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Mesa Walkabout Megathread!

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#441
looks like he just replaced the stock cooling fan with a red LED PC fan that hopefully had better noise specs. The fan mod was discussed way up-thread somewhere.

I did mine too, but I used blue ..'cause its cooler :cool:
 
#442
TehRoflCopter said:
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!
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1. I think so, I got a 360 and it sounds like a 600. ive tried the Walkabout and sounded pretty same to the m-pulse. they both have the simul-state technology.

2. sorry cant help ya, all i know is that the 600 in a case costs a little over $1200
 
#443
well, as I recall, even Mesa is a little vague about the specs on the stock fan, and suggested on the phone to someone way up-thread that the amp probably didn't need the ~33cfm that the stock Sunon fan produces. Sunon fans are well built, but notoriously noisy.

The stock fan was measured at something like 34 db(a) for 33 cfm worth of air flow/cooling. I found a fan that produces 27cfm at 23db(a) and has equal MTBF specs to the stock Sunon fan. It is noticeably quieter (at more than 10db less than stock) and I have never had an overheat issue, even playing outdoor gigs in the summer.

Its not a big deal in any event, but if the noise does bother you at low volumes or in a recording situation, just know there is an easy fix for it if your willing to crack the case on your Walkabout.

Long live the Walkabout :bassist:
 
#445
Mikey D said:
Have any of you seen any of these in the UK 2nd hand? How much are they? Just wondering if there is much saving.
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You won't see many Walkabout Scout Combos in the UK due to the extortionate pricing, in the UK they're asking £1399 UK $2744 USD for the 15" version.
I exchanged emails with Mesa several times regarding UK prices, the replies were just a load of waffle and inteligence insulting garbage.
 
#447
Just got home a short while ago with a new 12" Scout. A GC in the Chicago burbs had it on clearance for $900!:hyper: The guy I spoke to on the phone said they were trying to clear them out, but when I got to the store and showed the amps guy the price tag, he turned pale and went to speak to his boss for a few minutes. So this was probably a store-specific deal rather than a GC-wide one.

Anyhow, I loved the tone I got in the store with my AV RI '57 P. Have to fire it up tomorrow after work (I'm an apartment dweller) to see if it sounds just as good here.
 
#448
In another thread Smash stated:

With the Mesa stuff I find I've got a tone that I feel is, on balance, too thin or far too thick and loose in the low end with practically no in-between. It sounds good out in the crowd, from what I've heard on recordings and others using my gear, but onstage it's not easy to work with that sound.
Click to expand...

Walkabout users: do you find this to be true as well?

I sometimes find that using tubes will give you loud but not audible in a user-friendly way. This statement from Smash (whose opinion I respect very much) makes me think maybe the walkabout tone isnt for me. Although, I have heard it in a music store for about 30mins (and I LOVED the tone), it just isnt the same as playing it in a band mix.

I dont know how much this matters, but I would be using the walkabout head with a Epi UL310 and not the mesa scout cab.
 
#449
VEGANBASS said:
Walkabout users: do you find this to be true as well?
Click to expand...

In a word: NOPE.

For me, this thing is as close to perfect as a combo can be at this point. However, I have not used my Walkabout head with other cabs as you described. I'm sure this will affect the sound, but whether it is for the better or worse will ultimately be up to you. Give it a try, I think it would be hard to be dissappointed.
 
#450
VEGANBASS said:
In another thread Smash stated:



Walkabout users: do you find this to be true as well?

I sometimes find that using tubes will give you loud but not audible in a user-friendly way. This statement from Smash makes me think maybe the walkabout tone isnt for me. Although, I have heard it in a music store for about 30mins (and I LOVED the tone), it just isnt the same as playing it in a band mix.

I dont know how much this matters, but I would be using the walkabout head with a Epi UL310 and not the mesa scout cab.
Click to expand...

You'll find that there can be a lot of opinions here on TB that can make you re-think your gear.
You'll also find there are a lot of opinions on TB that can influence you to buy something, sightunseen, or unheard.
This happened to me with a Thunderfunk. I purchased it so excited, so looking forward to it and thought I just satisified my amp needs for the rest of my life. - Long story short, I got it and didn't like it.

Bottom line is go by YOUR ears. Do you find the Walkabout to sound thin? Do you think it sounds too thick w/ no in-between?

If you love the tone, then thats all that matters.

FWIW as well, I'm using my Walkabout with x2 Epifani UL112's and love it.
 
