Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 6

[GregC]

1. I own a Bergantino NV412 cab today and really like it. Seems silly in a way to have such a small head atop a big cabinet like this. And I wonder if the WA has the power to really get this cab going. Any thoughts\impressions on how this head interacts with the NV series cabinets?

I have a Walkabout combo and recently got an NV610. I've pulled the head and put it on top of the Berg--great combination! It gets plenty loud, too.

 

[Dave W]

the tan grills would look pimp on the stock black setup, I'd think.

Agreed, and I'd trade for them in a second if I had two black grills.

 

[lomo]

IME whatever cab you love with another head will sound even better with a Walkabout on top. If I was willing to haul the 412 that's how I'd roll.

 

[Chef]

You don't have to carry a 412.
You can carry two GK 212.

 

[Alexander]

Thanks, Chef - how would you describe the match of the WA with the GK NEO cabs?

 

[MuthaFunk]

Not sure if I should be posting this in the classifieds instead (if I should please let me know), but I was wondering if anyone would be interested in trading grills with me. I bought a used Walkabout 12" stack in wine Taurus with tan jute grills, but I think I'd prefer black ones.

I'm going to go for this. I'm not sure how the white piping will look though... I think the tan adds a touch of class to an already classy amp.

I totally agree with the others who have said Aladinsane's amp will look much better with the black grills and grey piping.

 

[Chef]

Tje GK's have less low bass, and, more mids and hi's compared to the Scout cabs.
This is good, for me, as I like a bit more presence.

If you want fatter, old school tone, the Scout cabs are great; but, you might want two if you're in a band that requires more Db.

Thanks, Chef - how would you describe the match of the WA with the GK NEO cabs?

 

[Alexander]

Thanks - I'm definitely looking for a bit of a fatter sound overall. I tried the WA Scout and liked it overall - I know I would absolutely want two if I went that route. Going from that to trying the WA with the 410 made it clear to me that I wanted more than the 112.

Any other thoughts? Thanks, again

 

[Jim C]

Alexander,
I've tried making the WA work in a rock format with a variety of 1x15's and 2x10's and have failed.
I have yet to gig with a Neo 2x12 and hope that will be my single cabinet portable answer.
I have had no issues with the WA with big effecient cabs; it can be brutaly loud with some of the Berg cabinets.
As mentioned by Chef and others, the little guy just doesn't have enough grunt to power anything ineffecient to moderate or louder dB levels (yet we all keep trying!)

 

[NOLA Bass]

Tje GK's have less low bass, and, more mids and hi's compared to the Scout cabs.
This is good, for me, as I like a bit more presence.

If you want fatter, old school tone, the Scout cabs are great; but, you might want two if you're in a band that requires more Db.

Chef,

I cocur with you assessment on this one. That is why I like the Walkabout Scout 12 with my band that plays blues, funk, alt country, etc. The fat, darker, warm tone is just perfect. Plus, our drummer uses a jungle kit, so plenty of volume for me so far.

Conversely, the GK's have worked wonderfully with my other band (rock/metal) where volume is much higher. Plus, they cut through those half stacks well and are a hell of a lot easier to load in than my Epi PS410.

 

[NOLA Bass]

I should point out that the flexibility of the WA is a nice match with the GK. you can def add some warmth and low mid character with it. As I previously mentioned I did not like these cabs with the GK MB500, but the WA solved that. Well worth 10#! ; )

 

[rodl2005]

Been on the market for a new amp and have spent a fair amount of time this week going from store to store and I think I'm settled on the Walkabout. Tested it at GC with a Jazz bass right off the wall and it sounded amazing in every sense of the word - I now see what the buzz is all about.

I've been digging back through these threads researching potential cabinet options. Will likely by the head first and carry it around to stores again trying with a wide variety of cabs. But wanted to get your opinion on a couple of points:

1. I own a Bergantino NV412 cab today and really like it. Seems silly in a way to have such a small head atop a big cabinet like this. And I wonder if the WA has the power to really get this cab going. Any thoughts\impressions on how this head interacts with the NV series cabinets?

2. I generally like the Ampeg tone, but think the WA sounds better than any Ampeg head I've tried (except the SVTVR). I'm thinking about trying it with the Portaflex and\or AV series cabinets. I was really excited about the new Pro-NEO series Ampegs until I learned they were 8 ohm only (which seems dumb to me, but what do I know?). I thought the Ampeg color might blend well with the clarity and "tubey" nature of the WA really well. Any opinions on this?

3. I tried the WA into a Mesa 410 cab and it sounded absolutely massive - almost as if a "deep" switch was engaged. It was a bit of a dark combination, but I think the nickel strings on my Sadowsky were really dead - my hope is that a fresh set (maybe of SS) would bring back the lively midrange character I loved when I initially tried the amp. Had to be really careful with adding bass as it seemed perhaps that it would be too bloomy\bassy if I wasn't careful. It was also a bit more modern than the tone I'm used to, but maybe that's okay - that rig was addicting for sure. Any thoughts on this particular combination?

4. Finally, I'm open to other suggestions. My band is playing mainly country\rock\blues and I kind of have been going for a vintage tone with modern clarity\punch\depth. Our band doesn't get stupid loud (I've been doing rehearsals with a Fender 100W SS Combo and don't get it past 4 in terms of volume), but don't want to get caught short on a gig. I loved the bigger tone\presence from the larger box as well. Hope this is clear enough.

