Mesa Walkabout Megathread!

[::::BASSIST::::]

In comparison to what? It seems that people basically say that about every amp they buy. In the case of the Walkabout, it sounds unusually loud perhaps in part due to its small size/weight. People aren't as impressed with 300w when it comes from an 80lb tube amp eh? It just sounds like a proper 300w to me.

As you know I have an LMII as well. The difference to the ear between 500w and 300w is zero. You need to double the watts to get 3db more which is the smallest change the ear can typically peceive.

That said, the tone and preceptive loudness due to any distortion may well differ significantly. The LMII can probably stay cleaner at equally high volumes, but you'll have to hear for yourself.

I just sent you an email about the gear tryouts we'd been discussing before Xmas. We'll crank them up at my jam spot through some big cabs and we'll figure it out. I'm especially curious to compare the Scout the the Markbass 121P combo you have.

Yeah I received your email SMASH.

The walkabout combo and the cmd121p combo are quite different... at least from my quick once-overs at the local music store.

It will be interesting to see how significant the differences are. I'm guessing the walkabout will sound far bass-ier since it has a larger internal volume and the down firing jobbie on the bottom.

should be interesting!

 

[SMASH]

I respectfully disagree Smash.

I own a Walkabout Scout and also an LMII and I've gigged with both amps a LOT. In my experience, the Walkabout doesn't come anywhere close to the power and headroom of the LMII. Not by a mile. Once the Walkabout hits its clean volume threshold, it will not go any louder, nor give any more headroom. That is around 11 oclock on Input Gain and 11 o'clock on Master Vol. At those settings, it has let me down on a couple gigs. I even used the Walkabout with a Bergantino EX112 underneath. That was better and helped a lot. But the LMII with a similar cabinet 'stack' at 4 ohms crushes the Walkabout in terms of power and headroom. (IME/IMHO) That opinion is based on several gigs in live band settings.

I thought I was clear that the amount of clean volume differs. I wrote, and you quoted, "the tone and preceptive loudness due to any distortion may well differ significantly. The LMII can probably stay cleaner at equally high volumes." Neither amp will give "crushing" volume.

I agree with the settings you've suggested to keep the Walkabout totally clean. Of course that depends on the powerful EQ settings, but basically I agree. I simply said the ear can't tell between 300w and 500w. I did not say both would be equally clean at their top volumes.

The Walkabout is obviously designed to get the dirtier tube sound, and the LMII definitely not. Apples vs. oranges.

Use the same input gain/master vol settings noted about on an LMII and it crushes the Walkabout with power, headroom, fullness and presence. By a landslide.

Setting two amps to the same visual settings on the knobs is a totally invalid comparison and so to the informed observer will cast into doubt the rest of what you have to say. Different pots have different tapers. Different preamps have different gain and different voicings, both of which are a major factor in perceived volume & tone. Etc. etc.

And given the very extreme EQ the Walkabout is capable of, I doubt that anyone that's used it will agree that any amp is "by a landslide" more full or present at equivalent actual volume. We disagree on that, certainly.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Walkabout and that's why I still own it. Great sounding amp when used within its limitations. The Walkabout is great for jazz gigs, acoustic gigs, small restaurants, or 'musical wallpaper' type gigs. But not for my dance band.

If I expect the need to turn up to typical dance/cover band volume, my Walkabout stays home. End of story. The LMII power and headroom is profoundly more impressive.

As a point of reference, I compared using a Bergie HT112/EX112 stack with the LMII, and then used just the Walkabout head to drive that stack to compare in a direct A-B comparison. YMMV

 

[GRoberts]

Point taken Smash. It was 3am after a gig when I read this thread and wrote my reply. You're right that at the same volume with both amps, there is little, if any perceptable difference. True. I also have to agree that comparing performance using the same 'knob' settings on different amps isn't all that comparable. My bad. That was not a valid contrast on my part.

My experience is simply that the Walkabout only goes so loud with it's 300W rating, and that happens with the input gain and master-vol around 11 o'clock. The Walkabout seems to be at it's maximum useable clean volume and doesn't have any more headroom or clean power to deliver beyond whatever volume/power level I am hearing at 11 oclock.

Regardless of knob settings in that regard, the LMII (IME) goes significantly louder (clean, usuable volume). I've gotten the LMII almost to deafening clean volume levels. But I can't approach that volume/headroom/performance level with my Walkabout scout. That is the landslide I experienced. Does that help clarify?

I thought I was clear that the amount of clean volume differs. I wrote, and you quoted, "the tone and preceptive loudness due to any distortion may well differ significantly. The LMII can probably stay cleaner at equally high volumes." Neither amp will give "crushing" volume.

I agree with the settings you've suggested to keep the Walkabout totally clean. Of course that depends on the powerful EQ settings, but basically I agree. I simply said the ear can't tell between 300w and 500w. I did not say both would be equally clean at their top volumes.

The Walkabout is obviously designed to get the dirtier tube sound, and the LMII definitely not. Apples vs. oranges.




Setting two amps to the same visual settings on the knobs is a totally invalid comparison and so to the informed observer will cast into doubt the rest of what you have to say. Different pots have different tapers. Different preamps have different gain and different voicings, both of which are a major factor in perceived volume & tone. Etc. etc.

