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Mesa Boogie Walkabout Part 6

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#1,021
pfschim said:
BTW, no matter what the seller offered, your amp should have the Mesa supported 5 year warranty (whatever is left of it from the original date of sale). Mesa is very good about honoring the warranty.

enjoy!
Click to expand...

Thanks -- I'd forgotten about that! This is my fourth Mesa, and I've bought all of 'em used. The others (D-180, Buster head, and Blue Angel 1x12 combo) were too old when I bought them to even hope for warranty coverage; I still have them all, and none has ever needed service. (Although I'm up in Edmonton now, I'm a Petaluma native -- and a pretty big fan of the "home team".)

No surprise here, but the WA's tone and feel are pretty similar to the D-180's, but miles away from the Buster's -- which is exactly what I'd hoped for. Prior to the WA, my D-180 plus a Diesel 2x10 was the smallest rig I had -- and was overkill for the low-key gigs I've played for the last few years (and my Diesel 4x10 hasn't been out of the basement for at least that long). Schlepping these beasts has been getting old.

Okay, gotta go -- tonight's one trip load-in and WA tone will be total bliss! :D
 
#1,023
Just fell into a unique sitution and able to buy either a new LDS 2x12 (Eminence non Neo), GK Neo 2x12 or a used Uber 2x12 all for about the same money.
Which would you pick for a single cab rock box (of course with the WA) and if there's a reason you might share that as well.
TIA
 
#1,025
All good cabs. Resale on the Uber will be best, assuming they're all in the same shape. I have no other basis for opinion, as I haven't heard any of the 3, but if you haven't either, may as well choose the best deal. Rickenboogie may chime in as he digs his Uber 212 and Chef has a 212...
 
#1,026
Uber 212? Awesome cab with the Walkabout. The GB Uber series, to my ears, is like a perfect blend between old-school fat and warm, and modern snap and sizzle. Not too much of either end, just a good blend of both- and loud enough to play in a 2 guitar rock band, (with intelligent guitards). Is that an oxymoron?
 
#1,027
I have the GK Neo212's.
They're 8ohm, but, even so, they're efficient enough that one covers a lot of ground.
And, you can run two, (or even three....or even four-gasp!) well within the Walkabouts working ohm load.

Just for fun last night, I ran my two x Neo 112 vertical stack, with both the Walkabout and MBFusion on top.
All I had to do was switch the signal cord and one speaker cord; doable b/t songs.

Much as I like the MBFusion, it comes off feeling sterile when a/b'd to the Mesa.
With "just two" of the 112's, the Walkabout was on the edge of enough power for "pretty big room, not so lud band, no pa support."
For supporting role, it was great, when digging in for solo/standout sections it was a bit grittier than I prefer...
With my 57 P RI with flats, it wasn't as noticeable as the Sadowsky JJ with stainless rounds.

I have a couple other gigs coming up where the two x 212 stack won't "seem too damn big," and I'll repeat this experiment.

Really, even the two x 112 stack can "seem too big" just because it's so tall...
(on the other hand, the guitar player was telling me I need to set up both 212's, and, both 112's, sometime, just because I can)


Folks just gonna have to deal though.
The Walkabout/GK combination hits a really good personal sweet spot for me.
Fat, articulate, enough edge. Very nice, I think.
 
#1,028
As usual things are not what they seem.
As it turns out the Uber 2x12 is really a GB NeoX212; the guy is asking $450 and it is about a 1 hour drive.
Anybody used one of these?
Ironically Music 123 has the GK Neo 2x12 for $481 and can be ordered as a 4 ohm cabinet (although they won't accept returns for this non-stocked model).
The LDS is between $580 - 800 depending on componenets and can be ordered in a variety of coverings / configurations.
Had not considered resale on the LDS though.
Thanks for all your continued input on cabinet pairing; the good news is I really don't have any interest in looking at other amps or basses (although I've never played a Sadowsky).
 
#1,029
I had a Neox 212 and although it's a good cab, I found it was still not loud enough with my Walkabout head to play my bar gigs with sufficient headroom. I had to put a 3rd Neox 12 on top of it. The form factor was great (built in casters and vertical woofer array) but the handles are (IMHO) poorly placed at the top/side. I would have preferred them closer to mid-height so that when lifting the cab the bottom would be farther from the floor. I'm 5'10" so this may not matter if you're 6' or taller. IMO the cab is tuned "average". The Scout 12 is definitely tuned lower.