Thanks for any\all replies - appreciate the help!

I've a NV412 also. The WA sounds GREAT with it. If you're worried about looks -the Mesa WA head case fixes that.
I've run my WA into NV215 also, with great results.
Definitely no probs driving the 412.

 

[projectapollo]

The walkabout sounded really really good with the Berg NV i had for a little while. I think it will get loud enough. Great combination.

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

My 12" Speaker - 4 Ohm died on transport.
Today i got my new one and it was much lighter. It was an Eminence custom made too, but it had an other magnet like the old one.
But it sounds awesome ....

And together with my 2 selfmade TL806 cabs, loaded with basslites 2012, it's a dream!!! So fat, so sweet, so punchy and so loud at 2 Ohms.
I think, it's time to show you once again a picture of my little stack, i have already posted 1, 5 years ago ...
(The cab is not on the picture, sorry ..., but the head)

 

[Jazz4]

[/IMG]
As I mentioned before about my new to me Mesa stuff. Here it is. Man it sounds so sweet.

I feel I got a real super deal for this rig. It cost me less than just the combo if I would have bought it new. It's in mint shape. I had been looking for a real decent rig for a while and never even considered Mesa as it is not that popular in this area. Mostly Ampeg, Markbass and GK around here. Then we had a band up from Knoxville here this past summer and he was using a Walkabout head and the Mesa 1200 cab.(4-10's and a 15 I believe. They where a super loud band and that thing rocked. Made up my mind right there and then and never looked for anything else. Mesa really got it right when they hatched this sucker. I figure if I ever need something louder which i doubt I will. I'll just buy another mini stack.

 

[sunbeast]

1. I own a Bergantino NV412 cab today and really like it. Seems silly in a way to have such a small head atop a big cabinet like this. And I wonder if the WA has the power to really get this cab going. Any thoughts\impressions on how this head interacts with the NV series cabinets?

Thanks for any\all replies - appreciate the help!

I've used my NV610 and Walkabout together almost exclusively for the last couple years, and I think they are a perfect match. The NV cabs were designed with lower-wattage tube heads in mind, and the Walkabout is as close as it gets in a solid-state amp in my experience. The mid-forward nature of the cab paired with the tubey voicing of the Walkabout can get you alot more volume than you might expect from such a small amp, and the sealed design of the cab keeps the potentially loose low end of the pushed Walkabout in check.

As far as the aesthetics- I think the Walkabout is a classy looking head, and it certainly looks better atop one of these big cabs than something like a GK MB800 would! As mentioned also, the Mesa headcases are also very classy, and I've also used my Walkabout with the optional rack-mount kit which makes it appear much more substantial (though I just use the rack for protection myself!).

 

[lomo]

That stack is a thing of beauty!

[/IMG]
As I mentioned before about my new to me Mesa stuff. Here it is. Man it sounds so sweet.

.

 

[Alexander]

I've used my NV610 and Walkabout together almost exclusively for the last couple years, and I think they are a perfect match. The NV cabs were designed with lower-wattage tube heads in mind, and the Walkabout is as close as it gets in a solid-state amp in my experience. The mid-forward nature of the cab paired with the tubey voicing of the Walkabout can get you alot more volume than you might expect from such a small amp, and the sealed design of the cab keeps the potentially loose low end of the pushed Walkabout in check.

As far as the aesthetics- I think the Walkabout is a classy looking head, and it certainly looks better atop one of these big cabs than something like a GK MB800 would! As mentioned also, the Mesa headcases are also very classy, and I've also used my Walkabout with the optional rack-mount kit which makes it appear much more substantial (though I just use the rack for protection myself!).

Cool - seems there is lots of love for the WA\NV combo, which is great. I think I will just get the head and try it for a while with the NV412 while we get used to one another. I don't mind schlepping the bigger cab.

I wouldn't mind finding another "wider" solution as well. I really loved the experience I had with the Mesa 410 - like I said, it was like the deep switch was engaged on the amp. So, while it was a bit dark perhaps, I LOVED the deep presence that combo had. I'm wondering how this head might perform with one of the Berg HD series cabs? Seems like getting two of the HD212s and running them at 500W (2ohms) would be devestating. Anybody tried this? Or any other recommendations?

 

[rodl2005]

I used my Walkabout / NV412 rig last weekend & could barely keep from grinning stupidly all set.
Such a great tone. Growly punchy & loud.
I've run it @ 2 ohms before, but more often at 2.67 into the AE112/212 rig & that gets very loud.

 

[Chef]

I remember this well, and, I *still* think it's awesome.
Well done, and thanks for the post.

My 12" Speaker - 4 Ohm died on transport.
Today i got my new one and it was much lighter. It was an Eminence custom made too, but it had an other magnet like the old one.
But it sounds awesome ....

And together with my 2 selfmade TL806 cabs, loaded with basslites 2012, it's a dream!!! So fat, so sweet, so punchy and so loud at 2 Ohms.
I think, it's time to show you once again a picture of my little stack, i have already posted 1, 5 years ago ...
(The cab is not on the picture, sorry ..., but the head)