Mesa Walkabout Megathread!

[Chef]

Last night:
1981 G&L L1000, Walkabout head; Henry 8x8.
Head set flat, input on 2, master on 4, eq flat, result:
WOW!
Dang, I like that lil ole head...

 

[tombowlus]

I have the bag you gave a link to. It came with my Walkabout head. It carries it nicely but you do have to take it out for the gig. No worries, easy to do and a well made bag.

+1 I really do like that bag. It is somewhat padded, and nicely durable. For the money, I think it's one of the better bags out there for a compact head. Far better than Eden, IMHO.

 

[Chef]

At $32, that's a heckuva deal.
Just to be boring and repetetive, I *really* like this head.
The scout combo is real sweet too.
Man, I shoulda come to this party a long time ago

 

[Vic]

At $32, that's a heckuva deal.
Just to be boring and repetetive, I *really* like this head.
The scout combo is real sweet too.
Man, I shoulda come to this party a long time ago

I did too. The ONLY reason I got rid of it was because I just didn't like the DI issue, and I don't want to have to use an exernal DI. I really prefer plugging directly into my head. (note: this was also only an issue for me because man times I'm unable to "set and forget" due to what happens when some of the folks I play with get kinda' excited. )

 

[Chef]

Vic, could you not have just set an sm57 in front of the speaker or sumptin'?
Yeah, I can see where that would be an annoyance for you tho, and there's plenty of other gear on the planet that works well...

 

[Vic]

Vic, could you not have just set an sm57 in front of the speaker or sumptin'?

I really dislike mics for bass except when being used to compliment a direct tone. I'd never use one instead of a DI for bass unless there was just no DI solution around at all for some reason, but thankfully, I've never run into that situation. I don't think they're horrible, just not nearly as good as a DI tone.

Yeah, I can see where that would be an annoyance for you tho, and there's plenty of other gear on the planet that works well...

Yeah, like a TFB.

 

[Chef]

Yessir, I concur with all of that...

I really dislike mics for bass except when being used to compliment a direct tone. I'd never use one instead of a DI for bass unless there was just no DI solution around at all for some reason, but thankfully, I've never run into that situation.

Yeah, like a TFB.

 

[62bass]

I have the bag. It's a tight fit and the sharp corners can cut into the inside of the bag so be careful. There's also a backpack of sorts for the full combo. I have one but haven't used it.

To remove the amp, you just unscrew the back panel and out it comes. Not a great design IMO, as they could as easily have just put latches on the top that'd allow you to slide it up and out. It's not like it's tough to remove or takes very long, but it's enough work/time to turn me off the idea and you've got screws to lose this way.

It could have been made simpler. I keep a small rechargeable electric screwdriver, fitted with the correct bit, for just this reason. That way it's a matter of seconds to remove the panel, remove the head, replace the panel and loosely replace the screws. No lost screws this way.

With gig bags you might want to be careful that the fuse holder on the back panel doesn't pop out and stay behind in the bag, or worse, get lost. I had that happen once with mine and I had a few anxious minutes at the gig when it wouldn't power up. Luckily I found the fuse and holder in the bag.

That and the fact the D.I. is post EQ are my only complaints and I can live with that.

Oh, one more thing--side handles would be a bonus. That one top handle, cool as it looks, just makes an awkward carry with such a deep cabinet.

Still, I haven't got rid of mine and don't intend to. Perfect sound for me and when I hear other players through it, I really know I made a wise choice.

 

[Vic]

That and the fact the D.I. is post EQ are my only complaints and I can live with that.

They actually had a good reason for doing this, BTW. I think I mentioned it earlier, but this was intentional, because they wanted the DI out to have a tubey tone... ALMOST like a cab simulator in a way, to get more of a sound as it comes from the output of the head to the cab, as opposed to dry from the bass.

This could open up a huge debate, but the simple fact is, IMHO, it sounded great. I also understand why they put it after the master control... to get more of the "tubey output" sound, but again, that meant that I could not independently adjust stage volume without hitting FOH, which I eventually couldn't live with.

In other words, good tonal idea, just bad in practice... IMHO...

Those with more disciplined stage environments than I have would not have this issue.