Jim C said:
As usual things are not what they seem.
As it turns out the Uber 2x12 is really a GB NeoX212; the guy is asking $450 and it is about a 1 hour drive.
Anybody used one of these?
Ironically Music 123 has the GK Neo 2x12 for $481 and can be ordered as a 4 ohm cabinet (although they won't accept returns for this non-stocked model).
The LDS is between $580 - 800 depending on componenets and can be ordered in a variety of coverings / configurations.
Had not considered resale on the LDS though.
Thanks for all your continued input on cabinet pairing; the good news is I really don't have any interest in looking at other amps or basses (although I've never played a Sadowsky).
Click to expand...
 
#1,031
Chef said:
Much as I like the MBFusion, it comes off feeling sterile when a/b'd to the Mesa.
Click to expand...

That's a great way to describe the Walkabout. I've been playing mine for about a year. While other amps I've played sounded good, there was just always something missing. They all really do have a sterile feeling compared to the Walkabout.
 
#1,032
The NeoX 212 is a great cab, and a better design being vertically aligned, but it's a bit too "modern" sounding for my tastes. And +1 on adding a 3rd 12 to the mix. I sometimes add an 8 ohm Aguilar DB112 atop the 4 ohm Uber when I need more volume, (which isn't very often for me anymore)- but worth mentioning. Anything louder than approx 500 watts through 3 12's and i'm out. But, if you're playing with younger 'guitards" who use big amps, that another thing altogether. I can't comment on the LDS cabs, but from what i've read here, they should also be a good option.
 
#1,033
You guys are making me nervous with 2x12 not being enough.
I play with some other old drifters with a PV Classic 30; Fender tube amp with 40 watts and 1x12, + keys and usually no need for FOH with our club dates.
The 1x15 just barely makes it with the WA (or SVT) but is OK with big power; the Berg HT322 is good with the WA or SVT.
It sucks getting old and lazy as carying heavy cabs is not going to happen at 53.
Maybe I should just think about an older Epi 4x10, Go Light 4x10, or Mark Bass 4x10.
Of couse the other option is 2ea. 2x10.
Ironically I don't like the tone of my SVP preamp / power rig, SWR, or the Trace I sold as compared to the WA.
We must be an incredible minority, or, Mesa is horrible at forecasting what will be popular.
 
#1,034
Personally, I don't really like any of those 410's with the Walkabout, though the AE410 was really pretty good.

Jim, one man's loud is another mans "I can't hear you!."

The gig I did last night with Walkabout>2xGK Neo 112 was a biiiig room. It could have held 3-400 people, there were only 60 or so though:(
Bose Stick/sbux2 without drums/bass/guitar in it, just keys and vocals and horns.

In this context, that rig was plenty, with input gain at eleven oclock, and master at one oclock. Big and fat for driving the rhythm section, plenty of head room at my fingertips for standout sections, though those were a little grittier than I like.
I like "no grit at all," so, take that into account.

I have done jobs with one of the GK112's (with pa help) and with the 212 (without pa, not as loud as last night) and been happy, but, I'm not playing in death-metal-hair-bands-of-doom, nor with guys who want to go home with their ears ringing.

I will gig the Walkabout 2x212 rig this coming weekend.
The GK 212's are light, easy to move and I easily get two of them in my Scion Xb.
 
#1,035
Played our monthly gig at the uni's Faculty Club last night, my first with my new-to-me WA Scout 12. Smallish room, seats maybe thirty around tables. As usual, I set up right against the bar -- handy for ordering, but makes for some boominess. Easily tamed with a touch of that semiparametric eq.

In short, I received many complements on my tone, and was grinning ear to ear. The amp feels very much like my D-180 with its touch-sensitive nature. The 1x12 cab, on the other hand, is very different from my Diesel 2x10 - but exactly the full, round tone I've been seeking.

The best moments of the night were when I set the WA's gain to 2:00 or so, turned up the (q-tuner) neck pickup, and dug into my fretless' strings a bit... pure, utter, sex-in-a-tolex-covered-box tonal bliss!
 
#1,037
Hey guys quick advice. The walkabout i donated to my church is acting up. Super overdriven sound any any setting. Sounds good on the DI and efx out. But speaker out is overdriven. So problem must be the power amp section. Replaced tubes, no difference. Thoughts? Back to mesa?
 
#1,038
If a tube doesn't fix it and you bypassed the effects loop I would think it's time to go to a tech or back home to the factory.

Well said Alan:
"one man's loud is another mans "I can't hear you!"
Thought you liked the Epi?
Other than an Berg AE, what is the 60ish lb 4x10 that's a good match?
(will force myself to go to GC one quiet afternoon this week to audition a GK 2x12 with a WA)
 
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