And given the very extreme EQ the Walkabout is capable of, I doubt that anyone that's used it will agree that any amp is "by a landslide" more full or present at equivalent actual volume. We disagree on that, certainly.

 

[anyonefortennis]

Anyone have a good slap setting for the WA (scout 12)? I'm having a hard time finding a good slap sound (keep in mind that I'm just starting to slap so it may just be user error)

 

[Ryan Mohr]

GRoberts - was there a significant tonal difference between the two?

 

[GRoberts]

GRoberts - was there a significant tonal difference between the two?

As much as I love the LMII, and it has 'great' tone, I have to admit I LOVE the tone of the Walkabout. But I'm not sure I would call it significant.

The LMII is a very sweet sounding amp and it is very flexible tonally.

 

[SMASH]

Regardless of knob settings in that regard, the LMII (IME) goes significantly louder (clean, usuable volume). I've gotten the LMII almost to deafening clean volume levels. But I can't approach that volume/headroom/performance level with my Walkabout scout. That is the landslide I experienced. Does that help clarify?

It clarifies we're talking about two different things.

I originally responded to a question simply about volume, and you're talking about "clean, usable" volume. I guess by that metric a 50 w Behringer combo has more clean usable volume than an SVT on an 8x10 cab.

All I can say is that I've used the Walkabout with settings on the gain & master way past those you're suggesting, and the amp did get a *LOT* louder when doing so. In fact the significant volume doesn't really even kick-in on the Mesa until you're past 11 o'clock on the gain, which is the maximum gain you're using.

Is it "clean" past those settings? I never said it was. Espeically not into small cabs. It's damn usable for what I was doing though, which incidentally was pop and funk not something heavy.

Different preamp tubes might be to your liking, in order to get more clean gain into the power section. As I said above though, with a 12ax7 it's meant to get colourful, it even says so in the manual - that the area between 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock on the gain changes the tonal character significantly.

I agree with your assertion that there's no significant tonal difference at your settings between the Mesa and the LMII, though to my ear the Mesa still has a vitality the LMII lacks when set flat, but beyond those settings there's a big difference and the Mesa starts doing things the LMII can't do - both by design. There are times I don't want that difference, same as you, but that doesn't make it unusable.

 

[ElMon]

It clarifies we're talking about two different things.

I originally responded to a question simply about volume, and you're talking about "clean, usable" volume. I guess by that metric a 50 w Behringer combo has more clean usable volume than an SVT on an 8x10 cab.

All I can say is that I've used the Walkabout with settings on the gain & master way past those you're suggesting, and the amp did get a *LOT* louder when doing so. In fact the significant volume doesn't really even kick-in on the Mesa until you're past 11 o'clock on the gain, which is the maximum gain you're using.

Is it "clean" past those settings? I never said it was. Espeically not into small cabs. It's damn usable for what I was doing though, which incidentally was pop and funk not something heavy.

Different preamp tubes might be to your liking, in order to get more clean gain into the power section. As I said above though, with a 12ax7 it's meant to get colourful, it even says so in the manual - that the area between 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock on the gain changes the tonal character significantly.

I agree with your assertion that there's no significant tonal difference at your settings between the Mesa and the LMII, though to my ear the Mesa still has a vitality the LMII lacks when set flat, but beyond those settings there's a big difference and the Mesa starts doing things the LMII can't do - both by design. There are times I don't want that difference, same as you, but that doesn't make it unusable.

+1. Having just switched from the LMII to the Walkabout, I can say that while the LMII has more overall headroom to the sound, the Walkabout accomplishes the same volume and presence by virtue of having a fuller tone set flat. There's a heft to each note that IME was NOT there with the LMII. Using the VPF/VLE filters on the LMII can warm things up a little bit, but I'm realizing there's no substitute for tubes if you like your tone big and fat versus clean and quick. I hope the Eden WT550B I have coming will do the same thing as the Walkabout, but just a hair louder.

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

.. I hope the Eden WT550B I have coming will do the same thing as the Walkabout, but just a hair louder.

I'm told that Eden heads don't overdrive like the Walkabout does, so they're very different in that respect.

 

[Chef]

This is true; the Eden stuff goes into icky clip, not nice overdrive.

I suspect you'll find a WT550 and the Walkabout to be very similar in terms of output.

 

[K-roth]

I have had my walkabout for over a yr now, and LOVE it. The passive radiator is a bit too bottom heavy when cranked, making the whole thing a little muddy. I've found myself rolling off the low-end to keep things clean. I recently picked up an Ampeg porta-bass 2-12, because I use the head with a 2-15 with one band ( practice only) and the ampeg for live gigs. As a head or combo, it's super loud and super tubey sounding. I play in a metal band, and a seven piece R-n-B band, all with FOH support. I did put casters on the scout cab, and it does help with the passive radiator. My main basses are a Stingray five and a passive Warwick five. The Boogie loves 'em both with equal aplomb, althogh I do tend to run the MM flat. Two enthusiastic thumb up

 

[Matt Dean]

What Chef said is true. I suffered a bout of Edenitis a couple of years ago... and found that I missed the Mesa fat. The Eden is warm up to a point, but is really more about being hifi that warm bloom. Went back to Mesa and never looked back.