#451
VEGANBASS said:
In another thread Smash stated:
With the Mesa stuff I find I've got a tone that I feel is, on balance, too thin or far too thick and loose in the low end with practically no in-between. It sounds good out in the crowd, from what I've heard on recordings and others using my gear, but onstage it's not easy to work with that sound.
Click to expand...
Walkabout users: do you find this to be true as well?
Click to expand...
Not at all, and I'm SUPER particular about stage tone, and one thing I can't handle is "loose" anything in my sound. If anything, I feel the Walkabout is one of the "tightest" sounding tube rigs I've played through. Worked famously for me except for the DI thing, which is what killed it for me (but might not matter to most).
 
#453
Vic said:
Not at all, and I'm SUPER particular about stage tone, and one thing I can't handle is "loose" anything in my sound. If anything, I feel the Walkabout is one of the "tightest" sounding tube rigs I've played through. Worked famously for me except for the DI thing, which is what killed it for me (but might not matter to most).
Click to expand...

+1

The Walkabout is comparatively very tight sounding to other tube pre heads, i.e. Eden.
It gets even tighter with ElectroHarmonix 12ax7's in both the pre/driver section.

I'm very particular about my bottom end being 'controlled' sounding, and I have nothing to desire with my Walkabout.
 
#455
I very seldom disagree with Brother Smash, but I do here.
I find the walkabout less tubey than my Eden Navigator.
I will say however, that that very powerful eq can push the walkabout into boomy if you use it wrong: be careful with that bass control, and the lowest para eq, and you'll be fine.

I've used the walkabout with both the scout cab, a Henry 8x8, and Schro 410...with both DB and electric, and I place this head second to my TFB 420 in my toolkit, ahead of both my wt800B and Navigator...and I'm one picky sumbitch when it comes to what works live, especially with DB...
 
#456
Modern Growl said:
+1

The Walkabout is comparatively very tight sounding to other tube pre heads, i.e. Eden.
It gets even tighter with ElectroHarmonix 12ax7's in both the pre/driver section.

I'm very particular about my bottom end being 'controlled' sounding, and I have nothing to desire with my Walkabout.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I should mention I had a pair of Telefunken smooth plates in there, as well, so that probably helped "a little"! :)

+1 on the EHX's, too. If you get some good ones, those are the same things that folks like Demeter uses, not bad!
 
#457
As with Vic and Chef, I have not had any trouble getting both good stage, and room sound from my Walkabout 12. I've been using mine in several combinations for the past year and am happy as can be.

I did have to play the EQ game for about a week or so to get where I wanted to be tonewise, but after that, it's been all goodness. In my case, the EQ change I made that was most effective was to slightly cut the lows (say 11:00 at around 100-200 hz) to balance out the stage/room sound. I found the Walkabout to pretty amazingly thick, almost too thick, at a "flat" setting with all knobs at 12:00. I think this has to do with the passive radiator, but I am no tech.

I have been using the Walkabout with a mesa Powerhouse 1x12 for extra push. By just playing with the crossovers and horn levels in each cab I have found great tone (at least to my ears and my band mates). I also have an Aggie GS112NT and it gives the Walkabout another voice all together. The Aggie low-mid punch and the Mesa full range tone matches up extremely nicely.

I have also used the Walkabout head (out of the combo) to drive the Powerhouse 1x12 and the Aggie GS112 as a 2 1x12 stack. This combination has provided the least amount of success getting a tone I like. But I'll keep trying, cause I think its doable.

As an additional data point compare; I have a Mesa all tube Simul-state 2:90 power amp laying around the house. I recently set it up to take the FX line out from the Walkabout combo into both channels and then drove the Powerhouse and Aggie 1x12's off each channel. Talk about a great tone ! :hyper: wow.. thick, w i d e ... crisp, all tubey thing that just sang to my ears.

I recognize that this set-up is not particularly gig practical and I am seriously underpowering the 2 1x12's by only running 90w into each, but this set up produces such a sweet wide tone that I wish I could find a practical integrated setup that could deliver the same quality of sound. Head or rack/modular .. that would be very cool. Anyone have any ideas about this ?
 
#458
I spent several continous hours this weekend running mine at 2 ohms paired with a 4 ohm LDS 2x8+5.
At pretty big volumes: 3 on the pinput, 5 on the master...pleeeeeenty loud. House rattlingly loud.
I wanted to do this at home before I took it on a job this way.
It sounded great, and nary a lick of trouble-it got no warmer than it ever does...which is not warm at all.
 
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