 

[62bass]

They actually had a good reason for doing this, BTW. I think I mentioned it earlier, but this was intentional, because they wanted the DI out to have a tubey tone... ALMOST like a cab simulator in a way, to get more of a sound as it comes from the output of the head to the cab, as opposed to dry from the bass.

This could open up a huge debate, but the simple fact is, IMHO, it sounded great. I also understand why they put it after the master control... to get more of the "tubey output" sound, but again, that meant that I could not independently adjust stage volume without hitting FOH, which I eventually couldn't live with.

In other words, good tonal idea, just bad in practice... IMHO...

Those with more disciplined stage environments than I have would not have this issue.

Yes, that sounds about right.

I've never yet had a very disciplined stage environment even at the best of times. Still, in a studio I guess the direct out could be used to simulate an overdriven tube amp. A simple switch would solve the problem but would add to cost and complexity. Not much but I bet enough to put it low on the priority list for Mesa.

 

[Folmeister]

Got mine today! I won't have much time to play with it tonight, but will tomorrow!

 

[vcs700s]

Got mine today! I won't have much time to play with it tonight, but will tomorrow!

Let us know what you think. I just used mine at church last night for the first time. The sound was just what I was looking for.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Is there anything different about the red walkabout vs the black one?

 

[Dragonlord]

I'm not sure, but yesterday I learned there's an 180W version? Maybe that's it.

Edit: not really sure about that, got it from the greek dealer who sucks so take this with a grain of salt

 

[Vic]

I'm not sure, but yesterday I learned there's an 180W version? Maybe that's it.

Edit: not really sure about that, got it from the greek dealer who sucks so take this with a grain of salt

Nope. Just older and newer models. Same power levels, same controls, same pricerange, etc.. Probably just minor incremental improvements if anything.

 

[Dragonlord]

There's no 180 watt version. Maybe it's 180 watts into 8 Ohms.

Well, the greek dealer has released a catalog that has a walkabout for 950 euro or so... on their site it has it for 1700. A friend called them to ask about it and they told him it's the 180W version . I thought it was just a misprint... They also don't have floor models, you can only test drive a mesa boogie if you agree to buy it anyway first. F'n amateurs.

 

[62bass]

That's a good look at the back removed. The 6 threaded inserts for the bolts holding the back on are a nice touch. Mesa also puts some foam in the joint to give a nice tight, rattle free support for the head.

Smash-it looks like you have nuclear reactor inside there.

 

[Chef]

Yeah man, what is this "fire inside mod?"

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

The red & the black.



Important distinction - the older, red, models had some factory fixes that were necessary / prone to certain issues, all detailed in this thread. The newer, black, models I believe include these fixes and are otherwise identical.

Mesa is a screwy company in that they can't be contacted by email. You have to call during their business hours and then speak to someone who might not have the most professional demeanor, "dude", but hopefully knows their stuff so if in doubt give 'em a call.

Veganbass, you can also ask Mr. Ho. He's the authorized Mesa fixer in town. Are you thinking of getting one? As always, you're welcome to borrow mine.

There's no 180 watt version. Maybe it's 180 watts into 8 Ohms.

I may indeed get one if my yet-to-be-recieved pre (SVT-IIP) doesnt work out. I'm hoping it does, but I tried the walkabout out at L&M about a week ago and really liked the tone. However, it was in the 12" mesa radiator cab so I dont know how much the cab contributed to the tone. So yeah, Smash, if I do decide to go the walkabout route, it would be nice to demo yours first. I was actually thinking of renting one, so its very nice of you to offer the loaner. You could give my UL-310 a spin if you want. Anyway, its all pie in the sky until I hear the SVT-IIP/Focus SA combo.

Also, with my previous experience with Ho I'm quite hesitant to give him repeat business.

 

[TehRoflCopter]

I tried a Scout combo at GC a few weeks ago and it was amazing. It basically nailed "my" tone. I have a few questions though, sorry if they've been asked already--I didn't read through the whole thread.

1.) Does the M-Pulse 600 sound almost exactly the same? I'd probably go with this over the Scout head just in case I needed that extra power.

2.) I know that the Scout combo goes for around $1300, maybe a little less, but as Mesa does not sell online, I have no idea what the Radiator alone, the Scout alone, or the M-Pulse 600 would go for. Could anyone fill me in here.

Thanks!