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mesa scout or powerhouse?

#2
If you get the Scout, you'll have the best combo amp ever. And perfect, for more than just practicing alone. You can always get a bigger Powerhouse cab later on, and use the Walkabout amp for a BIG bassamp. Definately get the matching scout cab, and make sure it's the one that will fit the amp into it.
 
#3
You should decide before you buy the Walkabout head.

Walkabout head - $999.00

Scout Bass Radiator Cabinet (0.WKE12.AB.N4) - $589.00
Powerhouse (0.P112-AMB) - $499.00

Walkabout Scout (Convertible Combo) - $1,299.00

The combo would save you some $$.

Cheers,

Mr. BEAR

TB Mesa Owners Clubmember #57
 
#8
Benjamin Strange said:
I prefer the Powerhouse 112 to the combo. The passive radiator just put out way too much low end for my taste, and overall the amp didn't seem as focused. I like how punchy my 112s are - they don't sound like a neo cab at all.
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Thanks for that info. I've been wondering about the differences myself, and that's pretty much what I thought I might expect. I haven't gotten a chance to check out a Powerhouse 1x12 in person, but I'm concerned that the 1x12 might not handle the low end as well as I would like. The Scout combos, OTOH, go low and go big, the 15" even moreso than the 12".
 
#9
amper said:
Thanks for that info. I've been wondering about the differences myself, and that's pretty much what I thought I might expect. I haven't gotten a chance to check out a Powerhouse 1x12 in person, but I'm concerned that the 1x12 might not handle the low end as well as I would like. The Scout combos, OTOH, go low and go big, the 15" even moreso than the 12".
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It may be true but I haven't had a chance to A/B the Scout 12 with the Powerhouse 12. I don't have any problems though with the Scout sounding unfocused. It sounds immediate and right there and lets you know it. It has more bottom than any other single 12 I've tried.

The Powerhouse cabinets are supposed to be very good ones. I expect they'd sound awfully good driven by the Walkabout too. Just about every cabinet I've used the Walkabout with sounded good.
 
#12
62bass said:
It may be true but I haven't had a chance to A/B the Scout 12 with the Powerhouse 12. I don't have any problems though with the Scout sounding unfocused. It sounds immediate and right there and lets you know it. It has more bottom than any other single 12 I've tried.

The Powerhouse cabinets are supposed to be very good ones. I expect they'd sound awfully good driven by the Walkabout too. Just about every cabinet I've used the Walkabout with sounded good.
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I have both the Walkabout 12 combo and a PH 1x12. There is a significant difference in the sound quality each cab produces.

The WA 12 is very punchy if needed, and also puts out a ton of low-end. So much so that it can get out of hand if you have a heavy touch on the EQ controls. I actually find myself cutting some below 40-50hz on this cab. It has a very nice full range tone that is very "creamy" and smooth in the low-lows, and easy to tame in the low-mids and midrange. It fits my jazz oriented work very well.

The PH 1x12, is very crisp compared to the WA 12. Puts out plenty of low end (for a 1x12), and will handle plenty of power, but is clearly (at least to my ears) a much more low-mid/mid punchy sort of cab than the WA 12. I find the PH 1x12 much more "aggressive" sounding than the WA 12 and, for my tone goals anyway, I have to roll the mids/upper-mids off some to get it where I want it.

Both cabs have great controls for the upper range, which I personally tend to roll off a bit. Very musical highs that come to heel with little effort.

I happen to prefer the WA 12, but that's just me.

as always, my comments are IMO/IME .. your mileage may vary.
 
#13
bchamorro said:
going to go place an order for a walkabout scout 1x12 combo tomorrow morning.

If I'm going to get the Walkabout, why not get the combo:)
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you will not regret the decision. The Walkabout 12 combo is a very flexible tone machine that plays well in many settings. I would urge you to go with the 4ohm version. Seems much more useful in that configuration.

enjoy!
 
#14
bchamorro said:
going to go place an order for a walkabout scout 1x12 combo tomorrow morning.

If im going to get the Walkabout, why not get the combo:)
Click to expand...

Good choice. You'll love it. You will have to spend a bit of time getting used to the Walkabout's tone controls. Usually I just set the bass, mid, and treble at 12 o'clock, the semi-parametric at flat and then judiciously tweak to suit the room and how bright you like your bass to sound. The semi-parametric is great for problem rooms.

I too found myself cutting bass many times because the Scout cabinet has so much bottom. I also usually set the tweeter control at about 9 o'clock because I don't like sizzling highs.

You're going to be in for a lot of fun. The Walkabout, I found, is an amp that makes you want to upgrade your bass. Drummers seem to like it a lot too.
 
#16
pfschim said:
I have both the Walkabout 12 combo and a PH 1x12. There is a significant difference in the sound quality each cab produces.

The WA 12 is very punchy if needed, and also puts out a ton of low-end. So much so that it can get out of hand if you have a heavy touch on the EQ controls. I actually find myself cutting some below 40-50hz on this cab. It has a very nice full range tone that is very "creamy" and smooth in the low-lows, and easy to tame in the low-mids and midrange. It fits my jazz oriented work very well.

The PH 1x12, is very crisp compared to the WA 12. Puts out plenty of low end (for a 1x12), and will handle plenty of power, but is clearly (at least to my ears) a much more low-mid/mid punchy sort of cab than the WA 12. I find the PH 1x12 much more "aggressive" sounding than the WA 12 and, for my tone goals anyway, I have to roll the mids/upper-mids off some to get it where I want it.

Both cabs have great controls for the upper range, which I personally tend to roll off a bit. Very musical highs that come to heel with little effort.

I happen to prefer the WA 12, but that's just me.

as always, my comments are IMO/IME .. your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much exactly as I heard it, too. The combo was just too polite sounding for my tastes, and I wanted something with a bit more bark. The Powerhouse 112s seemed to have a bit more grind and had a tighter, faster response than the combo. Several of my bass playing buddies have played through them and borrowed them for gigs, and have been begging me to sell ever since.

Just for fun:

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