GK 12s vs 15s? At heart I am a 15 guy, but thought the 12s might give me less beaming without being as shallow as most 10 boxes sound to my ears.
 
#707
The GK cabs are more modern sounding, yes.
But, the paper cone 10's go to, and are crossed at, 5khz, so you can turn the horn down, or off...and, trim treble at two para eq points, and at shelving treble, and at your bass while working towards a more vintage tone.
 
#708
fingerbun said:
Thanks. Re the Bergs, if they made a 212 and it was competitively priced I would look at a pair of them. I only did maybe 80 shows last year and 2 of them would have needed the 412....so I have to consider my lug, and how much I spend on what is essentially a hobby. I am blessed with an understanding wife and I can't abuse that :)
Click to expand...

FB - FWIW you really need to go into Bass Gear Direct and hear the Berg HD212 with your Walkabout. I think it will make you never look at anotehr cab ever again - 2 of them together - forget it -:bassist:

For an extra $100 or so over the RS212 with a Berg cover it is a no brainer. For 2 of them I'm pretty George @ BGD will do even better.
 
#709
MG Bass said:
FB - FWIW you really need to go into Bass Gear Direct and hear the Berg HD212 with your Walkabout. I think it will make you never look at anotehr cab ever again - 2 of them together - forget it -:bassist:

For an extra $100 or so over the RS212 with a Berg cover it is a no brainer. For 2 of them I'm pretty George @ BGD will do even better.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was toying with that....if I could A/B them agains the TC or Ampeg I would definitely be interested to do it. The Bergs are twice the price of the Ampeg, which does make me hesitate.

Your profile says you used to own an EV TL. Tonally, how does your Berg compare to them? I quite like the TL sound, except I want something that doesn't beam as much.
 
#710
Berg cabs have just got more clarity, punch, well, more of everything imo.
First time I played a Berg cab in my band, all band members commented about my bass playing. Asking if that was a new line, new bass etc... when it was simply them HEARING what I usually played more clearly.
Yet in no way do Bergs sound sterile.
Not even 'modern' (unless you dial in that tone), just CLARITY.
FWIW I played an EV TL cab way back when too. I like 'em.
 
#711
rodl2005 said:
Berg cabs have just got more clarity, punch, well, more of everything imo.
First time I played a Berg cab in my band, all band members commented about my bass playing. Asking if that was a new line, new bass etc... when it was simply them HEARING what I usually played more clearly.
Yet in no way do Bergs sound sterile.
Not even 'modern' (unless you dial in that tone), just CLARITY.
FWIW I played an EV TL cab way back when too. I like 'em.
Click to expand...

Hearing what I play????? Oh dear......... :p

Edit : NV412 is 108 pounds. Outside my weight limit....may as well carry an SVT if I'm going that heavy!
 
#713
i was over at crabby`s place today and learned something interesting. he has a WA combo (4ohms) and a euphonic audio 1 12 cab (8 ohms). both are nearly identical in dimensions.
we A B`d the two cabs and remarkably there was hardly any difference in volume between the two cabs; the EA cab must be very efficient. tone wise, they were fairly close as well.
the two together sounded great running at 2.67 ohms.
i wouldn`t have thought it would work well but it did!

anybody else run a similar system?

i have a WA scout as well and i am thinking of buying that cab...
 
#714
Crabby said:
Thoughts of cab differences.

I do find that the PH112 stack has a much more "open" sound then the Walkabout cab. They are not as muted and warm but are quite well balanced and have a lot of low end. I took some time to compare a single PH112 (8 ohm) to my Scout 112 (4 ohm) sitting side by side and of course, using a Walkabout head. Here's what I found:

The Scout has a very humped low end response and less open and bright sounding. There is a very sweet midrange character to this cab that pairs so well with the Walkabout. I find that if not placed on the floor, the benefits of the passive radiator are lost which makes sense to some degree.

In comparison, the PH112 is a more balanced cab and as described, sounds very open in that the highs are higher but not shrill, the lows feel very solid but more modern sounding. The cab doesn't have the same character to the mids but is not scooped in any way. This is a very pleasing cab to play and seems to be able to put out a lot of volume without ever sounding boxy or overly hyped in one frequency. Of course adding the second identical cab makes a huge difference.

Just for fun, I then compared my PH112 stack to my Scout 112 stacked on top of my EA CXL-112 which is almost the exact same dimensions as the Scout cab. The EA is an 8 ohm cab so a bit of a miss match to the Scout. On its own, the EA is more efficient, louder, has less lows and a much more aggressive midrange then either of the Mesa cabs. It puts out a ton of volume and doesn't fart out easily but has a touch of "boxyness" to the tone that reminds you that its a small cab. When stacked with the Scout on top, I was shocked at how well the cabs compliment each other. The stack is warm and mid present, loud and full sounding and I didn't feel that one cab was louder then the other. Very nice pairing actually.

In comparison, the PH112 stack just sounds better to my ears but its hard to explain why. Could be the fact that 2 identical cabs work better together but there as much as I liked the Scout/EA stack, the PH112's are just a little sweeter sounding and seem to fill the room with a more pleasing and balanced tone.

Lastly, I prefer the Scout and or the EA cab when playing fretless as the warmth of the Scout and the hyped mid growl of the EA really bring out the "mwah" in my Sterling fretless.

But for my fretted Stingrays and Bongo, I have to give the edge to the PH112 stack. If only taking one cab, I think the Scout is still very hard to beat and it continues to amaze me at how much ground it can cover.
Click to expand...

couldn`t have said it better myself. he tells the truth
 
#716
I saw an answer to a question someone asked in this thread a while back but couldn't find it, so I will ask again: Can the head be used without speakers while utilising the DI - with no damage to the head? I'll be doing some late night recording and don't want to wake anyone up. I love the sound of the Walkabout's DI.
 
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