 

[Chef]

I still use my wt800; and they can sound quite similar as long as you don't want "big tube harmonics and overdrive."

the para-q sections on both make them pretty flexable and maleable.

 

[ElMon]

This is true; the Eden stuff goes into icky clip, not nice overdrive.

I suspect you'll find a WT550 and the Walkabout to be very similar in terms of output.

That's interesting, because when I look back at my experience of running the WT550B thru my Epi UL410, I remember it being louder than the Walkabout seems to be currently. Thankfully I have a WT550B coming to me, so an A/B test is definitely in order!!!

 

[Chef]

cool; i look forward to your findings!

i ended up getting a mesa M6 for when i need more juice, but I do still have my wt800b laying around here somewheres

 

[ElMon]

cool; i look forward to your findings!

i ended up getting a mesa M6 for when i need more juice, but I do still have my wt800b laying around here somewheres

Last night's gig was an amazing showing of the Walkabout's power on a large stage. We were playing in front of about 400 people, with a PA that had two 2x18 subs, and the combination of my Sadowsky PJ5 through the DI of the Walkabout resulted in a downright DEVASTATING tone. Every note was in 3D, running up my spine with each pluck. I was running an Epifani UL410 for the stage as well.

Amazingly, when my band began playing along with the DJ's last club-song before our set, so that we could keep the dancer's going into OUR music, my bass tone was equally if not MORE massive and thick than were the keyboard bass/808 sounds from the DJ's tracks. COOL!!!!

 

[vapochilled]

I have owned my WalkAbout for years now. It still impresses me, so I am quite biased on the lmii vs WalkAbout [kinda like Apples vs Oranges (Oranges will always win in CA & Fl, but Apples will never lose in WA)].

Any how for those who don't care about that, but want more "usable volume".

First roll the tubes in this case. JJ ECC83s allround I recommend these; because the ECC83 has clean sound and low microphonics. If you want more gain and never over drive. Or are willing to swap tube more often due to occational microphonics. Drop a JJ ECC803 in the 2nd postion, this is a long plate Hi-Fi tube. That usually ranks with the highest gain ratings on current production tubes. I've run Sovtek LPS and loved them, but position one killed them.

Now for the real improvements. Everyone here knows you can tube roll a WalkAbout. How about OPAMP rolling??? if two tubes can make that much difference how about 4 OPAMPs. In my WalkAbout there were 2 TI TL072s, 1 Link Removed TL072 and 1 TI NE5532. If you look on Texas Instruments TL072 webpage, you see the "Also See" section above the specs. TI listed recommended upgrades there:

TL052 - TL05x offer performance upgrade

TLE2072 - TLE207x offer the highest precision upgrade
- I currently use the TLE2072A "Excaliber" series and find the audio much more detailed w/ no lose of tube "goodness"

Here is a table of Standard Linear Amplifiers, I pulled from TI.com

The next Texas Instruments OPAMP I am interested in is the OPA2134
-SoundPlus(TM) High Performance Audio Operational Amplifiers

Here is a table for Precision Amplifiers.

 

[Chef]

huh
that's a lot of interesting info.

I have ecc83's in both my walkabouts. i have 803's on hand, but haven't tried them...

never messed with the opamp chips.

 

[tallboybass]

I have owned my WalkAbout for years now. It still impresses me, so I am quite biased on the lmii vs WalkAbout [kinda like Apples vs Oranges (Oranges will always win in CA & Fl, but Apples will never lose in WA)].

Any how for those who don't care about that, but want more "usable volume".

First roll the tubes in this case. JJ ECC83s allround I recommend these; because the ECC83 has clean sound and low microphonics. If you want more gain and never over drive. Or are willing to swap tube more often due to occational microphonics. Drop a JJ ECC803 in the 2nd postion, this is a long plate Hi-Fi tube. That usually ranks with the highest gain ratings on current production tubes. I've run Sovtek LPS and loved them, but position one killed them.

Now for the real improvements. Everyone here knows you can tube roll a WalkAbout. How about OPAMP rolling??? if two tubes can make that much difference how about 4 OPAMPs. In my WalkAbout there were 2 TI TL072s, 1 Link Removed TL072 and 1 TI NE5532. If you look on Texas Instruments TL072 webpage, you see the "Also See" section above the specs. TI listed recommended upgrades there:

TL052 - TL05x offer performance upgrade

TLE2072 - TLE207x offer the highest precision upgrade
- I currently use the TLE2072A "Excaliber" series and find the audio much more detailed w/ no lose of tube "goodness"

Here is a table of Standard Linear Amplifiers, I pulled from TI.com

The next Texas Instruments OPAMP I am interested in is the OPA2134
-SoundPlus(TM) High Performance Audio Operational Amplifiers

Here is a table for Precision Amplifiers.

Tell us more about the real world results....it's much louder, yes?

 

[Chef]

IME with the ECC83 swap: no, not louder, just cleaner, longer.