Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 1 X 12 combo questions

[mikeynets]

One of these just came up in a local listing. I've always been curious about these amps/combos. The price is right, but I'm wondering about the repairability and parts availability of it now.

Paging @agedhorse

Also, I don't know if this is just a quirk of the photo and it's just a later silverface, or if this is a some kind of special run white face with orangey/brown details? Was there such a thing?

Last question, would any modern Mesa Subway cabs pair well with this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[agedhorse]

Silver face.

Some parts have become hard/expensive to source and are becoming unavailable.

You want to be sure it’s the 8 ohm cabinet, the 4 ohm version had lower performance and tended to fail when driven hard over time.

Be sure the speaker hasn’t been changed with a random driver, this is common and ruins the tone. We have several acceptable alternates, the original driver is no longer available. We do still have some replacement 15’s but not the 12’s.

 

[pfschim]

Looks to be the v1 of the Walkabout. I have a v2 Walkabout with black face markings and the FX on/bypass switch in the back. I think the v3 Walkabout was the all black face version.

Outstanding amp for sure, still one of my absolute favorites, but I sold off the combo cab long ago and just use the amp in a Mesa head case, run into any number of cabs.

If it's in good shape, I'd go for it.

 

[57pbass]

I used the 4 ohm version of this great combo for several years and never had a problem with it. Plenty of volume and tone for the bar and small club gigs.

 

[mikeynets]

Would the ohms rating be printed underneath the speaker out, where the jack is in the attached photo? If so, should be easy enough to ask the seller for another photo.

 

[mikeynets]

Looks to be the v1 of the Walkabout. I have a v2 Walkabout with black face markings and the FX on/bypass switch in the back. I think the v3 Walkabout was the all black face version.

Outstanding amp for sure, still one of my absolute favorites, but I sold off the combo cab long ago and just use the amp in a Mesa head case, run into any number of cabs.

If it's in good shape, I'd go for it.

Yeah, I don't really need the cab, but it's being sold all together and I'm sure I could find a use for it. Truth told, I don't need the amp either! But like I said at the outset, I've been curious. The last gig I had, there was a bassist in another band that had a brownish tweed scout combo and it sounded incredible through the DI out and lots of PA support.

 

[mikeswals]

The impedance label will be right by the tweeter control, probably below it.

Silver face with red lettering is the v1. I think this color combo lasted '01 thru '04, then went to the silver/black lettering for '05.
I've had 6 or 7 WA heads in all versions, my most favorite was a very beat up silver/red one, just sounded better than the others for some reason.

 

[agedhorse]

Be sure it has an original driver, or the approved alternate.

Early on, we shipped mostly 4 ohm combos because players insisted that they get more power out of the amp. In hindsight, the tradeoffs weren't worth the gain in power, the 8 ohm version was better all around and especially when using an extension cabinet. Later versions were 8 ohm.

 

[pfschim]

Yeah, I don't really need the cab, but it's being sold all together and I'm sure I could find a use for it. Truth told, I don't need the amp either! But like I said at the outset, I've been curious. The last gig I had, there was a bassist in another band that had a brownish tweed scout combo and it sounded incredible through the DI out and lots of PA support.

my overall experience with the WA combo was ok. I loved (and still love) the amp, but I honestly struggled with the cabs. Over several years I used the 1x12 combo, combo with the 1x12 Scout extension for a 2x12 setup, combo with the 1x15 Scout extension for a 12+15 rig. The 12+15 combination running at 4ohms seemed to work best for me, but then I was meaningfully beyond the combo in terms of carry and the cabs were not ideal as I felt that the WA passive radiator cabs were not very efficient and did not get the most out of the Amp. Once I started using the Amp into other separate cabs (for me a Berg CN212 or Berg NV610) I was much happier and the Amp really showed its exceptional character.

You'll have to work with the amp/cab in your musical environment, but I'm confident you will like the amp. It's a very musical amp.

good luck!

 

[agedhorse]

my overall experience with the WA combo was ok. I loved (and still love) the amp, but I honestly struggled with the cabs. Over several years I used the 1x12 combo, combo with the 1x12 Scout extension for a 2x12 setup, combo with the 1x15 Scout extension for a 12+15 rig. The 12+15 combination running at 4ohms seemed to work best for me, but then I was meaningfully beyond the combo in terms of carry and the cabs were not ideal as I felt that the WA passive radiator cabs were not very efficient and did not get the most out of the Amp. Once I started using the Amp into other separate cabs (for me a Berg CN212 or Berg NV610) I was much happier and the Amp really showed its exceptional character.

You'll have to work with the amp/cab in your musical environment, but I'm confident you will like the amp. It's a very musical amp.

good luck!

The Walkabout into any of the Subway cabinets is IMO a significant improvement over the Scout cabs. The Scouts were a novel approach at the time (the design is about 25 years old), but there are better ways to do it now, including the Powerhouse and Subway cabinets.

 

[mikeynets]

my overall experience with the WA combo was ok. I loved (and still love) the amp, but I honestly struggled with the cabs. Over several years I used the 1x12 combo, combo with the 1x12 Scout extension for a 2x12 setup, combo with the 1x15 Scout extension for a 12+15 rig. The 12+15 combination running at 4ohms seemed to work best for me, but then I was meaningfully beyond the combo in terms of carry and the cabs were not ideal as I felt that the WA passive radiator cabs were not very efficient and did not get the most out of the Amp. Once I started using the Amp into other separate cabs (for me a Berg CN212 or Berg NV610) I was much happier and the Amp really showed its exceptional character.

You'll have to work with the amp/cab in your musical environment, but I'm confident you will like the amp. It's a very musical amp.

good luck!

Thanks to you and everyone else for the thoughtful replies. My GAS has subsided a little bit. I really am already set for amps and really really set for cabs.

I get the feeling — and a lot of the comments here seem to corroborate — that the WA amp has remained relevant because of its unique voice, but cab technology and/or materials have gone through a paradigm shift over the last twenty years. While older cabs can still be perfectly serviceable, new (high end especially) cabs are so light, loud, small and efficient that its hard to "go back."

So while the price for the combo is indeed really good, I'd be paying for a cab and combo enclosure that probably underperforms compared to my current cabs — Barefaced 1x10 and Revsound 2x10. Makes the price not as compelling. I might be better off looking at a WD800 if it's just the tone of the head is what I'm after.

No way to know until I try them. Thanks for all your input.

 

[agedhorse]

It is hard to go back.

I was hired by Mesa ~12 years ago to bring their bass amp/cab line forward about 20 years, that was the mission of the Subway family.

 

[pfschim]

Thanks to you and everyone else for the thoughtful replies. My GAS has subsided a little bit. I really am already set for amps and really really set for cabs.

I get the feeling — and a lot of the comments here seem to corroborate — that the WA amp has remained relevant because of its unique voice, but cab technology and/or materials have gone through a paradigm shift over the last twenty years. While older cabs can still be perfectly serviceable, new (high end especially) cabs are so light, loud, small and efficient that its hard to "go back."

So while the price for the combo is indeed really good, I'd be paying for a cab and combo enclosure that probably underperforms compared to my current cabs — Barefaced 1x10 and Revsound 2x10. Makes the price not as compelling. I might be better off looking at a WD800 if it's just the tone of the head is what I'm after.

No way to know until I try them. Thanks for all your input.

well, I would say that the Walkabout is well worth having, so I certainly don't want to be part of talking you out of grabbing one. For reference, I have a WD800 and gig it very often, more often than my Walkabout due to the WA's somewhat limiting clean volume limits. The WD800 does bring a WA inspired voice, along with a bunch of other improvements. But, if I can use my Walkabout on a gig, that's my first choice. It is a 300w amp @ 4ohms so it's not really volume shy, it just gets a little wooly at the upper limits of its volume range for my needs.

But of course, you have to make your own decisions on gear.

good luck an good playing!

 

[pfschim]

The Walkabout into any of the Subway cabinets is IMO a significant improvement over the Scout cabs. The Scouts were a novel approach at the time (the design is about 25 years old), but there are better ways to do it now, including the Powerhouse and Subway cabinets.

you know what Andy, I have not actually played my Walkabout through my (somewhat) recently acquired Subway 1x15 (excellent cab!). Doh!
My Walkabout sits in my studio/practice space on top of a Berg sealed NV212t and that's pretty much how I hear it these days. It sounds great thru the Berg for sure, but I need to get off my butt and try the WA with the Subway 1x15. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

I have the WD800, and it’s excellent. An extraordinary amp.

I still love to play with my walkabout. The combo sounds incredible. I don’t care if newer amps are lighter or whatever. That walkabout 12 is cemented at this point. It has problems, but who cares? The Pbass and SVT have problems too. All gear does.

I’d rather have a walkabout than a B15.

 

[HJFree]

Thanks for joining Mesa Andy!

 

[agedhorse]

The Walkabout through a Subway 212, 215 or 410 is still a formidable rig, it was one of the amps we used when developing the Subway cabs.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I’d rather have a walkabout than a B15.

…and by extension, I sold my B-15 for this…

Which oddly enough, I can cop a B-15-like sound from when needed

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

FWIW, I still regularly gig a silverface WalkAbout Scout 15.

 

[agedhorse]

FWIW, I still regularly gig a silverface WalkAbout Scout 15.

The 8 ohm 115 combo was the best of the bunch except for size and weight.